Thank you everyone for the excellent advice and explanations. I sure don't want to take any chances so it looks like the whole Easamatic assembly has to be removed and sent off for a rebuild or replaced.

This low mileage car is turning into quite a project. Monday I discovered I have to redo the fuel lines too. They're so rusted on the outside and a peak inside is only slightly better. Then some bozo who hooked the line up from the mechanical pump to the electric fuel pump kinked and virtually flattened the fuel line in one place.

With the great help of this website I'll get her going!

---Steve

I am interested in opinions on what should be a next step with the Easamatic power brakes on my 1954 Clipper. While I await the return of my newly refurbished gas tank and the first chance to start the car I have been going over every square inch. There appears to be adequate fluid in the master cylinder but when I opened the fill cap on the Easamatic not only was there no fluid, what was in there was a congealed and somewhat dirty grease-like substance. All of that was below the small opening with the protruding spring/washer. After many Q-tips and rags I've got it clean. I need to cut a new gasket and then put it all together and fill with fluid. Am I wasting my time and with the fluid having been neglected this far is it likely the unit is shot? Or should I try it anyway. The unit had been rebuilt at one time as evidenced by a rebuild sticker on it but that was probably 20+ years ago.

Once I get the car going I will do further brake work, fluid change and so forth. The front brakes, hoses and wheel cylinders have been replaced in the last few years. I have a rebuilt master cylinder I was planning to have installed. Car has 60,400 miles on it with less than 1,000 in the last 30 years.

Thanks,
Steve

I am getting fitted for my dunce cap. I posted about an odd cast iron device that pivots on my intake manifold. Numerous folks posted suggestions for both intake and exhaust manifold mounted devices. Because it can't be seen and only felt I thought it was on the intake manifold. It turns out it is on the exhaust manifold. I got fooled because of the way the exhaust manifold mounts right under the intake manifold on these straight eights.

Thanks,
Steve

Thanks for the possible clue on this odd device. I will try to get a photo of it posted in the next few days. It's a little hard to get to.

BigKev,

Thanks for the statistics on my Clipper. I have the conventional Ultramatic. Thankfully an access panel was created in the floor to enable easier checking of the transmission fluid.

Thanks too for the tip on watching out for brake parts as I do plan to have brake work done. The front brakes had been redone including hoses.

Is the script "Super" and "Clipper" supposed to be on the trunk with "Super" to the left of the lock/emblem and "Clipper" to the right? A former owner apparently acquired the script but had not installed it. I guess the trunk had been worked on. Someone installed block lettering "Clipper" to the right of the trunk lock; the same block lettering that appears on the rear doors.

Thanks for all your continued help and dedication with this great website.

---Steve

Thank you to everyone who has replied with helpful info and especially Brian, Howard and BigKev. The wiring diagram BigKev prepared is so much better than in the shop manual.

BigKev asked for my body number on firewall and plate on door jamb. Both numbers are the same and are: 5462-5901. I get the sense that this is a later 1954 model, is that your assessment?

I'll post some photos soon.

Thanks,
Steve

That odd part is on the intake manifold. There's nothing connected to it. Perhaps you can solve the mystery.

Thanks,
Steve

Thank you to everyone for the quick responses and guidance. I'll let everyone know how it goes as I continue working on this. No doubt I'll stir up more questions. It's great to have such friendly support.

I recently bought a 1954 Clipper 4-Door Super Touring. About two months ago I registered it on this great website. I have had the car about a month and have not attempted to start it because I removed the gas tank to have it worked on. (An old sealing job has peeled away from the tank walls.) While I await the return of the tank I have been going over the car front to back assessing anything that needs attention. The car has just 60,000 miles on it and has been driven less than 1,000 miles in the last 32 years. It's had several elderly owners in that time who put money into the car replacing numerous parts that naturally wear, yet rarely driving the car. I purchased it from a fellow AACA club member who is in her late seventies or early eighties. (Her dad was Sherman Fisher who owned the Packard Balboa concept car for a while. She sold it after his death.) She reports that this Clipper runs great, transmission and brakes are fine.
The car has Easmatic power brakes, Ultramatic, radio with electric antenna, heater/defroster and Solex tinted glass.
Based on the odds and ends I have discovered I am posting these questions in hopes that you experienced folks could help me figure out some of the mysteries. I have a shop manual and it's quite good, but some things just aren't covered. I apologize for asking sooooo many questions all at once. Please guide me if I should submit these individually. I'm new forums.

Loose Linkage
At the "cross shaft" behind carburetor on passenger side there is a rod attached to cross shaft and down to the base of the transmission pan. I believe this is called a "relay rod" and what I interpret from the shop manual it is attached to the "throttle valve lever" on the transmission. There is a light helical spring dangling from the relay rod and I can't determine any place that spring attaches to. It is quite rusty and thin. The relay rod, if that is what it is, is quite loose. Any suggestions about the mystery spring and is the loose rod acceptable? It is securely attached.

Fluid for Easamatic
I can't find in the shop manual guidance on fluid for the Easamatic device. There is a large nut on top that appears to be a place where fluid is placed. Is that the case? Should one open that and check? How can one tell if fluid is at the proper level? What is the proper fluid? Is this fluid under pressure?

Mysterious Casting on Intake Manifold
I noticed on the side of the intake manifold a "j-shaped" cast iron piece that pivots. When manually lifted up it reveals a hole in the intake, as best I can see. Gravity keeps the piece rotated down over the hole. Any idea what this is?


Interior lighting
The light located above the rear seat, lights fine but is constantly on. It is not impacted by the switch on the pillar or the plunger-type switches on the door. Any idea what causes this light to stay on? Would all switches need to be replaced?
A previous owner had messed around with the dash lights, apparently to get them to operate. None of the instrument lights light except the high beam indicator and turn signal indicators. The rheostat on the headlight switch does not impact this. (The switch apparently had been replaced.) Lights seem plugged into appropriate sockets on instrument cluster. I found two black wires with what appear to be sockets at the end, though one can't place a bulb in these sockets. They have claw-like teeth, as if they place into an open hole and are held in place by tension. I can't identify where they go and the wire length is fairly short. Perhaps they are for a fuse. Any ideas what they might be?
No light at radio and can't determine where light goes into radio. Any guidance?
I located just one courtesy light at bottom of center of dash. The shop manual and schematic references two. This one light operates and can be controlled by rheostat at headlight switch and plunger-type switch at passenger door. Switch at driver's side door does not have an effect on this bulb. Is it safe to assume the plunger-type switch needs to be replaced?
By the way it does have a functional glove box light.
I have understood that Clippers have a trunk light but I have not found one though I did find a loose, rusty old plunger-type switch when cleaning out the trunk. Should there be a light in the trunk?

Stop Lights
Headlights, taillights, parking lights, turn signals all work well. Brake lights do not light when pedal depressed either with key on or off. Would this be a case of stoplight switch malfunctioning? Is this the switch that appears to be mounted at the base of the shift linkage? It is ahead of the Easamatic but does not appear attached to the Easmatic device.

Spare Tire
This car, incredibly, has the original spare. Does anyone have a 15" wheel they can sell me for this car? I want to have a spare but don't want to touch the original spare. Do wheels from any other makes of car work? I plan to put wide white radials on the car. It has dry-rotted bias ply tires on it that probably only have 500 miles on them.