What are you working on right now?

[edinmass]

Looks good. Did you do all the components also? How about the clutch? New pistons/valves/guides......ect. Photos of the crank dropping in? Cant just give us one photo. On a Pierce, oil pressure at idle after three hours driving is a good indicator of how well the engine was done.

[Mark Wetherbee]

Funny, but that is the only picture I took under the hood recently and it was for someone on FB who was being referred to John for a filter.

 

Ross pistons with modern rings, Cislak’s valves and guides, new rod bearings and the mains were at .002 so they stayed. I didn’t get into the clutch or transmission, that’s a future project along with the needle bearings for the springs and rear end. At some point soon I hope to answer your oil pressure question!

 

Here’s one from a few weeks ago

[edinmass]

This weeks project.........install new springs on a JN Duesenberg. I’m getting too old for this sxxt. Rear springs are 100 lbs, fronts 75. Did it on the floor. I’m wiped out. Feel like I just ran the Boston and New York Marathon. Dave S sent a bottle of Woodford Rye. Thanks Dave...........half cocked and still hurting. At least the car is sitting correctly. First test drive and we have the best death wobble you could ask for at 20 mph. I’ll align it tomorrow. That’s if I can get out of bed in the morning. Getting old sucks............Steve M.......how do you do it’? 

Edited April 1, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[C Carl]

Try this, Jack :

 

 

[C Carl]

Here is something else I decided to do as an encore. I don’t know how to do very much with my little mini iPad, but on the edit function, the same place I can set your cars back on the wheels, this is called “silvertone”. Fun to do , especially when there is nothing in the field to scream “present days” at you.   -   Carl 

 

 

[C Carl]

NOT on the forum. A very easy function on your iPad. Sending PM : 

[keiser31]

Digging a trench around my garage in order to replace some rotted wood and paint the place.

[alsancle]

I've got the shifting stock back on,  switch installed and hours of testing each gear position with the end of the harness not pulled.   Was stuck on one wire for a long time as it would not pass,  ended up figuring out the connector on the brand new harness was not crimped correctly.   I guess that is why you test up front.

 

I've started pulling and I'm about 1/2 way through the chassis to the front of the car where the transmission is.   All on my back,  fun times.

[C Carl]

3 hours ago, C Carl said:

NOT on the forum. A very easy function on your iPad. Sending PM : 

After speaking with Jack, (who knows way more about computers than I do), I have to admit this is much more difficult than I anything I can do to help. Therefore, Jack will need someone, (who knows way more about computers than HE does), to come to the rescue. Maybe Peter ? Maybe Apple help ? Maybe even some software problem ? I have had problems with Apple iPad minis which boiled down to software, resulting in a new device under warranty. Anyone else who has had internal device problems with Apple stuff ? (Disregarding the “user hostile” human engineering inherent in these iPad minis. I can’t believe any Apple engineers with IQs above 103 actually use these things). And now you know what I am working on right now ! 🤬,         -     Carl 

[Laughing Coyote]

Last weekend it was removing 4 tons of gravel from the back yard with a shovel and wheel barrow. Then adding 2 tons of 1/4 minus back into it and compacting it. I couldn't use the tractor so it was a fun time no less. This weekend I started to put in my new green carpet. I will be taking a day off to let the old body recover some before finishing the last little bit. Fun times.

 

 

[ericmac]

I am working on sorting out the Cadillac.  The problem is when it gets hot it runs rough and dies. Everything I've read leads me to a coil problem. The other important peice of information is it has a Pettonics ignition system in it. I was not convinced wih these but allowed myself to be sold on them. One more rough running drive and I'm going to switch back to points and condenser and will see if it runs better. The car sure looks great though.

[Terry Harper]

This week was a busy week. As usual not hands-on in the shop but on the design end which I don't mind and enjoy when it can allow for some creativity. or includes a nice challenge.

 

With spring now finally here (the ice went out on the river last week) I had to turn attention to up-coming construction projects. As mention in an earlier post we have been working on a dedicated road to operate the museum's collection of log haulers and will greatly expand our capabilities for living history events. An addition to the scope of the project is the inclusion of a pavilion to house our collection of logging sleds. Back a few years ago the students at the Presque Isle Regional Career & Technical Center built a set for us using a pile of old fittings that had been donated years before. To date we have had to store the sleds outside which is not optimal.

 

With a presentation to the University of Maine, Construction Engineering Technology students looming earlier in the week, I had to hustle to finalize the design, finish the construction documents, develop a rendering for the pavilion and finalize the plan/profile etc. for the log hauler road. Below is the sled pavilion rendering.

 

 

Next on the list was re-invigorating the fuel tank fitting project. We started this a few years back but for one reason or another it found itself stuck on back burner and then relegated to total stagnation. The other day I brushed it off and assigned it to one of my students who is now working to develop and 3D print the patterns and core boxes.

 

All fun stuff!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by Terry Harper (see edit history)

[alsancle]

I got the selection harness pulled to the transmission and landed.  That was fun.  Because the interlock switch on the transmission is an aftermarket part from the ACD factory in the 60s I had to sleuth to figure out how to land the wires.  Theoretically the car is ready to run,  but I'm getting nothing on the Startix now.  So something somewhere is not right...

[Brill_C-37M_Bus]

I’ve been wanting to post a bus update for a while, but each work day saw just a couple minor fixes.  Well, today it all came together, and I finally racked up a mile on the odometer.  The Brill runs, and I haven’t forgotten how to drive her!

 

The goal so far this year was to get the bus running well enough to drive out to the street, get loaded on a trailer, and drive a few blocks from the trailer to my new driveway.  While trying not to do anything too invasive to jeopardize my upcoming move, I went just a little further:

 

- Filled and bled the long hydraulic line to the rebuilt clutch cylinder (above)

- Finally found and fixed a short in the gauge wiring (see photo below)

- Replaced temp gauge by reconditioning a rusted original, which sat unused since the mid-60s

- Replaced stuck thermostat to fix overheating problem

- Replaced low air switch to fix low air warning lights (also see photo below)

- Installed a rebuilt carb, tried to adjust it, couldn’t get the idle adjust to work

- Traced the throttle controls from the front of the coach to the back, lubed everything, fixed an AWFUL misaligned yoke at the bellcranks on the carb end

- Put stronger spring on carb, idle adjustments worked this time!

With all that and a load of inspection work done, I’ve cautiously tested things, and found that so many of my fixes over the past 2 years have paid off.  At one point, only 2 gauges and 2 panel lights worked.  Now 4 out of 5 gauges (darned fuel gauge...) and all 6 lights work!

 

The amount I had to learn to get this far seems crazy, looking back.  You really can’t beat these good old reference books.  I can get so lost in them, and always come away smiling.

 

 

I took the bus for a lap around the neighborhood today.  I was so focused on driving, I forgot to even stop to take a photo.  So here she is as she cooled off after some exercise.  This stateside Korea vet turns 70 this summer, and I hope to do more to mark that milestone.  Like maybe paint the other side... here’s hoping!

 

 

-Steven

 

[Grimy]

On 4/1/2021 at 2:31 PM, edinmass said:

That’s if I can get out of bed in the morning. Getting old sucks..

Says the young fellow (by comparison with most of us).....

[alsancle]

I'm doing Ed a favor.   This is getting picked up Thursday and I got it running so we don't have to push it on to the trailer.

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by alsancle (see edit history)

[8E45E]

On 4/3/2021 at 12:44 PM, keiser31 said:

Digging a trench around my garage in order to replace some rotted wood and paint the place.

That garage looks like it's hiding a car that hasn't turned a wheel in 60 years!!

 

Craig

[keiser31]

48 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

That garage looks like it's hiding a car that hasn't turned a wheel in 60 years!!

 

Craig

It might....

[edinmass]

Had a wheel cylinder hang up on the JN and decided to dig into it. The drum, which is new ended up with some hot spots in it. We will chuck it up and use a tool post and grind it round. Then reline the friction material and cam grind them. More tomorrow on the front end.

Edited April 14, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

Just getting started on what Ted Aschman used to say was was the worst job of Model T Ford ownership. New bands.  If my grandson stops by sometime during this process I will send him to the house to see grandma. I do not wish to “expand his vocabulary” as I work on this project.........

[keiser31]

Put some brake fluid in the ol' '31 DB so I can stop better.

[Mark Wetherbee]

One step back today... well yesterday really today I just drive.

 

My radiator is in need of a bath and I found a repair shop a few hours away that specializes in car, truck, and tractor radiator service in a predominantly tobacco farming area... on top of that they have been there since 1927 and the owner knew what a honeycomb radiator was! Once you start looking for a radiator shop you find out quickly that it’s a dying breed, and sadly one that Matt Hinson mentioned recently is no longer able to do the work because his radiator guy was killed in a motorcycle accident.

 

All the other shops I called it was like talking to the teenager at AutoZone...

[TAKerry]

Seeing all of this in depth work you guys do to keep your cars on the road has me feeling guilty.  Yesterday I was working on a window restoration of a historic home (my day job) to make some money to pay for the oil change/lube of my 'antique car', 1977 Trans Am. Total price for the oil change, $35.00. The only time it took away was the drive to and from the shop which was pleasurable. In the end I made money yesterday.

[F&J]

41 minutes ago, Mark Wetherbee said:

Once you start looking for a radiator shop you find out quickly that it’s a dying breed,

True, I do all my own work but after fighting my stock 32 Ford 4cyl radiator core leaks for over a year on my daily driver, I  was forced to find a new core.  Woodstock Radiator in N.E. CT is a home based, one man shop run by a 80 year old guy. 

 

A reproduction hot rod radiator will not work in my car as the core is too thick and would hit the fan.

 

Here he is taking off the only good top tank of one of several 4 cyl 1932 radiators I brought him to make one good one. He then sends out the repaired top tank to Maine Radiator and they build a new custom made core.  (They first make new top and bottom header plates to fit the original tank sample, and then only install the headers onto the new core material). Then Woodstock puts the repaired tanks and side brackets back onto the new core.  Most of his business is now just down to older tractors, some obsolete trucks and vintage cars. There is nobody there to take over his shop in the future

 

  I first drove the 32 up to Woodstock to show him how close my 1955 Olds 324 fan was to the bottom tank seam, but he assured me that his radiator rehab would fit 100% the same, and it did.

 

 

...and no, I did not ruin a good 32 Ford convertible, I made something useful from a junk 5w coupe body shell that had lost it's roof:

 

It is my only primary year round car.  I also live alone, so there is no modern car here to borrow either. It has single circuit drum brakes, bias tires, generator, points ignition, vacuum wipers, etc.  (I have no cell, no Triple A, no spare, no jack.. 😱 )The only other thing I farmed out was getting the glass cut by Columbia Glass near here. They do quality work at low cost.

 

.

 

 

 

[dei]

With nearing the end of cleaning out the old garage, one of the things I have to deal with is a Buick motor & transmission that was seized when I got it and hence the trany is still attached. 

It is not useful for my 1958 Buick motors and it's condition is none to promising for a rebuild given all the rust.

Decided to take off as much as possible (not sure why...) and then dispose of the block if I can't get it to turn.

It's pretty nasty looking outside.

 

 

 

And NOT much better looking inside.

 

 

 

I have not been this dirty since wrenching on my 50 dollar cars while in High School. 😱

Edited April 15, 2021 by dei (see edit history)

[Laughing Coyote]

dei, can you get the transmission off of the engine? I would find a plastic tub to put the engine in, rig up a misting system with pvc tubing and misters. Then get a little fountain pump and hook it up the tubing system. Then fill it with enough evapo-rust and cover it with plastic sheeting. (like a tent). Then let it run for a few days and see if it eats away enough rust to free it up. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but you never know. You may save it enough to rebuild it some day.

[nick8086]

Just spent 5K today..

 

I took a few limbs for the fire pit..

 

90 year old tree..

 

You know this is intense when they use a crane to remove it..

Edited April 15, 2021 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

Tree work is not cheap nor for the faint of heart. Best left to the pros.

 

F&J, great looking roadster and I like the doodle bug the kids are cruising in too!  There is an old school radiator shop near me as well. Looks like the same interior!! The one I know of is also run by an older gentleman working by himself. 

[dei]

11 hours ago, Laughing Coyote said:

dei, can you get the transmission off of the engine? I would find a plastic tub to put the engine in, rig up a misting system with pvc tubing and misters. Then get a little fountain pump and hook it up the tubing system. Then fill it with enough evapo-rust and cover it with plastic sheeting. (like a tent). Then let it run for a few days and see if it eats away enough rust to free it up. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but you never know. You may save it enough to rebuild it some day.

 

Appreciate the suggestion but no I can't unbolt the transmission since with the motor being seized, will not allow me to rotate the crank to access the bolts on the flywheel, so it would be one big tub and allot of fluid to be pumping into the block.

The other fact that it is an earlier nail head than what I have just isn't going to be worth my time to save it.

Storage space and dollars involved to rebuild if it did free up well, is also a challenge being in the 4th quarter of my life.

[edinmass]

Back on the JN Duesenberg front end. The piston in the wheel cylinder was sticking. Drum is off to be ground, and we will put new friction on the car even though there is only 4 thousand miles on it since last done. We always buy spare material for future problems like this.......so now the brakes can be cam ground to the new larger diameter......yes it's only 3-4 thousandths but we fix it right, the first time. Take a gander at the wheel cylinder....its part of the king pin. Lets just say you don't make this repair for twenty five bucks. The press to push the pin in and out has to be manufactured...........so we ordered up a bunch of Snap-On puller and press parts, and we are fabricating eight more parts in the machine shop so we can push and pull without causing damage to the car and parts. This is why cars get so expensive to repair today........labor for the actual job, parts, and then shipping, and special tools and fixtures. In the future we will have everything on hand and ready to go and could turn this job around in a day, not three weeks. Enjoy the photos......it's something very seldom seen today.

Edited April 15, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[F&J]

1 hour ago, TAKerry said:

I like the doodle bug the kids are cruising in too

This was at the Zagray Farm working museum in Colchester CT.  160 acre ex-family homestead farm that also had/has a huge vintage furnace that Harry Zagray once casted and machined obsolete farm tractor and stationary engine castings.  This is 3 shows per year, with what is now also a huge and still growing swapmeet, too. 

 

Kids (and adults) get to drive whatever they bring, which gives me hope that some younger people might carry on the prewar hobby.

 

Too many things there to list here, but a few are: working sandpit with many vintage cable shovels, vintage Machine shop, working large sawmill, Stationary engine building working display, tractor/wagon rides, tractor parades.  If a person had no place to keep or use a vintage tractor etc, you can rent storage there, and even get to plow a field, using one of the farms' attachments if you wanted to. 

 

If kids only get to go to a normal car show, they just get bored as the cars just sit all day. I've never seen a bored kid at this place.  All 3 shows were cancelled last year, but their website did set the show dates starting with the May 2021 Spring meet.

 

I no longer go to normal car shows, I only go to this show.  A few prewar stock antique cars/rucks also show up

.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Great updates lately!

 

Frank, would you mind posting swap info for Zagray Farm swap?  Love the 32 Ford, BTW.  

 

Ed, never a dull moment if FL.

 

Wake up time here in CT.  Some minor projects on the A as well as MB SL this month, will see if I do anything interesting enough to post... 🤔

[F&J]

1 hour ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Frank, would you mind posting swap info for Zagray Farm swap

Here is just one page (Spring Show Date info) on their big website:

http://www.zagrayfarmmuseum.org/Meetings_Shows/Spring_Show/Spring_Show.html

Last year the Club tried hard to get at least one show in, but each show was cancelled with short notice, so anyone planning to go should keep checking the website in the next 2 weeks (as that is when it will be, if luck holds). EDIT, coincidence...lol.... my Son just called me right now to say a friend just got an actual printed flyer saying it's still a go. 

 

Antique cars and people who display tractors and equipment, (but are not for sale), get in free. 

 

Spend some time on the website sections to get a slight feel of what is there, such as the photo and video page.  Also go to the "Directions to get there" page and switch the Google map to Satellite View and you can zoom in to see the foot traffic marked fields to show how big the swap is. (swap is on both sides of the 45 degree turning farm road that goes to the far Northeast of the property)  Also zoom to see the sandpit with a bunch of cable shovels and cranes at North end, at the oval shaped road. 

 

You need to go on Saturdays early for the swapmeet goodies, Sunday is not very good for the swap. You need a full day to see everything the farm and club has to offer.  The big machine shop/furnace complex is easily missed; it's at the extreme SW corner of the property, right near RT 85.

 

.

[alsancle]

In my last post I said something like "something is wrong somewhere"  after pulling the new transmission shift harness on our 812 Cord.   Well I found the thing that was wrong.  See picture below.   There are 3 terminals,  the single one is hot,  the other two are lit up when the plunger reaches a certain point in the switch.  One goes to the startix, the other to the shift harness.   When you press down on the clutch a rod pulls the plunger.

 

You can' tell by looking at this picture,  but after about 4 hours of debugging and testing on my back,  I pulled the switch out and put a meter on it.   If you just move the hot terminal a bit you can get continuity with the switch activated.   The rivet has become loose over time and when I plugged in the new harness bullet connnector in to it that must have been just enough to screw it up.

 

It sort of intermittently works which made the effort to figure it out painful.

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

6 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Wake up time here in CT.  Some minor projects on the A as well as MB SL this month, will see if I do anything interesting enough to post... 🤔

Definitely would enjoy hearing any or all about the work done on your cars. That is what this thread is all about. 
BTW the band project went unbelievably well. I must have paid enough homage to the Model T Gods!

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Jeff that is great news!!

 

I just renewed MARC & AACA memberships, both a bit late, does that count?  Heavy rain in CT tonite with a possible bit of the S word overnight.  Blech.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

2 hours ago, alsancle said:

 

 

You can' tell by looking at this picture,  but after about 4 hours of debugging and testing on my back,  I pulled the switch out and put a meter on it.   If you just move the hot terminal a bit you can get continuity with the switch activated.   The rivet has become loose over time and when I plugged in the new harness bullet connnector in to it that must have been just enough to screw it up.

 

It sort of intermittently works which made the effort to figure it out painful.

3 hours napping and 1 hour of diagnosis.. 

 

Actually isn't amazing how time stands still when your deep in a complex issue, and before you know it, hours have passed...  Almost always twice my planning  estimate!

[alsancle]

1 minute ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

3 hours napping and 1 hour of diagnosis.. 

 

Actually isn't amazing how time stands still when your deep in a complex issue, and before you know it, hours have passed...  Almost always twice my planning  estimate!

time did not fly as I had my dad helping.  About every ten minutes he would tell me he didn’t understand why it stopped working as it worked great for 50 years.

[John Byrd]

This might not seem car related, but rest assured, it certainly is !  Access to the side and back of the house, hooray !   Here's our guy "haulin' grass, and "pullin' stumps".

[stakeside]

Got my 17 yr old grandson to help with my landscaping project. 

Amazing how he can operate the excavator. I guess all those video games help.