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Fettling a '58

Started by fishnjim, May 20, 2020, 12:57:37 PM

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fishnjim

"Oh, grant me the patience of Jobe, lord."   (from the old car collectors prayer?)
Raining, so I started on the punch list as I need to go fill the gas tank.
I was chasing a rt. turn signal out issue forever.  Was intermittent but OK til I tried to "fix" it.   I'd rewired, resocket, relamped, etc in past.  On this forum, concluded it was in the circuit board.   The other day I was checking fuses, and pulled out the flasher and put back in.   Then I had no TSs.   So I pulled it back out today, and reinserted and all working now????    Vu ja de - or something spiritual.   I guess I wasn't holding my mouth just right or moon phase.
Lesson de jour: TSs feed through the flasher for the "lamp out", so always make sure contact is good.
So I'm chasing a won't idle low issue.   I've been sneaking up on the idle screw and not getting anywhere, and noticed the clip came off the linkage and disengaged.   Thankfully, I had one in my carb kit. 
So I'm trying to get that sorted so I can finish the trans fill.   Started to get out the timing light and the starter got hot and battery fell.   So I came in for lunch.   I used to drink heavily, but have reformed with food(not really).   The PS worked just fine up on the ramps, but when I took it out it wasn't too.   So I opened the reservoir and it was low, so that must have been my mystic smoke coming off the exhaust manifold issue.   I tightened that all up and filled.   Still feeling heavy, probably needs burped again, so it's a litany of issues like this one fights to get 'er back reliably on the road.   And when everything's good, something else will bite...   And people can't seem to understand why it takes so long or costs so much to have one of these dyno-soars, just so someone at the gas station asks, what year/make is that?  And the occasional thumbs up.
If it was at the garage, they'd charged me $250 for this...and it's be worse.

bctexas

In the early '80s I had a Porsche 914.  There was always something that needed to be fixed, and like you describe, one fix seemed to breed a different and unrelated failure somewhere else.  Then I bought a new Toyota MR2.  After a couple of years, something occurred to me.  The MR2 didn't need me.  Nothing fizzled, crapped out, flaked out or fell off.  The darn thing just ran.  The 914 needed me - the MR2 not so much.  So when my old Caddy throws me one of those curve balls, I just take comfort in the fact that even at my age, I'm still needed.   :)

Incidentally, that same MR2 is currently parked in the shop next to my '65 Caddy.....

Happy Motoring!
1965 CDV
1970 SDV

Lexi

"Dyno-soars" LOL. They also often ask how much is it worth and what gas mileage do you get. Keep up the fight! Clay/Lexi

fishnjim

I got that one from a guy I worked with, who inherited a Electra 225 sedan(aka deuce and a quarter - like the army truck).   That's what he called his gas hog, I just adjusted the spelling.   We used to ride around and drink beer in one back in the day.   Electric windows, great for flicking ashes and throwing out empties.   aka "convenience package".
Why I drove a convertible.
Progress.   You'll love this.   The turn signals were working inside, but one headlight was flashing!   I had the left connectors crossed.  I took them off to arrange some wires, and switched.   So if you want to mess with one of these owners that's a good one!   Just like that possessed car, ol what's her name.   
Gas gauge works, she was v low on petrol, so must have lost a bunch sitting.   Trans is worrisome but shifts.   It was better with low fluid?   Got horn, turn signals, lights brakes, WWasher and wipers.   Haven't tried the antenna.   Beats being up on stands!
Just needs more TLC, a bath, and a few drives to iron out the wrinkles.   I think cars, like people, get more wrinkles with age.   
Never owned a "Porch", never will.   Some guy in CA wrecked his $750K one recently.   Talk about a bad day.   I can't bend down to get in those low ones anymore.   Having hard time getting head in the coupe.   I have to angle.

Cadman-iac

A Buick with the Dynaflow transmission is truly a "Dyno-soar" when it hits high gear.
CLC# 32373
1956 Coupe Deville A/C car "Norma Jean"

Dave Ventresca

j. bozin, what is fettling? Dave

wrench

It’s what I call a quaint Britishism.

Fettle can mean to sort out mechanically. Or remove extra metal sort of like de-burring or even reducing the thickness of a part. A long time ago I had to ‘fettle the bushes’ which meant face the flats of a hat bushing with some crocus cloth to get the clearance right on a bushing installation on a British machine.

At some point you run into the old ‘inspect the fuel tank with a torch’ and ‘offer up the wheel to the axle.’

Then you run into ‘swarf and dross’ and ‘warp and weft’ and maybe even ‘aglet’...
1951 Series 62 Sedan
1969 Eldorado
1970 Eldorado (Triple Black w/power roof)
1958 Apache 3/4 ton 4x4
2005 F250
2014 FLHP
2014 SRX