John if you want to play it safe, go to the local hardware store and buy a few 3/8 - 16 one inch long bolts. Before you install the T-Stat goose neck, thread the two bolts into the head and run them down until you encounter significant resistance . . . but take it easy. Then try to slide the 'ears' of the housing under the hex heads. If you can't slide the housing under the heads that's good . . . you will have at least both the gasket and lock washer's thickness as margin. The plot thickens a bit if you can slide the housing ears under the hex heads . . . That's the minimum amount of material that must be removed either from the length of the bolt, or the thickness of 'extra' washers that must be added.

I suspect a lot of tolerance 'stack-up' went into the determination of the 7/8 inch both length. That is every head/housing combination would be leak free, and not jam the bolt into the bottom of the threaded hole. Your head/housing may easily accept bolts that are one inch long.

dp

Randy the short answer is no.

In the Packard straight eight the cam drives the pump, which subsequently drives the distributor. If this was a SBC then the cam drives the distributor, which subsequently drives the pump. The disseminator is which component has the drive gear.

dp

Ernie; that must have been Sunday morning. If I had spotted you I would have surely given you a rousing 'OOO-GAH' . . . and there's no doubt I would recognize you and the Packard. Seems these days Via Linda has become some kind of sports complex what with walkers with and without dogs, joggers, and, those that must be watched very carefully, the bicyclists. I remember stopping at a traffic light on Via Linda on that drive, it could have been 124th and two bicyclists stopped at the light. That amazed me because the peloton set do not normally stop at lights or stop signs. I did however keep my eye on them believing them to be a hazard even stopped. That may be the reason I didn't spot you. The Model A and a bicycle make a good green light 'drag racing' match-up. The Model A normally will get them on top end, but they can easily keep-up during the neck snapping acceleration phase.

After Joe's excellent 360 video, I'm reluctant to post any photos of my travels, but perhaps a grouping of the hood ornaments might have to do. As other members are just beginning the prime driving season those of us in the desert southwest are nearing the end of cool weather and will be hiding in the garage after 9AM. Cool would be anything under 100F . . . maybe a bit higher if there's shade. I'm looking forward of some good quality time lying on cardboard under a Packard this summer, maybe I can figure-out how to knock 10-20F degrees out of the '48's peak coolant temperature . . . other than moving north to the cooler weather.

In the meantime I'm avoiding social contact and only go to the food store once a week. Other than that I stay home and won't even go to the same ACE hardware store. When this is all over I'll have to take the 'twins' out for a breakfast run.

Joe, what camera did you use to shoot the 360 video?

dp

Tvrpman:

Could you add the two part numbers that Auto City Classics uses for these parts? I found the tank, but got a bit lost paging through the sending units.

Thanks dp

I'll give that one a try.

My first reference is a pamphlet titled "Ford Model A Restoration Manual A-1" copyrighted 1955 by the Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan.
In the available color section there are entries for the 1928 Sport Coupe, and 1930 Sport Coupe, but not for the 1929 & 1931 model years, But hold on there's more.

My second reference is a paperback titled "Model A Ford Restoration Handbook" a Clymer publication, seventh printing July, 1971
This book contains many of the side view drawings presented in the Ford publication, and also features photographs of vehicles. There are photos for the 1929 Sport Coupe (Model 50-A), there is also a photo of a 1931 Sport Coupe (Model 50-B)

The third reference is a third party maintenance manual titled "Model A Ford Mechanics Handbook Volume 1" by Les Andrews.

In the specification section identifying the Model A body types lists:
Model 49-A Special Coupe 1928
Model 50-A Special Coupe 1928-1929
Model 50-B Special Coupe 1930-1931
Model 54-A Business Coupe 1928-1929

The Business Coupe was much like the Special Coupe but replaced the 'Landau Bars' with oval 'Opera Windows'. I suspect the appointments in the business configuration was more Spartan. The Special Coupe came with a rumble seat and fold down rear window, but I'll need to check but my expectation is a trunk with no fold down window in the business configuration.

The short answer to your question is yes. I also note you had a spare and left front tire from a later car. The touring crowd likes those later wheels because modern radials are available in those wheel sizes . . . not so for the 30 inch units on the 30-31 vehicles.

For those playing at home a Special Coupe was a coupe (full framed doors with roll-up windows) with a soft top. The top did not fold down. They came with rumble seats and a fold down rear window. The Roadster would have an operable top, but side curtains instead of roll-up windows . . . truly an open car. The Cabriolet has an operable convertible roof, frameless doors, and roll-up windows with chrome trim pieces where the window and top were in contact.

I have a bit of more research to do on the 49-A Special Coupe. My first guess is that is a very early '28 (aka an AR model) which featured a multi-disk clutch and a left mounted parking (emergency) brake lever, among a bunch of other things, but I've got to dig a little deeper, or go ask the AR experts in the club. There is a subset of the Model A folks that are in search of ultra-low numbered '28s, meaning the very first examples of Model As . . . They look about the same, but are surely different.

I happen to own a March 1930 Fordor (Murray Body) Town Sedan. Nice running car that is vying for attention along with the Packards. When compared with the Packards, the Model A is very easy to wrench and the parts cost no more than a late model modern.

dp

May I suggest you review this blog:


https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=21609&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0&start=0&


The title is "Saving the original paintwork and runk emblem - 1951 200 barn findand".


Jason75 had quite respectable results.

dp

I certainly agree with BDC about the portable battery solution of powering modern electric devices. My wife and I both have 26.8K, 3 USB port, portable batteries and use them continuously. Later my wife thought the battery weight was a bit much and we bought a 10K unit (less weight and less capacity). She can roam all day without running out of power to recharge.

As a test, I plugged-in my Garmin into one of the larger portable battery and everything worked just like it was plugged into a 12V 'cigarette lighter' socket. I did run into one 'glitch'. The Garmin came with a power cable that had a small format USB connector at the GPS end, and a 'cigarette lighter' plug at the other. I used a cable from a Canon camera that had the same small format USB plug at the camera end, and the large rectangular USB connector that the battery has.

If you decide to go with the portable battery solution you will also have a pretty handy way to power your GPS, plus the ability of recharge phones (etc.) on the go. You may have to find a cable to make the GPS work, but the cable you'll need is pretty much standard.

dp

John:
I believe it is much like a freeze-out plug, that is, an interference fit. To remove you place pick or small needle nose pliers in the slots, or slot to outer diameter, and convince the cover to come out of the bore.

Having said that, I will admit that unless I see a lot of crap hiding under the retainer I don't mess with it. If you pour some solvent into the primary float bowl you should see if there is free communication into the pump reservoir. You can keep doing that until the flow is immediate and robust. Since the intent of the ball is to block the flow of fuel from the pump reservoir back into the float bowl, then you should empty and dry the float bowl, and then pour solvent into the pump reservoir. You should be able to fill the reservoir without a ton of flow past the ball back into the float bowl.

The ball is there to impose a restriction to flow path back to the bowl, such that the path of lesser resistance is to the discharge nozzles. The intent is not necessarily a leak free ball check, but that would OK to. If the circuit is clean I suspect that will be OK, and before the carburetor is installed on the car you will probably do an accelerator pump check. During that check you should see evidence that the nozzle flow is OK. You can actually test that circuit as part of the cleaning process prior to assembly. Fill the bowl with solvent, install the pump, and push down with your thumb. You should not see a robust flow back to the bowl.

By the way, in my post earlier in the day, that was the first time I tried to change the font size. I selected <LARGE>, and boy did it come-out large. I wasn't yelling.

Here is the text from a Carter Service Manual

Remove pump inlet ball retainer and check ball from bottom of pump cylinder well by prying the retainer sideways with a 5/16- inch s ix point socket.

I have seen the leather in the pump wear-out, and I have seen a bunch of blocked nozzles, but have not seen a leaking check ball . . . at least not yet.

dp

John

I'll also recommend not to remove the throttle plates unless it is the last resort.

Soak the carb in solvent for a good amount of time. I use lacquer thinner most of the time, although for freeing-up shafts penetrating oil might be a lot better.

I believe the WCFB features a means to inhibit the opening of the secondary plates until the primary shaft has rotated to part throttle, Also featured is a means where the secondary shaft, if bound, will not inhibit the primary shaft of achieving full throttle. If bound, the force on the secondary linkage is limited to that provided by a short spring.

Be sure the primary shaft is at full throttle and attempt to assist the spring force opening the secondary plates. Temper your zeal! Use light taps, and taping the shaft side to side might help.

I bought a small ultra-sonic cleaner to convince some of the carburetor junk to come out of the internal passages. This is done with 'Simple Green' and water. The cleaner has built-in heaters with an adjustable thermostat which I set to about 100-120 F . . . just so I can touch the parts. I had to change the water about every hour because of the filth.

dp

Chris;
I also will plead insufficient experience on AutoLite vacuum chambers when it comes to what sets the upper stop (full vacuum applied).

The dominate failure mode on these chambers is a ruptured diaphragm, which results in zero movement. At least on an AutoLite distributor the motion is observable . . . not so on a Delco distributor.

The purpose of my posting was more of a 'look out for this' when one of the members was changing a broken chamber on a Delco distributor. My experience was, just because it fits doesn't mean the calibration is correct.

Seems that you have conducted all of the right checks, that is, it holds a vacuum and springs back only when the vacuum is released.

dp