My beast in a magazine, maybe ???

[Mike]

While at the Roadster Show (Fathersday weekend) in Pomona (Saturday), a guy started asking a bunch of questions about the 54. Then he asked my name and how to spell it. All this stuff was written down in a little note book.
Did I ask who he was working for......NO ! Maybe no one !!
So if any of you see my blue beast in Drive (the magazine!) or any other mag. please let me know.

Saw a "STU-V" manifold there. The guy wanted $400 bucks for it !!? While it was kinda cool with it's "sideways" hung 2x2 barrel design....$400 still seemed a bit high. I've got his number if anyone is interested.

Thanks

Mike

[hi-per al]

Six or eight cylinder fitment? Forever curious..........Al

[Mike]

6.....ah.....what's a 6 ?!

Isn't anything worth spending money on a V-8?

[Conestogaman]

"6.....ah.....what's a 6 ?!"



Heyyyyyy!!

I like my li'l flattie six...

[Mike]

You won't when you have to adjust the valves.............

Jeeeeze, you have to remove the intake/exhaust manifolds before you can even start.
Then, since I put an electric fuel pump on, I thought...hmm, lets take off the machanical one while I'm here. Well.....to do that you have to remove the right front motor mount ! What were they thinking....? 3/8's drive socket...nope, combinition wrench (either end) nope, I even tried a 1/4" drive socket....no fit. Jack up the engine, remove the motor mount...fight with it cause it hits the...."fuel pump", remove the fuel pump, reinstall the motor mount. At least I won't cut up my knuckles on the three heat shield studs while doing the valve adjustment now!

At least my engines clean, for the most part...

Later

[Conestogaman]

You won't when you have to adjust the valves.............

That'll be done when the engine is rebuilt.

Will I need to do it on a regular basis? Say, like, every x,xxx miles?

I won't be driving it around too much when finished (some time in the future...). Only to meets and some local car shows (just to give variety to all the Fords and Chevys).

I just want an original car. Not too many left out there...

I still don't have the factory manuals. All I got is a Motor's Auto Repair Manual covering 1952-1959 models made by:

Buick
Caddilac
Chevrolet
Chrysler
Clipper
Continental
DeSoto
Dodge
Edsel
Ford
Hudson
Imperial
Jeep
Lincoln
Mercury
Nash
Oldsmobile
Packard
Plymouth
Pontiac
Rambler
Studebaker
Thunderbird
Willys

Interesting, in that Clipper, Thunderbird, Continental and Imperial are all treated separately from their "parent" companies (such as they are today).

The book is quite detailed with 'sploded photos of engine and transmission along with other "stuff". More than enough info to do an engine and trans rebuild.

Hoping to aquire the factory manuals in the future.

[Mike]

Yea...being that they are mechanical by design, they will need periodic adjustment. Unlike hyd. lifters that have an "adjustment" of sorts, built in.

Not sure what the book says as for the milage, but my Lark (259) gets an exhaust valve adjustment about avery 3500 or so miles. The intakes stay pretty set as they are. It's the unleaded gas thing. The exhaust seat will erode along with the valve seat itself. So it's not a "wear" problem like it was back with lead in the gas. It's an erosion problem with the exhaust and a bit of a split with the intake valves. They (erosion vs wear) seem to almost cancel each other out. The erosion is a lot less on the intake valves.

The wear factor with.......the cam, lifter, push rod, rocker, valve tip isn't too bad after a few (6 or 7) thousand miles, but they shoud be checked after the first 500/750 miles on a new engine. Then after 3000 or so miles, untill a pattern can gained and an adjustment schedule can be set up.

Nice thing about Stude...they stamped the clearence ".016" on the engine side cover (on the flat head anyway), so it's easy to remember. The book does say a "loose .016".

The old blue (most of'em) "Motors" manuls were pretty good. "I" think they were the best of the non-factory manuals.

[Conestogaman]

The old blue (most of'em) "Motors" manuls were pretty good. "I" think they were the best of the non-factory manuals.

I'm very satisfied with the $2.50 I paid for it...