Projects 1934 LaSalle old school convertible coupe build thread

I'm guessing the starter solenoid/relay. http://www.angelfire.com/me4/zoltancarnovaush/Cord_812_engine.jpg

 

That isn´t some kind of cold climate oil pre-heat thing is it?

 

low oil warning light?

 

ummmmn if someone gets it right,,,or if I am right?? No, I just looked ,like you all have, I have no book or wiring diagram... I am pretty sure I do know..?

anyways, another mystery I DO need help with. I saw a week ago or more, a small oil line underneath, to the very front of trans??/ Now, Here I was only looking deeper near the radiator bottom, as the rad needs to come out before the car goes home for a flush.. I see the pump thing...

I swear we have a trans operated oil pump? running off the speedo "drive gear" in that cutaway I put up. I saw the TWO "driven" gears that moment in that pic!...I let it pass, as I did not have more info!


Ok pic under the front sheetmetal apron thing in front of grille.


^^^ You are looking towards the right side of the wrap around grille side. That copper line with arrow is heading to the rear. I want to trace stuff, but so much to look at on this car! 3 lines in that pic, the circle shows arrow "flow direction"

Ok, Why does this "modified" Cord have two oil gauges??? one is add on, and I am 99% sure that gauge sits where the radio head was, see the two knob holes at the bottom??

Ok, Jim cranked the starter jumpers one day for me to look for oil pressure before I could start it...the BIG stock oil gauge works great, so why the other one.... and what is all that pump stuff? Cannot be engine oil pump, so??? WTH??

 

The box looking thing with the wires is a Startix unit. I had nevere seen one until I worked on a 34 Stude a few years ago.

http://www.studebaker-info.org/Tech/startix/startix0316.html

On Studebakers, when you turn the key to the on position, the switch in the unit is energized through a vacuum operated switch on the intake manifold, sending power to the starter. When the engine starts and creates a vacuum, a vacuum operated electrical switch breaks and power is shut off to the Startix unit and thus to the starter. It's kind of like the vacuum switch used on the Buick straight eights in the 1930's through 1950's but a little more complicated.

On the Cord, it works in much the same way except that instead of a vacuum switch, the Startix gets it's power from the voltage regulator. When the engine starts and the generator begins charging, a set of points in the regulator breaks and shuts off power to the Startix unit.

The round object on the oil pan with the wire going to it is the sending unit for the oil gauge, I believe.

 

Listen good, dearest James, I said I had no books or info...so when I was thinking it is a low oil level protection, maybe I am wrong... so, at some point I may assume you really, deep inside, want to be in the Cord Picture with the College girls?.... hubba, hubba..

wife says ??? ...like I said on day one "she will have to adjust"..

Ok, surprise announcement (to me anyways)... I was going to shut down the 35 Custom thread, and maybe only do one future post when the Cord finally drives...

but.... the 35 Custom is/was a foolhardy project that never should have been fantasized about. The body of it is just plain "toast". It will never be put back to what it once was, just like me. < no smiley there!

Ha, Ha, but 12 hours after I said I "finally got there" at 8 AM today... I sure as shit don't have to leave hamb Custom thread just because the 34 I have was supposed to be stock... Ok peeps, look at the thread title now !!! check the YEAR! the 34 will be the New Star of this thread, it will be a mild custom!!! It will be so much more savable, and even one original poster on here said to use those sexy Bi-plane bumpers on the old 35! Of course it will..!! I cannot F'n wait to get those broken head studs out, paint and install that motor, get on the wood, etc.. I am SO stoked...even without the music and whacky words I wrote before.. Stay tuned, I will be back, and with a much, much BETTER car this time!

 

i went into my library to cheat and look through my wiring diagram book but it stops at 1931
here is a little info i did find in the flat rate book:

 

Thanks Ted.... get me some alignment specs if you can look THIS up:

34 LaS with modified 35 LaS lower control arms...he, he. I will use the 35 arms as they are 1" lower, but I think I showed a long time ago, they will be SO easy modify with lowered coil spring cups to get the front down a LOT. And the repainted rear springs in the 34 redone chassis now are 10 leaf sedan springs, maybe arched more?, but I have my original car's 9 leaf conv springs which will have lowering blocks and a leaf or two removed.

Headlights WILL be lowered ! , I already showed that before? It looks so different that way.

Oh, guess what....the 34 was already IN the MAIN prime work bay!! See, the subconscious me...knew where to put that 34... add Twilight Zone music here ... JK

Skirts !!! you bet it will have them! Color, who knows give me a minute

Car is kinda rough (pinholed) in the body itself & lower doors, so that makes it sort of not worth much $ as a restorable original, but I can fix the bad parts a LOT easier on this one! Not really scared of the wood so far, not going to replace it all, only the bad parts that are just plain missing!

Maybe some 35 stuff gets turned into a few $ for some plating on 3 bumper bars. There was once 13 replated bars at the estate, I even took the four that I believe were meant for this car, to use on the Estates Coupe, which had wrong ones, the others went on the other two survivors, leaving only one bar for this car..oh, I took the nice gas tank from this car, to use in the 4 door survivor. I do not have a good tank now, I will get around that.

I hope to have it like a "unfinished project car" that I can start-up and drive in-out with a working E-brake, in case I need my work bay on a day job in winter! I think that is possible before snow. Just not looking like much, but moveable.

 

i forgot you had switched to the cord.....i will see what info i can find.

 

"Listen good, dearest James, I said I had no books or info...so when I was thinking it is a low oil level protection"

After "listenin good" and giving it some more thought, I have to admit you may be right, this time. I think it is a low oil indicator.

 

I honestly thought those words were leading to the fact that you finally know you like the college girls! But I was wrong..

But I still think I am right, and you are wrong about:

It has to be a Ignition shut-down?/or/starter shut-off? protection for "low oil Level"

oh, and me & Bobby trying to convince you that the valve you heard snap open on the 34 LaSalle good motor??? ...you just plain don't believe us that that engine never skipped on a hot 45 minute test run??? Yes, the PhotoBucket video that these Hamb guys listened to back then, purring away with the camera/audio at the muffler, could now not be opened/viewed by you?? well,.... Hint of Life: "Things" are not always what "we" perceive them to be, or were said to be, by others. Peace.


as soon as I feel up to it this morning, I'll put some pants & shoes on and go out to find out what I will do today! No clue right now, just like it should be!

 

Remember Frank, pants first, then the shoes.

I found a schematic of the 36 Cord wiring. It calls that thingie on the oil pan a Oil Tank Gauge Unit. It shows the wire from the unit going to the oil gauge on the dash. The one on your Cord seems to be going to the Startix. It's a head scratcher.

 

Ok, so I still would like to find info on that oil pump thing? at the trans. I really should understand it before going any further...as I don't want to hurt something on this fine motorcar.

Ok, I did get my pants on First, shoes but no socks...just like Kevin's 74 year old friend Barry (was that his name?, with that Black 56 F100?)...He had the same swelling at the sock top as I suffered from, and said "here is how I fixed it"...pulling his pants leg up...NO socks!

But I went to the shop...and um..started trying to clean this dump up. Then '12valve dave' pulls in; I had just dropped all I was doing to call him about flipping the Dodge 4x4 at Kennys, at no profit, just let HIM haul it, not my kid. Kenny needs it gone, NOW. Well, he was just passing my driveway as he picked up the phone, saying wow, you called at the same moment that I was thinking of stopping in... bla bla....Yes, Grasshopper, you too, are "there". (he is)

anyways 45 minutes BSng, I finally closed his truck door shut, saying "you go"...then instantly, the horn!!! oh baby...



I may add water to the Cord today, not sure yet, as it is hidden in the future. Please don't call the hospital on me, I need to clean my shop, ...so I can find things, and have it look decent. All the recent estate things have left huge random piles, and....my elder friends or even ME, can trip and break a bone!

 

I found this thread yesterday and have read every single post. What knowledge and what friendship. I'm just glad to see that is will continue as a 34 LaS build.

 

My 80 year old neighbor stopped over again, as he said his wife Bertie heard a car running a day ago, and wondered if the car was going yet. I told him, "i was yelling a LOT while I was working", in case she heard that too.

anyways,... Maybe an hour of chat. Here are some things I never knew
-he had a 51 chevy car as a young guy, he ran "a special loud muffler" as "that is what we did then"...-and talking about radio antenna under the Cord? leads to : Adjusting the hidden "antenna trimmer" on a radio, to get long distance like the Kids who picked up Wolfman Jack.. He says "Wolfman JACK!!!".." I listened to him TOO!!"

one point early on, he says "There sure has been lots of cars and lots of people here this year" I said it's not only me that seems to draw them, but my kid is right "there" too.

it is spreading, I am not kidding. They end up with crowds at their places now. Things around my area, eastern CT, are different this year...it sure is not all me!!! I see it everywhere...

Still tossing stuff OUT bigtime right now, I may shut the shop down, I need to....TOO much stuff that is just plain clutter. The Cord is staying the winter anyways. 12 Valve Dave just called back..setting up a timeframe to haul from Kenny's...oh, and said he would drop off his dump trailer, as JSR is "up" on scrap prices!<<<See??? stuff works when you don't plan it too hard

 

I know you're gonna let me look at the stuff before you scrap it, right Frank. Once it's gone, it will only come back as a Hyundai or something. As an "elderly friend", I'll take my chances stumbling around your shop if it means saving good stuff (get that GD dirt bike out of there!).

Went up to Kenny's today for a minute to check out what he was chuckin. Gotta keep an eye on you guys. I may be able to haul the Whippet doodlebug home for you this week if you're ready to take it.

I'll ask my friend, who's father has a Cord, what that gizmo on the trans housing is.

 

ummmnn, err, I was kinda ...um...on the crawler today. I had a gut feeling the Whippet was coming tomorrow, along with the solid wire "we" need, maybe some LaS gaskets too?...... so sorry Jimmy.....

I "knew" the Whippet was a comin, (hey, I am OUT there, baby!),,so I went to get the 35 out of that back bay to store the Whippet indoors...but that dam Lil Timmy won't pick up the Chevy tractor, it is in the freakin way no matter where I put it! Here I am trying to turn, but keep the ass high enough over those big steel wheels:



Man, The crawler keeps going backwards down the bank, where else can I back up? Oooopps




See below, I was jambed for space since that big tree came down,,,no place for me to go I tell ya!!!



Oh, CHhhiiittt, I think I hurted it weelly bad, Jimmy (sobbing here, honest)








But I sure got that "funny feelin' tingle,.. um...er... ...as I heard that vintage tin folding up


.

 

I few hours with a hammer and dolly and it will be good as new.
I'd smack you in the head but I'm afraid I'd get splinters. Step away from the crawler Frank.

 

It's still where it was, that "incident"was a month ago...

Hey, I need a ride in your LaSalle coupe'... I need a way to get to the show later today... read the 3 complete short emails between two desperate people who are madly in love, trying so hard to meet up for the first time:

her:
I should be at the car show tomorrow night

me:
My son said I should take his hot rod,,,,he is leaving after work tomorrow for the big harbor party at Block Island, staying on the big 63 foot boat.
There is some problem? with the clutch on the car, so I will look at it in the morning. I've been really busy


her:
Very well. I may see you tomorrow then


EDIT: I sometimes walk away from the laptop before I hit the "post reply" button after I write something.. I've been on my porch thinking that I should drive to kevin's so I can go in the Model AA truck, but I never told Kevin on my phone tag last week what that noise is in his engine.. It IS a rod, and it's knocking really bad unless he retards the spark! I was talking with Kenny, and he KNOWS it is a rod, like I described it. So, I am not sure if I will look at the clutch on the 32 or not?? It's only 8:30 and I don't have pants on yet, WAY too early to know what will happen today....it's hidden in the future.

 

dumping camera memory. I went right to the Cord to get hoses on it, with terrycloth pieces to catch trash in both the engine and rad. Two upper hoses like Flat Ford V8 but one lower suction?

That suction hose is way too close to a poor refit of the Left head pipe, but I need to run the motor to see what is what. Lots of smaller hoses, etc...finished now at noon exactly.
took off the crushed tailpipe on RT side, man! look at the pic of the lower rear body apron under the trunklid! cut straight across with an AIR CHISEL??



Need to just add water at this point but not now? IDK why

coffee now, then maybe add more freeplay on the 32. I have not driven it, I am going by the young'uns talk of what it is doing. It might be that the freeplay we feel, is at some point elsewhere? and that the TOB is pushing in on the Plate? Seems unlikely, but not much time to do anything else today.

 

Well...I did just sit down on the porch with a coffee right after posting the Cord update....but... "never make plans, Frankie"....2 minutes later, I'm in the 32, pulled over up the road, opened the passenger side door, for a college girl hitch hiking , (I swear to G-- , I felt JUST like,... when I was doing that to the door, just like Milner had experienced, when he opened his 32 door for that 12 year old girl!..)

And as I posted just yesterday; "thing are not always what we perceive them to be".

I got in some chat, only what I apparently needed,....but not much extra as She was not going to UConn as I was "sure of", it was not that far...

Was going ask her to get a pic of her with the 32, but inner me said no....but... I took this one: ER NO, no pic. I may decide to PM the peeps who have shown interest in other things of life! I would then do a blanket PM, but I need to grab a pic of a certain place right on my way to the show, it will add to her story! Not college age at all!

Ok, I don't need to touch the clutch. He is just ruining this car, I never built it to withstand the horror of how he mistreats it so badly. He cares for it's looks with cleaning, but that is so lame at this point.

I should adjust the rear brakes...they are down because I recut the drums and the shoes needed to seat into the new circumference...but I may not do it today... I need a shower and clean clothes for the show. I was told by several people that this show is always the top one they do for the holiday and the restaurant owner does up a special chicken feast...so I want to see all the new faces it will draw....like Jims old school friend with the J2 powered 32 he still has not quite finished yet, but will drive his daily...a 35 hotrod Ford

Looks sketchy outdoors now, like the "rain possible from 1pm to 3pm" I saw on forecast at noon:



It can get wet, won't hurt nothing....and it does have wipers...

..

 

Frank, I don't know if any information I have can be of assistance. I have a couple of very old "Motor's Manuals" that were passed down to me. I looked at both and the both go back to 1935 with sections for the Cadillac / La Salle. One of the books has one page in it devoted to Cord. If there is any information from these books that I can pass on to you I would be happy to do so. I could even copy out the sections for you and send them if you want. I will have to be careful though one of the books has released it's binding and needs to be handled delicately. Let me know - yay or nay.

 

Here's what I have for Cord;

 

Ok,I made it back home from the best F;'n night of my life that I can recall!! I did take the 32... I been settin on my porch a long spell wondering if I could possibly keep the show report and pics from going to twenty pages... I cannot...

I need/wanted to send two emails tonight for sure, One I have not done yet, is to tell Kyle that I was totally WRONG about my kid beating the 32 to death! I should have known he was not telling tales a few days or more ago, when I was getting info on all the topics to help me figure out what went wrong with the totally new (nors" 11" HD Ambulance/Taxi clutch) I got from NB Pease! There IS something going way, way wrong, and NOT anything to do with hammering it too hard. I left the show VERY late, Kyle was getting to his 77 C10 out by the road... I had not planned to...but I jumped on that bitch REAL HARD! No burnout, but full throttle pass..Never dawned on me to wonder if the so called slip would happen, and it pulled hard no issues, still not even thinking! of the slip deal. I got about 4 - 5 miles down the road, booted it just a bit to pull hard up a grade, only because I was so ramped by the whole night...well, she slipped like a sick automatic??? Man, my kid was the only one in his group that ride with him, that INSISTED he smelled gear oil after a long slip! I even had Kyle reach under the car (back then) to smell the oil drip at the bell. Kyle said NO, it is not gear oil. Heck he worked at Dad's trans shop since like forever!

Something is wrong!!!, but I will have the kids jack it up or take it to Terrys Trans shop on one of their lifts to pull off the very small inspection plate on the very bottom of bell...look for a wet disc??

Anyways, to show the excitement climax of my evening, I will simply copy/paste the other email... You will "get it". I lived the old muscle cars teen nights in hardcore fashion!!! Tonight, ALL of tonights Meet/Greet/ Cars/ Burnouts, blows away anything I experienced back then...or is it the fact that I never ran in total Un-Control??

_______________________________________________________________________
EMAIL TITLE:
Please, Please, Please, Tell Mac...



Today at 10:41 PM

Amy, I insist! You tell Mac that there was only ONE person there tonight that had the balls out excitement I lust for!! It was Mac... we were all out back with me getting SO ramped up with the cars leaving, engines tach-ing up, stuff is gonna Happen Baby!!... She must have been getting ramped by my excitement??? Had to be!

Then we hear that all-out drag race type motor fire up out front somewhere, it took me what seemed WAY too long to know it HAD to be that monster truck! I yelled to her, C'mon, C'mon, Lets GO!! ...let's hurry!!...She was on my right when we were standing back there, but halfway to the road, I am still yelling to her, c'mon, c'mon, but as I turned to my right she was NOT there... I was bummed so hard, but I turned to the left...BAM!!!, she's right there!!! We get out as that truck was already onto the road.,,I was really bummed as there was so little light by then, ...Black truck, hard to see...... and dummy me thought that truck would have lights??? Idiot ME, it is a Monster Truck!! (this pic taken early on ..4 pm, as the truck was coming around to park out by the road...It is actually driving here:

Total dark now remember, just sorta the white painted stuff & skulls showing...We got there in time!!...I said lookit !!,,,LOOK at the Skull and Crossbones!! ... I was so F'n ramped... then I said "he's gonna do somethin GOOD!" All hell breaks loose, he is putting on the SAME hard core, hammer down, I'm gonna Rock your F'n world!! show, JUST as they do at the end of a Monster Truck Show!!!, I started to raise my right fist way the hell up and before I let out that screamin' YEAAAA! BABY!!, ...holy crap, she beat me to it!!!, her Left arm with closed fist way up high.....she beat me!!.... with the same balls out YEAAAAAAA!

Oh crap, she is as out there as I am! Tell her that, or better yet, please show her this!

Thanks for a unreal evening Sweetie!! Rock the H on!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who is Mac? a nickname, that I somehow forced myself to remember, as she has an unusual name... I will think of it at some point LOL!>>>edit: "McKenna" I think, on my read through for spelcheck...

>>Amy never told me beforehand, but she brought her foster child, not her own 16 year old daughter!...the 15 year old niece??...she looks just like a very tiny 12 year old boy, same haircut, even one guy asked "is this your boy?" I did hang with her several times when Amy was off somewhere else during the evening...Once when was even sitting on a rock by herself, eating the super-duper Chicken dinner like a "hungry man", even though she said earlier when I gave Amy the paid-for meal ticket...that she "did not care for chicken".


Man, What an epic time the entire show was! Ask that Jim guy! Here he is below......well ...only his finger in one pic, and then hands on the wheel of a REAL car! LMFAO!!!

It was getting dark, I just can't get rid of this pest!!

See ya tomorrow..

.

 

Sorry for the super long quote, above, is IT! I'm mucking my way through this thread, from my shock at the initial post, thinking "he's cutting up THAT!???" To my shoe-phone dumping me onto page 6 after I clicked 'watch thread'. To, oh, there's more going on. Much more. Then slowly reading the ensuing 2 or 3 pages after that, and realizing I'd better treat this one as more of a novel than a magazine article. God bless the HAMB, I'd never read this in a magazine. So, Frank, thanks for this, and I'll get my ass back to page 2....

 

Thanks, I've been getting the like flag indicator non-stop from you, so I knew you were weeding through it!

I am too tired to do the show pics tonight, but that includes the text for each...lots to condense in my mind...but when? IDK, as Jim is supposed to call me Friday to set up the Whippet haul from Kennys place to here. Shit, there is yet another story from tonight!, Kenny thought he lost a deal on a 1932 International firetruck, he was told it was later sold & gone, but deep chat with a stranger in a 64-67 vette coupe ...I figured it all out. It is not gone, even though this guy said it was, but! ..only by when he saw it was pulled outside from a barn. I know why it was out, but I also know it went back in weeks later...he did not! I can't go there, too OT

 

Frank, you are the car crash that just keeps on giving. I just can't look away. Being the nice guy I am, I won't heap the verbal abuse on you that you dump in buckets on me. My hide is pretty thick, kinda like your skull dear friend.

Yes, the show was very good last night. I kept tying to avoid Frank but he spotted me and kept insisting I point at the sign and then sit in his car, which I did to make him happy. I thought I'd never get away. I brought my 46 Chevy truck and let anyone with an up to date tetanus shot touch it if they wanted to. Saw a lot of people I hadn't seen since High School and who, somehow or other, knew the aforementioned "car wreck". Small World, isn't it?
There were some VERY nice cars there (including Frank's), many I had not seen before. My friend's 55 Chevy Gasser was given a first place trophy. I didn't get a picture but hopefully Frank did and will post it.

Frank, I have to move the 37 LaSalle to the upholstery shop this morning, then I will switch trailers and come get you to pick up the Whippet bug. Kenny said the International was sold when I saw him Wednesday but he is keeping the Weaver Auto Crane that is mounted on it. It's still at his house but he said it is going soon.

 

Speak the the truth A-hole!! I saw you the first time as you were heading towards the back row, had to be less than 15 feet, I swear I thought you were just trying to get me going by pretending you did not see me, I tried to scoot your way as you were pacing good, I said HEY!...still walking away...HEY ASSHOLE!! Yea, he finally responded as he knows his frikken name!

Oh, Crap...Amy bumped into me yet again, said she likes taking pics of "words" like on motor parts... At some point I see the Black 55 B/A HT Gasser, 348 6-2's , tilt nose open...I said to her "now that car over there is a Bad ASS car! We get there, I'm showing her stuff on the engine, then I realized I had my arm up on the windshield cowl vent thing, pull my arm away quick saying "oh shit, I should not be touching a car!" ..Then I see she is laying on the tire and headers trying to focus her phone on the word Offenhauser on the Valve covers! I'd doubt the owner would give a chit as we were obviously so into his car!!

No, I have no pic, I was using my Kodak camera that does not come with a chip, but they mention it on the box or something!,...so I was saving memory in case I saw stuff!! What stuff? How the F would I f'n know...it's hidden in the future.. Just like when you told me you had "plans:" to haul your 37 to the woman to get the interior done...then you'd pick me up with the smaller trailer to get the Whippet around 1 or 2 pm...I F'n told you.."yea, go ahead make plans...tell me how the F that works out for ya!"

Oh, shit, Kevin called right before you this morning ...when you asked if I had pants on yet(of course I told him no) ! Kevin says "boy those hotdogs last night made me sick.. I had 10 of them, the whole pack...I figured it out, there was 7 feet of dogs I ate!!! These F'n idiots are the ones that need to go to my Hospital!!


Kevin bought a Model A manifold food cooker..said he was getting so hungry on the ride over, smelling the meal though the firewall holes!!


the hood side was up all the time...and as Kevin was on the other side B/S'ng with people at times, I'd slide the cover over and grab some hot dog pieces... I did that for a half hour...waiting for him to get distracted.. So, no, he did not eat them all. I had at least a foot of them.. LMAO

by the way, Jim is NOT hauling the 37 this morning like he just PLANNED again above!! SEE, make no plans, go with the flow..instead.. I have pants on..lets rock baby

 

Those manifold cookers remind me of a story about my grandfather-

It was getting to the cold months in PA (1920's), and a friend of his was complaining about how his girlfriend dumped him, and was going to go to a football game with one of the rich boys, because HE had an aftermarket heater in his roadster... so my grandfather and his buddy bought the most gawd-aweful cheese they could find and stuffed the heater with it during the game- said that by the time they getting out of the parking lot, the top was down and everyone was hanging over the doors to get away from the stench!