[Parkman51]

Well, gentlemen, the fuel line is at last assembled...mostly. I ran out of hose clamps. Tomorrow! I took all of your advice, getting a metal fuel filter from AutoZone, and using a tubing cutter to cut the old fuel line to fit. Hopefully, a tight hose clamp will provide a sufficient seal simply on the bare pipe, though if you think it merits it I will flare the line to provide a bit of a more secure fit.



Next, in anticipation of the tires (hopefully tomorrow for real this time), I dismounted the wheels and cleaned them. It was a bit of a pickle to get the rear tires (215/75b15, being replaced with r15) out from under the partially enclosed fender, but in true Rachelsdad spirit, we solved the problem in the simplest way possible: by deflating the tires. I also took this highly convenient opportunity to wire-brush the rust off the wheels, where present, and paint. The Rustoleum almond color of spraypaint is certainly close enough to pass a casual inspection.



I also promised pictures of the windshield washer - see the following post for the lettering on the box (in the last stages of decay), and the paper that came with it.



Today's two questions:
1. Is there a better way to remount the tires, or will I have to deflate the new ones to get them in as well?

2. I see an entry in the 1955 shop manual for bleeding brakes, so I'll give that a try, but it doesn't say how to remove the drum. Do I pull, twist, or unscrew things from the back? Reading the brakes section indicates that one of the bolts back there is to the anchor pin, which I don't want to trifle with unless the brakes are improperly aligned.

[Parkman51]

Here's some additional pictures of the washer papers/packaging. This is going to be one of the last projects, because I don't need a fragile glass jar in there while I'm knocking about with tools.

[Onestone]

Originally Posted by camerjeff

I personally would not use a Plastic bodied inline fuel filter, I have seen them crack and leak in a short amount of time with heat cycles and vibration. I would get a all metal disposable one. Granted you can not visually verify fuel flow. Bet there is much less chance of an engine fire.

I am currently also restoring my '55 Pontiac, had the same idea. I used this fuel filter from Rockauto, its all metal:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...t=6200&jsn=594

Btw: I love this thread! I'm a mostly silent reader, but there is so much very good information here which helps me a lot too!

[Safari Larry]

You can remove the lead weights on rims and paint. When new tires are installed, tires will be balanced, and new weights will likely be different sizes and in different locations.

1. Get thinner tires. I'm not familiar with tire sizes today.

2. To remove rear drums, first ensure emergency brake is off. If there is a single bolt holding the drum, remove it. You should then be able to pull the drum off. If not, brakes may be adjusted too tight and need to be loosened. Or drum may be rusted where it contacts the protruding axle. Try some penetrating oil around where the drum contacts the axle. Some gentle pounding on the drum front side (careful not to hit studs) and on backside edge of drum may help.

To remove front drums, remove the dust cover, remove the cotter pin holding the nut, and remove the nut. Drum will pull off unless brakes are adjusted too tight.

[Rachelsdad]

Drum removal: What Larry said. I haven't looked at my '56's, yet, but if auto-adjusters are present, it will be necessary to push the adjuster outboard before backing off on the starwheel for the brake adjustment (and do get yourself a real brake adjusting tool vs a screwdriver for moving the starwheel; thank me later).

You can always tighten the brakes back up when you get the drums back on, so don't be shy about backing them way off if you find that you are having real difficulty wiggling the drums past the shoes. Bottom line: just keep rocking and pulling.

For the front, take care with the wheel bearings when you remove the nut and the washer. Inspect them for condition; replace if loose or if visibly chewed (I burned up a set of front bearings on the Bonneville on the PA Turnpike on my way to the POCI convention in Gettysburg in '80; the most ung-dly grinding sound you ever did hear. My dad and I got lucky the Sunday at the end of the convention and found a NAPA in town open which had bearings, and even luckier that there was a gas station nearby with a helpful attendant, because even though the shop guys were off for the weekend, he did us the favor of letting us use the roller jack and even pressing the bearing grease into the new bearings.)

Speaking of which... You should have some bearing grease on hand for the reassembly of the front drums to the spindles, too. I'm sure those bearings are sufficiently dry by now (and new ones will have never had grease on them).

Larry's advice about pulling back the boots on the wheel cylinders is spot-on. While you're looking things over, check for any missing or broken springs (either the retainers with the caps on them - retainer tool us another one for the toolbox - or the return springs). Metal ages.

Some people eschew white lithium grease for metal-to-metal moving assemblies (such as drum brake parts). I've always sworn by it. The point to be made is that unlubricated metal-on-metal is usually no joy. I'll let others expound, if necessary.

I don't mean to be too pedantic, but I figure it's better to assume you've had no experience with these things at all than to gloss over bits that with practice become "just part of the process."

[Jack Gifford]

Parkman- I can't tell from the pictures- is that an electric or a manual windshield washer?

[Parkman51]

Thank you all for your advice! I was able to get into the driver's front brake today and take a look around. Very interesting, to be sure!

My foolish self parked too close to the garage shelving to be able to easily access the passenger side of the car. For this reason, I'm going to learn (and do) all I can on the driver's side, then when the car can at least move under its own power, I'll pull it out and back it in, and catch up on all the delayed work on the other side.

So, the front brake: Removed (very beat-up) dust cap, extracted two cotter pins (one where it belongs, the other just floating around freely in the grease on the washer) and removed the nut (first photo). Removed brake shoe. Everything looked functional, if lightly rusted (second photo). Gently pried open the ends of the wheel cylinder, and no fluid, but a bunch of rust, dust, and crud (third photo. You can see on the top of the nut some of the junk that came out from under the cylinder.



Rachelsdad, thank you for assuming I know nothing. Usually you are right! I've always been someone who learns best when things are explained fully, so even if you're retreading old ground, it's valuable. I think I will repack the bearings with grease at some point, but they look pretty lubed up to me, so that will be a project for the future. You recommended a few tools - brake adjuster and retainer tool - a link or a photo is always helpful, so I know the sort of thing I'm looking for.

Jack, I'm pretty sure it's an electric washer. The install document I posted yesterday said that "the windshield wiper control also becomes your washer control. Push button and release to operate washer. Turn knob to operate wiper." This track with what I see in the car - there is a combination turn/pushbutton knob next to the headlight control, so I assume it was accessorized with the windshield washer at a very early date.

Today's two questions:
1. The front cylinder doesn't leak, but it also looks pretty old. Should I replace it? I assume the one on the passenger side is in the same shape, so I'll order parts for both, if so. The springs look a little rusty also, so same question there.
2. I wasn't able to get into the rear brake shoe. There were two bolts on the face of the shoe that I removed, and I checked that the emergency brake was off, but no luck. Do I need to remove that weird center bolt/axle cover, or whatever it is? And if so, what kind of crazy tool does that take?

[Safari Larry]

For brake tools, see https://www.amazon.com/Adjustment-Sp...BNBMVDXC&psc=1

1. As I see it you have two options on the wheel cylinders, your choice. (1) go ahead and replace or rebuild the wheel cylinders. (2) wait until you have checked other wheel cylinders. If any are leaking, then you need to rebuild or replace them. If none show any leaking, then you might be able to get by without rebuilding/replacing at this time. Should you choose this option, then you should recheck the brake cylinders for leaks after bleeding brakes. If brakes have not been applied for a long time, they might start leaking after bleeding.

2. That weird center part is the end of the axle. The drum comes off, and the axle stays in place. To check if shoes are dragging on the drum, take transmission out of R position (R is for reverse and is used for Park when engine not running). Then see if you can turn the drum. If it turns freely without much drag, then the shoes aren't holding it from coming off and the drum is just rusted on. It can be difficult to remove in that case. Try banging on the drum with a hammer between the studs, being careful not to damage studs. Pull from back edge of drum. This link will give you an idea of what the brake drum looks like when removed (similar but not same): https://www.ebay.com/itm/14394561666...3670eabb6f7917

[Parkman51]

New tires are on! A friend of the family came to Thanksgiving and left a few tools for me to play with - a tach-dwell meter and a timing light. Once I get the engine running reliably, and once I figure out what these do, we'll hook it up and see what there is to see.

I had to put the wheels back on today, since the car is under the attic access panel (and Christmas decorating will be in full swing tomorrow). Regardless, before I take it on the road, I'll check all the brakes and replace any leaky wheel cylinders. Brake season will probably come back around in a few weeks, once the master cylinder comes back.



No questions today, happy Thanksgiving!

[Rachelsdad]

Congrats on the tires and the toys!

For years (decades), I lived with a non-inductive timing light (my dad bought it in the late '60's, early '70's, along with the analog multimeter I have). I finally got myself an inductive timing light with integral tach a year ago, I guess.

Timing lights were much more useful when fuel was "as expected." They are still useful, particularly for beginning the timing process, but a good set of ears has to take precedence. We'll go into all of that in due course.

Now, I think you mentioned Pertronix, which takes the place of mechanical points. If that's the case, you likely won't be using your meter for dwell angle setting, but you can do lots more with it.

Last thought about your tires: ISTR some wide white fake sidewall things available at some point. If these are still available, they might get you the right look and save your budget. (For all I know, I might have seen them in a JC Whitney catalog in the 70's.... Until recently, wide whites haven't been "things" for me.) Edit: These are/were called "portawalls" or "Port-A-Walls" - I had to think on that for a couple of minutes.

[Parkman51]

Starter started having trouble again yesterday, so I pulled it again and (surprise) found that another wire had broken. So I replaced both of the remaining old wires and popped it back in, and it works again. Still, I plan to call some auto electric places and see how much it would be for them to take it apart and give it some love.

Worked on cleaning the whitewalls today also, and they're shining up nicely.

Rachelsdad, I don't think I mentioned Pertronix. I would guess I have mechanical points, but am not sure. We'll move towards tuning and timing once I'm sure that we're running reliably. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get fuel feeding from the tank.

[Jack Gifford]

Originally Posted by Rachelsdad

... ISTR some wide white fake sidewall things...

I've used Porto-walls back in the day. I don't recall wide-white ones ever being available. Mine were all about 1" whitewalls with about 1" black between the rim and the whitewall, to mimic whitewalls of the sixties.

[Parkman51]

As the starter needs attention (hopefully I'll find a place that can work on it next week), for the next few days I'll focus on the other necessary physical maintenance and the appearance. After all, no starter means no mechanics and no electrics, but I don't intend to waste time.

I've got the weatherstripping to finish, at minimum, and I've got to nose into the doors to clean and oil, and examine the internal rust. Oh, and I might look at the radio and speakers, since I assume the speakers need refoaming and much of the radio testing can happen on the workbench.

So, for today's two questions...
1. According to the manuals, you're only supposed to apply weatherstripping sealant to the bottom third of the doors. Assuming this is correct, why would it be so? Wouldn't it be better to have the whole thing sealed?
2. Other than the above, what are some other bits of physical/appearance maintenance I can perform while the rest of the car is napping?

[Rachelsdad]

Originally Posted by Jack Gifford

I've used Porto-walls back in the day. I don't recall wide-white ones ever being available. Mine were all about 1" whitewalls with about 1" black between the rim and the whitewall, to mimic whitewalls of the sixties.

Jack, I did a quick search around the net, and it appears that both 2" and even 3" Portowalls are available here and there (eBay, Amazon, etc.). Who knew?

Originally Posted by Parkman51

So, for today's two questions...
1. According to the manuals, you're only supposed to apply weatherstripping sealant to the bottom third of the doors. Assuming this is correct, why would it be so? Wouldn't it be better to have the whole thing sealed?
2. Other than the above, what are some other bits of physical/appearance maintenance I can perform while the rest of the car is napping?

Okay, so... It is fine to put adhesive all the way up and around. You don't want to over-do it, of course, as then you'll have some messy cleanup, but you want the seal to be tight against the door. As for why the manual says that, my only thought is that the bottom 1/3 was considered the bare minimum for the weatherstrip to seal, leaving the clips and screws (if any) to hold it in place. Ignore that, however; your thinking is correct.

As for other things to do, you could get under the front and check for play in the various steering components and grease things up. Be sure to clean the zerk fittings well first, so you don't push dirt into the joints with the grease. You want to put in enough grease to make the boot puff up (assuming there are grease boots at all on these cars), but not so much that it's blowing out all over the place. I use a pneumatic grease gun except for my silicone grease which I use for polyurethane bushings (irrelevant for this discussion). That said, a decent hand-operated gun should do fine. Get the right sized tubes for the gun, of course (or vice-versa). Good use of your downtime. Edit: Looking at the ship manual now, I see that my prior mention of zerk fittings and such seems to have been off-base, as I can't even find points to grease. (Guys, a little help here?) It does seem like (and ISTR) wear may occur in the kingpin bushings, so the wheel-wobble would help identify that. Again, I'm somewhat out of my depth WRT kingpin suspensions, so I'll need to defer to those who know.

Back to Pertronix for a moment: I may have been thinking of a different thread. Honestly, at least for pedagogical purposes, I'd stick with points and condenser for now. You can always upgrade the ignition at a later date, and learning - and applying - the theory of how these things work is valuable in and of itself.

[Parkman51]

Today I made preparations for weatherstrip install - I still have to paint the driver's rear door (a tomorrow project) and I do want to do the rear door first - less pressure if I mess up, more learning experience.

I also started digging into the dash. I can't call any starter places until tomorrow, so I might as well get started on excavating things that will need attention (radio, speaker assembly, and the clock isn't working either). I began with the speaker assembly, but it turned into more of a project than I expected, and there was one truly inconvenient screw that stymied me entirely. I'll come back to it with a fresh eye and get it out.

As part of this process, I removed the speaker grille, and dug out the broken attachments for the 'Pontiac' script. Thankfully, the 'Star Chief' is intact, and CPR looks like they have a good replacement (https://www.pontiacparts.net/product...plate-pontiac/).



Rachelsdad, great advice. I'll seal the whole weatherstrip. It looks like the routine greasing is in the General Lubrication section of the shop manual, and I have seen what I'm pretty sure are grease fittings under the car while I've been rooting around down there. Will have to get a grease gun.

Today's one question:
1. What kind of grease?

[Bill Hanlon]

Just about any #2 grease will be a better product than was available in the 1950s.

When you get a grease gun I recommend throwing away the coupling and replacing it with one of these. https://locknlube.com/products/lockn...42029097025620
It'll probably cost more than your grease gun, but it will save you time and a lot of effort, especially on joints that haven't been serviced this century.

[Rachelsdad]

Wow, Bill! I wholeheartedly agree; what a great coupler that seems to be. I'm going to get me one of them for my pneumatic gun. Invariably, while fighting to get the thing to disconnect from a particularly ornery zerk, it pops free, and I wind up hitting the button in the excitement and shooting the stuff either across the floor, onto the underside of the car, or worse (on myself).

Indeed, looks like a real frustration saver!

[Bill Hanlon]

I still use a manual gun. On a stubborn zerk it needs at least 3 hands. Sometimes 4.

[Parkman51]

Great ideas, all. I'll schedule a hardware store run to pick up a grease gun and a tube or two of #2 grease, somewhere in the future.

Only a little bit of work today, I bought some adhesive solvent and cleaned the driver's side doors, then primed and painted the rusted section on the bottom of the rear door.

Tomorrow I plan to take the starter in to a reputable electrics shop for a rebuild, then mount some weatherstripping!

Today's two questions:
1. The manuals say to cut the weatherstripping to fit and then use some adhesive to create a butt joint, some research I did online indicated that it's preferable to create a non-contiguous overlap of about a half inch. What type of connection to use, and where should it be located on the door?
2. I've been long meaning to order a bunch of rubber stops and bumpers, but most places are quite expensive for tiny rubber parts. I'm looking at Ames and Steele Rubber, any other places I should look?

[Safari Larry]

1. I would follow instructions in the 1955 Fisher Body Manual, secction 2 (LINK). You won't be able to overlap. Per the manual, you create the butt joint at a specific place at bottom of door. You use adhesive only across bottom and a short distance up front and back. The rest of it, you just clip in. That will make it easier.

Here is my installation of weatherstrip on my Safari door, hardtop style, not sedan.



A friend that had a business restoring cars helped me. We installed a short section at a time with adhesive and taped it. then moved on to go all around the door. Per the instructions, you will not be using adhesive up the sides like we did.

2. I always check with CPR first, I've found prices are sometimes a little better than Ames, but occasionally a little higher. Prices for rubber bumpers will probably be close (also expensive).