Dave I typed up a response to your post, but I guess I didn't click the post button. I wrote it again this morning and posted it this time.

Thanks to everyone for the gear oil question.

Dave thanks for the picture it was a big help. Based on that and your description, I’m going to make a heat deflector. I’d had thought that an electric pump might be a possible solution and had scoped out a couple of locations near the tank to tie into.

Last week I replaced the regular with premium and drove the car around without issue. However, the temperature was 12 to 15 degrees cooler so it wasn’t much of a test. Not sure if we are going to get another 90+ day here before next year, but if we do I try to take it for a spin.

I’m also looking into the heat riser valve as a possible contributing cause. The springs on mine are missing along with the cover. Since we don’t have extremely cold days here in So. Calif. I thought I had wired mine in the closed position, but it wasn’t.

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I'm getting ready to check lubricant levels in my '32's Steering Box, Transmission, & Rear End. What do some of you use? Would a 90 weight like GL-1 be fine?

Dave,

Could you please post a picture or 2 of the heat deflector on your 34.

When I bought the car it was almost completely apart (engine, trans, and rear end excepted). Parts were scatter in 3 or 4 different building and unlabeled. and mixed together. It was a basically a 2 ton plus three dimensional puzzle on steroids'. There may have been a deflector that is still in Vista Calif in one of those buildings.

My fuel bowl (glass) is on the inlet side of the fuel pump. During this episode of vapor lock the fuel bowl was always full of gas. I knocked on the side of the carburetor in case the float needle was stuck in the closed position

I believe the BP article was back when lead was added to prevent knocking. New grades do not have this anti-knock preventive in them.

Since gasoline is a made up of hundred of compounds, it does not a a boiling point as such. It has a point at which lower boiling compounds transition from liquid to vapor and begin to distill off. It is these compounds that cause knocking in carbureted engines that makes knocking. I think premium has less of the the more volatile components. It would be these volatile fractions in regular gas that would contribute to the formation of vapors.

Decided it was time to take the car on a short test drive about town yesterday. It was a hot (90 deg.) summer day in S. Calif. After about 3 miles I headed home and 1 block from home things came to a gasping halt. Got out and checked finding the car had gas in the tank, plenty of spark, but no gas coming out of the carburetor jets. Checked the pump and it was not pumping.

Let the car cool for about 30 minutes and it started right up. Hence the Dreaded Vapor Lock conclusion.

The fuel line runs down the frame from the tank to the engine compartment so it should be OK there. There is about 2 feet of tube inside the engine area before it gets to the pump and it is close to the frame.

The car has a '33 downdraft carb & manifold system. The question I have is there suppose to be a heat shield between the carb and the exhaust manifold. If so can someone out there send me a photo so I can make one that looks correct?

In the interim, I'm going to replace the regular gas with high octane gas that has a higher boiling point.

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I took over a restoration. While I have no records that show generator had been rebuilt when I got it, it looks like it had been rebuilt. I just finished the restoration and it has never charge during the short periods that I ran the engine.

Looking into the generator issue was low on the priority list. Some people say you should re-polarize a generator system everytime the battery is replaced. I have never found that to be a problem in the generator systems I've had.

See my post '32 901 Sedan Generator Polarization it might help.

I talked to Dave Baratto (Buchanan Auto Electric in Oakland) and he walked me through the procedure on repolarizing the generator. He said to 1) disconnect the small white wire, which is the Field wire (see photo) and then to flash the dark wire to the negative terminal on the battery with another wire.

The generator charges and I'm able to get 6.7 volts or so out of it while adjusting the screw on the third brush. However, I think it should be able to put out at least 7.5 VDC.

I can't say enough about how willing Dave was to help me out. It took several calls and an email to him in order for me to understand everything. While he did not ask for anything, I'm going to drop a check in the mail today.

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To trailer or not to trailer is a hard one to answer. The answer lies in the: 1) distance, 2) your aversion to new life experiences, 3) Auto Club (or similar towing service), 4) condition of the car (running condition, tires, etc.), 5) availability or truck/trailer. And of course funds available if Gods decide to crap on you.

The best answer probably hinges one #s 1, 2, 3, & 4. Unless of course there is a significant other who is along for the experience. Then listen to them.

All of the above is a LOL. Need more info before processing.

I have a friend who drove 400 miles to buy a classic Cad and saw a drop dead 55 Buick and drove it home without a problem (car was a National Buick Club winner). Another friend who went to pick up a vintage trailer with his truck who I rescued with my truck when his broke down (P.S. All his friends knew he wouldn't make the 900 mile trip in his PU. This was a funny "Life Experience that consumed 16 hours of my time.

When all else fails just flip a coin.

AND OF COURSE - is it safe to drive!!!