It should'a run…
A frustrating day in the restoration shop. I spent the morning getting the remaining pieces bolted on the chassis, including:
• Connecting the exhaust system.
• Doing the final clutch pedal adjustment.
• Installing the LR shock and rear stabilizer bar. This is a Master 6, which didn't have a stabilizer bar originally, but I had an extra one from a parts car that I have added for an improved ride.
• Installing the fan and generator. My extra fan belt turned out to be too big, but Ken had one that fit. I had to run to the local Carquest Parts store for some bolts and they also showed a listing for an original '36 belt, so ordered two just to have them on hand.
• Hooked up the radiator and added water so we could run the new engine.
Ken had been on a road trip to Indianapolis to deliver a car to the ACD Museum there and got back about 11:30. After lunch, we hooked up gas lines and electrics and prepared to start the car. That turned out to be much harder than expected. Here's Ken connecting the coil:
And me with my foot on the starter:
But tried as we might, we couldn't get the engine to run.
Gas or spark? It had to be one or the other. Several continuity checks showed spark everywhere it was supposed to be, but regapped the points to be sure. But was the distributor in the right position? The plug wires in the right location in the distributor cap? Turned out to be "no" on both counts, so got them realigned.
Sure enough, no gas. First we thought the fuel pump since no gas seemed to be getting out of it. Ken blew compressed air in the fuel tank to goose it. Then we noticed the fitted on the sender unit was cracked. Replaced it with a compression fitting.
Tried again, still no flow, but at some point the fuel pump did kick in. Apparently the dry diaphram took some time to soak and loosen up.
But still no gas in the carburator. Finally took it apart and saw that it was all clogged up with old gas gunk! Took it apart and cleaned what we could out of it and got gas to flow through it. But it still wouldn't start. At that point, we figured it was probably flooded so we just called it a day.
Rereading this, I realize I haven't really captured all the twists and turns involved in this process, much less the backfires, points at which it almost ran, etc.
On the other hand, today I fired up the coupe for its 40th spring inaugural. It started up with no problem at all. So did my 1943 Ford 9N tractor. I had put Stabile in both of them last fall, but guess I didn't in the Cabrio since I knew it was going to be torn apart. Apparently the carb still had old fuel in it.
Ken says he stores his cars with aviation fuel in the tank. First he drains the old gas, adds aviation fuel he gets at a local airport, then runs them until all the old gas is completely out of the line. Apparently AF is much cleaner and doesn't gum up.
• Connecting the exhaust system.
• Doing the final clutch pedal adjustment.
• Installing the LR shock and rear stabilizer bar. This is a Master 6, which didn't have a stabilizer bar originally, but I had an extra one from a parts car that I have added for an improved ride.
• Installing the fan and generator. My extra fan belt turned out to be too big, but Ken had one that fit. I had to run to the local Carquest Parts store for some bolts and they also showed a listing for an original '36 belt, so ordered two just to have them on hand.
• Hooked up the radiator and added water so we could run the new engine.
Ken had been on a road trip to Indianapolis to deliver a car to the ACD Museum there and got back about 11:30. After lunch, we hooked up gas lines and electrics and prepared to start the car. That turned out to be much harder than expected. Here's Ken connecting the coil:
And me with my foot on the starter:
But tried as we might, we couldn't get the engine to run.
Gas or spark? It had to be one or the other. Several continuity checks showed spark everywhere it was supposed to be, but regapped the points to be sure. But was the distributor in the right position? The plug wires in the right location in the distributor cap? Turned out to be "no" on both counts, so got them realigned.
Sure enough, no gas. First we thought the fuel pump since no gas seemed to be getting out of it. Ken blew compressed air in the fuel tank to goose it. Then we noticed the fitted on the sender unit was cracked. Replaced it with a compression fitting.
Tried again, still no flow, but at some point the fuel pump did kick in. Apparently the dry diaphram took some time to soak and loosen up.
But still no gas in the carburator. Finally took it apart and saw that it was all clogged up with old gas gunk! Took it apart and cleaned what we could out of it and got gas to flow through it. But it still wouldn't start. At that point, we figured it was probably flooded so we just called it a day.
Rereading this, I realize I haven't really captured all the twists and turns involved in this process, much less the backfires, points at which it almost ran, etc.
On the other hand, today I fired up the coupe for its 40th spring inaugural. It started up with no problem at all. So did my 1943 Ford 9N tractor. I had put Stabile in both of them last fall, but guess I didn't in the Cabrio since I knew it was going to be torn apart. Apparently the carb still had old fuel in it.
Ken says he stores his cars with aviation fuel in the tank. First he drains the old gas, adds aviation fuel he gets at a local airport, then runs them until all the old gas is completely out of the line. Apparently AF is much cleaner and doesn't gum up.
posted by Bob Shafto at 9:43 AM
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