Newby questions

[HDowse]

Thanks for the suggestions on my earlier thread. Here's a basic question: how do I drain the radiator? I don't see a petcock like on the Model A lower pipe.
Also, there's corrosion on the fuel pump where it fits the stack and the breather was rusty on the inside. The fuel pump rod is covered in a scaly, oily white powdery rust. I'm afraid the car sat so long that rust has hit the stack and maybe the manifold. Looks like the manifold is going to have to come off. Is this a straightforward removal operation or does the fuel pump stack pose a problem?
The next one is how easy/hard is it to drop the pan to remove accumulated sludge? I've read you have to lift the front of the motor for clearance. How do you do that, motor mounts?
Thanks, more questions to come…
Hunt

[corvette8n]

When I dropped the pan on my '50 flathead I used a a 2x4 and a bottle jack to raise the engine after I removed the nuts on the mounts.

[tubman]

Also, it helps to have the engine turned so that the front counterweights on the crankshaft are in the "up" position so the pan will slide back.

[Ol' Ron]

I think a motors manual of the early 50's wuld be a great investment for anyone wanting to get into this hobby.

[HDowse]

Ol' Ron, right you are! I grew up with Motor's Manuals in the 60's and found a 1954 edition on Ebay that covers '40-'54. It does have a short section on removing the pan. It states, loosen the lower radiator hoses at the engine, undo the front mount bolts, get the 2x4 etc, turn the weights up. What it assumes, is you'll drain the radiator before you loosen the hoses…
The big deal will be replacing the original wiring. Some works, some doesn't and some is kicking the circuit breakers.

[Charlie Stephens]

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Originally Posted by HDowse

Thanks for the suggestions on my earlier thread. Here's a basic question: how do I drain the radiator? I don't see a petcock like on the Model A lower pipe.
Also, there's corrosion on the fuel pump where it fits the stack and the breather was rusty on the inside. The fuel pump rod is covered in a scaly, oily white powdery rust. I'm afraid the car sat so long that rust has hit the stack and maybe the manifold. Looks like the manifold is going to have to come off. Is this a straightforward removal operation or does the fuel pump stack pose a problem?
The next one is how easy/hard is it to drop the pan to remove accumulated sludge? I've read you have to lift the front of the motor for clearance. How do you do that, motor mounts?
Thanks, more questions to come…
Hunt

The radiator is drained from two petcocks (one each side) located in a threaded hole in the block near the water pumps.

Charlie Stephens

[chap52]

Sometimes along the way those petcocks get so corroded that they no longer open as designed. The they get removed and replaced with a small bolt. So you may just have a couple of rear facing bolts on the bottom engine side of the radiator to remove. A little PB Blaster soak may be in order if they are corroded tight.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by HDowse

The big deal will be replacing the original wiring. Some works, some doesn't and some is kicking the circuit breakers.

Only the lighting is on the circuit breaker, so that can help narrow it down a little. If we are talking the 40, it should only have one circuit breaker. The wiring is fairly simple on these cars so shouldn't be to big a problem to fix.

On the tripping the circuit breaker, there are five wires that connect to it on the power/battery side and three on the output/lighting side. I would disconnect the three wires and then put them back one at a time and see which one is the problem.

The Green wire goes to the brake light switch
The Black/Blue wire goes to the pillar (interior) lights
The Yellow/Red wire goes to the light switch.

If the light switch turns out to be the problem, there are four wires connected to it (in addition to the Yellow/Red power in wire). Same routine, remove them and re-connect them one at a time.

The Black/Yellow wire is the parking lights
The Yellow/Black wire is the foot dimmer switch
The Black wire is the tail lights
The Black/Blue wire is the instrument lights and the clock.

[supereal]

The best, and quickest, way to drain the radiator and cooling system is to remove the lower radiator hoses. This allows plenty of circulation to carry out loose crud. If the hoses are old, replace them. As to corrosion between the fuel pump and the mounting stack, this is usually caused by the electrolysis produced by bolting the potmetal pump to the steel mount when the gasket fails. You can clean the rod with a Scotchgard pad or steel wool. If it is really cruddy, Id pull the intake manifold. The valve chamber is probably full of sludge. As for circuit breakers, if they are inserted into the headlight circuit, the breaker must handle at least 40 amps, if sealed beams. A bit less with just bulbs. That is why Ford used a "buzzer" for the headlamps instead of a fuse.

[HDowse]

Thanks for these great tips. The wiring sounds straightforward, thanks for the diagram and step by step instructions JSeery. I found a petcock at the bottom center of the radiator but will pull the rad hoses, too. Yes, the manifold is coming off so i can check the valley for crud, then the pan. It's a good car but mechanically neglected for too long. We'll talk about brakes, linings, wheel and master cylinder kits later on, don't want to melt the VISA card all in one week.

[JSeery]

Originally Posted by HDowse

Don't want to melt the VISA card all in one week.

Now that is something that is easy to accomplish on these cars!

[funrunr]

If you decide to buy new lower radiator hoses, check the clearance on the fan-to-hose. These fit both ways but only one is correct. I learned the hard way, it didn't break through the hose, just a chunk and was able to save antifreeze.