1929 Chevrolet International - 4 Door Sedan Project

[BearsFan315]

LED

 

Lambert LED Kit Tail Lamp (Park ON) 1-2

 

 

 

Lambert LED Kit Brake Light 3-4

 

 

[BearsFan315]

been rebuilding the engine for my 1929 and finally took it out Saturday and did a 3 mile loop for initial shake down and test run. Initial run was to make sure it ran, no major issues, and everything works and stays together.

car ran great, stopped good, and fired back up after shut down. it was about 85 out and the car did not overheat. it did puked a little when i shut it off, but it was full of coolant. so should be fine now, but will keep an d eye on it. also did not notice anymore air in the gano filter on the coolant return line.

found a few bolts i forgot to tighten up, and went around twice checking all bolts, nuts, screws.

[BearsFan315]

did not get time Sunday to do a second test run, so did one tonight when I got home, after dinner of course.

set a personal goal when i got my 1929 running. that goal was to be able to start the car by hand crank, at least once !! i figure i would try tonight and see how that went. followed general guidelines, spin to compression and pull crank up and around, and not try to hold on to it as to break my arm !! i pulled the spark knob as to retard spark per manual, and away we go. i was shocked that it fired on first attempt, actually startled me. engine stalled out quickly. pushed in the spark button, and tried again. fired right up and kept on running.

dont plan on starting the car manually all the time, but wanted to accomplish that goal and know that i can start it manually if /when i desire.

after warm up took it out for shake down/ test run 2. car ran great, accelerated good, and stopped good. once the brakes seat some i will adjust and tweak them. same thing once i get some miles on it go back over and tighten up bolts, nuts, and screws. no noticeable issues or concerns at this point. next trip out i am planning a good 20-30 minute trip around town, stop & go traffic, and maybe a bridge (small one) test it out a little more.

[frank29u]

Congrats!  I don't hand crank my Plymouth anymore. 😀

[BearsFan315]

had time today to take the 1929 for another drive, this time was a 7 mile round trip, last 2 were only about 2 miles. no speeds over 35, some stretches were steady at 30 mph.

 

car fired up on first try, let it warm up for about 5 minutes, and drove off. accelerated fine, stopped fine, shifted fine. concern was that about 2.5 miles in the trip temp gauge was reading in the 3rd section. but would jump back to first section, not sporactically but randomly here and there. stopped halfway on trip and used my laser temp gun to pull numbers.  return line was around 180-190 radiator at top fins was around 180-190 and dropped as you went down to around 160-170. pulling temp off cylinder walls on drivers side 1-205 2-205 3-195 4-205 5-215 6-210.
did the same check when i returned home with the same numbers.  car fired right up every time I hit the starter button, not a glitch.

 

is this normal on break in or ?? what should i look for or do ?

engine has approx 15 miles on and maybe 1-1.5 hours running time. 

still has the timing gear (New Aluminum Gear & Near Steel Crank Gear) whine as discussed already, as well as the normal transmission whine

[Gary W]

Could the thermostat be working a little "jumpy"?  Opening quickly at temperature, she cools down?  Possible?

[BearsFan315]

21 hours ago, Gary W said:

Could the thermostat be working a little "jumpy"?  Opening quickly at temperature, she cools down?  Possible?

NO thermostat in the 1929, unless you were running the heater option. also the temperature gauge is the one year only electronic version, only 4 settings based on temp that cause 4 small curves of wire to expand and hit contact and send reading to dash gauge.

[BearsFan315]

well too the 1929 for another shakedown run, keeping them to under 30 minutes and 10 miles. this one was 15 minutes and around 7 miles round trip. Flat land, one small overpass.

 

today was a beautiful day, cool temps around 75, nice breeze blowing, low humidity. A near perfect day.

took the car out for a run, and about 5 minutes down the road there is air in the Gano, i can see it clearly while cruising steady at any speed. 15, 25, 30 !!  then when i stop i can see it burping up. a wave of air bubbles, break air bubbles, etc... over and over while sitting only for a minute. take off and can see the air bubbles in the coolant, does not matter that i am slowly accelerating or not. coolant level was just above core in radiator. stopped and check temps, return line is about 170. top of radiator is around 180-190 bottom is around 150-160. cylinder walls read around 200-215.

 

get back home and park in driveway, and air ensues, same as when i was driving. 

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

well ran out to lunch today for work, and made a trip to Harbor Freight ;!

 

picked up a few items i needed, also picked up their Maddox Combustion Leak Detector and BLOCK-TESTER Combustion Leak Detector Fluid will see what it shows on the 1929. read reviews on it plus videos. seems to be a good viable test system.

 

last night i went out and checked all the hardware on the coolant lines and water pump, made sure everything was tight. did not go out and wrench down everything to break off screw & nuts

also plan to run the test as Noted by Ted (Chistech). i am will to spend the time and check and recheck before tearing down and breaking down. been there done that once already!!

[BearsFan315]

ok so i ran a few test last night... mainly with the Combustion Leak Detector.

Fluid is Blue and if exposed to combustion gases it turns Yellow (for Gasoline Engines)

 

First Test was to see if the Fluid Changed Colors in Ambient Air, only sucking in air around me. car is not running, nothing is going on or anything else running.

 

 

Nothing happened fluid stayed blue

 

Next was a test to see IF the fluid would actually turn yellow if exposed to exhaust gases, so started up car and ran the test so it would suck in the air from the tail pipe. 

 

 

fluid quickly turns yellow, so we know the fluid works

 

So next up was true car test. fired up car, let it get up to around 140-150 coolant temp and them ran the test, i used aa silicone funnel to seal around the radiator fill neck and the base of the tester. not 100% fool proof but the silicone funnel was snug around both.

 

 

 

fluid stayed blue. had a slight green tint, but i pumped air for over a minute and never changed.

 

seems like no exhaust gases are getting into the coolant, but no guarantees.

[BearsFan315]

 

I ran the test on the car twice, once after idle warm up and then about an hour later after another warm up.

 

same results

 

[BearsFan315]

Took car out for a test drive today, was a short trip about 1.5 miles nothing over 30 mph maybe 10 minutes. Clear Sunny afternoon, temps around 85F 50% humidity. coolant level was just over the core. car fired right up, let it idle for about 10 minutes.

 

about half mile or so in, started seeing the bubbles in the coolant via the Gano. as i drove more more bubbles arose. pulled back in driveway, ran the combustion check (engine still running bubbles running as well) fluid stayed blue.

 

When i cut the engine off bubbles erupted and puked coolant out the overflow. dumped about 1/2 - 3/4 gallon on the driveway. laser temp on radiator was around 200F at the top. 

 

seems to tell me it is overheating, and should not on a short trip like this one. 

[Bloo]

Passing that test, especially when real hot, is excellent news. Is the test 100%? No, but it is real good, and after hearing that you tested it hot when it was about to overheat, I am convinced it's fine. No blown head gasket, no cracked head.

 

 

I believe you said the water pump is sealed, right? And the timing is advanced enough?. There isn't much left. The water pump could be leaking I guess, or have a wrong impeller gap. The radiator could be restricted. What is that coolant? Water or some kind of antifreeze? If it is antifreeze, have you tried the car on water?

 

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by Bloo (see edit history)

[BearsFan315]

figured i would go back check everything... start at square 1

 

pulled all the plugs, and checked gap & coloration, they all were set to the .040" i set them to per VCCA recommendation, and they all looked really clean 

 

 

did a compression test on all 6 cylinders, and got around 65-70 on all cylinders.

 

[BearsFan315]

pulled distributor cap, checked point gap, .018" 

spun engine around to cylinder 1 TDC

checked where rotor button was pointing, looked to be a tad off, put it back together and ran engine, and looks like it was sitting right around 5-7 deg of timing !?!? 

 

so pulled distributor, spun it one tooth, reset oil pump to mate up, and put it all back together.

 

connected power and fired up car, it sputtered and stuttered. went around and slowly advanced timing, adjusted it till it ran smooth, and check on exhaust. I put my hand near exhaust to feel the output, feeling mainly for the sputter or puff out hte pipe. after about 10 minutes got it idling smoothly. pushed the throttle a few times, revved right up. 

 

decided to take it for a quick block spin, same 1.5 mile trek nothing over 25 mph. outdoor temps were around 85F and humid.

 

car ran fine, accelerated smoothly and pulled nicely. I did not see any bubbles, pulled in driveway and cut it off, no burping or puking. ran temps. top of radiator was around 180-185 bottom around 150-155. cylinders walls were around 210-220. fired it back up no issues, and pulled it into garage for the night.

 

seems to be a little bit happier, and will take it back out for another short trip and run the same tests, then maybe go out for a little longer ride and see how it does. 

[BearsFan315]

Been looking at side view mirrors for the 1929, all kinds of clamp, hinge, etc out there. not sure what to do, so found some suction cup mirrors to try out. ordered one from Amazon: Side View Mirror Option 1

 

these have a 6" flex arm, with a suction cup and 3.35" diameter convex mirror. only issue is that it has to mount on a FLAT surface in order for the suction cup to work, and have a long enough arm to get the mirror where i need it so see. got the mirror in today and tinkered with locations where i can mount it and use it, tried the door, but have to look out and down to see it, no good, tried on hood, no good. then what about the visor ?? bam enough area to suction on and arm is just long enough to reach around so i can see. i can see behind and around me without moving my head from natural position while driving. 

 

also tried it on the passenger side and was able to mount it same location and get the mirror around so i could see down the side of the car and around me. so think these will work, and good value for the money. plus i can remove for shows if desired. if they fall off while driving then will find another route. did a short test drive for the engine with these on and it did not budge and was SO NICE to be able to see behind me !!

 

few pictures of the mirrors and mounting on the drivers side

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

while testing and playing with the sideview mirror, i did my second test drive after timing. car started right up, ran strong, good acceleration, etc... temp was 80F low humidity, and at dusk. drove the same 1.5 mile 5 minute trip. when i parked in driveway temp on radiator was around 180F at the top 150F at the bottom. no puking when i shut it off. there is still air bubbles when not at idle, not as bad and only when it warms up. 

[chistech]

Good deal on the mirrors Jerry. Not being able to see behind our cars on the sides is one of my pet peeves as you know I ended up making those mounts for my Olds windshield frame. I’ve been speaking with Steve from the filling station and I’m sending him a set to try on his phaeton. He’s going to see if any of his vendors have different all lengths to see what would give the best option for rear visibility. The mirrors I’m able to get are good and much better than nothing at all but if they were out just an inch further, they would be better still.

[BearsFan315]

played around to see IF i could use the same mirror on the passenger side, but realized the arm was too short. in order for me see out the mirror i have to lean back and over to see the mirror. figure the arm needs to be a few inches longer.  looking around realized that the arms used on the mirror are the same arms they use on the flexible cell phone mounts. so went online and bought a few options of various lengths to see what works best for passenger side.

 

The arm on the mirror is 8" overall from base to the ball. the ones i ordered ended up being 10", 12", and 14" so great assortment.

[BearsFan315]

after tinkering around, figured out that the 10" was near perfect length. the 14" was way too long, and the 12" as well.

went back and froth and messed around, but very happy with the 10" arm. 

 

you could use the 12" or 14" and mount them on the door panel and position them in typical side view mirror on the bottom corner of window

 

[BearsFan315]

here is the setup i have, standard mirror with 8" arm on driver side, then the same mirror on the 10" arm on passenger side.

 

very happy with this, and can easily see both of them from neutral driving position, just like my daily driver. been raining all afternoon so no chance to take it out and do a real world test, but will do soon enough.

 

nice thing is they come off in a few seconds, are inexpensive, and work !!

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

did a few more test drives and same results...

 

driving around 5-10 minutes, no faster than 25 mph, Cloudy evening, temps around 85F 60% humidity. coolant level was just over the core. car fired right up, let it idle for about 10 minutes.

 

car ran fine, accelerated smoothly. Saw some bubbles on acceleration and when i came to a stop, pulled in driveway and cut it off, no puking but had some bubbles. ran temps. top of radiator was around 190-195 bottom around 160-65. cylinders walls were around 200-210. fired it back up no issues, and pulled it into garage for the night.

double checked timing, it is around 15 deg 

...verified with timing light, but set by ear and engine feel & sound
plugs gapped to .040"
point gap set to .018"

 

car fired right up, idles great, no sputtering or stuttering

exhaust is a constant synchronize put put put 

if i retard or advance a little I get a slight miss at idle not consistent but random every 30+ seconds or so
put put put put poof put put put put put put

[BearsFan315]

Going to put my updated info in this post, as this post is about LED headlamps 

Back in May I did some more testing of Some LED Bulbs I recently purchased

Here is the order of testing:
00 No Light
01 #1188 Incandescent Bulb
02 #68645 LED
03 #78989 LED
04 #74474 LED

They were all tested in my garage, same car, same battery, etc... only about 10-15 minutes between bulbs swaps. ( yeah I got pretty good at swapping out bulbs ) also no bulbs were harmed or touched in this process

Note the tape on the garage door (Not perfect but)
the top most tape is centerline of my 1929
then there is a lower tape on the left and one on the right they mark the center point of the light buckets

took several pictures of each bulb
1 from windshield forward
2 from radiator cap forward
3 standing at door looking at headlamps (looking down)
4 at door looking head on into headlamps
5 standing on passenger side at garage door looking at radiator
6 standing on drivers side at garage door looking at radiator

all specs, pictures of bulbs are in the attached image (spreadsheet)

All bulbs tested were purchased from : LEDLight.com
...great service, great prices, quick delivery. have bought from them several times, no issues

[BearsFan315]

Test 00 No Light

 

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

Test 01 #1188 Incandescent Bulb

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

Test 02 #68645 LED

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

Test 03 #78989 LED

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

Test 04 #74474 LED

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

After all this, i decided to stick with the LED #74475

been very happy with them, though i do NOT drive around at night. i did post a short video of me turning the car around.

 

 

Edited September 20, 2022 by BearsFan315 (see edit history)

[BearsFan315]

my temp sensor on my 1929 is not working, and found Gary W found one, it is a C&P Automotive "Billy Possum"

in the meantime i picked up a mechanical Temperature Gauge to run to monitor the temps. I purchased one from Speedway that did 100-260F however when i bench tested it the temps were 20-30F off. send it back and they sent a replacement, bench tested and it was even worse. 30-40F off. Finally went out and got an AutoMeter 120-240F and it is nearly spot on !! bench testing was done with a pot of water and a standard thermometer and a digital laser temp gun. going from 100-220F about every 10F.

[BearsFan315]

Installed the AutoMeter in the standard head location where the 1929 Temp Sensor goes, as it is a standard 1/2" NPT port. ran tube out away from engine, down the side along where the inside rim where the fender lip runs, then up through the floor with the wire bundle, then clamped the gauge next to the steering column.

[BearsFan315]

did a test run....

 

ambient temp was around 80F clear sunny, low humidity.

drove approximately 5.5 miles, 25-30 MPH, back roads, but lots of stop and go.
car warmed up quickly to 140F before leaving (approx 10 minutes idling)
drove around and and few miles in was up to 180F temp stayed around 180F when moving 25mph, stopping and going bumped up to 190F and pushed near 200F.

when pulled in drive and shut off, temp creeped up to 210F (Heat Soak)

[BearsFan315]

a Few Picts of the OLD Temp Sensor (Black) and the New to me C&P Automotive Temp Sensor (Bare Metal)

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

a Few of the Old Temperature Sensor

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BearsFan315]

a few of the NOS Temp Sensor, same concept but looks like they may have changed the layout some vs the original. Both made by the same manufacturer as noted on the caps

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chistech]

That’s pretty cool. So the hotter it gets the more contact warp and close giving more resistance to a full ground.  Hopefully I got that right!🤷🏻‍♂️