Car is back together but still won’t start!

[casper50]

it would have stayed at least as long as a cotter pin.  lol

[Dave72dt]

Better than nothing and not the first time I've seen that.  Sometimes necessity rears it head and you use what you can find.  Check the bearings over well after cleaning an d before repacking, replace as necessary and use a new cotter pin.

[Don Coatney]

Looks like someone nailed it.

[perrymedik]

Inspected everything, and it all looks good.  Some of the parts actually look "new" like they've been replaced.  That or the grease does a really good job a preventing wear and rust.

 

Now as I was putting the front driver side back together after putting the passenger side together back, I noticed that someone before me has ground out the rivets that hold the drum to the hub.

 

This of course prevents me from getting a good adjustment on the brakes because it wants to shift around and rub the pads.

 

Does anyone have a spare one laying around they would like to sell?  Let me know!  I have a PayPal account.

 

 

Again, if its not one thing, its another.

 

The journey continues. . . . .

[Dave72dt]

get some new rivets and rivet it back tpgether

[perrymedik]

They look like welded rivets.  I don't have that capability.

[Dave72dt]

They don't need to be welded for your purpose.  They may have been hot riveted when first installed.  Cold riveting will work for your needs.  The shank of the rivet expands when you do the actual riveting and will tighten up in the holes.    All you need them for is centering the drum on the hub.

[perrymedik]

Dave72dt: OK.  I'll look for some rivets.

 

Up next, riddle me this!!  How do you remove the drain plug from the bottom of the pumpkin?  The square hole is bigger then a 1/4" drive, but smaller then a 3/8" drive.  It screws in flush and there isn't anything to even try to get some channel locks on and get it started.  I believe I might be stumped.  Even tried a large flat head screw driver, but just ended up chipping the side wall of the plug.

[Young Ed]

Dave72dt: OK.  I'll look for some rivets.

 

Up next, riddle me this!!  How do you remove the drain plug from the bottom of the pumpkin?  The square hole is bigger then a 1/4" drive, but smaller then a 3/8" drive.  It screws in flush and there isn't anything to even try to get some channel locks on and get it started.  I believe I might be stumped.  Even tried a large flat head screw driver, but just ended up chipping the side wall of the plug.

Try a piece of 5/16 square stock and an adjustable wrench

[perrymedik]

I'll have to check lowes or home depot to see if they have that.  Why would that make that a non-standard size!?!

[casper50]

find a cheap 3/8 extension and grind it down to fit.

[Young Ed]

I'll have to check lowes or home depot to see if they have that.  Why would that make that a non-standard size!?!

 

Its not non-standard at all just an uncommon tool. The proper deal looks like these

[Plymouthy Adams]

5/16 is not non standard by any means or sense of application for the period..

[perrymedik]

Casper50: Awesome idea, and it worked like a charm!

 

Plymouth Adams: Good point on the time period perspective.

[Ulu]

I recall that being a 3/8". It's probably just swelled with rust and paint and dirt. Or my memory is getting worse.

 

My axle is siting on the patio, so I'll have to look at it tonight.

[perrymedik]

Ulu: Nope, it was well covered in grease so it is in good condition.  I cleaned out the grease and it was still that odd size.  Fortunatly I had a spare 3/8 extension and ground it down.  Came right out with no fuss.  There is something to be said about having the right tool for the job, but even more to be said about having the presence of mind to make the right tool for the job!! Thanks again to Casper50!!!

 

I got it all drained out and will refill today with the Hypoid Gear Oil, then drain and refill the Transmission and maybe, just maybe take it for a put down my street.

Could be the inaugural drive today!!  Fingers crossed!

[desoto1939]

On one of your other psots you had stated that the brakes di not work. I assume that you have gotten this item fixed since you stated that you might take it for a drive.

 

How did you adjust the  the brake shoes so that they have the correct distance from the drum for the Toe and Heel on each shoe?  Were you able to find and use an AMMCO 1740 Brake gage tool? 

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[perrymedik]

The saga continues!  After many calls about getting an exhaust I was finally referred to a shop tucked away about 4 miles from my house.  They guy says he can do it for $250.  When I got there they told me the the tail pipe is fine so they won't need to replace that.  Excellent!!  They may even have it done today, but no promises.  Even more excellent!!

 

And how did I get the car there?  I drove it!  Woo Hoo!!

 

The carb definitely needs adjustment.  It wants to catch and almost die if I give it too much gas when I try to start off, but otherwise runs smoothly (and loudly! LOL!)

 

The brakes were not what I would like them to be when I drove it up and down my street, but good enough to get it there.

 

After giving them the keys they pulled the car around to the bay and my neighbor noticed that there was a small puddle of fluid.  I was able to ID is brake fluid. :/  They put the car up on the lift and the brake fluid was coming from the Passenger side front wheel.  So it looks like I have a blown seal maybe.  The tire was still on, so who knows for sure.

 

desoto 1939: To answer your question, the brakes weren't working because there was no fluid in the system.  The above issue may be the culprit, but after 6 years of setting who knows. I am surprised that is the only leak in the system.  They all looked fine when I had them taken apart, but sitting no under pressure, and being activated to slow down a 4 ton vehicle are two very different things.

I did not have the tool you are referring too.  I took a look at the drum pads for any wear patterns that would indicate a Toe in or out but they are all even so I left them alone.

IAW the Service Manual I backed the brake adjusting cams all the way off of all 4 wheels the bleed the right rear, then left rear, the front right, and finally front left.  Next I started at the right rear again and adjusted the cams back in one at a time until the free spin of the wheel was stopped by the drum bad then backed off again just enough to allow free spin again.  I repeated this procedure on all wheels and when I was done, opened the master cylinder and pumped pressure back up in the system, keeping the master cylinder topped off so that no air got back into the system.

 

When I took it for a spin up and down my street they seemed to work.  In my opinion I thought that they still felt spongy, but I don't have experience with old brake systems like that.  And now with this new leaking cylinder problem I will have to start over again.

When I arrived at the Muffler shop I felt all the wheels to see if they were hot in the event that I was dragging a brake.  The fronts felt fine.  The Rear wheels (the portion of the hub exposed past the tire rim) felt warm, but not hot.  It was only a 4 mile drive and I don't know if that is normal or not.  

 

I had repacked the rear drums through the fill hole IAW the Service Manual just prior to the trip as well refilled the rear Diff after draining it overnight.

 

I'll know more about all that once I get some more road time on it.

 

The Transmission shifted just fine.  I will need to inspect the Clutch peddle travel tolerances IAW the Service Manual just to make sure it is all good to go.  I had to make adjustments to the Brake Peddle travel because it was traveling almost an inch after I had bleed and pressurized the system.

That's all I have for the moment!  Time to clean and organize the garage and scrub all that oil/mud out of my driveway while the car is gone.

This is fun now!!! LOL!

[Ulu]

Well, whaddya know?

 

My axle has square-headed plugs in the pumpkin and housing. They're evidently not stock.

 

They look to be 9/16" or 5/8" under the dirt.

 

Any monkey wrench will work for me.

[deathbound]

Been following this thread....gotta say you done quite a bit in a relatively short time. Once the brake problem is fixed & exhaust done, you'll be able to rip up some asphalt.

[perrymedik]

The exhaust is on for $165 and it sounds good (and quiet).  Had to double check that it was running it was so smooth and quiet.  I did have to make some quick carb adjustments in the parking lot because it would start to die as I increased the throttle after a certain RPM regardless of how quick or slow I tried to get there.  Once that was good I didn't have any problems.

I do have a problem when trying to start off, or quickly accelerate.  The motor stumbles when I try to give it gas quickly.  I am going to test the vacuum line first and if that seems satisfactory then I will make an adjustment to the accelerator pump lever on the carb. It is currently on the middle of the 3 possible settings.  But, rest assured I will read the Service Manual and comb the forum before I cry uncle.

 

The front right wheel needs to be pulled so that I can see what the problem is with the brakes and find out why it is leaking.  Hopefully it is just a boot or something simple.  I'm hoping its not a whole rebuild, though I'm sure many will say to do it anyway, and for the sake of safety on the road (and not rear-ending someone) it's probably not the worst idea, but I won't know until I see it.

 

The journey continues!!

[Don Coatney]

Pull the top off the carburetor and remove the accelerator pump leather piston. Soak the leather piston in oil for a few hours. Reinstall and you should be good to go.

[TodFitch]

. . . The front right wheel needs to be pulled so that I can see what the problem is with the brakes and find out why it is leaking.  Hopefully it is just a boot or something simple.  . . .

Might be something simple but it won't be just the boot. All the boot is there for is to keep dirt out of the cylinder not to keep fluid in.

[Jerry Roberts]

...  The motor stumbles when I try to give it gas quickly. ... 

 

 

 As mentioned , your leather on your accelerator pump could have dried out . Especially after sitting for several months . But also the very small passage that the pump squirts gasoline into the throat of your carborator could be plugged with just a little debris . I know your carb was rebuilt ... but it doesn't take much to plug it up . Look down the throat of your carb and give the throttle a twist , you should see a healthy squirt of gas enter the carb . If it is plugged , sometimes you can unplug it easily with a thin wire , if not , there is an aluminum plug that you can remove for access . 

[perrymedik]

Gentlemen!  I have returned from Holiday!! (I can hear your collective cheers   )

 

So to the business at hand, and there are two very different items.

 

First is the Brakes.  I pulled the front right wheel where the leak was.  It was nasty inside the cylinder.  It looked like little miniature tapioca balls.  I called NAPA and they can have the upper and lower ones to me by tomorrow morning.  I've decided to spend the money and replace all 4 front cylinders just for peace of mind.  I don't want my wife, 13 y/o son and 6 month old son in the vehicle when something decides to go terribly wrong.  To me, money well spent.

 

The second issue is the car stuttering when I rapidly press the accelerator.  Following everyones advice, I first checked the vacuum line from the Distributor.  I disconnected the line on the Carburetor end and was able to suck right through it with no resistance at all.  I then removed the line to check it on its own for cracks and found it to be sound.  I noticed that the vacuum advance was loose right below its diaphragm so I removed the either thing from the distributor and tighter it all up, and tested again.  Once again I was able to suck air through it with no resistance.  From what my Service Manual tells me, this is a bad thing and it must be replaced.  Ordered one from Andy's and placed the core in the mail.  So that should be here in a few days.  I do not rate them high in the expeditious shipping category, but prices and quality of parts always seems to be on spot.

 

Once that arrives and is installed, I'll run the engine again, and if I still have the stutter, I'll check out the Accelerator pump as suggested by Don Coatney and Jerry Roberts.

 

I was pleased to see that after 3 weeks of sitting, that when I went out to start it up, it did fire right off.  I still need to work on the Auto Choke and adjust according to the Service Manual (Though the Svc. Man. really recommends that you leave it alone, but if you MUST, it gives pretty clear directions.

 

Anyway, that's all for now.  I should have my License Plate for it some time soon.  Florida is not expeditious with long distance registrations, but at least they don't make me bring the vehicle to the state.  That's a bonus.

 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years Celebration!  I got some pretty cool things from my uber awesome wife.  Hope you all cashed in a well!

Talk with you soon!

 

Cory