[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.

[TXSTARFIRE]

I also remember the collar being at the speedo head end. I have removed the core and used solvent on a rag to remove old hard lube from the core. I have a tube of AC Delco speedo cable lube, it is a thin grease of some type. Not sure what would be best to use if you dont have it.

[Sirrotica]

For years I've used Lubriplate white lithium grease to lube speedometer cables, and yes you need to remove the cable from the speedometer end because there is a shoulder on the top of the cable that prohibits it coming out the bottom (transmission end).

Unless the car has tons of miles on it the housings usually stand up fairly well, 9 out of 10 times all they need is cleaned up, and re-lubricated to return to like new operation.

I used to have a tool that allowed you to lube them from the bottom end. basically a transmission drive adapter with a grease fitting that allowed you to inject fresh grease from a manual grease gun into the cable. I tried it a couple times, but got less than stellar results with it and deferred to the conventional removal from the top end, clean the cable and reinstall it with Lubriplate grease.

[Onestone]

Very nice to read that your car now is driveable! I'm always reading your thread, helps me very much with my own restoration.

Where did you get these nice Pontiac scripts for your speaker grill, CPR? How is the quality?

3D-printing really is a gamechanger these days, especially for old cars restorations

[Parkman51]

Good to hear from you, Onestone! I'm watching your project as well. Got the script from CPR, at this link https://www.pontiacparts.net/product...plate-pontiac/. The quality is great, honestly strikes me as better than the original Star Chief script that remains.

Once the radiator gets repaired, there are a few more leaks to chase and a few more projects to tackle, like changing the spark plugs and timing the engine.

[Parkman51]

I'm back!

And so is the car. The reason it was out for so long was the Radiator Saga: Allow me to regale you with the sequence of events:

- On the drive to the shop, it sprang a coolant leak, which I mentioned when I got there.
-- It ended up being a leaky radiator core, which is impossible to fix with duct tape and good wishes, so it was sent out to a local radiator shop for a repair quote.
- The local shop gave me three different options, costing between $1700 and $2500.
- Once I was done spluttering, I thanked them and said I'd do some research. Research led me to a company that offers refurbished and drop-in replacements for a variety of classic cars, so I ordered one ($500).
- Unfortunately, the radiator that arrived at the shop was the wrong one. So I got on the phone with the supplier to figure out what gives.
- Turns out, that was the No-A/C version, not the With-A/C version, and since A/C was an uncommon option for this car, they didn't have a drop-in replacement. They credited me for the incorrect one, and offered to rebuild my existing unit ($1100 including shipping), to which I said Yes.
- They did a thorough and comprehensive job (testing the tanks, sandblasting, recoring, refinishing), which took about a month - last week it came back in, and this week I drove the car home.

When I got home, I walked around the front of the car to find a spreading puddle of coolant.

On the list of things to do, among sundry others:
1. Check for & fix small fuel leaks at the gas tank drain and outlet port
2. Thorough exterior cleaning (got rained on)
3. Reinstall repaired and upgraded radio (original electronics repaired, fully removable no-footprint FM chip installed)
4. Investigate possible transmission fluid leak (likely a bad gasket. CPR's website is down for some reason, so I couldn't check if they have a replacement)
5. Replace under-hood light bulb with LED
6. Begin testing the A/C system (by...turning it on, I guess? I know almost nothing about refrigeration, so I'll take any recommendations you guys have. What and how should I test?).

And, of course, be grateful that the puddle of coolant seems to have come from the overflow line, indicating that the radiator was simply overfilled (likely, since when I opened the radiator today, it was full). It's good to be back!

[Parkman51]

Took the car out for a proper drive a few days ago, and by and large, it performed admirably. Two action items: first, I have to adjust the brakes a bit - they pull to one side slightly and aren't as responsive as I'd like. Second, I've sprouted what I believe to be a coolant leak. That's being worked on now.

In addition to that, I shipped the radio off to a guy who specializes in classic car radios - I plan to have him repair the AM equipment so that it functions stock, and add one of those drop-in "ghost" FM chips. That way, I can return the radio to original condition at will, but I'll also have FM, which is what I mostly listen to.

Then I also ordered a replacement "Pontiac" script for the speaker grill, you may remember that was missing. It didn't come with the clips to hold it in, so I 3D printed 3 ring washers out of some rubber-like filament, and those hold it in admirably.

[Bill Hanlon]

Don't know where you are located. When I lived in Houston I took my '57 GMC speedometer to http://www.usande.com/
They did a good job for not a lot of money. They are still there.

[Safari Larry]

What I would do... Remove the speedometer and take it apart and see what you can find. It may only need cleaning. Gears in it turn the odometer and may be gunked up a bit. Here's a link to some photos of my 56 speedometer (I expect 55 would be the same).

https://1drv.ms/f/c/dd6d72779f5026a2...O-dwQ?e=Xg9dx9

[Parkman51]

Great advice, as usual. After all, if all the clock needed was a bit of attention and a dash of lubricant, maybe the speedometer is the same! So today I pulled it out and started cleaning and looking - though I didn't have enough time to get all the way into the mechanism, I've got a pretty good idea of how it all goes together thanks to Larry's photos and my investigations.

I think I'll replace all the lightbulbs while I've got it out, too.

And guess what? The original owner's meticulous records come in handy here! One of the business cards she had - one of the few shops that's still around - is a speedometer/gauge repair shop, that specializes in classic mechanical gauges. So if I do need to take it in somewhere, I know just where to go.

[Parkman51]

Yesterday I did the speedometer, disassembling it to its basic parts and giving a thorough cleaning. And yes, it was chock-full of nasty old grease. I probably spent an hour feeling like a dentist, using tiny tools to scrape gunk out of odd corners, but a combination of acetone, WD-40, and white lithium grease brought it to a state in which I felt I could reassemble it with a fair degree of confidence.

Then to help matters along, I pulled the speedometer cable again (it's SO MUCH easier when there's a hole where the speedometer usually is), re-cleaned and re-lubed it with more lithium grease, and replaced it. I was going to get new light bulbs, but they're more than five bucks apiece, so I was struck with an attack of the deadly "If-It-Ain't-Broke-Don't-Fix-It" disease, and decided to call that particular replacement off. The only thing that remains is to put the speedometer back in the car and test it.

Today, instead of doing that, I replaced the front passenger wheel cylinder. If you recall, when I was bleeding the brakes, this one didn't bleed whatsoever. The new cylinder and a new brake hose came in yesterday, and so I tucked straight in. Removing the tire and brake drum was trivial, but during the course of the removal I discovered that my lug nuts had started working loose, so I went around the whole car and re-tightened them. Sure is convenient that I didn't remount the hubcaps yet!

With the brake drum removed, I tried to use my brake tool kit to remove the primary and secondary return springs, only to find that my brake spring pliers wasn't going to work like I thought it would. So I used a channel-lock pliers to firmly grip the springs, and leaned, using my body weight to help overcome the spring resistance. This worked, and off came the return springs. Next, using the same pliers, I eased out the push rods (don't you love perfectly descriptive names).

At this point, removing the wheel cylinder would've been straightforward if I knew what I was doing, but I didn't, so of course I went the long way around. I removed the two attachment bolts behind the backing plate, and very awkwardly unscrewed the wheel cylinder from the brake hose, which was barely long enough to give me the necessary clearance in front of the backing plate. The brake hose, in turn, was very stuck at its attachment point to the hard line, so I sprayed it with WD-40 and left it until this evening.

This evening, it did eventually yield, either to my prayers or mechanical persuasion, I'm not sure which. But I was totally unable to remove the clip holding the hose to the mount, so I solved the problem by removing the mount and attacking the clip with the aid of a bench vise. With the clip removed, I gave the mount a light cleaning and brushing, then remounted it, and installed the wheel cylinder and brake hose. I connected the hose in the wrong order at first, but the next time I do this I'll remember that you tighten the cylinder side first, then the hard line side. The only things left to do for tomorrow are pressure-testing, bleeding, reinstalling the clip, replacing the drum and bearing hardware, and finally remounting the tire. Easy!

Then I get to do it all over again with the rear passenger wheel. Should've timed myself and see how much quicker it goes! Photos below, pre-disassembly, mid-disassembly, and current state.

[Parkman51]

I finished up the wheel cylinder and did all the necessary bits, and also did some cleaning, painting and lubrication on the rear passenger door. It'll be ready to get its new weatherstrip by tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the other front wheel cylinder decided to start leaking, so that's another project.

Today's two questions:
1) I had the very devil of a time installing the weatherstrip on the inner edge of the driver's door, just because there's not a lot of space available in which to work. Is it a good idea to take the passenger door off to install the weatherstrip, and if so, what's the best way to do it so that, when remounted, it still closes with all the proper tolerances?
2) Below you can see pictures of the old wheel cylinder, which I've disassembled and cleaned up a bit. If this is original to the car, I'll keep it and maybe rebuild it another time, but if it's a later replacement I'll throw it out. What does it look like to you?

[Bill Hanlon]

Caveat: I'm no body man. The 2 times I've removed a door I've used this procedure.

BEFORE loosening any hinge bolts decide if you want to leave the hinges on the body or on the door. I've done it both ways.

Get two 3/16" roll pins.

Drill a 3/16" hole through the part of each hinge that you plan to unbolt and through the hinge mount behind it.

Unbolt the hinges from the hinge mounting points that have the new holes.

Do whatever work you need to do on the door.

When it is time to remount the door tap a roll pin into the 3/16" hole in each hinge, pushing it through the hinge so about 1/8" is protruding through the hinge.

Next step is AT LEAST a 2 person job.

Hold the door up close enough to start the bolts through both hinges and get enough turns on the bolts to get the hinge/roll pin close the hinge mounting surface.

Start the roll pin into the hole drilled in the hinge mounting surface. Once started push the pin in at least 1/4". Do the same with the other roll pin.

Tighten the hinge bolts.

I cut off the protruding part of the pin, leaving the pins in the hinges for next time.

[Parkman51]

Over the past few days, I removed the rear passenger wheel cylinder - it's in worse shape than the front one. My replacement cylinder has gotten lost in the post twice, so it looks like a bit of a wait before I get to put all that back together - plus an odd-shaped spring jumped loose from the works while I was disassembling everything, and I'm not sure whether it has a purpose, or was just hanging out in there for fun. It looks like a shorter version of the spring on the parking brake lever.



Then today I got a package! It's big, it's rusty, it's...the air cleaner silencer from ebay (thanks for the tip, Larry!) I started derusting it this evening and I've got some good paint to put on top, once that process is done.



Today's question:
1) The silencer didn't come with a bracket or a mount, but I recall that it should have one. Does anyone have measurements/a pattern that I can use to fabricate my own, or is there a simpler solution?