Recent content by Penthode

Looked at it this morning. Dry and no drips. Ball valve is easier to turn and moves as smooth as silk. Celebrated with my wife on a 60 mile tour this afternoon. Temperature outside hit 90 degrees and cruising for many miles at 50 mph she did not overheat (previous problem fixed). Life is...

I ended up installing option one. I didn't have to shorten the fuel line between valve and firewall. And I positioned the valve with slightly shortened handle so it would not hit the metal channel under the speedometer cluster. Here is the final installation.

I forgot about the Viton needle seal. Sounds like a great idea. I will try that as well. I have been trying to stop the seepage ever since I got the car: have rebuilt the valve and carburetor. Carburetor runs fine except for the seepage. And the main shutoff after rebuild works well for a few...

I went to Home Depot yesterday and bought a couple of 1/4" ball valves and associated fittings. Fortunately the pipe fitting threads to the taper to the tank and the flare to the carburetor haven't changed in the last 90 years. I made two variants I wish to try out tomorrow morning. The one on...

The car originally sat for many years unused and the tank was a mess. I flushed it out pretty thoroughly and it is now pretty clean. I also the carburetor float valve leaks over as period of time. So I do not dispute there are probably fine rust particles to blame. As I use the car frequently...

Over the past 5 years I have replaced the fuel shutoff valve with a new replacement once and rebuilt the valve twice. It is starting to leak again as I am getting a very slow drip on the garage floor. I notice that the valves are brass on brass. Clock experience always puts steel against brass...

I guess I am the odd one out here. I like to drive my model A to better appreciate the period it was built. It seems to me odd that modern appliances such as music systems would be installed. Then again I think twice about any mechanical changes or updates which was not original to the vehicle...

As of April 2, the US death count is now over 6000 increasing now in hundreds of deaths per day. The pandemic is still accelerating. COVID 19 is extremely contagious with a mortality rate of about 1.5%. This means as it eventually spreads and engulfs a third of the population (approx 100M)...

Can you explain further? Oregon began issuing plate in 1911.

When I installed my ignition switch, I rotated the whole switch assembly as I screwed the cable to the distributor. After tightening, I then fastened the switch to the instrument panel. I did not remove the distributor. One would have to disconnect the battery doing it this way. But you should...

It is tough with the long winters up north not driving my '29 Tudor. I have locked the Tudor away for the winter months only starting her monthly checking her out and letting her run until she is fully warm without putting her on the salt infested roads. During the winter months, I take up my...

I cut a piece of oversized brass rod and used my lathe to make it fit.

I came across this clip on YouTube this evening. I am reassured in my belief that modern motor oil technology has progressed almost beyond comprehension in the last 70 years to benefit the vintage car community. Watch "Is Oil Good After 70 Years? Let's find out!" on YouTube...

I would not suggest using any wire less than 14 gauge on a 6 volt system. I rewired my car and used 10 gauge up to the fuse block, 12 gauge for headlights and wiper motor and 14 gauge elsewhere. Remember with a 50 watt headlamp, the current at 6 volts is more than 8 amps. 10 feet of 12 gauge is...

There are three air-fuel circuits in the Zenith: one for low speed, one high speed and one for idle. The idle circuit is most critical when stopping for if the air-fuel passage is restricted or the idle not properly adjusted, the engine will die when pulling up to a stop.