Hot Rods 32 cabriolet that was in same Spokane family 75 years now DRIVING with 425 GS Buick engine!!

I drove the car to its first club meeting last Thursday. It was a beautiful day. I sent out a reminder email about the meeting and one of the members was concerned that severe thunderstorms were forecast for about the start time of our meeting. Some members took that to mean we would cancel the meeting so at the request of the host I sent another email saying the weather was pretty, I had the top down on my 32 cabriolet, and I didn't think the weather would make me put it up. Later that afternoon, the situation changed... to say the least!
Even though it looked threatening, I took off for the meeting with the top down. About half way there, it started to just sprinkle but the temperature was dropping and the wind was picking up big time! I kept buzzing along with my 4 banger and fighting the wind and hustling as best I could to get to the meeting.
As I rolled up, it was beginning to really rain and the host motioned for me to "drive around back" of his new building. I down shifted and took off around the building with the rest of the members laughing at me for still having the top down. Bless the host, as I got around back he was raising the rear garage door and had just enough room for me to get the 32 into the building where he had already set up the chairs.
Shortly thereafter, a few more members got there but said they had to go though a field to get around a big tree that had fallen across the road... the SAME road I had just come down just minutes before!!
I still got some ribbing about holding out to drive the car with the top down but it was all in good fun.
After the meeting I started to put the top up when the host said to just leave it there and come get it tomorrow.
Another member offered to take me home so that's what we did.
The next day another club member, my next door neighbor, was taking one of his cars out for a spin and I flagged him down for a ride over to pick up the cabriolet. He was glad to give me a ride and I enjoyed another ride in one of his fleet.
Hot rods are fun but it is all the people you get to know through the sport that make it the most rewarding.
I took the cabriolet for ice cream again yesterday and got considerable response from the folks present but I forgot to get a picture... it was the same car at the same place but this time it was parked near the entrance to the ice cream store on that side of the street. Hopefully I remember to get a picture next time.

As a side note, the cabriolet seemed to be running a little hotter when I drove it home Friday. It always seems to push out a little water and apparently I got behind on keeping it filled! Anyway, it was a bit warm and pushing some steam out of a little hole in the center of the bottom of the top radiator tank... did you follow that? Just above the fan. The radiator already had an overflow hose on it but it turns out this little ditty was the remnant of an early overflow that was just a tube up near the radiator cap inside the top tank. Apparently it had failed or been damaged over time and some attempt had been made to disable it. Note that I said "attempt!"
I got a small cork and plugged the bottom of the little tube above the fan and now all seems much better and it is retaining much more of the water. I'm planning to put a little 3 pound pressure valve on the radiator to hopefully eliminate the issue all together. I did that to a 36 convertible sedan I had and it worked great.
Opportunities!
Be sure to make certain you acknowledge and praise all the Mothers on their special day... I wouldn't hurt to thank them for putting up with you either!

 

After going back and forth, I finally settled on 165/80 X15 front tires and 235/75 X16 rear tires. The new wheels from Wheelsmith should be here next week. 5s on front and 6s on rear... sure hope my "guesstimations" are close!
Also have a new carburetor arriving tomorrow. I'm sure there will be some "opportunities" involved when I go to install it using the somewhat custom looking existing carb linkage.
Regrettably I have not been able to gain any more info on the details of the history of the car.
A pal just picked up a 36 phaeton from me that we're confident of its 40 year history among 3 owners.
It, too, seems to be a very solid original car that has been updated with hydraulic brakes, turn signals, and a 59 A-B flathead with Pertronix ignition. Here it is heading back to GA.

 

Great story Al.

 

Got the new carb today and actually installed it and got the car running in the same day!
That sure brings back memories of times when any ordered part almost HAD to be installed the day you got it no matter how late it got. Nowadays we are more likely to have a pile of new parts "waiting."
It felt good to get it started but I have to confess that the dang carburetor linkage on the old carb just did NOT want to work with the new carb. After scrounging parts from my pile, I managed to put together a working solution... I hope!!



Hopefully I'll get some time tomorrow to really check it out and make sure all is sealed tight and then dial in the idle, etc. It still ain't pretty but I'm hoping to make some improvements in appearance before too long but the mechanical stuff comes first. I love driving it.

Wheelsmith broke the news that the wheels are still 2 weeks out as they had trouble getting some needed parts to make the front wheels.

Found a "new" reversed main spring that I've been "saving" since about 1980! Looks like it will fit the 32 but I'm pretty sure I got it when I was building a chopped 29 sedan. Not sure how I ended up with a spare spring but it is here. I might have bought the main spring and then realized needed the whole set and it was cheaper to buy the package... that seems like my planning method back then. I'm not sure I've improved much!

 

I think the Model A and the '32 have different diameter bushings so you should watch for that.

Charlie Stephens

 

Finished a test drive and found it idled at 1,500 rpm!!
Back home reworked the linkage and idle set screw and also adjusted the carburetor per instructions.


Now it is idling at under 500 rpm.
Maybe another test drive later today.
Everybody waves at you in this car!!

 

After finding and plugging a seeming vacuum hole, it now idles at about 275 rpm!
Had a great test drive Saturday, June 9th, after returning from York and buying some goodies from Brookville.

See any difference... other than one is outside and one is inside?!!

 

Looks like you “lowered the bar”

 

I prefer a dropped headlight bar. Improved.

 

Ordered a new front spring that is supposed to lower it two inches. Should get here just before the wheels.
I'm ready to alter the stance but need to have new wheels and tires first!
Last profile shot:
New 2" rear spreader bar ordered, too. Current one likes like 1.5". I also picked up a trunk hinge kit from Brookville in York... and another taillight stand! I'm afraid I'm going to bust the old Ford's cherry and add a second taillight! After 86 years, it might be time.
I think turn signals are a good thing. Also ordered kit to convert cowl lights to turn signals.
Saw a longtime pal at York that has owned a 32 cabriolet for many years. He tells me there are 3 other 32 cabriolets in his area near Atlanta. Let's see... there were 4 in Spokane and now we learn there are 4 in Atlanta; anybody know of 4 more cabriolets in the same general area? California should have more than 4 in at least one area. Arizona comes to mind as well.

 

mine was a 5w missing the entire roof...but... I use it as a daily driver and recently a 60 year old guy chats me up at a store parking lot in my town as he thought mine was a real cabriolet...then he said he still has his full fender 32 cabriolet that he got when he was 18. 352 Ford engine, not used in decades ...one town north of me.

once you start driving yours everywhere a lot, you most likely will have the same experience, no matter where a person lives.

We are having a "weird temperature" year and it can get downright chilly on daily evening rides, so I sure know why I like roll-up windows.

.

 

My buddy, Bobby Built, met me and 4 more pals for breakfast this morning and he remembered to bring along an old oil gauge that came with some of the many Model A projects he seems to be attracting of late.
A 10 pound gauge. I couldn't wait to get it home and installed.
Of course, like all supposedly simple changes, a few "opportunities" presented themselves.
First, the back of the 10 pound gauge did not have a female fitting the same size as the one in the car.
Secondly, the dang gauge would not go into the hole the old gauge came out of!
Here are the gauges with the engine off:

Now here are the same gauges with the engine running:

Notice the next to no change on the oil pressure gauge. This is what I've been using.
I had to spend some time sorting through my various carefully organized parts inventory that was scattered across two garages. I finally found a combination to adapt the new gauge to use the existing oil line that went to the original gauge.
Next I set about carefully expanding the hole in the gauge panel with a grinding attachment in my drill... make two or three "laps" around the hole and test fit. Then two or three more laps then test. I lost track but I finally got the gauge to just fit the expanded hole.
Then, I realized the dang thing to hold the gauge taunt in the hole was WAY too short! Some more rummaging around in the carefully organized inventory finally found one that seemed about right.
I mounted the gauge, secured it in the gauge panel, and hooked up the original oil pressure line from the engine.
I fired it up.
WOW! What a difference a gauge makes!
Here is the new gauge after starting it up:

Here it is after letting off the gas.

Here it is after I let it idle way down... less than 300 rpm; maybe 250.

Now if I can get the alternator adjusted so it isn't charging quite so much all the time... some of us are never happy!
I am very happy about the oil gauge and what it shows. I felt it was fine but it is reassuring to actually see it on a gauge. It also gives me a continuing frame of reference about what the engine oil pressure is doing. The gauge should help me to better learn just what is normal for the car.
Happy Al

 

If you have not yet done so, use a voltmeter at the battery to see what the true reading is.

.

 

I think I like the history almost as much as the cars

 

After the above posts with the new oil pressure gauge, a number of fellows said that alternator must be on steroids!
I thought the same and with a great deal of help from a fellow club member, John H; we(actually mostly HE!) figured out most if not all of the problem.
As suggested above, John tested the output and sure enough the alternator was cranking. After some on-line research that included finding a youtube video on testing whether the voltage regulator or the alternator was failing; we determined that the voltage regulator was not regulating.
I called Oreillys and they had two choices for replacement voltage regulators in stock. I opted for the more expensive one that had a long warranty versus the cheaper one. Sometimes it pays to invest a little more for the long run.
Especially when it only costs you $4.00 more!!($23 vs $19)!!
We also determined that some of the wiring was not exactly as intended so we sorted that out and fixed it, too... and the updates worked!
It still seemed to want to overcharge a bit but not as much as before.
Before making any other changes, I tested it this morning and all seems good.

I'm hoping it stays this way.
Also, I mentioned some time back that when I first drove the car to get gas that it mysteriously had no power and when I wiggled the wiring under the hood, it came back to life.
As part of running down the charging issues, old "dead in the water" reared his ugly head again.
The good news is I determined that it was being caused by an old connection from a later wire to the original 1932 Ford wiring connection. I clipped the "new" wire and installed another male end and crimped slightly the original 1932 Ford female connector and put it back together. Hopefully, old "dead in the water" is gone!

I'm expecting the new front spring this week and hopefully the wheels the following week.

BTW, the car got rave reviews at the ice cream shop again yesterday. One lady said she knew it was a 32 Ford and offered to drive it around the block for me to keep the car in good working order. When I offered the keys she changed her mind!

I like having the readable oil pressure gauge but discovered what I already knew in that the pressure went to essentially zero after it warmed up and was at idle. It all seems to be working and that is a good thing.

I also finally tracked down a local Model A specialist that updates water pumps and distributors and he said he also works on the Model B engines as well. He's looking for a spare 32 water pump to update for me as well as checking for any "speed" equipment he might have for the 4 cylinder.
I'll keep y'all posted.

I hope to get in another test drive sometime today among the various Father's Day activities.

Happy Father's Day to all!

Driving Al

 

Just got back from a test drive and the voltage regulator seems to be doing its job. Happy Day!

Forgot to mention that I earlier fabricated some linkage to get the choke to work and that helps overall use of the car as well. Nothing fancy at all. I can post details if interested but really very simple process that just added a bracket that transferred a pull in one direction into a pull in the other direction. The choke also incorporates a fast idle which helps, too.

Off soon to family activities. Enjoy the day... and everyday!!

 

What is the old story about one step forward...?
The good news is I got my new front spring today. Must have been made and shipped late on Friday.

The other end:

At least they did include all the needed parts. Too bad they didn't put them together properly.
Another "opportunity" for me to display my skills at hot rod building.
The slider button was the first thing to fall out of the box. I thought, "Hmm.. wonder where something like that belongs?" After I put the first coat of paint on the spring I got to thinking about that spare part... maybe I should look at that spring a bit closer.
I'm sure they meant to locate all the spring slider buttons properly and they only missed on one!
Hopefully I can square it away tomorrow.

Wheelsmith tells me my wheels are made and at powdercoating so they should be along shortly.

Maybe I'll be able to get the revamped spring into place tomorrow as well but I'm also hoping to get the call to take my 3W to the upholstery shop, too.

Opportunities!

 

Well, to say that things didn't go as planned is a considerable understatement.
First, in memory of 3WLarry, here are the pictures:
The above appears above but I repeated it to save the scrolling.

This was taken this morning after breakfast and with the supposedly lower front spring. It is a bit lower but doesn't seem by much. The new low arch spring from Speedway was advertised as lowering the car two inches from stock.
Speedway, I'm sure, intends for you to order the correct parts for your car. They give you a nice table with a diagram showing you just how to measure what you need to measure in order to order the correct part for your application. I very carefully did all of the above; checking my measurements a number of times, and ordered the part the table said I needed.
The VERY long story; cut considerably short(pun intended), is that the main spring was too short.
I had the main spring STRAIGHT out and the shackles still did not reach.
I used the reversed eye spring from many years ago, and managed to salvage the installation after wasting a bunch of time researching shackle lengths and trying every trick I knew and a few I was told about trying to use the main spring from Speedway. My spring was about and inch longer and worked fine. Hopefully it will perform correctly with the rest of the new springs from Speedway... the new combination went together and looked fine after assembly.
I am a bit disappointed that the car doesn't appear to be much lower in front. The new spring was supposed to drop it 2" and the spring pack was at least an inch shorter so I'm expecting a 3" drop with any luck.
Doesn't look like it to me. Maybe it will squat a bit after driving it awhile... I hope so.
No wheels yet but expect them next week.
I hate to break the history of the car seeming to have had only one taillight since it was manufactured so long ago but I want to change the look of the car to be a bit more of a hot rod.
I'm going to a two inch rear spreader bar that will hold the license and adding a second taillight. I'm sure some will complain but I'm also going to LED taillights as they are much safer in my opinion. Keeping the whole car intact and unmodified by a rear end collision is more important to me than having more traditional light bulbs... safety, and my life and car!, first.

 

I think I would add a second light on the right side as a mirror image to the original one on the left. This is what I did to my AVATAR. If I wanted more I would then go to the spreader bar approach. My concern is that if a smart lawyer got ahold of the case where someone rear ended your car they would say it was really your fault since the original light was no longer there.

Original tail light brackets for the right hand side are almost impossible to find and VERY expensive if you do find one. They used to make a a nice reproduction and I assume they still do. They also made a cast aluminum one that looks terrible and you should avoid it. If you do end up using an original style bracket on the right side be sure to cut the tail light bracket to match the rumble seat bracket. If you cut the rumble seat bracket to match the tail light bracket you risk weakening it.

Charlie Stephens

 

After spending most of the day making changes to the cabriolet, I figured the best way to celebrate was to go to the ice cream store and get some of that wonderful Deep Dish Apple Pie ice cream that Hershey's makes. Yum, yum!
Here is updated setup. I removed the rumble seat step as the rumble seat is soon going to be a regular trunk... I hope!

Once again, the car was a big hit at the ice cream store.
Sorry for all the shadows... it just took me too long to update the car and get down there!
That ice cream was great!!
Thanks for following along and sharing your insight and experience.

 

Okay, another look with same location.
Before:
After: Also note dropped headlight bar effect.
I had to duplicate the location to better help me see the change.
I'm much happier with the way the rearend revisions turned out.

Much more of a hot rod look to me.
I also adjusted the carb to give it a bit more gas... I think I was being too stingy!! Dang car would buck and complain; little choke and it smoothed out. Adjusted carb; choke can rest more.

 

Looking at where the grease cap on the front spindle aligns with the front bumper, I'd guess it did drop at least an inch.
Since you are going to add a bit more rake with the wheels and tires, It could easily come down a bit more with the weight shift forward.
I guess that this 'opportunity' should hold off until you get the new rolling stock installed.

I'd also suggest that if it's currently running well, measure fuel pressure, dwell and timing now. That way you have a number to get back to when it starts acting up.

 

I got an update on the original story about the car going to Queens, NY and getting married.

Doug Turnwall was in the NAVY and met a gorgeous gal while roller skating on New Year's Day of 1942 while he was on leave. They apparently got along very well. Turnwall bought the car in May of 1942 and drove it to Queens in 1942 just to see his gal that had stayed in touch with him through the mail. Apparently they made a great couple.
The picture of the car in Queens was taken in October of 1946 when he did drive the car back to Queens to marry his gal. They then drove back to Spokane, Washington in the little coupe. Think about that on the roads as they existed in October/November of 1946!

I'm told there are a number of family stories and the same car was there and played a part now and then. I look forward to further updates.


I just looked it up and it is right at 2,600 miles.
For reference, we drove 2,643 miles (more or less) from Smithfield, VA to Pomona, CA two years ago to attend the LARS. That took us four and a half days... running probably 70-75 as an average!! On mostly interstates.
Think about travelling the same distance in a little V-8 32 Ford 3W with likely an original drive train. WOW!

 

Had to move both across street from my house while power washing guys were working their magic on the house, deck, garage, porches, and detached garage. Management is very pleased.
I also am pleased to report that I found and ordered a leakless water pump for my car and it should ship Monday.
Also, Wheelsmith called Thursday to report they had finished my wheels and delivered them to the shipper.
I hoping for a new water pump, new wheels, and new tires by next weekend!
I also discovered earlier this week that the car will not run forever without adding any gas! I thought it was the heat! Then it dawned on me! I hate being a dummy! Maybe I need to add the gas gauge to the list of "need to fix!" Opportunities!

A more scenic view. I'm so ready for new wheels and tires... and hopefully, stance.

 

Ah.. I meant to post the picture above as a new post so y'all would see that it was added.
Still a dummy Al!

 

a lot of us like to see other scenic views from around the world because we've never been there.. that water pic is nice

.

 

Al, don't let them rag you about LED tail lights. I swapped to LED'S a long time ago, and have had more than a few comments about, "I'll follow Bill, at least I can ALWAYS see HIS brake lights" Bill Rinaldi

 

An update on the spring from Speedway:
Speedway sent me a survey about my experience with the $285 order that included the spring. Having wasted most of three or four days crawling around on a hard garage floor trying to make it work; I responded that I was quite disappointed in the whole experience in completing their survey.
Much to my surprise, I got a response from Derrick at Speedway asking me to please let him know what he could do to fix the issue and that he hoped to hear from me soon.

I responded with the above pictures. The single leaf in the picture is the original main spring from the spring pack I got from Speedway. It is clear from the picture that the new spring cannot possibly be extended as far as the original spring that I removed from my car.
I explained that at one point I had the main spring FLAT OUT between the perches and could not quite get the shackle to close. Even I it had done so, the spring would have been straight across and the shackles would have been flat versus the more normal angle which is shown in the second picture as the car sits today.
I told him I don’t know how or why it didn’t fit. I did my best to measure and check all the measurements in the table in your catalog and ordered what I understood to be correct for a 1932 Ford cabriolet with fenders.
The spring was advertised to give a 2” lower stance from stock with the low arch spring. The Speedway spring pack was at least one inch shorter than the original spring pack I removed so I expected about a 3 inch drop overall.
Didn’t happen... looks to me more like an inch; may inch and a half.

He responded:
"I am going to be honest, Al. I am not sure why that is or what is going on with that. What I might recommend is giving us call at the number below and speaking with one of our techs. They would know exactly why it is not fitting and what may work for you. As long as that spring is in new, resellable condition you can send that back to us for a refund. Please let me know if you have any further questions.'

I guess he missed the picture that showed the spring installation complete.

We had a few more back and forths but the bottom line was that IF they got the complete original part back in completely resellable condition, they would send me a refund. Secondly, he told me, " I also hope you understand this is not our product and all I was recommending to do was contact Posies if you had any further questions about the spring as they are the ones that manufacture the product."
Now I'm supposed to ask Posie why the Speedway catalog failed to yield the right part?
I think they should change the title from "customer service" to "customer contact but not much else."

I'm sure somebody is certain it is all my fault. Heck; it might be but I don't see how.

Anyway, I ain't calling Posie and I had already been told by others to be careful with Speedway and now I can offer nothing to contradict that advice. I've bought stuff in the past that didn't work and I'm sure I will in the future... we're hot rodders and that is what we do now and then.

The good news is that I am riding... just not as low as I thought I was going to be.

I hope Derrick realizes that I knew when I hit the button to begin the survey that I already knew I was not going to get any money out of responding. I wasn't after money so much as after maybe preventing another 69 year old hot rodder from wasting so much time crawling around on a hard garage floor!

My advice is not to respond to surveys. I usually don't but my ego was still bruised, along with a few other things, from taking so long to realize what I bought would not do the job. I was pleased that I finally got it fixed with a part from my pile. And... I got a replacement part for my pile!

 

That is a mostly standardized, canned response. It would meet the company standards for professionalism.
1. Honestly explain it is not a question that he could answer (more technical than basic call-in can handle, they sell a LOT of different stuff and nobody knows it all). Big plus here. The guy didn't try to baffle you with BS, he was straight forward that he didn't know.
2. Provide a possible solution by referring to a tech line. At least they have second tier help. Many places don't. There are some small shops that have the guys that DO the parts answering the phone, but that goes away when they have to spend more than a couple hours a week NOT doing their main job and instead talk to customers. When dealing with a big company that resells other companys' parts, that level of knowledge is rare.
3. Describe in short the standard return/refund policy. Since he doesn't know if the issue can be resolved, they need to state this upfront, because there are a LOT of people who will say "they never told me..." when they return something. The company probably trains everyone to repeat this as a mantra so it's clear. I bet it's repeated many times in the catalog too.
4. While to you the "Please let me know if you have any further questions." part may seem goofy since you didn't get your first question answered, this is company-speak for "we are here and want to continue to provide help" and is a standard closing phrase. They want to keep open communication.

Customer Service is a thankless, low wage position for most places. The smart savvy people wouldn't last more than a few months getting beat up by every guy on the phone/internet. Also, can you or anyone you know flip through the catalog and answer a fitment question on a part on each page? Would you be willing to answer these questions 32-40 hours a week while being watched to make sure you meet calls per hour quota, head off escalation (I wanna talk to your manager!) deal with all sorts of accents/spelling and intelligence levels from mostly upset people all for a wage that is probably close to a counter person at a fast food joint or a clerk at a supermarket?

That clerk at the market is a good example - they can't answer where the beef in that Campbell's soup came from unless it's printed on the can. They would also send you to the manufacturer to get that info.
I know it's frustrating that the 'answer line' couldn't give you an answer, but you can't blame the guy who tried.


https://www.speedwaymotors.com/shop/street-rod-leaf-springs~65672-1-225-7544?facet=l_position:130306

https://static.speedwaymotors.com/images/charts/Chart-5801002.gif

https://static.speedwaymotors.com/images/charts/SpeedyTip_Springs.jpg

Here's Posie's catalog page. They provide a bit more info...spring perch widths
http://www.posiesrodsandcustoms.com/super_slide_springs/28_43_springs/

BTW, I'm NOT trying to bruise your ego even more, but you and I both know ('cause you said so and showed pictures) that chassis started as a 3W coupe, not a cabrio! Shouldn't change the spring fitment, but just an example of how hard it can be to track changes on an 86 year old car. Keep on building and showing!


I've spent some time on the phone with CS too, and was annoyed when the company's carb, intake and throttle bracket didn't work together. Telling me I had to modify them to work (voiding the return policy) wasn't what I wanted to hear. We've all been there...

 

^^^ I'll readily agree customer contact... er, customer service to them is likely a difficult and often thankless job. But those aren't the only difficult and thankless jobs by a very wide margin.
As to the spring issue, I ordered the spring specified by the Speedway chart (580-1002L) that was 31" long(the longest!) for "28-34 Fords, 33-34 Ford with fenders. This spring has less arch than 1002". Speedway said it would drop the car 2" below stock... "1002" said it would drop the car 1" below stock.
I was miffed that it didn't drop the car as advertised; particularly since the spring pack was about an inch shorter. I was expecting 3" if spring dropped 2 and spring pack was 1" shorter. Nevermind that I had to supply my own main leaf.

I wonder if someone failed to realize that by having a lower arch that the spring could not possibly stretch the same distance... it would have to be shorter with a lower arch.

Thanks for the links to Posies. Looks like Posie in fact does make a longer spring for my application that might have done the job. That is encouraging. What is not is that Speedway led me to believe, based on the same chart from their catalog that you also linked; that there were only two length options for 28-34 Fords...29" and 31". I ordered the 31".

This all makes my point that you take your chances with Speedway... they clearly did not offer, or even tell me that longer springs might be needed or were offered by Posie. If there is a next time, I will go to the front of the horse, Posie, and not deal with the other end as I did this time.

Thanks for the encouragement to keep building. I don't really "show" my cars... more like "sharing."

We're all just hot rodders and having fun with old cars. I encourage you and all our rodding brethren to keep at it and not be too discouraged when something doesn't turn out exactly as advertised... we all know that is a normal part of the process. "Some modification may be needed to fit your application." is the most accurate and honest information in the instructions for many parts.

Now, to the good stuff!

I got the new wheels and the new leakless water pump for the 32.

This morning I managed to remove the old pump and get the new pump ready for installation but decided to cover that Chevy orange on the head with some Ford red. I guess it looks better but I'm not known for super detailing.Hopefully the paint has dried by now and I can finish installing the new pump.

Back to the garage.

Happy Fourth of July!