[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Getting bolts loose: If you get a bit of movement, work each bolt back and forth just a few degrees, adding penetrating oil. Don’t try to unscrew more than a very few degrees without working it back towards ‘tight.’ The range of movement will slowly increase. PATIENCE!

Oil filter: Perhaps others who have used the Burr Ripley filter conversions can comment, but I think that is the way to go, since you will not have to re-form the existing lines or make new ones–which you’d have to do if you put a generic replaceable-element canister on. By the way, if your replate those oil lines, they should be polished nickel, not chrome.

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Really can’t help you with the wrist pin issue (haven’t had mine that far apart) except to say that whatever a competent engine builder determines is an appropriate means of securing the wrist pins should be OK. This is one area where we should embrace more modern technology!

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Bob,

For replacement gears, first try Then & Now Automotive in Weymouth, MA (AKA Antique Auto Cellar, best known for fuel pump rebuilding–see link). Clearance of oil pump end plate should be 0.002 (mine was 0.012 before machining inside surface). The two matched pump gears are more critical than the upper drive gear; the slop in the (upper) drive gear really doesn’t have much effect, in my opinion.

The drive gear is accessed via the square cast plate attached with 4 bolts and located at left rear of engine underneath manifolds. Oil pump is driven by a vertical piece of 1/2-inch square tubing (available at hardware stores) which, believe it or not, dangles from the drive gear assembly by a cotter pin! The oil pump drive has a tapered tip above the square section that fits into the square tubing to permit ‘threading’ the pump drive into the tubing.

Originally, the oil pump was secured to oil pan by 6 studs and nuts. I strongly recommend replacing those studs and nuts with cap screws to make it MUCH easier to ‘thread’ the tapered tip of the oil pump drive into the square tubing should you need to do so later when the pan is on (I found this out the hard way). Be careful–3 of the 6 threaded holes are blind or closed, so ensure that the cap screws are not so long that they will break the cast aluminum pan. I put flat washers under the heads of the cap screws and use Permatex #2 on the threads of the cap screws.

George

http://www.maritimedragracing.com/then_and_now_automotive_part.htm

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Tom, thanks for the kind words. I want to reinforce what Dave has said a couple of times now about using GL-1 (non-hypoid, straight mineral oil) in a Borg-Warner overdrive, which for P-A owners will be only the 1936-38 cars. I now have two Willys-Overland Jeepsters (’48-’49) but the one I’ve had for 28 yrs will soon go elsewhere. The Willys Owners Manual AND Shop Manual are very explicit and emphatic about using GL-1 (straight mineral oil) in the trans & overdrive (lube can migrate between the two) BUT say to use hypoid (extreme pressure–EP) lube (= today’s GL-4) in the differential.

The B-W overdrives were also used in Packard, FoMoCo, Studebaker, and almost all other OD-equipped vehicles (I’m excluding Columbia 2-speed axles, as I know nothing about them), so the GL-1 is THE lube to use in any B-W OD and its transmission.

VBR, George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Tony, bear in mind that metallic paints before World War II had very finely ground metallic components or ‘flakes.’ You may have seen the incorrect coarse-ground metallic (very obvious) in the maroon 1940 Cad 75 convertible sedan often shown at Ironstone Concours in Murphys. BTW, I’ll be at the Ironstone Concours Saturday; if you’re going, pls track me down. A good place to start is at the PAS NorCal canopy. VBR, George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Tonight I was looking for something else in a binder I set up for my Series 80 with copies of individual authenticity information pages from old PAS Service Bulletins. I failed to pencil the PASB number and page on this one as I usually do, but one pertinent paragraph reads:

“Standard material used on [Series 80] open car tops was ‘Pantasote,’ a trade name for a black coated fabric similar to modern vinyl but not as good. The options were a type of canvas material called Haartz cloth, generally in a tan color, but other colors were available on special order.”

The next paragraph pertains to interiors: “Leather used for interiors was usually black (standard), with tan, red, blue and green as options. Actually, colors other than black and tan were rarely used.”

Comment: A few years ago Eric Haartz (same family company — http://www.haartz.com) — began to reproduce ‘Pantasote’ and may still be offering it. I obtained some free samples from him for consideration for use on my 1922 Paige 4-p touring (that top is still not done), and the one sample that matched perfectly the original top on my Paige had an inside surface of a cavalry twill.

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Metro Moulded Parts items are often (not always) on eBay at deeply discounted prices (compared to Metro’s online catalog) by a seller whose eBay ID is dodgeboy

Suggest you use ebay’s earch engine using ‘advanced search’ then ‘by seller ID’ to see what dodgeboy is offering at any given time.

I don’t know if his rubber parts are seconds, but the ones I’ve bought have been very satisfactory.

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Tom, I hope someone corrects me if I’m wrong, but following is information received from former member Roy Judd several years ago on Pierce-Arrow’s use of B&L headlight lenses 1921-1928:

• 1921 Series 32 9-1/4″

• 1922-1925 Series 33 9-1/4″

• 1924-25 Series 80 8-3/8″

ALL THE ABOVE DO **NOT** HAVE THE WORD ‘STAR’

• 1926 Series 33 9-1/4″ STAR

• 1926-27 Series 80 8-3/8″ STAR

• 1927-28 Series 36 9-1/4″ STAR

• 1928 Series 81 8-1/8″ STAR

All P-A cars 1926-1928 used B & L STAR lenses, which have a flat center panel and the “star” logo at the bottom. The ‘STAR’ and non-‘STAR’ LENSES are interchangeable if the same diameter. The judges may spot whether STAR or non-STAR is appropriate for a given car.

Your 8-5/16 lens may actually be a nominal 8-3/8, and your 9-1/8 lens may actually be a nominal 9-1/4. On the other hand, B&L made similar lenses of different sizes for other makes of cars during the period.

George Teebay

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Bill, about 10 years ago I had M&S rebuild my 1936’s rear shocks. Both leaked substantially after 10 miles on the road after re-installation. I removed them and sent them back, and M&S re-did them without an additional charge, but I had to eat an extra two ways shipping for the re-rebuild. When I called them to tell them I was sending my shocks back, they said they do primarily Fords….

I would NOT use them again. Paul Johnson seems pretty happy with them, but he’s in their back yard, as it were…

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Hi Bill,

I’m on the road till Thurs nite. 802053 is an early Series 80: They skipped a lot of numbers, probably to make it look like they were selling more. 801001 thru 801250 were the first 250 cars, then the 251st was 802001. So this is about the 300th Series 80 built.

The Factory Number 312894 makes no sense to me either. Series 80 engine numbers began with ’80’ like the serial (chassis) numbers, and were close to serial numbers. For example, one of mine is 803376-803379, and the other is 807739-807761. I suspect the Great State of Illinois may have assigned a number to a cylinder block, which was not numbered (the crankcase bore the engine number). Other interpretations welcomed!

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Thank you, Paul! Most helpful! You’re the best in the bidness!

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Superb! Thank you, Paul! Great job!

If it’s feasible to add the flags to show new content in the section boxes on the left side — especially (or maybe only) in the Member Pages portion of the boxes — that would let someone accessing the site see that there is indeed new content before navigating to the Member Pages.

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Hi John,

I can’t speak with authority on the 1932, but on 1933-34 the steering column rubber plate and those for the pedals and the gearshift-handbrake go ON TOP OF the carpet.

VBR,

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

I knew that car (identical to, and with serial and engine numbers very close to those of my 1924-production 1925 80 5-p sedan) and I inspected it closely 10 yrs ago, when it was owned by Jim Callahan of Oakland, CA. He acquired it from Wayne Sheldon, then of Livermore, CA, a nickel-age collector. When I saw the car a few times 1996-98 including the P-A display at the 1996 Silverado Concours, it was a 15K-mile original car from Harrah’s. Although the fenders had been repainted, it was otherwise ALL original, right down to the very decrepit fan belt. Callahan sold it to a Japanese gent in the Los Angeles area, who reportedly had it “restored.” THAT CAR SHOULD **NEVER** HAVE BEEN RESTORED.

It was on eBay two or three times a couple of years ago but did not sell during those auctions. When I inquired about the reserve after a no-sale, I was told $125K, which was probably 400% of what it might have been worth. I have not seen it in its restored state other than in eBay pix, in which the nylon in the upholstery was gleaming! So I suspect the rest of the “restoration” may have been to a similarly low standard.

I urge that if anyone is interested, he or she should personally inspect the car or have a very trusted and Pierce-competent agent do so.

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

First, let me correct my previous info on the combustion leak detector: It is actually Cal-VAN “Leak Check” for detecting combustion leaks, part no. 560, by Cal-Van Tools, Div. of Chemi-trol Chemical Co., 1500 Walter Ave., Fremont OH 43420. It consists of a clear heavy plastic cylinder containing proprietary blue fluid connected by a rubber hose to a rubber stopper. There is also a rubber squeeze bulb at the cylinder end. The instructions say to test on the engine both cold and warmed up. Extra bottles of fluid are Part no. 560-1 and I recommend buying at least one extra bottle.

Second, the more I think about the problem, the more I think that it is an intake leak which becomes apparent to the ear only when the engine is trying to pull in maximum quantities of air–although the leak may exist even at idle, which is why the vacuum gauge + aerosol oil test is still valid. One idea that comes to mind is to re-tighten the manifold nuts while engine is cold, making sure you’ve done ALL of them. Another thought is that if you used one of Fran Olson’s composite-only (no metal covering) manifold gaskets, be advised that he is now selling only metal-sandwich manifold gaskets for Pierce 8s because of performance issues experienced with the composite-only gaskets. New metal-sandwich ones are about $63 each. I bought a few in August and have installed one on my 1934 with perfect results. That car had an Olson composite gasket but the front exhaust port end blew out, and the rear (# port was on its way as found by examination when the old gasket was removed. And the nuts had been snugged by me several times on general principles before the gasket blew out.

You might consider checking vacuum gauge readings before & after snugging the manifold bolts.

Enjoy Florida, Tony!

VBR, George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Hi Tony,

Although noises are notoriously difficult to describe and to diagnose by e-mail it’s probably valid to first check those components mucked with during the most recent operation, i.e., the valve job.

“Squeal” vs. “whistle”: I tend to think of a ‘squeal’ as a mechanical noise from a fan belt or a dry bearing such as in a generator or fan hub, but a “whistle” as usually from an air leak.

To distinguish between the two, see if you can make it happen with the car in a static position at idle by snapping the throttle–or is a load required such as when underway?

A ‘squeal” from a bearing or belt might be found with a mechanic’s stethoscope or an improvised one made from heater hose or a broomstick (sometimes better than the real tool). If you can duplicate the noise with the car at rest, momentarily run the engine with the belts removed–but you’ve done that. So it may indeed be more of a whistle.

A ‘whistle’, especially under the conditions you describe, would lead me to attach a vacuum gauge to check the intake manifold joints, and the carburetor-to-intake manifold gasket, and other plugs and fittings in the manifolds–including the port to which you’ve attached the vacuum gauge. After noting the initial reading, spray a light oil over those joints/connections and watch for an improvement in the vacuum reading.

You might try a combustion gas detector in your radiator filler neck with the engine running. I have the kind (made by Cal-Tech, about 10-15 years old) that uses a proprietary blue fluid which turns green after a 2-minute exposure to combustion gases in the coolant, which would indicate a head gasket leak or cracked head or block (heaven forfend!)

Good luck, and please keep us posted!

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

David,

Please look again closely at the marking–if it’s 662-J (as in Juliet), it fits all P-A 8s (including 836A) from 1933 through 1936. (1937-38 8s used 663M, which had a single set of points but also had a vacuum advance.) The 384 might be the unit’s serial number, which usually appears in the space on the ID tag following the model number. I don’t know of any Delco distributors of the period that would have the ‘384’ extension as part of the model number. The 662-J has dual ignition points and centrifugal advance only (no vacuum advance).

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Another vendor is Kenneth Johnson of Carmel, IN, who sells on eBay under the username kjcarmel. He has them polished and lacquered. He has the sizes — just tell him the ID of your hose.

It seems to me that the stick hose available in the last few years has a smaller outside diameter (OD) than the stick hose of a few years ago. Suggest you also measure the **OD** of your hose stock and provide that as well.

However, I’ve found that lacquering does not hold up well, and they get pretty funky within a year. I’ve had better luck with polishing regular galvanized 2-wire clamps on a buffer, then spraying them with clear ENAMEL out of a rattle-can from the hardware store.

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

I suggest that you find a local muffler shop that does custom work, such as on street rods. (Rather than most chain muffler shops, which usually do relatively little custom work.) Talk to them first. See if they will install a muffler you get from Waldron or other vendor, and custom-bend the pipes from scratch for you.

For a touring restoration, I’d use aluminized pipe if available.

George

[Author nameAuthor names are only available to PAS members.]

Thank you very much, Tony!

George

[Author]

Posts