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Makes sense Howard. Yes, the carb has the vacuum line to the vacuum advance, and it makes sense that it would not be pulling vacuum at idle.

The line I used is the one that comes off the junction block on the manifold port, going to the vacuum canister in the driver's fender. That's essentially the same as using the line to the vacuum pump, correct?

-Kevin

BigKev - That's what I was thinking. I used the port that should be going to the vacuum pump, and not after it, but I think it may be giving me a false reading. I'll check it at the line going to the vacuum advance instead.


We had a beautiful day today, so the Panama got its first wash in 5 months and several trips through town. I took my sister's kids out to get milkshakes, my own kids for a leisurely drive, and my wife and I went on date night in it. It's running great currently. A little vibration here and there but not bad.

Just need to get going on the interior.

-Kevin

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Took it for a quick test drive yesterday, 2 miles. Ran fine until the engine randomly died while in 3rd gear. Pulled over and it started right back up.

Today the starter just clicks once and then nothing. Battery is fully charged. Connections appear fine. What's my problem here? Solenoid??

-Kevin

What kind of solder/gun are you guys using for these types of projects? My little soldering gun is great for small electronics but it doesn't seem to have the power to do anything like this. And the solder that I use for electronics doesn't stick for these projects.

-Kevin

That wood grain looks excellent. Can't wait to see how it all looks together.

Congrats on getting it titled and registered. Feels good to have it official.

Titling in Washington was easier than I thought it would be. I brought the title and '54 license plate in, paid the fee, and then had a title mailed in a few weeks. I registered it as a classic, which means I never have to register it again. The best thing is apparently my license plate is actually a trailer plate, which I find out later.... They didn't care. Eventually I'll replace it with a better and more correct plate.

Kevin

Yearly oil change today. Old oil wasn't terrible, but was definitely dark. New filter, new Rotella 15W-40 oil. I had to toss the old copper crush washer, NAPA had no replacements. So I had to get a fiber washer that was close, then modify it to work. No leaks so far.

Also checked the vacuum pressure on the engine to check my idle mixture. I replaced the old vacuum hoses with new ones, as the old were all cracked and hard. I didn't have an adapter to fit on the carb, so I connected to the hose going to the vacuum tank. Is this giving me a false reading?

At idle it was showing 18-19 steady.

-Kevin

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Got the passenger window runs done, and aligned the door to close better. No more rattles.

Weather was decent today (almost 50) so I took the car out for a drive. My wife and I got lunch, ran an errand, then I dropped off the vinyl panels to the upholsterer to sew the pleats. The car ran great, I can tell the new cap and rotor made a difference.

I need to do the yearly oil change soon

-Kevin

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If you are talking about the run channels for the door windows, then I found some that work from Rubber the Right Way. Mine is a '54, but I believe the channels are the same dimensions for the '55-56.

If you need chrome/stainless bead for the front channel: 10-153X

If your front channel does not have stainless bead (like mine):10-154X

For the rear window channel down inside the door: 10-389X

-Kevin

I agree with all of the above.

As an additional note, when we started up the newly rebuilt engine on my dad's '38 for the first time, I noted that there was some "bubbling" around a few of the head studs after the initial warm up. The head bolts were all new, all sealed, everything torqued to spec. It did not look like coolant. I believe it was residual oil from machining that may have been getting burned off. Regardless, I never saw it again after that first run and the engine has been through many heat/cool down cycles, with the head retorqued.

I'm sure yours will get worked out and everything will be fine. It'll be nice to see your car back on the road.

-Kevin

Thank JWL. I knew about a separate 12V battery, but I don't have a spare handy. I'll figure something out for next time I need it.


Been busy tonight getting things done. Cut out insert panels for the doors, and marked locations for pleats. I'll be using 1/4" scrim foam for the backing, and from what I've read it sounds like the panels won't shrink much from the pleats. 1/2" foam is about 1/8" shrinkage for each pleat sewn. These panels will get dropped off at the upholsterer, and should hopefully have them back in a couple weeks.

My shipment came in from Rubber the Right Way for the window channels, and I'm happy to say that they work great. For the front, I used 10-154X which fits perfectly into the front frame. It has no stainless bead so looks close to original. 1/4" opening for glass.

For the rear I ended up using 10-389X. It's actually a flexible channel made for a completely different application, but the dimensions are right so I tried it out. It pushes right in to the frame and holds tight without glue. 1/8" opening for the stainless frame to slide in.
I added the part numbers to the parts cross reference. These parts should work for all 51-54' hardtops and convertibles. Maybe even for 55-56.

I installed the new window and the adjusted it. It now slides up and down beautifully, no rattling at all when opening and closing. It's now the best looking window on the car. Very happy with how it turned out.

Lastly, I replaced the cap and rotor with new ones from NAPA. The old cap and rotor were what came with the car...no idea how old they are but they weren't in great shape. Couldn't test out the new stuff because I ran out of time and it's snowing hard outside.

Next up is to replace the runs on the passenger side.

-Kevin

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  New cap and rotor.jpg (128.23 KB)