jcmiller

Thanks for the extra info.

Ed - Did you find that you had to replace the entire hinge/spring assembly instead of just the spring assembly? I was able to get my springs off the car, but it doesn't look like I can replace just the springs because of the way the attachment flange wraps down and around the spring (in contrast to the springs on the business coupe pictured above). There is no room to insert new pins that would then go through holes in the hinge (after drilling out the swedged ends of the old ones). Thanks, Jeff

I don't know if I have everything hooked up correctly. But I was able to rotate the top of the oil filter to move the oil line out of the way of the springs and that cleared up the binding issues. Let me know if you still need pictures or want to know how my springs are hooked up and I will take some pictures and notes.

I had a hard time getting good pictures, but the first one shows things pretty well. I put a red dot on the part that pushes the button. There are two matching vertical pieces that are secured with cotter pins. On yours, it looks like the bottom of the one on the left is not attached properly.

I have a '42 and will send you a picture tonight.

I guess this just shows we all have different preferences for accessing information. I prefer just a couple forums and that people use descriptive title and codes like OT or PW so I can figure out whether to have a look. It sounds like Don prefers just the opposite. It's a balancing act for the administrator. I suspect that things will be tweaked as time goes by. Forums categories that prove to generate little traffic should probably go away eventually.

Thanks for the info. I sent you a PM.

Thanks for the explanation Andy.

Would love a '42 passenger front fender. Too bad it's so far away.

It's looking good. Thanks for the updates.

Thanks. I'll look for existing marks, add my own if they are missing, and make sure everything can be put back together exactly the same way.

Is it important to mark the connecting rod bearing caps and connecting rods to ensure they are reassembled in exactly the same way as original? Like you do for main bearing caps? I'm disassembling a stuck engine, mainly for fun as I've not done it before, but I'd like to do what I can to ease reassembly if I ever choose to do so. Thx.

What do you use to cut out the rusted sections and to cut the replacement sections?

I spent some quality time in the garage today with my son and my father in law, tearing into a 1953 flathead. My son hasn't shown much interest in this hobby, but today he jumped right in and had a ball. We made a lot of progress today but still haven't discovered why it's stuck.

Here is another one (1941) that looks like a great find: http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/3658440758.html The interior is original and appears to be in incredible shape.

Thanks everyone. To clarify a bit, by stabilize I meant to extend the metal life until I can properly repair it, rather than improve structural integrity. It is mostly surface rust, but there are some areas with complete rust-through. It will probably be several years before I repair it correctly. I work slowly and want to focus on the mechanical systems. I really want to drive this thing around a bit and the floor can wait. (Every time I want to buy a part or bring up buying a second old car, my wife brings up the fact that I've had this one for almost two years and it hasn't left the garage.) Based on the responses, it sounds like a reasonable approach is to do a phosphoric acid treatment, which doesn't even need to be primed unless it will be exposed to the elements. If I want to prime and paint, I can use a standard primer after such treatment, rather than the rusty metal primer.

I'm not ready to repair the rust in the floorboard yet, but I would like to do a relatively quick treatment to try to stabilize the rust as much as possible. My plan was to sand the rusty areas with a 3M wheel and then brush apply Rustoleum Metal Primer and then a topcoat. But on Rustoleum's website, they caution against using Rusty Metal Primer on clean metal because it contains "fish oil" which supposedly will float to the surface and cause problems with topcoat adhesion. They make a clean metal primer in that case. The problem is that the floor will have some areas of clean metal, some areas of existing intact primer/paint, and some areas with rust. What's a good primer in that situation?

Mine were pretty bad too. I couldn't even take them apart. Here are some prices and info I collected when researching this last summer. Apple: uses brass; $50 to resleeve WC and $80 for MC; prices are $85 and 175 for complete rebuilds. Hagen's: stainless; $60 to resleeve and rebuild WC and $125 to resleeve and rebuild MC. Just resleeving is about $20 less for WC. Not sure about MC. Kits are $12 and $26. Don't repaint but "look like new" when done. No apparent written guarantee Sierra: brass; $60 for WC and $100 for MC. This is resleeving only and they don't do full rebuilds. 10-yr warranty. White Post: brass; $80 for WC and $175 for MC. This is full resleeve and rebuild. Lifetime warranty. They use an iron gray baked epoxy to paint. I was drawn to White Post because of full service and guarantee, but went with Hagen's because my wheel cylinders have two bore sizes. White Post wanted $120 for that instead of usual $80 and Hagen's price didn't change. I could not justify an additional $240. Hagen's did a great job and the parts really did look like new when I got them (Note-I painted them after I got them back.). Hagen's also has a bunch of other related parts so I was able to get everything from one place. They were also helpful via email.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to get a sheet of 20 gauge and play around with that. I'm taking a welding class and they have a low-energy MIG welder that works pretty well on sheet metal. It seems like I should try to use the same gauge as original since it will eventually have to be joined to original sheet metal. Sunsetdart - what do you mean by drilling holes and doing rosette welds?

Thanks guys. I think Daliant is exactly right. I crawled in there and took a picture of the other side and there is clearly a broken retainer jammed up in there. It's kind of wierd that they broke on both sides. It looks like I have a fun project on my hands. The second picture here is from a '42 business coupe. (Mine is a Club Coupe.) I'll try to rig up something like that.

I'm reviving this thread because I have trunk lid troubles and it has some good photos. The problem with my trunk is that it is VERY difficult to open, and I have to prop it open with a 2X4 to look inside. The springs are there, but I think they might be attached incorrectly. The hinge has two sets of holes near where it attached to the body. In the pictures in this thread, it looks like the upper set of holes is for attaching to the body and the lower set for attaching the spring. On mine, it looks like the upper set is used for both. Is that the problem? I can't tell from the parts manual because it shows just one pin going through the upper set of holes and the pictures in the manual are from a sedan, which has a different set up. My car is a '42, by the way. Thanks.

Good luck Billy. It seems like you should have smooth sailing since you have the title. I'm surprised the state is even going to inspect the car. Here in Oregon you just mail in the title (signed over by the seller) and get a new title back in your name. There is no inspection of the vehicle. I might be trying to get a title for a vehicle without a title in the next few months, and that is going to be a lot more difficult. Here, that basically involves making the best case you can and then DMV has the discretion to issue or not issue a title.

Hi Rich, I think the point you are making is that you need to check the state regs and read the policy carefully, which is a great point to make. I guess the thing I don't quite understand is the concern over that person's treatment. I think I would be stoked to get a check for $20K and have a car that needs $13K in repairs, although I'm sure the customer would have to pay something to keep the totalled car. How was the person harmed? It seems like they can get the car fixed and have money left over. Your suggested solution is creative, but I suspect the insurers would hesitate at writing a $30K policy for a $20K car. The last few years I've spent quite a bit of time trying to get money from insurance companies, and I have a whole new perspective on it. They are happy to collect money but can come up with 50 reasons not to pay out, and they have no problem spending twice as much fighting a claim as the claim was actually for. I'll second your "buyer beware" warning. Jeff

But didn't the person with Haggarty insurance then get a check for the pre-wreck cash value of the car and perhaps an opportunity to keep the car?