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'51 Chieftain


PhilAndrews

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20200913_150624.thumb.jpg.2d9684b846316e46a4794653652d5954.jpg

Driver's door reassembled completely. Happy with that. 

All the doors now lock so I can secure the car.

Adjusted the starter inhibitor switch, pushing the lever all the way up to the top of N would go off the end of the switch and the starter wouldn't operate unless it was given a slight nudge downwards.

 

Everything's all boarded up, my brakes may be delayed because of the weather. But, I'm getting there, working through the nitpick list now.

 

Phil

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Okay, so: The List.

Rebuild brakes
Replace rubber fuel lines (*)
Replace intake and exhaust manifold gaskets
Replace heat riser gasket
Windshield defog tube (*)
Refit glove box (defog tube first)
Rewire battery to trunk (*)
Manifold stud (*)
Crank breather tube (*)
Air filter needs oil
Coolant change
Fill screen wash
Oil change
Rear axle oil (*)
Grease everything again (*)


That's everything between now and putting it on the road. There's more, but that's the prep list.

Phil


(*) - Item that I don't have in stock

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6 hours ago, Grizz said:

Does the air filter just sit in an oil bath? Or how you go about oiling it? I read an article about a while back but can’t remember 

The Pontiac engine has three air filters, one for the air intake of the carburetor and, two for the crankcase ventilation. They are all cleaned in the same manner. Immersing them completely in solvent, draining and filling the elements and draining again and again until the solvent is clean, then they are drip dried or blown out with compressed air. The air filter housing for the carburetor has a reservoir with oil in it, that housing must also be cleaned and then clean oil filled to the prescribed amount. Before the elements (3) are put back on the engine they should be filled with light weight oil and turned over and drip dried. 

The reason for oiling after cleaning is so that the oil film will cling to the wire mesh inside the filters and dirt in the air coming past will cling to the mesh and prevent it from entering the carburetor or the crankcase.

The crankcase ventilation and filtering is very important. One filter is at the oil fill neck and there is a air scoop built into it to catch air from the engine radiator fan and direct it into the engine. The oil filler tube has a crease in it to match the crease in the filter to index it properly so the crankcase gets air. ( I have seen many Pontiac's where by hook or crook someone has either twisted or installed the filler tube backwards or someone just forced the filter on backwards).

  The other crankcase filter is located on the road draft tube. That filters reason for being there is when the car is turned off say in a dirt parking lot the filter keeps dusty air from going up the road draft tube into the engine. Remember the end of the road draft tube is cut at a angle. It's cut at a angle so that when the car is in forward motion the pipe sticking down in the air stream causes a low pressure suction on the end of the pipe pulling harmful crankcase vapors out of the engine.

This form of crankcase ventilation is called the pressure suction type. Air pressure from the engine fan, and suction from the tube cut at a angle while being drawn through under the car while in motion.

 

You can just see the scoop on the bottom of the round housing where the air goes into the filter;

21619_Engine_Web.jpg

 

 

This is the exit part of the road draft system with filter,

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Notice the tube is cut at a angle for drafting although it is positioned the wrong way see the flow chart below for the proper angle.

Picture 3 of 4

 

 

Here is how it works; Note the engine filler tube was later changed from the rt. side to the left for better scavenging the lower crankcase.  

1937 Pontiac High Resolution Stock Photography and Images - Alamy

Edited by Pfeil (see edit history)
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Correct. I need to make an extractor vent tube- I have a new oil filler cap that's not all smashed up. 

I bought an air filter but had to replace the mesh, before the car sees the road the mesh needs oiling and the pan filled. I have yet to finish talking it on and off which, when filled to the marking with oil is potentially quite messy.

 

Phil

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20200916_124457.thumb.jpg.56cc42b844d7a861206cbd2d4acaf3e9.jpg

Box of brakes, with "three out of four ain't bad" on the wheel cylinders. One on back order.

Fedex been playing football with the box, one of the brake shoes has nibbled the edge of one of the manifold gaskets away, but shouldn't be bad enough to cause it to leak.

 

Phil

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20200918_170011.thumb.jpg.4660f09d0e938fa9a5ea1b89fc156b05.jpg

Lots of this today. Got the hardware changed on 3 wheels.

 

To do left on the brakes:

New hard line from tee to passenger side rear

Free up passenger side rear mechanism

Wait for hydraulic cylinder r/r

Adjust brakes

Bleed brakes

 

That's not too bad, to be honest

 

Phil

Edited by PhilAndrews (see edit history)
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Funny, your posts and pics bring back memories! When I first got my car, I took it for a spin around the neighbourhood to see how it ran, stopped and shifted. It pulled when I stopped but I expected that adjustments were needed. Everything seemed pretty good so I parked it in the garage for it's first winter rebuild. When I took the wheel cylinders apart they were packed with dried mud! Personally, I couldn't even see how they were working. I was fortunate enough that I had extra money and the border was open to pick up my parts at the time. I replaced every aspect of the brake system right down to the clips and springs as I felt stopping was pretty important. lol - Alas, I am now broke and the border remains closed....so all I can do now is enjoy driving it!  

ps - if I did have money, I'd like a new shiny windshield like John's! Mines got wiper burn marks on it and drives me crazy!

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13 minutes ago, Grizz said:

Was the battery relocation strictly aesthetic or is there a greater purpose? Looks good!

 

It has a reason; the original 6V battery is long and skinny and fits well in the engine compartment. A regular 12V battery does not fit very well anywhere in the engine compartment so I moved it to the trunk.

 

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That's how it was. Badly bolted on and generally in the way.

 

Phil

Edited by PhilAndrews (see edit history)
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44 minutes ago, GARY F said:

What is a spat bracket?  And I am a Pontiac person.

Uh. The spats cover the rear wheels, the little lugs sit in the bracket either side.

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Call it what you will, (tomayto/tomarto). Lost in translation from English to English.

 

Phil

Edited by PhilAndrews
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Went out to the car at lunch. Now it's cold I had a chance to inspect a few things.

 

Oil is nasty, needs to be changed. Short runs up the street and idling in the garage has contaminated it as to be expected.

 

It's otherwise holding coolant, oil, atf.

 

Oil pressure warning light sender is DoA. Wiring is good (pull the wire off the sender, light goes out).

 

Fuel pump needs a rebuild.

 

Does anybody have a spare stone guard for under the flywheel? I caught a piece of road debris in it yesterday clink-paZING, wasn't good.

 

Going to do a coolant change this weekend, get some antifreeze in it. Got a couple bottles of concentrate and a bunch of gallon jugs of distilled water to go in.

 

Overall really quite happy, it covered nearly 100 miles yesterday with only a few hiccups (mostly cutting out due to having to sit in traffic and the fuel boiling in the pipe before the pump- could see it drawing bubbles into the bowl).

 

Needs a tune up, the timing is "kinda right", needs setting accurately.

 

Noted from driving, people say these are slow cars, but I find it can hustle along with traffic just fine.

 

Speedometer is a little optimistic, it reads about 5 over.

 

50mph cruise, all to temperature (it holds 180-185 nicely) oil pressure reads 20psi, drops to about 10 at idle.

 

Brakes are bedding in nicely.

 

Exhaust needs slight adjustment, it's knocking on the hole in the frame it goes through.

 

Higher ratio final drive would be a significant improvement.

 

Phil

 

 

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12 minutes ago, Summershandy said:

My speedo reads a little high also....could be why I'm passing people on 4 lane streets!

I find my car cruises pretty good in last gear. Just won't win any take offs.....lol

 

 

From a standstill I only had to put my foot down moderately hard one time yesterday (there's road construction at an intersection on the 4-lane so to go left you have to turn right, go a few hundred yards and make a U-turn, and the road was quite busy).

One thing I'm not used to is the exhaust note- up to 30 it sounds normal, but faster than that it really does sound like it's trying to take off!

Phil

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Just now, john hess said:

Explain to your wife that the next milkshake run may have to be postponed due to lack of proper saftey/reliability equipment needed for the car. Then order your parts !!!

Unfortunately the next one is postponed a few weeks. The owners of the drive-in are going on vacation!

 

Phil

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