finally got dupont to come out today. They told us the clear went on too heavy and we just need to leave the car out in the sun.... funny how the car has been sitting out there in the sun for over 2 months now...and it smells like a damn paint booth every single time. You'd think the car would be cured by now! Obviously we're not getting anywhere with this thing.... so at this point its going to stay the way it is and we're going to hope to be able to buff it by christmas 2011.
Sounds to me like your boyfriends shop should stop doing business with dupont and the store on the hill. That is rediculous, im sure there should be somebody that u can contact to get some type of satisfaction. Let me know if i can be of any help! Chuck
thanks csimonds. Its pretty frustrating but we're just going to let it cure for the summer and see where we're at this coming winter. We've already lining up the next project....just working out the details
well we've been enjoying Betty. She runs awsome right now but she still doesnt like to start when she's super hot. No more dying at stoplights or anything though so thats a good thing! she runs awsome down the road. When we stop somewhere to get gas or dinner or something and then try to start her right back up; she won't go. Pop starting is our best friend in instances like that right now and a hill has become our best friend Anyways; for all those CT HAMBers who might want to see her; she will be at the Colchester Cruise Night tonight on the green in Colchester, CT and at the beginning of August she will be at the Main Street Cruise in Manchester, CT. If you see her tonight; please excuse our crap paint. buffing and a new exhaust are scheduled for it this weekend. third times' a charm, right?
Don't worry about the hat starting problem. These cars did that even when they were new. The best you can do is make sure your starter is mint and that all of the heavy battery cable connections are bright and shiny and that the cables are the largest gauge you can get, and that your starter solenoid does not have coked-up surfaces inside. Also that the starter has a good ground to the block (sometimes the flange they mount on gets rusty or grungy after all these years). Finally, that your battery is up to the task. I use an Optima 6 volt laid n its side in the battery tray - it fits nicely and gives you some more underhood room - mine cranks like it has 8 volts. The 6 volt starter system on your 50 Plymouth draws an unbelievably large number of amps to spin the motor, and there is more drag when it is hot. The tiniest voltage drop across any component (all those I listed) makes a voltage drop that reduces that available for the starter. For example, let's imagine that you have an extra one hundredth of an ohm resistance somewhere in that circuit due to a poor connection. The battery is putting out an easy 200 amps to crank a hot motor; maybe more. Let's say 200. Ohm's Law tells us that 200 amps times .01 ohms equals 2 volts. 6 volts minus 2 volts equals 4 volts. So there it is - the reason Detroit went to 12 volt systems. All else being equal, the currents are half if the voltage is twice, so the same resistance drop has a much less effect. In the example above, the starter would be drawing 100 amps so that same resistance gives 1 volt and 12 volts minus 1 volt equals 11. Long story short, you can mitigate this as much as you can by mining out the components I outlined, but at the end of the day these motors are just like that.
So which one of you HAMBers were the ones to come oogle over Betty last night? sorry we couldn't stop and talk; we were caught up in a 3 old man trio who had to sit and talk about the car for a 1/2 hour We will be at the Manchester Cruise so make sure you come say hi!!
LOL yeah that was spgill2000 and myself. Sorry I should have introduced myself. Betty looks fantastic, and that jeep of your isn't to shabby either! Chuck
thanks! i figured it was you guys! thanks for the kind words on the Plym. she'll be getting an exhaust and another buff job hopefully this weekend but i still think she looks pretty good. Sorry we didn;t get the chance to talk...the guys who were standing there were there for a half hour telling stories so we didn't get to see much of anything else there! If you guys go to the manchester cruise; we will be there with the same vehicles in tow. Lots of people expressed love for Betty last night which was really nice. And of course....the old timers who come in hoards to tell stories...gotta love it The Heep got a trophy last night and between my dad and Joey; there was some jelousy . Betty will have her day first time i ever took the jeep to a show. Figured it was a nice enough day to take it for an hour drive
We just hit 23,400 orig miles in Betty. Pretty crazy; puts a big smile on our faces. There's something about knowing that you are now the entrusted caretaker of this car. It was in the high 90's and low 100's the past 5 days with humidity through the roof. we drove the car quite a bit and i'm happy to say she is, oddly, running better than ever in this weather. Everytime we had to stop and shut her off hot at a gas station or something; she started right back up. i think she loves this gross weather. anyways; i will have to post some new photos since we took her to the Drive In to see CarsII the other night. She was a total hit. . I know Betty might not be every HAMBers cup of tea; and i'm sure there are quite a few people here who think the car is a stupid waste of time...but i still cant get over the amount of attention this car gets.
Sorry this picture might come out small but i had the opportunity to tour and photograph the American Thread Mills yesterday and we took Betty. Got a great shot of her out front
oahueli- I just got word that they want to feature some photos of my choice in the new coffee shop they are opening on the Thread-Mill Grounds. The large stone gatehouse/mill Office which has sat vacant for decades, is being turned into a coffee shop. The picture with Betty is going to be one of them hanging in the shop for years to come. Couldn't be more excited!
Congratulations! That is very cool! The cool thing about that picture is that it could have been taken over a great span of years and shows the timelessness of the car and the building.
thanks! PS: Betty will be at colchester again this comign wed night and again at putnam cruise sat night.
Yes I am going to try and drive the Buick up to Colchester this week as long as the rain clears out. I also need to get some better higway gears in her, she screams driving 50 mph down the road, I can't imagine the highway Chuck
awsome! it looks great (avatar)!!! Betty is running awsome right now. we're so happy about it. Her starting hot problem isn't an issue anymore and we think we have the issue figure out (todays modern day gas is shit; the ethanol boils out and she wont start hot). We hit 60 in her the other day and didnt even feel it. she's comfy at 50-55 though and keeps up with traffic without issue....until we have to jump on the highway haha. We had plans to put a hemi or something in her but for now; the pennies are bing saved for the extent of cash we will need to fix the new project. right now the forcast looks awsome for wednesday and i'm sure with the amount of shows cancelled over the weekend; it will be mobbed. seeya there!
many of you have heard the frustration we have recent endured with the local idiot at the car show badmouthing Betty. Well this morning; some guy yelled out his window to us in the car "Send that POS to the Scrapyard!!!!" am i just having bad luck with people or what?
Huh? Where the hell was this at? Christ I can't imagine what they would say to me driving down the road in my Jalopy..... Chuck
in the middle of windham. people truly have some nerve. we never got to see the guy as he zoomed across the intersection behind us while screaming but if betty had any kind of "speed" that bastard wouldnt have gotten away
LMAO I hear that with the speed issue. 50 Mph in the Buick is screaming, until I get a new ring and pinion gear in the rear end anyway...... It is quite a sight to see though cruising down Rt 2 going to Norwich with people passing you like you were standing still.
hahaa. ours will do 60 without issue. We took her all the way to Mark's Cruise in Granby the other night. Took her up through enfield and hopped on I-91 South for a good 8 miles. She did just fine and we didnt feel like we were going to get run over
couple things for hot start. When you try to start the car, after it has sat hot for a while, threat it like it is flooded (it is more on that later) slowly floor the gas pedal, and crank the starter with the throttle wide open. Do not pump the starter. To confirm, have sombody stand by the tail pipe and if it blows out black smoke when it catches, it clearig out the over rich condition caused by fuel perculation. Today's gas is basically junk compared to what was sold i the 50's. It collects heat faster, evaporates faster, is harder to light off, and produces less power. So what you gotta do is reset the float a bit lower to allow for a bit more room for expansion. what is happening is that the fuel soaks up heat, expands, and aver fills the foat bowl, runs down the throat of the carb and puddles in the intake manifold. then with residual pressure from the pump, when the level drops, it will refill and do it over until it cools off or until the line from the pump to the carb empties out. Lowereing the float about 1/32nd will go a long way to mitigate this. Also Ihave my initial timing set at abut 4 degrees before TDC, as this junk wants a bit of a lead in firing off. So reset the flat a bit lower, treat it like its flooded and do the WOT while cranking, and give it a bit more timing. You should see a difference in the way it starts. Also if you think about it Pop the hood release cable, as with the hood opened a bit, it will allow a lot of the heat to get out of there while your chowing down, or shopping. Just went to a show in New Marlborough in Ma last Sat. Put 400 miles on the 46 there and back. Glad you are getting her out and about.
hot start is all good so thanks for the tips. we have it fiured out. its the ethanol in the fuel that is boiling off due to heat and she wont start. right now we have it worked out perfect and she starts right up
Sounds like you are having problems with people being assholes. Someone was badmouthing your car at a show? Sounds like they have insecurity issues. Next time you see him, kick his ass so hard he smiles shoelaces
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