Arizona Region - CCCA
This is a growing index of technical notes that have been published in The Roadrunner. Click on the desired link below to take you to the page of interest. Technical articles from members are invited; contact the webmaster.
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In 1941 Packard was one of the first cars to provide power operated windows, available as an option in the 180 Series as shown in the illustration on the left. Return to Index of Articles |
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If
you have a 1933 Cadillac 4 door Fleetwood and an accessory roof luggage
carrier, where on the roof do you put it?
It turns out that the solutions is really simple according to
Cadillac. You can put it in the middle, or near the front, or near the
back. Click on the photo to the left. |
1942 advice may be applicable to Full Classics® as we use them these days
(reprinted
from The Arizona Classic Roadrunner, February, 2004)
Typical usage of our Full Classics®
does not involve annual mileages that they had when they were in every day use
years ago. In October, 1942, MoToR Annual advice was given to drivers who had to
follow gasoline rationing and other war-time restrictions on the miles driven.
“Lubrication
attention once in a thousand miles will not protect the engines and chassis of
cars operated less than 3,000 miles a year originally allotted the average
family automobile under gas rationing. Nor will it conserve for “duration
service,” no one knows how long, the great majority of the nation’s
passenger vehicles, which will not be run anywhere near the 9,000-mile peacetime
normal.
“There
are five principal reasons why cars cannot safely be serviced with lengthy
intervals between lubrications, either on a mileage or time basis:
“1.
Infrequent, short, low-speed drives will not generate sufficient heat to
vaporize gasoline and other foreign matter which gets into the crankcase, with
the result that dilution of the oil is increased.
“2.
Grease will harden at little used lubrication points, reducing its efficiency.
“3.
Wartime restrictions on materials have eliminated use of certain chemicals in
some lubricants and the protective qualities of some substitutes are not as
durable.
“4.
Battery checking and other inspections, ordinarily made at the time of
lubrication, are required at regular intervals, even if mileage is low.
“5.
Parts damaged by lubrication neglect may be difficult or impossible to replace.
“Engine
oil should be changed more frequently on those millions of cars which are being
operated at a fraction of their customary mileage similar attention should be
given to filters.” Return to Index of Articles
Try using ordinary bar soap as a temporary ‘fix’ for a leaking gas tank
(reprinted
from The Arizona Classic Roadrunner, February, 2004)
What
do you do when you are on the road and you learn that your gasoline tank is
leaking?
This happened to one of the Arizona Region members on the recent caravan
to southeastern Arizona. He filled the tank on the outskirts of Tucson. One of
the others on the trip pointed out the steady drip of gasoline on the pavement
below the 1941 Cadillac.
The drip was spotted as coming from the front right side of the tank at
the seam which connects the top half to the bottom half of the tank.
This was not the time nor place to get it fixed, so the driver continued.
By the next stop, several miles later, the leak appeared to be gone. Perhaps the
amount of gasoline used by the car (and the leak) had the tank less than half
full.
The next morning this was mentioned to Walter Fuelberth who was on the
trip. Walt explained that many years ago he was driving from Las Vegas to Salt
Lake City when he noticed the gas gauge indicating an extraordinary amount of
fuel usage. He stopped at a gas station (there were a lot of them in those days)
and the local mechanic used an ordinary bar of soap rubbed generously over the
spot of the leak.
Walt drove on to his destination with normal fuel usage. He used the car
several more times in the following weeks before having the leak fixed
permanently. There was no apparent leaking in the meantime.
Not long afterward, Bob Messinger helped with applying a generous amount
of ordinary white soap from the hotel on the spot where the leak had been
spotted.
The
car made it back to the Phoenix area safely with no apparent additional leaking.
The SAE says 90 percent of engine wear and damage occurs during start up, not while driving
(reprinted
from The Arizona Classic Roadrunner, August, 2004)
"Starting your engine after long term storage is equal to a 500 mile trip"
The Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE) says about 90 percent of engine wear and damage occurs during
startup. Another organization says that every engine start is equal to a 500
mile trip.
For
cars that have been in long term storage the case is even worse. Oil in the
engine settles in the pan; thus there is little if any protecting the pistons,
cylinder walls, cams, bearings and crankshafts. This can also lead to corrosion
or oxidation.
Thus
there are two problems: minimizing engine damage during storage and minimizing
engine damage and wear when starting the car after storage.
Some
people use a heavy protective oil in the upper cylinders before storage. This
can cause fouled spark plugs and can cause hard starts. It fails to protect all
cylinders as a piston at the top of its stroke when the engine was shut down
will not get the oil.
Another
method is replacing the spark plugs with those containing desiccant material for
the storage period. It removes excess moisture from the air inside the cylinders
and reduces corrosion. On the other hand the special plugs need to be removed
frequently and oven dried to reduce the moisture saturation and to restore the
designed capabilities. These plugs are also expensive
The plugs are available from The Eastwood Co., www.Eastwoodco.com.
An
alternative is a chemical additive to combine with the engine oil to form a
resilient, iron-phosphate oil film, molecular thin for inner engine metals. The
product can prevent iron-oxide coatings from the cylinder walls.
Available from Applied Chemical Specialties, www.No-Rosion.com.
Careful planning and preparation may avoid damage to the engine after long term storage
(reprinted from The Arizona Classic Roadrunner, October, 2004)
When a car’s engine has not been run in months, it may take as long as
10 seconds for oil to reach all parts that need it. Metal to metal contact can
cause serious wear or damage before there is normal oil pressure.
An old method is to disconnect the coil and crank the starter several
times to spread the oil. After a long period without use, the battery may not
have normal cranking power. This approach may also overload the starter and
cause oil to miss some important areas.
An alternate method is called “Pre-Luber” which creates full oil
pressure before the engine is cranked. It uses a low-amp mechanical pump,
powered by the car’s battery. One problem is its expense. Another is the
installation and appearance may be objectionable.
Some may prefer the No-Rosion Lubrication System Passivator (see the
August Roadrunner
article above). The system maintains a thin film of oil in the engine
even though the engine is not running. The surface film on the engine parts does
not all settle into the crankcase after the engine stops.
Some products claim to be super-lubricants. They may contain chlorinated
paraffin which may reduce friction, but because of low-pH properties can be very
corrosive to engines that are not driven regularly.
The No-Rosion system is available from Applied Chemical Specialties, P.O. Box 241597, Omaha, NE 69124, 1-800-845-8523 or www.No-Rosion.com.