VW4X4 Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 11 minutes ago, Piaras said: I came across this same problem before, and was told to hold the phone in the correct upright position. Slapped! I suspect that most forum software reads the EXIF file to set orientation. Maybe try the same photos with and without the EXIF? Pierre I've used this program for years to fix rotation of pictures... https://www.faststone.org/ Works great and its freeware... Does not work wit video... I've had this trouble with videos, and loading them to google drive fixed them.... Go figure... ERIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW4X4 Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 56 minutes ago, ... and Professor said: Sorry for the sideways images… they are oriented correctly on my computer. I never understand why this forum software rotates some images but not others. I would correct it here on the forum if I knew how, but I don’t want to clock the images on my computer so that they display incorrectly when I look at them on my computer. Anyone know how to tell the forum software to rotate an image? Joe Those have to be the brightest 6V headlight in the country... Nice job.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piaras Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 (edited) Local artist took a photo I took of my car and did something amazing! Pen and ink drawing on 32X40 cold press. Took nearly 1 1/2 years to do! Pierre Edited February 7, 2022 by Piaras (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 That looks amazing Pierre! Did she/he use the photo to draw this image or did he/she manipulate the photo to make it look like this? Either way, this is an awesome image. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piaras Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Blank sheet of paper and drew it! He is fantastic and photorealistic is his forte. He saw the car and my photo and was really excited to make this. This is the original photo I took back in July 2020. Pierre 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 Freehand drawing??? Oh my gosh… Stunning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 (edited) @Bloo, I have a charging cable permanently connected with the cable running to the AM antenna that runs under the left running board. With the old lead acid battery, I would plug it in every day when I was done driving it. The charger I have tells me how charged the battery is as soon as I plug it in to the cable underneath the running board. I will monitor the charge performance on these new batteries and see how frequently they need charging and then plug charge the batteries as needed. I can tell you two things for sure: 1. Last night with high beams on and the heater on high, there was a ~ 2 amp discharge while running at 60 MPH. 2. With the old lead acid battery, the charge was never at 100% and was usually around 85%, but oddly, it seemed to stay at this charge level. I will keep an eye on things and post something in this thread in a month or so. Thanks so much for your comments Bloo. Joe 11 hours ago, Bloo said: I like that setup too. I'll probably do it at some point, but at the moment I have 2 good 6v conventional batteries laying around. It would be really nice to never open my floorboard again..... One thing to keep in mind is that those batteries are much "bigger" electrically than the original. All that extra reserve is wonderful. If you ever have some bad day (broken charging system, extreme vapor lock, flooded, etc.) and you actually use a bunch of that extra capacity, it will probably get you home. However, be sure to put a charger on when you get home! Don't expect the car to just take care of it like a more modern car might. It all boils down to amps and hours. If it takes 3 times as long to run it noticeably low as it did in 1936, it also takes 3 times as long to bring it back up with the charging system. These old tiny generator systems weren't particularly good at bringing up the original battery unless you drove for hours so it's probably good advice even with a stock battery. EDIT: VW4X4 posted while I was typing. I agree you should tie them down. It looks like it would be easy to do from your picture. Edited February 6, 2022 by ... and Professor (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 Expense Spreadsheet Update: $28,472.49 and 480 hours of my time as of 06 February 2022. Note that this does not include the cost of the vehicle since it was given to me. Paint and whatever engine work that needs to be done still remains. I will have to pay someone to paint and I will do the engine work myself. Figure $20k for paint and $5k for engine work, the estimated total expense when I finish project will be in the neighborhood of $53,500.00 Let's see where we end up when I am actually finished. Anyone want to bet it will be north of $60,000? 🙂. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piaras Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Just started my spending! All new weatherstrips to start. Left hand glove box. Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW4X4 Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, ... and Professor said: Expense Spreadsheet Update: $28,472.49 and 480 hours of my time as of 06 February 2022. Note that this does not include the cost of the vehicle since it was given to me. Paint and whatever engine work that needs to be done still remains. I will have to pay someone to paint and I will do the engine work myself. Figure $20k for paint and $5k for engine work, the estimated total expense when I finish project will be in the neighborhood of $53,500.00 Let's see where we end up when I am actually finished. Anyone want to bet it will be north of $60,000? 🙂. Having seen the cost lately of things going through the roof, I hate to say this but I think your estimates are way off. Now, that being said, the engine work, and body work will all depend on how bad things actually are, and how good of job you actually want to do. I may have mentioned this before, but a really good paint job will require complete dismantling, painting the door jams, inside the engine compartment, under the hood, all witch has to be cleaned of prepared..... The engine work will depend on what you want to do with it. Once you spend a ton of money on the body, your only going to be driving it off and on the trailer. SO, an engine with warn out main bearings will last a long time. So, no need to spend a lot on the engine. Three cans of STP, and a can of Bars leak right before the show, and you will win first place with only a few cans of paint spend on the engine. LOL This is actually what I've see, with extremely expensive Italian cars. My advice. Leave the car alone... its running, its driving. Enjoy it. IF I was you, I would continually make small improvements, making sure its 100% drive-able. Stop any or all signs of rust ...That's it... ERIC Edited February 6, 2022 by VW4X4 (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 Hi Eric, This car will always be driven, regardless of the condition of the paint, engine, etc. My goal is: restore it as best I can and then drive the heck out of it. I don’t yet know what paint will cost… but a one year old estimate was $20k OTD with everything done. Like everything, it depends on the quality. I tell you… if this car were the original black color, I would probably leave the paint alone… but I want this car back to factory spec, and that means black paint. I live in podunk NC, so costs will be less than in the big cities… $20k is a great deal of money here. Rest assured, no matter what I spend on the restoration, this car will be driven routinely. I get my joy out of the restoration process and the driving… I could care less about car shows. After I drive it for a couple of months, I am going to pull the head and check the condition of the top end. Oil pressure is good, so with any luck, rings, valves, and cylinders/pistons will look good and all I need is a head gasket, a valve adjustment, and I will be on the road again. Joe 7 hours ago, VW4X4 said: Having seen the cost lately of things going through the roof, I hate to say this but I think your estimates are way off. Now, that being said, the engine work, and body work will all depend on how bad things actually are, and how good of job you actually want to do. I may have mentioned this before, but a really good paint job will require complete dismantling, painting the door jams, inside the engine compartment, under the hood, all witch has to be cleaned of prepared..... The engine work will depend on what you want to do with it. Once you spend a ton of money on the body, your only going to be driving it off and on the trailer. SO, an engine with warn out main bearings will last a long time. So, no need to spend a lot on the engine. Three cans of STP, and a can of Bars leak right before the show, and you will win first place with only a few cans of paint spend on the engine. LOL This is actually what I've see, with extremely expensive Italian cars. My advice. Leave the car alone... its running, its driving. Enjoy it. IF I was you, I would continually make small improvements, making sure its 100% drive-able. Stop any or all signs of rust ...That's it... ERIC 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 06 February Update: New batteries and wiring combined with the new 6V coil have brought new life to this car. I press the starter button hot or cold and the engine fires immediately. I could not be more pleased. Today I crawled under the car to secure the ground cable and I noticed this small rectangular box with two female bullet connectors on it (the type that can be found on, for example, the headlight dimmer switch. There was a spring going to it and I shined the flashlight on the spring and low and behold, the spring went to the brake cable. I put my ohm meter on the terminals and pulled the spring and the resistance went from open to .4 ohms. I realized that I was looking at the brake light switch. I removed the connections from the brake light switch on the master cylinder, soldered two bullet ends on the wires (note: notify Rhode Island Wiring that the brake switch wires should be bullet connectors and not ring connectors) and connected it up. I asked my wife to press on the brake pedal while I watched the brake lights… and sure enough, the brake lights went on. Another problem solved…. Now on to the clock and radio. Clock first. Joe 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW4X4 Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 3 hours ago, ... and Professor said: 06 February Update: New batteries and wiring combined with the new 6V coil have brought new life to this car. I press the starter button hot or cold and the engine fires immediately. I could not be more pleased. Today I crawled under the car to secure the ground cable and I noticed this small rectangular box with two female bullet connectors on it (the type that can be found on, for example, the headlight dimmer switch. There was a spring going to it and I shined the flashlight on the spring and low and behold, the spring went to the brake cable. I put my ohm meter on the terminals and pulled the spring and the resistance went from open to .4 ohms. I realized that I was looking at the brake light switch. I removed the connections from the brake light switch on the master cylinder, soldered two bullet ends on the wires (note: notify Rhode Island Wiring that the brake switch wires should be bullet connectors and not ring connectors) and connected it up. I asked my wife to press on the brake pedal while I watched the brake lights… and sure enough, the brake lights went on. Another problem solved…. Now on to the clock and radio. Clock first. Joe Joe, That's the brake light switch I was telling you about a short time ago. I think most of the master cylinders I've seen have a "TEE" at the very beginning of the brake lines. IT had one line to the front and one to the rear, leaving one for a brake line switch. Maybe this is because by now they all master cylinders have been replaced with aftermarket parts? I'm sure other vehicles use a pressure switch, and aftermarket make a one size fits as many as possible. Nice to hear all these small details are coming together. ERIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 Just curious, but which setup is original? Given a choice, I would much rather have a mechanical switch. Pressure switches typically respond rather slow. The latest versions switch with less pressure, improving the situation a little. The switches are all about the same, with 3 different terminal styles available. I suspect screws for terminals in 1936, but cant say for sure. They were never a high reliability part. There have also been a rash of them failing early when used with silicone brake fluid, or so I'm told. Still, a mechanical switch can trigger in the pedal freeplay region before the pressure even starts to rise, so they win for early warning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 Bloo, I am certain that the mechanical switch is factory on my Airstream. The switch, spring, spring linkage, and brake pedal attachment are all clearly factory. I suspect the switch on mine is the same one that it came with from the factory. Eric, I remember you telling me about this switch, but i could not picture it until I saw it. I am going to take some pictures of the switch and linkage and post them in case someone happens along this thread and the images help them. I appreciate your help with this; without your comment, I don’t think I would have recognized the switch. Joe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maok Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 1 hour ago, ... and Professor said: Bloo, I am certain that the mechanical switch is factory on my Airstream. The switch, spring, spring linkage, and brake pedal attachment are all clearly factory. I suspect the switch on mine is the same one that it came with from the factory. Eric, I remember you telling me about this switch, but i could not picture it until I saw it. I am going to take some pictures of the switch and linkage and post them in case someone happens along this thread and the images help them. I appreciate your help with this; without your comment, I don’t think I would have recognized the switch. Joe My Airstream has the pressure switch on the MC, though its lazy ie takes a lot of foot pedal pressure for it to close the circuit, as @Bloo mentioned. I did the swap to a mechanical switch on my '37 Dodge because it has much more remove behind the firewall and peddle assembly than the Airstream, which is the reason I haven't swap over the Airstream to a mechanical switch. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 Mo, Nicely done using a modern mechanical switch like you did is MUCH easier to adjust than the original mechanical switch. It took me over an hour to adjust the spring tension on my original mechanical switch so that the light came on when I pressed the brake but was not always on. Too much tension and the light stayed on all the time, not enough and it never turned on. I literally had to stretch the gap between the end winds of the activation spring until I got it just right. I hope it stays in adjustment. By the way, the ignition switch in my car is the one you sent from the land down under. It works perfectly! Joe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maok Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 (edited) 10 minutes ago, ... and Professor said: Mo, Nicely done using a modern mechanical switch like you did is MUCH easier to adjust than the original mechanical switch. It took me over an hour to adjust the spring tension on my original mechanical switch so that the light came on when I pressed the brake but was not always on. Too much tension and the light stayed on all the time, not enough and it never turned on. I literally had to stretch the gap between the end winds of the activation spring until I got it just right. I hope it stays in adjustment. By the way, the ignition switch in my car is the one you sent from the land down under. It works perfectly! Joe Awesome on the ignition switch. Never understood those spring loaded switches, way over the top. Are sure it's original? Edited February 7, 2022 by maok (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 Hi Mo, I am certain it is factory. It would have been installed when the brake and clutch pedal assembly was installed (the actuator and spring portion) and it appears that the switch itself was mounted to the frame before the body was installed. If it were possible at all, it would have been a Herculean effort to install this Rube Goldberg contraption after the car was finished. This will become clear when I upload the images of the switch and actuator. Joe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW4X4 Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 3 hours ago, ... and Professor said: Hi Mo, I am certain it is factory. It would have been installed when the brake and clutch pedal assembly was installed (the actuator and spring portion) and it appears that the switch itself was mounted to the frame before the body was installed. If it were possible at all, it would have been a Herculean effort to install this Rube Goldberg contraption after the car was finished. This will become clear when I upload the images of the switch and actuator. Joe The picture below is a picture of my 4DR car when I first got it. As you can tell there was not much to work with. The brake light switch is easy to get to if you take the floor out. You can see the switch in the bottom center of the picture. ERIC The floor in these car are another topic ..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 (edited) Hi Eric, That is exactly what I have on my car. I have never had the floorboards out, but it sure looks easy from that angle. That rust makes me cringe. Did you restore this car? Joe Edited February 7, 2022 by ... and Professor (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW4X4 Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 20 minutes ago, ... and Professor said: Hi Mo, That is exactly what I have on my car. I have never had the floorboards out, but it sure looks easy from that angle. That rust makes me cringe. Did you restore this car? Joe Joe, This car started out as a parts car. Stripped what I needed to build the coupe. Ran out of time, money and effort, but always kept my ears and eyes opened for parts. The important stuff seem to migrate to me. Now I have plenty of engines, and several other parts to keep/get them running, but have shot my self in the foot by originally considering this to be a parts car. This car has been stored in a garage 2 hours away in the middle of the woods, where I go for summer weekend trips. With very limited tools, I've done a lot of work to start putting it back together. I really need to move it to a better equipped shop or I will have to end up cutting corners to drive it out of there. The engine is completely rebuilt and sitting in my basement. The rear axle is rebuilt,floor panels repaired, the brakes are working. But I am stalled, on lots of details. What I really need is a new house with one beds room and a 25 car garage...... Cheap, so I can afford the property taxes. Then I can really get these cars back together the way they should be. Here's a picture of the floor in the proccess and being fitted after being welded .. I'm going to guess 8 years ago.. ERIC ERIC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maok Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 10 hours ago, ... and Professor said: Hi Mo, I am certain it is factory. It would have been installed when the brake and clutch pedal assembly was installed (the actuator and spring portion) and it appears that the switch itself was mounted to the frame before the body was installed. If it were possible at all, it would have been a Herculean effort to install this Rube Goldberg contraption after the car was finished. This will become clear when I upload the images of the switch and actuator. Joe Its hard to believe the Chrysler engineers would go for that setup. Does your master cylinder have the provision for a pressure switch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piaras Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 I would be happy with a 4 bay garage with an en-suite! Pierre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1lark Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 I love this thread.......even tho I don't have '36 Chrysler. There are always new posts on this thread, every time I look! And love that there are a number of people who are helping each other. Keep it up guys! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 8, 2022 Author Share Posted February 8, 2022 Hi Moe, It does… but I do not know if the master cylinder is original. I will check my maintenance and parts manuals and see what they indicate. Joe 2 hours ago, maok said: Its hard to believe the Chrysler engineers would go for that setup. Does your master cylinder have the provision for a pressure switch? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 8, 2022 Author Share Posted February 8, 2022 Moe, The maintenance manual shows two types of master cylinders, one with a hydraulic switch and one without. See attached. I would say that my car came without the hydraulic switch but someone changed the master cylinder out and used one with the hydraulic switch. Joe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 8, 2022 Author Share Posted February 8, 2022 @r1lark, This comment made me smile. I honestly do not know what I would do if it were not for the helpful people on this forum. This is my first pre-war automobile restoration and things are so different than the 1960s automobile world I came from. Yes, the basics are the same, but the finer points can be different, and figuring out what is actually correct would be, I think, made more difficult were it not for knowledgeable people who have worked or are working on Chrysler Airstreams. Maybe someday, someone who is restoring an Airstream will happen along this thread and absorb all the knowledge presented here… which may make their restoration easier. Thanks again for this comment. Joe 11 hours ago, r1lark said: I love this thread.......even tho I don't have '36 Chrysler. There are always new posts on this thread, every time I look! And love that there are a number of people who are helping each other. Keep it up guys! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, ... and Professor said: @r1lark, This comment made me smile. I honestly do not know what I would do if it were not for the helpful people on this forum. This is my first pre-war automobile restoration and things are so different than the 1960s automobile world I came from. Yes, the basics are the same, but the finer points can be different, and figuring out what is actually correct would be, I think, made more difficult were it not for knowledgeable people who have worked or are working on Chrysler Airstreams. Maybe someday, someone who is restoring an Airstream will happen along this thread and absorb all the knowledge presented here… which may make their restoration easier. Thanks again for this comment. Joe And THAT is what this hobby/sickness is all about! Edited February 8, 2022 by keiser31 (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 9, 2022 Author Share Posted February 9, 2022 Arghhhhhhh….. was driving home last night and the left low beam cut off but high beams and the right low beam work perfectly. I suspect the connection to the low beam on the left headlight is intermittent. Man… what an absolute pain in the butt it has been trying to use the factory headlight connections. I can see why folks bypass these connections with updated versions. If this continues to be a problem, I will replace the headlight bucket connectors with modern waterproof connectors. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW4X4 Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 What I did was run the wires directly from the light bulb thru the hole where the socket was and make a connection between both lights at a terminal block. This was simple, cheap, and very reliable. If you need to remove a light for any reason, you have a little bit more wire to deal with.... ERIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 10, 2022 Author Share Posted February 10, 2022 Thanks Eric. I will likely use a sealed waterproof three wire circular connector or perhaps bullet connectors and a 3 way junction block like my car uses on other wire harnesses. I need to be able to seal water out of the headlamp regardless of how I make the connections. I am still hopeful I can make the factory connector work, but if not, I will switch. This will be my last attempt at making the factory connector work. I will report back once I determine what the failure is (sometime this weekend). Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 While I agree you might not want to leave a wide open hole in a headlight bucket where a connector was, some little drain hole to let water get out is more important than sealing. All those old buckets get water inside. The ones that hold it in end up with a big hole in the bottom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VW4X4 Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 (edited) 4 hours ago, Bloo said: While I agree you might not want to leave a wide open hole in a headlight bucket where a connector was, some little drain hole to let water get out is more important than sealing. All those old buckets get water inside. The ones that hold it in end up with a big hole in the bottom. I fully agree with this. No matter how hard you try to keep water out, its not going to work, so a drain hole is a must. On another note, the heat that builds up in the lights has got to be very intense. Specially, for people who have upgraded to bulbs with higher wattage . Vents of some kind would definitely be a big advantage. I haven't engineered this yet but I am looking into it... I'm thinking about a series of 1/4" holes at the very center bottom. These could act as both drains and vents. ERIC Edited February 10, 2022 by VW4X4 (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 10, 2022 Author Share Posted February 10, 2022 All, I have another favor to ask. Would it be possible for someone that still has an intact factory harness on their Airstream to take some images on how the wiring harness routes past the generator to the right and left headlights. Specifically, where does the harness go up into the left headlight area and how does the harness cross the radiator assembly/housing to the right headlight? My harness was already buggered up in these areas so I have no idea how it should be routed. Thanks so much for your help. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 10, 2022 Author Share Posted February 10, 2022 Here is the way the harness was routed when I got the car. I am hard pressed to believe the factory would route it so close to the fan without a clamp or two somewhere. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1lark Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 Isn't the metal tab (in line with the one fan blade) a 'clip' to hold the harness? If the harness is routed on the opposite side of the clip, and the end of the clip rolled around the harness, would that properly secure it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 10, 2022 Author Share Posted February 10, 2022 I think the picture is deceiving... the thing that looks like a clip is actually used to secure the hood in a locked position, unless I am missing what you are seeing. 8 minutes ago, r1lark said: Isn't the metal tab (in line with the one fan blade) a 'clip' to hold the harness? If the harness is routed on the opposite side of the clip, and the end of the clip rolled around the harness, would that properly secure it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piaras Posted February 10, 2022 Share Posted February 10, 2022 My wires follow the fender line and pass straight through to the front side of the rad support, from there the right hand headlight is fed by wires passing in front of the rad. They are no where near the fan like yours is. Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted February 10, 2022 Author Share Posted February 10, 2022 Pierre, Are you saying that they run along the fender straight past the generator and into the radiator support area and then up to both the left and right headlights? I cannot picture what you are saying. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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