austinsailor

There are basically 4 worm gears. 2 1/4" long and 2 3/4" long, right and left had thread. My 36 Desoto Airflow uses the larger 2 3/4" left hand worm gear, which seems to be the rarest. The bigger ones are generally used in the bigger cars, maybe Chrysler and Desoto, and 7 passenger over many years, probably early 30's to 50 or later. I'm wondering if any OZ car would have this. Would anyone down under have a worm gear of this size and left hand thread? Might be the only way I'll ever get my box back to new. I can graft the worm to my shaft if I find one. I don't care what it came from if it's the longer one in left hand thread. By the way, I completely agree with you on the seal issue, I've preached it here before. All the talk of using stiffer grease because a $5 seal leaks drives me nuts!

It's not April 1st yet, is it??

Oh, on the subject of Locktite, don't ever use it around plastic. Their literature tells you not to use it on plastic nuts. It doesn't tell you it'll destroy any plastic it comes into contact with. Ruined the trunk lid of a new 1500 Gold Wing some years ago when I was trying to keep the luggage rack bolts from working loose.

Don, I also would like a square four. Not exactly sure why, but I guess they're just cool. My brother had a 500 Arial single for a time. Thank goodness for compression release. I've seen auction results where Square fours went for under $5k. Looked ok, might not have been as nice in person. Last year I considered bidding on one, when it passed $10k I got over it. I think it went a little north of $18k. I don't have that much in my Boss Hoss! Guess I'll just keep riding it.

Yes, there seems to be few things that start as many disagreements as what to put in your steering box! I'm sure there are many good choices, but whatever it is must flow, not be stiff. Hadn't thought about the right hand drive/exhaust problem, but you guys have yet another thing to deal with. I'm curious - is your box the same as left hand drive? I would assume that at least the casting has to be different, probably a mirror image, but are the guts the same or is there a different set of gears, etc for them? My interest is, I'm trying to locate something that has the larger worm gear (2 3/4" long) in a left hand scew as a doner for my '36 Desoto Airflow. I haven't found one yet in our US cars/trucks, but maybe the right hand drive world has such a thing.

You probably need to check the manual first, but unlike the trucks, I think your's requires removing shims. The adjuster just keeps the sector tight against the shims once you have the right amount of them for the play in the box. If you are a lucky guy, your box may still have good seals, oil in it and good parts and need mainly adjustsing. If it's been run dry (many have) or filled with chassis grease (most of the rest have) it very likely will need a new worm and secotor to be top knotch. But - if you're a lucky guy, like I was on one pickup box that still had oil, it adjusted up just fine. Even though the truck was worn out (really worn out) and the box had half a turn play when I got it. Find out what you're dealing with before you send it to someone who may not know much more than you. My first one was sent out, it came back after an expensive rebuild full of - you guessed it - chassis grease.

I bought a New Plymouth Baracudda in 65, 273 high performance 4 speed. I liked the car, but there were many thing about it thàt were junk, including anything to do with the clutch. I'd had it about a year and the arm that holds the throw out bearing bent and cracked. Linkage fell apart and there was no clutch. If it was in gear, it was going. I drove it daily for about 2 weeks until they found parts. Kick it out of gear if you're going to stop, pug it in gear and hit the starter if you want to go. Couldn't do that today with all the safety interlocks, but it worked just fine. Even won a few races.

Thanks. Stupid I-phone. No matter what I do it stayed upside down.

Sort of off topic, but I guess if Todfitch wants, he'll delete it! But, my stepson's east side of Round Rock. In obviously a new neighborhood, where everything is exploding. But, more on topic, his next door neighbor, who has a house that looks very similar to the rest, solved the problem of how to keep your collector cars when living in a place like this. Last spring I unloaded my T bucket to terrorize the neighborhood. The neighbor came out, and instead of mentioning all the noise I was making, envited us over to see his. His third garage door opened to a garage that was 3+ cars deep, going back farther than the house portion. He had much of his collection right there. The rest was a block away at his mother in laws in a house designed the same way. If you have to live on top of each other in track houses I guess that's the way to do it. As to the boat, it was an old Aqua Cat, sold back in Rockport. There is still lots of water around Austin, it's just not in Travis. Can you tell which house has a quarter million dollars worth of collector cars inside?

Be careful if you come to Texas - you might get run over!

Gl1 from NAPA or others is what should go in the tranny from all I've read. Check the steering box as well. Nobody ever thinks of that. I'll probably start the corn head (or what ever it is) vs grease vs who knows what argument again, but put something that flows in it.

I have to make the trip and hate to see an empty trailer go to waste. I am not fond of iron bar hotels, so I think I'll pass on the happy hauling option! But seriously, if I can help get another one going I'd be glad to help. Sad part is, I'm in Austin this morning heading north with an empty open trailer. Thought I'd be hauling an old boat I had, but I sold it yesterday. Not enough time to make arrangements this trip - unless someone wants to send me a pm along the way. Got to a attend a 90th birthday party, then head north.

Around March 16, give or take a day or two, I expect to be pulling back an empty enclosed trailer. If you have something you need moved along that general route let me know. No charge, some gas donation would be appreciated but not necessary. Doesn't have to run, but would have to roll. Pm me.

You can put the titles in the trust too.

On a more general note, and this applies to new cars and old - have you taken care of what will happen to it if you don't wake up tomorrow? Recently I've been involved in several family deaths where the only thing not taken care of were vehicles. Houses, bank accounts, retirement funds were all set to go where they wanted. But probate was still required for the vehicles. And in a couple cases, the probate and attorney's fees turned out to be as much or more than the vehicles were worth. As I mentioned in another post, many states make it very easy to avoid any outside interference to take care of this when you die. Worst case I've seen was when my brother died. He had everything taken care of except the 1966 Honda he was restoring. The attornies convinced my sister in law that she HAD to go through probate. Once it started, they sucked in the life insurance and all into the estate. In the end, once the dust cleared, the only thing that got settled was one disassembled 1966 Honda Dream. Cost her $10,000 in fees, etc, to get a title on a motorcycle worth maybe $300 to $500. She gave it to me. I was grateful for it having a title I could transfer to my name, but there were cheaper ways to do it. In Missouri you simply add a person for it to "Transfer on death" (TOD) when you die. You go down with the death certificate and get a new title for the cost of the title, about $12. In Texas, there is a line on the title you can write it in. It's not filed with the state, but as long as the title survives and can be found, it's a simple transfer. I'm sure many, if not most, states have something similar. If you wonder if I follow my own advice, I have aproximately 40 titles of boats, trucks and cars - and 2 bikes - with the transfer person already taken care of. If I get hit by a bus later tonight, my wife won't have to worry about that part. Seriously, you never know, and it's MUCH easier to take care of today than the day after you're gone.

Not necesarily. Some states have it set up where it automatically goes to who you want. No court, no paperwork to mess with, very simple transfer. No contesting!

We have a local machinist who has done many odd things over the years. When go carts were the fad, he used outboard motors, as an example. Lots of his special tricks done to them, he blew the socks off of everyone else till they banned him. Only way anyone else could win. He also took flathead mopars and welded up the piston tops to increase the compression. Home made dome pistons, I guess you could say. I guess it worked, people who were around when he was doing it said they ran pretty good. I see him occasionally, I'll quiz him about it.

My 40 Dodge came from my son, who bought it 12 years ago but had no idea how to fix it. I have the title set to TOD (transfer on death) to him. He now appreciates it a lot. Unfortunately for him, it'll be really old and a long time before he gets it.

I was so excited to find these, I ordered 8 a week ago. I just got a call from Atlas. They found they had zero of them. My refund is in process. Thought I had a lifetime supply, guess not.

They are not gold - you can find gold! Not as likely to find these.

Isn't a 2400 mile trip over water in a single engine plane a bit risky? I wasn't aware that people flew single engine planes on trips like that. And people wonder when I sail my boat across open oceans. That seems like nothing compared to a small plane where if any one thing gives a problem you're toast.

I'm trying to put together the windows on my '53 Belvedere 2 door hard top. Before I put the glass in the rear side windows I need the weather seal that goes on the front edge of the back window. Bernbaum shows it, but he saus it just slides in. It does not come with rivits. It has to be rivited on, I'm not convinced it is the right part. Steele doesn't show it. Has anyone seen a source for the parts for these windows? Thoughts? Gene

Back in the mid 60's I had a high performance 273 ci Baracudda with a 4 speed. I had a friend who had a 63 impala 2 door hardtop, 409 with a 4 speed. Right after he had a tune up, he could beat me. Couple hundred miles later the plugs fouled so bad and it was running so bad I could eat his lunch. The cycle repeated over and over. I traveled the country in mine, he was afraid to leave town. I get it!

As mentioned, fixing the pot metal is the challenging part. If you have a good part with no pitting, I'd guess $80 to $100 range. Getting a pitted part repaired for chroming and the chroming probably $300, maybe more. Having had a few parts rechromed with poor results, I can tell you it's hard to find someone who will do a good job. Many will promise you the world, then buff away half the metal until the pits are gone, then chrome whatever is left. I located like new bezels for my 53 Belvedere for far less than rechroming would be. Watch EBay, search the web. It's not quick, but you can find them. You can find an unpitted part needing chrome and get it chromed for a lot less than having a pitted one repaired and it will still resemble what you sent to the chrome shop. There are parts that you need to get the pits repaired because they are the only ones around, but tail light bezels for a 53 Plymouth aren't on that list.

I spent 10 years in the army. May be where my patience disappeared.