31 A Submerged above Intake in Salt Water Thanks to "Sandy"

[1936ford64]

No , No, No gasoline on parts that will come in contact with lubrication

[xkeots]

Originally Posted by Jeff/Illinois

I wonder how many old cars will be running the auction circuit in the coming year, that were victims of Sandy as people try to pawn them off...............

In Long Island over 250,000 cars were under salt water with Sandy.
My Porsche was picked up today and the trucker told me that it was going to an auction like the rest.
That means that dealers will be buying these cars and doing a slop shot repair on them and then putting them back on the street for people to buy and they will have a quick fix.
Eventually all of these cars will start rotting out everywhere.
All of us who are not aware will be screwed.
They should all be crushed so that nobody gets hurt and that innocent people don't get a rotten car with future problems.
The insurance companies should take a loss and be done with it.

Jack

[Tom Wesenberg]

Insurance companies don't take loses, they just raise our rates.

[xkeots]

Then what is the best solvent to clean out of my motor all of the white oil so it causes no damage and stays oil color and removes all dampness internally?
Kerosene? Gunk? Carb cleaner? Gasoline? Synthetic oil?
I just received my exhaust, intake, oil flow thru and pan gaskets today.

Thanks
Jack

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by xkeots

Then what is the best solvent to clean out of my motor all of the white oil so it causes no damage and stays oil color and removes all dampness internally?
Kerosene? Gunk? Carb cleaner? Gasoline? Synthetic oil?
I just received my exhaust, intake, oil flow thru and pan gaskets today.

Thanks
Jack

I would spray it out using a syphon sprayer and gas, then right away use the syphon sprayer to spray oil all over the inside.

[oliverguy]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

There will be tons of flood cars passed off, just like Katrina a few years ago. My brother works for an insurance co. He says that these guys never get all the silt out of them & if your careful you can spot them. I would imagine the same would go for antique cars. He also said they never run right again, which is the reason they get totalled...

[Keith True]

Model A's will get treated differently than some modern salvage car.They won't get scrapped,somebody,somewhere will fix it.A few years ago I got to bid on a late 31 DeLuxe roadster that had been drowned in the mothers day floods we had that year.The owner put in the claim,figuring he would get the chance to buy it back and fix it.When he asked about it,he was told that they stood a much better chance of recovering more money on the open market,unlike a modern car.He got to bid on it just like everybody else.I don't know what it brought,but it was bought by a street rodder that beat my $10,500 bid.I knew the car and knew just what he had done to it even before the water had gone down.I was not afraid to buy that car.With an isolated incident like that they have time to be in the recovery business.With this disaster I can see them being to busy to take the time to try and recover on each one.The guy I worked for in 1978 bought dozens of flood cars at auction after the blizzard of 78.I doubt we tried to save more than a half dozen or so.We did save a 10 week old new Caddy that his wife drove for about 6 years after.I dried that car out.I bet I could have dried out 35 A's in the time it took to do that Caddy.

[xkeots]

Motor runs great after lots of cleaning and new harness, starter, generator, etc.
My clutch is frozen and one wheel's brake shoes are frozen.
I will get to that on a warmer day.

Thanks
Jack

[SSsssteamer]

I drove our 1929 A Tudor through a flooded road and the fresh water came to about 4 inches up the doors. The water was deeper than it first looked. I was able to get through the water without stalling the engine. It took over a year to get the moisture out of the car. The body and the upholstery held a lot moisture. The running board matting eventually bubbled up from rust caused by the moisture that was trapped between the rubber matting and the running boards. Never again will I drive my car on flooded streets. It is just too hard to dry them out. I wish you the best in getting your 31 A dried out and de-salted.

[xkeots]

Hi group,

I am still not where I want to be on my 31 as my mom is in hospital going on 17 weeks and waiting for a spot for heart valve surgery.
I did mAnage to get motor running nicely and I replaced running boards.
btw, Loctite has a great newish product that has penetrating oil and drops the temp on the rusted bolt & nut to - 35 and out it goes.
I just developed a problem that I hope you can help me with.
The after effects (possible) of sitting in salt water (I think affected my radiator).
the flood water had salt water sitting up to my light bar that I pressure washed and steam cleaned the outer radiator.
I just noticed an anti freeze leak that has my new headlamp wire harness wet.
my dilemma now is this.
should I bring the radiator to my local shop for an acid bath and pressure test and repair or buy a new radiator? Can it leak again from the salt?
I did not think that after pressure cleaning with Dawn and steam cleaning that the radiator would leak.
Will anti freeze ruin my new harness?
should I try the shop or just get a new radiator?
So far the only problems (beside radiator) I am having post storm are a frozen clutch plate, one frozen wheel brake shoe to drum and a small rust spot on my left rear fender that had an inner repair that was covered with under coating, that I will cut and weld a new patch come spring.
My running boards I replaced this week but they were bad before.

Thanks
Jack
1931 Model A late build 5 Window coupe
engine runs great and all external engine parts replaced.

[spdway1]

You are going to keep on chasing things on that car as long as you own it, sorry to say.

[Jim Parker Toronto]

"Befor you drop the pan,unscrew the 1/8" pipe plug in the block below the carb & above the pan flange.Screw in a 3/8"NF bolt until it contacts the oil pump hsg & it will keep the O P from dropping down."

This is bad advice, the threads per inch are not the same and will possibly ruin your block. You can buy the proper tool from any supplier for less than $10. Do it right.... The threads in the block are (27 tpi) as opposed to a 3/8-(24 tpi)bolt.

[xkeots]

Originally Posted by Jeff/Illinois

Jack, I wish you had asked here first about pressure washing. I feel that this is the reason your radiator has developed a leak. They are too fragile to stand up to that kind of force.............

Sorry, not a pressure washer but I soaked the ribs of the radiator with "Dawn" and I used the pressure of my garden hose at 5-8 feet to clean out through the slats of my radiator till the bubbles stopped, as BP used Dawn to clean the oil spill 2 years ago and it is amazing. I then used a steam cleaner to make sure. It got the paint and underside squeeky clean.
I have a pressure washer but it would bend the fins.
I have been rebuilding cars since 1965 and have won quite a few awards from it, but it is a hobby and a passion as I do everything but the transmissions myself.
I never had to save a car that was hit by salt. I did manage to clean it in time. If there was anything major to the metal it would start to show by now.
Everything electric was replaced, all gaskets replaced, all internals cleaned with kerosene.
The motor has no silt as it was washed with Kerosene and 5 oil changes till there was no more white.
It ran for 2 hours idling after I cleaned it up and it runs great. New exhaust.
The past 10 years I have every summer painted to every underside of the body, fenders, frame, etc. 1-2 coats of either POR-15 or Eastwood's Rust encapsulator and then a complete coat of Krylon black spray paint.
I think that those 10 + coats are what saved the car.
The interior was ripped out the next day and for years I have opened the door panels and kick panels and used POR-15 and undercoating on the inners of the doors and body. Interior will be replaced after I paint a few spots this spring. Seat springs are coated.
There is nothing that will rot in the future. All brakes from master to wheels are being replaced (Yes I have an early hydraulic brake system in the car) all
rubber, belt, hoses, etc are replaced. Tyres everything.
Remember, this is a Model A Ford that can stand up to anything.
None of you know what your car went through before you owned it. My family has owned mine since 1969. I rebuilt it body off twice since.
I took extra care of this one.
I am just not sure of how salt water mixes with the material of the radiator.
I am also doing a body off on a 1967 Pontiac GTO Convertible and a body off on a 1977 Corvette L-82. Just finished a 1963 Split Window coupe with all original parts and matching numbers.
My screen name is the first car I ever rebuilt and I have rebuilt over 25 since 1965, which is a Jaguar XK E-Type Open Two Seater.
I am doing a lot of research on salt water these days.
I had to loose a 1988 Porsche 911 convertible all black that I bought brand new and it only had 15,000 miles on it. The salt ripped it up in a week.
That I had to break my heart over. But my 61 Cadiillac Convertible that I finished last year covers it.
Just mentioning these things to say "he I know cars but I have no clue about being attacked by salt water.
The Model A is easy enough to fix if gotten to early enough and I did.
Just don't know about the radiator repair and to fix it is 50.00 and to buy a new one is 600-700.00.

Thanks
Jack

[xkeots]

Originally Posted by Jim Parker Toronto

"Befor you drop the pan,unscrew the 1/8" pipe plug in the block below the carb & above the pan flange.Screw in a 3/8"NF bolt until it contacts the oil pump hsg & it will keep the O P from dropping down."

This is bad advice, the threads per inch are not the same and will possibly ruin your block. You can buy the proper tool from any supplier for less than $10. Do it right.... The threads in the block are (27 tpi) as opposed to a 3/8-(24 tpi)bolt.

Snyders sold it to me

[xkeots]

Originally Posted by spdway1

You are going to keep on chasing things on that car as long as you own it, sorry to say.

Not this one, another maybe. I was on top of this one and it has been maintained and rust proofed for over ten years

[Tom Wesenberg]

I'd try fixing the radiator, especially if it's an original.

[Barry B./ Ma.]

Originally Posted by xkeots

Snyders sold it to me

The bolt trick always worked for me. If the bolt is the right length you only have to turn it a couple of threads to tighten against the oil pump. The Snyders tool would be a safer bet however.

[bobbycoke]

Pop worked for the Ford Motor CO. and a Ford dealer from the 30's until the mid 1960's [then went to Caddilac] at the south shore of Long Island NY they had pulled and saved many an old car that took a "swim" in the canals,down a boat ramp , or just off a bridge.....they would be in salt water. He agreed that you cannot get all the salt out but with flushing with water, kerosene mostly and changing all fluids , drill holes in rockers.fender wells etc. to flush out with oil or kerosene, yes he swares by MM oil,you can save the metal and mechinical components, yes some may rust out a little prematurely but the steel in older ford cars was better resistant to rust... Today you have WD 40 in which the WD stands for Water Displacement, that should help. Now the bad news change everything electrical as the electrics will suffer a fatal period with the salt, but the old cars could survive these because of the small amount of"electronics" compaired to modern cars, they are easy to change out the few wires and generator, coil,light bulb sockets and distributor "guts"..... so do not throw the car away you can have many more years of fun when and if and when body work is needed then take care of it......Bobbycoke

[Jim Parker Toronto]

Originally Posted by Barry B./ Ma.

The bolt trick always worked for me. If the bolt is the right length you only have to turn it a couple of threads to tighten against the oil pump. The Snyders tool would be a safer bet however.

I never said that it wouldn't work, but, do you want to be the one in a thousand that it didn't ? Why gamble with something so easy to do right, the repairs to fix this short cut could be heart breaking.

Never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.......

[TDO]

I sure am sorry to here about your Model A, But I agree with 28RPU It will be a lot of work,but you wll be glad you did it in the long run. good luck.