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The speedo has been acting up, humming, clicking, and bouncing. It was very noticeable today on my drive so I pulled the speedo cable, cleaned it, lubed it with white lithium grease, and reinstalled it. I also pretzeled myself up under the dash to locate the oil hole on the speedo and dropped a few drops of a light oil in there. It was all by feel. I had to use a small instrument to find the hole, then I used that to guide the tip of the oil dropper.



The speedo is quiet now, and doesn't bounce (except for at under 10 mph slightly) but it is a consistent 10mph slower than actual speed. 30mph on the gauge is actually 40mph, 40 is actually 50, etc. No idea if tires are part of the problem but I believe they are close to the factory size.



The headlights remain pointed at the ground. They are adjusted all the way up, so the problem is likely the stance of the car. The rear is sitting too high currently. When the TL levels it the lower edge of the skirt is not centered on the hexagon. This picture shows about where it sits at rest....maybe a tad higher in the picture than it really is. But enough to where it feels like I'm constantly driving a stink bug. So I'll need to get under the car and adjust the linkage to were it sits level. I'll probably have to redo it when I do all the bushings eventually.



And I got a beautiful radiator from PGH Ultramatic yesterday. The packing was excellent. The original one in the car is not currently leaking after my repairs, but I'll be replacing it with this one anyways and keeping the original as a backup/spare.

Kevin

My tip on adjusting the up/down

Un do the nut on compensated switch.

Move switch lever to see what way is up or down.

And you can get it level..

Then the adjustment linkage un do the lock nut
Turn that long nut, till you can drop switch end of linkage in.

Then turn that long nut to fine tune...

The reason to do it that way, is if you use the adjusting nut.
And you turn it for down, and you went to far.
You can't stop it, fast enough, and it will be on the ground.

I always forget which way to turn that long nut, for up and down

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Were the brakes squealing at the point of maximum pressure during your "high speed slow downs"?

For reference in gauging your slow downs, Motor Trend's road test of the '55 Caribbean reported 60-0mph braking in 151 ft.

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Have you aimed the headlights as per the Service Manual Section 8, Electrical, starting on page 45?

How far ahead of the car is the center of the beam on the ground with them "pointed at the ground"?

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Can't fully remember, but I would say they were still squealing some. Currently with normal driving the squealing is far less than it was, fully located on the rear.

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Yes, I adjusted according to the manual. But I believe the rear sits too high at rest, which makes the adjustment incorrect. The headlights are at full upward adjustment at this point. I can't raise them up any more.

Center of the beam while driving is about 25-30 feet in front of the car. Impossible to drive at night unless I turn the high beams on to raise up the light throw.



Riki, thanks for the guidance on adjusting ride height. You are doing all this with the wheels on the ground?

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The “upper” beam is supposed to drop 2 inches over 25 feet according to the manual. Did you do the adjustment with the upper beams?

Since yours drop to the ground in 25 feet (I use 25 feet for the discussion as it is the same as the distance used in the manual), you can compute how high the back of the car would have to be if it were due entirely to the rear sitting too high while the headlights are properly aimed. What was your measurement to the center of the headlight?

Yes wheels on ground..

4 post lift would make it easy..

Productive weekend.

Changed the oil since I have no idea when it was done last. It was also showing at least a quart over full on the dipstick. New NAPA 1006 filter and 5 qts of VR1 10w-30. Made a new drain plug gasket because there wasn't one there, just RTV silicone. Oil pressure stays right in the middle of the gauge, level is now correct.

Installed the new radiator I got from PGH. It looks great, and more importantly works great. No leaks, gauge stays below center.



Fixed an annoying rattle due to the exhaust pipes hitting the rear bumper. Centered both of them in the opening, and now it's quiet.



Noticed a leak on the driver's rear brake line. Looks like the flare is no good, the nut is as tight as it can go.



Replaced the line with a pre made length from NAPA. Bled the brakes again, confirmed no leaks, and refilled the master. Adjusted the front shoes again as they had bedded in some.



Reseated the front wheel bearings, as I was getting an annoying shudder and unpredictable front wheels. They had a lot of play at 12 and 6. This time I tightened all the way to 20ft lbs, then backed off one hex and pinned them. Still some vertical play, but much less. I don't see any play in the kingpins, so maybe bearings are worn? Visually look fine

Also reconnected the power steering belt and had someone turn the wheels lock to lock while I observed from the ground (engine running), but I couldn't see any leaking. Based on what I see on the ground and the frame, I would expect there to be a visible leak. So I don't know.

Took it for some test driving. Got some lunch with the wife, had a good conversation with a gentleman who immediately recognized what the car was. Brakes are very good now. Still some squealing but it's getting less. Engine is running better the more I drive it. The tires are unpredictable , so those are on the list to replace. Some heavy clunking over bumps or when turning on the driver's front. Can't pin it down, but will need to replace all the bushings anyways. Transmission needs adjustment.

A disturbance or uneven ride at low speed and idle throttle is generally caused by old tires.

What's your thoughts on the transmission?

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The pushbutton isn't in adjustment. D seems to be Low, and H is what Drive should be. Some buttons don't move to others, etc. Going to have to learn how to adjust the actuator.

I drive almost exclusively in H right now. It seems to kick from low to high to torque converter lockup really fast. If I get on the throttle then it'll spend some time in all three, but normal throttle is bit of low, then like 1 second of high, then straight to direct drive. Engine chugs at low speed when in direct drive. I don't have a reference for how it is supposed to be, so I'm assuming that's not quite normal.

Adjusting the motor can be a pain.

Loosen the bolt on strap.

Lift motor up till it stops,, that should be the stop in trans.

Let motor down a bit, should be reverse. .

You can move it up and down to feel the click.

Somewhere in the middle .. tighten bolt..

If you got it right you should have all selections.

It's the easiest way I found to do it. I've, done it a zillion times.

If you're off R, will be L. You're dealing with play in the motor. / fingers.

Good looking 400..

If you weren't 2 states away I would help you out.