mattimuss

A friend of mine is a member of the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista CA [ http://agsem.com/ ]. The museum has an open house twice a year, Spring and Summer. I have gone with him to these open houses a few times, what a day! The last time we went the carpenter's shop was finishing the restoration of an old western stage coach. The entire carpenters shop uses vintage tools, no electricity.

Today, March 29th, is the national recognition day for Vietnam Veterans. My father, step-father and several uncles all served in "Nam". So to all Vietnam Veterans, THANK YOU for your service during the war, and to our country. I would like all Vietnam Veterans to "sound off" in this post...you deserve the recognition!

Hey Dave, thanks for replying! I completely disassembled the M/C yesterday. I ran 80psi of air through both port holes and then shined a flashlight into them to make sure they were unobstructed...all looked good. I'm going to reassemble it tonight and test it again.

Hey All, I disassembled the master cylinder this evening and found the piston completely surrounded by brake fluid. This does not seem right to me. My thought is that I may have pushed the piston in too far while bench bleeding the master cylinder, maybe pushing it past both the port and relief port which allowed fluid to encase the piston. Could this be correct? I thoroughly cleaned all the parts and will be reassembling it tomorrow with a new top gasket [i have to make one]. Is there a limit to the distance I should push the piston in while bench bleeding? As always, any help suggestions are appreciated.

Hey All, I'm having a "Gibb's Moment"...my gut is telling me that something is not right... Info: I found two OEM rear wheel cylinders on eBay. I pulled them apart and they look good, no pits and the rubber is supple. I am having White Post Restorations rebuild the front cylinders. I have made all new brake lines. I had the rear shoes relined [due to rear end lube leaking all over them] and the fronts are in very good shape. I will be having the drums/hubs cut and the shoes arched. I had the master cylinder rebuilt. I searched the forum and read all I could find on brake jobs. Numerous posts by members, far more knowledgeable about these classics than me, advised bench bleeding the master cylinder. Now for the "Gibb's Moment": I made a bleeding line and connected it to the master cylinder, filled the master cylinder with fluid, and started gently pumping the piston. Everything was going good and I was starting to get pumps with no air bubbles coming out of the bleeding line. I noticed that the piston was getting harder to push in and it was taking a long time [close to ten seconds] to come all the way back. This is causing the bad feeling. In the begging the piston went in easily and came right back. Now it is hard to push in and it takes a long time to come back. I am not liking this! So, did I screw up the freshly rebuilt master cylinder?

Hey Everyone, Thanks for the info! I will use it this weekend and let you know the results. I purchased the correct, complete repair manual and am hoping to find diagnostics guidelines like this in it. Thanks again!

Thanks PA, totally missed that one! Answers my questions.

The horns on the car were disconnected when I picked it up. My uncle told me that early one morning, he stressed very early, he heard horns going off down by the barn. When he got there he found that the horns were blowing continuously so he disconnected the hot wire to the horn relay. I have pulled both horns, cleaned and painted them, and put them back in. I ran new wires to the horn relay, and new wires from the relay to the horns. When I hooked up the battery the horns seemed to be blowing continuously, but they were very weak sounding. I disconnected the hot on the horn relay again. I took a jumper wire and went from the positive terminal on the battery to each horn, no joy. I am not real familiar with the positive ground system, but if the horns were good shouldn't they have sounded off? Am I missing something here? As always, all help is greatly appreciated!

When I picked up the '41 from my uncle he included a shop manual and a parts list book. On the front of the shop manual it says P14S and P14C. When I asked him about that he said that the P12 and the P14 were almost identical cars. Is this true? Will this shop manual work for my '41? Also, I discovered that this manual has pages 1-48, then it has 26-48 again, then it goes to page 73-236. I'm thinking he picked this up second hand and it has been rebound. With it missing a large chunk out of the middle I'm thinking I will be looking for another service manual. With reprints being cheaper than originals which company does the best reprint? As always, all help is greatly appreciated! Part 2: I am searching eBay for manuals and have found a couple of used ones for around $50. New reprints are around $20. Is it worth the extra $30 for an original? Do these manuals come with a wiring diagram? I also see color, laminated wiring diagrams for around $20. Has anyone purchased one of these?

Have you ever had one of those days? When what you are working on, which seemed like it was going to be a simple task, has you going crazy?? My first Air Force supervisor, SSgt. Connelly, called it goin' "Nuckin' Futs!" I call it "Doin' circles in the parking lot!" Nothing that you are doing is working, you can't figure out why, and none of ot makes any sense...just like "Doin' circles in the parking lot!" This was my day today. And when I couldn't figure it out I took a deep breath and logged onto this forum and started searching. About a half hour later I discovered the solution to my dilema and am now back on track. All it took was one picture that someone posted a while ago. That one picture "turned on the light", jarring my memory. So a very big Thank You goes out to all who participate in this forum, helping novices like me over yet another hurdle....

Very good point PA, I should have included that info. The only markings on the puller are the number "248" and "Made In The USA". The arms are almost 7" long and the base [where it mounts to the studs] is almost 2" wide. The seller had no idea where the third arm disappeared to. I am hoping someone here might have one like it that is also incomplete, who would be willing to sell me an arm or their incomplete puller.

Hey All, I picked up a used hub puller at the swap meet today. The only downside is that it's missing an arm. The seller couldn't remember what happened to the third arm. Anyone out there have a spare arm they might be willing to sell?

I lived in a mobile home right on the shore of Lake Erie during the Blizzard of '78. That was some rough weather! I hope everyone who is in this storm's path stays warm and safe.

I have been following and enjoying this topic. I have had a few laughs from some of the posts. I have to tell you guys that this forum, typos and all, is the best kept and easy to read of all I belong to! Here is a small sample of what I get to "enjoy" on one of the other forums I belong to: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ hate to say it - but?? likely theyll go for 100 bux for the garage full!! After all - there is a new clothes sale @ jc penny!! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ And this is one of the tamer posts. I am really starting to dislike emoticons!

Thanks for the replies and information. After reading them I will have the wheel cylinders resleeved the correct way...

Every time I put a wrench to this car I'm either left scratching my head or I learn something new...or both. Right now I am scratching my head. Can anyone tell me why the wheel cylinders on my '41 P12 have two different sized pistons? I have never seen this before and it lead to some very interesting disassembly issues. I am sure there is a very good reason, and one of you veterans are going to educate me on this. I was able to get all four apart and cleaned up. It sure went faster after I discovered that one piston is larger than the other and cannot be persuaded to slide through the smaller one's end...no matter how hard you try! Question: Do I need to have them re-sleeved with two different diameter pistons or can I have a single diameter sleeve inserted and everything will work? Ok, class is in session and I am paying attention...

I recently read an article where someone found the 1956 Plymouth Plainsman Show Wagon. Yep, here it is: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/05/19/ghia-built-1956-plymouth-plainsman-concept-returns-to-the-auction-block/ Interesting article///

Hey DJ, The center, where the screw threads in, looks brass/copper and also looks to be insulated from the steel support frame. The re-drill has the screw touching both the brass/copper and the steel. I'm taking a WAG here but won't that ground out the circuit? Any experts know?

Hey All, I was troubleshooting the horns today and found one of the many problems. The wire harness connecting screw to the smaller horn had been broken and drilled, but the drill job was poorly done [see pics]. Does anyone out there have a horn or the connector they would be willing to sell?

Penske does seem to be buying everything in sight. They just bought a local Ford dealership that had been owned by the original family since opening in 1927...

I finally got the rear end back in the '41 today...the good part! While preparing to do this job I spent a while collecting all the replacement parts I would need. I placed an order with AB [you figure it out, they advertise on this forum] for several parts thinking they would be good, quality parts. I guess I figured wrong... I ordered a set of rear leaf spring shackles [among several other things]. These must be made in China! When I opened the boxes I found that each of them had a loose stud. They came with cheap, what look like aluminum nuts that are metric. The studs are threaded M10x1.00 and the nuts are 17mm. Why would I want to start mixing metric and SAE on my car? I don't... The worst part was when I tried to tighten the nuts three of them stripped out. I was going to call AB tomorrow and ask for replacements, however after doing a search for "AB & quality" on this forum I quickly deduced that would be a waste of time, I guess I'll fix them myself. What a serious waste of $70! OK, I'm done...

Alright Gentlemen, Grab a cup of coffee and a note pad, this is extremely important... It's all so clear now! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The Hot/Crazy Matrix" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKWmFWRVLlU +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I also want to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! My sincere hope for all members is that your 2015 is much better than your 2014. Thanks for all the help, advice and chuckles...

When I pulled the read end and springs from my '41 I discovered that the Thrust Washers were bad. I inquired if anyone here knew where to get replacements but got no responses. They are in Group 17 of the parts manual, part number 309462. I searched the Internet and eBay but was unable to find any...so I had some made. In the attached picture the one on the right is the original, the one on the left is the repro. I have approximately 60 extra, I had to place a minimum order. Any interest?

Rod: Thanks! It has been fun and I know once it's "road worthy" again my girls and I are going to have fun with it. I manage an IT shop for a living and work on computers, or computer related equipment, all day long. Working on these classics, with absolutely no computers in them is therapy for me! Jeff: Thanks for the info, I'll let you guys know if that fixes the problem.