Messages

I remember when the Model T swapmeet was in an old school football field just off of Hwy 101 down in Long Beach. It shortly thereafter went to (I think) Long Beach State College parking lot.............jb

I been wondering too.

I sent him an e-mail....maybe it will get his attention..........jb exsedan

Wonder what the final outcome to this problem turned out to be??..............jb EXSEDAN

Once had a similar annoying "shake" in the front of a '36 Ford with a MII. Turned out to be an out of balance rotor. Found it by removing all of the grease from the rotor and the bearings, then reinstalling the rotor without the grease seal or grease with the nut being just barely finger tight. Spun the rotor just slightly and observed where it stopped and marked the bottom with a ink mark. It stopped in the same place each time and was out of balance enough that you could turn the rotor 90 degrees and the heavy spot would return to the bottom each time. Might give it a try, it's a free and simple check.............EXSEDAN

Yup, you guessed it, it is a RF problem.

Here's my story on the fix:

At about 80K miles, my tranny started to "hunt" driving down the road in a "no load" condition. The tach would increase about 300 rpm and then immediately go back to the "lock-up' condition.

The problem was reported by MANY folks and Dodge was replacing all sorts of torque converters, trannys, etc. They really had no idea as to the problem and were just "shot-gunning" the situation to shut people up. None of the Dodge supplied fixes worked for me.

Now, I did not figure the fix out by myself, there were probably a hundred guys on one of the Turbo Diesel sites that were all comparing notes and trying to come up with an answer. I have a friend that is an excellent tranny guy and has been in business for 25+ years and he put his "super whammy" computer in my truck and we drove around for a half hour and all we could find was a "false signal to the torque converter lock/unlock".

I started looking for something that would "send a false signal".

Finally, a couple of the guys who had tried everything that had been suggested and/or tried in the past came up with the fix by shielding the large ground wire that passes near the rear of the alternator.

This wire is a ground that comes from the engine control module, runs down the length of the engine and then over to the ground location that is under the second battery (the one on the passenger side).

This wire is in a bundle that is routed right past the rear of the alternator. Here's what happens.......the batteries are most likely not new, and the alternator has about 80K-90K miles on it and it is starting to labor a bit to keep up with the required electrical load. EVERY time that the regulator triggers the alternator to increase the output, there is a RF signal that is picked up by that long black wire (spelled ANTENNA) running along the alternator case which in turn sends a signal to the ECM and tells it to "unlock the converter".

All that is necessary is to shield the wire with aluminum foil and the problem is fixed. I always like the system to look like it was never touched, so I rewrap the bundle so it also "looks neat".

I have fixed a bunch of these for all of my friends and have not had one return with the problem recurring. Most of these were trucks that had never had any prior problem or attempt to fix the problem. So, I am sure that this is the only repair necessary.

I think that the years involved were 1998 thru 2000 (maybe even to 2002).

Glad that the info was of service to you.

Tell your friend that an excellent site for the Dodge Turbo Diesel is "TURBO DIESEL REGISTER". These folks know what is happening with the Dodges.

Later...........jb EXSEDAN

HOT......was 101 at 5:00pm this evening at our little cruise night at MacDonalds. Looked as if it would rain any minute, but only a few drops.

I mostly lurk, but if something comes along that I have had real experience with, I may chime in. Not too often though. I fought the torque converter on my Dodge for about two+ years and $2,000.00+. If I can pass that info to someone so that Dodge gets cut out of the money, then I am happy to do so. Is a simple fix to a simple problem with a very long explanation. Dodge had no idea what-so-ever what the problem was/is.

I thought you might call if you were at the LA Roadster Show. I could always drive up to Ash Fork for a trip to Williams for lunch.

Later........jb EXSEDAN

I had a 1998 1/2 24 valve Cummings in a 3500 dually and chased the same problem for a couple of years and several hundreds of dollars.

Try this simple fix (I have fixed a bunch of Dodge trucks with this one):

There is a wire bundle that goes across the rear of the alternator, from the area in front of the engine. Some of the wires go to the alternator, the remaining go on across into the area of the second battery.

Unwrap that bundle and find the large black wire with a tan stripe.

Wrap that one wire with ALUMINUM FOIL from the front of the engine to as near the second battery as possible. You can then re-wrap the bundle with black electrical tape and nobody will know it has been touched.

Takes about 10 minutes and has always worked.

Go test drive it and see. If it works for you, i'll explain why/how...........jb EXSEDAN

Hey Sum,

Nice presentation. Going to be a nice piece........John (EXSEDAN)

Lookin' Good....................jb EXSEDAN

The parts I bought are the portion that screws to the windshield frame (the actual sun visor). Havn't seen any of the latch assemblies........jb exsedan

I just recently bought some off of e-bay for my  '62 F-85 Convert. They were in the SUN VISOR parts section, as the hold down is part of the visor assembly. Paid $9.00 for the pair. Seems that they are the same part for Buick, Olds, Pontiac and Corvair. Was told that they are very hard to find, but found them on e-bay the very next day.................jb exsedan

I took a peek.......jb  EXSEDAN

This announcement was sent to me this evening. Another of our Rodding Icons passes on. He will surely be missed by all...........jb EXSEDAN

From: SEMA  
Date sent 03/23/2007 07:03:33 pm  
Subject: Breaking News  



March 23, 2007

Robert E. Petersen, Founder of Hot Rod, Motor Trend Magazines and Benefactor of the Petersen Automotive Museum Passes On at 80

Robert E. Petersen, an entrepreneur who single-handedly created the largest special-interest publishing company in America, was instrumental in the evolution of the hot-rodding culture, and who, with his wife Margie, realized his dream of establishing an educational museum to pay tribute to the automobile, died on Friday, March 23, at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. after a short but valiant battle with neuroendocrine cancer. He was 80.

"Mr. Petersen helped create and feed the American obsession with the automobile, delivering gasoline-powered dreams to the mailboxes of millions," said * Messer, Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. "He understood the thrill that an average person could get from seeing and reading about horsepower as an art form."

A native of Southern California, Mr. Petersen's mother passed away when he was 10, leaving him with his Danish-immigrant father, who worked as a truck and equipment mechanic. As a young man he picked up his father's skills, learning to weld, de-coke engines, and hone his fascination with cars.

After graduating from Barstow High School in the mid-1940s, he moved to Los Angeles, working at MGM studios as a messenger boy. Following service in the Army Air Corps toward the end of Word War II, Mr. Petersen, now an independent publicist immersed in the burgeoning customized auto culture of California, was instrumental in creating the first hot-rod show at the Los Angeles Armory. To help establish the event, in January 1948 he launched Hot Rod Magazine, and hawked the magazine at local speedways for 25 cents a copy. Motor Trend, a more upscale publication for production car enthusiasts, and dozens of other titles aimed at specialty automotive segments soon followed.

Mr. Petersen spent decades as Chairman of the Board of Petersen Publishing Company, which was at one time America's leading publisher of special-interest consumer magazines and books before its sale to private investors in August 1996. Among its other diverse successful titles are Teen, Sport, Rod & Custom, and Guns & Ammo. He also headed a wide variety of other businesses including ammunition manufacturing, real estate development and aviation services that each reflected another passion he shared.

Firmly established as an American success story, Mr. Petersen had one lasting vision: an educational museum to pay tribute to the automobile. On June 11, 1994, the lifelong dream of Robert E. Petersen was fulfilled with the opening of a 300,000-square-foot automotive museum named in his honor, made possible by his $30 million endowment.

Today the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles stands as the nation's premiere automotive museum, serving thousands of visitors each year. Its mission remains to educate and excite generations of auto enthusiasts with the fascinating stories, vehicles and people that have influenced the American love affair with the automobile – a mission that has been a resounding success thanks to the generosity of its main benefactor.

In addition to his noted auto collection, Mr. Petersen also developed a keen interest in sport shooting. He served as Shooting Sports Commissioner for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where he was responsible for building that venue from an old dairy farm within six months.

Mr. Petersen served as president and chairman of the board of the Boys' and Girls' Club of Hollywood, and was a member of the National Board of Directors for the Boys' and Girls' Club of America. He was active in support of numerous children's charities and also served as a member for the Los Angeles City Library Commission.

Both he and his wife have been major contributors to the Music Center of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Additionally, he was a founding member of the Thalians social society, which raises money for the Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. His ongoing contributions to the community earned him numerous special citations from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and Los Angeles City Council.

Mr. Petersen was to be honored with both the 'Automotive Icon' and 'Visionary' awards at the Petersen museum's annual gala on May 10. The ceremony will now be held as a tribute to Mr. Petersen and his contributions to the institution and community.

"What made him so special was that he gave every ounce of his energy and abilities to his dreams. He was a quiet man who truly became an American icon," the Petersen museum's Messer said. "He made his living doing things he loved and he found success at every turn. The way he lived his life, always looking for ways to give back in return for the success he enjoyed, made you proud to count him as a friend. The museum is now his legacy."

He is survived by his wife, Margie. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to the Petersen Automotive Museum or the charity of the person's choice in his honor. Funeral mass will be held Thursday, March 29, at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Joe Molina
JMPR Public Relations, Inc.
(818) 606-0922 (cell)
(818) 992-4353 ext. 11
jmolina@jmprpublicrelations.com

Now there is a contender for the "tech tip" of the month.......jb

I think if you can find someone with an interchange manual,  that the '60-'61 Chevy, Olds, Buick and Pontiac "bubble top" sheetmetal, posts, glass and associated parts were all the same. Sure is worth a try.

All I can find are some pics in a book and they look the same. I am helping a friend on a '60 Olds hardtop and the '60 stuff is all the same.................EXSEDAN