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If anyone can find a 12 volt LED bulb that will fit the Pierce headlights, I have a way to make them work without rewiring anything else. Let me know if anyone has any leads.

[email protected]

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If you don’t have them, put seat belts in!

I am still working on the headlight brightness issues. Stay tuned.

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David,

In the low voltage class (under 50 volts), the voltage rating is not much of a factor in the construction of the capacitor. Larger capacitors or condensors for motors or air conditioning compressors (which are motors as well) have ratings, but are also fairly tolerant, to a point. Their construction designates them as starting or running capacitors. Statrting capacitors have a much higher charge (Microfarad) rating to boost the charge available at startup. A compressor motor, for instance, requires 6 times the normal running current to start without damaging the motor windings. If you jump to the capacitor banks used to regulate the voltage on the power grid, their voltage rating is much more critical. I have been way too close to a few that have failed from lightning, testing to failure, etc., and have the hearing loss to prove it.

Greg,

The capacitors you are referring to are electrolytic capacitors, which generally have some form of oil or gel in between the layers of foil. These are the only capacitors that have a polarity. The moisture dries out over time and lack of use, so when older units are restored, the electrolytics are replaced. In some cases, the regular disc capacitors fail or lose their tolerance as well. When working in a TV repair shop in the 70’s, we used to buy two of almost anything we needed, as at least 10 percent of all repair parts (tubes, capacitors, transistors, etc.) were DOA out of the box.

It is much like the older incandescent light bulbs. If you wanted them to last, you would buy bulbs rated at 130 volts. You did sacrifice brightness (about 9 percent), but the bulbs lasted a while.

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David,

You have a ’31. If you had a ’41, it would be a miracle!

4 volts is low. Try checking grounds first, assuming the battery is fine. Then check the point gaps and point face condition. You may want to try some contact cleaner.

Got to get the boys to baseball, will try to call you later.

Bob

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Anybody got any pictures of the car? Extending through the weekend would be nice…

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The difference between the capacitor ratings is not significant. If you checked 20 of them, you would find the actual ratings to be as much as 50% off. Put in what you can find. If they are significantly off, you will find that, over time, one side of the points will transfer to the other. If, after many thousands of miles, that occurs, change the condenser. The goal is to get a good spark. If, as has been said in this thread, the system is clean, well grounded, and has components that work (coils, wire, points, condenser), all properly adjusted, the system should work.

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David,

Ford went to hydraulic in 1936. Chrysler in 1926 as I was told.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to make the tour, we have baseball tournaments for the 11 and 14 year old up and down the East Coast from now until November. 11 Year old Jamie will be with you in Winchester this weekend. I will be in Fredericksburg with the 14 year old. Is anyone near Cooperstown? We will be there in late August with some time between games.

The Pierce just sits without the finished engine. Hope springs eternal…

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Bill,

There is a 1904 Pierce on the HCCA website for $105,000. Said to be original, and looks pretty nice. If you buy it, I want a ride.

Bob Coates

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Bill,

Before you do the floor, you may want to think about the heating and cooling system. The best way to heat the facility may be to use underfloor water heat with a geothermal heat pump that can also provide an air exchanger for air conditioning in the warmer months. There is way more to tell about this, but not enough room to explain here. I used geothermal for my house and garages a couple of years ago here inside the DC beltway. Once done, there is no going back to the old system! It is MUCH cheaper to maintain, for energy cost, and maintenance. It is not, however, cheap to install, as you will need a few wells dug… I would recommend you add insulation under the floor and on the perimeter of the slab before you pour as well. You will also need to run electricity somewhere near the area where you anticipate a turntable, and perhaps in other areas of the slab if you want to add displays, desks, maintenance, etc. If you have any questions, either I or David Coco, who is a real mechanical engineer (I am an electrical), can help. (I love to volunteer David without his knowledge).

How close are you to Stone Mountain? My wife grew up in Marietta. Is the Tucker still in the museum there?

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David,

I recently bought a Pilot Ray light like you have, but don’t have the drive linkage or the connector at the car’s frame. My car is the ’29 Club Brougham, so the linkage should be the same. I do have the links from the light bar. Could you please send me some pics of the attachment pieces and the linkage? If anyone has any of this they would be interested in selling, please let me know. My email is [email protected].

David, Mitch is saying March for my engine. Not holding my breath (too much).

Thanks,

Bob

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Back to the radio for a moment. If anyone has any radios of this vintage, please post the tube types or numbers. I still have several thousand tubes from back in the TV and radio repair days, and sources for many if not most tubes ever made. It is worth a look to see if there are any available for spares.

Back to the wipers. Greg and the experts on Pierces should comment, but assuming these are vacuum wipers, cleaning and a light (sewing machine oil) lube on the shafts and knuckles makes sense. If they do run slowly, it is often the diaphram in the motor that is getting stiff. On my two seater Tbirds, we can extend the life of the motors by sucking up some DOT 3 brake fluid into the vacuum port. That may not be appropriate here, so I would yield to the experts for comment.

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If you go to the Washington Post’s web site tonight, they have a video of a neighborhood where a carrier is delivering mail to an area completely burned out. The initial screen shot has a picture of a ’55 Chevy 4 door wagon that is crispy. There are likely a bunch more that met the same fate. You all in California should remember Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, lost a warehouse full of cars to a fire some years back. This will go down as a tough year for antique cars.

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Will you have them at Hershey?

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Back in the days I was fixing tube type TV’s and radios, we used to buy at least two of the same type tubes we thought were defective when diagnosing a TV problem. We found that approximately 10% of the new tubes were defective out of the box. That did not change with the early transistors. Nowadays, we throw out defective TV’s as it is more cost effective to replace than repair. The brain trust that can diagnose a problem has slowly died out. We, in effect, are dinosaurs…

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Blaine,

The short answer is yes, the bare lead could have some effect on the ignition as this is a positive ground system. The charging could likewise cause this, but it is less likely. If it does, it is telling you to clean all the terminals in the ignition system, as there is a poor connection somewhere, or the earlier suggestions to check the continuity through the system will find an issue in the wiring, coil, or another component.

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Doug,

Wait until David Coco gets back home from the meet. He does exquisite upholstery work, and can give you all the information you need.

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Does that mean they have Graeter’s or Aglamesis? It’s almost worth the trip from DC to get that! Have a great time. Make sure you get David Coco to tell a few stories.

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David,

Any idea what diameter the metal tube is? I am assuming 1/8 or 7/32.

I have several 50 foot rolls of vacuum tubing that is probably 10 years old. Let me know the size and I will check to see if I have any in stock. You still have to come by and check out the zero energy house. It has decent wine and beer, and a steak or two…

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David,

Is it visible? If not, use the tubing Stihl uses for their small engines. It is clear, thin walled, and reasonably strong. It’s also not cheap. You might also try an HVAC supplier, like RE Michel. They have lots of tubing used for condensate lines, etc. that may work.

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Thanks, Paul. I should have looked closer. This helps!

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