Don - I don't know what's considered "normal" regarding the fuel bowl on these cars. Maybe it's normal to have it be half to mostly empty? My car seems to run fine....it never struggles for fuel, and there is always more than enough in the accelerator pump. I guess I think that the fuel pump should always be pushing fuel and that the needle and float will determine how much fuel is let into the carb. If the pump is working well then I would think it would force fuel into the fuel bowl until it's allowed into the carb. Right?

TxGoat - The vacuum side of my pump is hooked up to the manifold and the wiper motor, as it should be. The sound is more internal to the pump.

My dad's '38 has the woven covering on the fuel line. I've not seen the same on a 50's car, but then again I haven't seen a huge amount of them.

-Kevin

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I do seem to remember the fuel bowl being full in colder weather. Maybe the warm weather is having an effect after all.

I have the correct heat shield in place for the fuel pump. The pressurized fuel line to the carb is uncovered, and I think they were like that from the factory. I wonder if the fuel pump itself is having problems. It's a rebuilt unit from Kanter. Both fuel and vacuum pump work, but the whole unit has been noisy ever since I installed it....like a hollow pumping sound that is very annoying. Not sure if it's coming from vacuum or fuel pump side. I may need to pull it and investigate further.

-Kevin

Thanks Joe!

I haven't done much work to the Panama, but I have been driving it a lot. Our weather is up in the 80's right now. Perfect for cruising with the windows down.

I'm chasing a rich condition currently. Plugs and tailpipe are sooty. Timing should be correct (I tuned it a couple months ago). Choke is operating correctly and is wide open when the car is warm. Carb settings were as correct as I could make them when I rebuilt the carb.

Connected to manifold vacuum today and set the idle mixture screws using vacuum. Got a steady 19 inHg with very minor fluctuation.

I'm now having troubles with the fuel pump again. Fuel bowl is mostly empty all the time, though the car never seems starved for fuel. I tightened all the connections on the suction side with no difference.

-Kevin

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I'm very happy with my Diamondback tires. The tread isn't correct for my model year, but the tires are very well made, ride fantastic, and the whitewalls look just as bright as the day I had them mounted. It's been two years with them on and I've been very pleased.

-Kevin

That looks like a huge parts haul. Those fenders should clean up nicely!

-Kevin

Thanks for the tips TxGoat. Battery should be the right size, it's relatively new and tested fine. Battery cables are in good shape and correct size for 12v. Engine normally starts within a couple seconds at most.

Hopefully the rebuild does the trick. I'd like to not remove the starter again.


On another note, there is big car show here in town on June 17th, and my goal is to have the Super done and put back together for it. I have a lot to do before then and the rebuild has taken me much longer than I had expected. I have about a month to get the rest of this done, and I have very few evenings or weekends available.

Still to do:
1.) Rebuild starter and reinstall
2.) Find a solution for the fan. Either a spacer that will need to be modified, or an electric fan.
3.) Correct size fan belt
4.) Possibly replace alternator (making lots of noise)
5.) Replace thermostat (modern?)
6.) Lots of road tests to confirm reliability
7.) Reassemble the front end body work, trim, lights, etc.

-Kevin

The fan belt from Gates, that I thought would fit, turned out to be too short. I have a new one coming that is two inches longer. It should give me enough room to adjust as needed.

I pulled the starter to investigate why the car was getting increasingly harder to start. About 50% of the time the starter would click once and nothing would happen. Pulling the cover off and using a tool to slightly spin the armature would allow it to start the next try.

I found that the commutator had two areas with significant burns and pitting. I replaced the brushes I could access (two of them require soldering on the field coils....not likely to happen), and then polished the commutator the best I could.

Speaking to a friend who helped with the engine rebuild, he recommends rebuilding the started completely. Apparently the burns are indications of brush hop, and will likely get worse. Possibly the armature is out of round and/or the bushings need to be replaced. I'll be heading to his place next weekend to tackle it.

Where do I find bushings for this thing?

-Kevin

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Looking great Kev. Awesome to see the car out on the road, even for a short drive. It's nice to see the progress.

Also good to know about the speedo. Mine bounces some at low speeds, though no noise. I'm assuming it's the cable, but perhaps the speedo itself needs lube? Was it just the prewar cars that had a place to oil the speedo?

-Kevin

Where are you guys locating the ground strap from engine to frame? I'd have to go back and check, but I don't think I've got one on the Panama.

-Kevin

Looks nice!

I use a similar product, Nevr-Dull by Eagle One. It works, but I haven't compared other products to see if there is a better option. The one can is essentially a lifetime supply for me.

I've gotten in the habit of throwing on a layer of wax afterwards....it helps to give the metal a bit of extra shine.

-Kevin