project 1951 Pontiac Chieftain

[PhilA]

Another cold morning. -5 today.

Car started on first push of the button. Not bad, though the electric fuel pump has apparently given up.

Phil

[hairnet]

you can hand prime it as car goes along right?

*runs

[PhilA]

Turns out it was just a bad connection on the fuse. Cleaned that up and it works nicely again.

Didn't want to start this morning. Eventually it did after adjusting the auto choke; also probably no fuel didn't help.

This is the last evidence also of the speedometer working, it suddenly dropped to zero and the odometer quit turning. Either the drive gear has stripped or the cable has broken. Or both.  Investigation to follow on that.

 

Phil

[PhilA]

Fun day today. Parked up on the side of the highway for the Mardi Gras parade.

Fun time was has by all.

Marching band

Floats, music

Car gathered many beads.

 

Phil

[PhilA]

Been fairly quiet here. Speedometer quit working so I ordered a new cable.

Took the plates off to get the old one out. It still turned but the gearbox end had lost the flats on the end of the cable and was just spinning in the gear.

Put the new one in.

Speedometer resumed service, which was nice.

Also replaced the rear UJ which was getting noisy.

Adjusted up the gearbox to throttle linkage better and got the gear shift points better suited to the throttle position. It was holding gear far too long before.

Went out a few places. Picked up roast beef poboys for dinner.

Went to a little get together in town also. That was fun.

 

Phil

[hairnet]

3 hours ago, PhilA said:

 

Went out a few places. Picked up roast beef poboys for dinner.

 

 

bassa

[hairnet]

[DSdriver]

3 hours ago, PhilA said:

Been fairly quiet here. Speedometer quit working so I ordered a new cable.

Took the plates off to get the old one out. It still turned but the gearbox end had lost the flats on the end of the cable and was just spinning in the gear.

Put the new one in.

Speedometer resumed service, which was nice.

Also replaced the rear UJ which was getting noisy.

 

 

Phil

Shouldn't there be C clips holding that bearing cup in?

[PhilA]

1 hour ago, DSdriver said:

Shouldn't there be C clips holding that bearing cup in?

There are, they are on the inside edge.

[LightBulbFun]

glad to hear the old boat is still giving reliable service  

following on from my comment in @Zelandeth's thread on the miles his trabant has clocked up in just a year on the forum, I am curious do you know much/any millage history of the Chieftain?

you have owned it coming up to 6(!) years now, so I have to wonder how many miles has it done in those 6 years and how does that milage compare to the 6 years before your ownership if you have the data to make such a comparison? 

 

 

[PhilA]

19 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

glad to hear the old boat is still giving reliable service  

following on from my comment in @Zelandeth's thread on the miles his trabant has clocked up in just a year on the forum, I am curious do you know much/any millage history of the Chieftain?

you have owned it coming up to 6(!) years now, so I have to wonder how many miles has it done in those 6 years and how does that milage compare to the 6 years before your ownership if you have the data to make such a comparison? 

 

 

No prior but I've done 13,133 recorded miles in it.

Odo is missing maybe 150 miles from the last few weeks where the cable broke.

 

Phil

[PhilA]

Alternator bracket broke.

So. Now that I have a welding machine, out it came.

Zort, crackle.

All back on.

In place and working again, with oil and grease done at the same time for good measure.

 

Phil

[PhilA]

Scrub scrub.

Turd: polished.

Got a do in town on Friday and it was looking a bit scruffy so dusted off the polishing machine and got to work.

[hairnet]

On 22/03/2024 at 01:55, PhilA said:

 but I've done 13,133 recorded miles in it.

 

😭

[PhilA]

Went put fuel.

Tonight there are flies.

 

Arse.

[Zelandeth]

8 hours ago, PhilA said:

Went put fuel.

Tonight there are flies.

 

Arse.

I never quite understood why having the facilities to clean your windscreen was so common at fuel pumps in the US - right up until the first time I drove at night in the Mid West!  

Ah, so THAT is why it's so common.  So...many...bugs...

[PhilA]

Fitted a new muffler, which makes highway travel much more pleasant. 

Photogenic mornings are upon us though. 

 

Phil

[Jenson Velcro]

For anyone wanting to be like @PhilA, and why wouldn’t you, check this out.

ntdwm.

[Rocket88]

Same site, more money, less pain!

[Garythesnail]

I'll give this a watch later....

 

[PhilA]

Haven't been doing much with the car lately. 

Mostly because it wouldn't start.

Today I pulled the starter out. 

The new brushes hadn't bedded in well.

Cleaned all that up and reassembled it. 

Now it drives again. Needs a tune up.

[PhilA]

Went out, got caught in a light shower. 

Car leaks like a sieve. 

 

Phil

[PhilA]

Weather was nice so went to the meeting in town. Not many people showed so we had breakfast and carried in into the city. 

Or, at least, tried to. 

Got to sit and stare at this for an hour because there was road work. 

Car did ok. Went into the city and people were hollering and taking pictures. 

The only car painted in a color in the whole row... There was a Cybertruck in front of me, being ignored as I was videoed.

Need to check the rear right wheel bearing, adjust the brakes because the shoes have worn in a bit, and I think possibly pull the transmission and double check my work from when I rebuilt it because it's still being an ass in traffic- it gave me neutral instead of 4th twice in New Orleans, and in the exact same stretch of road changed gear perfectly. Inconsistency is annoying. 

 

Phil

[PhilA]

Cleaned the chrome up front. 

That's not easy, chrome is a pain.

[hairnet]

[PhilA]

I miss my garage.

[2flags]

What happened to your garage? Did a storm do for it?

[PhilA]

15 hours ago, 2flags said:

What happened to your garage? Did a storm do for it?

Yup. Hurricane Ida, a few years back spawned a tornado that came up the street. Flattened 3/4 of it.

Big 1300 sqft building, insurance refused to cover it, claiming $50k+ to rebuild.

[2flags]

What excuse did they give for refusing the claim? that it would eat into that year's bonus for the CEO? Any chance of you rebuilding it yourself?

[PhilA]

19 minutes ago, 2flags said:

What excuse did they give for refusing the claim? that it would eat into that year's bonus for the CEO? Any chance of you rebuilding it yourself?

In excess of external building coverage. Basically my insurance agent screwed up and didn't underwrite the property correctly. I had asked them to and they... Didn't.

I don't know if I'll be able to put a new building up, I just sunk a bunch of money into electrical upgrade on the house (whole house generator, automatic start/transfer) so it's not high on the list. I still need to tear the last of it down, what was my workshop in the northern lean-to is the last part of it standing but the weather's starting to get to it. I still have stuff stored in there though. My problem is because more than 30% of the original building, put up in the 50's was destroyed, I have to start over and get a new design approved and permits to build it. The old structure was sound enough, but a barn will never stand up to a direct tornado hit.

There's also gotta be something about the way the land here is because you know how they say lightning never strikes twice in the same place, same is said for tornadoes due to their very random nature, however I've had at least 4 come through the yard between the shed and the house in the time we've lived here. 

 

Way it goes with the weather.