[Jack Gifford]

The "connector" in the 3rd photo is one of those hated aftermarket items to tap a second wire into an existing wire. Never used by manufacturers, they typically cut into some of the strands of a stranded wire, reducing its load carrying ability.

[Parkman51]

I got it, I got it! And it was SO DUMB the whole time, of course it would be:

The trunk light being on fuse 3 instead of fuse 9 was the key to the whole problem. Obviously, since that is true, a modification must have been made to the wiring at some point, since that no longer adheres to the diagram. This would immediately explain why there are TWO wires going to the trunk - one is the original wire, now out of service for some reason, and one is the replacement wire, connected to the taillight circuit.

Since this fuse issue occurred almost at the same time I figured out the trunk light the first time, it dawned on me that something must have happened to the old trunk wire that was now shorting the circuit. I investigate - and lo and behold, the old trunk wire had snapped under the trunk lid hinge, so that when I closed the trunk, the live end of the wire touched the hinge, shorting the circuit.

So I clipped the end of the wire flush and taped it, labeling it appropriately (so that I can rewire the trunk light correctly in the future), and inserted the last remaining fuse in the 4-pack I purchased - and everything worked!

And yes, Jack, I've added 'rewire trunk light' to the list of Things to Do. I highly disapprove of such high-handed and inefficient doings, especially when you lose functionality over it (the trunk light SHOULD always come on when the trunk is open, not just when the parking lights are on).

[Parkman51]

Today's two questions:
1) What fuse/circuit should I connect the electric wiper motor to? I checked the '56 shop manual, but didn't see a wiring diagram for it.
2) Can I modify my existing wiper switch to work with the electric motor? It already has the necessary hookups for the vacuum washer, and using a new electric switch would, I assume, require modifications to that system.

[Parkman51]

So...
Maybe all the clock needed was oiling. I fully removed the mechanism today and inspected it (ingenious, in the traditionally understated 1950s analog way).

After studying it for an hour or so, and being more impressed the more I looked, and after I gently scraped the contacts (which looked to be in pretty good shape), the WD-40 had penetrated its way everywhere it needed to, and it was ticking somewhat reliably. Back into the car it went, and when I reconnected the fuse, I heard the happy little whirr of the winding mechanism, and now the car ticks like a time bomb. I'm going to leave it overnight, and if it's still running tomorrow, I'll put the securing bends back into the case and make all fast.

A note of history. This clock was made, according to the stamp on the back of the case, by the New Haven Clock and Watch Company, which was formed in 1853, and remained in business until filing for bankruptcy in 1956. The company was finally broken up in 1960.



See yesterday's post for questions.

[Safari Larry]

Good job on getting the clock working! You are doing great with solving problems.

Originally Posted by Parkman51

1) What fuse/circuit should I connect the electric wiper motor to? I checked the '56 shop manual, but didn't see a wiring diagram for it.

According to the 56 Shop Manual, the electric wipers are not connected to any existing fuse but use a 30 amp inline fuse. Instructions for your electric wiper should tell you what amperage you should use. I think you want to connect it to the ignition ACC circuit so that they work only when the ignition is turned on. Probably the easiest place to attach it would be at the ACC contact on the ignition switch. Or you could attach it to the backside (FEED SIDE) of the fuse panel at the yellow wire.

2) Can I modify my existing wiper switch to work with the electric motor? It already has the necessary hookups for the vacuum washer, and using a new electric switch would, I assume, require modifications to that system.

I don't know. For 56, the same vacuum switch was used for the electric wiper motor. I suspect 55 used the same wiper switch as 56. Your wiper motor may be different than the original 56 Pontiac wiper motor.

[Safari Larry]

I looked up the wiper switch in the Master Parts Catalog and different switches were used in 55/56.

[Bill Hanlon]

One more thing about the clock ....

Some of the clocks of this era had a feature where if you set the clock forward it would slightly speed up the mechanism because it assumed the clock was running slow. If you set the clock backward it would slightly slow down the mechanism because it assumed the clock was running fast. Don't know for sure that 55 Pontiac clocks work this way, but many of the era did.

[Parkman51]

Good news today! I took a short drive around the neighborhood, and almost everything worked properly.

Two things did not: first, the speedometer (which for obvious reasons has been heretofore untested) - it bounced/jittered around wildly instead of reading a consistent speed, like it was partially sticking.

Second, the car has to be cranked for a long time before it starts. I don't mean it thinks about starting for a while and just needs to get warm, no, when it gets gas it catches and comes to life with an endearing enthusiasm - but it takes a good ten seconds at least of cranking for it to get there.

Update on the clock: it's not all-the-way fixed, because it still stops sometimes, but it did run for five hours straight last night, and a tap on the face started it again. So that's close enough for now, and it'll go on the longer-term project list. Bill, the mechanism looked simple enough not to have the auto-increase/auto-decrease ability, but I can't be sure.

Update on the wiper motor: the 55 and 56 switches seems to be one of those odd parts that no one really seems to have. I think I'm first going to see if I can figure out a way to run the electric motor off the original analog extension wire, but that is quite far out of my wheelhouse, so we'll see if I come up with a better idea after sitting on it for a few days.

Today's two questions:
1) How do I fix the speedometer?
2) What's going on with the long crank, and what should I do to address that?

[Jack Gifford]

1) Look first at the speedometer cable. Maybe first disconnect the cable from the speedometer and drive the car (or jack up a rear wheel and run it in gear) and feel whether the cable's speedometer end rotates smoothly.
2) Does pumping the throttle affect the long cranking time?

[Safari Larry]

Good suggestions by Jack. Regarding speedometer, see Shop Manual, page 12-42. Understand how the speedometer works. Under the heading PERIODIC SERVICE, see instructions for lubricating the cable. That will likely cure your problem.

You can remove and lubricate the cable without removing the cable housing. You should be able to pull the cable out of the housing from either end, at the speedometer or at the transmission. Lubricate the cable and reinsert. You can test that the cable turns freely at the transmission by turning it.

[Bill Hanlon]

Originally Posted by Parkman51

Bill, the mechanism looked simple enough not to have the auto-increase/auto-decrease ability, but I can't be sure.

If the clock has an adjustment screw on the face it does not auto adjust. Is that a tiny screw on the outer rim at the 6 o'clock position?

[Parkman51]

I removed the speedometer cable from its housing to lubricate it, but before doing so, I used the shop manual's recommended test to see if there was a kink. While no kink was apparent from a visual inspection, the cable has an unambiguous "flop" to it, in that it has one orientation in which it plainly prefers to lie. I take this to mean that the cable is in fact kinked and should be replaced. Thankfully, there seems to be a suitable replacement in stock at a nearby store, so I'll pick that up tomorrow as well as some white lithium grease to lubricate it as I replace it.

The clock is going strong - a full day of nonstop running after I bolted it back in, and it only lost about an hour. So, I tweaked that tiny adjustment screw located below the 6 on the face, and we'll see what happens.

Plus, I have a very interesting idea on how to run the windshield wiper with the original switch. I'll update you if that plan matures.

Today's two questions:
1) Anyone know off the top of their head what size bore the front wheel cylinders are? The front passenger brake is the one that's not working (the one that didn't bleed when I was bleeding the brakes), and I figure replacing the wheel cylinder is a good starting point. And if the answer is "it varies," I assume I'm to measure the diameter of the rod that exits the wheel cylinder, correct?
2) What insurance companies do you use? Are there companies that will insure both classic and non-classic cars?

[Bill Hanlon]

Don't know the size of the wheel cylinders, but RockAuto is a good source of aftermarket part numbers. I don't understand why they show various sizes though.

Click https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+cylinder,1952

Here is what the 1960 Pontiac MPC says about wheel cylinder sizes and part numbers.

[Safari Larry]

Here's another source for wheel cylinders.

https://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/19..._cylinder.html

[Jack Gifford]

There are other insurers, but I've used J.C.Taylor for many years. I've only had one claim from them, when my '17 Buick got hit while making a turn. They paid me the $11,000 I had in the car, and let me keep the car.

[Onestone]

Originally Posted by Parkman51

Today's two questions:
2) Can I modify my existing wiper switch to work with the electric motor? It already has the necessary hookups for the vacuum washer, and using a new electric switch would, I assume, require modifications to that system.

Originally Posted by Safari Larry

I don't know. For 56, the same vacuum switch was used for the electric wiper motor. I suspect 55 used the same wiper switch as 56. Your wiper motor may be different than the original 56 Pontiac wiper motor.

Hi Parkman, I had the same issue in my ongoing restoration: I wanted to use the original (vacuum) wiper switch with the electrical motor. Since parts are very hard to get here in Germany, I modified the original vacuum wiper switch to still use it with the electrical wiper motor and keep the original look.

Take a look here in my thread, there are pictures and also a small video how it works:

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...8&postcount=14

In fact I constructed an adapter for the backside and 3D-printed it, and the two small switches are from Amazon for around 10EUR. A few small screws and a stopper from a bike brake cable - that was the whole magic

I can send you the 3d-printfiles if you like to do it the same way, it works very good.

[Safari Larry]

Top for your air cleaner now up for bid on ebay. Surface rust but I don't see any dents. These are hard to find.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/28707019322...3223&recoPos=4

[Parkman51]

More progress today.

The clock: now correctly regulated (hasn't lost or gained a minute since I tweaked it earlier today) has been running for two or three days at this point. Mission successful!

The speedometer: another brief run around the neighborhood demonstrates that it is not improved at all. After the run I took off the connection at the transmission, and tried to turn the cable from there, but it was so stiff that I could not do it at all by hand.

The brakes: I now have brake fluid leaking from the rear passenger wheel without visible cause. I'll take the wheel off tomorrow and look, but I expect a blown wheel cylinder.

The weatherstripping: after today's exercise I backed the car into the garage and removed the old weatherstrip from the rear passenger door. The passenger weatherstripping will be a project for the next week of evenings, I suspect.

Today's two questions, therefore...
1) if it's not a kinked or dry cable, what else could be causing the bouncy/jittering speedometer? Did I not use enough grease, and I should just load it up instead of the thin coat I tried previously? I noticed that the "collar" on the cable is on the speedometer side instead of the transmission side, if that matters.
2) Before I order a new rear wheel cylinder and brake hose, is there anything else that could cause a brake fluid leak from the inside of the wheel?

[Jack Gifford]

With the cable removed from the speedometer is the speedometer also difficult to turn? Use something that simulates the square cable end, maybe a small screwdriver. If the speedometer turns easily, then a new cable is needed. And possibly the cable sheath also.

[Bill Hanlon]

Originally Posted by Parkman51

More progress today.
The speedometer: another brief run around the neighborhood demonstrates that it is not improved at all. After the run I took off the connection at the transmission, and tried to turn the cable from there, but it was so stiff that I could not do it at all by hand.

This is memories from working on speedometer cables in the early 1960s, so it may not be correct:

I think the "collar" is supposed to be on the speedometer end like yours is and therefore the cable "loads" into the sheath from under the dash.

Try disconnecting both ends of the cable and see if it is easy to turn. It should be. If it turns easy the problem is in the speedometer. If not the cable is causing grief.

I remember using powdered graphite, not "grease" on speedo cables. Grease tends to get sticky after a few decades. I don't know how to remove the grease.