Ivan_B

It should be the same process you do with the kingpin bushings, only on a considerably smaller scale 😏

Shouldn't you be drilling and reaming both sides at the same time?

Yep. This is, indeed, very doable and there are a couple of different techniques that can be used. Good job!

Carnauba is just one of the ingredients, originally coming from some fancy tree leafs I always use liquid wax (with carnauba) so that I do not need to buff anything, essentially wearing down the paint I am trying to preserve.

The only way I know is to install shaft bushings. I saw kits on e-bay with the tools and bushings 🙂

Is that original paint? What does the car look like from underneath? For parts, you can start by casting and machining some brake drums. If you can do them for less than $500 a piece 😉 Also, some good quality replacement dash knobs and radio buttons would be great (at least for the 40s models).

Thank you, you are right 😇

Yes, and many relied on splash lubrication (instead of an oil pump) as well. And they also had less motorhours from the factory 😅

Smaller torque wrenches use in/oz instead of ft/lb I would concur with that, there are different ways to accomplish the objective at hand.

I would recommend getting your car to a good-operating condition, and starting using it, first 😉

Keep it on the shelf, or you can sell them. They are probably collectable, now 😃

Come on, you've never done that? 😅 It starts bubbling, profusely, right out of the hole (assuming that you've already managed to shake/drain/evaporate some gas out of it, and it has some air inside). After you solder the hole, this is also how you check the float to make sure that it is watertight.

I also had a leaking float, when I got the car. Dipping it into boiling water lets you know where the hole is 😉

This is probably the worst distributor I ever saw 😳 It must've been in some really humid environment. Do you also have the vacuum advance on that thing? If so, it is probably also shot. I am still in process of fixing my own 😅

I wrote an elaborate response to this, but then decided not to post it. Enough has been said already. They weren't If anything, the tolerances are probably tighter in modern vehicles and sealants are often recommended to be used by the OEM, these days, because fitting the pieces without them is either impossible or impractical. For lack of better analogy, the windshield on new cars is held by a sealant... 😅 Of course, they were not available back in the days so all sorts of machinery was likely more prone to being not perfectly sealed. That's true. I watched a documentary where a 50-s engine factory was mixing all sorts of additives into the engine block iron in attempts to improve its properties against cracking, warping, internal tension... Very interesting process for a lay person

Heat is useful when bending metals, in general... Do we have engineers, here? Assuming that we do not have heat-sensitive parts, inside, would it be of any benefit to bake the entire assembled carb to do "stress" relief? Or would that be a waste of time since it is constantly going through heat cycles with the engine?

I respectfully disagree with the above statement, as it appears to, somehow, attribute the use of sealants to a poorer workmanship standards and inferior service

Permatex #2 (as the gasket dressing) works just as well 😆 I do not believe that the engine head is a good analogy, here, since it experiences quite different working conditions in comparison to those endured by your average carburetor or thermostat housing. Sure, you can attempt to get perfectly straight/matching surfaces, or you can use some sealant with the same results. I am certainly not attempting to discourage anyone from having well-fitted engine parts, just offering some alternatives 😅

Congrats! 😀 The car looks great from far away. We need more pictures. There are plenty of hard-to find parts, but the repro-ones will be as expensive as the scarce OEM stuff.

I don't know, never had issues with a little sealant on the gaskets. Just use the non-hardening one, so that you can remove it, later on. Wipe the surfaces with alcohol, before re-applying. No mess, good effect. I guess, I just do not take my carbs apart, very often 🙂

So the tip is to sand down the cap and bowl on a level base? Depending upon the magnitude of the observed curvature, compressing the cap edges between two metal plates in a vise could also be a solution. This is mostly useful for reducing large gaps. For the small ones, on the contrary, using some gas-resistant sealant allows compensating for the uneven "landscape" without mechanical alterations 😉

Correction. I just looked under my own hood, after a cold start, and it was blowing smoke/steam as well... Starting the engine when warm, after some driving, produced no such effect. So this is either normal, or we've both got bad piston rings 😆

Forget about the ammeter, go take a look at it before it's gone. You'll haul it with a trailer anyway. Check the important things liker condition of the body (underneath), brakes, wheel bearings, kingpins, control arms, and steering mechanism.

I take it that no one know how the amp gauge is supposed to work? 😆 In the video, it is showing a constant 0. That means that there is no current going either way through the meter. This could mean that the car battery is fully charged, that the meter ain't working, or it is not connected properly. Either way, that should not be a concern for me while looking at it.

Okay, then, there shouldn't be any issues with maintenance. For some reason, I was under impression that you are in a different situation, like many other folks The 51 looks very promising. Appears to be an older repaint. Likely, just needs the standard maintenance (mostly everything 😁) and a couple of gauges repaired. For $6500 I would take it right away, unless you have cars in better condition available. I assume that the little is in hand, and the engine number matches the frame and the body? 😀 Also, if you have not already done so, take a good look underneath the car, to make sure that there are no surprises.