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Our member Scott Henningsen in CA is making / repairing them.  I bought a couple from him at the 2018 Meet.

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Jim, thank you very much for the very thorough and carefully reasoned explanation.

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I should add that the 66 hp engine was a very low rev engine, with a published redline of 1,500 rpm.  The 1918 dual valve has a 2,500 rpm redline, and for comparison, a Series 80/81 a 3,000 rpm redline.

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Jim, can you please clarify for me the temperature “release points” (as it were) for the higher viscosities in multi-grade oils?

Marlin Hansen attached a temperature sensor to the oil pan of his then-owned 1917 Series 66 which he drove from MN to CA about 13 years ago.  He told me that even at 60 mph all day in 90+* weather that oil temp (again, measured on the outside of the oil pan) never exceeded 118*F.  I think I remember him saying that he used only single-viscosity oils as a result of that finding.

Because of our usual use (shorter runs), I’ve used 15W-40 with so-far satisfactory results, but now question whether the oil temp, especially in my 1918 48 dual valve, gets hot enough on LONG runs to achieve a suitable degree of protective viscosity.  That is, prior to the Modoc Tour or a Glidden Tour with 120+ mile days, should I switch to single-viscosity oil?

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Adam, I’m sorry to hear of your misfortune.  Yes, Optimas cannot tolerate a really deep discharge.  If you haven’t tried the method above (charge in parallel with a decently charged other 6V battery), you just might be able to salvage them.

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My experience is that if an Optima discharges below, perhaps, 5.9 volts, that conventional charging of that battery alone will not bring it back.  What usually works for me is to wire the discharged Optima in parallel with another 6V battery (which can be wet cell) that has at least 6.1V, then slow charge.  By slow charge, I mean 4-6 amps, for perhaps four hours.  Give it a rest and do it a couple of more times.  When the discharged Optima will hold 6.1 or 6.2 overnight, then you can top off the charge with that battery alone.

While the Optima(s) are coming back, suggest you hunt for whatever is pulling them down.  This is much easier on cars which have fuse blocks–i.e., not 1929-forward Pierces.  Use a volt-ohmmeter (VOM) but with the meter set to accommodate 10 amps.  With a good 6V battery in place, disconnect the ground cable and connect one lead of the VOM to the battery ground post and the other to the detached ground cable, checking for amp (current) draw.  There should be NONE.  With a fuse block system, you would remove one fuse at a time until you get the desired zero reading; but with Pierce’s circuit breaker system you have to disconnect one electrical item at a time.

Wild guesses:

1. With battery disconnected, test the master shut off switch both open and closed and look for a short and/or resistance.  Then check the cutout.

2. For your car, the clock would be the first power-consuming item I’d disconnect.

Please keep us posted on what you find.

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RV (recreational vehicle) parts and service centers used to carry those large diameter glass fuses.  If memory serves, you need AGC-30 and AGC-10.

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That’s SoCal area, near Tarzana.  Perhaps some SoCal member can bring to the Meet in Buellton beginning June 20, and transfer it to someone with a trailer or pickup bed returning eastbound.

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Mystery solved….  It is a section of a REAR door sill moulding for a Series 80 4-door sedan.  The screw hole placement is slightly different on the front door sills.  I checked my early S80 sedan which is waiting for Greg to refurbish its engine.

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That’s a 1927 serial number, and our data show it to be a 1927, not the 1925 described on eBay.

Note the tank-mounted gauge near the gas filler–found on 1926-27.

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To me, it looks like a section of a sill plate, perhaps shortened as a display piece.

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Being a Cheap Charlie, I use a piece of broomstick plus a foot-long section of 1 x 4 lumber with a hole drilled close (about 2″) to one end, hole drilled 1/8″ larger than the diameter of the broomstick.  The long end of the 1 x 4 rests vertically against the vertical part of the front seat cushion.  Friction from wedging the broomstick holds it in place at any length you wish.

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Be aware of an issue with the 1933-35 S-W system:  The pedal/treadle does not fall as the linings of the shoes wear, so pedal/treadle travel does not change.  This can result in an unpleasant surprise.  I recommend adjusting wheel brakes (easy) at a 3,000-mile interval.

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Dave, good catch!  Thank you.  It was a typo, and I edited to 9-1/4.  The numbers I provided above are for fender-mounted headlights.

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I believe the B&L STAR lenses are correct for 1926 forward:  8-3/8 for Series 80, 9-1/4 for Series 33 & 36, 8-1/8 for Series 81 w/fender headlights.

 

Pre-1926, Series 32 & 33 used B&L (no star) 9-1/4, and Series 80 8-3/8 (no star)

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UPDATE:  Please see Don’s post in The Emporium where he shows more accurate dimensions taken with calipers.

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Jack, suggest you search for “bumperettes” as they were known, used on 1920s cars with rear-mounted spare tires.  They were aftermarket accessories.  Some were tubular to match the Pierce front bumpers, but most are plated double flat bar.  You may well wind up fabricating the spring steel “irons” or mounting pieces, best done by borrowing an intact set of bumperettes from another car.

George

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Adding to Don’s post:  These are “bracketed” headlights on a Phillips catalog-custom convertible coupe body.

* The lens is a Bausch & Lomb 9.25″ STAR (same as 1927-28 Series 36)

* The outer ring/bezel is 10.5″ OD and 1.25″ outer surface depth (i.e., front to rear)

* The inner retaining ring is unknown (too crunched to be measured) but it is NOT that used 1916-26 as reproduced at one time (I compared it to one of those not yet installed)

Don, can you post better photos of the complete AGA headlight showing the bezel?

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Larry, you may want to check the 20-year-old 600W gear oil in your transmission–my experience is that it thickens with time and 20 years is twice my own interval for change.  Shifting will be stiff when the oil is cold, as you know from your R-R experience, and we should shift earlier under those circumstances, but should be buttery smooth when the oil is hot.  Restoration Supply has about SAE 250 gear oil which works well for me.  I haven’t been able to find any Texaco Thuban SAE 250 in the last few years that I found to be perfect, and I just finished the end of a 3-gallon pail from a previous owner of one of my cars.

Shifting a crash box is half-science, half-art, and each transmission is different–so experiment with different techniques.

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Excellent, Dave!  I’d like to add that almost any Pierce, but especially dual valve cars like yours, should be run on the rich side–but certainly not belching black smoke!

For a seat-of-the-pants adjustment (i.e., assuming you don’t have a gas analyzer), consider this:  With a fully warmed up engine, loosen the main jet clamp, have an assistant run the engine at about 1200-1500 rpm (no load, of course) while you adjust the main jet–with a vacuum gauge if possible.  That will be your base setting of the main jet itself, and under load or greater speed it will need to be a tad richer.  Since you’re at altitude already, you want to be able to lean it further for greater altitude but also to enrichen the mixture at lower altitudes.  Your call as to where you position the mixture knob for your default or “home” setting, but be sure to allow for both leaning and enrichment in the remaining travel of the knob.

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