Time to Pull That Engine!

sethkestenbaum

sethkestenbaum

Well-known member
Special thanks to Al Clarke at Go Devil Garage (518-477-6725) for helping me out yesterday... even if he was the doctor that gave me bad news. The good news is that the bad news wasn't a surprise. My 1929 Phaeton started showing its age on my roadtrip to Vermont this Sunday. The car made it to Albany like a champ but was burning more oil than I would like and started to leak oil out of the head gasket. I figured I had one last roadtrip before figuring out how to pull an engine to get it rebuilt. Upon opening the head with Al to see if I could get away with a on-the-fly gasket change as a 1,000-2,000 mile band-aid, it was decided that 85 years is too long to go without a rebuild. I've blogged it all up and included photos and videos. It was great to see the inside of the engine again.... even if all the problems didn't fix themselves with time. Again, I wanted to give Al a special thanks.

Here is the link to the blog
http://oldcarroadtrip.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/56789-tow-no-i-meant-ten-dang/
 
Who did you decide on to do the engine ?

As RosanneRosannaDanna would say, never mind !

That was kind of a dumb question I guess. I just looked up Al Clarke's garage, didn't know about him.
 
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Seth: Sorry for your "troubles" (at IBM we called them opportunities). Glad to see you're still out and about.
Love your detailed posts.

Paul in CT
 
jetmek said:
thanks for the kind words seth...just trying to help out a stranded traveler
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You were obviously there when he needed you. Hopefully your efforts will result in increased business for your garage. A friend in need is a friend indeed !
Wayne
 
Seth,

Best wishes with your rebuild; at some point all Model A's will have this performed as there are limits.... Thank you for documenting all that you've done on your 29'
 
Seth,
Al Clarke is top notch! He did the new engine on my 1930 CCPU, along with clutch etc while he had the engine out. He also did a complete new brake job for me. He is a talented, consummate professional, extremely knowledgeable Model A mechanic. I can't say enough good things about him!! Great guy to do business with and a really nice guy too!!!!
http://www.godevilgarage.com/
 
Seth I know your situation. A few years ago I was having issues with second gear and had a tough time trying to get home from some local neighborhood shows only a few miles from home. Turned out the ****** was shot and that led to my own engine rebuild since the babbitts were gone in my '28. I just didn't want to give up my sunday drives and reluctantly had her towed away to a restoration shop. Took about 5 months before I got the car back with a rebuilt engine, new transmission gears, new wiring, rebuilt steering gears and lots of other rebuilds and restorations of generators, carburetor and starter. It was hard on my pocketbook but I knew if I wanted to keep on driving for the long term, I had to bite the old bullet! So far I have had almost 1000 miles of trouble free touring and I feel safer knowing the car is more reliable with practically everything rebuilt and fresh. Brakes had already been done a few years before that.

Feel confident that you will get many more driving miles out of your '29 if you do it the correct way from a guy with a good reputation. Not to mention that having all this done through the winter months will ease the anxiety of not being able to drive your "A" in 4' snow drifts.

Alan
 
Fred said:
On the side of the guys 29RPU, It READS, GO DEVIL GERAGE !! SEE post #1 & read ALL..
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Actually, it reads
Go
Devil
Garage

I hope the God Evil comment was tongue in cheek. really. I knew a woman once, in WVA, who would not pay her utility bill because she discovered that her account number was 666. Sewage treatment by the devil himself?
 
I hope the God Evil comment was tongue in cheek. really. I knew a woman once, in WVA, who would not pay her utility bill because she discovered that her account number was 666. Sewage treatment by the devil himself? _______________

cant say that I blame her!

ouch, just bit my tongue..................
 
THE ENGINE IS OUT! With some help (lots of help) from Len Spinelli from our club, the engine was removed from the phaeton today. It rests on a wood stand and now waits in the garage for the "next steps". I'm also going to remove the bell housing case at some point to include in the restoration process. That is a job for another day.

For all those that told me that it would be an easy 2-hour job. You were wrong. My general lack of a clue has proven me to be three times the mechanic you guys are... as it took me 6 hours to do the work. That's the math I am going to use!
 
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