Normal / safe cruising speed for an 88 year old Dictator?

[ply33]

58 minutes ago, keninman said:

I did find this on Cleveland.com about historical speed limits. The article was discussing changing the modern speed limit to 70mph in 2012. These numbers lend a lot of credence to what Grimy said. From 1926 until 1940 it was only 35mph then reduced again back to 35mph for the war. 

 

History of Ohio speed limit, and top speed limits by state: Statistical Snapshot

 

• 1926 - 35 mph
• 1940 - 45 mph
• 1941 - 50 mph
• 1942 - 35 mph (x)
• 1945 - 50 mph
• 1958 - 60 mph
• 1963 - 70 mph
• 1974 - 55 mph (y)
• 1987 - 65 mph
• 2011 - 70 mph (z)

x - Reduced for fuel savings during World War II.
y - Reduced for fuel savings during energy crisis.
z - Change for the Ohio Turnpike only.

Source: Ohio Insurance Institute

 

Back when I was looking into this, that Ohio information was about the only thing I could find on the web. I resorted to doing things the old fashioned way and contacted the librarian at my local public library. She contacted a historian at the state highway department in my state and got additional information.

 

Anyway, the results I put on a web page and continued with the main focus of that page: How fast could one reasonably drive an early 1930s Plymouth.

 

The original poster's 1929 Studebaker was only two years old when California raised its speed limit to 45 MPH. I suspect that if I owned a 1929 Studebaker back in 1931 I'd be running my car at at least the speed limit.  My grandfather was a "Studebaker man" and apparently they were well enough off to get a new Studebaker every year or so during the Great Depression. I am told that the first thing he did when he got a new car was to take it to a lonely highway in the deserts of Imperial Valley and "see what it would do". However the family tales did not include actual speed numbers so I can't say how fast he got on the wash board dirt highways in that area at the time.

 

Speeds, especially in the western states increased a lot during the 1930s and by 1941 many states has 60 MPH speed limits. Seems odd to me that people with cars the late 1930s or 1940s don't think their cars are capable of going that fast. About the same as buying a new car now and deciding it can't go faster than 60 MPH even though many states have Interstate speed limits of 75 MPH or even 80 MPH.

 

Issues with driving an old car as fast now as the original owners did include:

• Condition of the car
• Difficulty in getting replacement parts
• How long you plan on keeping the car. If you bought it new and expected to sell it when it was a couple years old you might push it harder than if you are trying to preserve an ancient family heirloom.
• Design of the car (some manufacturers went to modern thin shell bearing inserts, full pressure lubrication, aluminum pistons, etc. in the early 1930s while others stayed with splash lubricated engines with poured babbit bearings and cast iron pistons for a lot more years).
• A whole different concept of what is safe and not (seat belts, collapsable steering column, energy absorbing crumple zones, air bags, etc.)
• A whole different expectation on acceleration, braking and handling. Not just on the part of the driver of the old car but of other drivers on the road.

[keninman]

Ply33, that is a fantastic article you posted the link to. I enjoyed it very much. I have learned a lot since becoming the owner of a classic car. This one was already 36 when I was born. Two years younger than dad and 4 years older than mom. The only relative I have older than this car is uncle Glenn and he was only 3 when the car was new so I can't really ask him because he would not remember how people were driving in 29. I imagine he is familiar with this type of car since they would have still been plentiful when he began driving. He is the one on the far right of the picture. He and uncle Jimmy (the small boy) are the only two still living in that pic. 

 

My 29 Dictator is very low geared. Growing up, its first gear is what we would have called "granny low". It has a lot of torque, perhaps the high torque and low gearing was to reduce wear on the clutch. From what I have read, it does have cast iron pistons which would make me very hesitant to rev it very hard since metal fatigue might cause a rod to fail. It also has poured rod and main bearings which will be a real bugger to learn to replace. I guess one thing in its favor is that Studebaker engines were renowned for their endurance. 

 

I am just surmising and I am getting ready to test but my gut, and granted I have never really worked on any engine older than the early 1960s before, that I have valve problems. I would pull this head in a minute once I know I can get a replacement head gasket at a reasonable price if I cannot reuse this one. Dad taught me years ago how to reseal one with aluminum paint. It hasn't failed me yet even on modern cars. From what I can see on my inspection cam, and mind you I cannot see the seats or faces, the tops of the valves as well as the block have a lot of corrosion damage. I cannot image that the faces and seats are not suffering as well. Best guess is that even though the car seems to have been stored indoors most of it's life, the engine, not being ran often was condensing moisture and that was corroding the cylinders, valves and such that were not covered in oil. When I started working on it, I had to clean the brake, dash / map light and dome light switches because of corrosion. The last owner pretty much only drove it in a parade once a year. He bought it because they were both 29 models  

 

I know I am long but I do want to take the time to thank you and everyone who has responded. You all have helped. I am learning and I know I will have to bother everyone here much more before I even begin to become competent. Thanks all.

[keninman]

I had meant to post yesterday but I guess I lost what I had typed. I used a compression tester from Orielly's since mine seems to be on the blink. I had to make an adapter from a new Autolite spark plug. I ran through all of the cylinders first cold then warmed up the engine and repeated using the starter. I seen on another post that Studq had shared a paper that says the compression ratio of the Dictator Six is 4.8:1. Using yesterday's barometric pressure and converting it to PSI I calculated the correct compression should be 70 psi. I am not far off of that and I think acceptable for a nearly 90 year old engine

          Cold          Hot

1          70             70

2          65             69

3          60             65

4          60             65

5          60             67

6          65             69

 

This makes me think that I probably don't have an issue with valves. It does not smoke or use oil so I imagine that my rings are okay also. This leaves carburation and timing. No matter what I have tried with the ignition timing I get little to no improvement. The only adjustments I see on the carb are idle air adjust which does not seem to change anything and idle speed. I will say that I have the idle set too high but sometimes it will still die at idle. The engine is just not really very smooth at any speed. We drove the car to Falls Park yesterday about 10 miles through the country. I ran most of the trip 30 to 35mph. It is just not very smooth and you could feel it miss sometimes. Any other ideas?

[Grimy]

I'm delighted you did the compression test and got such great results!  They may even improve a bit in a couple of months as any residual crud from previous owner's disuse leaves the valve stems.  You should be delighted with the results.  I'd rather chase ignition or carburetion issues than compression issues any day!

 

I agree that your symptoms indicate issues with ignition AND carburetion. Think about trying to find another carburetor in the medium time frame, but for now try the following to improve your idle, even if you did something similar when you had the carb apart:  Engine off, turn the idle screw all the way into its seat, counting the turns--don't bear down at the end.  Remove idle screw and inspect tip for wear from having been closed too hard.  Blow out orifice in carb base with aerosol carb cleaner, then follow with a couple of blasts of shop air. Re-install idle screw to same position as it was.  I've had good luck on many (not all) carbs by cleaning out internal air passages that way.

 

I think you must get the idle down to 450-600 to be able to set the idle mixture.

 

Distributor:  Please look at the label/tag and give us the make and model number, so we can be sure that it's the correct distributor for the car.  Please take the time to do the previously-suggested voltage drop test, and the test of each plug wire with an inductive timing light.  OR ohm out each plug wire and report the results.  Hope the plug wires are copper-strand rather than carbon (resistance) wires, which often don't do well in our old iron.

[keninman]

The wires are new. I used as much original ends as I could, one was missing. The wire I bought is supposed to look like cloth but it is plastic and it is copper stranded. I soldered the ends for best connectivity. I bought new boots but not enough and had to reuse one old one. I have not bought a rotor or cap but they both look pristine. I am including a pic of the distributor. It is a 639J made about 20 miles from my house in Anderson, IN. I do have another carb, a Stromberg SFM-2  brass carb off of a boat. Everything seems good with it except I cannot free up the accelerator pump. I will have to make some modifications and make an adapter plate to mount it. 

[Spinneyhill]

I remember a weekend at Lake St Catherine in Vermont. My brother's friend had a '50s boat with a 4 cyl flathead inboard. He puts it away for the winter coz the lake freezes. He couldn't get it to run much faster than idle at the start of the summer. I dismantled the carb. All the little passageways were full of white powder - probably some corrosion products from the die-cast metal and some residue from evaporated petrol. After a good cleanout, it went well. 'Bit of a plodder compared to his brother's short wheelbase Seadoo with two jet units!

[maok]

Post pic of your spark plugs. What is the gap and their colour?

[ply33]

1 hour ago, maok said:

Post pic of your spark plugs. What is the gap and their colour?

 

Definitely! Spark plug gaps too wide will cause miss or lack of power under heavy loads. Same thing with a weak coil for the same reason: You pack more fuel/air mixture into the cylinder at wider throttle openings so the compression pressure is higher. And the higher the pressure in the cylinder the higher the voltage must be to initiate the spark. Plug gaps that are too wide for the amount of voltage available won't spark. A weak coil can cause that when you have the proper spark gap, and an improper spark gap can cause that with any coil.

[keninman]

The spark plugs are brand new Champions, The coil is a brand new Master Craft. The spark is blue every time I have checked. I will get dad's old timing light and dwell meter tomorrow. Dad's been gone since 2011, it was a long time before that any of used either of them. The wires are new, I made them myself from stranded core and soldered the ends. I double checked the gaps yesterday after the compression test and all are at .025. When I reinstalled the points I set them at .020. I pulled the plate out of the distributor and checked the weights and they move freely. 

 

One other thing I noticed is that there appears to be an adjustment for the timing chain tension. Could this be an issue?

[Spinneyhill]

What is the voltage at the coil on the low tension side? Touch the coil studs not the wires connected to them.

 

My '39 was running abominably and it only had 2 V at the coil. (Studebaker, like other car makers, used zinc plated brass terminals on zinc plated copper wire connected to steel studs or bolts with steel washers and nuts. In humid air there were thus wee galvanic cells everywhere in the electrics. Zinc oxide doesn't conduct very well and once the brass and copper are exposed corrosion can be rapid.)

[Grimy]

9 minutes ago, Spinneyhill said:

What is the voltage at the coil on the low tension side? Touch the coil studs not the wires connected to them.

A quick and excellent shortcut to my recommendation a couple of days ago to check for voltage drop throughout the system, from battery to ignition switch to coil to points!  If there's an armored ignition conduit, the problem may lie therein.

[keninman]

When I got to Sandborn and took it off of its trailer it was running so bad I had to do something.  I found the points were badly burnt. I filed and no improvement.  I ran through all wires and corrected a couple of problems. Still no improvement. I replaced the wire from coil to points no improvement. I looked and the points were already showinf signs of burning. I also noticed that they did not mate flush.  

 

While seeing what the problem was I noticed that the spring stratled the washer instead of of between it and the head. I rectified this and I ran like a raped ape. Much smoother but still can't get over 40mph and I would not want to hold it over 35 very long. 

[carbking]

Freeing the accelerator pump on the SF/SFM series Stromberg is quite easy.

 

(1) Remove the accelerator pump adjustment screw (if present). If not present, the hole will have a brass plug, remove the plug.

(2) Spray some penetrating oil (brand of your choice) into the hole from whence you removed either the screw or plug. Also spray the penetrating oil on the other side of the piston.

(3) Hole should be tapped for a 10/24 machine thread. Acquire a machine screw maybe 3 inches long, and screw it into the hole. The screw will then press on the top of the vacuum piston of the accelerator pump and you can push the pump out of the vacuum cylinder.

 

Jon.

Edited July 4, 2017 by carbking (see edit history)

[nvonada]

I don't have any experience with the really old cars but on my "newer" car burned points are one of two things:

1. Voltage at the coil.  There should a ballast resistor to lower the voltage to your coil.  When you crank the engine the voltage of your system drops.  So your coil is actually designed to put out as much as the points can handle while then engine is cranking.  This means that when the engine is running you normally would be running way too high a voltage.  The ballast resistor solves this problem.  When the engine is running the power for the coil should go through the ballast resistor.  A second wire should bypass the ballast resistor only when the engine is cranking.  If someone removed or bypassed your ballast resistor then that is probably the problem. 
2. That big condenser capacitor on your points.  I am a little fuzzy on why this is called a condenser but its job is to absorb big spikes when the points close and open.  These fail and you get sparking across the points which will quickly damage them.

There is certainly a reason why we got away from the coil/points ignition system.  When I depended on cars with points for daily transportation I kept a complete set of points, condenser, cap, rotor, and screwdriver in my car at all times and used them more than once. 

 

Nathan

[ply33]

1 hour ago, nvonada said:

I don't have any experience with the really old cars but on my "newer" car burned points are one of two things:

1. Voltage at the coil.  There should a ballast resistor to lower the voltage to your coil.  When you crank the engine the voltage of your system drops.  So your coil is actually designed to put out as much as the points can handle while then engine is cranking.  This means that when the engine is running you normally would be running way too high a voltage.  The ballast resistor solves this problem.  When the engine is running the power for the coil should go through the ballast resistor.  A second wire should bypass the ballast resistor only when the engine is cranking.  If someone removed or bypassed your ballast resistor then that is probably the problem. 
2. That big condenser capacitor on your points.  I am a little fuzzy on why this is called a condenser but its job is to absorb big spikes when the points close and open.  These fail and you get sparking across the points which will quickly damage them.

There is certainly a reason why we got away from the coil/points ignition system.  When I depended on cars with points for daily transportation I kept a complete set of points, condenser, cap, rotor, and screwdriver in my car at all times and used them more than once. 

 

Nathan

I am not aware of a 6v car that had a ballast resistor, either external or built in to the coil. That came in with the transition to 12v in the 1950s. There were 12v Dodge vehicles really early on, not sure what they had on ignition. But my vague recollection is that Studebaker was 6v as was most common in that era.

[Grimy]

27 minutes ago, ply33 said:

I am not aware of a 6v car that had a ballast resistor, either external or built in to the coil. That came in with the transition to 12v in the 1950s

There are ballast resistors on OEM Pierce-Arrow 6V coils through 1928.

[keninman]

I did not find a ballast resistor but I suspected the condenser  because my spark was weak with or without it connected. I went to Orielly's for another. I had to tell them it was a 1963 Chevrolet pickup to get one but I worked beautifully with a beautiful blue spark on all six plugs. After overheating on a cruise I found with a timing light borrowed from Jon Sarris that my timing was way fast. He donated the timing light to my cause and Duane Wilkerson donated a dwell tach. It is better but still won't go over 40 mph except down hill. 

 

[Grimy]

Congrats on solving the ignition problems!  The speed limitation is a function of engine design and differential ratio.  To cruise faster, you need either a high speed differential (ring & pinion set) or an overdrive.  As I described earlier, I'm happy with the 26% Mitchell OD from Mitchell Mfg in Colusa, CA (I have no connection other than being a happy customer) which now affords me a 49 mph comfortable cruise vs. 36-37 before the OD.  I prefer the OD because you still have the factory ratio for hill climbing in future tours.  This would be a good over-winter project, not terribly difficult.  In the meantime, enjoy the car and the fruits of your labors during the remaining driving season! 

 

If you decide to go with Mitchell, please PM me or call me (per our previous PM) for some handy hints BEFORE ordering.

[keninman]

I should say that even with running problems the car won the People's Choice in the antique vehicle category at the Linton Freedom Festival Parade. Mayors Choice went to a 34 Dodge pickup owned by Bender Lumber. The Dodge ran out of gas and a passenger had to run and get 3 gallons in a can to make it through the parade . We were the oldest two vehicles in parade. There was also two 1950 Chevrolet pickups but one, owned by the Bloomfield State Bank lost its fuel pump and never got underway.  The Apple Festival Queen was riding in some kind of antique roadster but it was too far away for me to identify it. 

[nvonada]

It sounds like you are making progress.  In another thread you mentioned fuel pump issues.  Low fuel pressure would possibly cause starving for gas at higher speeds.  I think your car would have a diaphragm-style fuel pump.  If so the rubber in there is probably older than dirt and may not be ethanol safe.  Are pumps still available?  I was shocked when the local NAPA had one in stock for my car.  Maybe you will get lucky.

 

Nathan

[ply33]

2 hours ago, nvonada said:

It sounds like you are making progress.  In another thread you mentioned fuel pump issues.  Low fuel pressure would possibly cause starving for gas at higher speeds.  I think your car would have a diaphragm-style fuel pump.  If so the rubber in there is probably older than dirt and may not be ethanol safe.  Are pumps still available?  I was shocked when the local NAPA had one in stock for my car.  Maybe you will get lucky.

 

Nathan

Did Studebaker go to mechanical fuel pumps in '29? On Chrysler products the transition was 1930 (at least for the ones I am familiar with).

 

If it does have a mechanical pump and you can't get a new bolt on replacement, Antique Auto Parts Cellar (a.k.a. Then And Now Automotive) has rebuild kits for many pumps.

[keninman]

It looks like a normal mechanical diaphragm pump to me. If the tank is less than full and the incline great (such as loading on its trailer) it looses the ability to pump. My solution is to install an electric pump that I can engage when needed via a switch. Perhaps even just wire it to the ignition switch so that it operates any time the car is running. I took a friend for a ride this evening and the car performed great. I think the condenser and timing might have had a lot to do with my problems. 

[Spinneyhill]

40 minutes ago, keninman said:

It looks like a normal mechanical diaphragm pump to me. If the tank is less than full and the incline great (such as loading on its trailer) it looses the ability to pump.

 

Sounds like pump problems.

 

If it has a glass bowl. Is the glass bowl full of fuel? If not, it is not "sucking". Bad diaphragm? Poor seal of the bowl onto the pump body? One way valves not working?

 

If not full of fuel, you just might find the top has been bent by over-tightening the bowl stirrup. There will be poor or no seal around the bowl. To check, undo the bowl stirrup (put something below to catch the bowl in case you drop it) and see if you can rock the bowl on the mating surface. If so, either replace the pump or straighten the top. I have posted the top straightening method elsewhere but can do so again if you have that problem. Care is needed coz they break easily. The method used clamps (gently) and boiling water. It will break if you attempt to straighten it cold.

 

 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Spinneyhill (see edit history)

[Grimy]

Ken, the car looks great!

 

Fuel pump:  I heartily endorse Then & Now / Antique Auto Cellar, who have done several pumps for me.  I've sent the pumps for them to rebuild (cheap enough to make it worthwhile not to have to mess with it myself), and it's usually about a 10-day turnaround from the day I mail it (priority mail, insured) until the day it's back on my doorstep--all the way across the country.  Be sure to put a card with your name, address, phone, and car ID inside the box.  They'll call for your credit card number.  In the meantime, since you have SOME operation, try changing the bowl gasket.  Don't crank down harder than you have to on the knob, because that's how the mating surface gets bent, as Spinney was mentioning.

 

Electric pump:  These pumps work best as pushers, so should be near the tank.  I install mine on the side opposite from the tail pipe. Be sure to add (1) a fuel filter before the electric pump and (2) a pressure regulator after the pump.  I don't like to have all the amps drawn by the pump going thru my original switch, so use a relay under the dash.

[keninman]

We took the car on a drive to Greenfield today. It's about 12 and a half miles through the country. The car performed well. Using a GPS speedometer I often ran 35 o 40 mph and the engine was smooth. I believe the engine will now go faster but I am afraid of damaging it and we really don't need to go faster on the back roads anyway. It does bounce, especially crossing intersections though it never feels like it is out of control. It doesn't corner well either. A Mitchell would be nice but I could not afford it right now anyway.  

 

I had to remove its speedometer cable also. I makes a terrible noise. I tried Vaseline and even regular grease but nothing has worked. Perhaps some graphite but the cable feels rough in a couple of spots to me. Anyone ever experienced this?

[nvonada]

Steering, brakes, and handling are going to be terrible compared to any modern car.  The question is are they terrible compared to 88 years ago? 

 

Your local auto parts store will have "cable lube" which is just light oil with graphite in it.   It works great but will stain so be careful around your interior.  On both my old cars the speedometer cable followed the same sequence.  The speedometer was bouncy, so I pulled the cable, cleaned it and lubed it.  Everything seemed OK for a while then the cables broke.  Once replaced everything has been good since. 

 

My speedometer has a lubrication port above where the cable attaches.  I don't know if you have one but if you do it probably has not been lubed since the car was new.  If you have one a couple drops of light oil in there work wonders. 

 

Nathan

 

[Grimy]

Usually, rough spots on the cable (not the sheath) call for replacement of the cable. They become rough or snagged because previous owners didn't lube them. The ends on your cable will probably have to be reused.  Best to find a speedo repair place in a nearby city and take your old cable in and let them crimp your ends on.  THEN install with the cable lube.  I remove and replace from underneath the car to preclude staining upholstery.  Don't lube within 18 inches of the head.

 

What does your car have for shock absorbing devices?  Snubbers w/straps were usually out of fashion by then, replaced by hydraulic shock absorbers such as Houdaille ("Hoo-Dye" as their ads said, look like small cast iron drums) or Lovejoy aka Delco-Lovejoy.  Here's where it gets interesting:  Houdaille originally used as fluid a mixture of 90% glycerine (at your drug store) + 10% denatured alcohol.  Others used brand-specific shock fluid, for which you can substitute hydraulic jack oil--or if one or more is a leaker, use 15W motorcycle fork oil.  When filling (best to find a description of your shock to locate the correct plug), clean the area around the fill plug, use a funnel or a small syringe to fill, replace fill plug LOOSELY, use floor jack to take axle up and down five or six times to help air escape, then final-tighten fill plugs.  The fill plugs are pipe thread, so don't overdo the tightening. 

[Grimy]

Follow-on about Houdailles:  When they are rebuilt, they are almost always converted to petroleum-based fluid such as jack oil and the seals are changed to accommodate that.  If I think Houdailles have not been rebuilt in the last 50 years--and thus have seals that may not be compatible with oil-based fluid, I use the benign glycerine+alcohol mixture.

[keninman]

I want to thank you both for your responses. Nvonada, I of course had to take the cable back out. It was fine when I first got the car but then the previous owner almost never drove it and it spent most of its life in a garage. The cable has rough spots so I figure it will need replaced. Grimy, the shocks are Delco-Remy Lovejoy shocks. The use canvas straps to attach to the axles. I have had the front one's off of the car and they do offer resistance but I was afraid to fill them up. I noticed one leaked a bit after it was cleaned an painted. Thanks for the info on how to fill, I would have messed that up. 

 

I am not sure where to find a speedo cable or rebuild kits for the Lovejoys. As for steering an bounce they are what I would expect. I was just commenting that unless the road was straight and smoothly paved that driving above 40mph would be challenging. I have not trued the tires up or balanced them yet either. Thanks again both of you.

[Spinneyhill]

Shortly after my speedo bounced around, the cable broke, even after some lubrication. The speedo had seized up - die-cast swells with age. Check it is free before you fit a new cable.

 

Be careful with graphite. If the oil dries up, it is a powerful oxidant for steel, i.e. it is at the bottom of the galvanic series and galvanic rust will attack the cable.

Edited July 12, 2017 by Spinneyhill (see edit history)

[maok]

3 hours ago, Spinneyhill said:

Shortly after my speedo bounced around, the cable broke, even after some lubrication. The speedo had seize up - die-cast swells with age. Check it is free before you fit a new cable.

 

I had a au$110 lesson this way as well. Even after being told by the speedo repair bloke....

 

If its a Stewart Warner speedo like the oval early Ford Model A's then they are available rebuilt relatively inexpensively.

But don't tell anyone you have a ford speedo in your automobile....:)

[keninman]

I should have been working on refinishing an antique dresser but instead Spinyhill got me interested in the speedo again. I though maybe the grease had dried out in the cable housing so I pulled it out of the firewall to put some 80w90 down it, (quite a lot actually) then I lubed the cable with grease on the way back in. I took the car for a drive and it quickly started the noise and bouncing. While still driving I reached down and unscrewed the cable. The noise stopped thought the cable was still spinning in the housing.

 

I  returned home and tried to take the speedo out. The top screw was easy the bottom was tough and finally broke off. Undaunted I took the speedo into the house. Using a small screwdriver to spin it I could duplicate the noise. I then took the speedo out of the housing. I discovered the noise was right at the top where the drive comes through the housing to drive the numbers. I tried a little PB Blaster and the noise and roughness stopped. I then used the small screwdriver to apply a little 5w30 since I had no idea what to use. The trip odometer also did not work but I discovered that after setting you need to pull the knob back out. I also found out that it registers to 90 mph. Now that was wishful thinking with 4.75:1 gears in the diff. 

 

I used Vice Grips to remove the broken screw and was able to find another old screw with the same thread but was a bit shorter. The originals were way too long anyway. I reinstalled the speedometer and cable then took it for a cruise. I also had a GPS speedometer up on my phone. It performed great. At first it showed a bit faster than the GPS but before long they pretty much agreed. That is better than my 2011 Hyundai which always shows 2-3 mph faster than you are traveling. I may need to take it out again if someone knows a more proper lube but for now it is working fine. I did get the car to 40 mph, downhill but was afraid to push it farther. I don't like reving that high with old cast iron pistons and rods. 

 

I wish now thought that I had taken many more pics while it was out of the housing. I guess the most difficult part was keeping fingerprints off of the glass while I put it back together. 

 

 

 

[keninman]

1 hour ago, maok said:

I had a au$110 lesson this way as well. Even after being told by the speedo repair bloke....

 

If its a Stewart Warner speedo like the oval early Ford Model A's then they are available rebuilt relatively inexpensively.

But don't tell anyone you have a ford speedo in your automobile....:)

If it weren't for Ford, GM and Dodge I don't think we could get any parts for these old buggies. . I didn't realize that auto manufacturers all using the same suppliers wasn't a modern phenomenon.

 

[Grimy]

Good for you, Ken!  Well done!  That should buy you a few years on the cable. I'd have used sewing machine oil in the head, but your 5W-30 seems to have done the job.

 

"sorting" gets more satisfying once the car is running right.

[maok]

1 hour ago, keninman said:

If it weren't for Ford, GM and Dodge I don't think we could get any parts for these old buggies. . I didn't realize that auto manufacturers all using the same suppliers wasn't a modern phenomenon.

 

Totally agree.

 

The Ford version of the speedo has the reset pin from the top.