[George Teebay]

Hello, Syd,

My 1930 B has Houdaille shocks (round ‘can’) so I can’t comment on Delco Lovejoys.

Gear oil (I also use these products in my two Series 80s and in my 1922 Paige 4-pass. touring):

For the differential, the most important thing is to use GL-4 (hypoid) oil rather than the more readily available GL-5 (suitable for limited slip) or GL-6 (synthetic), as both GL-5 and GL-6 contain sulfur which will attack bronze components, especially bushings. NAPA stores sell Sta-Lube brand in both GL-4 and GL-5 in quarts and gallons. As to weight, since we’re both in California I recommend SAE 140 if you have not had the diff rebuilt. For climates that drop below freezing more than very occasionally, or if you have fresh gears and bearings and bushings, SAE 90 is probably better.

For the non-synchro transmissions (I have a Clark 4-speed in my 1930), you need to use GL-1 (straight mineral oil) or GL-4, again refraining from use of GL-5 or GL-6. A fairly heavy-weight oil will slow down the gears during shifting to minimize clashing. There are two options:

(1) the old 600-W steam cylinder oil (essentially Pierce-Arrow’s "Special Compound") that you can get from Model A / Model T Ford suppliers at swap meets, but be sure you get the dark, smelly, viscous stuff rather than the translucent, less-viscous stuff also sold as 600-W but which I suspect is repackaged SAE 140. The dark, smelly, viscous version is probably equivalent to about SAE 200 in weight. I choose NOT to use this in my diff, but it’s fine in transmissions.

(2) big-rig SAE 250 straight mineral oil such as Texaco Thuban. Downside is that the smallest size available is a 5-gallon pail. You MIGHT be able to take a couple of clean one-gallon containers to a big-rig repair shop and get them to pump you some from a 55-gallon drum. The SAE 250 will be stiff for the first five minutes in winter in coastal Calif.

Perhaps someone from colder areas can add some info on fluids more suitable for their areas, or on semi-annual fluid changes where necessary.

VBR, George

[George Teebay]

Greg and Chris,

One caution that has often been offered by Eric Rosenau (our immediate past Chief Judge and who restores Pierces for a living) is to NOT RE-torque a head while the engine is hot.

On my cars, I let the engine cool for 60-90 minutes (but not overnight) before re-torque.

As to pattern, there is no specific pattern recommended other than to start at the center and work your way evenly out to both ends.

To clarify Chris’s information, I make one pass at 35, another at 50, and a 3rd at 65-70, then a final also at 65-70. Don’t be tempted to overtighten!

Greg, this is a very busy time of year for a lot of us. Frankly, when I saw your post, I thought "I really don’t have time to reply right now–if someone else doesn’t respond in a couple of days, I will." Perhaps others have been in the same boat. For everyone with a question like this, may I suggest that if there is no message board response to your tech question in a couple of days, e-mail it to Fay Butler (link to ‘ask Tech Committee’), who — if he’s not comfortable answering it himself — will send it to one of us who has experience with that year and model.

Best wishes to all for a happy holiday season!

George

[George Teebay]

As far as I can determine, all Series 80s came from the factory WITHOUT rear bumpers / bumperettes. Any that we find were either dealer-installed or aftermarket accessories. My 1925 sedan has tubular painted bumperettes that are 1-5/8 inch OD and have the letters "U.S." on the nickeled vertical clamps. The sedan is 1924 production and has the 1.5-inch OD FRONT bumper, so the scale of the 1.625 rear bumperettes is very close and looks good. On or about Jan 12, 1925, the company began installing larger 2.00-inch FRONT bumpers, which my 1925-production coupe has.

My 1925 coupe has nickeled double-bar conventional rear bumperettes.

For my money, either style is acceptable for judging, but I much prefer the tubular bumperettes since they echo the front bumper.

If you’re fabricating rear bumperettes, I’d suggest you go with a diameter that is close to the diameter of your FRONT bumper for consistency.

Best regards,

George

[George Teebay]

I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but do wish to point out that (1) 1934 front fenders are different from 1935, (2) there are many different (by part number) front fenders over those two years and (3) there are multiple different left and right REAR fenders in the 1934-35 Parts catalog. With varying degrees of work, some may be modified to fit a need, but I can’t comment on that.

For anyone interested, I can give the part numbers and the years and body styles to which they apply if you will e-mail me the year, model, and body style you have (too many to list here).

George

[George Teebay]

Our member and my good friend of more than 30 years, Jerry Washburn of San Pablo, California, is a retired Master Machinist who specializes in re-engineering pre-war water pumps for better performance. He machines the interior of the pump body to permit the use of modern seals, and he uses sealed bearings instead of bushings. There is no more packing to tighten or replace, and the grease cup is then strictly decorative. You may have seen his ads in Skinned Knuckles.

Jerry has done four Pierce pumps and one Paige pump for me. Three of those were done over ten years ago and have performed beautifully.

His shop number is (510)724-5774 and is good Mon-Thurs 10AM – 3 PM Pacific Time. After hours/weekends, he’s at (510)235-2239. You can leave a message ONLY on the after hours number.

He offers a lifetime guarantee, but cautions that it’s HIS lifetime

George

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