Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[jamespowers]

I think the wife wouldn't be too pleased if I got much more than that.

I think you brought up the most salient point there.

 

[GHT]

Get lots of thumbs ups and smiles here too. I think the wife wouldn't be too pleased if I got much more than that.

The car was used as a prop by a professional photographer, I kept well back, avoiding the lense. One of my friends still managed to comment to my wife that I was surrounded by floozies! You need friends like that. James was taken with the blonde, but one of the girls really looked the vintage part, and more so when the photographer used his 35mm camera with black & white film:

 

[jamespowers]

The car was used as a prop by a professional photographer, I kept well back, avoiding the lense. One of my friends still managed to comment to my wife that I was surrounded by floozies! You need friends like that. James was taken with the blonde, but one of the girls really looked the vintage part, and more so when the photographer used his 35mm camera with black & white film:

View attachment 16063

Geez, with friends like that, who needs enemies?! lol lol


Now do the blonde in black and white or sepia tone.

 

[Fading Fast]

The car was used as a prop by a professional photographer, I kept well back, avoiding the lense. One of my friends still managed to comment to my wife that I was surrounded by floozies! You need friends like that. James was taken with the blonde, but one of the girls really looked the vintage part, and more so when the photographer used his 35mm camera with black & white film:

View attachment 16063

Absolutely great "vintaging" of the photo - well done.

 

[Big J]

Are any Loungers Rolls Royce owners (not the BMW era things)?

 

[Stanley Doble]

Are any Loungers Rolls Royce owners (not the BMW era things)?

I have seriously considered buying a Rolls Royce of the 80s, you can buy very good examples in the US for $25,000 or so. But the cost and complexity of repairs scared me off. Everything is a unique design exclusive to Rolls Royce, parts can't be had anywhere else, and repairs require special tools available only from Rolls Royce.

By comparison I have owned 8 Mercedes and found them well made, easy to repair, and parts reasonable in price considering the quality.

 

[jamespowers]

I have seriously considered buying a Rolls Royce of the 80s, you can buy very good examples in the US for $25,000 or so. But the cost and complexity of repairs scared me off. Everything is a unique design exclusive to Rolls Royce, parts can't be had anywhere else, and repairs require special tools available only from Rolls Royce.

By comparison I have owned 8 Mercedes and found them well made, easy to repair, and parts reasonable in price considering the quality.

They are WAY too exclusive in the sense that if you break down even the AAA won't touch them at times. They have no idea on how to work on them either. That really stinks considerign that they aren't exactly known for their reliability.

 

[Big J]

I have seriously considered buying a Rolls Royce of the 80s, you can buy very good examples in the US for $25,000 or so. But the cost and complexity of repairs scared me off. Everything is a unique design exclusive to Rolls Royce, parts can't be had anywhere else, and repairs require special tools available only from Rolls Royce.

By comparison I have owned 8 Mercedes and found them well made, easy to repair, and parts reasonable in price considering the quality.

Parts can be expensive- having the engine reconditioned cost about as much as an entry level super-mini- but not all.
My car has a factory tool kit, in a compartment in the boot.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I'm not worried about the engine so much as other parts that wear out and need attention. Like the brakes, hydraulic system, or electrics. They can easily cost as much as the engine for a lesser car.

Did you know they use a unique brake system with 2 hydraulic pumps and 2 accumulators that work under 1500 pounds pressure? Or that these pumps and accumulators are built onto the engine before it is installed in the car? Or that replacing one requires you to remove the engine first? One reason a brake job can cost $5000 to $10000.

 

[Big J]

I'm not worried about the engine so much as other parts that wear out and need attention. Like the brakes, hydraulic system, or electrics. They can easily cost as much as the engine for a lesser car.

Did you know they use a unique brake system with 2 hydraulic pumps and 2 accumulators that work under 1500 pounds pressure? Or that these pumps and accumulators are built onto the engine before it is installed in the car? Or that replacing one requires you to remove the engine first? One reason a brake job can cost $5000 to $10000.

Do they? I don't know.
I'm paying whatever it costs to get this car road worthy again, and everything that's not in top condition is getting switched out. My wife doesn't care, as long as I pay for it- which will take a little longer!

I wouldn't have bothered, but it's the car my father used to drive when I was a kid. He sold it, it changed hands a few times, and spent the last 8 years in a farmers barn.

I'm in the lookout for my fathers old XJ12, but I haven't found it yet.

 

[jamespowers]

I'm not worried about the engine so much as other parts that wear out and need attention. Like the brakes, hydraulic system, or electrics. They can easily cost as much as the engine for a lesser car.

Did you know they use a unique brake system with 2 hydraulic pumps and 2 accumulators that work under 1500 pounds pressure? Or that these pumps and accumulators are built onto the engine before it is installed in the car? Or that replacing one requires you to remove the engine first? One reason a brake job can cost $5000 to $10000.

Yes if Rube Goldberg could dream t up, Rolls could build it. lol lol

 

[LizzieMaine]

Speaking of brakes, here's a new one: over the past few days my brakes have started to feel spongier than usual, and today I finally got a few minutes to check them, and there wasn't a drop of brake fluid in the master cylinder reservoir. I know it was full when the brake lines were replaced in early June, and I've been driving it constantly ever since, even though I've had a back-of-my-mind feeling that it was taking more force to brake than I was used to.

But -- there is no sign that I could see of brake fluid leakage. No new spots on the garage or driveway floor, no sign of fluid dribbling down the sides of the tires or around the back of the wheels, the bleeding nipples all seem tight, and the master cylinder itself didn't feel any wetter/greasier than usual. So where did the brake fluid *go?*

I refilled the MC -- it took about four ounces of fluid -- and it seems to be braking fine. But I'm baffled about where the fluid went, and I have an appointment to have the thing looked at by my local mechanic on Monday. How can that much brake fluid leak out and not leave a puddle???

 

[Stanley Doble]

If a wheel cylinder is leaking the backing plate and shoes could be soaked and not much run out. If you hold the brake pedal down in the driveway does it stay up or slowly go to the floor?

 

[dh66]

Yes, I agree, sounds like it might be a wheel cylinder.
Although 4 oz. is a lot to not see any sign at all, unless it's seeping out the seals of more than one.

 

[LizzieMaine]

If a wheel cylinder is leaking the backing plate and shoes could be soaked and not much run out. If you hold the brake pedal down in the driveway does it stay up or slowly go to the floor?

Pedal functions normally -- goes down smoothly, snaps right back up.

 

[rjb1]

By coincidence, I'm in the process almost as we speak of putting new wheel cylinders at all four corners of my 1966 Chevy truck.
They weren't leaking badly, but what was going out was within the backing plate and not visible from the outside. You have to take the brake drums off to see what's going on in there.
Did you have the wheel cylinders replaced or just refinished when you had the brake work done? If refinished, that could be the problem. It's hard to get a really smooth and uniform surface on the inside of the cylinders when doing that.
I know it's been done by a lot of people over a lot of years, but I have never trusted home re-worked master or wheel cylinders.

And just for completeness, did you look at/under the floor mat and firewall right below and behind the master cylinder? I have had bad master cylinder seals leak fluid backward and into that area.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A full set of newly-manufactured wheel cylinders -- probably Chinese crap, but that's what all the aftermarket parts sellers sell -- were installed three years ago. A full set of new hard lines was installed this past spring, which makes me think there may be a bad or loose fitting somewhere along the way. The master cylinder was sleeved and rebuilt by a brake specialist the same time the wheel cylinders were done, and doesn't look any worse than it should. (This particular MC is almost impossible to find NOS, and no repros are made, meaning sleeving is the only way to go.)

I had another look under the car today and noticed some splotches along the underside of the frame where the brake lines run. I couldn't get all the way under to do a closeup look -- and I don't see well enough to do that anyway -- so I'm going to point that area out to the mechanic on Monday and see what he thinks.

Pedal is spongy, like there's air in the lines, as there no doubt is, so it needs to be bled on top of everything else.

 

[rjb1]

The ones I'm putting on -even for a much newer Chevrolet - are Chinese-made, also. I wish they were "real" parts and not Chinese, but as you say that's all that are out there these days.

Putting a sleeve in instead of just honing it was a good thing for the master cylinder.

The fact that all the parts are not that old, and are as good as you can get, makes the mystery brake problem that much worse. (no obvious suspects)

At this point having the mechanic get under and look around carefully is about all that can be done. Finding a loose fitting would be the best possible alternative - cheap and easy to fix.

As always, let us know what you find.

 

[Stanley Doble]

If you hold the brake pedal down and it slowly goes to the floor, it is likely a master cylinder not holding pressure. If it seems to hold pressure, the leak is likely elsewhere unless it is real bad. And, if it was that bad you would see the fluid dripping on the ground.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It took about two months before I lost enough fluid that I noticed it, so I'm thinking it's most likely a loose fitting. But I do want them to pull the rear drums and see what's going on in there, just in case. I've got a spare NOS right rear rear cylinder and a fresh rebuild kit in the trunk, so if there's any problems there I'll be ready. I also ordered a spare set of rear brake shoes, just in case the ones on there now turn out to be sodden with fluid.

While I'm at it, I'm having them put on a new set of shocks I've had sitting in the garage since last winter. The ones on there look like they're at least fifty years old and are worse for the wear, especially with the potholes here.