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Thanks for the reminder about Daytona. I had forgotten about them. Looks like they have a kit, so I may go with that. But if you have one and aren't going to use it, I'll buy it off you.

Stromberg EE-23, stamped "10-28".

-Kevin

Appears the one I have is for a Carter carb. But if anyone else needs it let me know. I have no use for it.

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Waiting for a carb rebuild kit to come in from Daytona.

Meanwhile, I noticed the distributor was installed in the wrong position according to pictures of how the car was originally, as well as other Super 8's. So I removed the distributor, set the engine at #1 TDC, and clocked the distro to the right position (vacuum advance), used a multimeter to set the points correctly, then redid all the plug wires into the correct places and order.

Also confirmed the vacuum advance is working correctly. Car started right up and seemed to idle a bit better than before, though I didn't test it long. Once the carb is rebuilt I should be able to dial in the last of the tuning.

Lastly, I need this adapter plate for the manifold vacuum line. We had it when the engine was first disassembled 7 years ago. It's long gone. I would like to get the vacuum lines all back together before I put the front end back on. Does anyone have one??

-Kevin

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While waiting for the carb kit, my brother -in-law and I took a look at the brakes.

Things looked good inside all of them, except for the driver's front brake cylinder. One of the boots had a small bit of moisture in it (see picture) so I'm assuming it's leaking? If so I will replace it.

All the shoes had plenty of meat left on them. We messed around with the brake adjustments a bit but most of them felt pretty good already. We tried adjusting the eccentric on the passenger front (the first wheel we took off), but it wasn't operating like it did on my car. Overall things felt pretty good on all of them.

The pedal is pretty soft, and the brake fluid has been sitting around for 7+ years, so a brake flush is next. I ran out of brake fluid, so Saturday morning we'll do that. Hopefully that gives me a nice firm pedal.

-Kevin

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Typically if there is any fluid seeping past the seal, then replace it. Better safe that sorry. Also, since the back is always a pain to pull apart, I try to refresh everything to avoid having to go back in there again.

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I'll pull the front wheel cylinder off and see if NAPA has a match. I agree, I'd rather be on the safe side.

The car had a frame-off restoration sometime in the last 20 years, and all the brake components were replaced, axles serviced, etc at that time. The car has probably only seen a few thousand miles since then. Besides a bunch of brake dust and some unpainted surfaces, the rear brakes looked excellent. I pulled everything apart to check the wheel cylinders, check for axle leaks, and eval the shoes. I feel comfortable leaving the rears as is . Should I need to get back in there, it will not be difficult. The drums came off without too much effort.

-Kevin

Got some stuff done today. Flushed the brake system and bled all the brakes until it was clear. The old fluid was dark brown, nasty stuff. The brakes work much better, though there is still much more pedal travel than I would expect. And this is after adjusting all the brakes.

Retorqued all the head bolts to 60 ft/lbs, and all of them definitely needed it. Warmed the car up and adjusted the idle mixture screws and it idled much better.

We took it for a quick test drive and even jumped on the street for a few hundred yards. Stills shakes when accelerating, but overall rides smooth. I'm able to lock all four tires with the brakes on gravel, which the car didn't do before the rebuild.

Once we get the carb rebuilt I'll redo the tuning and see how it runs. Slowly making progress.

-Kevin

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Check your pedal to master cylinder rod spacing. Perhaps it's too large?

Also, go around check the minor adjustment (star wheel) on the brakes again. Sometime after you actually used them, they have bedded/seated a bit better and then need a tad more tightened. I gave up adjusting with the feeler guage, and had more luck turning the adjuster until locked and can bearly turn the tire in the direction of travel with two hands. Then backing off the adjuster until it has just a wisp of drag.

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I will go back and check the minor adjustment. They were all dragging some when I checked them before, so I was surprised the pedal still had so much travel.

Is there a measurement I'm supposed to be looking at for pedal to cylinder rod? And how is it adjusted?

On that note, I need to figure out how to adjust the clutch pedal too....I have several inches of play before it engages.

-Kevin

I had a couple minutes tonight to check a few things. First was the clutch pedal and how to adjust it. The pedal had to travel a good 4-6 inches before it engaged, making shifting hard and grinding gears. A quick check under the car showed how the linkage was to be adjusted. A few minutes later I had the clutch engaging at about 1.5"-2.0", right where the manual wants it.

Next I looked at an exhaust leak I had noticed last time I started the car. It's wear the exhaust pipe meets the manifold. The bolts are tightened all the way, but it still leaks. I have a new gasket that was in a box of parts for the car. But I don't know that it will be enough to seal on its own. Has anyone used exhaust gasket sealer?

Lastly, I'm trying to find a belt for this thing. The pulleys are huge. The widest part is about 7/8" wide, and the length I need is about 50". The guys at NAPA looked at me like I was from the moon when I asked them about that size. I don't think I can use the length that is normal for a '38 Super....this car has an alternator, plus the water pump pulley is from a '39.

-Kevin

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