I've been waiting to start sharing my story of restoring the Huntsman... Some may have seen the article featured in the Oct. 2021 Self Starter - there are many moving parts to the project (from the restoration, to a complete interior and even an illustrated story inspired by the car). Its taken a while to get to a place where I feel I'm making progress, and I'm hoping to post regularly so I don't lose sight of the goal.
This is my first restoration and there's been all sorts of weird events that have gotten in the way - from shops suddenly having to move, to laborious work-trades to fighting a car that was caving in on itself - its been interesting. I'm hoping to make this entertaining, but also a way to keep me moving forward, because right now I'm preparing for the car to come home from the paint shop - where it will be fully and finally in my own hands to complete.
The car is one of the original chartreuse models for 1949, and since making the connection on the body tag, I've become strangely obsessed with the color. I'll attach a rendering I drew of the final color with the stock black soft top. I bought it from a local parts collector in Chicago, which truly was an awesome place to discover - Rick has been acquiring parts for over 60 years and has this huge old building in Humboldt park that seems stuck in time. The car came mostly complete, but mostly disassembled. Not exactly the best place to start your first restoration..
Alas, I did not want to give up. Misguided advice can put us in peril, but enough friends - and my own drive to see the car real - have been hugely helpful in keeping me going. After many years of struggling, I feel like its finally making real progress. Last spring, my restoration friend got the doors to finally fit, last summer, I got the car driving, and now its in sealer awaiting its paint. Meanwhile, I have tons of parts to refurbish, prepare and learn how they fit together! I'm hoping my next post will report a finished template for the rear seat - something that was missing when I got the car.
Stay tuned...
Mike H
I realize I'm posting a bit retroactively - part of that is fear to share and then not finish anything! Here are some photos of the car going through the fitment issues to sealer (as it is now)
When dreaming of a convertible to work on and one day drive, I had no idea the body could cave in on itself! This took a while to figure out, but thankfully we have the doors shutting correctly.
This is fantastic Mike !....I'm already looking forward to the updates!..
When you say caving in on itself....Is that clam shelling nose to tail?
When that happens to us during a restoration, alot can be done down at the body mounts to open up door openings...
Mike
Oh yea.. the body mounts really make a difference to get right, however I think what happened in this case was that it had clam shelled nose to tail while the rocker and body mounts were rusted out, then the first guy rebuilt the mounts without the body braced, locking it in that clamshell state
So, we had to ratchet strap the cowl back to get it upright, then reset the mounts. The things we learn!
Looking forward following this, greetings from Sweden.
/ Johan
Mike,
Your post is such a validation of this hobby, particularly the "HANDS ON" aspects.
Live and learn - especially at your age - to keep the I GOTTA GET THIS FINISHED, see it through, not often seen or practiced by millennials, if that's what your called these days.
Convertibles are my weakness too.
And isn't it strange that by the time I get one, the back seat is always missing.
Back story, when I got my 47 Series 62 convrt, it too had no back seat.
But, by posting here I found one in Australia, one of the most expensive places to ship things.
Cut the deal and it was put in a container that was shipping a 53 to the east coast here - for free - piggy-back.
Shipping it to the west coast was not that bad.
Glad you have joined our band, and you will find there is a ton of information, experience, and help here - just ask.
Oh, and keep posting even the retro steps of your efforts - we are junkies for that stuff.
Have fun,
Steve B.
Update on the rear seat -
So, I'm in the midst of creating my template, but only had time to get it started with the seat pan.
I have a rear seat from a friend's '49 Coupe Deville, which fits the profile of the convertible but is too wide - plus I need to return it to the CDV.. I'll be measuring the backs next, but the CDV backs seem to be a lot taller than the convertible. I've been constructing my rear seat in a CAD model from a 3D scan I took of the car interior. This profile seems to fit (the orange blob is the shape I measured from the CDV seat).
I'm finding myself getting really perfectionist with this... which is probably the biggest thing that gets in the way of the "must get this done!" urge. I definitely have that 'taste of blood in my mouth' with this whole build, and need to keep reminding myself to just do something instead of thinking too long about it.
Next should be the seat back, and then I get to see how my '69 seats will work for donors to this reformed seat (they are in the ugly grey pic).
Also, if anyone has any tips with building rear seats, I'd love to learn! Steve, that's amazing you had to go all the way to Australia to get one, that's dedication!
While I'm waiting to get the CDV seatbacks, here's a bit of backstory on my hinge adventure.
As I learned the hard way, convertibles have probably the worst issues with door fitment that goes beyond the typical hinge-wear issues. Apparently, some restoration shops replace hinge pins every time they tear down a car, no matter how old it is. As a precaution, they just assume its on its way to being worn out and causing door fitment problems.
So, this is where I started, pulling out the original hinge (which was rusted crazy) and sandblasting it. At that point, we learnt one of the hinges was toast, and had to locate some from the internet. Once those were acquired, my friend Travis at LaVine Restoration helped put the new pins in, and then my other friend Greg from Speakeasy Customs (who helped me through this whole door debacle) got to work installing and battling door adjustment issues with me.
This wasn't the end of the headaches though, because as I mentioned, we had the whole body to deal with. The doors were rock solid at the end of this, which led us to discover our door jambs were the next problem. At the end, I have my schematic laying out what we thought was going on. We promptly underwent surgery and basically forced the car back to its upright position, which magically created fitment.
Mike,
Enjoying the finer points of your narrative, and thus my question, as follows: How far out of alignment was the fron end of the car in relation to the aft end? Aside from forcing the front end "down," did you add in any additonal structural support to keep the front and aft end where they need to be? Thanks for posting your narrative... James
Hi James, if I remember correctly (its been about a year since the alignment adventure) I think the doors were overlapping 1/8th of an inch at the top. We didn't exactly measure how much distance we pulled the front end of the car away from the rear, but what we did was set the doors in place, stretched the front out until they opened freely, and then welded cross braces to hold that position. It wasn't the most scientific way, and I'm sure more seasoned restorers would have better approaches, but thankfully we were able to fit the car together.
In continuation with my bracing/body straightening saga - I found photos from the first attempt to rebuild the underfloor structure/body braces. This is when it was done wrong, because the car wasn't braced before (or even during) cutting it open.
The guy I was working with at the time thought the body would be straight enough because it was sitting on a rigid frame. He had worked with customizers who chopped tops and things, and I was learning from 'ground zero' at the time so all I knew was the rusted/decomposed braces needed to be redone somehow.
These photos make me cringe now, its funny how much we learn with these things. As mentioned in an earlier post, I've since recovered the bracing fiasco with another friend who knew the body needed to be cross braced and had the patience to get it right.
Also, I found a photo of the instrument panel coming apart. It was a huge mess, and again, I was advised to just take it out without carefully documenting everything.
Terrific --- yes indeed--- we persevere and we learn. (Similar to old wood boats with deteriorated structural members, the hull distorts, so rebuilding requires a good deal of jacking and strapping the hull back into its original shape.)
Another back-dated update - some further adventures with the instrument panel
I media blasted and primed the IP after removing all the trim (something I should have done a lot more carefully, because I forgot where almost everything went.) And then had the panel painted in black and ivory. At this time, I also began to polish the trim pieces.
Next, I tried 3D scanning it to keep fleshing out my 3D model I've been creating in parallel. Its fun when work has a fancy tool and needs everyone to do experiments to learn how to use it! I'm still trying to wrap my head around how scanners work, more on this later..
Another retrospec post - last February (its crazy to think how long these things take...) I rebuilt the speedometer. I'm not sure if all the components work, but the paint had flaked out of the numbers and the odometer dials were roasted. I ended up using a toothpick to remove the paint, which turned out tedious but relaxing at the same time. I had some fun making a timelapse of the reconstruction:
I just found more pics from my underbody bracing adventures!
Here you can see when we did the bracing the right way (second shop, Speakeasy, was able to properly brace the car across the door frame, lift the body and then reconstruct the decayed braces underneath.
Update! Its been a while, partly because I'm waiting patiently for progress at the body shop, but we've been test fitting the rear fenders, which were quite warped. The rockers are also getting refined, and hopefully soon we'll see it go to paint.
In other news, I've torn down the vent windows and preparing to send parts to chrome. One piece had a notch knocked out of it so I'm waiting for a welder friend to repair it.
Steady she goes Mike....It's looking good....
Glad to see your still chipping away at it....
Mike
Mike,
A word of caution about re-chroming the vent windows.
If they are anything like the 47's, they are highly vulnerable to warping if precautions are not taken by the plater.
I believe there are posts on this issue by Bill Ingler, my mentor on my 47 convert. adventure.
Others with specific 49 experience may have better advice than mine.
Have fun.
Steve B.
Good to see someone doing actual hands on work on their restoration 👍 Looks good keep at it .
Thanks everyone, I'm hoping to have more to report soon - but thanks Steve for the tip. I will need to look into this! I imagine that a 49 vent window would be constructed in a similar way to a 47, so I'll do some digging.
I have another update - My window trim just returned from my friend's resto shop where his metal guy did an amazing job at reshaping the interior windshield bezel I accidentally ran over..
The first pic is the vent window that now is patched, he replaced a notch that was knocked out of it. Next is the twisted piece after I found it under my car...
One night I was reversing into my garage and heard a crunch.. this poor trim piece seemed to have thrown itself off my workbench and was hoping to sabotage the project. I did my best to pull apart the fold, but needed some help shaping it back. I'm so thankful he was able to save this piece.
Lastly is an interesting color match of a neighboring Cad, mine is still in primer in the background.
This week I've been working on getting all my trim ready to send to chrome, but I encountered a snag with my rear quarter window frames...
While working on removing the glass from the base frame, I ended up cracking it in half. I've realized this is pot metal and may not be able to be welded like normal steel - has anyone been able to save a piece like this? I've been looking up videos about various soldering solutions that look promising - like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwLuV00Psu0
Thankfully the second window came out without too much stress on the frame. I guess you learn the hard way many times.
Don't feel bad I had the same problem with my'48. I was lucky enough to find a replacement. A good chrome shop should be able to repair that. I'd check around before trying to repair. You probably know pot metal is extremely temp sensitive. Good Luck, Harry
Thanks Harry, that's good to hear this happens normally! I found somebody who could fix it - there's a guy on youtube (https://potmetal.repair/repairing-pot-metal/) who specializes in pot metal repair and seems to have an extensive list of repairs done. I'm sending my frame to him this week and hopefully it'll come back as good as before it cracked.
I just got my bumper back from the chrome shop, and dropped off almost all of my trim pieces.
Also in recent events, I attended the CLC judging workshop my chapter hosted, where we picked apart a '76 Bicentennial Eldorado to learn how to fill out score sheets. It was really interesting bc this is all new to me. Excited for the GN. My plate also came in, which I've heard there will be more for sale at the show.
I've started to restore the top frame, has anyone else run into issues with plating their frame arms? The shop I took mine to said they couldn't plate them because they were stainless steal. Are they diecast pot metal instead of stainless? They clearly were plated originally from factory.
Anyways, I got them back polished metal.. this doesn't seem accurate. Any advice on what to do?
In other news, the trim is making progress. I got my quarter window back from being welded and it came out great.
Update on the progress - we're almost at paint after a lot of time put into the rear fender fitment. I've started assembling the dashboard, trying to make a 53 glovebox hinge work, and cleaning a bunch of other components that I'll attach to it.
A keyboard stand works surprisingly well to hold a dashboard ;D
I'm hoping to get the transmission looked at after comes from paint. Its been leaking through the tailshaft and I hope all it might be is the bearing...
The assembly stage seems extremely overwhelming, we'll see once I get it back in my garage, its been away for so long
Messing around with trim parts... I put the V on the hood to feel what it'd be like to see trim on.. Hahah.
I was also hunting through old pictures, it was moved out at one point in 2018 as a total hot mess, crazy to look back and see your former self.
Paint prep progress and some work on the radio grille. We're getting the gaps right, taking time on the rear fender still. Getting close. I'm also collecting more chrome bits...
The car is painted! I'm waiting for it to arrive home this week, and then assembly will begin... But seeing it in the final color has been very inspiring. As mentioned, this is one of the special order chartreuse models, which was quite surprising to discover. I had no idea the color mattered, but in researching it, I fell in love with how unique it looks.
The last photo is my painter and I reminiscing through a video of me driving the car last summer, kinda cool to have those moments when you can reflect on milestones.
The car finally arrived to my house yesterday. Now I can finally begin building the car, so far I need to replace the fuel tank, install bumpers and latches, and begin installing and wiring lights... Already the rear bumper gasket got me learning patience, but I learned that dish soap goes a long way with weather-stripping.
I've mostly gotten the rear bumper on now. My friend and I realized one of the brackets seems bent and is pulling it towards the drivers side. We're going to try shimming the bracket to angle it inwards. Hopefully it works...
IMG_5077.JPEG
The bumper makes a huge difference on the car, even if its not completely fit...
The gasket is a pain to fit though.
That same evening, I spotted this really unique ATS convertible. Someone seems to have found a shop that could do it, I'm curious what top they used.
Over the weekend we hosted a really cool "homecoming party" for the car. Its always great to celebrate things, especially when they're transitions into new seasons (mine will now be a lot of me patiently figuring out problems). It was also cool to get my non-car friends together with my car friends.
I've reached a snag with my trim pieces. Has anyone had side molding warp from chrome plating? I don't know if this is what happened, but this freshly plated part seems to be peeling away from the body...
Its occurring at the rear, where the whole spear (which should be flat like the other side) is shaped like a banana. I may have to replace it.
You may have to take that back to the plater..show them the pictures. They may be able to put the shape back in without screwing up the chrome.The back spears (which are tough to find) may need a plate on the back side so you can pull it into shape without distorting the quarter panel..of course, you can only put so much tension on the trim before it starts to pinch into the paint.
Cheers,Pat MacPhail
Quote from: Eldovert on September 08, 2022, 10:55:35 AMYou may have to take that back to the plater..show them the pictures. They may be able to put the shape back in without screwing up the chrome.The back spears (which are tough to find) may need a plate on the back side so you can pull it into shape without distorting the quarter panel..of course, you can only put so much tension on the trim before it starts to pinch into the paint.
Cheers,Pat MacPhail
Good point- I realized I was starting to bend the metal on the quarter when tightening the trim down - I then stopped and decided to reflect for a while. I'll check with the plater and see if they have any ideas. I also was thinking of putting the piece on a tabletop and clamping it down to see if I could bend it. We shall see..
I had the same problem with the rear fender spears on my '48 conv. When the spears were installed at the front of the fender the rear of spear was about four inches out from the fender. To compound the problem I had waited some period of time before discovering the problem. In that time span the plater which was a one man operation had passed on. I ended up having to make a template of the curve in the fender from wood and sending the spears to another plater which had to remove the chrome to allow for forming to the proper contour and then replating. Lesson learned, always check the completed work even if not to be used at the moment. Harry
Wow, Harry that's good to know, I fear this is similar with the plater unfortunately causing an issue. I definitely will be checking next time right when its done.
To experiment (before trying to replate, or replace) I've set up this jig in my workshop. Thinking through the direction the metal needs to be bent, I've tried holding it in place with clamps, hopefully bending the metal past its desired position.
IMG_5585.jpeg
IMG_5587.jpeg
The first two show the warpage, second is a board underneath the straight part, suspending the part needing bending.
IMG_5588.jpeg
IMG_5589.jpeg
These show the general idea, pushing one corner upwards, the errant one downwards.
IMG_5602.jpeg
It then required more force, so I used a second clamp to double the pressure, getting the warped corner to touch the benchtop.
IMG_5601.jpeg
68487324888__6CAD25E6-B481-4867-98E6-E1057DF8BC56.jpeg
We'll check back in a few days...
I've been out of the practice of posting, so here goes a bit of catching up... over the winter I got a wiring harness from YnZ and begun rewiring the car (definitely worth it! for those on the fence, it is the right way to go. I couldn't figure out wiring from scratch, so switching from a universal painless kit to something that gives me instructions was the right call).
Other activities have been installing the dashboard (a few times) beginning the interior, sending the car to Rigg's Brothers in Downers Grove and doing the milling with friends to get the wood components started.
The dashboard has been mounted with the defroster duct inside. I had to remove it entirely to screw L brackets (from shelves) into it to get it to mount to the dashboard. There isn't really any proper way that I could conclude, so I accepted the privative nature of the era and 'just attached it' with a few holes in the plastic duct and screws.
I love seeing the progress on this car.
Huntsman update - I may be skipping over a bunch of things since my last post, but I've been continuing to work on wiring and sorting out the transmission.
The transmission had a cracked tailshaft, so we had to replace that and redo the rear seals. I can't figure out if the trans is over filled or if there is a weak seal still, because it mildly leaks on the driveway/garage and that is going to be an issue (for my own well being, as it strains relationships of those who own said driveways I will park on)
Essentially I've got the car to the point where it will drive around the block, albeit sketchy. I was able to drive it home from the shop, which was about 2.5 miles. Apart from the coolant being low and it needing a jump at one point, it went pretty well.
I'm in the middle of trying to finish the rear arm rests in order to return the car to the interior shop - then I'll actually be able to drive the car with a real seat instead of a bucket or lounge chair...
Not meant as a criticism of your car, but in the picture of the car on the trailer, it appears that the front of the front fender is too low and the front fender is pointing slightly down. Probably needs more shims under the radiator core support at the frame.
Quote from: Caddy Wizard on August 24, 2023, 03:59:10 PMNot meant as a criticism of your car, but in the picture of the car on the trailer, it appears that the front of the front fender is too low and the front fender is pointing slightly down. Probably needs more shims under the radiator core support at the frame.
Hey Art, it could be, I will try getting a good side view posted soon and see what you think. I remember the body guy was having a tough time getting the hood to fit, and it could definitely be off.
Quote from: CadillacGlasses on September 22, 2023, 10:25:39 AMHey Art, it could be, I will try getting a good side view posted soon and see what you think. I remember the body guy was having a tough time getting the hood to fit, and it could definitely be off.
With a convertible especially, the sequence of panel alignments should go something like this:
1. Align doors to door opening (after all items are added to car -- the frame flexes some as parts are installed). If the shape of the opening doesn't quite fit the shape of the door, the body can be flexed more open or more closed by shimming the body mounts at the frame.
2. Once the doors are finally set in position, the front fenders can be aligned to the front of the doors for an even gap.
3. Next, the hood can be aligned to the front fenders and the cowl for even gaps.
Front of the fenders and hood can be raised and lowered by shims at the attachment of the radiator core support to the frame.
The "bow" of the front fenders can be made more bulbous or more flat by shimming under the rear top mount of the fenders and raising and lowering the bottom mount at the rear of the front fenders. So for example, if the fender is too flat relative to the shape of the door, one can loosen the bottom fender mounting and lift up on the fender and then tighten the bracket. That action bows the fender out more. Flattening the fender some is done with an opposite adjustment.
Art - That is interesting that the frame flexes as parts are added - so, question, this would mean I should plan for a panel realignment after all components - such as windows, latches, interior panels - are all installed?
This would make sense, as the door fitment seemed solid a year ago while we were painting, but less so now.
Also, that is very interesting how you can control the curvature of the panels.. this gives me much hope to be able to make tweaks. I found something similar while trying to get the grille in place, which required some forcing of the fender fronts.
Realized I should post some pics of the recent progress, I'm hoping that I can share more of the steps between where I left off and where I am now.. but its been a challenge to remember to post in the middle of the hustle (another project has also been taking a decent amount of my focus)
Anyways.
I got the car out about two weeks ago to try testing the heat, as well as the speedometer and gauges I attempted to install.
Needless to say, it didn't go very smoothly, overheating and the only gauge I can get working is the battery. One of my challenges is that I've converted to 12v (a vestige of a past lifetime, and one day I may convert back to 6v once I have the car in one piece and I'm at a 'tinkering stage'). Because of this, the gauges have to be stepped down with resistors. The temp gauge is the wackiest, and I'm thinking of swapping the sensor for a 12v sensor for a 54 cad, unless the threading is different...
Since these photos, I've purged the engine of rust and changed out the water pump (third party, which also was a regret, and I'm planning to send my original to caddydaddy eventually for an OEM rebuilt one. Again, something I'll come back to later.) I also rebuilt the carburetor, that was an interesting adventure, never done that before and required a few phone-a-friend moments to get it to work again.
Note - my main goal right now is getting this driveable again so I can get it to the interior shop.
Once I got my water pump sorted out... the brakes went soft, and now i'm pending a rear wheel cylinder replacement once I have some available afternoons. For now, while I'm stuck at my computer, I can distractedly ponder what I've done and will do next...
I have converted 6v cadillacs to 12v and kept 6v cadillacs 6v. The latter option is best, in my experience.
You need to get a proper rubber line to go from the main metal fuel line to the inlet side of the fuel pump, to allow the engine vibration and movement (as the engine revs) to be accommodated by the rubber line without cracking over time. McVeys sells the correct one that fits perfectly.
Good catch Art, thanks for pointing that out, I'll add that adjustment to the list
I've been busy with another side project so this has been quite paused. However, Interior shop is about ready to take it for upholstery - which is exciting, but now I need to be ready!
Rear seat - The original rear seat was lost to history, so I'm having to make my own... I've got a seat base from a 49 Coupe DeVille that I was able to shorten side to side, and then I dug out a generic seat back from a 63 Cadillac (a junk yard find, the only one that had no arm rest). Today I test fit them and realized I'll need to shorten the back.
I'm not entirely sure how these will bolt down - the attachment points look different than what is afforded on the car.
Current measurements are approx. 24in tall, 17.5in deep, thinking I can take 2 inches out of the rear structure of the back. I can't tell if the seat base is high enough, but the originals look like they sit really low too.
When I was looking for a rear seat for my 55 Eldorado, I found this source which makes new ones. It was about what it cost me for rusty OE ones. Site is in Swedish, so email them to ensure you get what you want. They have both lower and back and will sell a set or individually. I believe they have sewn trim as well.
https://www.uswebbutik.se/product/resarstomme-1951-sitt-rygg-bak-convertible-cadillac-kopia
Oh Awesome, thanks David - I've reached out to see what they have. To my knowledge, a 1950 should be the same size. Fingers crossed!
-Mike
I would try jmurrayent@aol.com Reno, Nevada.
Looking good. Very impressive work!
Exciting update - my seat frame from Sweden came in! It looks great. One small challenge with the width of the spring pack. I will have the interior guys tweak that, but I'm glad it's here. Thanks David for the lead!
Next is the top frame rebuild. I've got my machinist friends at LaVine Restoration's doing fantastic work redoing them in Stainless Steel. We decided plating would take too long and they wanted the challenge.
Over the next two weeks I'm hustling to get it together and ready to send back to interior. Fingers crossed all of life aligns to this goal
I took the car on a short adventure — with the goal of getting gas at the nearby gas station - we had a bit of a meltdown, which I think turned out to be vapor lock, or the fuel pump starting to die...
Essentially the car started stalling out once it got up to full temp - which I read between 160-180 at various parts of the block (my temp gauge still doesn't work, so I'm using a laser meter)
The gar finally gave up the ghost at a busy intersection and had to be towed home, and after inspecting it with a friend on a video call, we found a few things - radiator hose was sweating coolant, fuel pump is pulsing and there's a missing vacuum line on the carb. (Going to rebuild/replace the pump, hose and find out what carb line I'm missing)
This leads me to my question - does anyone know what this port leads to? I assume it's this vacuum line...
https://www.inlinetube.com/products/cae4801
Thanks
That port goes to the heat source for the Automatic Choke.
Not sure where it is on your car, but I would be looking at the Exhaust Manifold, or the crossover port in the Intake Manifold, under the Carby.
This is not going to be your engine-stalling problem, unless the Choke is fully closed, thereby creating a really rich mixture.
Bruce. >:D
If your fuel pump is mounted on the oil fill above the crank case, be advised that the fulcrum on the pivot pin usually begins to wear for lack of lubrication... resulting in a weak pump that's very hard to diagnose. (old timers used to pack the pump casing with grease!) Also, ANY pin hole in the metal pick up tube inside the gas tank or a very minor leak in the gas line to the pump will interrupt the vacuum and thus the flow of gas to the carburetor. Tracking down minor flaws that create major engine stalls can be frustrating, so purchasing a fuel pressure gauge to diagnose fuel delivery pressure to the carburetor may well be a good investment of time and money.Hope this helps, James
Thanks James and Bruce, those are good recommendations - I like the idea of getting a fuel pressure gauge to see what might be going on in there while testing.
Correct me if I'm wrong but that heat line probably just needs a flared hydro line bent so that it can go to the manifold? Seems doable.
I've ordered a replacement pump, considering this one came with the car and is of unknown origins. Reduces variables at least...
https://www.caddydaddy.com/1949-cadillac-fuel-pump-with-glass-bowl-rebuilt-free-shipping-in-the-usa.html
You could rebuild your own.
https://www.then-now-auto.com/product/cadillac-fuel-pump-kit-fpa-184-1949-1951/
Mike,
That tube is nothing really special. There is no pressure involved, just a heat source to operate the bi-metallic spring in the choke housing to open it up when the engine warms up.
There shouldn't be any exhaust gases going up the tube, just heat.
Bruce. >:D
Ok awesome, that sounds really simple then, could be a rubber hose.
Thanks David, that's a good price on a rebuild kit
Quote from: CadillacGlasses on March 16, 2024, 08:48:15 PMOk awesome, that sounds really simple then, could be a rubber hose.
Definitely not. Has to be a steel piece. Like a piece of 1/4" brake piping. It gets hot. Which is what it is designed to do, as exhaust gas passes by it It is this heat that opens the Choke.
Here are some pictures of one I knew I had. This is a Rochester 2BBL, and the tube has a single flare, and this one goes down into the Intake Manifold of a SBC. It has been through the wars, but still works.
Bruce. >:D
Oh, thanks for clarifying Bruce, that makes way more sense. I'll do this then!
I switched to working on my convertible top frame over the weekend. Its almost complete, and I got it on the car. I'm not sure what happened during the course of the restoration, but the drivers side fits too tightly, and the header bow is barely lining up with the windshield.
Talked to the interior shop and they're pretty sure it'll all work out when they get the cloth on and hydraulics installed. So next I'm onto testing my Hydro pump and sorting out rebuilding if needed. The pistons definitely need to be replaced.
I'm moving onto my hydro system. Looking at my pump, its been sitting for an unknown amount of years, so I think its wise to just send it to Hydro-E in Florida (https://www.hydroe.com/) and have it rebuilt.
As soon as I came back from UPS, my fuel pump arrived, so now its time to swap that out and see what happens. Need to paint it blue first.
I have a question - Hydro-lectric top controls - Which is the right component for activating the top?
As mentioned, this whole system was missing on the car, but I have the Valve assembly mounted to the firewall.
Looking at my Fisher Body Service Manual, I find this page showing an arm that activates the valve assembly on an arm.
This is different than the control switch I bought, which seemed like the right one (I've seen this on Buicks and Chevy's this vintage)
Pretty sure I have the wrong switch. Can anyone point me towards what I need to install for this?
Thanks