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'51 Chieftain


PhilAndrews

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5 hours ago, PhilAndrews said:

I had a few instances lately of people getting up real close when I was braking to make a turn

 

I find the same thing too and actually have to drive accordingly because of it. I also notice that some drivers DO keep a distance maybe because how different the car looks compared to the rest on the road....I also like to believe that other drivers THINK the car is worth big bucks and wouldn't dare collide with it! "Oh, it's only a cracked tail light"....that could cost you $300!

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Car working area update. I cleaned the last of the hurricane debris from the corners of the workshop, ran circuits for 2 more switches so the outside lights, ceiling fan and workshop lights are switchable independently.

 

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I put some new lights up over the benches. Now I just need to get some insulation and some ply paneling to put back up on the inside of the roof.

 

Phil

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1 hour ago, PhilAndrews said:

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Pretty sunset tonight.

 

Radiator needs repair again.

 

Phil

 

This was a perfect evening to be out and about in southeast Louisiana,

and the Superbowl was not at all exciting-

You made better use of your time

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Does anybody have a spare secondary hood latch that fits these cars they want to sell me?

 

Mine broke yesterday- it's been welded before but had cracked and now the finger plate doesn't move the latch, it makes undoing the hood difficult so I removed it for the time being, but that's not optimal.

 

Phil

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Lifted my radiator out tonight (that makes it sound easy) and took a look at where it's leaking. The old solder looks pretty ropey so I'll get that cleaned up and repaired.

 

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Couple other places had paint bubbling up so I scrubbed those back too and found a few fractures. I'll clean those up and repair those too.

 

Phil

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  • PhilAndrews changed the title to '51 Chieftain - Radiator Repair

Ugly repair that still needs a proper pressure test with soapy water.

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Heavily loaded because the solder was fighting with the remnants of what was there so I had to bend the top flange out and get it to stick to a larger surface area.

 

Hopefully that's tight now.

 

Phil

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On 2/8/2021 at 3:26 PM, PhilAndrews said:

Does anybody have a spare secondary hood latch that fits these cars they want to sell me?

 

Mine broke yesterday- it's been welded before but had cracked and now the finger plate doesn't move the latch, it makes undoing the hood difficult so I removed it for the time being, but that's not optimal.

 

Phil

 

Phil,

 

You may wish to place a WTB (Want to Buy) ad in the General section, as well as exploring if the secondary latch for either a '49-'54 Chevy, Oldsmobile, or Buick may be comparable.

I don't have a Hollander manual, but surely someone on our site would be able to suggest a cross-over.

As you surely know, driving without this safeguard presents potential risk we never want to experience, and as once happened to me.

Hope you are successful in finding a replacement.

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13 hours ago, PhilAndrews said:

Exhaust was blowing at the manifold. Investigated tonight because it's was cold enough to touch. 

 

Two of the nuts that hold the flange together had fallen off. Oops.

 

Replaced those and done them up tight. No more leak.

 

Phil

 

I don't know how many times I went back to those nuts after replacing the gasket. Every time I could get a little more squeeze out of them. I usually check them beginning of cruising season for fun. Same went for hose clamps which incidentally, when I was greasing the front end I noticed the fuel connection under the rad where the rubber meets the steel a little wet....squee-e-eze! 

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Anybody want a running when removed (a couple months ago) Oldsmobile Rocket V8? No carburetor but otherwise complete.

Free to collector, local guy I just bumped into had pulled the Rocket and Hydramatic, sold the transmission (was bad) and put the engine up on a stand. Location Larose, LA.

 

Phil

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  • PhilAndrews changed the title to '51 Chieftain - Adding Miles

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Took the car for a run this morning. It's nice to have all the gauges working. I've done 1454 miles so far, which is pretty good going, I think.

 

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The car was filthy from those miles, the wheels particularly. Gave it a jolly good wash.

 

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Much better. Presentable again.

 

Phil

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Oil change time.

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Yeah, that needed doing (about 1000 miles).

Greased all the points on the suspension, brake pedal and propshaft.

 

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Also took the e-brake balancer off, cleaned it, adjusted the cable and set the handle correctly.

 

It's running more smoothly now and doesn't smell quite so blue.

 

Phil

Edited by PhilAndrews (see edit history)
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Curiosity got the better of me tonight so I cleaned up the commutator, polished the bearings, oiled them up, redid the solder joints and reassembled.

 

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Brief bench test showed 3.7A steady at 6V and no untoward noises (it would howl and shriek before occasionally because the bearings were dry).

 

I'll redo the feed wire because the insulation has gone bad and go from there.

 

Phil

 

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  • PhilAndrews changed the title to '51 Chieftain - Heater Fan

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The ductwork from under the car was in pretty poor shape, looks like someone jacked the car up onto it. Is that spiral ducting original? It doesn't feel like it would be.

 

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I beat on it with hammers until an acceptable shape was achieved.

 

More to follow.

 

Phil

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I had a thought. What does a dynamometer do? Well, it loads the engine up against the wheels.

 

Ok, so being as I have an automatic gearbox with a fluid coupling, I can do the same to a degree. So, with the stall speed of the fluid coupling known (approx 1500rpm) I had my wife hard on the brakes then flat to the floor on the gas. I then quickly adjusted the ignition for peak RPM and had her shut things off- no more than 5 seconds of that against the gearbox, all that engine power going into heating the fluid up.

 

Went for a test drive and it's not bad. I think it needs to come back ever so slightly because peak torque is meant to be 2200 rpm not 1500 so that's something for another day.

 

Right now it's got some serious get up and go compared to how it was before.

 

I even had it up to 60 (per GPS!).

 

Phil

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Sounds like you are getting to know the old girl pretty well. Good for you.  My first car - many years ago, was a 1949 Pontiac so I find this forum interesting. 

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I took my screen wash pickle jar apart again because the last time I went to use it the thing didn't work.

 

I had used some brake cleaner to make the seals a little more pliable but it appears to have finished off the repeater valve o-ring. 

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I replaced that and the piston pulls nicely now.

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Another job checked off the list.

 

Phil

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