1928 Chevrolet National 4 Door Sedan

[nas90tdi]

This will serve as my introduction and hopefully a good place to ask questions and post pictures as I progress.

This is my first Pre-War car. I have owned and/or restored quite a few newer vintage cars back to  1950's era. Including some ground up rebuilds. So, that part of this doesn't intimidate me. But, this car has a lot of things that are foreign to me.

I decided I wanted a mid 20's to mid 30's car. No preference to model. After a lot of searching and rejecting possibilities I found the 1928 National and started researching what I was getting into before I went to inspect it.

I went into it with no expectations whatsoever and after looking a the car it is mostly there, in decent shape with no real rust and the wood is not a complete basket case. 

I had no carb on it it, a pile of misc parts in the back seat and the rear roof off and in the car. 

The widow I bought it from knew absolutely nothing about the car. She even thought it was a 1929. But, as I said, I had no particular model in mind. So, that wasn't a deal breaker.

So, I made an offer and bought it. I am plenty happy with what I paid and even after I found a couple of other issues as you always do when you bring a car home, it's all good.

About the car.

I have spent a couple of evenings just going over the car and digging through the receipt folder I got with the car.

So far this is what I think. It is an amateur restoration from some time in the 80's I am guessing. It's been kept inside since then I believe. It looks like someone had decided it needed some work and started unnailing the roof. Thus the rear top being off.

The wood needs some repair. That actually doesn't bother me in the least. I have been a cabinet builder/millworker my entire life and have access to plenty of Ash, so that's just my time to rebuild all of that. 

The doors will have to be completely rebuilt, they are complete but very soft on the tops and one is actually rotted away on the top bar.

As far as I can figure on the mechanics, it was probably a running/driving car and then maybe sat and then was sold to the owner I got it from around 2007/8.  All the brakes had been rebuilt, lots of new parts and receipts to back it up prior to that. Other misc maintenance items done.

That's where the problems must have set in. What I have found is a rigged up ignition switch, a fuel line running from the back of the car with an electric fuel pump. I am going to assume they couldn't get it cranked and started monkeying around with it. The carb is gone, which makes me suspect it was taken off and likely crumbled apart if someone not familiar with old carbs tried working on it. Thus it being missing. The rigged ignition switch doesn't actually energize the ignition, so I also suspect they were fighting a losing battle. It is hooked up the starter and I suppose if a person didn't understand vehicle ignitions they might believe turning the starter was going to start the car.

The worst thing I have found is they also left water in the block with no antifreeze and I have a 3" crack in the water jacket on the back driver side of the engine.

 

So, now some questions.

 

I am torn about the engine. It is an original April 1928 engine. But, I am faced with either tearing it down and having the block repaired, finding a new block and rebuilding, or doing an engine swap to a slightly newer engine. My issue is since I don't have a carb, and the carbs are very expensive, I am gambling on an engine I am not even certain runs. My original plan before I found the crack was to get a carb, either an original or a different replacement and at least get the engine running in the shop and see what I was dealing with.

I have no intention of doing a ground up 100 point restoration, so I am not married to having an original engine and am having trouble deciding how much money and time I want to sink into a 92 year old 35HP engine with Babbitt bearings.

 

Any general thoughts or pointers on the car rebuild are very welcome.

 

[Laughing Coyote]

Welcome aboard.  Nice car. Great place to post your progress and get your questions answered.

[Oregon Desert model 45]

There is a 28 motor in a collection of parts for sale in Hillsboro

https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/pts/d/hillsboro-1926-or-1927-chevrolet-coupe/7073469866.html

 

Also a 28 block in Boise

https://boise.craigslist.org/search/pta?query=1928

 

Springfield Auto Recyclers had some 4 cylinder Chev motors/parts last spring.

 

 

[nas90tdi]

Thanks for the pointers.

[chistech]

The 28’ is the best prewar 4 cylinder engine Chevy made. It has the two port exhaust and the only year with aluminum pistons for years to come afterward. The 28’ uses a Stewart vacuum canister type fuel pump and it gets mounted on the DS, engine side firewall. The carter carbs are not that expensive and can be found, often on eBay and I myself sold a beautiful one just a few years back for $125.  These cars do not run with an electric fuel pump unless you regulate them down to 4-6lbs. The float cannot hold anymore pressure than that as it was gravity fed originally from the canister pump. The 28’ engines are fairly plentiful if you’re not in a hurry as they pop up from time to time. A good 28 engine is a good performer and will easily go 40+mph down the road. One thing to be aware of is the overhead valve system does not have a self contained oiling system and requires oiling of a felt pad every time the car goes out. The 28’ also has 4 wheel brakes which makes it the best stopping 4 cylinder Chevy also. You will not easily put a different engine in that car and it will most likely end up costing more than finding a good original or even stitching the block you have if everything else is good. Join the VCCA and get on the forums, there are guys there that will help you out and have a ton of parts. I didn’t see you mention where you’re from. That would help as I know many Chevy guys in many places.

[nas90tdi]

@chistech thanks. I am knocking around stitching it. Really there is no harm in the attempt at this point.

I wondered if the carb would hold an electric fuel pump. I suspected it needed to be very low pressure. That could have even led to some of the last guys issues. The fuel pump I found in the car was just a cheap auto parts 12V pump. So, no clue what the pressure would have been. The whole thing was suspect to me. I personally would have never tried to pull fuel from an old fuel tank trying to get an engine running. Just too many variables with an old ,possibly dirty fuel, tank. I prefer to gravity feed on my initial start on an engine I don't know.

 I read about the felt oilers. That is the kind of stuff that is so alien to me. I stuck my finger in the slot the plugs come through and about fell out when I felt a valve spring. It's very amazing to me and I really like old automobile history, so owning this car has given me an opportunity to touch and feel things I never had. I have an extremely strict rule I will never touch another persons car at a car show, so it's sort of like discovering cars for the first time. I have had my own cars scratched and rubbed all over at shows, so I always maintain my distance especially in engine compartments and stuff. So, because my cars were always such a different vintage, I never got to be handsy with one this old.

 

 I have to admit I am knocking around committing sacrilege and turning the car into a hot rod. I am normally against that and feel historical cars should be carefully preserved. But, I also am aware that I do not have a car in pristine shape and it has had some questionable things done to it. So, I am finding the idea of a 50's/60's hot rod isn't offending me as bad as it should. 

 

I am in Washington State BTW.

 

Thanks again for the info.

[nas90tdi]

 I stripped the body this weekend. No real surprises found except the wood frame is complete trash and the steel panels were the only thing holding it together. It's not rotten, just cobbled together with random bits of 2X4 and whatever was at hand it looked like. Then put together with poorly installed misc bits of metal using what looks to have been a useless coffee can full of fasteners. No 2 were alike it didn't seem like. Complete pain to disassemble. The frame basically fell apart on the floor once it started coming apart. I found what I believe to be 3 pieces of the actual Fisher frame. Unfortunately what is there won't be a pattern for anything. It wasn't built to fit so much as hacked out then shims and wedges jammed in to hold it to the body.

 Chassis and parts went into the garage to clear out the shop for body reconstruction.

 

After the body was off I was able to really clean the side of the engine and look into the cracks. It's toast, they continue in every direction. They were just to small to see at a casual inspection.

[chistech]

A 28’ in my area seems to be being hot rodded. Waiting to hear on the condition of the engine. I’ll keep you posted.

[a sell]

Hello nas90tdi

 

The 28 is a popular model, and more mechanical components were save for it than almost any other year of early Chevrolet. I see by the lic plate you are in Washington State. I am a member of the Columbia River Region VCCA Portland/Vancouver. We can help you find a good candidate engine. Send me an email at beaconb3@gmail.com  Art