OldCars
AutoRestorationGuideVol.II
AdviceandHow-ToProjectsforYourCollectorCar
CONTENTSFOREWORD
SECTIONONE:EXTERIORSFenderFitmentFordHingesFitmentFixPatchPanels101HangingDoors:HowtheProsDoIt1962ImpalaSSRevival:Part11962ImpalaSSRevival:Part2PinstripingMadeEasy
SECTIONTWO:INTERIORSCarpetCuttingUpholstery101:RecoveringanArmrest
SECTIONTHREE:MECHANICALWheelBearingHubsinaDaimlerBleedingBrakestheRightWayCrateEngineAdviceEngineRestorationFordGAAEngineRestorationBrakeBoosterReplacementFinickyFuelGaugesAirConditioningSystemBasics
SECTIONFOUR:GENERALShopStop:MotionPerformanceShopStop:Ken’sKlassicsShopStop:CatchingUpWith‘TheBoss’Man:BobPerkinsSalvageYardStop:CTCAutoRanchSalvageYardStop:WollerAutoParts
RestoringVintageLicensePlatesNewProductsFortheRestorerTipsforTraileringaVehicleBarnFindAdviceBlastingCabinetBasicsOctaneByTheNumbers
COPYRIGHT
FOREWORDItisforalltheoldcarhobbyistsoutthereturningtheirownwrenchesandbloodyingtheirownknucklesthatweofferthesecondvolumeof“OldCarsWeekly’sAutoRestorationGuide.”Insideweofferrestorationadviceandhow-toinformationfromavarietyofprofessionalsources,aswellasfromregularJoeswhojusthappentoknowalotaboutfixingandrestoringvintagecars.Wegetinspiredhearingallthestoriesfromcarownersabouttheirstruggles
andtriumphswiththeirantiquevehicles.Hopefully,thisbooksuppliesalittleinspirationinreturn.
—FromthestaffatOldCarsWeeklyandOldCarsReportPriceGuide
SECTIONONE
EXTERIORS
FITTINGFENDERSSavedbyshims:Howlittlethingscanmakebigdifferences
StoryandphotosbyRotten“Rodney”BaumanItwasalonghaul,butthislong-ongoing’31CadillacV-12convertiblecoupeprojectwasarunnerbythetimewewerereadytopaintandcompletethefinalinstallationofthefenders.Thebodywasresplendentingreenwithblackreveals.Thefendersandapronswouldsoonbeblackaswell.Wehadatrimmerworkingonthecarandthepainterinmewasprettyprotectiveattimeslikethese.However,asitturnedout,ourtrimmerofchoicewasactuallyquiteconscientious
andhedidabitchingjobwhileIwaspaintinglittlepiecesandworkingthefenders.BeforeIputthefendersincolor,Iwantedtoverifythattheyweregoingtofit
aswellastherestofthecar.Weworkedhardtofitthegapsonthisoldwood-framedbody.Thefendershadbeenfittothecarbefore,butthatwasintheearlystagesoftherestorationandtheyhadbeenhammeredalotsincethen.So,adouble-checkforfenderfitmentwasgoodinsurancewhiletheywerestillinfirst-roundprimer-surfacer.Beforeanyseriousscrutinizingtookplace,andbeforeanymeasurementswere
recorded,wecheckedforeventireinflationallthewayaround.Ameasuringstickconfirmedthatthepassenger’ssideframehornwasalittleclosertotheshopfloorthantheleft.Aweakspringcouldhavebeentheculprit,butthatcouldbeaddressedatalaterdate.Forthisfenderfitmentinspection,weneededtheframelevel,whichwetemporarilyaccomplishedwithalittlehelpfromalevel,ameasuringstickandasmallhydraulicbottlejack.
Inthebeginning,itwasbusinessasusual.Withthecar’sweightonitssuspensionandeventireinflation,abottlejackwaspositionedunderthesaggingpassenger’ssideframe
horn.Thenalonglevelwaslaidacrosstheshanksoftheupperbumperstuds.
Someminorlevelingadjustmentshadtobemade.Thebottlejackhelpedthroughthisphasesowecoulddiagnosethesourceofthesagwiththefenderssafelyremovedfrom
thecar.
Aftersomeadjustment,weweresatisfiedthattheframewaslevel.However,justoutofviewatthefrontfendertips,wealreadysawthetwistinthefender.Thesefendersarevery
strong.It’snotliketheycanbebentaroundlikeasame-vintageFord.
Whatstartedoutasastandard,straight-forwardproceduretookasurprisingtwistintheformofatwisteddriver’ssidefrontfender.Inshortorder,Iembarkeduponanemotionalrollercoasterridewhichtookalotoutofthelil’oldautorestorerinme.
Withthecentersofthetires’treadsgun-sighted,themeasuringstickdidn’tlie.Althoughtheframewasnowlevel,therewasstillahalf-inchdifferenceinheightfromtheshopfloortothefenderbead.Evenwithoutthemeasuringstick,theproblemwasobvious,andatthis
point,theshapesofthefendertipsalsoappearedtovary.
Asluckwouldhaveit,thesefenderbracesonlybolttothesidesoftheframe.Therearefourboltsinafairlysquarearrangement.Itappearedapairofshimsaddedattheupperboltsbetweentheleftbraceandframerailwereallthatwasneededtolowerthefender.
Here’sjustanotherexampleofhowlittlethingscanmakebigdifferences.Inthisparticularinstance,twosmall(1/8-inch-thick)Au-ve-cobodyshimsallbutcuredthefenderfitment
issue.
Thefendersnowlookedasthoughtheycouldhavebeenstampedbythesamemanufacturer.Theangleatthebeadhasalsoimprovedvisuallyandfromhere,Ihadlittle
doubtthatI’dbeabletodialtheminfurtherduringfinalassembly.
Youcanonlydosomuchwithaboxofshims,butthistimewe’regettingoffeasy,thankstoarestlessnight’ssleepandAu-ve-coProducts’shims.
Whatyou’reabouttowitnessmademesickatfirstglance.So,Idevouredalargehabanero,anchovyandheadcheesepizza,hadabeerandcalleditanight.Theperplexingproblem’ssimplesolutioncametomeinawarpedandtwisteddream—awarped’n’twistedfenderdream.
SourceAu-ve-coProductswww.auveco.com
BACKTRACKIN’FORGAPSAnout-of-sequencesolutionforbadpanelalignment
Withthedoorssafelyremovedandsecuredto500-pound-capacityAstroPneumatic(Model#APT-55703)portableworkstandsfromSummitRacingEquipment,TroyBowdencanturnhisattentiontotheneglecteddoorhingescausingtheill-fittingdoors.Removalofthe
doorswasn’teasy,evenwithanimpactdriver,theleading-brandpenetrantandfinallytheapplicationofheat.Judgingbytheamountofrustunderthehingesandaroundthe
threadsofeachoftheoriginalPhillipsscrews,wecanbefairlycertainthatthisisthefirsttimethey’vebeendisturbed.
By‘Rotten’RodneyBaumanInanybodyandpaintshop,panelalignmentcanbechallenging,andmoreoftenthannot,alsofrustrating.Thisholdsespeciallytruewith’50sAmericancars.Generallyspeaking,panelsoncarsofthe’50sdidn’treallyfitwell,evenwhentheywerenew.Today’sconscientiousrestorers,however,tendtoexhibitelevatedstandards.InEscondido,Calif.,HotRods&CustomStuff(HR&CS)isperhapsbest
knownforitslongstringofhigh-profilehotrodhomers,buttheshopalsoassistsrestorerswithallphasesoftheirproject.Frommediablastingtopainting,
polishingandevenpinstriping,HR&CSistrulyaone-stop-shop.Forexample,aproject’spanelalignmentissquaredawayinthebodydepartment,beforetheprojectispassedalongforpaint.Sadly,notall“restorers”adheretotheprocess,andJimSartor’srare1950FordCrestlinerexemplifiesthatstatement.ThisistheCrestliner’ssecondvisit.Itrolledinlookingprettymuchasit
appearshere,butwithparticularlyill-fittingdoors.Amonthorsoago,thecarwasbroughtinaforafresheningofits8BAflathead,aswellasasorting-outofsomehandlingissues.Nowthatithasreturnedforits500-milecheckup,thedecisionwasmadetocorrecttheoffendingdoorgapsviaitshinges,whichhadbeenthemaindetractiontothecar’svisualappeal.
Bythistime,thewornpinsandholesofthedoorhingeshavealreadyundergonemajorreconstructivesurgery,whichbeganinabeadblastingcabinet.
Onehingepininparticularwasactuallybrokenandrustedinposition,soitwasonlygoingalongfortheride.
FordMotorCo.’sPhillipsscrewswillbereplacedforthebetterstainless-steelsocket-headedfasteners.
Withthethreadsappropriatelycleanedandlubricated,Bowdenpreparestore-hangandadjusttheFord’sdoorsusingawell-paddedfloorjack(doorjack?)andafairamountof3M
maskingtapeatthepaneledgestopreventscratchingandchippingthepaint.
Allfinished—astraight-forwardfixforapreviouslyignoredissuethatreallyshouldhavebeenaddressedpriortopaint.
Theidealtimeforpanelalignmentprocedurestobeginisnotafterpaint,buttheHR&CSbody’n’paintpro,TroyBowdenhasbeendownthisol’familiarroadbefore.Inthebusiness,Troyiswhatwecalla“combinationman.”Well-versedinbodyandpaintshopoperations,Bowdenpossessesafullbagoftricks,nottheleastofwhichincludesexpertpanelalignmentability.Here,ashehasmanytimesinthepast,BowdenwillbeginbyprotectingtheCrestliner’spre-existingfinish,justasifithadcomefromhisowngun,ashebeginsrestoringtheCrestliner’shingesforbetterdoorfit.Attheendofthissession,anothershop’sworkwillberefined,andnoone(exceptforus)willbethewiser.
HotRods&CustomStuff
www.hotrodscustomstuff.com
SummitRacingEquipmentwww.summitracing.com
TUNABLETENSIONAnol’fashionedfitmentfix
StoryandphotosbyRotten“Rodney”BaumanGappin’doesn’tjusthappen.Whenabodyonarotisseriemustbecomereacquaintedwiththeframerailstowhichitbelongs,orwhennewmountingpadsandaboxfullofshimsaren’tenoughtosquarethingsup,you’lllikelytwistpanelsandcutpartstogetagoodgap.Inordertoachievepanelalignmentwithuniformgaps,bepreparedtodowhat’snecessaryandthinkoutsidetheboxo’shims.
Wood-framedbodiesareparticularlytrickyandsometimesactasiftheyhavememoriesormindsoftheirown.Surprisingly,however,this1931Cadillacconvertiblecoupebodyhashelditsshapequitewell,bothovertheyearsandduringitsrestoration.Attheproject’searlybeginning,mymetal-fabricatingwife(Mrs.Rotten)weldedsomebolt-inbracingtokeepthedoorjambsproperlyspacedduringthetimethatthebodywouldbeofftheframe.Backedbyanadditionalbolt-inX-member,thebracingdiditsjob.Wealsoreceivedararebreak,asthemajorityofthiscar’soriginalwoodenbodystructurewasstillsolidandstrong.DuringtheoldCadillac’sdisassembly,atwo-postliftwasusedtoraisethe
bodyasthechassiswasrolledoutfrombeneathandtherotisserierolledinitsplace.Withtwolengthsof4x4,oneoneachsidebetweentheadjustablerotisserieandthebody’swoodenfloor,thebodywasboltedtight.Duringthefrightening“frametolifttorotisserie”procedure,Iheardneitheracreeknorasqueak,andI’mheretotestifythatIwitnessednobodyflex.Sure,thestepswerewellthoughtoutandthoughtfullyexecuted,butstill,there’snodenyingthatluckwasafactor—atleasttothatpoint.Asluckwouldinevitablyhaveit,luckranout.Duringthecar’sfinal
assembly,thedriver’ssidedoortookabizarretwistandbegantosag.Thedoorfitbefore.Infact,I’dalreadygonetogreatlengthstomakeitfitwhenthebodywentbackonthechassisafterI’ddoneallIcouldwithshims.Monthsago,whenthebodywassnugglyplacedwhereitwastostay,I’daddedandsubtractedmetalattheedgesofbothdoorstogetthegapsIwasafter.Mysteriously,afterthepaintwork,thingswerenotasIrecalled.Thatwasoneofthose“walkaway”days,butwhentheroostercrowedthenextmorning,onepossiblesolutionhaddawned.Itworkedforme.Itcouldworkforyoutoo.Here’show:
Thisbodywasshimmedasgoodaspossible,andthebodyboltsweretight.Thedoorssaggedbadly,soadditionalshimsweremadeandinsertedatthehinge-to-doorattachment
points.Spacingonlythedoor’ssideofthehingekepthingegeometryintact,butunfortunately,itwidenedthereardoorgap.Metalhasbeenaddedthere.
Bythistime,finishbodyworkofthedoorswascomplete.Primer-surfacerwasappliedandthedoorswerehungonceagainsothatlongboarding/fairingoperationscanbegin.Sofar,allsandingwasdonedry,andtherewerenosignificanttemperaturefluctuationsinthis
stall.Theproblemdoorstillfitthesame.
Eventhoughthepaintertookprecautionstokeepthewoodenstructuredryduringwetprep,cuttingandbuffing,theshapeofthisdoorchangedsomewherealongtheway.Itnowsaggedwithanoutwardtwisttowardthebottom.Infact,contactwasmadeinthefront-
lowerportionofthesejambs.
Thesituationworsenedwiththeweightgainsoftheglassandregulator.Ifiguredintheirweightbefore,butmuchhaschanged.Whatwe’reabouttotryisnotanoriginalidea.Inolderwreckin’yards,I’veseencrudelycobbledtensionersmadefromchains,knotted
cablesandsuch.Attimeslikethese,whathavewegottolose?
Ashoppingspreeatthelocalhardwarestorerenderedanicelittleturnbuckle.Therewasalengthofstrapsteelintheshop’sscrapmetalbin.Ifthingswentaccordingtoplan,we
wereonlyafewwoodscrewsawayfromhavingourmaterialsgathered.Thefirststepwastoopentheturnbuckle’seyesjustatadortwo.
Notyetknowingwhereweweregoing,atightstretchofmaskingtapeprovidedtheguidefordeterminingthepathofleastresistance.Therewereanumberofprotrudingmechanismsandfastenersthatwepreferredtosteerclearof,ifatallpossible.
Oncethespotsweremarked,oursteelstrapscrapswereontheirwaytobecominganadjustabledoortensioner.Providingitdiditsjobaswehopeditwould,arouterwouldbeusedtocreateaslotforthesepiecestolayflushinthedoor’swoodeninnerstructure.
Then,ourtensionerwouldnoteventuallyinterferewiththeinteriortrimpanel.
Sofar,thisisonlyatest.Beforeanyextraholesweredrilled,weneededtoexaminehowtheadditionalhardwarelinedupwiththesurroundingobstacles.Asitworkedout,thesteelstrap’sscrewholesrequiredastaggeredarrangementsoasnottocollidewithFleetwood’s
preexistingfasteners.
AlthoughI’veneverownedacomplete,unbrokensetoffancydrillstops,Icanusuallyfindalengthofrubberhosethatwilldothesamejobaboutaswell.Thewoodintheseold
doorswasveryhard,sothedrillstopdemonstrationmaynotbecompletelynecessary,butIcouldn’tresist.
Whilewe’reatit,here’salittletrickIlearnedfrommycoworker,wholearnedthesametrickfromhisgrandfather,anoldwoodworker.Hardwoodwillsnapsoftwoodscrews,soa
quickbrushofthethreadsoverabarofsoapislikeanounceofprevention.
Duringinitialtensionertesting,wequicklydiscoveredthattheeyesoftheturnbuckleshouldbeweldedclosedoncethey’vepassedthroughthedrilledholesinthestraps.Initsstock,pre-weldedform,theturnbucklewasn’tstrongenoughtowithstandtuning—the
eyesstraightenedrightout.
Withtheturnbuckle’seyesweldedclosed,itbegantomakesensethatthisheavydoorcouldusealittlehelpfromascissorjack.Withthejackdoingtheheavylifting,the
turnbucklecouldbeadjustedeasilywithoutaskingtoomuchofit.Ittookseveralattempts,butthehappyspotwaslocated.Thedoorfitnicely,withoutcontactinthejambs.
Nowthatwewerecertainthatouradjustabledoortensionerwouldindeeddothetrick,thefunctionalmockupwaspulledbackoffsothataflush-fitslotcouldbemade.
Backinthegroove:Oncefine-tuned,thecenter-mostwoodscrewswereinstalledlast.Wemayneverknowforsurewhatdistortedthisdoor,butwe’resatisfiednowthatit’sbeencompensatedfor.Ifitshouldactupinthefuture,aminoradjustmentofthesoon-to-be
cleverlyconcealedturnbucklecouldagainbethecure.
Gappin’don’tjusthappen.Truthbetold,thisjobbeatmeupprettygood,butthiswasnota“walkaway”day.Onceagain,there’snooriginalthinkinggoingonhere.It’saglorifiedversionofsomethingI’veseeninoldwreckingyards,perhapsroughlybasedonanold
coachbuilder’strick.Nomatter.Attimessuchasthese,whathavewegottolose?
PATCHPANELSMADEEASYRustbustingona‘37Chevyschoolbus
This1937ChevroletschoolbuswasticketedforacompleterestorationatFastFreddie’sRodshopinEauClaire,Wis.Longbeforeitwouldbereadyforanypassengers,thebus
wouldneedsomeextensiverustrepair.
ByBrianEarnestWhenFastFreddie’sRodShopgotachancetorenovateandcustomizea1937Chevroletschoolbus,shopownerFredKappusJr.knewitcouldbeoneofthe
morefunprojectshisshophadevertakenon.Healsoknewitcouldbeoneofthemostchallenging.Therearen’talotofhow-tomanualsorblueprintsfloatingaroundoutlining
howtorestorea75-year-oldbus.Andthiskidhaulerwasgoingtoneedprettymucheverything:frame,drivetrain,paint,bodywork,interior—theworks.
Thetoolsneededforapatchpanel:ARoll-Locksandingdisc,cuttingtool,airdusterandstonewheel.
Thepatchpaneliscutoutonasheetmetalsheer.“Giveyourselfanextraincharoundtheareayouarefixing,thenalotoftimeswe’lljustuseapieceoftagboardandthentraceit
outandtransferittometalwithaSharpie,”Kappussaid.
“TheschoolbuscamefromtheguyswhohaveStudentTransitinEauClaire,Wis.,andtheyruntheschoolbussystem.They’vehadthebussincethe’60s,it’sbeeninthefamily,andtheyarekindoflookingtodoatributetothebus,”Kappussaid.“Theyarelookingtodoamodernizedversionandmakeitalotmoreuserfriendlyandalotmoredrivable.Itcameinandhadtheoriginalthree-speedinitandastraight-six,sobasicallywhatwe’regoingtodoisachassisswapthatbringsamodernchassisintoit.Powersteeringandbrakes,independentsuspension,big-blockV-8init,overdrivetransmission.“Itwillhaveenoughpowertocruisearound.Doparades,whatevertheywant
todowithit.”Tobesure,therewouldbealotoftweaking,trouble-shootingand“makingit
uponthefly”momentsfortheFastFreddie’screwbeforetheretrobuswouldbereadyfortheroad,butonepartoftheprocessthatwasprettymuchastraight-forwardpropositionwastherust-repairneedsthebushad.Thegoodnewsisthat
mostofthebadspotsonthebodywereinflatareas,makingrepairsrelativelyeasy.Thebadnewsisthattherewerequiteafewspotsthatneededattention,meaningthereweregoingtobeanumberofpatchpanelsthatwouldneedtobefabricated,weldedinplaceandgroundsmooth.The1937Chevybusbodyactuallyhasinnerandoutersheetmetal.Belowthe
floorofthebushangswhatisreallynothingmorethanabigapronorfenderskirtthatrunsalongthesidesofthebody.Bothlayershadrustissues.Inthiscase,theFastFreddie’screwwasstartingwiththeoutsidesheetmetal.Foraprofessionalrestorationshop,makingflatpatchpanelswithoutmuchfor
contoursortrickycurvesisprettymuch“BodyRestoration101.”“Onascaleof1to10,thisisabouta1.Thisiseverydayworkthatwedo,”Kappussaid.“Thisisthestartingpoint.Thisissomethingthatprettymuchanybodywithacutoffwheel,agrinderandaweldercanachieveinanafternoon.Thisisaverybasicrustrepair.“We’regoingtofocusonaparticularlyrustysectionofthebodyofthebus.
We’regoingtocutthatbadspotoutandreplaceitwithanicecleansheetofbrandnewsteel.It’llbe18-gaugecold-rolledsteel.“Basicallythefirststepistoidentifytheworstoftherottedareas,cutouta
rectangularpieceinthisparticularcasetomakeiteasiertopatch,thencutoutapiecethatfitsthathole,thenusesomeweld-throughprimeronthebacksideofthepanel,theinsiderockerpanel,soyouprotectthatbaremetal.”Thereplacementpatchisfirsttack-weldedinplace,thenthetacksarefilledin
withafinishweldallthewayaroundthepatch.TheweldsarethengrounddownwithastonewheelgrinderandfinishedwithaRoll-Locksander—either36-or80-grit,orboth.“Thisisasimplerepair,”Kappussaid.“Youdoneedtoknowhowtooperatea
welder,ofcourse,anddoneedtoknowhowtogetyourheatrangeandwirespeedsetproperlyforthegaugeofpanelthatyou’reworkingon.Inthiscasewe’regoingtocutouttheoldpanel,andwhenweputinthenewpanel,we’re
goingtobutt-welditinsoit’saniceflattransition.Afterwegrinditdown,youwon’tbeabletotellwe’verepairedthatarea.“Theprocessandtechniquewillbethesame[regardlessofthevehicle],it’s
justthelevelofdifficultychangesdependingonifit’sacompoundcurve,iftherearebodylinesinvolvedintherustrepair.Itcangowayupindifficultyfromhere,butthisisthemostbasic.”
Arectangularpatchwillbeplacedoverthisrustedarea.Inthiscase,apieceoftagboardwasusedasatemplate,whichwasthentransferredtoapieceof18-gaugecoldrolledsteel.Acuttingwheelisusedtocutoutthebadmetalontheoutsidesheetmetalofthebus.Inthiscase,thereisalsoaninsiderockerpanel,or“fenderskirt”thatwillhavetobe
addressed.
Theoutsidesheetmetaliscutawayandremoved.ThebusalsohasaninsidemetalskirtthatwillbecutawaywithaSawzall-typecuttingtool.
Magnetsareusedtoholdthepatchpanelinplacewhileitistackwelded.TheinitialweldsaremadeseveralinchesapartbyFastFreddie’sbodymanPeterSchnoor.Hethenweldsallthewayaroundthepanel,alternatinglocationssothemetaldoesn’tbecomeoverheated.Compressedairisusedimmediatelyaftereachweldto“purge”theweldandkeepwarpingtoaminimum.“Youcantellwhenitgetsjustalittletoohot,andwhenyouhititwithcoldair,youcanactuallywatchitpullbackout,”Schnoornoted.“Onanopenpanellikethis,
you’realwaysgoingtohavealittlebitofwarpingorshrinkage,butit’snicetotrytocontrolitasmuchaspossible.”
Thetackweldsarethenconnectedbyshortbeadsuntiltheentireareahasbeenfilledin.Schnoormovestoanewspotaftereveryweldsooneareadoesnotbecomeoverheated.“IskiptoadifferentspoteverytimejusttogiveittimetocooldownandsoI’mnotthrowingheatontopofheatinonearea.I’lljustkeepkindoffollowingitaroundandfillingitinasI
go.”
Oncetheweldiscomplete,astonewheelisusedtotakeofftheexcessmaterialandgrindthepatchflat.Therustisgonefromthisareaandit’sreadyforprimerandbodywork.
“We’llputDuraglasoverittofillinwhereit’sbeenwelded.Duraglasisagoodfilleranditkeepsmoistureout,”Schnoorsaid.“Thenwe’llputanypolyesterfillerthatweneedover
that.”
A‘56MERCGETSITSDOORSBACK
Tipsandtrickstomakeyournextdoorassemblyeasier
This1956Mercuryhardtophasbeencompletelytorndown.Oneofthefirststepsinthere-assemblyisdroppingtheshiny,freshlypaintedbodyshellontheequallyshinyframe.The
nextstepwillbetohangthedoors.
ByBrianEarnestMountingdoorhingesandhangingdoorsisoneofthoserestorationstepsthatprofessionals—suchastheguysatKen’sKlassicsinMuscoda,Wis.—make
lookeasy.Butasmanynovicescanattest,itcanbeafrustratingjob,especiallyforfirst-timers,andfroughtwithtrial-and-errorlearning.“Onascaleof1to10,it’sprobablya71/2,”chuckledT.J.Krueger,theshop
foremanatKen’sKlassics.Kruegerhelpedhangthedoorsonthe1956Mercuryshownintheaccompanyingphotos.“It’salottougherthanitlookstogetthedooradjustedright.Alotofguyswillputthewholedooron,andthey’lllineitallup,thenthey’llputtheglassandeverythinginanditwillsagaboutaquarterofaninchtoahalfanincheven,becauseofalltheweightoftheglass,thewindowregulator,thedoorpanel.
Adoordollysecurelyholdsthedoorandcanmakehangingdoorsaone-manjob.
“Soyouhavetokindofcompensatewhenyouputthedooronandit’ssomethingyoukindofjustgetusedtodoingwhenyoudoitenoughtimes.Youalwayswanttohaveitatleastaquarterofaninchhighattheback.Soyourgapwillkindofappearpie-shaped,fromthedoortotherocker,andthenonceeverythingisin,itlatchesdownwhereitshould.”Thereisnouniversalmethodforhangingdoors,butfollowingisabrief
tutorialonhowKen’sKlassicshandledthedoorsonthisMercury.
Thedoordollyisusedtoliftthedoortothecorrectheightandrollthedoorintoplacesoitcanbemountedonthetwohingesthathavealsobeenremovedandpainted.“You’reeliminatinganotherguy’slaborandnowyoucanraiseit,lowerit,moveitinandoutby
yourself.Whenit’sinrawsteel(notpaintedyet),thisthingisreallyhandy.Youdon’thavetoworryaboutthedoorbangingoffthecowlandscratchinganythingbecauseit’salljustrawmetal.Butitisatime-saver,forashopanyway.Thisdollyisreallyanicethingtohaveforashop,”saidKen’sKlassicsshopforemanT.J.Krueger.“Thenyoucan’tblameyour
buddyforhelpingyouputadooronandchippingsomething.”
ThebeefyoriginalhingesweresavedoffthisMerc.Thebaseofthehingewillbemountedwithfourboltsonthecowl,withthedoorflangeneedingthreeboltstosecurethedooritself.“Alotoftimeswe’llreplace[thehinges],orwe’llreplacethepinsandbushings,”Kruegersaid.“Theseactuallywereprettynice,butinthe‘60scars,theyworeoutfaster.
The‘50sstuffwasbuiltprettywell.”
Thedoorjambandbottomofthedooropeningarebothprotectedwithmaskingtapebeforeanyfittingtakesplace.Tapeisalsowrappedaroundanysocketsthatwillbeusedto
reducethechancesofknockinganypaintoffthehingesandhingebolts.
Thehingesareheldinplacewithtwoboltsinsidethecowlandtwoontheoutside.Theboltsareturnedonlyasfarasnecessarytokeepthehingeinplace.
Oncethehingehasbeensecuredtothecowl,theflangecanbefittedtothedoor.Theinsideboltsinthephotoatleftcanbeseenextendingoutthroughthecowl.“Youalwayswanttoeventhehingesandhavethehingesallthewayupandallthewayoutatfirst,andjustalittlebitloose,”Kruegersaid.“Youdon’tcrankanythingdowntightatfirst.That’showyoustripthreadsout,especiallyifyouaregoingtobeadjustingitalot.Ifyoucrankitdowntighteverytimeyou’rejustgoingtostripthethreads,thenyou’regoingtohavea
mess.”
Afterthetophingeisset,thebottomhingeisinstalledinasimilarfashion.Thegoalatthispointittohangthedoorslightlyhighinthebackcorner—atleast1/4inchhigherthanflushwiththetopoftherearquarterpanel.Thephotoatrightshowsthetwoedgesareeven,meaningthedoorstillneedstobeadjusted.Theweightofthedoorskin,glass,
windowregulatorandotherhardwarewilldropthedoorslightlyandhelpeventhingsup.
Theboltsonthedoorflangesareloosenedandthedoorisadjustedslightlyupwardbypullinguponthebackofthedoorandre-tighteningthebolts.It’seasiestwithtwopeople.
Thedoorisnowproperlyadjusted—roughly1/4inchabovethetopofthequarterpanel.
1962IMPALASSREVIVAL:METAL
Bodyrepairsandrestoration,fromthegroundup
ByKenStadelePhotosbyKen’sKlassicsLocatedoffthebeatenpathintheruralcountrysideofsouthwesternWisconsinisKen’sKlassics,atop-shelfrestorationshopnearthetinytownofMuscoda.Ken’sKlassicshasbeenaroundformorethanthreedecadesandhasmadeareputationrestoringhigh-endclassics—Pierce-Arrow,Packard,Cord,Auburn,Porsche,Cadillac,Ferrari—younameit,it’sprobablybeenthroughKen’sdoors.TheshopgainedareputationearlyforitsworkonseveralPierce-Arrow
projects,butownerKenStadeletakesonallkindsofprojects,fromvintagemuscle,to1950sfavorites,totrucks,resto-modsandhotrods.Mostoftheprojectsinvolveatotalground-uprestoration,andthatwasthecasewitha1962ChevroletImpalaSStheshoptookonthisyear.
Westartedwitha1962ImpalaSStwo-doorhardtop,butthecustomer’scarwasreallyrusty,soIsuggestedthatwegetbetterstartingmaterial.WefoundoneinApache
Junction,Ariz.SoweboughtthatoffeBayandhadittraileredhere,anditwasamuchbetterrust-freecar,anditwascomplete.
Theprojectvehiclewasasolidbutweather-beatenhardtopthatwaslocatedinArizona.ItwasimmediatelyticketedforacompleterebuiltthatwouldeventuallyincludeanewFerrariRedpaintjob,taninterior,newGMcratemotorandmodernautomaticfour-speedtranny.WehadStadelenarraratethemajorstepstheshophasundertakentogetthe
Impala’sexteriorreadyforfinalbodyworkandpaint.Ken’sKlassicstakesnoshortcutswhenitcomestomakingacarlookitsbest.
Thisisthewaythebodycamebackfromthesodablaster,niceandclean.Thesodablastingdidexposesomepreviousbodywork.
Wetorethecarallapartanddismantledit,soallofthesheetmetal,doors,mechanismsweretakenoutandtakeninforchemicalstripping.
Thesepartshavecomebackfromthechemicalstripperandareperfectlycleanandrust-free.
Ifwewouldnothavehadthevehicleblasted,wemaynothaveseenthesepinholes.Whenyougothatfar,thenyouexposethatkindofstuff.
Therewassomeperforationonthefloor,underneaththedriver’sfeet.Alotoftimesyougetintoacarwithmoistureonyourfeet,andalmostallcarpethasajutebackingthatholdsmoisture.It’snotuncommontogetsomethinareasthere,andthenonthe
passengerside,beneathwhereaheatercorehasleaked.
ThisareadidhaveBondo.Ithadmanyholesdrilledintoit.Thatwasverycommonyearsago—peoplewoulddrillholesinthebodytorepairadent,andtheBondowouldoozein
thereandholdon,butthatisnotdoneinaprofessionalshopanymore.
Withthiswafflematerial,youspotwelditonandyoucangrabontoitandpullthemetaloutinanumberofareas,andthat’sreallynicewithalongercreaselikethisonehad.It
looksliketheyranoveracurborsomethinglow.
Afterthecreaseispulled,thewafflestripiscutoffandthespotisgroundsmooth.
Thisisaholethatforsomereasonwascutintoasupportunderneath.That’sthewayitlookedbeforewepatchedit.
Twopiecesofmetalwereweldedtogetherandshapedtofittheholeandmakeapatch.
Afteratestfit,thepatchisweldedintoplaceandgroundsmooth.
Thisisn’tuncommononafactorypanel—thegasdoorlidreallydoesn’tfitthecontour.Alotoftimeswe’llre-radiusthedoorortheopeningsoit’saconsistentgapalltheway
around.
Herewe’reputtingthebodyshellbackontheframe.Thisistheproperwaytodoitbecauseifyou’redoinganyfloorpanwork,orgoingtocutoutanysection,thebodywon’ttwist.Youdon’twanttoweldapanelinwhenthebodyistwisted.We’reusingallbrand-newbodymounts.Wedidthisalittledifferentwiththeframe.Normally,youwouldleavetheframeinroughconditionsoyoudon’thavetoworryaboutgettinganydamageonit.
Wehaveitwrappedupwithpapertoprotectit.
Toreallydoaprofessionaljob,youwanttohavethedoorgapbethesameallthewayaroundthetop,sidesandbottom,andmanytimesvehiclesarejustnotthatgood.Wespendalotoftimeongettinggapsperfectbecausethat’swhatourcustomerswant.
Wetrytomakesurethefendersandhoodlineupandallthegapsarecorrect.Thethicknessofapaintstickisaboutwhatweshootfor.
Thegapisnotgoodonthefrontleftfenderandthehood,evenwiththefactoryfenderandhood.Thisfenderlookslikeithashadsomebodyworkdonetoitinthepast.
Whenyougetreproductiontrimpieces,theydon’talwaysfitthesheetmetalperfectly.Youalwayswanttopre-fitthosebeforeyoupaintthecarsoyoudon’tfindouttheydon’tfitafterwards.Thisisverycommononthelongerpiecesoftrim.Thehoodmoldingonthis
cardidn’tfit,soasecondonewasordered.
Thegapbetweenthefrontedgeofthisrockerpanelandthefrontfenderwasbad.Wetookacut-offsawandmadeasliceabout1/16-inchthick,andwiththatslice,wecould
condensetherockerormakeitwider.Wecutthefrontoftherockerwithacutofftoolandbroughtitalittlefartherforwardtomakeitfitbetter.It’sfilledinwithweldandground
smooth.
Ontherockerandrearquarterpanel,ahorizontalcutwasmadeandfilledwithweldtomakethedoorgapbetter.Wealsocutaroundthecornertomaketheradiusofthedoor
openingfittheradiusofthedoor.
Hereistheotherrockerpanelonthedriver’sside.Ahorizontalcutwasmadeandfilledwithweldtomakethedoorgapbetter.
Thisismuchbettergaponthebottomofthedoor.
Invariably,frontfendershavesomesortofdraintowardthebackofthefenderwithaholeinthebottom.It’snotuncommonevenforwesternvehiclestohavedirtorleavesgetin
thereandplugthehole.Waterwillthengetinthereanditwillrustout.
Herewe’llmakeourownrepairpanelbecausewe’vegotanEnglishwheelandplanishinghammers.Wedidn’tneedtobuyapanelorpatchpanel.Alwaysuseweld-throughprimeronanyareasthatyou’regoingtocoverupwitharepairpanel.Theinnerstructureofthe
frontfenderisprimedbeforeweputthecustom-madepatchonit.
Thepatchisprimedonthebackwithweld-throughprimerandthenweldedin.
Thefloorpansonbothsideswillbereplaced.Thereplacementfloorpanisbiggerthanneeded,soitwillbecuttofit.Maskingtapeisusedtomarkwherewewanttocutboththe
oldpanandthenewone.
Theoldfloorpaniscutwithaplasmacutterorcut-offsaw.
Thefactorybraceundertheoldfloorpanissavedandre-usedonthereplacementfloorpan,whichdoesnotcomewiththatbrace.Thebraceispaintedwithweld-throughprimer.
JoshWiserweldsinthenewfloorpanonthepassengerside.
Theprocesswillberepeatedonthedriver’sside.
1962IMPALASSREVIVAL:PRIMER
Finalbodyworkandgettingreadyforprimetime
StoryandphotosbyBrianEarnestDependingonhowyoulookatit,whenyougettothefinalbodyworkstageofacollectorcarrestoration,thehardpartiseitherover,orit’sjustbeginning.Bythistime,alltheoldpainthaslongsincebeenremoved,anyrustissuesshouldhavebeenaddressed,dingsanddentshammeredout,andanyotherbigproblemsareasaddressed.Allthat’sleftistogeteverysurfaceonthecarperfectlystraight,sandedand
readyforpaintandprimer.Ofcourse,thatsoundsaloteasierthanitis,especiallyifyourendgameisashowcarfinishthatwillimpressnotonlyallyourbuddies,butsomefinickyjudgesatacarshow.
JoshWiserrunsa“MudHog”8-inchsanderoverthedecklidofthis1962ImpalaSSinoneofthefinalstepsbeforethecarwillheadtothepaintboothforitsfirstcoatofprimer.
Awidevarietyofsandingblocksareusedduringthebodyworkprocess.Longboardslikethiscomeinhandywhenallthedentrepairsandstraighteninghavealreadybeendone.At
thisstage,it’sallaboutgettingtheflattest,smoothestsurfacepossible.
Do-it-yourselfersmightnevergetasgoodatfinalbodyworkasaprofessionalcrew,liketheoneatKen’sKlassicsinMuscoda,Wis.,butiftheyavoidmakinganybigmistakesandtaketheirtime,theycangetclose.Ahandfulofusefultoolsandmaterials,abunchofpatience,andsomeseriousattentiontodetailarerequired.Itdoesn’thurttostartwithadecentvehicletoworkon,either.“I’dsayoneofthebiggestmistakesisnotstartingwithagoodbaseatthe
beginning,”saidT.J.Krueger,theshopforemanatKen’sKlassics.“Theygetinahurry…Wegetcarsinallthetimeandwejustsay,‘Wow,Ican’tbelievetheydidthat.’PeoplewilltakeBondo-Oandspreaditovershinypaint.Oroverrust.Youreallyhavetostartwithagoodbaseandworkyourwayup.Youwantto
startwithmetalthat’sascleanasyoucangetit.It’sgottaberoughedupforsure,becausethatfillerhastoadheretosomething.Alotoftimeswhenyouseepaintthatthat’scracked,it’sjustnotpreppedright.Evenifyouarejustpaintingacarathomeorfixingadent,andmaybenotstrippingacar,youneedtoprepitright.Getthedentout,getitgroundproperlyandprimearoundit—allthewayaroundtheworkarea.”
Thedevilisinthelittledetailswhenitcomestofinalbodywork.Everylittlecreaseandholearoundthedoors,trunkanddecklidmustbeaddressed.Therearen’talotoftools
involved—justsandpaper,sorefingersandpatience.Here,Wiserworksonafewlast-minutetouchesaroundtheImpala’sdriver’ssidedooranddoorjamb.“Fitandfinishisabig,importantthingonthesecarstothesepeople,”saidKen’sKlassicsshopforemanT.J.Krueger.“Everylittlenookandcrannyofit,allthewayintothejambsandeverything.
Everythinghastobenice.”
BeforetheImpalaisrolledintothepaintbooth,Kruegergivesitafinalgoing-overwithhisbarehands.“Iusuallyrunmyhandsovereverythingonefinaltimewhenwe’realldone
withit,justtocheckitonemoretime,”hesays.“Sometimesyou’llfindlittlestuffwithyourfingersthatyoucouldn’tseewithyoureyes.”
“Asfarasgettingthingsstraight,forusthat’sjustguyswithtalentwhohavealotofyearsdoingit.There’snotalotofguyswhocanjustcomeinandyoucanteachtheminacoupleweekshowtomakesomethingniceandstraight.That’sjusttalentandexperience.”TheKen’sKlassicscrewfollowedtheirstandardprotocolwhenitcameto
finalbodyworkona1962ChevroletImpalaSShardtopthatwasintheshopforacompletelyrestoration.Afterthecarwascompletedisassembledandsodablasted—somepartswerechemicallystripped—thecrewgotbusydoingallthedentandrustrepair.Fromthere,theyfollowedtheirusualseriesofsteps.“Whenthecarfirstcomesbackfromthesandblaster,usuallywe’rerunan80-
gritoverthecarjusttoknockallthehighpointsdownfromallthesodablastingandsandblasting,”Kruegersaid.“Usually,theysodablasttheexterior,sothat’salotsmootherthanthejambsandanyofthe[inside].Thenwe’llputRusticideonit.Youspraythatonandrubitinwithascuffpadandwipeofftheexcess.That’slikea320-gritscuffpad,andthatgetsdowninallthelittlerustpitsoranythingthesodablasterdidn’tget.”
Boththebodyshellandthepanelsthathavebeenremovedwillbehitwiththreecoatsofprimer.Ken’sKlassicsusesRustDefenderfromZ-Chromeasitsmainprimer.Theprimerdriesfast.Iffreshlyprimedpartsareputundertheshop’sbakelamp,theycanbesanded
thenextday.
TheRusticideisappliedimmediatelyandkeepsthebaremetalfromoxidizing.Therustinhibitorwilleventuallyberemovedwith180-gritpaper.“We’lltrytohitanywherethat’sbeenweldedwith24-gritonagrinder.Then
we’llDuraglasthat.Duraglasisalotstronger.Anywherethattherewasadeeperdentoranything,andyou’vehammeredanddollieditoutasgoodasyoucangetit,you’llDuraglasoverthoseareas.Thenyouhitallthatwith36-gritjusttoroughthatoff,thenyougooveranydingsanddentsinthecarwitha36-gritonthegrinder.
“Thenyouputyourcoatoffilleronthosespots.Basicallywhatyou’redoingisgettingallthatroughedout,whereeverythingisflat,andthatwefinishedinabout80.Youcanskimcoateverythingoverthe80grit,andthat’swhenallthelongboardscomeout.”Powerdiscsanderscancomeinhandyforsomeoftheroughfinishingwork,
orsmoothingoverspotsthathavebeenweldedand/oraddressedwithDuraglas.
Frontfenders,doors,hoodandtrunkareallhungandprimedseparatelyfromthebodyshell.Thesefenderswillbeshotwithprimeratthesametimeasthehood.Thebodywillbe
primedandpaintedlast.
Alotoftheworkinvolved,ofcourse,isgoodold-fashionedelbowgreasewithfoldedsandpaperorsmallsandingblocks.“Youdon’twanttostandtherealldayandsandofffillerbyhandwhenyoucouldbeusingapowertool.Weallhaveatimelimitonwhenweneedtogetthingsdone,andwehavedeadlinestoo,”Kruegeradded.“Butalotofitisjustgoingaroundeveryinchofthecarbyhandandgettingeverylittlenookandcranny.
Thepanelsaregiventhreecoatsofprimer,thensprayedwithalightguidecoat.“Thatguidecoatwillshowusanyspotsthatneedattention,”notedToddSletten,whois
sprayinghere.“It’sjustablackcolorweputonitandwhenwegetsandedwithourlongboards,you’llseeanylittlepitoranywavesoranylittleimperfections.You’llknowwhat’s
goingon.Everyhtingweputprimeron,weputaguidecoatonit.”
PINSTRIPINGFORMEREMORTALS
Youdon’thavetobeaprotoearnyourownstripes
ByGeraldPerschbacherYoucanaccentyourfavoritevintagecarwithnewpinstripes,andallittakesisalittlepreparation,someresearch,afewtools,somespecialtape,andtime.Allpinstripeswereputonthefeaturedvintageluxurycarinlessthaneighthours!Itmaytakeevenlesstimeifyouarestripinga1970sor1980scarusingthesetips,too.
Step1—Acollectorcar,regardlessofvintage,oftenneedsanextratouchofpinstripingtocapoffarestorationandgivethecarastrikingappearance.Thiscar,vintage1925,hadbeenpinstripedbybrushabout30yearsago,butnotverywell.Beforenewstripeswere
added,theareaswerecleanedofdirtandpolish.
Step2—Paintingpinstripestakesgreatcareandseldomturnsoutrightthefirsttime.Manypeopleusepinstripingtapeinstead.It’simportanttobuyagoodgradeofqualitytape.Itcanbeorderedinrollsof150feetorless;checkwithanautoaccessoriesstore.
Selectthecoloryouneed,andmeasuretheareastoestimatethelengthrequired.
Step3—Sometimesacarcallsforasinglestripe,butthetapecomesinparallelstripesofdifferingwidths.Simplycuttheclearadhesivesectiontoseparateonefromtheother.
Keepyourhandscleanatalltimeswhenworkingthetape,andavoidkinksorpullsthatwillstretchit.Savewhatyoudon’tneedbyrollingitback.
Step4—Asteadyhand,warmtemperature,dryconditions,goodnaturallight,nowind,nodistractions,andagoodeyeforastraightlineareimportantqualities.It’sbestnottotalkwhenworking.Peelthebacking,pressthetapeinplace,thenpeeloffitstoplayer.Ifthe
lineneedstobere-stretched,dosobeforeitisrubbedfirmlyonthesurfaceandbeforethetoplayerisremoved.
Step5—Whenworkinganedgebetweenbodyanddoor,youcanwrapaboutaquarterinchoftapearoundthepanel.SlicewithanX-actoknife,andpressflatwithasteadyhand.Thetapeshouldberubbedinfinalpositionwithaclean,softcloth.Itmaytake72hoursin
sunlightandwarmtemperaturesforthetapetobindwiththesurface.
Step6—Hereisanareaaroundexteriordoorhandlesthatbeggedtoberestriped.Theoldpaintedstripingisfaintandwasunevenlyapplied.Thecolorwaslemonyellowtomatch
otheraccentsonthecar.Thesamecolorwasavailableinpinstripingtapeonspecialorder.
Step7—Thesameareaisshownafterapplyingthetape.Theheavierlinewasadded.Beforedoingtheworkandorderingthetape,checkreferencestoverifythelocationandwidthofpinstripes.OnClassiccars,thisoftenwasoptionaltothewhimofthebuyer.
Step8—Don’tgowildwithpinstriping,butuseitsparinglyandwhereappropriate.Manyvintagecarswithlouveredhoodscarriedstripesinvariouslocations.Checkwithfactory
literature,ownersofsimilarcars,andexpertsinthehobbyifyouhavequestions.
Step9—Whenfinished,youcouldbeamazedattheresults.Thiscartookonaneatnessitneverhadsincenewandwasmadetolooksporty,eventhoughitisasedan.Pinstripingaccentuatesthelinesandcurvesofthebody.Nowyou’rereadyforthenextshow!Seeif
anyonenoticesthechange.
SECTIONTWO
INTERIOR
CUTTINGARUGMakingautomotivecarpetonabudget
StoryandphotosbyJimThorpeTheflooringinmy1939Buickwasbadlywornandtorn.Ihadfloormatsovertheoriginalrubberfloorcovering,butwhatIdidn’thavewastheseveralhundreddollarstohaveaprofessionalshopmakenewfloorcovering.AsolutioncametomeasIwatchedinstallersreplacethecarpetinmyneighbor’shouse.
Theoriginalrubberfloormatisdeterioratinginthis1939Buick.Sincereplicatingtheegeandribbingoftheoriginalmatwouldbecost-prohibitive,theownerchosetocarpetthe
floorofthepassengercompartment.
Threemenpulleduptothehouseearlyinthemorningandsoonbeganrippingoutmyneighbor’soldcarpetandpad.Itwastakenoutside,bundledandthrown
ontotheirtruck.Thenthethreeofthemsweptthedrivewaycleanofalldebrisandunrolledthe
newcarpetface-downonthedriveway.Theymeasuredofflargepiecesandtookthemintothehouse.Upuntilthispoint,theyhadn’tacknowledgedme,butaroundnoon,Idroveovertoalocalhamburgerstandandbroughtbackabagofburgersandfriesforthem.Theyinstantlybecamefriendlierandbegantalkingtomeaboutwhattheyweredoing.ImentionedthatIhadanantiquecarwhichneedednewflooringandaskedif
theycouldgivemeafewhints.Intheend,theygavemealotofveryworthwhileinformation:*Considercarpetinsteadofrubbersheeting.Theoriginalrubberwas
probablymoldedtofitcurvesandbends,andthattheoriginalrubberprobablyhadanedgemoldedintoit.Buyingrubberbytheyardatthelocalhomebuildingstorewouldprobablynotproperlylayorfitlikecarpet.
Plushorvelvet-facecarpetingissuggestedforanautomotiveortruckapplication.
*Cleanthedrivewayorthegaragefloortocreatealargeworkspace.Makenotesandtakemeasurementswheretheoldcarpet/floorcoveringdidnotfitwell,
orwasrippedortorn.Patchthetornfloorcoveringusingbrownpaperandducttape.Thiswasprobablythemostimportantstep,becausewithoutagoodpattern,newflooringjustwon’tfit.
PopularCarpetTexturesandWeaves
BERBER-atight-knottedloopfiber.
INDOOR-OUTDOOR-averylow,tightloop.
PLUSHorVELVET-asoft,smooth,evenfacetexture.
PATTERNEDPLUSH-acombinationofalowloopandplushgivingapatternedlook.
SHAG-alongfiberthatoffersacasuallook.
*Properlyorientatethecarpet,andaboveall,keeptheknifebladesharp.ThatbecameevidentasIwatchedthemwork.Theyregularlybrokeoffthewornblade,replacingitwithanewsharpedge.*Donotconsiderindoor-outdoorcarpet.Useaverygoodqualityplushor
velvet-facecarpeting,butnotashagorwhatthecarpetinstallerscalledaBerber.(ABerbercarpethasaloopweaveratherthanaplushcarpet.)Carpetcomesin12-foot-widerolls,andtheinstallerssaidIwouldprobablynotneedmorethanonelinearyardtocarpetanentirecar.Theysuggestedobtainingcarpetfromanoutletsellingdiscontinuedor“shortrolls”atdiscountedprices.Theinstallerssaidevencarpetstoresandhomebuildingcentersofferaverygoodqualitycarpetforabout$12-15asquareyard(3feetby3feet,soonelinearyardof12-foot-widecarpetis4squareyards).
*Thecarpetinstallerssuggestedanyloncarpetratherthanapolypropylene,althoughpolypropyleneisvirtuallybullet-proofandcanbecleanedwithalmostanycleaningmaterial.Mostcarsfromthe1920sand’30susedwoolorcottonblendsofcarpeting.Syntheticswereverynewandinlimiteduseatthattime.Today’snylonisbetterthanthewoolorblendedcarpetsof80yearsago.
Useanewknifeandfrequentlyreplacethebladessotheyarealwayssharpwhencuttingthecarpet.
*Buyasolidcolorwithasmoothplush/velvetfaceinsteadofapattern.Matchingapatterninacarcanbeverydifficult.*Theedgeofcarpetwillfray,causingloosethreadsaroundeverycutinthe
carpet.Bindingthecarpetwouldbeveryexpensive;itisdonebyonlyafewplacesthatchargebythelinearinch.Ifiguredoutareallycheapalternativethatseemstobeworkingwell.Thatbagofhamburgerspaidtremendousdividendstomeininformation.
MakingCarpetDucttapewasusedtorepairandpatchmycar’soriginalfloorcoveringsothat
Iwouldhaveaone-piecepattern.Thetaped-upfloorcoveringwascarefullyliftedoutofthecar.Undertherubberwasapaddingmadeofabrownmaterial.Itwasfallingapartandleftalotofdustbehind.Itriedtoremoveitinonepiece,butwithouttoomuchsuccess.Betweentherubberandthepadding,Ihadenoughtoprovideagoodpatternforthenewcarpet.Thefrontandrearseatbottomwereremovedtoprovidemoreworkingroom.
Italsoallowedmetofitthecarpetundertheseat.
Imeasuredthefrontandrearfloorcoveringandfoundthatneitherexceeded36inches,sooneyardofcarpetwouldbeenough,evenprovidingalittleexcess.Thatexcessallowedmetocutthecarpet1inchlargerthanthepatterntomakesurethateverythingfitwell.Oneyardofwall-to-wallcarpetingwaspurchasedatalocalcarpetstorefor
about$8persquareyard.Thestorehadrollsofcarpetandwaswillingtoselljustoneyard.ItalsosuppliedmewithsamplecardsthatIcouldtakehometoselectthebestcolor.Insteadofsellingmenewcarpetpadding,thestoresuggestedthatIcutoffapieceofusedpaddingfromajobthattheyjustcompleted.Theytoldmetolookforlarge,undamagedsectionandcutwhatIneeded.Theydidn’tchargeme;theysaiditwasgoingintothetrashanyway.
Asampleofthecarpetpadding.
Minwaxpolyurethanewasspreadontheedgesofthecutcarpettopreventitfromfraying.
IdecidedtotrymyluckwiththepaddingbeforeIcutintothecarpet.I’mgladIdid.Iimmediatelymadeamistakethatmyfriends,thecarpetinstallers,warnedmeabout:orientation.Ilaidthepaddingfaceupinthedriveway,andthenIlaidmypatternontopofit—facedown.ItracedthepatternwithaSharpiemarker,andusinganewknifeblade,cutoutthepattern.WhenItrieditinthecar,IdiscoveredthatitwasamirrorimageofwhatIneeded.Mymistakewasnotplacingthepatternfaceupontheface-uppadding.
Fortunately,IhadplentyofextrapaddingandIdidn’twastetheexpensivecarpet.
Itracedtheoutlineofthepatternonthepadding,andthentracedthecut-outsfortheclutch,brake,gas,dimmerswitchandsteeringcolumn.Ihadsavedsomelargecartonsandusedthemunderthepadding,andlaterunderthecarpet,sothattheknifebladewouldnotrubagainsttheconcretedriveway.IcarefullycutthepaddingalongtheSharpiemarks.Ithencutouttheopeningsfortheclutch,brake,etc.IcutastraightlinefromeachoftheholestotheupperedgesothatIcouldfitthepaddingovertheclutch,brakeandgaspedalsandsteeringcolumn.WhenIwassatisfiedwiththefitofthepadding,Iwentontothecarpetitself.
Thecarpetshouldbecutonthebacksideandneverontheface.Iwasalsotold
thatmycutsshouldbedeepenoughtocutallofthewaythroughthejuteorrubberizedbacking,butnotdeepenoughtocutthepile.Thattookpractice.Withthepatternlaidoutonthebackofthecarpet,ItraceditwiththeSharpie,
butIgavetheoveralloutlineoneinchextratoallowforerrors.ThenItracedtheexactsizeoutline,soIactuallyhadtwolineslaidoutonthecarpetbacking.ThefirstthingIdidwasputanewbladeintheknife,thenIcutalongtheouterlinewithasmooth,evencut,notwithasawingmotion.Ithencutouttheopeningsforthegas,brakeandclutchpedalsandthesteeringcolumnandcutaseamtoallowthemtobefittedovertheshafts.Ilaidthenewcarpetoverthepaddingandfoundthattheone-inchextrawas
needed.Thepaddingisthickerthantheoriginal,soIhadtotrimthepaddingsothatitwouldn’tpeekoutfromunderthecarpet.Onthebackofthecarpet,Imarkedwherethecarpetwastoobig.Iremovedthecarpetandlaiditout,facedown,onthecardboard.Withafreshblade,Itrimmedthecarpetaccordingtothenewmarks.Thisstepwascompletedseveraltimestogetareallygoodfit.Thefloorlookedgreatandfeltterrificwiththenewpaddingunderneath.
Availableinmanytrailersupplyormotorhomestores,snapsonatapestripareconvenient.
Velcrotwo-sidedtapehasonesidetinyhooksandtheothertinyloops.
Myfinalstepwastopreventtheunravelingoftheedgesofthecarpet,whichwasalreadybeginning.Iagainremovedthecarpetandverycarefullytrimmedanyloosethreadsfromtheedgescutbytheknife.Water-based,clearMinwaxOil-ModifiedPolyurethane,awater-basedpolyurethanethatcanbecleanedupwithsoapandwater,wasthenliberallyspreadonthebacksideofallthecutedges,beingcarefulnottolettheliquidgetontothefaceofthecarpet.Afterlettingthepolyurethanedryforacoupleofhours,Igaveitasecondcoat,thenathird.Thefirstcoatsoakedintothecarpetedges,andwhenitdried,providedatoughedgetopreventthecarpetfromunraveling.
Theeyeletisinstalledinthecarpet,andawoodscrew(orbolt)fittedthroughafinishingwashergivesaclean,finishedlook.
Theknifeandaverysharppairofscissorswereusedtotrimmissedthreads,andthenItouchedupthosespotswithmorepolyurethane.Iletitdryovernight,andthenextdayinstalledthenewcarpetandreinstalledtheseats.Itlookedverygood,althoughnotasgoodasprofessionallyinstalledcarpet.
However,itcostmealotlessandthequalityofthecarpetwasmuchbetterthanwhatIhaveseeninmostcars.
JimThorpeownsa1939Buickthathasbeeninhisfamilysincenew.Formanyyears,itlanguished,unlovedandforgotteninagarage.Jimhasgotitrunningandisslowlyrestoringthecar.
ThisarticleoriginallyappearedintheApril2013issueofSkinnedKnuckles,amagazinededicatedtotheauthenticrestorationofcarsandtrucksandtothepreservationofvehiclesfromthebrasserathroughtheearly1970s.Itis
availablebysubscription.Articlesarecopyrightedandallrightsreserved.Reprintingauthorizedbywrittenpermissionofthepublisheronly.BeginasubscriptionbycontactingSkinnedKnuckles.(Seeadonpage21ofthisissueofOldCarsGuidetoAutoRestorationforaspecialsubscriptionoffer.)SkinnedKnucklesmaybereachedatphone714-963-1558,e-mail
sk.publishing@yahoo.comandatwww.skinnedknuckles.net.ItmayalsobereachedbymailatP.O.Box6983,HuntingtonBeach,CA92615.
UPHOLSTERY101AcustomChevrolettruckgetsnewarmrestsusing
fundamentaltemplatemakingandsewingtechniques
ByBrianEarnestChrisArendtofFastFreddie’sRodShopinEauClaire,Wis.,neverpicturedhimselfsewingforaliving.Notinamillionyears.“Ithoughtsewingwasfor
girls,”hejokes.“ThelastthingIsewedwasapillowcaseinjuniorhigh[homeecclass].”Nevertheless,whenhisshopneededsomeonetostepforwardandlearnthe
autoupholsterybusiness,Arendtwentoutandboughtanindustrial-strengthsewingmachineandturnedhisattentionfrommetaltofabric.Inlessthanayear,hehasbecomeFastFreddie’sone-manupholsteryshop,puttingtogethereverythingfromfull-blowncustominteriorstoboatcovers.“Weneededit.Itwastheonethingwecouldn’tkeepinhouse,”saysArendt.
“Youhavetobookacar[withanupholsterer],andyouareattheirmercy.Youhavetoloadit,youhavetotransportit.It’soutofyourcare,typically.Thingscanhappen.Youcangetelbowdents,orpaintchips.Youhatetohavesomethinghappentoit.”Recently,hebeganworkonanewinteriorforacustomer’s1949Chevrolet
custompickup,whichisalmostdone,butneedssomeupholstery.Oneofthefirststepsinthetheprojectistakingapairofnewreplacementarmrestsandrecoveringthemwiththecorrectdarkergrayvinylthatwillmatchtherestofthepickup’sinterior.
Thisarmrestisanewpiecethathasnotbeenonthetruck.Ithasalight-grayvinylcoveringontopandametalbracketforstabilityonthebottom.Thebracketisheldinplacewitha
pairofscrews.
Comparedtosomeofthestart-from-scratchcustominteriorprojectsthatupholsterersoftenface,fabricatingnewarmrestcoversforthistruckisafairlystraightforwardpropositionthatusessomebasictechniquesandtheexistingmaterialasapattern.“We’regoingtoremovethematerial,steamitouttomakeitlayflat,makea
simpletemplate,cutitoutandstitchitbacktogether,”Arendtsaid.“Thiswillbeasimpleproject.Justessentialtemplatemaking.Youbasicallyusethesesimplestepsthroughoutawholeupholsteryjob.It’snicewhenyouhaveanexistingpiecesoyoucanmakeanaccuratetemplate.”Thearmrestwillbeputtogetherusingasimpleflatfelledseem,whichties
togethermultiplelayersoffabricwithastrongbondwhileleavingtwovisiblestitchlines.AlongwiththefancierFrenchseem,theflatfelledseemisoneofthebasicstitchingtechniquesusedbyupholsterers.Followingisastep-by-steplookatthetechniquesandtoolsArendtusedfor
thisarmrestupholsteryproject.
Thevinylisheldinplacewithapairofstaplesoneachendofthearmrest.Thesearepulledwithastaplepuller.Glueisusedeverywhereelseonthevinyltokeepitinplace.
Ahand-heldsteamingmachinesimilartoanironisusedtoflattenouttheoldvinyl.“Giveitalittleheatandalittlesteam,anditwillflattenitselfrightout…andthatmakesthe
templatemakingjobmucheasier,”Arendtnoted.
Allstitchesarecutandpulledout,resultinginfourseparatepiecesofvinyl.Thesefourpieceswillbelaidoutandusedasatemplatefornewarmrestcoverings.
Whenallthestitchesarecutandpulled,thefourpiecesofvinylarelabeledwithwitnessmarkstoshowhowtheyoriginallywenttogether.
Thepiecesoforiginalvinylfromthearmrestsaretracedontotemplatepaperandthemcutoutwithapizzacutter-typetoolandasingle-edgerazorblade.Thesetemplatesarethen
transferredtothenewmaterialandcutout,leavingfourpiecestheexactsizeandshapeoftheoldpieces.
Theflatfelledseemstartswithtwopiecesoffabricmatchedface-to-face.Whenthefirststitchlineisdone,theseemallowanceisfoldedovertoonesideandasecondstitchlineismade.“IgoasslowasIcanmakethemachinego,”Arendtsays.“IwanttogoasslowasIcan...Youstartthemface-to-face,gray-on-gray.Thatholdsittogether.Thenyouflipit
overandthesecondseemflattensitout.”
Usingthesameflatfelledseem,thefourpiecesofvinylarecarefullystitchedtogether.Forthisproject,amatchinggraythreadwasused,butcontrastingthreadcolorsarealso
frequentlyused.
Anolder-style,syphon-feedautomotivepaintgunwithalargertipisusedtospraytheadhesiveonthearmrest.Paperisusedunderneathtokeeptheoversprayoffthework
table.
Asecondlayerofadhesiveisappliedtotheedgesofthevinylusingasmallbrush.“Whenthegluebeginstosetup,itbecomesareallynicecontactcement,”Arendtnotes.
Smallreliefcutsaremadearoundcurvesandcornerstoallowthevinyltobeglueddownflat.Theindividualtabsareeachhelddowninplaceforafewsecondsuntiltheadhesive
bondsenoughtoholdtheminplace.
Staplesaren’talwaysnecessary,butsincetheoriginalarmrestsusedstaplestoholddowntheendflaps,Arendtdoesthesamewithastaplegun.Itisthefinalstepintheprocessthatresultsinanarmrestthatisalmostidenticaltotheoriginal,butinacolorthatwill
matchtherestofthe‘49Chevytruck’sinterior.
SECTIONTHREE
MECHANICAL
THEHUBOFMOTIONReplacingbearingsonafull-floatinghubsystem
ThisdustshieldshouldhavebeenthefirstpartinstalledwhenbuildingtheDaimler’sfull-floatinghubassembly.Thiswasalate-productionitemnotmentionedintheSP250factory
workshopmanual.
Wemarkedtheoldracesjusttobesurewhichsidewentinfirst.Behindtheoldbearingsandracesarethenewparts.Behindthemarethehubswithknock-offspinners(oneleft-
oneright-hand)onthesmallerouterends).
ByJohnGunnellWehaddoneeverythingoutlinedintheshopmanualtorestorethewirewheelhubsandthediscbrakesonthefrontofaDaimlerSP250roadster.SincetheBritishsportscarhadoriginallybeentakenapartbysomeoneelseandwedidn’thavephotos,drawingsornotesaboutthedisassembly,wethoughtwedidaprettygoodjobputtingitbacktogether.Whywasthereanextrapartleftover?Toanswerthisquestion,wee-mailedDaimlerexpertLaurenceJonesin
England.Bythenextdaywehadananswer.“Theextrapartisadustshieldaddedtolate-productioncars,”Joneswrote.“Itmountsontheinnerflangeofthestubaxle,upagainsttheverticallink(pivotpintoAmericans)andbetweenthelinkandthedustcoverontheendoftheinnerbearing.“ThisaddeddustshieldwasneverpicturedormentionedintheDaimlershopmanual.SincesofewSP250sweremade,theshopmanualwasneverupdated.Jonessaidweshouldusethedustshield,sothatmeantdisassemblingthehubagain.
The50mmcollarfromtheinexpensivebearingandsealdriversetwasflattenedonoppositeedgessowecouldpushitdownpasttheold,largerbearingrace.Then,we
leveleditinsidethehubandusedittodriveouttherace.
AlthoughSP250sarerare,theirunderpinningsareadirectliftfromthemass-producedTriumphTR3andTR3Asportscars.Theyalsohavemanysimilaritieswithothercars(evendomestic)thatusedwirewheelswithfull-floatinghubs.Withfull-floatinghubs,thewheelsaremountedtothehubs.Thiscontrastswithsemi-floatinghubswherethewheelsaremountedtotheaxles.Withfull-floatinghubs,thehubs(nottheaxles)beartheweightofthevehicle.There’sasmalllikelihoodyou’lleverworkonaDaimlerSP250,sinceonly
2,500werebuilt,butsomeofthefollowinginformationandpartssourceswillbehelpfulwhetheryou’reworkingonaBritishsportscaroraModelAFord.Removingandinstallingbearings,greasinghubs,brakerepairsandtipsontoolsareprettymuchuniversal,nomatterwhatvehicleyou’rerestoring.
Often,ahammerormalletpoundingagainsttheproper-sizealuminumcollarfromabearingdriversetwilldoaverygoodjobofinstallingabearingorrace.“Tap,tap,tap”-
typehammerblowswillevenly“walk”araceintoplace.
OntheSP250,thehubsareboltedtothebrakediscs(rotors)withfourbolts.Thehubshaveasmallbearingandbearingraceattheouterendandalargebearingandbearingraceattheinnerend.Adonut-typefeltoilsealfitsintothemetalringthatistappedintotheouterendofthehubafterinstallingthebearingandrace.The“leftover”dustshieldgoesagainstthering.Ithasaflat,angledbottomlipthathooksintotheverticallinktokeeptheshieldfromturning.
Ifyouareusingabottlejackpresstoinstallbearingsorraces,don’tapplysomuchpressurethatthehubcastingfractures—arealproblem.Instead,applypressure,then
backoffandcheckthatthebearingorraceisgoinginstraightandeven.
Theinnerendofthehubpassesthroughthenewbrakerotorandboltsinplace.Greaseisaddedtofillthevoidbetweeninnerandouterbearings.Then,thefeltsealisplacedinthe
dustcover,whichistappedintotheouterendofthehub.
Afterinstallingthesmallerbearingandraceattheouterendofthehub,slidethehub/discontothestubaxle.Thismayknockthesmallouterbearingloose.Ifso,justputitbackinthehubbyhand.Whenproperlypositioned,thelargeinnerendofthehubisagainsttheonce-forgottendustshield.Atthesmaller,outerendofthehub,awasherwithaD-shapedholegoesover
theD-shapedaxle.Pushthewasheragainstthebearingwiththecastlenut,adjustthetightnessofthecastlenutandpositionitsoacotterpincanbeinstalledtokeepthecastlenutfromcomingoff.Thewasherisafinger’slengthinwardfromthehub’souteredge,sothehubhasholesthroughwhichtoinstallthecotterpin.Beforeinstallingthehubontheaxle,positionashield(brakebackingplate)
overthefrontsuspensionmembers.Thiswillbeheldinitsfinalpositionbythesameboltsthatarelaterusedtoattachthebrakecaliper,butfornow,leaveitloose.Next,makecertainthatthepadsinthecaliperarepushedbackandplacethecaliperoverthediscontherearupperpartofthedisc.Theboltsthatattachthecaliperarethreadedattheendsonly,sotheyneedtobetappedabittomakethingstighten.Then,puttheboltsthroughthe“backingplate”mountingbracketsandthecalipers,aswellastheshimsmentionedbelow.
Onthissecondtry,wemadesureweputthedustshieldontheinnerflangeagainstthepivotpin.Theflatbottomhasalipthatfitsintoanopeningonthepivotpinsothedust
shielddoesn’tturnwhenthehubassemblyisinplace.
Factoryshimswereusedunderthecaliperboltstomakeslightinward/outwardadjustmentsofthecaliperontherotor.Thegoalwastomatchtheverticalcenterlineofthecalipertothecenterofthebrakedisc’sedge.Thethinshimsareshapedlikeabarbellwithholesineachendthatthecaliperboltspassthrough.Whendisassemblingacar,carefullynotehowmanyshimsareusedineachside.Sincewedidnothavethatinformationforthiscar,weplayedarounduntilthecenterswerealigned.Thecastlenutadjustmentmentionedearlieriswhatactuallymovesthecaliper
inoroutontherotortogetitoncenter.Theshopmanualstatesthenutshouldbetighteneduntilthebrakediscjustaboutstopsturning.Then,itsaystobackoffthenutfromonetotwoflats(toaspotwherethecotterpinwillslidethoughaholeintheaxleend).Ifthecorrectnumberofshimswereused,thecenterlinesofthecalipersanddiscsshouldbeclose.
Naturally,thehubshavetobegreased,andtherearenoZerkfittingsorprovisionsforaddinggreaseafterthehubandbrakeassembliesarebuilt.TheDaimler’sshopmanualsaystofilltheentirehubbetweentheinnerandouterbearingswiththepropertypeofgrease.Theinnerandouterwheelhubbearingsthemselves(taperedrollerbearingsonthiscar)shouldalsobeliberallygreased.Theproperfeltgreasesealsweredifficulttofind.ThinkingtheDaimlerand
Triumphsealswereidentical,weorderedTriumphsealsfromMossMotors(www.mossmotors.com)andfoundtheyweresmaller.WefoundthecorrectsealsfromJohnCareyinMassachusetts(www.daimler-sp250.com),whosaidthattheyhadbeen“unobtanium”forawhile,butwererecentlyreproduced.
Withallbearings,feltseals,dustcoversandshieldsinplace,thehubandrotorassemblycanbeslidontothestubaxle.Thismaypushthesmallbearingout,butitcanbepushed
backin.Thearrowpointstothecotterpininstallhole.
AlargewasherwithaD-shapedholefitsoverthestubaxle.Useapieceofpipeandsmallhammertotapthewasherinagainstthesmallbearing’souterretainer.Youmusthavethe
stubaxlethreadshowingtoinstallthecastlenut.
Usingyourfingeroramagnettool,twistthecastlenutontotheendofthestubaxle.Notehowthehubissplinedtomatchupwiththewirewheels.Whenyourinstallisalldone,the
knock-offspinnerwillthreadontotheendofthehub.
Withthechassissupported(hereonaBackyardBuddyEasy-Accessunit),youcantightenthecastlenutuntilthebrakerotorjuststopsturning.Then,youbackoffonetotwoflats
untilyoucandropthecotterpinintotheholeintheaxle.
AstainlesssleevedcaliperrebuiltbyBrake&EquipmentWarehousemountstotwoholesinfrontsuspensionmember.Thecalipermountingboltsarealsousedtoholdthe“backing
plate”thearrowispointingto,plusrequiredshims.
Everypartonthehubassemblywasremovedfromthecar,cleanedorsandblastedandrepaintedwithSatinBlackchassispaintfromEastwood(www.eastwood.com).Thecaliperswerecompletelyrebuiltandupgradedwithstainless-steelinsertsbyBrake&EquipmentWarehouseinMinneapolis(www.brakeplace.com).Wefeelthisistheonlywaytogoinpreventingrustybrakesonacollectorcarthatwillbestored.
Sincewehadthecarcompletelyapartduringitschassisrestoration,wereplacedallofthebearingsandracesinthehubs.Thesmallbearingsandraceswereacommonnumberusedontrailersandwereavailableatanyautopartsstore.ThelargerbearingswerehardertofindandcamefromJohnCarey.Wealsosourcednewbrakediscs(rotors)fromCarey’sNewEnglandAutomotiveRestorations.Thediscswereslightlydifferentthantheoriginals,whichhadslottededges.Wediscoveredwhythenewrotorsweredifferent—manyoftheslotsontheoriginalshadfractured.Drivingoutthesmallerracesthatwereinthehubwaseasy.Theysatup
againstaridgeontheboreofthehubthathadnotchesoneitherside.Weplacedalongpunchwheretheslotswerelocatedandtappedwithahammerandthesmallbearingracesflewout.Itwasadifferentstorywiththelargerinnerraces.Togeteachofthelargeinnerracesout,wetookaninexpensiveBearingRace
andSealDriverSetfromHarborFreight(www.harborfreight.com/10-piece-bearing-race-and-seal-driver-set-95853.html)andgroundtheoppositeedgesofthepurple50-mmaluminumcollarflat.Thisallowedthecollartoslipdownintothehub,pasttheoldrace.Then,wetappedthecollaruntilitwassittingflatinsidethehub,againsttheoldrace,andinstalledthedrivehandle.Next,weputpressureonthedriverhandlewithour20-tonbottlejackpress.Sinceweknewitishardtopressanythinginoroutthatisn’tperfectlyflator
level,weavoidedgeneratinghub-breakingforceswiththepress.Instead,werepeatedlyappliedalittlepressureandsprayedlubricantintothehubtomakepartsslideeasier.Eachtimewestoppedtocheckonourprogress,weadjustedthingssothatwewerepressingstraightandlevel.Eventually,thelargebearingrace,whichhadsatinthehubfor50years,droppedoutwithatelltale“pop.”Flatteningtheedgesofthe50-mmcollardidn’truinitanditstillcamein
handywhenwewerepressinginthenewsmallerbearingrace.Othercollarswereusedtopressinthelargerrace.Sometimes,itseemslikethenewbearingsgoineasierwiththe20-tonpressandsometimestheyseemeasiertoinstallusingrepetitivehammerblows.Again,whenusingapress,thingshavetobeperfectly
straight,whileusingahammertendstomake“automatic”adjustmentswitheachblow.Theimportantthingtocheckisthatthebearingracesseatproperly.Whenthingsareright,thattelltale“pop”or“snap”canbeheardagain.Oneotherthingworthmentioningisthatexpertsinaparticulartypeofcar
oftenusedshorteneddescriptionsforparts.Forinstance,DaimlerexpertJohnCareyreferredtothesmallerhubbearingracesas“1910s,”althoughthefullpartnumberwasLM11910.WhenweaskedtheBumpertoBumpercountermanfora1910bearing,hiscomputeralmostcrashed.Whenwethencheckedtheoldbearingnumberandtoldhimweneededan11910,hefounditontheshelf.
BASICBRAKEBLEEDINGTIPSStoryandphotosbyBobMullerSiliconeisnotmypreferenceforoldervehicleswithhydrovacs.Ifeeltheissuesthesiliconeposesforthesevehiclesoutweighitsbenefits.Thebenefitmostcitedforsiliconeisthatitdoesn’tabsorbwater,soyourbrakesystemwon’tbeexposedtomoisture-basedcorrosion.Theproblemwithglycol-basedbrakefluid(DOT3or4)isthatovertime,itwillabsorbwater.Itisgenerallyaslowprocess,butsinceglycolishydroscopic,itwantstoabsorbanymoisturetowhichitisexposed.Thinkofitasmotoroil:Overtime,itgetscontaminated,andwhileitisstill
working,itcertainlyisn’tprovidingtheprotectionitdoeswhenitisnew.Wetypicallychangetheoilonourvehiclesatleasteverycoupleofyears,butrarelytouchthebrakesystem.Ithinktherearetworeasonsforthis.
Thisisallyouneedforeasybrakefluidmaintenance;notetheadaptedmastercylinderplug,tubing,pressurepump,bleederhoseandcatchjar.
First,“outofsightoutofmind”probablycomesintoplay.Wedon’tthinkofthesystemashavingalotofmovingpartslikeanengine,andifitisworking,whymesswithit?Secondly,itisfranklyapainintheneck.Whileyoucanchangetheoilonsomevehiclesinabout20minutesorso,bleedingthebrakesusuallymeansaprocessinvolvingassistance,lotsoftimeandmorebeerthanyoumaybewillingtobuy.Thisisthereasonmanycarandtruckownersareunderstandablydrawntothelongevityofsiliconebrakefluid.Iwasinthesameboat—Ididn’twanttomesswiththebrakesasitwasjust
toomuchofapaintodealwith.Likealotofthosetypesofthings,itfellunderthecategoryof“Iwilldothatnextyear.”Likeoilchanges,youcancertainlyletitride,butintheprocess,youaregoingtolosesomeprotection.Wouldn’titbegreattobeabletousestandardglycolbrakefluid(DOT3or4)andhavethe
advantagesofeasyaccesstofluid,lowercostandnoriskofpotentiallyharmfulsilicadamagingyourengine?Thedownsideisthatitprovidesallthesepositiveswithoutthenegatives,only
ifitgetspurgedeveryfewyearsbeforemoisturecanbuilduptounacceptablelevels.Iftherewereaneasierwaytodothis,itwouldsolveamultitudeofproblems.
Whenfillingthepressurecanister,pourslowlydownthesidelikefillingabeermug.Thishelpspreventairmixinginwiththefluid.
Thesearchforthe“magicbullet”wason.Ihaveusedthemanual“buddysystem”manytimes.Whileitiseffective,itdependsonhavingabuddywhoseschedulecoincideswithyours,willlistentodirections(thiscanbemorechallengingthanoneimagines),onewhodoesn’tlikeyourbeertoomuch,andonewhowillwaitpatientlywhenyoufindyouneedtoreplacetheoccasional
bleederorhose.AsIsaid,itworksgreat,butrarelyisitaconvenient,efficientwaytobleedyourbrakes.
TRIALANDERRORMyfirstforayintobrake-bleedingsystemswasthepurchaseofafullsetof
“checkvalve”-typebleeders.Thebleedershaveatinycheckvalvebuiltintothemwhichallowsfluidtoexitwhenthatbleederisloosenedandthebrakepedalisdepressedwithoutallowingairtobesuckedbackinwhenitisreleased.Inconcept,thisseemedlikealogicalandsimplesolution.Inmyownexperiencethough,Ihittwosnags.First,itisdesignedasasingle-personoperationwithyoupumpingthebrake
pedal.Unfortunatelysittingbehindthesteeringwheel,youhavenoideawhatishappeningatthebleeder.Istheairout?Didthehosestayon?Howmuchfluidcameout?Ipersonallyliketoknowwhatishappeningwiththesystem.Thesecondissuewaswiththebleedersthemselves.Inordertoincorporatethe
checkvalve,thebleederismadefrommuchmildersteelthanastandardbleeder.Onehastousesealertostopthemfromleaking,andittakesverylittlepressuretoroundthemofforstripthemout.Therealitywasthattheycausedfarmoreproblemsthantheysolved.Mynextstepwastotryavacuum-bleedersystemmadebyMityvac.These
systemswillrunfromabout$50foramanualsystemtoabout$150foronethatrunsoffacompressor.Itriedthemanualversionandwhileitworked,Ifoundafewissuesthatmadeitproblematic.First,thevacuumreceiverthatcollectsthefluidwassmallandtherefore
limitedthefluidthatcouldbedrawnin.Thiswasn’tahugeproblem,asitcouldbedumpedanddrawingfluidcouldresume,butitwasapainnevertheless.Moreofanissuewasthatyouhadtobeverywatchfulofthemastercylinder
fluidlevel.Justwhenyouthinkyouaregettingoutthelastoftheairbubbles,youwilleitherhearorseethemastercylinderempty,andbeginpullingafreshsetofairbubblesintothesystem.Youarenowrightbacktosquareone.I
cautionyouthatsmallchildrenshouldbekeptfromtheshopareaontheseoccasions,asusuallythestringofprofanitythatfollowscouldscarthemforlife.Aftertalkingtosomeprosanddoingmyownresearch,Idecidedtotrya
pressurebleeder.Afteralittletrialanderror,Ican,unequivocally,saythatapressurebleederisbyfartheeasiestandfastestwaytobleedbrakes.Withalittlepreparation,itisaneasy,one-personoperation.
Acatchjarwithawide,stablebaseisfarbetterthantheusualsodabottle.Itwon’ttipoveraseasyandyoucanseewhatishappeningwithoutholdingonthetubingifyouputa
smallholeinthelid.
BLEEDINGYOURBRAKESAnew,universalpowerbleedercanbehadforabout$75.Mostarespecificto
vehiclemodels,butthatdoesn’treallymatterasallyouneedisthepressurecanisteritself.Themaindifferencebetweenthemodelsisjusttheterminalendthatgoestothemastercylinder,andyouwon’tbeusingthatanyway.Whatyouneedisjustthepressurecanister,amodifiedmastercylinderplug,someextra
tubingforthebleeders,afluidcatchtankandfreshbrakefluid.Herearethesteps:1.Getanoldcap/plugthatfitsthemastercylinderandtap,epoxyorsoldera
hosebarbintoit.2.Fillthemastercylinderwithfluid,thenputonthemodifiedcap.Thisisan
importantstep,evenifthereisoldfluidinthecylinder.Iteliminatesthechanceofairgettingintothesystem.3.Iaddedathreadedjointinthehosethatattachestothemodifiedcap.This
makesiteasiertoinstallthecapbeforeitisattachedtothepressuretank.Asmallunionjointwouldbeevenbetter.4.Carefullyaddfluidtothepressuretank(pourslowlydownthesidelike
beerintoamugsoasnottomixinair).Putinenoughsoastonotrunout,andkeepandeyeonthelevel.Ifyouwanttopurgealloftheoldfluidandairfromthemastercylinderthroughtheentiresystem,youwillwantatleastafullquart.5.Tightenthecaponthepressurepumpandpumpituptoaround8-12psi.
Youdon’tneedmuchmorepressurethanthis,andyouwillfinditwillholdthispressureprettywellthroughtheprocess.6.Tocollectthefluid,findaclear,plasticjarwithawidebottom(sothehose
oryoudon’ttipitover)anddrillaholeinthetopforthebleederhose.Keeptheholejustabitsnugonthehosesoitdoesn’tpullouttooeasily.Thisisarealhelpasyouwon’thavetoholditandcanfocusyourattentiononthewheelcylinders/bleedersinstead.7.Startasyounormallywould;attachthebleederhosetothebleedersonthe
hydrovacfirst,thenthewheelcylinderfarthestawayandworkforward.Youwillgetafairlyvigorousstreamoffluidandjustwaituntilitflowsclearofbubblesbeforeclosingthebleederandmovingtothenext.8.Keepaneyeonthefluidinthepressuretanksoitdoesn’trunoutandpush
inair.Thisiseasy,asyoucaneasilyseetheleveloffluidintheopaquepressuretank.9.Whenyouaredone,besuretoreleasethepressureinthetankbeforeyou
disconnectthehoseandcaporyouwillhavequiteamess(the“error”partin“trialanderror”).Ilayafewragsornewspapersdownonthefloorofthecabandwherethepressuretanksitstocatchthedropsoffluidboundtodripduringassembly/disassembly.10.Savetheoldbrakefluidandmixitwithatinybitofacetoneaspenetrating
“rustbuster”fluid.Itypicallydon’ttrytosavepartialcansofbrakefluidunlessIknowIwillbeusingitwithinthenextmonthortwo.ItisprettyinexpensivestuffandIwanttostartwithfreshifIamreplacingthefluid.11.Aftercleaningup,Istorethepressurecan,hoses(inaplasticbag),used
fluidreceptacle,themodifiedmastercylindercap(s),andsparebleederstogetherinaplasticstoragebin.ThisnotonlykeepseverythingIneedtogetherinoneplace,italsokeepsthedustanddirtoftheshopoutofthesystem.Keepingyoursystemfreeofanydustanddebrisshouldbeapriority.12.Glycolbrakefluidwillharmpaintifallowedtositonittoolong.Ifyoudo
spillsomeonpaint,cleanituppromptlywithwaterandabitofdetergent.Youcancompletelychangeyourvehicle’sbrakefluidinlessthan15minutes
aslongasthebleedersareOK.Itisliterallythateasy.Ialsofeelthepressuresystemdoesabetterjobofpurgingtheoldfluidoutasitisastronger,moreconsistentflow.Italsoprovidestheadvantagethatyoucanseewhatishappeninginthepressurecanister,inthetubing,andcanaddfluidasneededwithoutissue.
POWERPACKAGESCrateenginesthatrockoutofthebox
Mopar572Hemihasoptionalcrossramsandairhorns.Withits10.0:1compressionratio,itgenerates560hpand660lb.-ft.oftorque.
byJohnGunnellLikesomanyotherstoday,JeffNollofMilwaukeeinstalledafactorycrateengineduringhiscar’sbuild.Noll’schoiceforhis1967Camarowasthe
ChevroletZZ4H.O.350four-bolt-mainofferedbyGeneralMotors.Theengine’scast-aluminumheadsarefittedwith1.94-in.intakeand1.50-in.exhaustvalvesanda10.0:1compressionratio.Theengineusescast-aluminumpistonswithoffsetpistonpinsonforgedmetalconnectingrods.CrateenginessuchasthatinNoll’sCamaroaregrowingincreasinglypopular
withhobbyiststoday,becausetheycanspeedthecompletionofaproject.Theyalsoprovideawarrantythatprovidespeaceofmindtohobbyiststhatdrivetheircars.InadditiontoGM,FordMotorCo.andChrysleralsooffercrateenginestothehobbyist.
GMFactoryCrateEnginesGMcrateenginescomeinfivefamiliesandnumeroushorsepowerand
displacementcombinations.TheenginefamiliesaretheLSsmall-blockV-8,theChevysmall-blockV-8,theChevybig-blockV-8,RPOenginesandraceengines.The290-hp350H.O.Chevysmall-blockV-8isadealthatdeliversreliability
withitsfour-boltmains,PMsteelrodsandstrongcast-aluminumpistons.FuelinjectionfanscanorderaRamJet350-cid/350-hpGMcrateenginewith
ironVortecheads.Oneofthenicestthingsaboutthispowerplantisthat,onceinstalled,allyouneedisa12-voltpowersupplyandfuel.Youdon’thavetodealwithawholemessofelectricalwires.The383-cidstrokerenginehasbeenbuiltbyroddersforyearsandnowGM
makesitatthefactory.Thiscrateenginepacks425hpandoffersplentyofstump-pullingtorqueat460lb.-ft.GM’s320-hpLS1350providesstate-of-the-artperformanceandfamously
poweredthefourth-generationCamarosandFirebirds.Theall-aluminumsmall-blockV-8comescompletewithfuelinjectors,exhaustmanifoldsandaflexplate.ItalsoincludestheECM(electroniccontrolmodule)andawiringharnessthatallowsittobeinstalledandteamedwithafour-speedautomatictransmissionforuseinany1975-or-earliervehicle.
Hobbyistsfascinatedbythebig-blockmystiquecanordera770-hp,572-cubeGMbig-blockV-8straightfromthefactory.Theoldadagestillringstrue:“There’snoreplacementfordisplacement!”Thebasebig-blockcrateengineisthe454-cid,425-hpmill,whichispricedto
maximize“bangforthebuck.”Thisisagoodclassichigh-performanceV-8withbigvalves,rectangularports,forgedpistons,aforgedcrank,forgedconnectingrodsandfour-boltmains.At500lb.-ft.,ithasplentyoftorque,too.Thenextstepupfrom425hpisGM’sRamJet502crateenginewith
aluminumheads.Thefuel-injected502-horse,565lb.-ft.monsterisjustlikethesmall-blockRamJetV-8—itneedsonlya12-voltgroundtomakeitreadytoride.GM’sZZ572crateV-8isdescribedasbeing“forthosewhoconsiderexcess
tobebarelyenough.”Judgingfromthespecs,there’snoargumenthere.Itpacks620hpfrom572cubicinchesand650lb.-ft.oftorquetoboot,butitcomesatafive-figureprice.
LSX454isaGenIVversionofthe6.2-literChevysmall-blockandissoldinlong-blockform.
ThelastGMbig-blockcrateonthelististheZZ572RaceEngine,whichputsout720hp.Theenginewillcertainlyputadentinyourwalletandisintendedforseriousracers.GMcrateenginescanbefoundatwww.gmpartsdepot.com.
FordFactoryCrateEnginesFordMotorCo.alsooffersfivefamiliesofcrateenginesthroughitsracing
partsdivision(www.fordracingparts.com).Theyarecalled:Modular,Small-
Block302-Based,351-Based,SealedRaceandBig-Block.Thetotalarrayofofferingsincludes20differentengines,someofwhichputoutmorethan700hp.TheModularlineoffers5.0-,5.4-and4.6-literV-8engines.Thenormally
aspirated4.6develops320hpand320lb.-ft.oftorque,whileasuperchargedversioncandeliverupto700hp.The5.0hasa412-hpratingandthatgoesupto550hpforthe5.4.Pricesrangefrom$8,000upto$20,999forthe5.4.TheSmall-Block302seriesoffersfiveenginesincludingthreethatactually
displace302,306and347cubicinches.Allbutthe306areBossV-8s,themostpowerfulofwhichbeingthe450-hp347,whichcomeswithhigh-flowheads,hydrauliclifters,aforgedcrankandanMSDbilletdistributor.Allfiveenginesinthe302familyhavehydraulicrollercams,forgedI-beamconnectingrodsandlightweightforgedpistons.Pricesrangefromlessthan$4,000uptoalmost$9,000.Fordoffersfourenginesinthe351family,twoofwhichdisplace392cubes
andtwoof427cubicinches.The392sarecalledSportsman351s.The427-cid/535-hpengineistheBoss351andtheother427isanaluminum-blockengineforwhichnospecifichorsepowerratingislisted.Theseenginesallhavemanyhigh-performancegoodiesandexternalappearanceupgrades.Pricesareinthe$7,895to$13,595range.Ford’scrateenginelineupincludessixracingenginesthatarespecially
marketedandnotachoiceforresto-mods.Ontheotherhand,bothoftheFordbig-blockcratesarepopularwithresto-modbuilders.Bothhave521cubicinchesandbothproduce609hpat5,750rpm.Bothalsolist630lb.-ft.oftorqueat4,500rpm.Infact,bothhavenearlyidenticalspecssuchasmechanicalrollercams,forgedpistonsand10.0:1compressionratios.
MoParFactoryCrateEnginesChrysler(www.mopar.com)also“imports”threecrateenginesfromDetroit.
Thefirstisanall-aluminum426HEMIGenIII.Ifhorsepowerandspeedcount,thisMoParengine(P/NP5155513)couldbewhatthedoctorordered.With540
hpand530lb.-ft.torque,itapestheclassicHemi.Lightweightaluminumaidsperformancethroughbetteracceleration,braking,vehicledynamicsandweightdistribution.MoPar’s440SuperCommandocrateenginecommandsinstantrespectand
admirationwithanestimatedoutputof500hpand535lb.-ft.oftorque.Withthisengineunderitshood,aresto-modpackspunchonthestreetordragstrip.Last,butnotleast,isthe410Magnum“SixPack”crateenginewith465hp
and500lb.-ft.oftorque.ThisMoParcrateengineispackedwithpowerandadditionalperformancecapabilities.
AftermarketFactoryCrateEnginesInadditiontothecrateenginesavailablefromautomakers,therearemany
aftermarketcompaniesthatmake/sellcrateengines.LingenfelterPerformanceEngineering(www.lingenfelter.com),GaleBanksEngineering(www.bankspower.com),EdelbrockLLC(www.edelbrock.com)andPromarPrecisionEngine(www.promarengine.com)areseveralsources.CatalogsupplierssuchasSummitRacingandSpeedwayMotorsareotherreliablesourcesthatofferguarantees.Purchasingacrateenginefromaless-well-knownsupplierdoesn’tnecessarily
meanyou’llgetrippedoff.Therearecertainlysmallcompanieswhomakeexcellentproducts,sellthemabitcheaperduetoloweroverheadandstandbehindtheirengines.Agreatwaytodealwithanysupplieriscontactothercustomers.Computer-savvybuyerscanalsocheckforInternetfeedbackfromothercustomers.
Crateenginesaren’tjustnewenginesfromthemanufacturer.Thisbuilt-upOldsmobileRocketV-8fromthe1950sisanexampleoftheturn-keyrebuiltenginessomecompanies
offer.
CrateEngineBuyingConsiderationsWhenbuyingacrateengine,realizethatenginepackagescanvaryfromone
companytothenext,aswellasfromonemodeltothenext.Generally,enginesareavailableinoneofthreebasicformats.
Short-block:Thissetupincludestheengineblock,crank,connectingrods,pistonsandpistonrings,pins,mainbearings,rodbearings,cambearings,rearmainsealandwaterjacketplugs.Someincludethecamshaftanddrivemechanism.
This“PoweredByFord”factorycrateenginewasondisplayintheautocompany’sboothattheSEMAShow.
Long-block:Theshort-blockbasicsareincludedpluscylinderheads,camshaft,valvetraincomponentsandoilpan.Usually,thetimingcoverandvalvecoversareincludedand,possibly,theintakemanifold.
Turn-key:Thisisaready-to-bolt-inenginewhichmayormaynotincludeadistributor,beltpulleysorotheraccessories.Buyingthesepartsseparatelywilladdtothecost.Wantairconditioning?Thenlookforthebestdealonacrateenginepackagethatincludesalloftheneededairconditioningsystemparts.
THEPRICEOFPERFECTIONOneman’spassionforrestoringanengineafteritsrebuild
ByJohnGunnellWhenLarryFechtersaidthathecouldspendfourhoursworkingonfuellineclipsforthe’69CamaroZ/28RallySportthathewasrestoringinthewinterof2010,itbecameobviousthathesweatsthedetails.“Idon’twanttoactlikeaknow-it-allbecauseI’mnot,”Fechtersaid.“WhenI
readcarbooks,magazinearticlesandshopmanuals,Istudytheoriginalfeaturesandresearchthingslikethewaythefactorypositioned,attachedandfinishedfuelclips.”Thespecialhigh-performance290-hp,302-cidZ/28isnotonlyrebuilt,it’s
restored.Inadditiontorunninglikenew,theenginelooksnew.Thepartshavetherightpaintcolors,therightdecals,therightpartnumbers,therightclipsandboltsandtherightfinish.Fechterhadsomerecentlyrestoredenginepartsonhisimmaculateworkbench,includingthealternator.Chevroletprobablyofferedthesamebasicalternatoronothercars,butthoseinstalledon1969Z/28shadaspecialCZmarkingthatisuniquetotheZ/28,becauseitusesaspecialdeep-groovedrivebeltpulley.
RestorerLarryFechterstudiesoriginalphotosandliteratureinordertogettheproperplacementsofallstickers,certificationlabelsanddecals.
ThefullpartsnumbercodeonLarryFechter’s1969CamaroZ/28bellhousingis6858-403.Thehousingisthefactorycorrectbrightredcolor.
ThisbasicalternatorwasinmanyGMcars,butina’69CamaroZ/28,itwasmarkedwitha“CZ”codeandfittedwithadeep-groovepulley.
Fechterstressedthat,evenwithexhaustiveresearchofenginepartsnumbersanddatecodes,it’snotpossibletobe100percentcorrectallthetime.
InZ/28sthesmall-blockV-8bellhousinghad“403”asthelastthreedigitsofthecodestampedonit.
“ThethingI’vefound,whenitcomestoindividualparts,isthatalotoftimes
acarcamedowntheassemblylineand,iftheworkerwasshorttheneededpart,hewouldgrabwhatwasaroundinastoreroomorcratewithoutworryingaboutacorrectdate,sothepartscouldhavebeendatedearlier.Sometimes,thedatesaren’talwaysjustwhatthebooksays—theycouldbeearlierandyoushouldn’tbeupsetaboutthat.Productionsystemswerefarlessscientificinthe’60s.”
Restoredexhaustmanifoldsincludespecificemissionshardwareandinjectortubeholesalongthetopandhavespecificcastingnumbersonthem.
FechterspentweeksrestoringtheoutsideofhisCamaro’senginetohowitwasin1969.“MygoalisalwaystogetitbacktofactoryoriginalasmuchasIcan.Inmyloveofthehobby,that’swhatIenjoydoingoverdrivingorshowingthecar.”Tobringacarbacktohowitleftthefactory,Fechterresearcheshowthecars
wereactuallybuiltandhowpartswerefinishedontheassemblyline.Theexhaustmanifolds1969CamaroZ/28areuniqueandFechterrestoredthe
originals.Themanifolds’distinctionsincludepollutiondevices,emissionshardwareandholesalongthetopfortheinjectortubesthatarepartoftheAirInjectionReactor(A.I.R.)anti-pollutionpump.Themanifoldsalsohavespecificcastingnumbersonthem.
“Myparticularcastingnumbersareweak,liketheywillbeonmanyolderrestoredmanifoldsbythetimeyousandblastthem,”Fechtersaid.“Butthey’resouniqueandrareandoriginalthatIcanlivewiththatlittleinconsistency,butyoucanstillmakethenumbersout.”Inadditiontotheengine,Fechtermadesurethatotherpartsintheengine
compartmentwereabsolutelyastheywerewhennew.The’69CamaroZ/28camewithauniquepowerbrakeboosterwiththenumber“9204”onaverysmalltabontop.Onthebackofthesametabisadateofwhenthepartwasmanufactured.Factorynumbersdidnotindicatemodelyear,soaboostercandatefromlate1968or1969.Anotheruniqueunder-hoodpartoftheZ/28boosteristhattheDelcoMorainenameisstampedupside-down.
TheoriginalbrakeboosterhastheDelcoMorainenameupside-down;knownreproductionpartshavethenamestampedright-side-up.
“Therearemanyreproductionsthatpeopletrytopassoffasoriginal,”Fechtersaid.“Theonesfromthefactoryhavetheupside-downnameandIhavenotfoundamanufacturerwhodoesreproductionswiththenameupside-down.”Anotherspeciallycodedpartisthesmall-block’sbellhousing.Thelastdigits
ofthecodestampedintothebellhousingare“403.”Fechterwasfortunatethat
hiscarretaineditsoriginal“403”bellhousing.Fechtersaidthathiseyeforrestoringanengineandfindingalloftheproper
codes“kindofevolved.”HehadrestoredanumberofcarsbeforeworkingonthisZ/28.Hehadevenrestoredanother’69Z/28threeorfouryearsago.“Ibroughtsomeofmypracticesoverfrommypriorrestorationwork,soit’s
beenaprogressivething,”hesaid.“Butonthisone,there’ssuchdetailthatI’mtakingthingstothenextlevel.”He’sbeenworkingonthecarforatleasttwoyearsandhestillhasawaystogo.Torestoreenginecomponents,Fechterusespaintonsomepartsandpowder
coatingonothers.
Fechterhasfoundthattheletteringontheradiatorhoseshouldbevisibleandthewireandhoseroutingsareproperandcorrectlycolor-coded.
FechterreproducesanyfactorychalkmarksthatCamaroenthusiastsresearchinordertomakehisenginelooklikeafactoryfreshhi-po302.
Fechterusesspecialpaintsavailablefromhobbysourcestoreplicatethefactoryfinishofthebrakeboosterandthecast-ironmastercylinder.
“TheproductsIuseworkhandinhandandlookthesame,”hesaid.“Powdercoatingismoredurable,howeverbecauseiteliminatesnicking.Ihavelearnedtricksovertheyearsandthere’satimeandplaceforbothtypesoffinishes.”FechtercompleteshisownpowdercoatingusinganEastwoodgunanda
double-deckelectricoven.Forpainting,Fechteraddedanupdraftsprayboothtohisshopforpaintingsmallerparts,includingmostenginecomponents.Itallhelpshimattainthatlevelofrestorationheseeks.“Myhobbyisactuallytakingthetimetotakethingsapart,researchthemand
putthembacktogether,”hesaid.“WhenI’mdonewiththistypeofrestorationit’slike,OK,I’mdonewiththat,givemeadifferentonetodo.Itakemytimeandenjoymakingtheengineslookrestored.Thisismytennis,thisismygolf,thisismyfishing,thisismyhunting.”
ApieceofadviceFechterofferstolike-mindedrestorersistocheckforvintagepartsatenginerebuildingshopsthathavebeeninbusinessforalongtime.Nowthat1950sand1960scars(includingmusclecars)havebecomehotcollectibles,thoseexcesspartsfromyearsagomaybevaluablecommoditiestoday.Evenusedpartsthathaven’tbeenrebuiltcanbeworthalotofmoneytothosewhoharvestcoreswithspecificnumbercodes.
The’69Camaroscamewithdifferentexhaustsystemsatdifferenttimes,sothedesignusedtoachieveaproperrestorationmustmatchthebuilddateofthecar.
HEROICFORCERebuildingamassiveWorldWarII-eraFordGAAflathead
V-8
ByBobTomaineRecognizingaFordV-8isprettysimple,unlessithappenstobean1,100-cubic-inchmodelthatputsout500horsepowerinstockform.“It’sactuallydouble-overhead-camforeachhead,”saidBobRubino,ownerof
Mil-SpecVehicleRestorationsinBelvidere,N.J.“It’sfourcamsand32valves,fourvalvespercylinder.”
“It’sahugemotorfortheday,”saidJimKnerr,whorebuilttheFordGAAatMil-Spec.“Iliketotellpeoplethatnowadaystheycanmakea500-cubic-inchmotorwith1,000horsepower.”TheGAA’sdaywasinWorldWarII,anditsrootsareinaviation.“FordmadeanexperimentalV-12aircraftengine,”Rubinosaid,“andthiswas
adaptedfromthat.Theaircraftenginenevermadeitintoproduction,butwhentheyneededatankengine,thisiswhattheycameupwith.”
Mil-Spec’sJimKnerrreassemblestheBendix-StrombergNA-Y5Gcarburetor,whichisamuchlargerthanwhatwould’vebeenonaneverydayFordV-8ofthetime.
TheShermantank,henoted,wasdesignedforaradialenginewithhighhorsepowerandair-cooling,butradialswereneededforaircraft,andthatlimitedthenumberthatcouldbeproducedfortanks.Ford’sGAAwasoneofseveralautomotiveenginestofillthevoid,andRubinosaidthatitendedupastheonewithwhichtheArmywasmostpleased.
“It’sgotlow-endtorque,whichyouwant,andit’sgotsnap,”heexplained.“Theradialsaredogs.They’renotputtingoutpoweruntilthey’reupagainstthegovernor.”Basedonserialnumbers,morethan20,000wereproduced,hesaid,andthe
oneshownherecamefromadonortank.“Itwasamonumentthatwewereabletostripforparts,”Rubinosaid.“That
wasanM4A3Sherman.It’sgoinginanM36tankdestroyer,whichisbasicallyShermanrunninggear,butthehullisdifferent.Theywerebuiltlateinthewar.”TheM36’searlyhistoryishazy,asitwasobviouslyrebuiltfromanearlier
M10tankdestroyerthatwasprobablyaFord.Itslaterhistory,though,isknown.“Afterthewar,”Rubinosaid,“itwasgiventoYugoslaviaaspartofmutual
defenseaid.Intheearly1950s,YugoslaviaeventuallyturnedCommunistandtheiraidfromtheUnitedStatesranoutalongwiththeirsparepartsfortheGAAs.I’massumingthat,becausealloftheseFordenginesweretakenoutandRussiantankenginesoutofT55swereputin.“In1997,afellownamedBobFleminginEnglandbrokeredadealtohavea
bunchofthesetanks.TheBosnianswereusingthemintheircivilwarinthe’90sandwhenNATOwentinandthepeaceaccordwasstruck,thetankswereslatedfordestruction.ThereisonlyahandfulthatcametotheUnitedStates.IwasonthedockinLiverpoolwhenthefirstbatchcamein.Someofthemstillhadtheartilleryammunition—theammunitionforthemaingun—inthem.”RubinohelpedunloadthemandtheM36intowhichtheGAAwillbeplaced
wasamongthem.ItwenttosoutheasternPennsylvaniawhereitwascosmeticallyrestoredandthensoldtoacollectorinNewEngland.Bythattime,RubinohadstartedMil-SpecandcompletedotherrestorationsfortheM36’snewowner.WhenhecompletedaShermanlatelastyear,thetruckthatdelivereditreturnedwiththeM36.HesaidtheM36wasingoodconditionandhadprobablybeenstoredmostly
indoorsbetweenWorldWarIIandthewarinYugoslavia.Heexpectedtofind
mechanicalproblems,becauseofthecombinationofthemorepowerfulRussianengineandtheoriginaldrivelinecomponents,buteverythinghadheldupwell.“Sothisrestorationprojectinvolvesusputtingtheproperenginebackin,”
Rubinoexplained,“whichisalotmorethanjusttheengine.“Theentirewiringsystem’sgottobechanged,thefiresuppressionsystem,the
hullbulkhead.Wehadtogetanotherbulkhead,wehadtogetnewfandrives,weprobablyspentmoretimemodifyingthehull—puttingthehullbacktoitsproperconfiguration—thanrebuildingtheengine.”TheGAAdidn’treceiveanyupgradesduringtherebuild,becauseitdidn’t
needthem,thankstotheengineeringthatwentintoit.“Idon’tthinkanythingwas‘becausewecan,’”Rubinosaid,“becauseitwas
thegovernment,alwaysgoingforthelowestbidder.IthinkitwasjustanaircraftmentalityandIthink,too,that500horsepowerin1942mightaswellhavebeenajetturbineengine.Theydidn’tknowhowtobuildanenginethatcouldhandlethatkindofpower,sotheyknowthey’vegotthismassiveamountofpowerandthey’vegottobeabletoharnessitwithouttheengineblowingapart.“Everythingonthatisonneedlebearings.Thethrottleshaftsforthe
carburetorsareonneedlebearings.Eventhefingersontheclutchpressureplateareonneedlebearings.”“Thethingabouttheengineisthatit’sofahigherqualitythanmostofthe
enginesfrombackthen,becauseitwasaviationthinkingmorethananythingelse,”Knerrsaid.“High-qualitymaterials.Youhaveacast-steelcrankwhereasothersmightbeforged.There’sstuffinthatenginethatyouseetodayas‘modern’inracing.Thewristpindesigncameoutinthe’80sandtheyweresayingitwasarevolutionarydesign.It’stheoldwhat-was-old-comes-around-to-new,buttheyusemodernmaterialstomakeitevenbetter.
EvenaFordfanmoreknowledgeablethanmostwouldbeunlikelytorecognizetheGAAasaFordV-8.
“Thewholeengineassemblywasbalanced.There’saspecinthebookthatalloftherodshavetobewithinthreegrams.Therod-and-pistonassembliesweigh10lbs.each.”TheenginewascompletewhenitarrivedatMil-Spec,Knerrsaid,andthefact
thatitwasinsideofatankhadprovidedsomeprotectionovertheyears.Still,severalGAAsweredisassembledtoensurethathehadthepartsnecessarytorebuildit,andnewcylindersleevesweremachinedbasedonForddrawings.RubinosaidthattheGAAisn’tknownforanychronicweaknesses.“Theonlyrealproblemwiththem—andthisissomethingwe’reprobably
goingtohavetoaddressinthefuturewithmoremodernparts—isthesparkplugs,”hesaid.“Theyfoullikeyoucan’tbelieveandeachtimeyoucleanthem,yougetlessandlesstimebetweenservices.Almost20yearsago,wecouldstillgetthemfromChampionandtheywereover$75aplug.Idon’tknowwhetheryoucangetthemtoday,andIcanonlyimaginewhatthey’dcost.Onthisone,wewerelucky.Ihadbrandnewoldstockplugsforit.”
TheWWII-eraM36wasdevelopedtoprovidethemilitarywithamoreheavilyarmedtankdestroyertodealwithincreasinglyheavyGermanarmor.Itwasarmedwitha90mmgun
andanopen-toppedturret.
TheNOSplugswerefineandtheenginestartedonthestandonitsfirsttry.It’sbeentest-runseveraltimessinceandRubinorecalledthefirsttimehe’drebuiltaGAA.“Igotitstarted,”hesaid.“Itwasrunningreallyniceforprobablynotmore
than10minutesandthenitdied.Ispentthenexthalf-daylookingfortheproblem,onlytofindoutthatthejerrycanwasempty.“Howmuchgasdoesittaketofeed1,100cubicinches?Iknowfromour
experiencethatthisparticularengineinateststandisgoingthroughagalloneverythreeminutes.”
BobRubino,ownerofMil-SpecVehicleRestorations,checkstemperaturesduringatestrunoftheGAA.
GAAshavebeenusedintractor-pullingandKnerrsaidhe’sseenphotosoftheminroadvehicles,buthe’sneverseenonerunning.RubinospokeofatractorwhoseGAAsufferedablock-explosionduringapull,sofueleconomymightnotbetheonlyconsideration.
Whetherit’sarealisticengineforavehicletodayisthusopentodebate,butthepointisthattheGAAdiditsjobasintended.Rubinoemphasizedthatitsprecisiondesigndidn’tpreventitfromholdingup,eventhoughalongservicelifewasn’tthehighestpriorityforaweapon.“Thewholethingwasexpendable,”hesaid,“andyetitwasbuiltassomething
thatcouldberebuiltforever.”
‘57CHRYSLERGETSAMUCH-NEEDEDBOOST
NewbrakeboosterhasSaratogareadytorollagain
Theoriginalbrakeboosterunitinthis1957ChryslerSaratoganeededtobereplaced.Inevitably,rubberpieceswearoutthroughtime,andaMoparunitisbasicallyarubber
accordianthatmovesbackandforthasthebrakepedalisused.
ByBrianEarnestJodyStuckhadahardtimebelievingithimself.ThelongtimeownerofMidwestClassicRestorationsinOneida,Wis.,hasrestoredmorecarsthanhecancount,andworkedonscoresoffinnedMoparsfromthelate1950s,includingground-uprestorationsonmanyofthem.Somehow,though,Stuckcouldn’tseemtorecalleverhavingtodoabrakeboosterswapononeofthebig,beautifulChryslers.“Thismightbethefirst,”hejoked.Thejobofputtingarefurbishedboosterunitina1957ChryslerSaratoga
didn’tturntobeoverlydifficultforStuck.Infact,itwentabitquickerthanheexpected.“IfiguredI’dhavetogetupunderthedashandseewhatwasunderthere,”hesaid.“Withalotoftheseboosters,youhavetodisconnectthingsunderthedashbeforeyoucanpullthemout.Thisonewasn’tlikethat.”StuckknewhewouldhavetoswaptheboosterunitontheSaratogaafterthe
carbeganrunningroughandbrakingpoorly.“Ithadahugevacuumleakandtheenginejustdidn’trunproperly.Wheneveryouhaveavacuumleak,that’samajorissue,”hesaid.“IdidsometroubleshootingwiththebrakesandvacuumcanisterbeforeIfigureditwasthebrakebooster...Itjustranreallyroughanderraticwiththevacuumleak.Wepluggedoffthecanisterandunhookedtheboosterandthentheengineranalotbetter,soweknewwhatitwas.”
Theoriginalbrakeboosterissecuredtothefirewallonthedriver’ssidewithabracketandfourtosixmountingbolts.Onthiscar,themastercylinderisboltedtothesamemountingplate,sothefirststepbeforeremovingtheboosterunitisremovingthemastercylinder.
Afterthat,themountingbracketcancomeoff.
Theboosterhasavacuumhosethatattachestoasmalltankthatstoresvacuumforthebrakes.“Whenwepulledthehoseoffthetank,youcanhearvacuum,soweknowthetankisfine,”Stucksaid.“Buttheunitwasnon-operational,Iguessyoucouldsay.Theboosterfoldsupwhenyousteponthebrakaes.Youthinkof50,60yearsofdoingthat,therubber
justbreaksdown.That’swhathappenedwiththisone.Thisisprobablytheoriginalbooster.”
StuckhadpurchasedarebuiltChryslerbrakeboosterunitfromBoosterDewey(www.boosterdeweyexchange.com)inPortland,Ore.Thecompanycaneitherrestoreanexistingbooster,orsupplyanewunitformanydifferentmodels.InStuck’scase,hewentwithanewunitandwillsendintheoldboosterfromtheSaratogatoberestoredforfutureuseinanothercar.Theboosterswapwasprettystraightforward:unboltthemastercylinderfrom
themountingplateitshareswiththebooster,removetheboosterandbracketfromthefirewall,thenboltinafreshlyrefurbishedunitfromBoosterDeweyunitusingtheexistinghardware.Theaccompanyingsequenceofphotosshowshowhedidit.
Themountingplateandbrakeboosterareremovedtogether.Theplatewillbere-usedwiththenewbooster.Atrightweseetheculprit—alargetearinthebottomsideoftheboosterthatrobbedtheChryslerofengineperformanceandstoppingpower.“Ifyou’veeverdrivenacarwithoutpowerbrakes,youknowhowharditistostop,”Stucksaid.“Whenyoutakeacarthathaspowerbrakesandthepowerunitisnotworking,it’sworseyet.Youputtwo
feetonthebrake,andyou’restillnotstopping.”
ThenewboosterunitfromBoosterDeweyisidenticaltotheoriginalunitandwillboltrightin.“Onthe‘50sDodges,Chryslers,PlymouthsandDeSotos,theyareallmounted[the
same],”Stucknotes.“Theyareallidentical.”
Theoldmountingbracketisboltedtothenewbooster.Stuckwouldordinarilyrepaintthebrackettospruceitup,butinthiscasetheSaratogaisgoingtocomebacklaterthisyearforafullrestoration,sothebracketrepaintcanwait.TheoldboosterunitwilleventuallygetsentintoBoosterDeweyandgetrefurbished—hopefullytogetasecondlifein
anotherMopar.
Ahoseclamppliershelpsremovetheoldhoseclampfromthevacuumhose.
Themountingplateandboosteraremountedbackonthefirewallandthelinkagetothebrakepedalandtheconnectionstothevacuumtankandintakemanifold—whichsuppliesvacuumfromtheengine—arereattached.Whenthebrakepedalisdepressed,theboostercontractsasitshould(left).ForStuck,that’sonebrakeboosterdownandtwotogo.“I’m
workingonthree’57Chryslersatthemoment,andallthreeofthemareinneedofreplacement,”hejoked.
FUELEDBYFRUSTRATIONFixingfaultyfuelgauges
ByWilliamC.“Bill”Anderson,P.E.Thefuelgaugeisoneofanautomobile’smostimportantinstruments.Anaccurategaugehelpskeeponefromrunningoutoffuel,oratleastindicateswhenmoreisneeded.However,somebelievethatcarsgenerategasorthatsomeoneelsewillfillthetank.Doesthatsoundfamiliar?Faultyfuelgaugesareacommonproblemincollectorcars.Sometimesthisis
duetosittinginanunfavorableenvironment,andsometimesitisduetooldage;everythingwearsoutsoonerorlater.And,itisasensitiveinstrument.But,itissimpletotestandmostproblemsareeasytofix.MyexperiencewithfuelgaugeshasbeenprimarilywithGeneralMotorscars,butmuchofwhatfollowsisgenerallyapplicabletomanyothers.Thefuelgaugeiscomposedoftwocomponents:asenderinthetankanda
gaugeontheinstrumentpanel.Thesenderconsistsofafloatonanarmthatvariestheresistancethesenderappliestothecircuitwithgauge.GMcarsfromthe1930stothe1960soperateona30ohmscale.Atzeroohmsinthesender,thefloatisonthebottomofthetankandthegaugeshouldreadempty.At30ohms,thefloatisatthetopofitstravelandthegaugeshouldreadfull.Thesendermustbegroundedtooperateproperly.Thelackofagoodgroundisoftenthereasonthegaugedoesnotworkproperly.
Thewhitewireinthisfuelgaugegroundsthesenderbodydirectlytotheframe.
GaugeReadsFullAtAllTimesIfthefuelgaugereadsfullatalltimes,theprobablecausesare:•Thewirebetweenthesenderandgaugeisbrokenand/ortheconnectionsare
notgood.•Theresistancewireinthesenderisbroken.•Thesenderisnotgroundedand/orthetankisnotgroundedtothechassis.Todeterminewhatiscausingtheproblem:•Removethewirefromtheterminalonthesenderandgroundittothe
chassis.Ifthegaugenowreadsempty,thesenderisnotgroundedorthesenderisbad.•Groundatestleadandtouchittothesendingunitterminalonthebackof
thedashgauge(itisoftenmarkedwitharedpapertag).Ifthegaugenowreadsempty,thewirebetweenthesenderandgaugeisbroken,orthereisapoorconnectionatthegauge.•Removethesenderfromthetankandconnectoneleadofanohmmeterto
thesenderterminalandtheotherleadtothesenderhousing.Then,movethefloatarmandobservetheresistanceasthefloatarmismoved;itshouldvaryfrom0to30ohms.
Iftheforegoingtestsdonotidentifytheproblem,thenthedashgaugeisbadanditmustberebuilt.
GaugeReadsEmptyAtAllTimesIfthefuelgaugereadsemptyatalltimes,theprobablecausesare:•Thewirebetweenthesenderandgaugeisshortedtoground.•Thesendingunitisshortedinternally.•Thefloathasaholeandnolongerfloats.Todeterminewhatiscausingtheproblem:•Removethewirefromthecontactstudonthesender.Ifthegaugenowreads
full,thesenderisfaulty.•Disconnectthewirefromsenderterminalatthedashgauge.Ifthegauge
nowreadsfull,thewirebetweenthesenderandgaugeisshortedtoground.
RepairsRepairingfaultywiresorconnectionsisstraightforward.Toensureagood
ground,Ialwaysinstallashortwirefromthesendertotheframe(notethewhitewireinPhoto1).Ifthesenderisreplacedwithanewunitoranaftermarketreplacement,itis
advisabletocheckthatitperformscorrectlybeforeputtingitinthetank.Usethetestproceduredescribedearlier.Ifthedashgaugeneedsrepair,thisworkshouldbedonebythosewho
specializeininstrumentrepairs;manyofferthisservice.
WilliamC.“Bill”Anderson,P.E.,hasbeeninvolvedwiththeautomotivehobbyformorethan40years.ThroughAndersonAutomotiveEnterprises—www.andersonautomotiveenterprises.com—herestoresandappraisescars.
AIRCONDITIONINGSYSTEMBASICS
Howtokeepanoldcarcool
ByWilliamC.“Bill”Anderson,P.E.Manycollectorcarownerswonderwhattodoabouttheirairconditioning(A/C)systemsasever-changinggovernmentregulationsdictatethetypeofrefrigerantsallowed.In1994,Freon,orR-12,wasoutlawedandreplacedbyR-134aandthatisnowbeingreplaced.Beforeaddressinghowbesttocopewiththesechanges,areviewofA/Csystembasicsisinorder.
RefrigerationSystemTheoryAutomobileA/Csystemsoperateonasingle-stagevaporcompression
refrigerationcycleasshowninFigure1.Refrigerationistheprocessofremovingheatfromaconfinedspaceandtransferringitelsewhere.Thesystemshownusestherefrigeranttoabsorbtheheatfromthespacetobe
cooledandtransfersitelsewhereusingfourmaincomponents:anevaporator,acompressor,acondenserandanexpansionvalve.Thecirculatingrefrigerantentersthecompressorasasaturatedvaporandiscompressedtoahigherpressure.Theresultisahighertemperaturetoasuperheatedvaporstateatwhichitcanbecondensedbycoolingairpassingthroughthetubinginthecondenser.Inthecondenser,thecapturedheatisrejectedandcarriedawaybythecoolingairandtherefrigerantischangedtoasaturatedliquid.Theliquidrefrigerantisroutedthroughanexpansionvalvewhereitspressureisabruptlyreduced,whichresultsintheflashevaporationofpartoftheliquidandloweringthetemperatureoftheliquid/vapormixturetoonethatislowerthanthespacetobecooled.The
coldmixtureisroutedthroughthetubingoftheevaporator.Afancirculatesthewarmairinthespacetobecooledovertheevaporatortubes.Thecirculatingrefrigerantintheevaporatorabsorbstheheatfromtheenclosedspaceandthecyclerepeats.
AutoA/CSystemComponentsFigure2presentsaschematicconfigurationofthetypicalautomotiveA/C
system.Thecompressoristheheartofthesystem.Althoughtheconfigurationofthispumpcanvary,thetypicalcapacityisabout27,000BTUs(BritishThermalUnits)or2“tons”ofcoolingat2,000rpm.Thisisthetypical“average”summertimeheatloadfromthesunandoutdoortemperatureontheexposedsurfacesofacar’spassengercompartment.Thecompressorisbelt-drivenandthepulleysizedsothatitoperatesatabout1,000rpmatidleand6,000rpmat100mphformostcollectorcars.Thepulleyisintegralwithanelectricallyactuatedclutchsothatitcanbedisconnectedwhencoolingisnotdesired.
Theautomotivecondenserislocatedinfrontoftheradiatorandisquitesimilarinappearance.Asthecompressedrefrigerantvaporpassesthroughthecondenserfromtoptobottom,airispassedthroughthefinsandtubingbytheactionofthecoolingfanormovementofthecar.Thetemperatureoftheoutdoorair,thespeedofthefan,andthespeedofthecardeterminetheextentofcooling.Thecooledvaporbecomesaliquidandflowstothebottomofthecondenser
andthenisroutedtothedryer/receiver.Thedryer/receivercontainsadesiccantmaterialthatremoveswaterandimpuritiesfromtheliquidrefrigerant.Theclean,liquidrefrigerantistemporarilystoredwithinthedryer/receiver.Somedryer/receiverscontainasightglasspermittingtheobservationoftheliquidrefrigerantflow.Ifproperlycharged,thereshouldbenoairbubblesvisibleinthesightglass.
Theexpansionvalve,orsometimesafixedorifice,meterstheflowofliquidrefrigerantinresponsetotheneedsoftheevaporator.Itoperatesbysensingthepressureandtemperatureoftherefrigerantvaporleavingtheevaporatortoassurethattheentireliquidrefrigeranthasbeenvaporized.Ifliquidrefrigerantentersthecompressor,damagetothecompressorcouldresult.Thesuctionthrottlingvalve[POA(pilotoperatedabsolute)valve]maintains
theevaporatoratatemperatureabovefreezingbynotallowingthesuctionpressuretofallbelow28poundspersquareinchgauge(psig).Itdoesthisbyspringpressure.Ifpressurerisesabove28psig,thevalveopens,allowingmorerefrigerantvaporthroughtothecompressor.Ontheairsideofthesystem,anenclosurehousestheevaporatorcoilanda
heatingcoilthatissuppliedbyhotwaterfromtheenginethroughwhichacentrifugalsquirrelcagefanpushesair.Airisroutedfromtheoutsideorfromthecar’sinteriorovertheevaporatororheatercoilbyasystemofmanuallyorvacuum-operateddampersandthroughdashandflooroutlets.
Sizingthesecomponentstofunctioninvaryingclimatesfromwintertosummerthroughouttheworldandtobemanufacturedatanaffordablecostrequiredaseriesofcompromises.Thedesignprocesstookintoaccountsurfaceareaofmetalandglassofthepassengercompartment,airflowquantities,compressordisplacement,heattransferareaoftheevaporatorandanticipatedconditions,plusenginespeed,outdoortemperatures,humidityandheattransferthroughglass.Throughthedesignprocessandtestingofthesystem,theengineersdeterminedtheactualperformanceofthesystemundervaryingtemperatureandhumidityconditions.Mostshopmanualsprovidethisdatafor
diagnosisofsystemperformanceandproblems.Thewarmertheoutsideairandthehigherhumidity,thegreatertheloadappliedtotheA/Csystem.Asthetemperatureclimbs,particularlyoverthecondenser,thecompressorhastoworkharderandisabletocirculatelessrefrigerant.Withlessrefrigerantcirculating,thesystemhaslesscapacitytocooltheairbeingforcedovertheevaporator.And,ifhumidityishigh,ittakesevenmorerefrigerantcirculationtocoolanddehumidifytheair.
RefrigerantsTheidealrefrigerantwillhavefavorablethermodynamicproperties,benon-
corrosivetosystemcomponents,andbesafe.Whilemanychemicalscanberefrigerants,notallpossiblechemicalsareideal.TheautomotiveindustrysettledonFreon(R-12),achlorofluorocarbon,becauseitwasnon-flammableandnon-toxic,anditsthermodynamicpropertieswerebestsuitedforthepracticalconsiderationsofautomobileA/Csystems.Itwasusedfromtheearliestdaysuntil1995.Then,itsusewasoutlawedbecauseofitspotentialtodepleteatmosphericozone.ThereplacementrefrigerantchosenbecauseofitsminimalimpactonozonewasR-134a,ahydrochloroflourocarbon.Mostrecently,globalwarmingconcernshavedictatedabandoningR-134a.ThelateststandardsrequireautomotiveA/Csystemstousearefrigerantwithaglobalwarmingpotential(GWP)of150orless.TheGWPofR-134ais1410.
ImpactsonCollectorCarsMostoftoday’scollectorcarswithA/CsystemsweredesignedtouseFreon,
whichwasoutlawedin1995,withallcomponentssizedtoavehicle’sthermodynamicproperties.Also,since1995,thoseworkingonautomotiveA/CsystemsmustbecertifiedbytheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.Additionally,itisillegaltoventarefrigeranttotheatmosphere.So,itisbesttoleaveA/Cworktothosecertified.However,ifacertifiedtechnicianevacuates
therefrigerant,anyonecanremoveandreplaceA/Ccomponents.Chargingtherepairedsystemmustalsobeperformedbyacertifiedtechnician.Whiletheprimaryconcernsaretherefrigeranttypeandmaintainingaproper
charge,evena1993caris20yearsold.So,IrecommendedthatifsomeworkontheA/Csystemisneeded,theentiresystemshouldberestoredtoas-newforoptimumperformance.Specialistsexistthatcanrebuildexistingunits,andfunctionalreplacementsexistifoneisnotconcernedaboutauthenticity.ThereplacementrefrigerantcanbeFreon.ItisstillavailabletoEPA-certified
technicians,althoughsomewhatexpensivecomparedtoR-134a($13to$20perpoundvs.$3.50to$4perpound).Additionally,giventhat20yearshaselapsed,notallshopshaveretainedtheequipmentneededtohandleFreonasitcan’tbemixedwithR-134a.However,usingFreonwithafullyrestoredsystemensuresthatitwillfunctionasitdidwhennew.Today’scommonrefrigerant,R-134a,canbeusedinasystemoriginally
designedforFreon.However,itisnecessarytochangetheoilinthesystem.AutomotiveA/Csystemscarrytheoilneededforessentialcompressorlubricationwithintherefrigerant.R-134arequiresasyntheticoilcontainingestersinsteadofmineraloilusedwithFreon.ItisalsonecessarytochangethefittingstoacceptR-134achargingequipment.EarlyadviceonconversiontoR-134asuggesteditwasnecessarytochangethesystemsealsandhoses.Experiencehasproventhisnottobetrue.Additionally,ithasalsobeenestablishedthatasystemdesignedforFreonshouldbechargedto90percentofitsfullcapacitywithR-134atoobtainoptimumperformance.Shopmanualsprovidesystemrefrigerantcapacitiesandoilquantities.ThedownsideofusingR-134ainasystemdesignedforFreonisa10to20percentreductionincoolingcapacity;somesayitisasmuchas30percent.Thismayormaynotbeasignificantissue,dependingonhowthecollectorcarisusedandtheoperatingambienttemperatureconditions.
Summary
Collectorcarairconditioningsystemswillbenefitfromacomprehensiverestorationtorestoreoptimumperformanceandeliminatenaggingrefrigerantleaks.Freon,thedesignrefrigerantformostofthesesystems,remainsavailableandwillmaximizeanoriginalsystem’scoolingpotential.R-134arefrigerantcanalsobeusedifappropriateproceduresarefollowed.Therearenoothersimplereplacementrefrigerants.Whilethereareotheravailablerefrigerants,theirinstallationrequirespreciseservicingtechniques.
SECTIONFOUR
GENERAL
THEPRANCINGHORSESTABLEForFerrariowners,MotionPerformancehasbecomethe
goldstandard
ByAngeloVanBogartFromasmallWisconsinshed,WayneObrygroomedhisrestorationbusinessover35yearsintoapreeminentFerrarirestorationsourcewiththeworld’shighestaccoladestoitscredit.Nearly50employeesnowrolloutasmanyassixcompleteFerrarirestorationseachyearfromthethreebuildingsthatmakeupMotionProductsInc.(MPI)inthehuddledcityofNeenah,Wis.AndeachofthoserestorationsisworthyofthelawnsatthePebbleBeachConcoursd’ElegancetoItaly’sConcorsod’EleganzaVillad’Este.HowObryevolvedfromaone-stallshophousingaJaguarin1979toaworld-
renownedFerrarirestorationshopwiththousandsofsquarefootagecanbepinpointedtoonecustomer,accordingtoMPIprojectmanagerDustinWetmore.“AguynamedJoeMarchetti(ofInternationalAutoInc.)thatdidalotof
Ferraridealingandservicehad[Obry]pickupacar,anditwasbasicallyjustausedcarspiff-up,”Wetmoresaid.“Marchettisaid,‘Ifyoudogoodforme,we’llkeepsendingyoucars.Ifyoudobadforme,you’llnevertouchanotherFerrariagain.’”
RestoredcarsshowcasedatMPI’s2013openhouseincluded,fromlefttoright,aone-off1953Ferrari375AmericaCoupeSpeciale;1951Ferrari340AmericaCoupe,1952Ferrari
342AmericaCabrioletandaone-off1954Ferrari375PlusCabrioletSpeciale.
Obry’sworkwasclearlymetwithsatisfaction,andmoreredheadswearingtheprancinghorsegallopedintotheshop.However,WetmoresaidthatitwasaFerrari250LongWheelBaseCaliforniaSpiderrestorationthatputMPIontheradarofFerrariownersaroundtheworldabout20yearsago.ThatFerrarimadeasplashatthePebbleBeachConcoursd’Elegance,anditwasthefirstswingofaone-twopunchthatbroughtMPItotheforefrontamongFerrariowners.“Theeventthatsolidified[MPI]wasaFerrari212exportwithaPininFarina
bodytheyrestoredandbroughttoPebbleBeachthatendedupbeingthefirst100-pointFerrariatPebbleBeach,”Wetmoresaid.“Oncethathappens,youprettymuchcan’thelpbutbenoticed.”Maintainingsuchahighlevelofqualityoftenmeanscontrollingmanyofthe
aspectsofrestoration.FacedwiththeneedtoreproducetheunobtainablerarevintageFerraripartsrequiredfor100-pointrestorations,MPIsoonbegancreatingpartsforitsprojects.Today,theshopcanbuildalmostanythingthatarestorationrequires,whetheritbeforaFerrarioranyoftheotherdomesticorforeigncarsitrestores.
A1962Ferrari400SuperamericaCoupeLongWheelBaseinthefinalthroesofreassembly.
“Withourcadcamcapabilityand3Dscanningandlow-volumemachining,wehavetheequipmenttomakeparts,”Wetmoresaid.Someparts,suchasemblems,aremadeoneatatime,whileotheritems,suchascastenginepartsordistributors,maybemadeinmultiplesandaddedtoinventory.Thosepartsarethenmadeavailableasneededtocustomersorotherrestorers.MPI’scapabilitiesareusedonmorethanitssixorsocompleteFerrari
restorationsperyear.Atanytime,thereareabout50carsamongMPI’sthreebuildings.Somewillreceivefullrestorations,butmostwillreceivepartialrestorations,mechanicalbuilds,maintenanceworkoracombinationoftheseservices.ThecarsandtheworkthatbringsthemtoMPIareasdiverseasthebusiness’
skills.AmongthecarsonhandrecentlywereaDatsun240Z,aCamaroresto-modandaMercedes-BenzGullwing.Beforeeachleavestheshop,itwillbe
thoroughlytested.NocarundergoesmorescrutinythanonethatreceivesacompleterestorationinthecareofMPI.ThereisastrictprocessforcarsthatreceivefullrebuildsatMPI.Onceacar
entersthedoors,thestaffatMPIhastheownerfilloutwhatheexpectsfromtherestorationtoreflecthowthecarwillbeused(pointsand/orconcours-judged,racecar,driver,etc.).Thecarisassignedajobnumbertoidentifyitanditspartsandaroughscheduleofmilestonesforprogressisdetermined.Then,itisimmediatelyplacedintoObry’sexperiencedhands.Foranentireweek,Obrydrivesthecartoandfromtheshop,makingnotesregardingavehicle’sweakpointsthatwillneedtobeaddressedintherestoration.“Thatwayweknowwhatwearegettinginto,”Wetmoresaid.“Hecan
determinethebrakeandsteeringperformance.Anydriveabilityconcernisnoted,nomatterhowminiscule.Thenwe’lldoafullelectricalevaluationandwe’lllookitovertoseeifanypartsareincorrect...sowecancomeupwithalistofpartswemayneedtoreplace.Webasicallyhavetovetallthecomponentsofthecartorestorethecarascorrectlyaswecan.”Thecaristhenresearchedtoensureitisauthenticallyrestoredwhileit’s
componentsarethoroughlyphotographedrightdowntothepartnumbers,bulbs,lensesandengravings.Ifthereareincorrectcomponents—andinthecaseofFerraris,manyhavebeenupgradedwithlaterparts—MPIreplacesthemwithrestoredparts,orpartsitmustmake.Thesubjectcarthengoestothededicateddisassemblyroom,whereitistorn
down.ComponentsthatmustberestoredaresenttovariousareasofMPIsothatwhenthechassisandbodyarepainted,thepartsarereadytobere-installed.“Oncewehaveaworklistputtogether,westartmetalrepairsandwhileall
thatisgoingon,theengineisbeingrebuilt,thetransmissionisbeingrebuiltandthecomponentsaregettingrebuilt,”Wetmoresaid.“It’ssuchahugeadvantagetohavethosepartsdoneandwaitingtogowhenthebodyisdone.Wetrytotaketheexperiencethatadealershiplinetechwouldhave.Wetrytotakethatkindof
mentalityandthatkindofthinking.Thatway,attheend,therearelesssurprisesandlesschanceoferror.”
A1960Ferrari250SeriesIIPininFarinacabriolet(left)anda1962Ferrari250SeriesIIPininfarinacabrioletarebeingrestoredsimultaneouslyfortworelatedmen.
Thecar’scomponentsallofthewayuptotheenginearealsotestedontheshop’sdynosbeforetheyareinstalledonthecar.Thismethodologyensuresthecomponentsarefullysortedbeforetheygointothecar,thusavoidingpotentialscratchesordamagetofreshpaintandbodywork.ThewholerestorationprocessonaFerrariinaverageconditioncantakeas
littleas12months,acredittoMPI’sefficiencyandexpertise.Thefinalstepisaroadtestthatensuresthecarisreadytobedeliveredtotheowner,whetheritbeonashowfield,racetrackortohishome.AsMPIexpandsitsexpertisetoLamborghiniandadditionalforeignand
domesticmarques,expectthosedaysofthetinyshedtolookmorequaintby
eachaccoladewitheachpassingyear.
MOTIONPRODUCTSINC.8540StateRoad76Neenah,WI54956920-725-4688
www.mpi-ferrari.com
KEN’SKLASSICS:OFFTHEBEATENPATH
High-endrestoshopisahiddengeminDairyland
StoryandphotosbyBrianEarnestWhoeversaid“locationiseverything”whenitcomestorealestateprobablyhasn’tbeentoKen’sKlassics.Tobefair,theaccomplishedandaward-winningclassiccarrestorationshopisn’texactlyinthemiddleofnowhere,butasthejokegoes,youseenowherefromthere.Somehow,ownerandfounderKenStadelehasturnedwhatshouldbehis
shop’sbiggesthurdle—thefactthatit’srunfromanunassuminglittlebuildinginthemiddleofruralWisconsinfarmcountry,manymilesfromthenearestdecent-sizedcity—intooneofthecompany’sbiggestcharms.Whenyoubringyourcollectorcartotheshop,locatedjustoutsidethetinycommunityofMuscoda(pronounced“Muss-ka-day”)youcouldprobablyparkitoutfrontandleavethekeysinwiththemotorrunningandeverythingwouldbejustfine.
Ken’sKlassicshasalonghistoryoftacklingbigpre-warClassicmachines,butitcanhandlesmallertoys,too,suchasthis1969Datsun2000roadster.
“AlotofpeoplethoughtIwaspossiblybarkingupadeadtree,becauseMuscodaisnotexactlythecenteroftherestorationfield,”Stadelerecallswithalaugh,thinkingbacktohisdecisionin1981tosellhischemicalstrippingbusinessinMilwaukee,Wis.,andstarthisowncollectorcarventurebackonthefamilyfarm.“Butthenicethingaboutrestorationsthattakelongerispeoplearemorewillingtotravel.PeoplearenotgoingtocometoMuscodatodoa10-hourjob,butwhenyouaredoingseveralthousandhours,theydon’tmindtraveling.
KenStadeleopenedKen’sKlassicsinruralMuscoda,Wis.,morethan31yearsago.Almostsincethebeginning,theshophasspecializedinhigh-qualityrebuildsofhigh-end
collectorcars.
“Fortunately,ithasallworkedout.”Thebusinessgamblehasdonefarmorethanjustworkoutforthefriendlyand
chattyStadele.Ken’sKlassicshaslongbeenoneoftheleadingClassicandprewarrestorationoperationsintheMidwest.Thehitlistofcollectorcarsthathavecomeandgonefromtheshopislongandimpressive:rarePackardsandPierce-Arrows,Cords,Auburns,Ferraris,Rolls-Royces,Cadillacs,Lincolns,Porsches,Jaguars,HemiMopars,vintagemusclecarsand1950sfavoritesofallflavors.Stadele’sresumewouldbetheenvyofalmostanyshop.Ithasallgonethewayhehadhopedwhenheandhiswife(thengirlfriend)
Debbielaunchedthebusiness31yearsago,mostlybecauseStadelehasstucktohisvisionforasuccessfulandsustainablerestorationbusiness.“EventhoughIgetmostofmyworkoutofcities,Ijustlikecountryliving,so
Ihadthevisionofbuildingashopbackhereanddoingrestorations,”hesaid.“Thelandwasprettyeconomical(laughs).Thiswaspartofourfarm!Andtherewasnozoningherebackthen.Onedaywehaddairycowsonthisland,thenextdaywehadbulldozers.”Partoftheconstructionprocessinvolvedbuildingahomethatisattachedto
theshopandoffice.DebbieandKenhavelivedtheresincethedoorsofthebusinessopened.Theonlyrealchangecamebackin1999whena1,500-squarefootadditiongavethecrewsomemoreroomtooperate.Kenalmostcertainlycouldhaveexpandedfurtherandkeptaddingemployees,butthatwouldhavegoneagainsthisgutinstincts.
This1956Mercuryisreadytostartbeingreassembled.Thebodywork,paintandframearealldoneandreadytobereunited.
This1957ThunderbirdcametoKen’sKlassicsforafullground-uprestoration.Itawaitsanewinterior.
“I’mkindofafirmbelieverthatbiggerisn’talwaysbetter,”Stadelesaid.“IknewthatwiththisamountofsquarefootageIcouldn’tdoitonmyown,andIknewIneededtohaveaminimumofthreeorfouremployees,andmaybeamaximumofsevenoreight.Currentlywehavesixguysherefulltimeandonehalftime.”Rightfromthebeginning,Stadelewasabletospecializeinhigher-endcars
andprewarClassics.Hesoongainedareputationforturningouthigh-qualitycarsandthephonehasn’tstoppedringingsince,withcustomersshowingupfromalloverthecountry,andevenoverseas.Allthewhiletheformulaforsuccesshasremainedthesame—don’tcompromiseonquality,befairandfriendlytoeverybody,anddon’ttakeonajobunlesstheshopandthecustomerareonthesamepage.ThatrecipehasbroughtonegreatcarafteranothertoMuscoda,usuallyforafullground-up,factory-correctrebuild.“WedoverylittleofwhatIwouldcallnon-stockrestorations,”Stadelesaid.
“WhenIstartedoutherein1981,Ithinkthesecondjobwedidwasa’33PackardSuperEightconvertible,anditwasforasministerfromDubuque[Iowa].WhenIfirststarted,itwasbasicallyallpre-warcarsandIstillenjoythelooksofthePackardandAuburnsandPierce-Arrowsmorethansomeoftheothercars.That’skindofwhatwe’reknownfor.Iwouldhavetoadditup,butIthinkwe’vedoneeightor10Pierce-Arrowsandtherejustaren’talotofthoseoutthere.“We’vedonesomestreetrods,andwe’vedonesomestreetrodsthatwere
builtyearsagoandtheycomeinforafresheninguporarepainting,butwe’rereallynotintotheexoticstreetrodsandthechassisthatarejustsooverthetop.That’sawholeotherballgame.”
A1957ChevroletBelAirawaitsfinishingtouchesintheshop’sassemblyroom.
Stadelesighsalittlebitwhenhetalksaboutalotofthe“messy”projectcarstheshoptakeson.Quiteoften,heandhiscrewhavetoridetotherescuebecauseanothershophasdroppedtheball.“Ineveractuallycounted,butbetweenhalfandtwo-thirdsofthejobswedocomeoutofothershopswherethey’veeitherlostinterestorgoneunder,orrestorationsthathavestoppedforonereasonoranother,”hesays.“Ihaveeightorninecarshererightnow,andfiveofthemhavecomeoutofothershops.“Therearesomecustomersthathavestartedabigprojectandmaybeit’s
somethingthey’veneverdonebefore,andsometimestheygetoverwhelmedandmovefromonelocationoranother,ortheyneedthemoneytoputakidthroughschoolandtheyhavetostoptheirproject.Wegetalotofprojectslikethatthatjustgetabandoned.”’Asidefromchromeplating,upholsteryandheavymachining,theshophandles
everythingin-houseandStadele’screwclearlymarchesinlockstepwithhismeticulousattentiontodetailcarefulorganization.Theshopisbrightandclean,andthereishardlyatooloutofplace.Thesix-mancrewallwearsmatching
blackKen’sKlassicsshirts,andtogetherthesixhavemorethan100yearsintherestorationbusiness.T.J.Krueger,theshopforeman,hasbeenwiththebusinessalmostsincethe
dayhegotoutofschoolin1986.Heistheshop’smainpainterandoneofthebigreasonsKen’sKlassicshasearnedareputationforturningoutpaintjobsthatmatchthehigh-endcarsthatcomeoutoftheshop.“Everybodyherehastheirstrengths,andeverybodycanpainttoacertainextent,”Stadelesaid.“Wetrytoputroundpegsinroundholes.T.J.isanoutstandingpaintersohedoesmostofourpainting.“Mostpeople,whentheygotoacarshow,thefirstthingthatpeoplewillsee
ornoticeisthepaint.We’rekindofknownforourhigh-qualitypaint.WearePPGcertifiedfromthefactory,andeverythingwedoisstrippeddowntothebaremetal.Weneverpaintoveranything,sowhenwestripstuffdowntobaremetal,usetheirproductsfortheprimersandallofthat,basecoat,clearcoat,thenpeoplegetalifetimeguarantee…That’sthewayweliketodoit.”Inthecompany’searlydays,Kenwasahands-onowner,workingonthecars
andspendinghisdaysintheshop.Thosedaysarelonggonefortheboss,however.Hestaysbusyrunningtheshop,liningupcars,visitingownersandtravelingtoseecars.“Afteryougetafewemployeesyouneedmorecarstokeepthebusinessandsomyjobmovedintotheofficefulltime.Imissit,butIprobablyhaven’tpaintedacarfor35years,”hesaid.“Ienjoymeetingthepeople.That’sthepartIenjoymost.”Thevastmajorityoftheworkintheshopinvolvescustomer’scars,butthe
bossbringsinaprojectofhisownonceinawhile,too.“I’vegenerallydoneacarformyselfeverytwoyearsorso.Ilikethehunt,findingabasketcaseandfixingitup.Ienjoyfindingthem,fixingthemup,thensellingthemandstartingallover.”
Atwo-tonegreen1940DeSotosedanisalmostreadytoreturntoitsowner.
Stadeleoftenhastohittheroadtogovisitwithownersandcheckoutpotentialprojects.Hesaysherolledupbigmilesinhis2008Corvettethissummermeetingfacetofacewithcarownersanddiscussingplansfortheircars.“ItrytosetupanappointmenttoseeavehiclewhereIcangototheirlocationandseeitinperson,”hesaid.“Ialwayslikehavingthecustomerandthevehicleandmealltogethersowecankickideasaroundtogether.”Asofteconomyinrecentyearshasledtoevenmoremilesandmoreroad
trips.Stadelefrequentlytravelsonweekendstosetupdisplaysatcarshows—sometimesbringingaprojectcarwithhim.“Ihaven’treallynoticedthatmuchofadownturn,”henoted.“Peopleare
moreselectiveabouthowtheyspendtheirmoney,butweAmericans,weloveourcars.It’snevergoingtototallycease.Itneverwill.”
ThatmeanstherewilllikelybeplentyoffancycarsvisitingMuscodaintheforeseeablefuture.“Ireallydon’tseeusbranchingintoanythingnew,Ireallylikedoingfull
restorationsandthat’sreallyourbreadandbutter.I’m61yearsoldandIdon’tplanonstartingsomenewventure,”Stadelesaid.“Ilikewherewe’reat.I’mnevergoingtoretireandmovetoFlorida.Andthe
nicethingisIcangotothecityandbringtheworkbackhere.There’sreallynoneedtomovetoametropolitanareaoranything.”
SOURCE:Ken’sKlassicsMuscoda,Wis608-739-4242
www.kensklassics.com
BOBPERKINS:THE429BOSSMAN
Shopsetsbarsky-highforMustangoriginality,concoursquality
ByBrianEarnestandphotosbyKrisKandlerThedoortothesouthendofBobPerkins’shopswingsopen,andtwogrinningstrangerswalkinunannounced.“Canwesee?”asksoneofthemenwithasoutherndrawl.“Sure,youcanlookaround.Thecollectionisoverintheotherbuilding.I’llbe
overinalittlebit,”Perkins’.“We’refromGreenville,S.C.,”thestrangercontinues.“Wejustwantedtostop
inandmeettheguru.”ThestrangersstopshortofaskingforPerkins’autograph,butyougetthe
feelingtheyatleastconsideredsucharequest.Clearly,theyhavemadePerkins’shopadestinationonthisday,andmeetinghimwillbethehighlightoftheirvisit.
BobPerkinshasassembledafabulousdisplayoflow-mileageMustangsathisJuneau,Wis.,shop,includingthisultra-pristine1969Mach1(oppositepage).Perkinshasbecome
wellknownovertheyearsforhigh-endrestorationsonBoss429s.
It’snotoftenyou’llseeapairofBoss429sinthesameshop.TheredTascaFordcarontheleftisalmostdone,whilethecarintheairisgettingextensiveundercarriagework—a
trademarkofPerkins’restorationwork.BelowisaformerBoss429dragcarthatisgettingreturnedtoitspastglory.
SuchislifewhenyouhavescaledtoloftyheightsintheMustangworld.Evenwhenyouhideeveryday“outintheboonies,”asPerkinslikestosay,eightmilessouthofthesmalltownofJuneau,Wis.,ponycarfanaticswillcomeandfindyou.NotthatPerkinsisnecessarilyavoidinghisMustangbrethren.Heknowshehandleshigh-profilecars,oftendealswithwealthyclients,frequentlywritesforapopularhobbymagazine—MustangMonthly—andgenerallydoeshigh-profileworkwhenitcomestorestoration.Butbeingcalleda“guru”clearlymakeshimalittleuncomfortable.“That’sno
bigdeal.I’vebeencalledworse,”hesayswithagrin.“Alotofitisbecauseofthemagazinestuff.That’showyougetexposureandstuff.“Ihavealotoffriends,andifI’maguru,thenthey’reallgurus,too.
Everybodyhastheirniche.”
Perkins’nicheinthewideworldofMustangsisthe“BossMan,”asinBoss429s.Whetherheiscomfortablewiththetagornot,thefriendly,low-keyWisconsinitehasearnedhisreputationastheguyyouwantdoingyourrestorationifyouownoneofthefamedBosses,whichwereatoratleastnearthetopofthemusclecarmountaintopwhentheywerebuiltin1969and’70.Perkins’littletwo-and-a-half-manoperationhasbeenturningheadsandturningoutaward-winningrestorationsformorethanthreedecades,andtherearenosignsthatdemandforhisworkisslowingdown.Perkinswasdefinitelyaheadoftherestorationcurvebackin1980,whenhe
turnedaGrabberGreenBoss302intoanastonishing500-pointshowcar.Hisworkdetailingandperfectlyreplicatingthecar’sundercarriage—flyinginthefaceofconventionbymakingitidenticaltothewaythecarsappearedwhentheycamefromthefactory—wasgroundbreakingandchangedthewayhigh-endMustangrestorationsweredone.Andnotonlywasheabitofavisionarywhenitcametothecorrect
appearanceofthecars,butPerkinswasalsoabletopredicthowvaluableNOSpartswouldbe.TogetherwithfriendandbusinessassociateJimCowlesofGreenBay,Wis.,Perkinsspentaboutsevenyearsassemblingastaggeringinventoryofstill-in-the-boxFordpartstosupplementhisrestorationwork.“Itwasreallyjustahobbyandapassionthatturnedintoajob,”hesaidofhis
unlikelytransformationfromhighschoolpoliticalscienceteacherandtrackcoachtocelebratedMustangrestorer.“Partofitwas,youknow[beingin]therightplaceattherighttime.IfIwantedtostartoveranddothisnowfromscratch,itwouldn’tbepossible,becauseabigpartofoursuccess,Iguess,atthecarshowlevelanyway,isbecauseofallthenewoldstockpartsthatwehadthatwewereabletogatherupintheearly’80s.Regardlessofyourbudgetnoworhowmuchmoneyyouhad,youjustcouldn’tduplicatetheinventorywehave,andIthinkthatgivesusalegupontherestoftherestorationshops.”Perkinscanbeselectiveabouthisworkthesedays,andheis.HerestoresBoss
Mustangsalmostexclusively,andtheyarealmostallground-up,no-stone-
unturned,concours-qualityprojects.Heturnsawayfarmorecarsthanhetakeson,andhedoesitwithoutahintofego.Withhisworksellinghisleftoverpartsfromhisinventory;writing;judging;runninghisownlittlemuseum-likeshowroomthatdisplayshisownamazingcollectionofMustangandFordparts,automobiliaandSchwinnbicycles;andplayingfathertofoursons,thereisonlysomuchofhimtogoaround.“TheBosscarsarealwaysgoingtobeourniche,andeveryonceinawhile
I’llgetsomebodythatwilltemptuswithareallyrareShelbyorsomething,”Perkinssaid.“Wedon’treallyneedanyextrastuff—peopleknowwhoweareandthenwhenyougetoutofyourareaofexpertise,youhavetostartdoingresearch,andIdon’tthinkyoushouldeverchargeacustomerforresearch.Wetrytostayrightwherewe’recomfortable.OntheBoss429s,wedon’tneedtoresearchanything.”PerkinsfirstbecameobsessedwithearlyMustangsduringhiscollegeyears,
andheboughthisfirstBoss429in1972afterhissecondyearatDrakeUniversity.Fromthere,onecarledtoanother,anditwasn’tlongbeforehedevelopedanaffinityforfindingandstockpilingparts,andageneraldisdainforrust.“Youstarttorealizethatoncethey’rerusty,they’reneverthesame,”hesaid.
“IstartedbuyingstuffdownsouthandinCalifornia.Ijustdidn’twantanythingthatevenhadsurfacerustonthefloorpans,andwekindofgotspoileddoingthat.SincethenI’veneverreallyworkedonanyrust.Youworkononerustycarandyoudon’treallywanttoworkonanyotherones.”PerkinsgotintoshowingcarsafterheboughthisGrabberGreencaranda
1967ShelbyMustang.Whenheearnednotorietyforthosecars,therestorationworkthathehadbeendoingonthesidegrewtothepointthatheeitherhadtostartturningdownalotofmoneyintherestorationbusiness,orheneededtoquithisteachinggig.Hechosethelatter.“Monetarily,itwasn’tthatbigadecisionbecauseIwasmakingmoremoneyonthesidedoing,like,painting,likeIhadbeendoingasakidinthesummer,”hesaid.“Andwiththecarstuff,Ijusthad
enoughpeopleaskingmetodostuffthatIfiguredtherewasenoughoutthereforwork.Iwasdoingstuffontheside.“Thenrightawaythat[greenBoss302]wasinMustangMonthly,andpeople
foundoutaboutthecar.That’skindofhowitallstarted.Theotherthingiswe’vealwaysbeenkindofattheforefrontof,youknow,takingittothenextlevel.Backin1980whenwetookourfirstcarout,nobodyintheMustangClubofAmericawasdetailingtheundercarriageofthecar,andweprobablyspentmoretimeonthefloorpanthanwedidontheexteriorpaintandbody,whichyoucanstilldotoday.Ithinkwe’vealwaysbeenatthefrontofthat,andwe’vebeenluckythatpublicationslikeMustangMonthlyand[OldCarsWeekly]…havefeaturedourshop.Ithelpstohavealittlebitofextraexposurelikethat.
OneofPerkins’personalfavoritesisthisoriginalorange1970Boss302.“I’vehaditsince‘81hesaid.“Iwouldn’tsellthatone.Thatwouldbethelasttogo.”
Themoreyou’reintoit,itdon’tmatterifit’scarsorpartsorbicycles,themoreyou’reintoit,themorethingsyoufallinto.”Perkinscertainlydidn’t“fallinto”hispartsempire,however.HeandCowles
accumulatedroomsfullofpiecesthehardway—drivingfromdealertodealerbetween1981and1987andbuyingalmostanyNOS1960sFordandMustang
piecestheycouldgettheirhandson.Well,atleastasmuchastheycouldaffordatthetime.“We’dgooutwith$500,$600dollarsapiece.We’dhavehisvan,andmy
trailer,”Perkinsrecalled.“Heliked’65and’66stuff,andIliked’69and’70,sowedidn’thavetoworkhardtosplitthestuffup.“SayIwasgoingtoAlbuquerqueforMustangNationals.I’dhavemypath
laidout,andIcircledallthedealers,andI’dgothewaywhereIcouldhitthemostofthem…I’dleaveJiminthevanmostofthetime,andI’dgoinandtalktothepartsmanagers.Onceyouconvincethemyouweren’tintherejusttearingstuffapart,they’dusuallyletyouin.Iwouldn’ttelltheownersitwasjustMustangs,I’djustsayIwaslookingforoldFordpartsandthatwewereintherestorationbusiness.I’dbeafterbelts,andhosesandgasketsand‘Idon’tlikeaftermarketpiecesandI’llpayyouwhateverisinyourbookforpricesandI’matyourmercy.’I’dalwaystrytotellthemIwasn’ttryingtogetitfornothingandmakethemfeelcomfortable.Thebigthingwas,wenevermadeamess,andIneverhadanytroublegoingbacktosomebodyasecondtime.Iwasrealcareful,andwetriednevertomakeanybodymadatus.Someguysouttheregotodealerslookingforparts,andtheymakeamessandleave,andtheyjustruinitforthenextguy.“Itwaslikeabuildingstartingfromscratch.Youbuy10pieces,youkeeptwo
andyouselleightandyougobackoutandyoubuilditalittleatatime.”Thepartsstashispartcollectionandpartinventorythat’savailableforsale.
PerkinsdabbleswithlistingvintageNOSFordpartsonline,and“occasionallyIthrowsomethingreallycoolonthere,”hesaid.Hedoesn’tkeeptrackofhispartsonanykindofinventorysystemorspreadsheet,andhedoesn’tlistwhathehasavailable.Hedoesn’tseetheneed.“They’lljusthavetocallme,”hesaid.“It’sallinmyhead.Idon’talwaysknowhowmanyofeverythingIhave,butIknowifI’vegotoneortwo.”Perkinshasbeeninhiscurrentfacilityfor18years.Hehouseshisown
collectionandmuchofhisdizzyingarrayofpartsandmemorabiliaononeend
oftheL-shapedbuilding.Ontheotherendarehisrestorationareasandroomsthathousecarsinvariousstatesofrenovation.Onthisday,twoBoss429saregettingworkedon.OneisanearlycompletecarthatPerkinsisjust“detailing”asafavorforacustomer.Theotherisashellsuspendedonarotissierie.TheysharearoomwithoneofPerkins’owncars—ablack429awaitingacompleterestoration.ThatcarwillgetthefullPerkinstreatment—itisthefirst429everbuiltanditwillbeworthbigmoneyifheeverwantstosellit.Perkinsfigureshe’srestoredabout15Boss429s,“andI’veprobablyowned
50or60ofthem,”hesays,withmanyturningintoprolifictrophygettersandconcourswinners.Perkinstypicallytakesayear,giveortakeamonth,tocompletelyre-doacar.“We’vedonesomuchofthesamethingonthese429s,wecangive
[customers]thesamequoteonwhatthelaborwillbe.Wedon’tevenkeeptrackoftime,wejustchargethemfor1,000hours.Mostofthecarswegetinaresuchnicecars,werarelyhavetodoanyweldingonthem.Therearenomajorstructuralrepairsonthem.Iknowwhatittakestostripthemandeverything.Ifwekepttrackofeverything,nobodycouldaffordtohaveonedoneifyouchargedthem85bucksanhour.
PerkinskeepssomeofhisoriginalFordproductinventorydisplayedforvisitors.MostofhisFordmemorabiliaandNOSpartswereacquiredfrompartsmanagersatForddealers
aroundthecountry.
“Materialsareextra,sowedon’thavetoworryaboutskimpingonsomethinglikepaint.Anyshopthatwillguaranteeacompleteprice,somebodyisgettingtheshaft,eitherthecustomerortheshop,becauseyoudon’tknowwhatyou’regoingtoneed.Ifwetakethemotorapart,wedon’tknowwhetherwe’regoingtoneedpistonsornot.Thatstuff’sallextra.Ithinkthat’swhatmakespeoplefeelcomfortable.Wedon’tgivepeopleatimeline,becauseonceinawhilethingscomeup.…Iusuallyliketodoitwithinayear.”Perkins’right-handmanTimLaehr,whohasbeenwithhim19years,and
part-timerDennisDegner,whohasbeenwithPerkins20years,doalmostalloftheworkthemselves.Theyfarmoutoccasionalupholsteryrepairs,but“wegetsuchgoodcarstostartwith,alotoftimeswedon’thavetodomuchupholsterywork.I’vegotguyoverinOconomowoc,andifweneedapieceputin,hedoesit.Itdoesn’tpayforustoevenhavethesewingmachinetodoit.”Beyondthat,abouttheonlythingthebusinessdoesn’tdoistheheavymachiningonengineblocks.“Oneofmypetpeeves,somanyoftheserestorationshopsareislikeageneral
contractor.Oneguydoesthepaintforthem,oneguydoestheengineforthem,oneguydoestheupholsteryfor‘em,”Perkinssaid.“Timisagreatbodyman…Idoallthepaintandthedetail.Wedoallofour
platinghere.Wedoourphosphating.WedoourInsta-Black.Wedothecad-zinc.Wedoallthepaint,allthebodywork,anywelding.We’veneverhadanybodyeverhelporanythingonthepaint.Everycarthat’severcomeoutofourshop,ifthereispaintonit,I’vepaintedit.Itakeprobablymoreprideinthatthananything.Weneverusebasecoat-clearcoat.Everythingissingle-stage.“That’soneofourlittlethings,ispaint.Tome,60to70percentofa
restorationispaintandbodywork.That’swhereyouspendyourtime.”
Attimes,Perkinsseemsalmostapologeticthathehandles“only”lengthy,high-endBoss429projects.Thenatureofthecars—thoserare,covetedmuscleicons—dictatesthekindofworkthatisrequired,however.AndPerkins’ownfascinationwithmakingcarsappearasoriginalashecanmakethemseemstobeaperfectfitforthecustomerswhoseekhimout.“Theblackonewejustfinished,itdidn’tmatterwhatitcost,theownerdidn’t
wantanycompromiseonanything,”Perkinssaid.[Hesaid]‘Iwantittobethebestone,sothatwhenItakeitsomewhere,Idon’tcarewhojudges,theycan’tfindanythingwrongwithit,otherthanasubjectivecall.’“Withthose,youdon’thavetobeinarush.ThosearethekindIlike.”
CTCAUTORANCHThe‘interstate’salvageyardbearsrust-freeTexasfruit
CTCAutoRanchinDenton,Texas,isoperatedbybrothersDavid(left)andAllenWilliamson.Thepair,alongwiththeirfather,Dale(nowretired),havebeeninthebusiness
ofsellingvintagevehiclessince1985.
ByRonKowalkeSalvageyardsarecommonlylocatedinout-of-the-way,secludedlocations,surroundedbytall,vision-obscuring“beautyfences.”Thatout-of-sight,out-of-mindscenarioworkswellwheretownsfolkdon’treactkindlytohavinga“junk
yard”intheirbackyard.CTCAutoRanchofDenton,Texas,cantaketheoppositeapproach.Highlyvisible,seenbythousandseveryday,thisin-your-facestrategyhasworkedextremelywellforthesalvageyard.
Intheearly1950s,Chevroletproducedasmallnumberofsedandeliverieseachyear.CTCAutoRanchhasatrio(includingthispair)oftheworkhorsesonwheels.Eachisinsolid
condition,butmissingselecttrimand/orglass.
Inoperationsince1992inDenton,theyardislocatedonthewestsideofInterstate35,justnorthofDallas.HavingitsinventoryondisplaytotheconstantstreamofdailyI-35commuters,theyardhasalsogainednoticefrombeingwrittenupinmanyautomotivepublications(includingOldCarsWeekly)andhadcarsfromitsinventoryusedinautomotive-themedrealitytelevisionshows.Sopopularisthissouthernstorageofvintagecarsandtrucks,theyard’sownersevenproduceanannualcalendarshowcasingvehiclesonsitetoactasayear-roundreminder—again,anoffshootofthein-your-faceapproach—oftherust-freeandcompletevintagevehiclesforsale.And,forthosestillunawareoftheyard’sexistence,abrightyellow,elevatedbillboardfrontingtheyardpropertyannouncesitslocation.
OperatedbybrothersDavidandAllenWilliamson,CTCAutoRanchisthesuccessortothebrothers’firstbusinessthat,alongwiththeirfatherDale(nowretired),soldvintagevehiclesinLewisville,Texas(justsouthofDenton).Launchedin1985,DavidWilliamsonrecalled,“Westartedfromnothing.”HavingoutgrowntheLewisvillepropertyby1989,headded,“Wemovedtoourcurrentlocationin1990,andstartedthesalvageoperationin1992.”Currentlyutilizing40acres,CTCAutoRanchhasapproximately4,000
vintagecarsandtrucksinitsinventory.“Theyardislaidoutbymanufacturer,”Williamsonsaid,addingthat20
percentoftheinventoryisavailableforsaleaswholevehiclesonly,withtheremaining80percentofferingparts.“Mostofourwholecars[andtrucks]havetitles,”addedWilliamson,butcautioned,“Wewillnotsellawhole[vehicle]ifnotitleexists.”
This1956Chevrolet3100showsyearsofruggeduse,butcouldstillhavelifeleftinitsomerestoration.
WalkingthespaciousaislesofCTCAutoRanchfindsmanyofthesedividersarepaved.Thismakesajourneythroughthemassive,mildlyhillyyardacomfortableexperience.Notonlyarevehiclesstagedbymanufacturer,asWilliamsonexplained,buttheyalsoaremainlygroupedbymodel.It’saregular
sighttoseeaseriesofBuickRivierasorDodgeCoronetsorFordFairlanesparkedbumpertobumperordoortodoor.ThecoreofCTCAutoRanch’sinventoryispostwar,withthebest
representationbeingthe1950sthrough’70s.Examplesofforeignvehiclesanddomesticindependentmanufacturersexist,butthebulkofinventoryismainstreamDetroitiron.Aselectnumberofmusclecarsdotthelandscape,andWilliamsonsaid,“WehavesomeGMperformanceV-8s,like454s,andwehavePowerglide[transmissions],butnoHemis.”ThelargevolumeofvehicularinventoryisaresultoftheWilliamsonbrothers’
reluctancetoscraptheircarsandtrucks.“Weonlycrushedonce,inthesummerof2012,”Williamsonrecalled.“Wecrushed180carstomakeroomformoreinventory.”Addinginventory,Williamsonstressed,remainsabigpartofthebusiness.“Westillgetcallsonadailybasisforretrievingoldcars.”
The“cat’seye”taillampsandspread-wingreardesignannouncethisChevroletBiscaynetwo-doorsedanasapopular1959model.Itsinteriorhasbeenmodifiedandselecttrimis
missingordamaged,butthecarisverysolid.
Only5,432DodgeCoronetClubSedanswereproducedin1959.Asidefromwindshieldandtrimdamage,thisexampleisrustfreeandcompleteenoughtowarrantrestoration.
Showingbleachedpaintfromexposuretothesun,this1956FordFairlaneVictoriaisinneedofacosmeticupgradeandnewrubbertoreturntotheroad.
Inadditiontothemassiveinventoryofvintagevehicles,CTCAutoRanchalsooffersalargequantityofparts.Williamsonsaidtheyardmaintainsa
computerizedlistingofallavailablevehiclesandparts;itcanbeaccessedonlineatwww.ctcautoranch.com.ForpotentialcustomersunabletotraveltoDenton,Williamsonexplained,“Wedoalotofphonesales.Weshipallovertheworld.”
Notasplentifulastheirdomesticcounterparts,foreigncarsexistinCTCAutoRanch’sinventoryincludingthisuniqueRover2000TCsedan.TheRoverispoweredbyanOHC
four-cylinderenginetoppedwithdualcarburetors.
AMCproductsarewellrepresentedinCTCAutoRanch,includingthis1965RamblerMarlinfastback.This“fish”wasdefinitelyofthesaltwatervariety;rustisevidentarounditsrear
wheelopenings.
Ifacustomerisunabletofindwhatheneedsamongthepartspiles,andsomethingmustberemovedfromavehicle,oneofthreeCTCAutoRanchemployeesmustperformthedisassembly.Forawholevehiclepurchase,Williamsonsaidtheyardcanprovidetheequipmenttoloaditonacustomer’strailer.ToursofCTCAutoRanchcanbearrangedbyappointmentonly.Theyardis
openyearround.HoursofoperationareMondaythroughFriday,8:30a.m.to5:30p.m.(CST).
AfewmusclecarsremaininCTCAutoRanch’sinventory.Oneisthisdamaged1969DodgeCoronetSuperBeehardtop.Thecar’sdrivetrainismissing,butitcouldstillbea
worthwhileproject.
AlargesectionofCTCAutoRanchisdevotedtopickupsandlight-dutytrucks,includingexamplesfrommosteverymanufacturerfromthe1950sthrough’70s,suchasthis’58
FordF-100.
Kaiser’soutputwasminisculeneartheendofitsU.S.productionin1955,makingthis‘54sedanararesurvivoranda“statement”carworthyofrestoration.Itsportsasetof$290
optionalwirewheels.
It’smissingafewkeypartsupfront,butthis1960LincolnPremiereHardtopCoupeisrare.Only1,364wereproduced,andthissurvivorisrustfreeandretainstheexclusivePremiere
badgesonitslowerfrontfenders.
CTC’ssheetmetalinventoryincludesthispairof1937Fordfenders.
ThecenterportionofCTCAutoRanchhasalargecollectionofrust-freeparts,includingavarietyoffendersfrontedbya’56Buick“porthole”example.
Appearingasifitweresuckerpunchedinitsdriver’ssideheadlamp,this1959FordRancheroCustompickupisinneedofconsiderablerestorationtoreturntotheroad.Fordbuilt14,169RancheroCustomsin’59,andmostsawharduseasworktrucksanddidnot
survive.
Lookingverysolid,althoughmissingafewkeyparts,thisformerlyfactoryairconditioned1955ChryslerNewYorkerDeluxetwo-doorhardtopcouldserveasagreatpartscartoa
rustyC-300,ifnotbecominganambitiousrestorationprojectitself.
Otherthantireissues,this1964ChryslerNewportTown&Countryhardtopstationwagonappearscompleteenoughtobedrivenoutoftheyard.Only6,761ofthismodelwere
produced,inbothsix-andnine-passengerforms.
Theinteriorhasbeentornapartinthis1956PlymouthBelvedereSportCoupe,butit’sotherwisenearcompletedowntoasetofnon-originalhubcapsand“ForwardLook”
medallionsonitsrearquarterpanels.
Texashasalonghistoryinvolvingoutlawsandguns,soit’sonlyappropriatethatthisbullet-riddled“bathtub”Nashsedanbecomeoneofthelandmarksinthelargeyard.
Itssofttopisintatters,butthebodyofthis1966PontiacBonnevilleconvertibleisrustfreeandretainsitsfenderskirts.Theragtopismissingitsstainlesssteellowersidetrim,butis
otherwisecomplete.
Late-1950sImperialcoupesareveryrare,andspottinganexampleinasalvageyardtodayisevenrarer.Thissolidunitwouldrequireasignificantamountofworkbeforeitcould
returntotheroad,butthefab’50sgreenpaintschemewouldmakeitworthyoftheeffort.
COLORADOYARDTHE‘HOMEOFGLAMOROUSBODIES’
WollerAutoPartshas7,000vehiclestochoosefrom
StoryandphotosbyRonKowalkeWhenthingsgoright,ourluckisoftenattributedtoplanetsbeinginalignment.Now,I’mnotsuperstitious,nordoIpretendtoknowmuchaboutastronomyotherthancertainphasesofthemooneffectoceantidelevelsandwerewolves.But,asluckwouldhaveit,planetsdefinitelyalignedformelastfallonatriptoColorado.Inlessthan48hours,IvisitedthreecollectionsofsalvagecarsthatrivaledthebestyardsI’veeverseen.
Another1959ElCaminointheyardhasadonatedfrontclipfromanotherChevy,anditsrearbumperislyinginthebed.Thisexample,too,hasrestorationpotential.
WollerAutoPartsinLamar,Colo.istuckedintothesoutheastcornerofthestate.Thewordingonitsbusinesscardaloneisenticementenoughtoplanavisit:“WollerAutoParts,Inc.—HomeofBeautifulWrecks&GlamorousBodies.”
MuchtoseeAmongthelargestsalvageyardsinthecountry,WollerAutoPartshasan
inventoryofapproximtely7,000vehicles,accordingtoyardmanagerAndyWoller.Inventorymainlyspanstheyears1955to2000,butafewcarsandtrucksfromthe1930sand’40scontinuetopopulatetherows.Thatmassofmetalisspreadover65acres,andtheyard’slayoutisextremelyuserfriendly:flatterrain,wideandgroomedaisles,vehiclesarrangedinneatrowsandmostlygroupedbymanufacturer.Thisyardalsospecializesincompleteornear-completevehiclesforsale,fromwhichpartsremovalisforbidden.WheneverIvisitasalvageyard,I’mtryingto“seeitall”togetabalanced
viewofwhatinventoryisavailable.Ispentmorethantwohourswalking(swiftly)amongtherows,andIsawfewerthanhalfofthevintagevehiclesthatarepresentatWoller’s.Acustomerwhoislookingforaspecificpartorcarwillbedirectedimmediatelytotheareahostingthatpart/vehicle,whichdefinitelysavestime.Andthat’stheruleatWoller’syard.Allcustomersarechaperoned,andthatincludedme.
The“cat’seyes”taillampsmarkthisChevyElCaminoasadesirablefirst-year1959model.Thedamagedquarterpaneldoesnothingtodiminishtherestorationpotentialofthis
car/pickupmergermodelatWollerAutoParts.
AmongtheChevroletmusclecarsintheyardisthis1964ImpalaSShardtop.Itshoodismissingandthedecklidispunchedin,butthecarisotherwisestraight.
Fromaconditionstandpoint,this1955BuickCenturyRivierahardtopranksinthe“aboveandbeyond”categoryofwhatisusuallyfoundinsalvageyards.Thisisoneofmany
vehiclesinWoller’syardthatdeservesanewlife.
SimilarinfrontalappearancetothehighlysoughtperformanceRebelmodel,this1957RamblerSupersedanhassufferedonlyminorcosmeticdamageandiscompletedowntoitshubcaps.Withonly16,320produced,thisRamblerwouldmakeagreatsurvivor-class
driver.
AyoungmannamedKevinWilsonactedasmytourguide.Wilsonhadadecentgraspoftheinventory—agoodportionofwhichlikelyarrivedbeforehewasborn.HepointedoutinterestingcarsandtrucksandwaspatientwhileItriedtoworkaroundthelongsunriseshadowswhilephotographingvehicles.Wilsonsaidhehasaspirationsofsomedaybeingarestorerofvintagecars,andIcouldn’timagineabewtterstarttoachievinghiscareergoalthanworkingatWollerAutoParts.
DestinationLamarSome42yearsago,accordingtoAndyWoller,anotheryoungmanwho
originallyhailedfromMichiganwasponderinghisfutureashisstintintheArmywasnearinganend.ThatwasDonWoller,Andy’sfather.HehadcometoLamartovisitamilitarybuddyandenjoyedtheareasomuchhedecidedtosettlethereandstartasalvageyardbusiness.It’sabusinessthatnowspanstwogenerationsoftheWollerfamily,asDonandhiswifeGloriaowntheLamaryardthatismanagedbytheirsonAndy,whileanotherson,Jeff,ownsasalvageyardsouthofLamarthathasaninventoryofmoremodernvehicles.
Afewwrinklesupfrontandasaggingheadlinerhardlydetractfromtheoverallsolidappearanceofthis1968PlymouthBarracudafastback.Itslarge“greenhouse”rearglassis
alsointact.
DonandGloriawereoutoftownthedayIvisited,soAndyWollerandKevinWilsonprovidedallthedetailsofwhatWollerAutoPartsofferstovintagevehicleenthusiasts.
Beyondthesupervisionofcustomerswhileintheyard,Wollersaidemployeespullallpartstobepurchased,althoughregularcustomersmaygetsomelatitudeonthatrule.Headdedthatpartscanbeshipped,ifacustomerneedsthatservice.Also,muchoftheinventoryacquiredinthepastfewyearsisloggedonacomputer,socustomerswhocoldcalllookingforaparticularvehicleorpartcangetspecificanswers.Whenaskedabouttherecallofveteraninventorythat’sbeenresidingintheyardlongterm,Wollerreplied,“Ihaveagoodmemoryofwhat’sintheyard.”Inadditiontowholecarsandpartscars,theyardofferslotsofrandomparts
forsale.Amongtheseitems,Wollerspecificallylistedalternators,starters,windshieldsandaxles.Headdedthattherearealsomanyloosepartsstoredinthetrunksofthevehiclesintheyard.
BowtiemuscleWithinventorythatspansbacktothe1950s,Ihadtoinquireaboutthe
availablilityofperformancecarsandparts.“There’snotmuch[remaining]inFordorChrysler,butwehavequiteabitofChevy[carsandparts],”Wolleranswered.SomeofthatChevy-heavydisparitycanbeexplainedinwhatWollersaidis
stillbeingdiscoveredaroundLamarandaddedtotheyard.“WefoundtwoSS-396carsinthewoodsjusttheotherday.”Helaterrecalled,“Mybrotherfounda1967ChevelleSS-396inagarageinLamar.Anoldladyhadit.”
Itwasasurprisetofindthis1958Packardhardtop(aboveandbelow)incompletecondition,althoughithasrustinitslowerbodypanelsandsignificantglassdamage.Only675hardtopswereproducedinPackard’sfinalyearofproductionin’58,makingthisa
pieceofhistoryworthyofrestoration.
Whilegroupingofmanfacturerswithinrowsiscommonintheyard,thereareareaswherespecificmodelsarefoundtogether,suchasthistrioof1958Chevroletstationwagons.Nearbyisanareawherealargenumberof1955-’59Chevysofvariousbodystylesare
stackedtwohighinrowstoconservespace.
WollerAutoPartsemployeeKevinWilsonstandsbyadamaged1968DodgeChargerbodyshellthatwasstillavailable.
TheCustomline-stylestraightsidetrimonthis1955FordCountrySedanmarksthisasasix-passengerstationwagon.Atsomepoint,itwasconvertedforuseasanambulanceas
thebarelyvisible“AMBULANCE”letteringonitssidesattests.It’sstraightandsolid.
Crewcabpickupsareacommonbodystyletoday,butwererareintheearly1960s.Theywereusuallyproducedformilitaryuseandfleetorders.Thebedofthis1962-’64D-100six-
passengerpickupisdamaged,butitscabandchassishaverestorationpotential.
Wollersaidatonepointtheyardcontainedasmanyas20ofwhathelooselytermed“GeneralLee”DodgeChargersfrom1968to’70.MostofthoseweresoldyearsagotoonebuyerfromWisconsin.NotforgettingtheneedsoftheBlueOvalenthusiasts,Wollersaidhealso
recentlygotaleadona“two-seaterFordThunderbird”thatwasdiscoveredlocallyinsideabarnthathadcollapsed.HeaddedthathisfatherownsapairofChevroletsinhispersonalcollectionofvehiclesthatwerealsorescuedfromacollapsedbarn.Oneisa1966SSconvertibleandtheothera’17pickup.
Buyingcars
Titlesexistformanyofthevehiclesininventory,andforthosewithout,theycanbesoldonabillofsale.Eventually,thevehiclesininventorywillallbeproppedupoffthegroundonwheelstands.RustdoesnotappeartobeanissueinthedryclimateofsoutheastColorado,butelevatingthecarsandtrucksaffordsanextrameasureofpreservation.
Whilenowherenearasprevalentaspostwarvehicles,thereareinterestingprewarcarsandtrucksinWoller’sinventory.This1939FordStandardTudorsedanismissingsomepartsandhasagougeinitsroof,butitretainsitsflatheadV-8anddriver’ssidespotlight.
WollerAutoPartsisopenyear-round,withtheexceptionoftheweekbetweenChristmasandNewYear’sDay.RegularhoursofoperationareMondaythroughFriday,8a.m.to5p.m.(MountainTime).TherearenoSaturdayorSundayhours.Grouptourscanbearrangedbyloggingontowww.classiccarauto.comforanappointment.
Tocontacttheyard,phonetollfree800-825-0210or719-336-2108,[email protected]:WollerAutoParts,8227RoadSS,Lamar,CO81052.
Asolid1951KaiserSpecialsedanthathasbeenlootedofmuchofitstrim.
PLATEPERFECTIONTheartoflicenseplaterestoration
By‘Rotten’RodneyBaumanWhileIdon’tnecessarilyrecalltheexactstatistic,it’sbeensaidthattheaverageworker-beechangescareercoursesseventimesinhisorherlifetime.AlthoughIcouldhavebeenadoctor,alawyerorafamousunderwearmodel,I’vemadeacareerofstraighteningbodypartsofoldcars.Earlyon,Iwaswarnedofthe“occupationalhazards,”sothetrickknee,junkrotatorcuffs,tenniselbows,carpaltunnelsandtherecentdoubleherniaarenobody’sfaultbutmyown.Nowinmymid-50s,Ifindmyselfstillswingin’heavyhammers,andjustbetweenyouandme,Icouldreallyuseabreak.Atypicalworkdayhereatourshopwouldlikelyincluderollingaroundona
concretefloorwhileabsorbingallthenot-so-goodvibrationsfrompneumatictools,suchasaDA(dual-action)sander,orworse.Inthebodyandpaintdepartments,evenonhotdays,arespiratorisamustforsurvival.Butthestrap-ondevicewillelevatethehumanbody’soperatingtemperatureasrecycledbreathhasnegativeeffectsofitsown.
Itwasrightaround3p.m.ononeofthosetypicalworkdays,duringpeaksummerheat,whenIhadtowalkaway.Ipulledoffmyrespirator,elbowbracesandsweat-filledlatexgloves.ThenIgrabbedacoldbeverage,satdownonastoolandletmymacular-degenerativeeyeswanderaroundtheshopwhereallmannerofunfinishedprojectsbegantoconfrontandallbutganguponmyguilt.So,Itooka’63-issueCalifornialicenseplateoffthewallandgottothinkin’.
PerhapsIcouldstraightenitupalittle.Iwouldn’tneedarespiratororthoseuncomfortableelbowbracesforsuchasmalljob,soitseemedlikeanOKideaatthetime.Iproceededtocleartheweldingtable,mademyselfaplacetowork,andaboutanhourlater,theprogresswasquiteencouraging.Thattinybitofsuccessgotmetothinkin’somemore.I’veneverhadany
desiretorestorelicenseplatesbefore,butthesedays,it’sgoodtohaveextra
tricksinthebag.So,aslongaswe’realltogetherhere,I’llshowyouhowit’sdone.
ResourcesMcPeakPainting&Pinstriping1237W.LaCadenaDriveRiverside,CA92501951-683-1292
Evercoatwww.evercoat.com
PPGIndustrieswww.ppg.com
Here’soursubjectlicenseplateonthetable.Atthisstage,agoodamountoftheroughoutworkisdone.Alonghorizontalfoldandthelargerdingsarealreadysmoothed.Sofar,ourspecific-purposelicenseplaterestorationtoolshavebeenmadefromobjectsfoundwithin
reachandtheassortmentwillgrowaswego.
Withasectionofsteelchanneltoserveasananvil,areascanbeaccuratelysteeredaroundsothatcertainareaswon’tbeflattened,suchasthetinyribaroundtheedgeoftheplate.Thisparticularhammerisanantique,anditssquare-facedendisobviouslywell-
suitedtothelargerareasbetweencharacters.
I’veneverthoughtmuchofthisAllenwrench,butasalicenseplatetool,itprovedtobeinvaluable.Coincidentally,theshapeofitshandleevenbearsastrongresemblancetothe
shapebetweenareasofthelicenseplatewherecharactersareclosetogether.
Thetimingwasrightforthistool.Whilegrillingoutthenightbefore,InoticedthatweneededanewBBQbrush.Thehandlefromtheoldonemadeaverycooltool,especially
forworkingtheinsidesectionsoftheletter“H.”
Nowwesaveoldpaintbrushhandlesforlicenseplaterestoration.Ourcollectionisindeedgrowingaswego.Tothispoint,therawmaterialsneededforourtoolsseemtobeall
aroundus,andwe’renothuntinglongtofindthem.
Here’sanothergoodexampleofhowspecific-purposetoolscanbefashionedfromordinaryhouseholditems.Asitturnsout,pencilscantakeatapping.Thisparticularpencil
isaperfectmatchfortheroundedendsofthecharacters.
Woodenpaintstickshaveproventobethemostversatileofourtoolssofar.Whengluedtogethertothedesiredthicknesses,they’resurprisinglystrongandtheycanbeeasily
trimmedandsandedtomostanyneededlengthorshape.
Atthisstage,there’sbeensometimeinvested.Instincttellsmethatourtestplatewillstillrequireafinefinessingwithfillerbetweenbeadblastingandprimingsteps.
Nottoobad,eh?Carefullyguidedglassbeadshavegentlyremovedtheoldpaintwithoutwarpingthethin,sheetsteelplate.Strappedtotherightarm,asimplegroundbracelet
ensuresagainststatic-electricshock.
Backtowardthebeginning:Thethingthatfirstattractedyourstrulytolicenseplaterestorationwascomfort.HereI’vesetupasterilizedworkstationforthenecessarybitof
fillerwork.Withtheplatetapedtothetable,we’rereadytogo.
Sometimes,there’safinelinebetween“readytogo”and“readytogobackward.”IwishIhadnoticedthistinycrackearlier.
Withtheplatecutfreeonceagain,it’sobvioustherearetwocracksinneedofattention.Ofcourse,Iconsideredcheating.J-BWeldsandsfine,anditmightevenwork,butIcouldn’t
taketheshortcut—notthistime.
Sincewehadthemanyway,acouplechunksofbrasswillmakeagoodbackupforMIGweldingthethin,crackedsteel.Theweldswon’tattachthemselvestobrass,sothisounce
ofpreventionshouldhelptoensurethatwewon’tburnthrough.
SonowthatI’vesetitup,I’vecalledinaringer:ourdesignatedwelder,“Mrs.Rotten.”Shewon’truintheplatelikeIprobablywould.
Followingwelding,alittlegrindingandasecondridethroughtheol’beadblastingcabinethaveputtheprojectbackontrack.Hereonthebenchareafewtoolsandmaterialsthat
I’veanticipatedmightbeneededfortheupcomingfillerwork.
Forthefill,we’reusingEvercoat’sQuantum1.Withitsthinviscosityandchoicesofcatalysts,itseemslikeanaturalforthisjob.I’veoptedtousetheslowcatalyst,whichwillallowthetimeneededtobrushiton.Sure,thebrushwillbejunk,butthehandlecanbe
reusedasafuturelicenseplatetool.
BeforeQuantum1iscured,itwillcontinuetoflow,sothebrushstrokeswillself-level.Onceapplied,butstillliquid,maskingcanbeeasilyremoved.Themaskingisjustan
optiontoensurethatfillerwon’ttravelbeyondwhereit’sneeded.Therewillbeplentyofsandingtodoasitis.
WhenIspiedthisDynabradedetailsanderattheSEMAShow,IknewI’dhavetohaveone,eventhoughIwouldn’tneediteveryday.Forthisspecialoccasion,it’satime-saving
advantage,asourcuredQuantum1respondswellto120-gritforthefirstroundofsanding.
Likemanybodyguys,Iliketomodifysandingblocksforthejobathand.ThisonewascutthiswayforblockingbetweenrevealsatthetailendofanoldCadillacwerestored.Thatwasyearsago,butI’llbedippedifitisn’tcominginhandyonceagainforthenumber“8.”
Sureenough,afterinitialsanding,therearedetailstoniggleover,asisusuallythecasewithlargerfillerapplications.Onceagain,we’vepoppedthelidfromthegalloncanofQuantum1.Thistime,however,alittledab’lldoit.Asbefore,maskingtapeisusedto
directfilleronlywhereit’sneeded.
Asthefinalbitoffillerisblendedin,we’rejustaboutreadyforprimetime.
Oh,déjàvu.Hereagain,inthissituation,we’reafter“highbuild”andourprimerofchoicewillfunctionasourfinalfiller.Whosaysweneedaspraygun?Ittakesacouplewhilesto
cleanoneproperly,solet’scheatalittle.
Granted,we’velostalittlecharacterdefinition,butknowingso,we’llattempttosharpenthingsupduringfinalblock-sanding.WiththeexceptionoftheDyanabradedetailsander,thetoolsusedforfinalpaintprepwillbeprettymuchthesameaswe’vealreadyused.
Atthispoint,it’ssafetosaythatwe’reinthefinalstagesofpreparationforpaint.Withtheadvantageofoptionalreduction,ourprimerofchoicedoublesasanon-sandingsealer,so
320-gritshouldbeanacceptablestoppingpoint.It’sjustalicenseplate,right?
Here,thenon-sandingsealerisonandsogoesourfirstoftwocolorcoatsofsingle-stage,acrylicurethaneblackfromPPG.
Aswenearcompletionofourlicenseplaterestorationproject,we’redowntotheshortstrokes.Knowingmyownlimitations,I’vecalledinasecondringer,ourdesignatedsign
painter.
We’vepassedtheletteringchoresalongtoMcPeakPainting&Pinstriping.McPeakalsorestoresoldlicenseplatesfromstarttofinish.Afterallwe’vebeenthrough,we’llkeepthat
inmindfornexttime.
Havingrestoredalicenseplate,wecameawaywithnewrespectfortheprofessionals.Thistypeofworktakesalotoftime,withanextrahelpingofpatiencethrowninforgood
measure.Aswithanyotherauto-restorativeprocess,speedcomeswithexperience.We’vegainedalittleofboth.There’sanothertrickforthebag.
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StartingfreshwithKanterpartsKanterAutoProductsisalreadyago-toplaceforchassiscomponents,and
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Call800-526-1096orvisitwww.kanter.comformoreinformation
Newsteelfor1940sFords
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HAULINGYOURCARTHERIGHTWAY
Thetoolsandtricksbehindasafehaulingexperience
ByWilliamC.“Bill”Anderson,P.E.Bringupthesubjectoftraileringavehicleincollectorcarcirclesandyouaresuretoprovokeananimateddiscussion,ifnotanoutrightargument.Regardless,haulingacarisoftennecessaryevenifitinvolvesarestoredcarthatisalwaysdriventoshows.Forexample,bringingtheyet-to-be-resurrectedjewelhomeforthefirsttimeorwhen,heavenforbid,itbreaksdownandcannoteasilyberepaired.I’vebeenhaulingcarsformanyyearsbothbeforeandafterrestoration.
Fortunately,Ihaveencounterednohaulingproblems.That’strueformostothersaswell.However,overtheyears,I’veheardmanystoriesaboutthosewhowerenotasfortunate.Perhapsit’smyengineeringnature,butwhenIstartedhaulingcars,Isought
adviceonproperproceduresandfoundlittledefinitivehelp.Astheyearsprogressed,mysearchhascontinued.Nomanualhasbeenfound.Everyoneseemstoemploywaysthathavebeenpassedonfromothers.
TiedownringusedwithVersaTietrack.
So,IthoughtI’dassembleasmallmanualtoguidethosewhowanttomaximizetheirchancesforsuccesswhenhaulingacar.Tothatend,I’veengagedtheassistanceofthefolksatMac’sCustomTieDownsinSagle,Idaho;www.macscustomtiedowns.com.Mac’swasalsocourteousenoughtosupplyalltheimagesusedinthiscolumn.Forthiscolumn,I’llskipsuchessentialpointsasmakingsurethatthetow
vehicleissizedfortheloadbeinghauled,thataproperlysizedhitchisemployedandthatthetrailerisproperlyconnectedtothetowvehicle.Instead,thefocuswillbeontyingthecartothetrailer.Therearefourwaystosecureacartothetrailer:(1)connectingthetiedown
strapstotheaxles;(2)connectingthetiedownstrapstothefactorytiedownlocations;(3)connectingthetiedownstrapsthroughthewheels;and,(4)securingthewheelsbywheelnets.
Tiedowns
Thestandardtiedownstrapiscomprisedoftwo,two-inch-widestrapswithintegralsnaphooksconnectedbyaratchetfastener.Tiedownsusetwodifferentratingsandit’simportanttounderstandthedifference.Breakingstrength(MBS)isthemostcommonrating.Itindicatesthemaximumsafeloadforastrapunderastraight,staticpull.ThemoreimportantratingistheWorkingLoadLimit(WLL),whichisone-thirdoftheMBS.TheWLListheforcethestrapcanreliablyholdunderdynamicconditions,suchastravelingalongabumpyroad,braking,etc.TherecommendedstrapWLLforhaulingmostcarsis3,330lbs.(10,000lbs.MBS).Toensurethattheratingsadvertisedareobtained,it’srecommendedthattiedownsbepurchasedfromaqualitysupplier.
TypicalbackingplateforuseininstallingrecessedD-rings.
StandardrecessedD-ring.
Recessed360-degreeSwivelD-ring.
Mac’sVersaTietrack,surface-mountversion.
StandardA-trackwithatrackconnector.
Correctlyconnectingthestrapsisessentialtoobtaintheadvertisedrating.Thisisaccomplishedbywrappingtwofullturnsofthestraptotheratchetwindingshaft.
TrailerattachmentpointsTherearetwoprimarytrailerattachmentmethods—D-ringsortracks.D-
ringsarethemostcommonandareavailableasarecessedD-Ringratedat5,000lbs.ortherecessed360-degreeswivelD-ringratedat6,000lbs.Atracksystemismoreexpensive,butitallowschangingtheconnectionpointsforvehiclesofdifferentlengthsusingspecialfittingsthatinsertintothetrack,providedthevehicle’strack(width)dimensionsaresimilar.BothMac’sVersaTietrackandthestandardA-Trackareratedat3,000lbs.perconnection.TheVersaTietrackcanberecessedinthetrailerfloororsurfacemounted,whiletheA-Trackissurfacemountedonly.Tracksystemsalsoallowforadjustableplacementofidlers.Idlersareusedwithtracksystemstokeepstrapsclearoflow-hangingcomponentssuchasairdams,diffusers,fenderedges,etc.
Somewheeldesignspermitthrough-wheelconnections.Theaxlestrapshouldbecoveredwithawearsleeveandafleecesleevetoprotectthewheelfinish.Note:(1)howtheratchetstrapisinastraightlinebetweentheaxlestrapandtheD-ring,(2)thehooksopendown,
and(3)theextraratchetstrapisneatlytiedupwithastrapwrap.
TheloadratingsoftheattachmentpointscanonlybeobtainediftheD-ringortrackisthroughboltedusingGrade5or8fasteners.Forwooddecktrailers,it’salsoimportanttousesteelbackingplatesunderthetrailerfloor.D-ringsareattachedwithfourboltsperringandtracksareboltedeverysixinches.
Crossedstrapsvs.straightstrapsSomepeopleconnectthestrapsfromonesideofthecartotheattachment
pointontheoppositesideofthetrailer—crossedstraps.Othersconnectthestrapfromthecartothetrailerattachmentpointonthesamesideofthetrailer—straightstraps.Whichmethodisbesthaslongbeendebated.Manyoldproshavecrossedstrapsforyearsbelievingthatthismethodwillpreventthecarfromshiftingfromside-to-sideasittravelsinthetrailer.Thisthinkingiscorrectifthereisnocollision.However,inafront-endcollisiontherearstrapsareseverelystressedandcouldfailbecauseangledstrapshavelessstrengthinthedirectionoftravelthanstrapsinastraightlineandparallelwiththedirectionoftravel.Inthisinstance,thecarbeinghauledwouldcomelooseinthetraileranddamageitaswellasexacerbatethecollisioneffects.Crossedstrapscanalsobecomepinchedwhenattachedtothesuspension—particularlyatthefront—andcutthewebbing.Straightstrapspullfront-to-rear,andtherefore,theirmaximumstrengthis
appliedinthedirectionoftravel.Theywillalsokeepacarinplaceundernormalroadconditions.Currentprofessionalconsensusisthatstraightstrapsarebest.Regardlessofthemethodchosen,it’simportantthatallstrapsbesecurelyand
equallytightenedtoobtainthemaximumholdingstrength.Clothstrapswillusuallyloosenalittleafterafewmilesofhauling.After10-20milesontheroad,IalwaysstopandtightenallthestrapsandIcheckthemateveryfuelstop.
TheJ-Hookisthesimplestconnectortousewithfactoryconnectionpoints.
TheT-HookconnectorismoresecurethanaJ-Hookiftheframewillaccommodateit.
TheR-Hookcanbeusedwithsomefactoryconnectionpoints.
SummaryofthegearTheabovepointsarefundamentaltoproperlysecuringavehicletothetrailer.
Ire-emphasizetheimportanceofusingallqualityproducts;thisisnottheplacetosaveafewdollars.Thenextpartcoverstheadvantages,disadvantagesandhow-torecommendationsforeachofthefourwaystoconnectacartoatrailer.
Securingcarbytheaxles
HowtodoitUsequalityaxlestrapswithprotectivewearsleeves.Thesleeveshouldrunthe
fulllengthofthestraptopreventitfromshiftingfromthesuspensionduringthehaul.Onpolishedorchromedaxles,apaddedfleecesleeveoverthewearsleevewillhelpprotectthefinish.Also,keepingboththestrapsandthesuspensioncleanwillhelppreservethefinishandthestraplife.Wrapthestrapsaroundtheaxlesorlowersuspensionarms.Avoidsharpedges
andburrsinthemetalwhenthestrapisalignedwiththetrailerattachmentpoint
becausethesecaneasilycutthestrapsduringthemanycyclesofmovementthatoccurduringatypicaltrip.Also,donotwrapthestrapsoverbrakelinesorotheritemsthatmightgetcrushedwhentheloadisapplied.Connecttheaxlestraptothefreestrapofthetiedownandtheratchetendof
thetiedowntothetrailerattachmentpoint.Theninsertthefreeendintheratchetaxleandtightentwofullturns.Iftheaxlestraphasbeenproperlylocated,theratchetstrapwillpullmostlystraightforwardorrearwardwithabitofoutwardangle(approximately15degrees)oneach.Makesurethecarispositionedsothattheratchetstrapdoesnotcontactanybodypartstopreventdamage.Forcarsthatarelow,anidlerconnectedtothefloorisusedtopullthestraptothefloorlevelbeforeproceedingtothetrailerattachmentpoint.
AdvantagesMostvehicleshaveeasilyaccessibleandstrongpointssuchassolidaxlesor
A-arms.Itisdifficulttodamageshocksealsandaffectspringrateswiththismethod.
DisadvantagesYoumustgetonthetrailerfloorandreachdeepunderthecartomakethe
necessaryconnections.
Securingcarusingfactorylocations
HowtodoitMostcarshaveholesintheframethatweredesignedinbythemanufacturer
toattach“shippinghooks.”Althoughthispracticeisbeingabandonedforsomenewcarstoavoiddamagetomodernsuspensions,thereareplentyofoldervehiclesthatcanstillbetransportedsafelyinthisway.Therearethreetypesofshippinghooks:J-hooks,T-hooksandR-hooks.J-hookswillworkinframeholesabitlargerthanfive-eighthsinch.Theyarestout,butthesuspensionmustremaincompressedtopreventthehooksfromfallingoutwhendrivingover
potholes.T-hooksuseaslot,roughlythree-quartersofaninchbyone-and-one-halfinches,inwhichtheyrotatetolock,preventingthehookfromcominglooseascanmoreeasilyhappenwithaJ-hook.R-hookscanbeusedonsomeforeigncarsbutnotonAmericancars.Strapscanbesewndirectlytothehooksorthefreeendofastandardratchetstrapcanconnecttothelooponthehook.
AdvantagesWiththerighthooks,hookupissimple.
DisadvantagesThebiggestdisadvantageofusinghooksintheframeisthatifthestraps
loosenalittle,thehooks,particularlyJ-hooks,candisengagewhentravelingoverbigbumps.Compressingthesuspensionforlongperiodsoftimecanalsocompromiseshocksealsandchangespringrates
Securingcarthroughthewheel
HowtodoitUseaspecificallylengthenedaxlestrapcoveredinbothafull-lengthwear
sleeveandaremovablepaddedfleecesleeveandruntheaxlestrapthroughthewheelopeningclosesttothetiedownpoint.Installtheratchettiedown-through-the-wheelstraptothetrailerfasteningpointseitherinlinewithorslightlyoutboardofthewheels.
Whenconnectingtosuspensioncomponents,avoidsharpedgesandstayclearofbrakeandfuellines.
AdvantagesWiththecorrectaxlestraps,connectionsareeasytomake.Excellentstrap
geometrytypicallyresults.
DisadvantagesThismethodcannotbeusedwithsolid-center,stamped-steel,wire-spokeor
alloywheelswithnarrowopenings.Unlesstheaxlestrapfleececoversandwheelsareclean,thewheelfinishcanbedamaged.
Securingcarusingwheelnets
Howtodoit
Thismethodrequiresspecialstrapassembliesthataremountedoverthetopofthetire.Thesewheelnetsmustbesizedforthetiresonthecarbeinghauled.Forpropergeometry,tiedownpointsmustbelocateddirectlyinfrontofandbehindeachwheel.Thismethodisbestusedwiththetracksystem.However,ifcarsofthesamewheelbaseorthesamecarisalwayshauled,D-ringattachmentscanbeused.Forthefronttires,connectthewheelnetaboutthreetofourinchesbehindthe
rearmostpartofthetire,thenupandoverthetire,downtoanidlerjustinfrontoftheforemostpartofthetire,makingthenetpullmostlystraightdown,butalittleforeandaft.Fromthere,thestrapturns90degreesusinganidlerandrunsalongthefloortotheratchetandD-ringinfrontofthecar.Ifthereissufficientroom,theratchetstrapcanbeconnectedatthefrontofthetireinsteadofusinganidler.Theprocedureisreversedforthereartires.
AdvantagesWheelnetsprovidethelowestpotentialfordamagetothecarbeinghauled
andcansecurecarsthatarelow.Thesystemisthestrongestavailable.
DisadvantagesWheelsnetsarebestusedwithatrailertracksystem,whichisexpensive.D-
ringscanbeused,butthreearerequiredateachwheellocation.Correctlypositioningthewheelnetcansometimesbedifficultifwheelclearanceislimited.
SummaryRegardlessofthemethodchosen,besuretogetatleasttwofullturnsofthe
ratchetstraponthemandrel(roller)oftheratchet.Withless,vibrationcancauseatightstraptoslowlyloosen.Also,checkstraptensionafterafewmilesandroutinelythroughoutthetripduringfuelstops.Allsystemsofconnectingacartoatrailercanprovidesafe,securehaulingif:
•TheD-ringsortracksystemareproperlymountedtothetrailerfloorusingthrough-boltconnections;
Thelatestmethodofsecuringacartoatrailer.Wheelnetsarecustomsizedtofitthetires.Notethegeometryoftheconnectionpoints—atthefrontofthetire,theidlerloopatthe
rearandtheratchet—toprovideasecureconnection.
•Thecorrectstrapsandconnectionsspecificallyintendedforthemethodemployedareused;and,•Qualitystrapswiththecorrectstrengthratingsareused.Axleandratchetstrapswearoutwithage.So,don’tbeafraidtoreplacethese
afterafewyearsofuse.Thecostofnewstrapsissmallcomparedtowhattheysecure.ThankstoMac’sCustomTieDowns(www.macscustomtiedowns.com)for
supplyingtheexpertiseandthephotosusedinthistwo-partarticle.
WilliamC.“Bill”Anderson,P.E.,hasbeeninvolvedwiththeautomotivehobbyformorethan30years.ThroughAndersonAutomotiveEnterprises—www.andersonautomotiveenterprises.com—herestoresandappraisescars.
BRINGINGHOMEA‘BARNFIND’Tipstopreparinga‘barnfind’projectvehiclefortheroad
Whilemanyofusintheoldcarhobbydreamofstumblingacrossadustybutotherwiseall-originalvehicleinabarn,it’saveryrareoccurrence.Thatisnottosaythatitdoesn’t
happen.
BySteveTurchetAquestionthatmanyvintagevehicleownersareoftenaskedabouttheirvehicles(besides“isithardtofindpartsfor?”and“whatisitworth?”)iswheretheyfoundit.Asmostenthusiastsknow,thegeneralpublicusuallyassumesthatmostoldcarswereboughtatatelevisedauction.However,thoseofusinthehobby
oftenhavemuchmoreinterestingtalestotellabouthowandwhereweacquiredourvehicles,alongwithamusingoradventurousstoriesabouthowwegotourtreasureshome.Whilesomecollectorsdobuyvehiclesfromauctions,manyvintagevehicles
comedirectlyfromprivatesources.Webecomeawareofthemthroughclassifiedadsinthismagazineorotherpublications,bywordofmouthandoneBayorotherInternetsites.Sometimes,wesimplyspotavehicleinsomeone’sbarnoroutinafield,oftenwhenwe’renotlookingforone.Thesearegenericallycalled“barnfinds.”Justaboutanybarnfindisabletobetransportedinatrailer,andmanyare
towable,whileafewcanactuallybedrivenhome.However,sometimeswhatistowableor“trailerable”(andmaybeshouldbe)istransformedintodrivable.
AfterDiscoveringTheVehicle:LoadingItTheadventureusuallybeginsafterthevehiclehasbeenpurchased.Inmany
cases,thevehicle’snewownerhasbeentoldbythefarmer/rancher/miner/logger,“Shewasrunnin’whenweparkedher20yearsago.”Whatsometimeshappensisthenewownerdecidesthatinsteadofrentingorborrowingatowbarortrailer,theyaregoingtodrivethevehiclehome.Ihavedonethismanytimes,ofteninthedesertorbush,andusuallybecauseIhadtobecauseIlackedtheequipmenttotrailerortowavehicleorthefundstohaveittrailedortowed.However,formanypeople,there’sreallynonecessitytotrytodrivehomeabarnfind,butthere’susuallynonecessitytoclimbamountain,either.Whileeverysituationhasbeenalittledifferent,therearealsosimilarities,
especiallyinthestoriesofotherswho’vedrivenbarnfindshome,ortried.Thesamemistakesareoftenmadeandalotoftimeisoftenwastedbynotdoingthingsinalogicalorderwhenitcomestoinspectingabarnfind,gettingitstartedandmakingitmobile.Insomecases,avehiclesimplycan’tbedriven—orshouldn’tbe—andthesooneronelearnsthis(preferablyonthesamedayonemakesthepurchase),thelesstimewillbewastedtryingtodotheimpossible.
Forexample,aguyoncetoldmehespentanentiredaydismountingall10wheelsofabarnfindM35militaryvehicle,haulingthemtwoatatimeinhisSUVtothenearesttowntoairthemup,onlytodiscoveratsunsetthatthetruck’senginewasseized.Someoneelsetoldmeofadayspentfiringupanold4x4truckonlytodiscoveritwasmissingitstransfercase.Thereasonwhyembarrassmentsliketheseoccurisbecausepeopledon’ttake
thetimetothoroughlycheckoutavehiclebeforetheydecidetheycoulddriveithome.Usually,thevehicle’sformerownerwastellingthetruthandthevehiclehadbeenrunningwhenparked,butpartswereremovedthroughtheyearsandthishadbeenforgotten.Inothercases,partsmayhavebeenstolenorsimply“borrowed”byotherpeople.
BasicCheckListThereareonlyafewbasicthingsthatneedtobecheckedtodetermineif
there’satleastachancethatabarnfindcanbestartedanddriven.First,itshouldbeobviousthatnovehicleisgoinganywhereunderitsownpowerifitsengineisseized.Ifonehasjumpercables,it’sasimplemattertotrythestarteronvehicleswith6-or12-voltelectricalsystemstoseeiftheengineisfree.Forvehicleswith24-voltsystems,12voltsmaynotbeenoughtoturnanenginethat’sbeensittingforyears.However,onmostvehicles,onecanputthetransmissioninneutral,grabthefan,pushdownonthefan-beltwithonehandtokeepittight,andturntheengineenoughtoseeifit’sfree.Aheftyscrewdriverorsmallprybarontheflywheelteethwillalsoservetoturntheengine.Ifit’sfree,andonetruststheformerowner’swordthatitwasindeedrunningwhenparked,thereisusuallyagoodchanceitcanbestarted.Evenifitseemstobestuck,therearewaystobreakanenginefreeifitspiston
ringsarejustlightlyrustedtothecylinderwalls,asissometimesthecase.Still,I’veonlyhadabouta50/50successrateoffreeingfrozenenginesinthefield,soonemaywanttoconsidertowingoptionsifavehicle’sengineisstuck.Ontheotherhand,ifavehicle’senginecanbeturnedover,thenextstepistomakesure
thatallthemajorandminorcomponentsrequiredforself-propelledmobilityarestillpresentandconnectedtoeachother.Besidesthelargeandobviousparts(transmission,driveshaftandsteering
system),checkthatthesteeringwheelatleasttriestoturnthefrontwheels,evenifthetiresareflatorsunkintheground.Thevehicle’sservicebrakesprobablywon’twork,buthopefullythat’sonlyduetolossofbrakefluid.Forthemoment,makesurethatthebrakeandclutchpedalsareoperationalandstillequippedwithreturnsprings.Smallpartssuchasreturnspringsaresomeofthecommonitemsoftenmissingfromabarnfind.Alsocheckforanacceleratorlinkagereturnspring,alongwithaspringorspringsfortheparkingbrakesystemifspringsareused.Ifanyofthesearemissingorbadlyrustedsotheymaybreak,buynewonesbeforeyoureturn.
Ifthesparkplugsarelocatedinwells,suchasonmostL-headengines,cleanoutallthedirtanddebrissoitdoesn’tfallintothecylindersbeforeremovingthesparkplugs.
Checkthattheparkingbrakeisoperationalandthatitsbandorshoeshaven’trustedinplace.
Eveniftheclutchpedalworks,it’spossiblethattheclutchdiskisrustedtotheflywheeland/orpressureplate.Manypeopledon’tdiscoverthisuntilaftertheygetanenginerunning.Asimplewaytocheckiftheclutchdiskisstuckistoputthetransmissionandtransfercase(ifequipped)ingear,pushtheclutchpedaldown—eitherhavesomeoneholditdownorblockitdownwithastickifworkingalone—thenturnthenengineoverbyhandorwiththestarter.Ifthe
clutchhasreleased,you’llbeabletoturntheengine.Ifnot,eithertheenginewon’tturnoritwilltrytomovethevehiclewhenturnedover.Arustedclutchdiskcansometimesbefreedinthefield,whichIwillexplainlater.
Writedownthedistributornumberortakenoteofitsmakeandmodelandbringbacknewtune-upparts.Evenbetter,removethedistributoraftermarkingitspositionandtakeit
hometocleanandtune-upbeforeyoureturn.Youmayalsowanttobuyanewcoil,sparkplugsandwires.
ReadyToRoll?Nowyouhaveascertainedthattheenginewillatleastturnover,theclutchis
free,thebrakesfunctionandthevehiclehasallitsmobilitycomponents.Butdon’tdustoffyourhandsandwalkawayyet,planningtoreturnanddriveyourbarnfindhomenextSaturdayafterafewhoursoftinkering.Itwouldbewiseatthistimetofillthevehicle’sradiatorwithwater.Aleaky
ordamagedradiator,orrottenormissingradiatorhoses,shouldbeinstantlyapparent.Afterfillingthecoolingsystem,youshouldalsobeabletospotleakingsoftplugsorexternalcracksintheengineblock.Freezecracksinanengineblockarealmostalwayslocatedatthebottomofthewaterjacketandrunhorizontally.Ifcracksarediscovered,theyarenotnecessarilyareasontoabandonyourfieldresurrection.Variousproducts,suchasK.W.BlockSealer,cantemporarilysealengineblockcracks,evenmajorones,andyoumaystillbeabletodrivethevehiclehome,althoughyouwillprobablyhavetogetanotherengine,oratleastablock,later.Internalcracksinanengineblockorcylinderheadarehardertofindbecause
theyleakintothecylindersoroilpan.Unlessyouexpectfreezingtemperatures,leavethecoolingsystemfullofwaterandchecktheoillevelonthedipstick.If,afteryoureturnthenextdayorthenextweek,theradiatorislowandthere’sbeenariseintheoillevel,thereisprobablyeitheraleakingheadgasketorinternalcracksintheengineblockand/orcylinderhead.Ablocksealerproductmaystillenableyoutodrivethevehiclehome,althoughyoumaywanttoputmoreconsiderationintotowingoptions.Theconditionofavehicle’stiresisofobviousimportanceifonehopesto
driveitforanydistance.Inmanycases,whenavehiclehasbeensittingforyears,oneormoreofitstireswillbeflatandthereisseldomaspare.Evenifthe
tiresstillholdair,checkthemcarefullyfordeepcuts,seriousweatheringandagecracks.Onemayoftenbefooledwhendealingwithancienttires;tiresthatarecompletelyflatand/orlookasiftheycouldn’troll10feetwithoutfallingtopiecesshouldnotbeusedtodriveavehicleonroadways.Ontheotherhand,tiresthatlookverygoodwillsometimesdisintegrateinless
thanamile.It’ssmarttohaveatleastonegoodspare.I’vefoundthatevenrottenoldtireswithnyloncordtendtoholdtogether,atleastatlowspeedsovershortdistances,whilegood-lookingtireswithrayoncordmayquicklyfallapart.Largevehicleswithdualrearwheelsgiveamarginofsafety,becauseyoucan
dismountoneofthedualsifitfailsoruseitasaspareforafrontwheel.Inthecaseoffour-wheeledvehicles,buyorborrowatleastonesparewheelandtire.Ifoneormoretiresarecompletelyflat,checkformissingvalvecores,anotheritemoftenmissingonbarnfinds.Thereareinexpensiveelectrictirepumpsavailableatmostautopartsstores,whichmaysavethetroubleofdismountingwheelsandhaulingthemintotownforair.Apumpmayalsocomeinhandyifatiregoesflatwhiledrivingthevehiclehome.
LookOverTheEngineAftercheckingtheconditionofthetiresandmakingappropriateplansinthat
department,examinetheengineagaintomakesurethateverythingitneedstostartupandrunispresentandaccountedfor.Doesithaveallitssparkplugsandaretheyintactwithnobreaks?Whataboutthesparkplugwires,distributorcap,rotorandignitioncoil?Hasthatpre-mid-1950svehiclebeenconvertedfrom6to12volts?Writedownthedistributornumberortakenoteofitsmakeandmodelandbringbacknewtune-upparts.Evenbetter,removethedistributoraftermarkingitspositionandtakeithometocleanandtune-upbeforeyoureturn.Youmayalsowanttobuyanewcoil,sparkplugsandwires.Checkthatthevehiclehasbatterycables.Alsochecktheradiatorhosesandfanbelts.Evenifthehosesdidn’tleakwhen
youfilledthecoolingsystem,youmaywanttoreplacethembeforetakingtothe
road.Oldhosesarelikeoldtires;thereisnoreliablewaytojudgehowlongtheymightholdtogether.Thesameappliestoagedfanandaccessorybelts.Justlikesparkplugsandignitioncomponents,you’llhavetoreplacethemanyway,sowhynotdoitnow?
Itshouldbeobviousthatnovehicleisgoinganywhereunderitsownpowerifitsengineisseized.However,onmostvehicles,onecanputthetransmissioninneutral,grabthefan,pushdownonthefanbeltwithonehandtokeepittight,andturntheengineinordertofix
this.
Forvehicleswithairbrakes,onewouldnaturallycheckthecompressor,airtanksandtheentiresystemforleakylinesorfittings.Vintageairbrakesystemsoftenhaveaseparateunloadervalve(or“governor”)whichmayhavetobeunstuckforthesystemtobuildup
pressure.
AFewOtherAreasToExamineOtherthingstocheckareflexiblebrakelines,fuelsystemhosesandlinesto
theoilfilterandoilpressuregauge.Alsolookattheairorvacuumhoses.Checkthechokecabletoseeifit’srustedsolid.Youwillprobablyneedaworkingchoketostartthevehicle.Ifyoudon’tthinkthecablecanbefreed,takemeasurementsforareplacement.Likewise,checkthethrottlecable,ifthevehiclehasahandthrottle.Handthrottlesarehandy,nopunintended.
Checkthatthevehiclestillhasanexhaustsystem,includingamuffler.Checkthatthefueltankhasn’trustedout.Ifit’sstillpartlyfullofancientfuel,youmayhavetobringbacksuitablecontainersinwhichtodisposeofit.Thesameappliestotheengineoil,whichyouwillwanttochangebeforetryingtodrivethevehiclehome.Youmayalsowanttoremoveandcleantheoilpan,andwillprobablyneedanewgasket.Alsomakenoteoftheoilfiltertype.Youcanusuallyperformalltheseinspectionsinanhourortwo,andyoumaybeverygladyoudid.
Ifavehicle’senginecanbeturnedover,thenextstepistomakesurethatallthemajorandminorcomponentsrequiredforself-propelledmobilityarestillpresentandconnectedtoeachother.ThisJeepchassisillustrationwillhelpidentifythosepartsonapassengercar
ortruck.
WhatWillYouNeedToStartIt?Besidesagoodtoolsetandanypartsyou’vedecidedyouneed,youshould
haveagoodbatteryofthepropersizeandvoltage.Youshouldhaveasuitabletowingchainorrope,andhopefullyachasevehiclethat’slargeandpowerfulenoughtotowyournewtreasureifitbreaksdown.Youshouldhavejumper
cables,extraprimarywire,electricaltapeandcontainersoffuelandwater.Bringatleastaquartofbrakefluidifthevehiclehashydraulicbrakes.Herearesomeotherthingstoconsider:itisn’twisetoattempttodrivea
vehiclethat’sbeensittingforyearswiththeoilthatisnowinitscrankcase.Atbest,theoilislikelycontaminatedwithwaterfromcondensation.Fortheenginesofmostvintagevehicles,buythecheapest30-weightyoucanfind,aswellasseveralquartsmorethanthatparticularenginetakes.Thereasonforusingcheapoilisyoudon’tyetknowiftheenginewillstartorwhatconditionitmightbein,sothere’snopointinbuyingtop-qualityoil.Thereasonforbringingextraoilisbecauseyoumaybreakanoillinealongtheway.Youshouldalsohaveanewoilfilterelement.Bringatleast10feetofeither5/16-or3/8-inchfuelhosewithappropriate
clamps,plusoneortwoin-linefuelfilters.It’sprobableyoumayhavetobypasspartsofthefuelsystembetweenthetankandthefuelpumpand/orthefuelpumpandcarburetor.It’salsopossiblethatthefuelpumpwon’tworkormayfailontheroadandyoumayhavetorigupagravityfeedwithajerrycan.Orthevehicle’sfueltankmayleakandyou’llhavetousethejerrycanconnectedtothefuelpump.Evenifthefuelsystemisoperational,itwouldbewisetoinstallanin-linefilterandpackasparefuelpump.Alsobringrollsofbailingwireandducttape.Gasketpapermightalsocomeinhandyalongwithgasketsealer,althoughyoucanusejustaboutanykindofthickpapertomakeagasket.Besuretobringanoilsquirtcanforlinkages,chokecables,etc.Bringagreasegun,severaltubesofgreaseandenoughgearoilforacompletechangeinthevehicle’stransmission,transfercaseanddifferentials.Asuitablegearoilis90weight.Dependinguponthetypeofvehicle,itscondition,locationandthedistance
andterrainithastotravel,otheritemsshouldcometoyourmind.Asfaraslegality,somestatesissueorsellpermitstodriveanunlicensedvehiclefromoneplaceofstoragetoanother.Expecttomeetthelaw,sobesmartaboutlicensingavehicle.
Whataboutinsurance?Somepoliciescovertheacquisitionofanewvehicleforalimitedtime.Checkwithyouragentorcompany.Buyingliabilitycoveragecouldbewellworththeexpenseifyourbarnfind’sbrakesfailandyourear-endabrand-newFerrari.Ifpossible,makeyourjourneybydaylight.
TimeToMoveYou’vearrivedinthemorningwithallthestuffyouthinkyou’llneed,
includingahelpfulandenthusiasticcompanion,someoneI’veseldomhadsincemysonsgrewup.Theresitsyourbarnfind,althoughmaybenotactuallyinabarn,lookingtwiceasbatteredandrustyasyouremember.Youmightaswellgetdownwiththefactthat,nomatterwhatitsformerownersaid,therewasprobablyareasonwhyitwasparkedandyou’lleitherdiscoveritnoworwhenyoutrytodriveit.Nodoubtyournewtreasurewouldlookmoreimpressivewithairinallofitstiresandtheweedsorcactusclearedaway,butthefirstthingyoushouldgettoistheheartofthematter:willtheenginerun?Ifitwasfreetobeginwithandhasn’tacquiredanothergallonof“oil”since
youfilledtheradiator,youcanskipthenextparagraph.However,iftheenginewasstuck,here’smy50/50successmethodofgettingitlooseinthefield.Removeallthesparkplugsandfilleachcylinderwithbrakefluid.Ofallthe
preparationseveradvisedtofreeupfrozenengines,Ihavefoundthatordinarybrakefluidworksbest.Ifthesparkplusarelocatedinwells,suchasonmostL-headengines,cleanoutallthedirtanddebrissoitdoesn’tfallintothecylindersbeforeremovingthesparkplugs.Astoutscrewdriverorprybarappliedtotheflywheelteethhasmoreturningforcethanmoststarters,andtryingtoturnastuckenginewiththestartermaydamagethestarter.
Ifthetransmissionjustgrindswhenyoutrytoshiftintogear,theclutchdiskisprobablyrustedtotheflywheeland/orpressureplate.Sometimesitcanbebrokenloosebyshuttingofftheengine,shiftingintohighgearandholdingtheclutchpedaldownwhiletryingtorestarttheengine.Ifthatdoesn’twork,tryhavingyourcompanionholdtheclutchpedaldown(orblockitdownwithastick)thengetunderthevehicletoseeifyoucanloosenthediskwithabroad-bladedscrewdriverorlargeknife.Trynottodamagetheclutch–facing
material.
Withthecylindersfullofbrakefluid,putthetransmissioninneutral,getunderneaththevehicleandtrytoturntheengine.Ifitmovesevenalittle,keeprockingitfromonedirectiontotheotherwithyourscrewdriverorbar.Chances
aregoodthatitwillgraduallyturnalittlefartherineachdirectionuntilfinallyyougetacompleterevolution.Turnitoverafewmoretimes,thenhookupthebatteryandturnitoveradozentimeswiththestartertoblowthebrakefluidoutofthecylindersandloosenthingsup.Bewarethatthebrakefluidwillspoutorsprayfromthesparkplugholes;don’tletitgetinyoureyesandbesuretowarnyourcompanion.Cleanandreplacethesparkplugsorinstallnewonesaftercheckingforthe
correctgap.Obviously,wedon’thavethespaceinthisarticletogointodetailaboutcheckingoutthefuelandignitionsystemsstepbystep.AboutallIcanaddinregardtoyourpresentsituationistocheckthe
carburetortomakesureitisn’theavilyvarnishedorbadlycorrodedinside,andthefloatandneedlevalvearefreeandoperational.Useyouroilsquirtcantolubricateallthecarburetor,accelerator,chokeandthrottlelinkagesandmakesurethereturnspringclosesthecarburetorbutterfly,becauseyoudon’twanttheenginetorevoutofcontrol.Iftheengineisadiesel,besureyoucanshutitoffbeforeyoutrytostartit.Whenyouhaveasparkatthesparkplugsandclean,freshfuelbeingdelivered
tothecarburetor,you’rejustaboutreadytoattemptastartup.Butfirst,draintheoldoilandputinthenew.Somepeopleprefertoremoveandcleantheoilpanatthispoint.However,thismaybemoreworkthanyou’rewillingtoperforminthefield.Also,servicetheoilfilterifyoucamepreparedtodothat.Makesurethecoolingsystemisfullofwater.Ifthestarter,generatorordistributorhasoilcups,fillthem.Ifthewaterpumphasalubefitting,greaseit.Makesurethefanandaccessorybeltsaretight.Next,examinetheexhaustsystem.Thatoldengineisgoingtoblowalotof
red-hotrustflakesoutofthepipe.Ifthevehicleissittinginafieldofdrygrass,itwouldbewisetoascertainwheretheexhaustisgoingtocomeoutandcleartheareaofflammables.Theremayalsobearat’snestofdryleavesuptheexhaustpipeorinsidethemuffler.Ofcourse,youhaveafireextinguisherandextrawater,right?Ioncehada
WorldWarII-erahalf-tonDodgepickupsetwhatwasleftofitsbed-boardsonfirebecauseofhotrustflakesblownouttheexhaustpipe.Itmakesanamusingstorynow,butatthetime,itwasn’tfunnytobedrivingavehiclewithabonfireinback.Finally,cleantheengineexhaustmanifoldofanyleavesorflammabledebris.Justpriortostartup,pourathimblefulofgasdownthecarburetor.Bewarethat
iftheenginebackfires,itmayblowflamefromthecarburetorthroat.Keepyourfaceawayandyourfireextinguisherhandy.Likewise,warnyourcompanion.Whentheenginestarts,donotrevitanyhigherthanisnecessarytokeepitrunning.Theoilhaslongsincedrainedoutofallthebearingsandinternalpartsandyouwanttogivetheengineplentyofgentletimetopickupandcirculatethenewoil.Ifthereasonthevehiclewasparkedwasalooseconnectingrodorabroken
piston,you’llfindthatoutsoonenoughwithoutblowingitoutthroughtheblockanddestroyingyourchanceofrebuildingtheenginebyover-revving.Assoonastheenginecanbeidledwithoutyourattentionatthecarburetor,hopintothecabandmakesurethereisoilpressureindicatedbythegauge.Ifyouhaveacompanion,heorsheshouldhavealreadybeeninstructedtowatchthegauge.Ifthegaugedoesn’tregister,shutofftheengineandfindoutwhy.Alinecouldbebrokentothegaugeoroilfilter,oranoilgalleryfittingorplugmaybemissingandoilisspurtingoutsomewhere.Ifyoususpectthegaugeitselfisbad,loosenafittingsomewhereonitssupplyline(orthesenderunitifthegaugeiselectric)andrestarttheengine.Ifoilsquirtsout,thenyouknowthereispressureintheengineandthegaugejustdoesn’twork.Ifyoudohaveoilpressure,checkthewaterlevelintheradiatorandtopitoff
ifnecessary.Somevehiclecoolingsystemscan’tbefilledallthewayiftheengineisn’trunningorthethermostatisn’topen.Alsolookforbubblesintheradiatorwhichcouldindicatealeakingheadgasket.Ifeverythingseemsokay,lettheenginewarmup.Ifthegeneratorischarging,asindicatedbytheammeterorvoltmeter,that’saplus.Ifnot,sometimesafewlighttapswithascrewdriver
onthevoltageregulatorwillmakeitstartcharging.Checkthatthetemperaturegaugeisworking.Ifso,itshouldstartrising.However,ifitkeepsonrisingandtheradiatorbeginstoboil,thethermostatisprobablystuckandyouwillhavetoremoveorreplaceittodrivethevehiclehome.Iftheenginetemperaturestabilizesinanormalrange(usuallysomewhere
between160and190degrees,ormidwayupthegaugedial)trytoshiftintogear.Iftheclutchdiskisfree,youwillknowitnowforsure.Shiftintofirstorreverseand,evenifthetiresareflatorsunkinthedirt,checkifthevehicletriestomove.Alsobesurethatthetransfercaseisingear.Ifthetransmissionjustgrindswhenyoutrytoshiftintogear,theclutchdiskisprobablyrustedtotheflywheeland/orpressureplate.Sometimesitcanbebrokenloosebyshuttingofftheengine,shiftingintohighgearandholdingtheclutchpedaldownwhiletryingtorestarttheengine.Ifthatdoesn’twork,tryhavingyourcompanionholdtheclutchpedaldown(orblockitdownwithastick)thengetunderthevehicletoseeifyoucanloosenthediskwithabroad-bladedscrewdriverorlargeknife.Trynottodamagetheclutch-facingmaterial.Ifthatproceduredoesn’tworkorcan’tbeattemptedbecauseyoucan’treachtheclutchdisk,abouttheonlyotherthingthatcanbedoneinthefieldistotowthevehicleafewhundredfeetwiththetransmissioninhighgearandtheclutchpedalhelddown.
Theconditionofavehicle’stiresisofobviousimportanceifonehopestodriveitforanydistance.Evenifthetiresstillholdair,checkthemcarefullyfordeepcuts,serious
weatheringandagecracks.Onemayoftenbefooledwhendealingwithancienttires;tiresthatarecompletelyflatand/orlookasiftheycouldn’troll10feetwithoutfallingtopieces
willsometimesholdupjustfine.Ontheotherhand,tiresthatlookverygoodwillsometimesdisintegrateinlessthanamile.
Iftheclutchdoesworkandthevehicleseemstowanttomove,orifyou’regoingtotrytotowthevehicletofreetheclutch,thennowisthetimetoattendtothetires.Youhaven’twastedtimeonthem,becauseyou’vedonethingsinalogicalorderbyfirstgettingtheenginestartedandthenfindingoutifthevehiclewillmove.Nowairuporchangethetires,whateverittakestogetthevehiclerolling.Ifyou’reworkinginaflatarea,youprobablywon’tneedtheservicebrakes
yet.However,ifyou’reonahillside,you’llwanttogetthebrakesworkingassoonasthetiresarefittoroll.It’spossiblethattheparkingbrakeisrustedintheonposition.Ifso,dealwiththatnow.Ihavedrivenmanyoldvehicleshomewithonlytheparkingbraketostopthem,butthatwasbackinmycarelessdaysandIdon’trecommendyoudothesame.Hopefully,youcangetthevehicle’sservice
brakesworkingbysimplyaddingnewfluidandbleedingthem.(Thereisanarticleaboutbleedinghydraulicbrakesystemsonpage28.)
DriveItOutOfTheBushYoushouldnowbeabletodrivethevehicleclearofthepoisonivyorjumping
cactus.Checkthelevelsinthetransmissionanddifferentialandaddnewoilifnecessary,orchangeitifyoucamepreparedtodoso.Useyourgreaseguntolubealldrivetrain,steeringsystem,chassisandsuspensionfittings.Youmaywanttoremoveandcleantheoilpannow,butyoushouldn’thavetochangetheoilagain.Checkthebrakelampsandturnsignalstodetermineiftheywork.Ifthevehicle’sheadlampsandbrakelampswork,somuchthebetter,butIdon’tsuggesttravelingafterdark.Ifsunsetisnear,itmightbesmarttocomebackanotherday,ratherthanriskajourneyatnight.Onceontheroad,takeitslowandeasy.Geardownonupgradesanddon’tlug
orhigh-revtheengine.Stoptocheckthetiresandwheelbearingsfrequently(putyourhandonthewheelhubstoseeifthey’regettinghot).Keepaclosewatchontheenginetemperatureandoilpressuregaugesand,ofcourse,listenforknocks,rattlesoranyotherominoussoundscomingfromtheengineordrivetrain.Evenifyougethomewithoutproblems,you’llstillhaveaninterestingtaletotell,whichwillprobablyhelpotherenthusiastsiftheystumbleacrossabarnfind.
BLASTOFF!Cabinetblastingishandy,butinvolvesalearningcurve
ByJohnGunnellWerecentlypurchaseda60-inch-wideEastwooddual-side-openingabrasiveblastingcabinetwithalampandadustcollectingsystem.“Ohboy,”wethought,“nowwecanpopmostofourpartsinthebigcabinetandblastthemcleaninafewminutes.”Afterseverallengthysessionsoftryingtogetsomedirtypartscompletelyclean,werealizedthattherewasmoretocabinetblastingthanmeetstheeye.
Cabinetscomeinvariousmodelsfrombenchtypestolargeunitslikethis60-inchEastwoodmodel.Thesizeofyourworkspace,thejobsyouplantodoandthesizeofyour
compressorallfactorintopickingtherightcabinet.
Thereisactuallyalotinvolvedincabinetblasting,andittakesalotofplanningandmaintenancetoblastproperly.Inaddition,therearewaystoimproveasystemtomakeitworkbetter.Sandblastingisdesignedtouseanabrasivemediasuchaslightsand,glass
beadsorwashingsodatotakedirtandfinishesoffofobjects.Abrasiveblasting
canalsosmoothroughsurfaces.Abrasiveblastingcabinetsallowtheusertoblastwithinanenclosedspacewithoutgettingsandeverywhere.Asiphonsystemisusedtopullthesandfromthebottomofthecabinetand
directitthroughhosestoanozzleorgunthatdirectsitontotheobjectbeingblasted.Becauseit’sretainedinthecabinet,theblastingmediacanbesuckedbackintothesystemandreused.
Blastedpartswillusuallybeleftwithagraycolorandmayberoughifyouusedaroughabrasivesuchassand.Don’tletthemsittoolong,likethispartdid,ortheywillstart
rusting.
TheuserlooksthroughaPlexiglaswindowandcontrolstheprocessbyputtinghisarmsintoprotectiveglovesthatextendintothecabinet.Thefingersoftheglovesallowtheusertomovethehosesanddirecttheflowoftheblastmediacomingoutofthenozzleorgun.Thiscabinetrequiresaminimumairvolumeof20cfm@99-100psi,soaC-
Aire7.5-hpthree-cylinder230-voltcompressorwithan80-gallontankanda34-cfmdisplacementwithflowof27.6cfmwasadequate.However,ourblasterkepttrippingashopfuse,soanelectricianhadtobecalled.Westartedoffusingglassbeadinthecabinet.Whenthatdidn’tstripoldpaint
asfastaswehoped,weswitchedtosand.Sandisaveryaggressivemedia,butitcloggedmore.Ittendedtogetwet,anditalsobecamedirtierfasterthanglassbeads.Silicainthesandmaycausemedicalissuesforsomeusers,sowewentbacktoglassbeads.Whenthemediagetssiphonedupproperlyandflowswellthroughthehoses
andnozzle,abrasiveblastingisfun.Themediacanbefelthittingthegloveswithalightsting,andasthepressureisadjustedwiththefootpedal,themediacanbeseensprayingoutofthenozzle.Ifyoudon’tfeelthemediaandseeitdribblingoutofthenozzle,thereareeithersiphoningproblemsorcloggingproblems(orboth).Whenthereareproblemswiththemediaflowingorifthemediaissprayingin
lowvolume,theremaybeamoistureissue.Moistairdoesnotagreewithsandblasting,sokeepthecabinetinadry,indoorenvironment.Anothercommoncauseoftoolittleornomediaisleakyvalves.Iftheblasterdoesnotseemtobefunctioningproperly,unplugitandcheckallthevalvesonthecompressorandthecabinet,makingsuretheyareallproperlyhookedup.Replaceanyleakyvalveswithhigh-qualitysubstitutes.Moistureordirtcanclogablastnozzle.Ifyoususpectaclog,immediately
stopblastingandclearthenozzle.Useapickordrilltocleanthenozzletip.Sprayasmallamountofairthroughthetubetoblowoutclogs.Abrasivemediacanetchcabinetwindows,makingitimpossibletoseeinside
thecabinet.Mostnewercabinetshaveareplaceableplasticprotectivesheetovertheinsideofthewindow.Replacetheprotectiveplasticifvisionintothecabinetisobscured.Blastingcabinetsneedairtoflowthroughusingtheairinletandoutlet.Some
blastingdustwillescapethroughtheoutletvent,sowearprotectivegear,suchaseyeprotectionandbreathingaids.Runhosesfromtheoutletventoutdoorssothecabinetisalwayspullinginfreshoutsideairandventingtheexhaustoutside.Sincecabinetsandblastersreusesand,keepaneyeontherecycledabrasive
materialandreplaceitonceitgetstoodirtyortoolow.Ifdebriscanbeseenorifthemediaisgettingroundedorpowdery,thenreplaceit.Themediumshouldstreamoutofthenozzleinsteadofcreatingadustcloud.Thesiphoningsystemusesapipeattheendthatyouslipintothemedia
throughaholeinthegrate.Thepipehasasmallventholenearthetopthatmustbeopentotheair.Acarclubwebelongtohasablastcabinetthatwasmodifiedbyamemberwhowasanengineer.Hedeterminedthatthesiphonpipewouldpickupmediabetterifitwasverticallymounted.Aholewascutinthecenterofthefrontedgeofthegrating(midwaybetween
thegloves)andaplatewasattachedtoholdthesiphonpipeataverticalangle.Asecondpipewasthenattachedtothefirstandventedtoit(liketwostrawswithholesintheirsidesmatedtogether),withthesecondpipeinthemedia.Thiscreatedsortofa“carburetorventuri”effectthatdidabettersiphoningjob.Sofar,abrasiveblastinghasn’tbeenthesmooth,easyclean-upsystemthatwe
imagineditwouldbe.Wehavealsofoundthattheinstructionsthatcomewithcabinetsarenotveryinformative.Ontheplusside,thereisnothingtomatchthecleanlinessofablastedcarpart.Themoreyoulearnandthemorerefinementsyoumaketoyourblastingsystem,themoreyouwilllikeit.
Ifyouneedabigcabinet,you’llneedabigcompressor.However,ifyouareblastinginyourhomegarage,itssizeandtheproximityofneighborsarefactorsyou’llwanttothink
about.
GASOLINEANDOCTANENUMBERS:101
Don’tknocktheimportanceoffueloctaneinyourengine
Thefirstethylgasolinetobesoldcommerciallywaspumpedin1923fromthisservicestationinDayton,Ohio.Thedevelopmentofethylantiknockadditivewasspurredby
CharlesF.Kettering,headofGeneralMotors’research,andcarriedoutunderthedirectionofThomasMidgleyJr.
ByWilliamC.“Bill”Anderson,P.E.
Sincetheapplicationofcomputersforenginecontrol,thefearofknockinginengineshasbecomearelicofthepast.Yet,formostcollectorcarowners,knockingremainsaconcern.Thisisparticularlytrueforhigh-compressionenginesofthe1960s.It’snoteworthythatmodernenginemanagementsystemscontrolknockingthewayitwasdonebydriversinthe1920s—retardingtheignitiontiming.Manycarsofthe’20sandbeforehadaleveronthesteeringwheelordashthatenabledthedrivertoadjustthetimingwhiledriving.Knockinghasseveralcauses,butfuelqualityisthemostsignificant.
GasolinebasicsGasolineisacomplexmixture.Themostimportantpropertyofgasolineisits
volatility.Highvolatility,i.e.,easetovaporize,isimportantforeasystarting,quickenginewarm-up,smoothacceleration,andfreedomfromcrankcasedilution.Ontheotherhand,lowervolatilityisneededtopreventvaporlockandtoenablegoodfueleconomy.Toachievetheseconflictinggoalsrequiresablendofdifferenthydrocarbons.Anassociatedconcernisthespeedatwhichgasolineburnsduringcombustion.Ideally,theflameassociatedwithcombustionwillspreadoutwardfromthe
sparkplugsparkinalldirectionsatauniformratetermedtherateofflamepropagation.Thisprocessshouldstartbeforetopdeadcenterandbecompletedshortlyafterprovidingmaximumthrusttothepiston’sdownwardmovement.However,ifthefuelchargeburnstoofast,pressureinthecombustionchamberwillriseexcessivelyleadingtoexcessivelyhighheatofcombustioncausingtheunburnedgasolinetoexplodebeforeit’sreachedbythenormalflameofcombustion.Recallfromphysicsthatasanygasiscompressed,itstemperaturerises,thisistermedtheheatofcompression.Theaudibleexplosionistermedknockingorpingingandproducesashockloadonpistonsandbearings.Ittypicallyoccursatfullthrottlewhenintakemanifoldpressuresarehighest(lowvacuum)leadingtomaximumcylinderpressure.Ifsevere,itcanbreakengineparts;attheleast,itincreaseswear.
Thepressureincreaseduetocombustionaddstothecylindercompressionarisingfromenginegeometry.Anengine’scompressionratioisthevolumeofthecylinderatBDC(bottomdeadcenter)dividedbythevolumeatTDC(topdeadcenter).Thehigherthecompressionratio,themorepoweragivenenginewillproduce,allotherfactorsheldconstant.Althoughengineersknewthiswastruefromtheautomobile’searliestdays,availablefuelsintheearlypartofthe20thcenturylimitedthemaximumcompressionratiotoabout4:1.Abovethatratio,knockingregularlyoccurred.Knockingcanalsobecreatedbypre-ignition,whichisdifferentfromdetonationaftersparkignition.Pre-ignitionoccurswhenthegasmixtureignitesbyanymeansotherthanthesparkplug.Typically,itiscausedbyhotspotsinthecombustionchamber,theresultofcarbondeposits.
ControllingknockThesolutiontotheknockingproblemwasdiscoveredbyThomasMidgleyJr.,
whileworkingasanassistanttoCharlesF.KetteringinGeneralMotors’ResearchCorp.in1922.Hissolutionwastheadditivetetraethyllead.ThisdiscoveryledGMtocombinewithStandardOilofNewJerseyinanequalpartnershipin1924toformtheEthylGasolineCorp.forthepurposeofproducingandsellingtetraethylleadasagasolineadditive.Theuseoftetraethylleadwasusedfromitsinventionuntil1986.Itenabledenginedesignerstosteadilyincreasecompressionratios—1932–5.5:1;’41–6.7:1;’55–7.6:1;’60–8.9:1;’70–10.5:1—tosatisfyanincreasinghungerforpower.Theadoptionofthecatalyticconvertertocontrolpollutioninthe1970sforcedpetroleumcompaniestofindsubstitutesforlead.
OctaneratingsGMandEthylbuiltonthisinitialdiscoverywithcontinuedresearchonthe
antiknockpropertiesoffuels.Dr.GrahamEdgarofEthylconceivedoftheoctanescaleandKetteringdevelopedasingle-cylinder,variable-compressiontestenginetomeasurefuelqualityinoctanenumbersgivingrisetoastandard
acceptedbybothautomotiveandpetroleumindustries.Thisfoundation,coupledwithcontinuedresearch,ledtotheoctanenumberswefindonallgasolinepumpstoday.ThemostcommontypeofoctaneratingworldwideistheResearchOctane
Number(RON).RONisdeterminedbyrunningthefuelinthevariablecompressiontestengineat600rpm,andcomparingtheresultswiththoseformixturesofiso-octaneandn-heptane.Thereisanothertypeofoctanerating,calledMotorOctaneNumber(MON),
whichisabettermeasureofhowthefuelbehaveswhenunderload,asitisdeterminedat900rpmenginespeed,insteadofthe600rpmforRON.MONtestingusesasimilartestenginetothatusedinRONtesting,butwithapreheatedfuelmixture,higherenginespeedandvariableignitiontimingtofurtherstressthefuel’sknockresistance.Dependingonthecompositionofthefuel,theMONofamoderngasolinewillbeabout8to10pointslowerthantheRON,howeverthereisnodirectlink.Normally,fuelspecificationsrequirebothaminimumRONandaminimumMON.TheoctanenumberpostedongasolinepumpsintheUnitedStatesisthe
averageoftheRONandtheMON,(R+M)/2.ThisaverageiscalledtheAntiKnockIndexorAKI.SometimesitmaybecalledthePumpOctaneNumber(PON).Therefore,the(R+M)/2octanewillbefourtofivepointslowerthantheRONnumberthatwasusedaloneinthe1950sand’60swhenpetroleumcompaniesregularlytoutedtheiroctaneratingsformarketingpurposes.
Althoughtheforegoingstandardsapplytoall,agasolinefromonebrandcanbedifferentfromthatofanother.Forexample,consideronecompanythatblendsaRONof91withaMONof83andanothercompanythatblendsaRONof90withaMONof84;bothfuelsproducea(R+M)/2of87.ThefuelwiththehigherRONwillhaveslightlybetterresistancetoknock.Refiningisahighvolumebusinessandprecisecontrolisnotalwayspossible,leadingtovariationswherethe(R+M)/2isslightlymorethantheminimumof87.Finally,eachcompanyhasdifferentadditivepackagesthatcouldslightlyaffecthowthefuelreactsinagivenengine.
ThebottomlineUseofpremiumfuel(higheroctane)inanenginethat’sdesignedforalower
gradewillnotproducemorepoweroreconomybecauseoctanehasnothingto
dowiththefuel’senergycontent.And,it’sheatcontentofthefuel(energy/unitvolume)thatdeterminesitseconomyormilespergallon.Conversely,usingalowergradefuelinahigh-compressionenginedesigned
forpremiumfuelwillproducelesspowerandeconomybecausethecomputerwillautomaticallyretardthetimingtopreventknocking.Thesameresultscanbeobtainedinnon-computercontrolledenginesbymanuallyretardingtheenginetiming.
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