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What's the best way to wire a voltmeter to get a true reading?  My Autometer voltmeter seems to  be reading high ( 16 V) when the reading at the battery is actually about 13.8 -13. Right now I'm taking the power to it off the ignition switch.  Thanks!

I want to change the single master cylinder on my 36 Ford coupe to a dual one. It's a "survivor" so I'm staying with the 4 wheel juice drum brakes which are off a 48 Ford. What would be the best master cyl to use for this? I was thinking about the common 67-72 mustang that most use for disc / drum but would that work? Thanks!

I have a disconnect switch on the negative termainal on my battery ( crank the knob back to cut the power) and I'm wiring in a stereo now. There's a wire that is supposed to go to a constant power source to keep the station presets etc  when the power is off. What's the best way to wire this in?  Thanks!    Larry

Which would be the best and most accurate power source to attach the wire from the voltmeter to? I was told to go right to a terminal on the firewall where a direct lead from the pos side of the battery attaches to for the best reading, but this would mean the voltmeter would be on all the time. Possibly a drain?

I put a new Mr Gasket HiFlow thermostat in my '69 340  and after a couple of short trips to the coffee shop it overheated bigtime and puked all over my shop floor! I put it in a pan of water and brought the temp up to about 200 and as far as I could see it didn't open, the overall "appearance" didn't change. Could it be a bad one that soon?  Do I really need a thermostat on a car that's only driven if warm / good weather?

I noticed last night that on my 69 Dart when I had the headlights on ( a rarity) that after a short time they started flashing on and off erratically. Ideas?  Thanks!

It's been 6 years since I updated the pics of my rides so here they are as of now! 32 Ford phaeton, 385 FB chev / 6 speed stick and 40 Ford pickup, 350 crate motor with a Super T-10 4 speed. Great drivers both!

I recently had a bad experience with these people I thought I'd pass on , because I know I appreciate it when someone gives us a heads up anout a bad experience with a company , and more than a * I think it's a justifiable complaint. I ordered some patch panels for my 37 Ford from them and this is my experience. I bought the tailpiece below the trunk and the tool tray with it, the quarters, front and rear floors and lower cowls in and out. The tail pan and tool tray were "okay". The quarters were 5/8" too long into the fenders when we lined up the door jam, & the door jam indents weren't even close. When I called "Bob" ( customer service rep)about this he said "that's impossible" and then added " if they don't line up don't use them" , got really indignant about it all and eventually  hung up on me. I can't remember running across anyone as arrogant, self rightous and rude....and he's the customer rep / manager. The outer lower cowls were a joke - we used the basic skin only and used the existing door jam / hinge pads and the areas where the hood met the cowls. The floors were "okay to start with" and build on / modify from there.

To top it all off, I ordered the lower cowls after I got the rest of the order and emphasized that they were to be shipped to the same place , Blaine Wa, as the other order and under no circumstances to use UPS because it costs us BIGTIME brokerage as we all know. The person who took this order ( not Bob) understood perfectly. The following monday I got the invoice in the mail ( for clearing customs), printed on a computer etc with the Blaine adress boldly on it. Three days later the UPS truck showed up in my driveway with the package and it cost me $57 brokerage. With it was a hand printed invoice , the shipping adress had been changed to my home, and at the bottom was Bob's signature. My guess is he changed the adress because he knew ( I told him) it would cost me bigtime, and he did that after our heated discussion when he hung up on me. After a few calls to Bob about this, THEIR / HIS mistake, he refused to reimburse me the $57 ( said "his boss" refused too), and said they would take it off my next order! Fat chance that'll happen , Bob! I talked to him a couple of days later and asked to speak to his boss and he said " No, can't do that" and the conversation was over. I spent about $2000 with them and they wouldn't refund $57 for the "mistake" ( more like getting even) Bob made! Would I deal with them or recommend them to anyone - NO WAY! * good thing I've got a really good body guy!
As we all know, many panels are "close" and you go from there and their panels were pretty much that, and I've since learned that another guy here is doing a 37 and he had major probelms too, and didn't even use a couple of panels , but rather than try to send them back he just wrote them off.  More than anything it was the poor customer service that really * me off.

Hey Folks!  I'm going to use QA-1 coilovers in the front and back of the 37 flatback I'm building , and I need to know the weight of the front and back of the car to get the spring rate to use. ie if the car's about 3000 pounds (?)would it be about  1600 front and 1400 back.??  Anyone know what a 37 would be?? Thanks!   Larry

On this 37 flatback project I just bought the chassis is pretty much done, and done well, mustang IFS front and 9" rear.  The person that put the 9" in was apparently planning on some sort of coil spring suspension , because there's a triandulated 4 link setup installed with just "blocks" between the axle and the frame for "setup purposes".  Personally I don't like coilovers on fat fendered cars, I think they're too heavy. Looking at the setup I can't see why a guy couldn't use parallel leaves with this. The axle won't roll, just go up and down & keep the pinion angle, and the 4 link would just act as traction bars and sway bar, right?  Waddythink boys!!??

Hey Folks!  I just picked up a nice 37 Ford slantback tudor project. Overall the body is really good, but needs patch panels in the lower body both sides between the doors and the rear fenders and the panel below the trunk between the fenders. I've seen a few companies that make these but which are the best panels for quality and fit? Also going to need the front floor pan up to the firewall.  Thanks as always!

We plan on doing the NSRA show in Pueblo Colorado next June , anyone got thoughts, suggestions and especially suggestions about which hotels are the best there? Much appreciated!

I've got a 350 crate motor and a BW Super T-10 4 speed in my 40 pickup, and currently used a regular standard bellhousing and clutch fork with a hydralic clutch and slave. Turns out the geometry between the slave cylinder shaft and the fork isn't quite right so there is slight pressure on my clutch all the time.
   So, I'm looking for an alternative setup for the clutch, still hydraulic but so that all the parts "match", and even possibly a hydraulic throwout bearing.  Anyone got suggestions, ideas, what did you do on yours? Thanks!

A few of us from up here in western Canada are looking at taking in the NSRA show  June 21,22,23 / 2013 in Pueblo Colorado. Anyone that's been there have any ideas on the best hotels etc etc and any other info we could use? Would be much appreciated cuz only been through there once before years ago on our way to Oklahoma for the Nats there. Thanks!

A friend of mine has some bucks stashed away and is looking at maybe doing an Ardun conversion on the flathead in his 36 coupe.  He's not really up on the conversion etc, so does anyone know about them......like benefits, what all needs to be done to the motor etc etc etc.  I know the aftermarket heads alone go for about 10 grand.  Any advice, info, tips etc would be appreciated by him. Thanks!

I bought a "new" Chev 350/290 hp crate motor about 2 1/2 years ago and put it in my 40 about 2 years ago. It had a one year guarantee on it but I never got it in til the warranty was pretty much gone. It's ran good  for the past year and a half or so, although has burned a little oil during that time. I just did a trip of about 500 miles and it went through about a liter and a half, and now it's been missing and backfiring here and there, so I pulled the plugs and they're all pretty much fouled with crusty black oil deposit.  Anyone else had problems with the same motor?  I've heard rumors about possible valve seal problems with them.  Also while I'm thinking about it, what's the best plug to run in these? ( brand and number)  Thanks!

Has anybody used on of these?  If so who's got the best one ( if there's more than one kit) and how well do they fit?  Thanks!

I have older S/W gauges in the 32 and the gas gauge seems to have gone south for no reason! Ign off the needle sits at 1/4 tank ( with almost full tank) then with ign on it drops below E. Tested between the ign term and the sender term on the gauge and nothing. ( used a test light and there's no light at all)  Measured the ohms on the wire from the sender  and with the tank a little over 1/2 it read 58 and with the tank full it read 35. Tried a new gauge  with a range of  10 is full and 73 is empty because of the readings I got and it only goes up to between 1/2 and 3/4 with the tank pretty much full. Arrrrggg!!!!  Tried calling SW and couldn't get anyone, just machines!  Any ideas!!??

I'm rewiring my 32 and it has older S/W gauges including an electric speedo. On the back of the speedo there are 4 terminals - Aux , Sig , Pos , Neg. There's a "speed generator interface" box that the wires apparently go into before going to the speedo. The markings on it are  "12V", GRND, SIG IN, SIG OUT 1 , SIG OUT 2, and SIG OUT 3. There were 2 wires from the trans fitting , one went into " SIG IN" on the box, the other went into GRND on the box and a wire was spliced into the one that went into GRND and I think went to the speedo. A wire from SIG OUT went with that ground wire poss to the speedo.  I tried for a diagram at S/W but nothing. Anyone know the wiring for the box and the speedo? :?

A friend is doing some work on another friends car and he's not sure how to identify what rear end is in the car - he thinks it's either an 8" or a 9". Anyone know of a link for this info etc?

Got a dilema here! I have a 385 "FB" sbc in my '32 and it has a GM points distributor in it and works fine. I have a MSD "ready to run" electronic one that I'm tempted to put in but I'm torn because I had an MSD one go away on me on a trip in another car a few years ago.  Seems to me you can always stick in a set of points in a bind but the electronic thing makes me wonder!  Waddyathink !?

I've heard rumors of the Goodguys show in Spokane not happening next year, but then they accepted my early registration, so far!  Anyone know anymore about this?

A few of us up here in Victoria BC are looking at going to the Goodguys show in Loveland CO next June. Anyone been there and have feedback / thoughts on it?  Looking for a good / convenient / close place to stay as well. Any ideas etc would be appreciated! We'd thought about the NSRA one in Pueblo but balk at the pre 82 rule - who needs the new stuff, pre 72 is bad enough!   Larry

Hey Folks!  A friend is building a '36 Ford cabriolet, and is looking for the top wood bows for it. Anyone had experience with these , know where to get them, or have any ideas on who makes them?  Thanks!   Larry

Just so's you guys south of the 49th know, I gassed up my 32 today with premium at Chevron and it was $1,49 / LITRE !!!  That's $6.74 / gallon !! So, any tourin I'll be doing this summer will be south of the border, where the possible $5 / gallon you guys are moanin about    will seem fine!

Anyone know if Wheel Vintiques in Fresno CA is still in buisness??  I tried calling them and the number is "disconected or no longer in service".......tried faxing them and didn't get a reply. Their website is still active but old info. Thanks!

MARCH  MEET  "DOWNSIZING"                                                      
If you were planning on going  to  the  March  Meet  at  Bakersfield  this March , 4  classes  have been cut from the show. 3  out  of  the  5 heads  up classes  have been cut from the show  AA/GAS,  A/FUEL,JUNIOR FUEL  plus the popular 7.0 class,  that leaves just top fuel and funny car , And top fuel and funny car are expected to have less cars competing because of some expensive new NHRA mandated carbon fiber brake rules. That leaves index style cars for the remainder of the show. In a recent statement to drag racing on line web site ,Blake Bowser (track manager), stated that he doesn't have time to run these classes plus he wants  to cut back on expenses for himself and the racers? however prices will be the same as last year to see the show?  

           

This news has been a shock to racers and fans alike , many have been participating and spectating at the March Meet  ever sense the Good Guys  brought it back from the dead, some even participated in the 60's and 70's .  One racer said he had one hundred thousand dollars into his car and only raced at the March Meet and the hot rod reunion. He said this is a very sad news to the nostalgia racers and the people that care about the tradition of the March Meet.  Another racer said ,  we have all seen someone inherit a successful business and make a bunch of  bad decisions and  ruin  the business , but this decision hurts allot of people, and the March Meet.  Info. can be obtained  by calling 661 399 2210  or  661 3995351.

The 32 Phaeton I just bought has a points distributor in it with a MSD ignition box( 385 fastburn motor) and I'd like to put an HEI in it. Not enough room for a big GM one. Which of the aftermarket ones are the most reliable ( I do lots of road trips) and will give the best performance for this engine? Thanks!   Larry

Hey Folks!   a friend of mine is looking at a glass 34 coupe, supposedly on a stock 34 frame in Indiana. The owner says the reason there's no serial numbers on it, at all, is because they didn't start putting them on the frame til the late 30's. This doesn't sound right to me - I thought they started that with model A's ?  He says he can show a paper trail on the car back 10 years, but has to apply in writing to the MV branch to get it.  I told my pal to ask what the serial number on the reg is and where that came from.  Thoughts?

So, it was time to install the door glass etc in the 40 PU ! Didn't go well! :evil:  So far haven't figured out how to get the "rollers" on the winders in the track on the glass! Tried pretty much everything........and now I'll be getting new glass for one side in a day or so!! :evil:    Anyone know the trick to doing this?

As  many know, Canada / BC has some pretty weird rules regarding importing hot rods in from the US.  Finished glass cars are a NO NO unless they're at least 15 years old, but can be brought in pieces and built. Steel cars are okay. Apparently if the glass car is registered in the US as , say, 32 Ford roadster it's allowed to be imported because it's over 15 years old....according to the reg. Problem is that in Canada / BC it's not a 32 cuz it's glass, and they can void your insurance if you have an accident.  Anyone had any experience with bringing one ( glass) across and registering it up here?

On my 40 pickup the bottom corner of the front fenders, ahead of the running boards, is a diferent measurement from the frame on each side, as in one fender corner sticks out more than the other. I don't have the stock braces in cuz I can't see exactly how they go in there. Anyone have a pic of how they go or have a measurement from the inside of the rolled edge on the fender to the frame? I don't need to use the stock brace panels, but I need the right measurement so they're both the same, and right!  Thanks!  Larry

Okay, so both my brake lights work, both driving tail lites work fine, the right signal front and back works, but the left signal flashes once when I turn it on then goes a solid dim. I checked the ground ( ran a wire from the front housing to a good ground) and switched the bulbs side to side etc but it doesn't chnge.  HELP!

Does anyone know of a good wiper setup that will work with a Duval windshield on a 32 rdstr? Kinda looking for something that doesn't need a whole lot of modifying etc. Thanks!   Larry

Hey folks!  I was going to use a 16" Spal, 2300 cfm electric fan in my 40 pickup, but it looks like it'll be too tight with the water pump pulley. The overall thickness of the fan is 3.47" and I got ot because of the flow rate.  Anyone use or know of a good, high rate fan that's slimmer that'll cool a 40 with a SBC ( they're inherant hard to cool I've heard!)  Thanks!

Hey Folks!  I'm thinking about getting one of the dual wiper kits that Newport Engineering has for '40 Ford pickups for mine. Anyone used one of their kits? Easy to put in? Work smooth etc? How do they compare to other kits? Any other feedback?  Thanks!

I recently bought one of Drake's new slider windows for my 40 pickup, and would advise anyone that's considering one to check it out thorouthly first! They don't fit worth **** ! I followed the instructions exactly, had the glass cut exactly, and when fitting it in to the existing rails in the cab found that the glass would fall out of the tracks! ( the cab is untouched and mint, nothing's out of place) Also found that the handles and rubber seals were too short, and should have been left long so they could be trimmed to fit. (after talking to 2 of their "customer service reps" they agreed as well!) They also said the tracks should've been 1/2" - 5/8" tall, and mine were 3/8". The handle problem leaves a good sized gap top and bottom for water to come in( see pic). I solved the fit problem with rubber shimming ( see pic). Overall I found dealing with the 2 "customer service guys" a joke and lost cause. They seemed to have the attitude that they were " Bob Drake and who are you , we've never had this problem before!" Bottom line, emails not answered, parts not sent, and the common " I'll make it work I guess" in the end!

Hey Folks!  As per my previous thread, I'm right on the west coast of Canada and looking at a really nice roadster in Stamford Connetticut........couldn't be much further away, eh........or in a worse time of year!?  Anyone here live near there or know anyone who does that could check the car out for me, or anyone know the car !!???  This is the car, owned by Marshall Labow.

Hey Folks!  I'm looking at buying a car that's in Connetticut, Stamford to be exact, and having it transported out here to Bellingham Wa. Never had a car transported before, so NO idea where to start etc!  Anyone have experience in this, as in what companies are best, ones to stay away from, what it should cost, what to ask etc etc etc!? As always, you help is MUCH appreciated!  Larry

I've got a GM starter, Delco Remy, that's rebuilt  but I don't know "for sure" what the application is or if it will work on the SBC crate motor in my '40 PU.  Anyone have a bokk on these, or a link?  The casing reads

Delco Remy   1108427 oB19 7

Thanks!

Okay, I got my PU in pieces and have it mostly together now and bought a new battery tray....but have no idea where it goes! I thought it went on the firewall but can't figure it out at all according to the brackets on the tray and looking at the firewall! Anybody know or got a pic !?  Thanks!

I had a Zirgo 16" electric fan give up on me last summer, and it rurned out that two other guys I know had the same fan go on them over a short period as well. I had it in the car, with a relay, for about 4-5 years.  What's the opinions on the best / most reliable ones out there?  Thanks!

Hey Folks!  A friend of mine up here in Victoria is trying to find the Anglia he built about 40 years ago!  Yeah, a long time ago, but he's been tracking it, and it's still out there as of a few years ago and supposedly still around.....somewhere!  Anyone seen it anywhere !!??? ( I hope the pics loaded!!??)

It turns out that the fenders I got with my 40 pickup in pieces are car fenders, so diferent from the truck ones! Has anyone used the car fenders, successfully, on a 40 pickup? What are the real diferences, aside from the obvious one around the running board area and only using one mounting hole on the cowl side? I also heard that the curve on the fender top is diferent so the pickup hood won't fit right on the car fenders. The whole scoop

hey Folks!  my project 40 Ford pickup is being built as a "barn find shop truck" with patina etc etc, so I'd like to use the stock gauges if poss to keep the "theme" and look. Anyone done this? Any problems with the readings ( 50lbs oil, bat , fuel, temp)?  What exactly is required to make the panel work with a 12 volt system?  It's running a SBC.  Thoughts??  Thanks again!

hey all!   On my '40 pickup I'm using an '82 T-Bird rack and a chev power steering pump, with the 350. Does anyone know what the thread / fitting sizes are in the inlet / outlet on the rack and on the pump? I've got to get new hoses made up so it'd be easier if I could just take the sizes to the industrial fittings guys!  The info would probably be good to have in other guys binders too! Thanks!

I'm putting a BW Super T-10 4 speed in the 40 pickup. Lined the arms up with a 1/4" drill bit thru the line up hole etc and set the rods up. 1,2,3,4 all work fine , but I can't get it to go into the reverse gate - not even an indication that it's there. Anyone got any idea what the problem could be, or know of a link where I could find the troubleshooting for this? I was thinking it might be to do with the two bolts, one front and one at the back of the shifter body, but not knowing anything about these shifters I don't want to mess with them and screw things up worse!

Hey all!  I'm putting a 300hp 350 SBC crate motor in my '40 pickup, and as it turns out I can "just" get a stock ( big) HEI distributor in there, but with the plug wires on the dist cups at the back of the dist are going to be "just" against the firewall..........SO........I'm thinking on going to a smaller aftermatket HEI dist. I've heard some horror stories about MSD and Mallory ones just giving up in the middle of nowehere, but I've heard other "good" stories about them going forever! I don't want to use the boxes etc, I just want an HEI dist in this one, but being as I drive my cars long distances often I want reliablility.....so the key word here is RELIABILITY.  Suggestions  Thanks!   Larry

On a '40 pickup there's the wood kit that the body sits on, but is there welting between the wood and the body? If so could rubber be used okay? Thanks!

I'm using a Borg Warner Super T-10 4 speed in my '40 PU and need a yoke to get a driveshaft made up. What yokes are interchangable with this trans? T'400 ? The T-350 ones are way too small. Suggestions???  Thanks!