Ok, next item : repair engine oil leaks. I replaced the finned valley cover with an OEM part, Removed the road draft tube and replaced with a PCV kit from Centerville auto repair. Pulled the intake manifold cleaned it up, painted and reinstalled with new gaskets. Replaced leaky valve cover gaskets I rebuilt the factory distributor and performed a complete tune-up. Fabbed a quick battery hold down. Really nothing extraordinary, just an example of whats usually expected to get an old car roadworthy. Video below: 59 Buick 401 Nailhead, Howards camshaft, glass paks. https://www.youtube.com/embed/DLbyHoffTFY
Nice project, you started this thread on Wednesday but in reality how long have you been working on the '40 ? Bob
Great looking car, congrats! Man it sure had some deferred maintenance. Can't believe someone racked up years of driving on that wiring! Good to see you're getting it systematically sorted out. Swap out that plastic fuel filter for a metal one. They're known for cracking upon vibration which can quickly lead to a fire.
I've had the car a little over a year now. Most of the work has been accomplished in the last few months though...
I've been driving the car more lately and making mental notes. Chassis, engine and transmission updates are forthcoming... One of the little things that has really bothered me is the hood fitment. So I took the hood off to test a theory on its effect of engine cooling. It definitely is trapping heat, car ran noticeably cooler in traffic with the hood off. The car has aftermarket hood hinge assemblies and I wonder if this is a contributor to the lousy fit ? I left the hinges off to check the fit of the hood at the cowl. Fit is greatly improved and latches no problem. Maybe the sheetmetal isn't as off as I thought? Aftermarket hinges crap? to be further investigated... With hinge assemblies in place. No hood...No good! With out hinges
Getting the hood and grille to fit right on a 40 Ford is perhaps the most frustrating thing I have ever attempted in my long life. I finally settled for a B grade job to get the damn thing running. Kube on the Ford Barn is a great resource for doing it right. I tried to follow his advice to the letter and finally got it "good enough" but still not up to fine point standards. The last two pictures of the OP car looks about as good as a normal human can get.
Check with olscrounger on here when you start attempting to fit the hood. Him and his wife have built a number of '40s and have it down pat. This is his avatar............
Yes, repro hinges are no where near as good as original. Find some originals and adjust the hood to fit the cowl. Then move the fenders to fit the hood. For the cooling, make sure you have the little side shields between the front fenders and radiator. And a lot of guys close off the top grille brace and seal it up against the radiator too. Then all the air has to go through the radiator.
I had a 425 nailhead leak oil. Thought it was the valley pan , then I thought it was the valve covers. I finally called the Buick guy in Centerville California. Turns out its the head gasket. An oil passage that goes from the block to the head to feed the top end. The Buick guy says if the engine is assembled with felpro head gaskets they leak sideways toward the intake. The fix is to replace the Felpros with steel head gaskets. . Of course he sells them but won't ship to Canada. I want 3 sets. Any way don't chuck the custom valley pan yet. P.S, nice car!
Thanks for the info. The leaks have been sorted with stock valley pan, new valve cover and valley gaskets.
After our last drive on the "Treaty Oak" rod run, I decided to start addressing engine and drivetrain issues. So last weekend I pulled the engine and teardown will begin this week... stay tuned. With the engine now out of the car, I pulled the clutch and flywheel to facilitate installation on the engine stand. I found this! After speaking to one of the previous owners, I found out that the "Wilcap" alloy flywheel had recently been serviced by "Mcleod" with a new steel insert and a rebalance. The result is very disappointing. The insert was installed off center and one side is also tipped up causing the burnt flywheel/clutch situation... eccentricity has no place in this situation!
First of all a huge thank you to @olscrounger for reaching out with advice on front sheetmetal fitment and for providing some sheetmetal parts to aid in engine cooling. Super nice guy! I have the engine disassembled and in the clean, inspection stages... I'll keep y'all posted!
olscrounger is a top notch guy and knows '40's inside out. And his wife probably knows more about them than most folks on here. She's right there when it comes to aligning that difficult front sheet metal.
I agree 100% he has been a fountain of knowledge for me also, especially in the parts, pieces and techniques to move the battery to behind the right front tire. What are those 2 sheet metal pieces and where do they go?
I also need to thank olscrounger in the parts and advice department. He's probably built more 40's than I've ever touched.
Howdy neighbor! I'm in Lakeway. Car looks great, hope to see it on the road up here some day. Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
Thanks all--always willing to help get another 40 on the road! Now gotta find me another one-the hunt is on.
That looks a whole lot more like someone in the past using the clutch pedal as a foot rest than a manufacturing issue. Great thread and those first photos of the car being loaded and unloaded sure make that car look familiar as from an old magazine photos.
If you want more info on the origins of this hot rod, Paul Aldrich is still banging around at his shop, still getting grease under his nails, and doing well. I last saw him in April at our annual flea market/show in Fitchburg......we both are members of the New England Regional Group.
I had my eye on this car shortly after I got my 40 Deluxe. Both previous owners are friends of mine as well. You're doing a killer job and giving this car its much needed and deserved attention! Congrats!
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