1932 Ruxton, or how I became an unwitting restorer.

[Barry Wolk]

The short block is finally done. New pistons, valve seats, valve guides, oversized main, connecting and cam bearings. Lifters all checked out and were simply cold-adjusted. The engine shop took the extra precaution of grooving out the crack we filled with cement and applied a patch of marine-grade engine epoxy as a secondary precaution. The cementing procedure worked as there was ceramic cement in all of the cracks.

Gloss black ceramic engine enamel over self-etching primer. I know I extolled the virtues of Rustolueum, but it's just terrible stuff if you have to top coat it.

"Hello NAPA. I'd like a front cover gasket for a 1930 Ruxton with an 18-S Continental engine."

Timing gears installed. Generator/distributor/chain tensioner done. Test fit fuel pump and vibration damper.

All of this actually faces the firewall as the engine is installed backwards, because of the front wheel drive. It also runs backwards, like a second-screw marine engine.

The engine builder stopped a little short, in my opinion. All of the connecting rod bolts and main bolts should have been safety wired. They were torqued to spec, but now need new holes drilled so that mechanic's wire can be passed through the castle nuts and bolts. I was told that they are not to be tightened to the next opening in the castle nut, even if you can see the hole. I just think that should have been done under controlled conditions.

The next step is to install the seal in the timing chain cover and permanently install it and the vibration damper. After drilling for the safety wiring I'll be able to install the oil pan and crossmember and install the block in the car.

[West Peterson]

What a pain. Do you now run the risk of metal shavings getting into places where they shouldn't be?

[Barry Wolk]

Absolutely, especially with all the assembly lube lying around. We'll be using a shop vac all the time we're drilling. Thankfully about a third of the holes line up.

Nice seeing you at Hershey, West. Some pretty spectacular cars there.

[West Peterson]

Sorry I didn't have time to talk longer. See you at St. Johns, I suppose.

[Barry Wolk]

We'll be there with the '55 Continental Cabrio.

[bradsan]

Barry

Nice work !!! I'm anxiously waiting to see how the concrete holds up to a running engine.

The engine builder stopped a little short, in my opinion. All of the connecting rod bolts and main bolts should have been safety wired. They were torqued to spec, but now need new holes drilled so that mechanic's wire can be passed through the castle nuts and bolts. I was told that they are not to be tightened to the next opening in the castle nut, even if you can see the hole. I just think that should have been done under controlled conditions.

This is one of life''s mysteries for me!

None of our modern cars are safety wired and haven't been since the late 30's. Everything in the bottom end of a modern engine ( not sure about racing applications ) is put together with a nut and a lock washer of some sort. Some are assembled without any washer at all and just use torque-to-yield bolts For originality sake, they should be safety wired but unless the judge is going to ask you to drop the pan, why not just remove the castle nut, install a grade 5 or 8 lock washer and retorque it?

Is it a question of different engine stresses or metallurgy? I'm curious what the thoughts are on this. I used grade 8 lock washers on the con rods of my Model T but it doesn't have enough hours for any sort of scientific analysis! Maybe someone can weigh in on this. There is nothing more stressful than trying to get to that next slot in the castle nut on an old pre-stretched main cap stud! Life would sure be alot easier if lock washers were an acceptable alternative for our old stuff.

Brad

[Barry Wolk]

There's nothing inherently wrong with using tie wires, nor would there be anything wrong with lock washers. We probably could have just used some Locktite and called it a day, but Greg's business is all about fixing cars the way they came from the factory. Yes, it was extra work, but then I never would have learned how to tie safety wires.

I am grateful to Greg for imparting his knowledge on me. I learned many tricks to keep the engine from being a leaker. We used 4 different sealants, depending on the location and application. The hardest part today was keeping the rotation orientation straight.

The connecting rod bolts are hardened. I learned that plenty of lubrication and slow speed is the key. He used a single titanium drill bit to drill out 7 of the 16 holes. Greg said to always drill as near to a right angle to the original hole as you can as intercepting an existing hole at an angle is a pretty sure way to break a drill bit. Greg would drill about 1/4 way through the bolt and the let the drill and the bolt cool. This allowed him to remove metal without affecting the bolt's temper.

The rest were sufficiently lined up so that I could use a stainless steel tie wire in 19 gauge. I used a much heavier mechanics wire on the mains. We could only do 2 pairs of connecting rods at a time, so he would drill the holes while I wrapped the safety wire. One of the things I learned today was once the timing gears lined up the gears in the oil pump needed to be packed with petroleum jelly so that initial startup would ensure suction in the oil pump and near instant oil pressure. I replaced the original steel oil pump pick-up screen with bronze as much of the steel had rusted away.

The original timing chain cover had a rope seal. By removing the inner ring a modern deal was able to be pressed into the original opening. This should keep the underside of the car pretty oil free. We could not use a modern seal at the drive end, but inertia should help keep oil inside. I learned that paper seals don't do well with RTV so Greg had me use Indian Head, an engine shellac.

I also learned today that stainless fasteners should not be used on things that require cork gaskets as stainless doesn't bond to the cast iron like steel bolts do so they will work their way loose. I'm scrounging through my ever-decreasing supply of unmarked bolts so I can make the oil pan installation look right. The majority of fasteners on this car were replaced with Grade 5 bolys, which are marked with three slashes. Bolt grading of this nature didn't exist in 1929, the year the engine was made.

We're next working on it Tuesday evening. The first step will be to tip the block up and go crazy with several cans of Braklean to rise out any dirt or metal shavings and then install the oil pan. I still have to wire the 8 valve train bolts and then I can install the chrome covers/vents. Once the pan is on I can roll the engine over and paint the other side. Then it will be ready to install the cross-member and install the engine in the car. All of the remaining parts will be installed after the engine is installed.

I did learn something else. I learned that I can learn something new, even at my age.

[bradsan]

Barry

Appreciate the response. I tend to overthink these things and when it seems too simple, I start to worry what I'm missing , like using a lock washer or even Loctite ( hadn't thought of that!! )

Lots of good info! Keep it coming.

Hadn't thought about stainless fasteners not 'locking' in cast iron with a 'soft 'gasket. Does loctite or bolt prep or even shellac solve that issue?

I get the keeping it original part but I don't know that I could be as patient with the drilling operation as Greg was! I could foresee a broken drill bit in my future but then I guess that would accomplish the same thing as safety wire:).

Brad

[Barry Wolk]

Greg was insistent that all paint be removed from the engine block wherever there is a mating metal surface.

This side is done. Ready to install the oil pan and finish up the other side of the engine.

[Pete O]

I'm going to get nit-picky here, but that safety wire job is not up to snuff. The attached picture shows the proper way to wire two nuts together. It's a Z pattern that naturally tightens the wire should a nut start to loosen.

[Barry Wolk]

Thanks.

[Barry Wolk]

I rewired two sets. The others were essentially the same as yours with the final twist in a different place.

Found an interesting detail. There were a number of studs in the bell housing end of the engine used to mount it. Two of them were stubby and seemed to have polished ends. On closer examination those two studs fit in beveled recesses of the cast-iron crossmember. I found the recesses strange because I've never seen a flat-head fastener in a 7/16" coarse, other than an Allen, which hadn't keen invented yet. Phillips screws were not in use in 1929, the year the engine was built, so it must have been a giant flat-head screw. These won't be These fasteners aren't seen, so I went with Grade 8 Allens and Grade 9 bolts, washers and lock washers.

It turns out the studs were polished by chewing up the edge of the segmented V-belt. The flat heads were required for clearance.

I had to alter the heads of 30 oil pan bolts. It was simple to remove the modern strength markings on the stainless fasteners, but Greg insisted on regular steel for the oil pan gaskets. I spent about 3 hours grinding and zinc plating. With a copper-wire jig I was able to plate 4 at a time. They have a satin finish that can be polished. The Eastwood kit has paid for itself many times over.

I prepped this side of the engine for paint, wire-brushing remnants of grease and paint. Rinsed with Braklean and let it dry. Self-etching primer. More gloss black ceramic engine paint.

The only thing left to do is the oil pan.

I meticulously cleaned and rinsed the oil pan numerous times to get rid of any trace of the aluminum oxide I blasted it with.

More shellac sealant and the first pan gasket.

A second inner pan directs oil to the sump area.

Somebody might look, so they now look correct.

It seems weird putting an engine in backwards.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg18/barry2952/1931%20Ruxton/IMG_2565_zps56b0ee49.jpg

It was a very tight fit. It would have been easier without the steering box, but it fit.

The cross-member is firmly bolted to the frame while the "front" of the engine rides on rubber mounts.

Home.

[Dandy Dave]

I'm going to get nit-picky here, but that safety wire job is not up to snuff. The attached picture shows the proper way to wire two nuts together. It's a Z pattern that naturally tightens the wire should a nut start to loosen.

Yes sir. You got it Pete O.... Unless they are left handed treads. Dandy Dave!

[Dandy Dave]

Hey Barry, You sure have come a long way since I saw you a few days ago briefly with Larry Shramm. Nice and meticulous work. Hope to see you and this car in the future. Thanks for breakfast. Dandy Dave!

[Pete O]

It is so strange to see an early '30s car with the engine mounted so far behind the front axle. True, the transmission will be above the axle, but the weight distribution still must be so much more neutral than any other car (save Cord) of the time. With the dropped frame and lower center of gravity, this car must have handled unlike anything else on the road.

[Dandy Dave]

Hey Pete O. It was a time of evolution and new ideas. In other words, This here is not your average Late 20's, early 30's automobile. Very cool car. :cool: Dandy Dave!

[Spinneyhill]

Take care using stainless steel on body or cast steel. You are encouraging galvanic corrosion. If they are electrically connected and there is any porosity in the paint the steel will corrode faster around the stainless than it would if the stainless piece was "ordinary" steel. In particular, the stainless water jacket will be electrically connected to the block through the bolts. You will need to be vigilant about your anti-corrosive coolant, with two-yearly replacement as a matter of course. You might not see the corrosion in the block - it will be inside.

As an example, the hinges on cars of this and later vintage are cast and are bolted to pressed steel. They are different steels. Over time, a row of pitting corrosion can attack the cast hinge beside the body steel if the paint is not good.

[Barry Wolk]

Ever the perfectionist, Jocko wasn't pleased with with the roof area. He shot another coat of base and gave a first coat to the repaired areas of the fenders and hood.

These parts don't even resemble what they started with.

Another bit of shoddy craftsmanship. Chasing the head bolt threads produced piles of corrosion. I would have thought.......

After vacuuming any loose chips I wiped down the bores with an oiled rag. There was a bit of debris. I wiped the walls a second time and left the oil, dropped the new head gasket into place and lowered the head. I put spark plus in the holes just to keep dirt out. They will be removed for the first engine spin.

Packed away in bubble plastic was what appears to be a replica set of engine compartment pans that keeps air flowing past the engine instead of dumping the air out beneath the car. With the pan in place the air sucked through the radiator exits just behind the steering column and out the side vents of the hood. The frame is coated with a soap-based paint protector. That's why it appears the way it does. I'm assured it will come off with a good bath.

The other side is skirted, too. The starter is in. I have to drive the chrome oil filler into place and install the engine plate and this side is done. The battery holder I made is a perfect fit. I have to exchange the chrome head nuts as I ordered 1/2" and need 7/16". D'oh!

I found a mangled stud for the water manifold and I need some for the carb, too. Getting close.

[Barry Wolk]

The flywheel appears to be brand new, as does the clutch disc and the pressure plate. In one of the spare parts box is a burned up clutch, explaining the new one. It just needed to be cleaned up and degreased. The triangular part is the pilot bearing keeper. I noted that there was a 3/8" gap between the roller bearing and the keeper. If the roller bearing were allowed to come forward that far they would only be half in their seat.

I figured there must be a grease retention seal that both keeps grease from being flung out behind the triangular plate and onto the friction surface and keeps the bearing in place, so I made some out of a felt material.

Some Loctite blue on the original studs with Grade 9 nuts and lock washers.

The spare parts box yielded a transmission input shaft which will serve as the perfect clutch alignment tool.

The spline fits perfectly.

As does the pressure plate. More Locktite blue and grade 9 bolts and lock washers, all tightened in a cross pattern. Without an alignment tool I don't think this job would be possible. The disc has to be precisely dead-center on the flywheel.

The machinist came through again by making a new throttle shaft that puts the controls on the correct side of the carb. The original carburetors for these cars turned to dust years ago. Replicas were cast in bronze. Unfortunately, they were meant to face the other way, putting the controls on the wrong side. They wire cut two slots. I don't know what that means, but it must me pretty damn precise as the slots are flawless. A solid shaft now extends through the carb and attaches to the original arm. While they had the carb out it was a simple matter of turning the choke plate arm around to face the way it needs to face.

[Dandy Dave]

"Wire Cutting the Slots" is done with an EDM, or Electronic Discharge Machine. I did some of this years ago in a shop that made Tool Steel Molds for plastic injection machines. Dandy Dave!

[dan at larescorp]

Excellent work Barry!

[Barry Wolk]

Black primer tomorrow, followed by block sanding and then color.

I've kept busy hooking up the cable controls and the gear shift lever. I ordered black braided spark plug wires and assorted boots and connectors. Bought a new 6-volt coil. The points were newly installed a year ago. The new throw-out bearing wouldn't fit so the replacement should be in by tomorrow.

I just noticed I have to reroute the vacuum line. It appears I installed it where the speedometer cable goes.

They no longer make an exhaust wrap made of asbestos. The closest is either just a wrap that has the look of an Ace bandage or a woven matt the requires numerous ties to keep it in conformance with the curve of the pipe. I've found a modern version that's actually like an exhaust sock that conforms to the curves and traps heat within the pipe, not in the engine compartment.

http://www.classicchambered.com/classic/Heat.html

[Spinneyhill]

Did they really use that plug wire new? I thought it was an after-market thing, possibly a bit later in the '30s. It looks pretty, though.

[Barry Wolk]

I wrote that they are being replaced with black cloth covered wire.

[Spinneyhill]

So you did. Sorry I missed it and asked a dumb question.

[Barry Wolk]

No problem.

[Barry Wolk]

Using my wood shop vice I pressed the new bearing onto the throwout bearing carrier. I safety wired the bolts that hold everything together. I tested it's operation and everything moved smoothly.

The trans slid smoothly into place once I put it in gear and turned an output shaft. The splines clicked and the mating surfaces lined right up.

I got sent on an errand to get them some more tape and by the time I got back they were ready to shoot the catalyzed primer.

I respect people that know what they're doing.

When I left they were preparing another mix for a second coat and a third coat tinted darker as a scratch coat. Wet-sanding and then color.

I have been sealed out of the interior for the duration of the paint job. Now that the trans is in I now have all of the linkages connected. Tomorrow I'll build and install the front axles and CV joints making it almost drivable.

[Barry Wolk]

Great progress today.

My first task was to install the shifter. I safety wired the new shift gate Positive Tool made and installed the shifter after pumping in another two tubes of Corn Head grease, laid down a bead of black RTV and bolted it down. I checked and could only get it in two gears. It turns out that the only part on the car that could be installed backwards, was.

The shifter is activated by a 6-foot long chrome rod that goes through the firewall and across the top of the engine.

I came in this morning to find the shoot complete, and lovely to behold.

The hybrid axles I had made fit perfectly. The top row is a mostly assembled axle, with the CV parts to the left. The bottom row is all of the parts, less the universal yolk.

This is the socket of the CV joint. It's truly a marvel of engineering for 1928.

10 parts fit together only one way to form the CV.

This is how the CV inner piece fits on the axle shaft. The original installation used slotted screws. These Allens are much more appropriate for the application. This ring holds the shaft in the CV by means of a snap ring underneath.

Just before closing up the housing.

A thing of beauty in both form and function. The axle shaft and polished stainless cups are new parts made by Positive Tool. Beautiful work. Axle shield and ring are rechromed parts by Advanced Custom Chrome. I only had to get rid of some chrome in 3 of 24 holes.

Now that I had the axles on, and the clutch and trans hooked up I was able to make motion with the starter.

http://s244.photobucket.com/user/barry2952/media/1931%20Ruxton/MVI_2632_zpsd6a1fb19.mp4.html

[keiser31]

AWESOME, Barry....just AWESOME!

[paulrhd29nz]

Can you tell us more about the corn grease you put in trans.

Will the spinning gears not just displace the grease? Or does it flow when warm?

This is one of the best threads on any form. Thank you for sharing !!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Barry Wolk]

I've used it on every manual steering box I have, too. No need to replace seals.

[Dandy Dave]

Only an old farm boy like me would know what Corn head Grease is. Get the old John Deere Combine out, install a corn head, and get to work harvesting. That happens round about September here. Dandy Dave!

[Aaron65]

What a great tip! My '53 is slowly leaking out the gear oil I put in the steering box about a year and a half ago...Time for corn head grease!

[Barry Wolk]

It would help a lot if you got the old grease out. I didn't care about the seals so I drained the steering box, poured in mineral spirits and worked the gears. After 3 passes the box was fairly clean inside. Then I installed the grease. Mixing of the types would probably not be good.

[TexRiv_63]

Is the cornhead grease safe with yellow metals?

[Barry Wolk]

I don't know.

[Barry Wolk]

Today's task was to finish the exhaust manifold and other related parts. I found one of the original brass manifold nuts, one wrench size larger than a standard 3/8" nut and half again as tall, but no one had them locally. Half of what I removed were steel and the other half smaller brass nuts. Brass nuts are sacrificial as they would strip before the steel stud in the block. I called several auto stores and nut and bolt houses to no avail. The nut house behind my shop had brass coupling nuts that were one wrench size longer so I made a mandrel and made 16 manifold nuts.

I even polished the ones that show.

The exhaust sock showed up today. The material is a little fragile, but it does the job.

It came with stainless wire ties. This is two layers thick.

The tool I made for straightening the radiator fins often created more problems than it solved so I had Positive Tool make me a crimper that exactly duplicates the sharp impression. They made it with a guide edge, something my effort lacked. Any Ruxton owners out there are welcome to use it when I'm done.

My next effort is to duplicate this pipe. The intake of the water pump is on the wrong side of the backwards engine so a crossover pipe was used to bring cool water from the outlet on the normal side of the radiator to the bottom of the pump on the other side. This was a botched effort to make the tube in one piece from muffler tubing. They got it very wrong, requiring an aluminum spacer cut on a 30°to make up for the goof. Sweep 90° copper 1 1/4" fittings fit perfectly inside 1 1/2" ID radiator hose. I'll silver-solder on a drain hub for winter storage. The rust sediment in the steel pipe was so thick it blocked the drain. Greg is going to put something in the water jacket that should keep everything rust-free. I'm not sure what the product is.

I tightened down the universals today with new nuts and lock washers. That's the last of the mechanical stuff. If it were running it would be drivable.

[Spinneyhill]

I would need to know a bit more about this so-called corn head grease before I put it in a steering box. Normally grease is wiped off the surface and doesn't flow back so there is no lubrication. This stuff is supposed to be thixotropic (softens on stirring) but I am not sure if there is enough stirring in a steering box to do that. After a turn there is minimal further movement so it will not flow back. In a gearbox there is lots of movement so it will remain semi fluid.

I use Penrite Steering Box Lube. It is of appropriate viscosity (1200W) and properties for the job. It has been in there now for 7 or 8 years and it is all still in there. Being right hand control, the steering box is beside the exhaust manifold, so the oil runs a bit warmer than it would on a LHC car and is more likely to leak out.

See http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products.php?id_categ=14&id_products=90. Non-corrosive, safe with yellow metal.

[Barry Wolk]

"So called"?

[Dandy Dave]

Is the cornhead grease safe with yellow metals?

Interesting Talk on the subject... http://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=81444&title=gear-oil-yellow-metal-about-cornhead-grease

And Another... Looks like it is safe.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/woodworking-woodworking-machinery/lubrication-compatibility-263350/

Dandy Dave!

Edited July 8, 2014 by Dandy Dave (see edit history)