1940 Oldsmobile Barn-Find Restoration by Erndog

3 minute(s) of a 39 minute read

Installed new gas tank sending unit into the tank, since it won't be accessible after the tank goes in.

After much blood, sweat, and tears, got the tank filler tube through the opening between the frame and the body. The tank won't fit up into the saddle and is generally way off in several dimensions. Will take it back to the shop next week for adjustments.

10-3-2011

Thought I made a follow-up on the tank, but I guess not.

We cut the filler tube off at about four inches from the tank. Fits into the saddle just fine now. Got a piece of marine grade rubber tube and a few of the heaviest hose clamps I have ever seen! Mated up with the truncated cap end of the tube. The rubber is kinda stiff for getting the exact right angle coming through the fender, but will have to do for now. Still need to do gas line fit-up, but work has not allowed any time for this in the last several months. Doing what we can when we can.

1-30-2012

Well, lapping the valves was not a good choice for a 70 year old engine. Should have had them ground while the engine was out like I usually do. After engine would not run we did a compression check and found horrendous results. To make matters worse, my tester was too deep and bent the exhaust valve in #1 jug. We removed the valves and took them to the shop to be ground. I was able to talk the machinist into making a housecall to grind the seats and lap the valves in. Had to replace four exhaust valves, one wouldn't dress and three were bent. Reinstalled them yesterday and adjusted them. Getting those keepers installed on one of these engines with it still in the car is probably the most tediously difficult thing I have ever done. Thank God I got it done. Next time I will pull the engine, or at least remove the right fender and engine compartment wall. Now to put stuff back on and see if it will run...

10-16-2012

Yes, but college and the failure of the engine to run has taken its toll on the enthusiasm. Been fighting to get the engine running for almost a year. Following a lengthy conversation with Bob Petters at Hershey and a pep talk, I got it running last night!! More to come.

10-17-2012

Not really. The last things I did were disconnect all the wiring and just used jumpers for the minimum required circuit across the coil, etc., and rebuilt a correct carburetor for it. It started acting more promising and then with more timing adjustment it got going. I then systematically reconnected wires to determine the culprit, but it never stopped working. All wiring is back in play and it still starts. The weird thing now is that it seems to only be firing on #1 and #4, and maybe an occassional other cylinder. I am getting very good spark to all of the spark plugs, and I have compression on all cylinders. I have all of the valve lashes set at ~.013 for the time being, and the valves were all just reground. About the only thing left is the timing, but can it be that far off and still have two jugs working?? I installed a Pertronix ignition system into the distributor and now I am wondering if the magnet section on the rotor shaft is for an 8 cylinder engine by mistake. Not sure how I can check that one out, though.