Haven't done much to the cars these days but couldn't resist a drive today. Only went about 14 miles to Abbotts Pond nature trail took a lot of pictures but the one below was the best of the bunch.
(http://www.1948plymouth.info/1929/images/Best03-s.jpg)
The car started right up even after sitting for 2.5 months. Still using the vacuum fuel pump without any problems.
Chet...
Great shot. Photo shopped to sepia tone it would look like 1929.
Quote from: Russ T. Fender on October 19, 2021, 06:07:25 PM
Great shot. Photo shopped to sepia tone it would look like 1929.
Thanks that's a good idea! I'll try that tomorrow.
Here it is in Black & White:
(http://www.1948plymouth.info/1929/images/Best03-sbw.jpg)
A look into the past. Chet...
PS... How are you doing with your car. My passenger side brake drum is out of round. I have another but it might need to be turned true which I don't know if that can even be done. I will take it apart after the first winter road salting when I can no longer drive the car.
The black and white version really looks great! I am up in NY right now so work on the 30-U will have to wait until I get back to Florida in January. I have a lot of little things to do like plumbing the gas line and installing the wiring harness before I tackle the interior. As far as your brake drum is concerned, any brake outfit like Tilden or Midas should be able to turn the drum down if there is enough meat left. If the drum gets too thin it will heat up and warp out of round quickly and be subject to excessive brake fade so there is a limit as to how much you can take off. If you have a big enough lathe you can true the drum up yourself. I did mine on my lathe and found that they just needed a very light cut to true them up.
A snow bird. My older daughter and my three grandchildren are on the space coast outside of Orlando. Hope to be down there at Xmas time. I wasn't sure if they could turn those drums but there is a Napa by me with a machine shop attached. If it can be done they can do it. I hope the drum isn't warped but I have another front drum I could have them turn. If it works, I'll try the one that's out of round and see if it can be fixed.
A metal lathe.., I wish. I'll ask Santa !!
Thanks, Chet...
Do not think you can turn those drums if not cast iron . The steels flex . Can be mis- shapen by prior turning or hard braking . look into rounding with re-torquing to wood spokes more evenly .
Quote from: Articifer Tom on October 20, 2021, 10:23:53 PM
Do not think you can turn those drums if not cast iron . The steels flex . Can be mis- shapen by prior turning or hard braking . look into rounding with re-torquing to wood spokes more evenly .
Tom, The hub seems to pin the drum into position. There is no play. I replaced a drum on the driver's side and in order to get the drum to go on the hub I had to heat it slightly in the kitchen oven. That wheel works fine. The passenger side brake pads are definitely hitting harder on one side and you can see this on the drum surface. I am pretty sure I have another drum so I will try changing it first. When I do I'll post some pictures. For now until ice comes.., I'll putt around the neighborhood.
On second thought maybe it's the backing plate misaligned.
Yes , how it is tighten down can twist back plate . You may be able to bend back to round shape in place . First check outer diameter for ovaling .
When I take this apart I'll let you guys know what I find.
I spent a lot of time going over my front wheel problem. I really couldn't find anything that jumped out as incorrect. The back plate and brake shoes mic-ed perfectly with the AAMCO tool. The return spring was stretched a bit so I replaced it. I have another drum that I'll see if NAPA can clean it up. If anything the old drum must have a high spot. Pictures attached.
Chet , hard to see from this angle . But do not notice much arch in linings edges . Where they checked and done .
Quote from: Articifer Tom on October 23, 2021, 05:56:10 PM
Chet , hard to see from this angle . But do not notice much arch in linings edges . Where they checked and done .
Yes, both top and bottom.
Goo . Did you arch them or have done with your measurement ?
I don't understand what you are asking. I don't know what you mean by "did you arch them "
Where they cut to match diameter of inside of brake drums . Most do not have tool to do and can be sanded also . Arching gives more surface area contact to drums and would prevent vibration .
Tom,
I use the Tool which aligns the new shoes perfectly. I do file the top and bottom on an angle to eliminate brake noise. It's quite possible that the return spring wasn't pulling the pad that faces front all the way back. When I first looked at it prior to changing the spring, the shoe seemed loose. After replacing the spring the shoe is tight and doesn't move. I might just put the wheel back on and see if the problem still exists.
Thanks, I'll let you know, Chet...
Well I checked all adjustments and reinstalled the passenger side wheel. I think the bad return spring may have caused the rubbing noise which sounded like the drum was out of round. After removing the wheel I couldn't find anything out of spec except the return spring. Checked the driver's side wheel and that looked good also.
I hope to take it out tomorrow for a test drive. Fingers crossed. Chet...
BTW... Tom, thanks for the call.., your explanation of Arching was very interesting. I have always bought stock replacement brake shoes which I assumed were cut and ground for the car I was repairing. I can now see when having shoes rebounded, the process might require a more critical look at what you are installing.
I took the car out for a test drive and same problem.
I took my spare front wheel drum to my local NAPA machine shop and they cleaned the drum with a minimum cut.
Picture below.
(http://www.1948plymouth.info/1929/images2/FrontWheel03.jpg)
Spent the rest of the afternoon removing the existing drum. Had to heat it to persuade it to slip off the wheel hub. Needless to say this is my worst wheel so the hub also came right out. Not good since it should be press fitted to the wood spokes. That's another decision for another day.
Anyway after much inspection of the old drum I found that it wasn't out of round but worn in the center and high on the inner and outer edges. What was happening was my new perfectly square shoes were only touching on the inner and outer edges with one inner high spot ? I am going to see if it can be cut square. It might be to far gone. We will see.
Now what to do about the old wood wheel. ?? I will have to review some old posts on fixing it or maybe send it out to be re-spoked.
Looks good ,Chet . You may want to put hub back in and soak/ wipe with RAW linseed oil to swell back .
Quote from: Articifer Tom on October 27, 2021, 08:35:38 PM
Looks good ,Chet . You may want to put hub back in and soak/ wipe with RAW linseed oil to swell back .
Raw linsee oil a little pricey. $15 for 8oz. I know it's the best for the purpose.
Tks Chet.
While I don't advocate using questionable wood spoke wheels for safety reasons you might try shimming the hub to get a tight fit. I have done it on Model T wheels to keep the car on the road while my spare wheels were being respoked. Artillery wheels are much stouter and if the hub just sits snugly in the wood the flange should keep things in place as long as the holes in the spokes for the flange bolts have not worn oversize. I have wire wheels on my 30-U so I don't know exactly what you are dealing with but I am assuming your wood spoke wheels are basically the same construction as a Model T.
Quote from: Russ T. Fender on October 28, 2021, 08:35:20 PM
While I don't advocate using questionable wood spoke wheels for safety reasons you might try shimming the hub to get a tight fit. I have done it on Model T wheels to keep the car on the road while my spare wheels were being respoked. Artillery wheels are much stouter and if the hub just sits snugly in the wood the flange should keep things in place as long as the holes in the spokes for the flange bolts have not worn oversize. I have wire wheels on my 30-U so I don't know exactly what you are dealing with but I am assuming your wood spoke wheels are basically the same construction as a Model T.
I agree, I'm not a proponent of shimming a wood wheel to compensate for worn spokes. I have given others similar advise. Since I got back on the road I have had continuing issues with this wheel which led to replacing the king pins and now the brakes. I think I am avoiding the inevitable. Unfortunately I have no spare wheel. I do have a set of 19" wood wheels which I mistakenly purchased from a 29 owner that had 30U wood wheels on his 29. My original tire size is 20" The other issue is that hubs and drums are different front to back. So I would need a spare front wheel. What a pain. I'm getting tired of working on this car. 4 or 5 years of work to drive 125 miles only to take it down again for an unknown amount of time. Last time I checked it was a year or more wait for a wood wheel rebuild? :-\
Check Stutzman's Wheel Shop Ltd. They have a web site and are located in Ohio. Quick turn around, at least for Model T wheels. Their work is amazing and fairly priced.
Wow, Chet, did not realize that price increase . No wonder paint prices are through roof . I went and looked at last can i bought . It was $4.49 for 16ozes. .
There guy at bottom Pa. Chalmer's I believe
Quote from: Articifer Tom on October 29, 2021, 04:17:26 PM
Wow, Chet, did not realize that price increase . No wonder paint prices are through roof . I went and looked at last can i bought . It was $4.49 for 16ozes. .
There guy at bottom Pa. Chalmer's I believe
Yes, He is a 3 hour drive from me. Tks...
Give a call and talk to . Unless your spokes are damage , shrinkage can be handled in different ways . You would be surprise what replacing the hickory's natural oil does for swelling back . Maybe even epoxies could come into filling space . He'll probably want to lay eyes on . I am not sure that the hub to spoke contact is that tight to start with . The spokes lock on the sides with the pie shape angle and to the outer ring shoulder .
I believe the wheelwright in PA is Calimers Wheel Shop in Waynesboro. He does great work but he is expensive and often backed up with work for many months. He did a set of wheels for my Chalmers-Detroit. I dropped them off at Hershey and picked them up at Hershey the following year when they were finally ready. The work was impeccable but pricey and being without the use of the car for a year was a problem.
Russ,
Now you are giving me reason to do some repairs. The good news is with all the rain here the hub tightened up and hard to move. Maybe we might try the raw linseed oil and see how much it tightens up. I don't want to wait a year.
I have this recently respoked set of Plymouth 19" wheels (2 Front / 2 Rear ). Excellent condition. I will however have to buy tires.
The good thing is that tire selection for the 19" wheels is a lot better than that of the 20" type.
The tires that are currently on these wheels are ( 6.00-19 6 Ply ) and look larger than my 20" wheels which are ( 4.75/5.00 4 Ply )
They look like truck tires.
(http://www.1948plymouth.info/1929/images2/Wheels01.jpg)
Before I but tires/tubes etc does anyone know of any technical issue with swapping these wheels. Once this is done If I ever wanted to have the originals redone the work time wouldn't effect moving the car around. Also the wife likes the wood look better than the painted wheels.
Don't know if they are interchangeable but I bet they are. Those Allstate Safety Tread tires are indestructible. I have them on my 30-U and they are at least 40 years old. Still pliable and no sidewall cracks. Mine are 4.75/5.00X19 which I believe is the correct size but I'd try running what you have if you have them for all four wheels before springing for replacement tires. The larger tire size may make steering a bit harder with more rubber on the road but as long as they clear the fenders I would give them a try.
The wheels are in great shape but the tires are shot. Bald to little thread.
Definitely will need new tires. Too bad, although those tires are really big.