Projects Mild custom '51 Pontiac Chieftain

From what I read, these are 40 degree pulleys.
Modern belt is 36 degrees, and if this one is then that's why it's noisy- the bottom of the belt is biting on the grooves and making it whine. I looked briefly last night but couldn't find detailed specifications on this belt.

Apparently it needs B section belt.

All 3 pulleys are the same, to my eye. The crank and water pump pulleys are original to the engine, the alternator has been sourced with a wide pulley on (but it's too large a diameter for such a slow engine).

Phil

 

After this morning's cold weather and fast idle on choke, I'm considering changing the turn-down exhaust tip on the car.



Suggestions on an alternative?

Phil

 

Phil,
Put dual exhaust on it so it looks like you did a burn out with posi traction.
Sorry to be a smart ass so early in the morning
Greg

 

I had thought about that, funnily!

It's always going to spit all over the floor because the automatic choke is fairly slow to come off but it's just plain messy. Particularly as I spent an afternoon cleaning the concrete...

 

If you make it straight out won't it just blow the mess farther? Back in so it goes in the flower bed...[emoji6]

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Depends what's easier to clean. The floor or the inside of the garage doors...?

Phil

 

Nice!! Just cruised my Merc all over town here, gotta get my cruisin in before we start gettin that 100 plus degree weather shows up. I mean it’s like a bad penny lol , kinda brutal on them ole flatheads ya know what I mean?????
Happy motoring!!!!


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I hear that- the motor can tolerate the heat, proved that at the end of last year. Me, not so much.
I've been adding the miles while it's cool though, and yesterday did a little maintenance. The jet needle plunger was getting a bit sticky so that was oiled, along with the rest of the carburetor linkages.
After that, the damn thing refused to start (oil in the jets) and on the third long push of the starter button the battery gave up.

It's been living on borrowed time since I got the car, and the charging system not being totally up to scratch right now (I think the diode pack has a failed diode) isn't really helping much. New battery is on the horizon.

Phil

 

Hey let’s drive em while we can Phil, good luck with your ride bro, I’ve done the same thing by cranking on the battery, had to put a new one in a few months ago, oh well, all part of the fun I guess. Happy motoring!!!


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Busy day yesterday.

I cleared the last of the hurricane debris (leaves and twigs and junk) out of the workshop, ran some new hard line wires and a couple switches.
Now the lights are switched independently from outside (good to prevent attracting bugs) and the ceiling fan is on its own switch (again good because I can leave it on with the lights off now to boost the air conditioner).

New lights also over the benches. It's getting back to being a nice place to work in. Still need to get some ply to put up on the inside of the roof and add a little insulation but it's getting there.

Phil

 

Jeezze you had me going for awhile I had forgotten about the mural and I thought you had made it levitate some how.

 

The benches are quite sturdy, but I think that'd be pushing it!

...would be easier to grease though.

 

Yea but we all know if anybody could do it it would be you.

 

Went out and snapped some photos to finish off the camera roll.

Hopefully some of them come out. Radiator is leaking pretty badly now so that's next up on the to-do list.

Phil

 

Well you have shown us all that you are a font of knowledge in a vast cornucopia of disciplines so fixing a leaking radiator should be child's play

 

finish the camera roll? whassatt?

Ben

 

I like taking pictures on film. Despite what people say there's a certain quality it has which is pleasing to my eye.

Plus you need to take greater care setting up because of the limited number of pictures and the relative cost of using the medium.

Phil

 

Had an hour of free time tonight so hit up the garage. It's getting warm outside, plus fog. Interesting combination.


Something's missing from the front of the car in this picture.


Ah, there it is. Heavy damn thing to be wrangling out with wet hands. You can see where it's been leaking.


I employed a little fire and an old wire brush.


The old solder looks pretty mediocre so I'll get that cleaned up and some new solder on there.


Cleaned up a few spots where the paint was bubbling off. Yup, a few fractures here too. I'll get those cleaned and repaired also.

Phil

 

Really ugly but hopefully effective repair to the top seam. Pressure test with soapy water tomorrow if all goes well. It's loaded really heavily because I had to bend the seam out and dollop metal in because the old solder was fighting. I have a feeling it was silver soldered before and that doesn't like to mix with lead much.

Phil

 

Tonight's toolkit: soapy water and an air line.


Just like checking a tire, spray down, apply air pressure and check for bubbles.


Repair the sections that are bubbling until they bubble no more. That's holding 7psi, there.

Hopefully that'll last a little while. I'll paint it once it's dry tomorrow.

Phil

 

Nice work Phil.

You’ve encouraged me to have a crack at repairing the radiator in our ‘54 Chieftain.

 

It requires a very concentrated heat, my big butane flame wasn't any good, hence this small one. I can make a dot of heat about 0.5cm around with it, which is needed else the area tends to heat up too much and the solder all buggers off onto the floor in a fraction of a second. Plumber's flux helps get things to stick and I used regular 60/40 lead/tin solder.

It does not stick if someone's used silver solder, at all. It'll just bead and fall away like a ball bearing if so. That's why I had to fold the seam open so it could be scrubbed with a steel brush to get it clean enough.


(Seen here with sharpened screwdriver)

Takes practice, grab an old sheet of brass and try though. It's a useful skill.
Heat the brass, once it starts to turn burgundy it's getting to be hot enough. Move the flame away, touch the solder. If it doesn't melt, a few more seconds of heat, hold flame back a few finger's width and touch solder. It should start to melt. Fan the flame side to side rapidly as the solder begins to melt, daub then twist your wrist to flick the flame away as soon as the solder pools. That all happens in maybe a half second to a second, maximum. Too much heat and the solder goes full liquid and will like gravity more than it likes sticking to the metal.

Phil

 

I cheated on my radiator and used J B Weld to repair three small cracks in the tank. Not very pretty but it worked.

 

I got cocky and bought a new radiator cap that holds pressure.

That'll show me. That's gonna be coming out again and will be redone. For now the cap that doesn't hold pressure is back on to stop it leaking out.

Phil

 

You need to solder onto clean metal. You are dealing with 70 years worth of scale build up.

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The local radiator guy that I used to use before he died used to sand blast the area he was going to solder with a hand held small blaster. It cleaned the metal so the solder always stuck well.

 

It was scrubbed as well as I could with a steel brush, then blown out with an air line, fluxed and heated but it still decided to be difficult.
I bought some smaller brushes and will have a go at doing it again.

Phil

 

What pressure cap are you using? My 50 straight 8 calls for a 4lb cap.

 

Maybe move up to a wire wheel on a Dremel to clean out the crack? Also a Scotchbrite pad on a Dremel to clean the area to bare metal might help.



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Now you’ve scared me off having a crack at it!

Knowing how the rest of your projects have gone, I’m sure you’ll get this in the end.