What I Did on My Lunch Hour

[Vic Piano]

The modification I did, changing the mechanical fuel pump to an electric unit, and still using the OEM style pump, (modified by Marv to be a "pass through"), has been working well with no leaks and no vapor Lock for the last two days so, I thought I'd give the '39 CS a bath before I take her out for an extended cruise...



I'd say she looks pretty good... for a driver...

[Vic Piano]

I took the '39 CS on a nice ride, about 80 miles, that included open highway as well as secondary roads with stop lights. I also stopped twice, first for about 10 minutes and second for just under a half hour. Each time the temp climbed from 170 to 190+ while she sat, and each time she fired up with little or no hesitation. She responded to more gas peddle at speed and accelerated from a dead stop without a single hiccup... I think she is back to running the way she should... Now I've got to wash the bugs off the windshield...

[bryonhemi]

Bounce dryer sheets, wet and wipe.

[Vic Piano]

I was out with the '39 CS this morning, when I passed the local Nursery where my wife had ordered two topiaries for pots on the front porch. I stopped to see if they were in, and next thing I knew, the were in the back of the '39 CS...

Now she's pulling double duty as a Pickup...

[KM/ROADSTERS]

Vic, glad to hear the 39CS is back in the game. I passed the nursery on my way to work, glanced over and saw the 39, I was busy so I couldn't stop, but wished I could. The car looks great. I stopped by "The Village Auto Shop" yesterday, to have some bearing races pressed in on the front brake drums, for dad's 57 Rachero, which I am trying to resurrect. As soon as I mentioned your name, the guy said sure I can do it, I'll do it right now, NO CHARGE. So thanks for the referral and Thanks to Cliff who's been helping me, keeping me company, and best of all bringing BEER with him. The Cigar City Flathead guys are the real deal when it comes to how this is supposed to work. They really do believe in "ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE". They really are and "Old School" club (No Pun Intended), No dues, No politics, No BS, just a bunch of guys committed to one another and the Preservation and restoration of the "FLATHEADS" and the cars they powered.... Thanks for hosting our "Meetings/Playdates", whatever term you want to use. Next year after the new house is done, I would like to "Host" a few hangouts at my place, it'll be perfect- It's close enough to our traditional pizza place to WALK home from, Just kidding about that last part.

[Vic Piano]

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Keith, that's excellent, glad the guys at the Village Garage helped you out. I was hoping that they would have had the AC in the '63 Studebaker Avanti fixed so Sherrie and I could drive it down to Sarasota tomorrow... Not this weekend but next we'll schedule another Flathead Play Time, hopefully I'll have the '39 LZ distributor and coil back again.

[Vic Piano]

It rained here all day Friday and Saturday but today was a perfect Convertible day so... my wife and I took the '39 CS out for a morning cruise, with an unplanned stop at Loews Garden Center... The '39 pulled pickup duty again, with flowers and four fifty pound bags of potting mix on the back seat...

With the upgrade we made to the fuel delivery system, the '39 CS is running great, so good in fact, that I'm looking for any reason to take her for a drive... Even if I have to use her as a Pickup

[B-O-B]

Doesn't the trunk work???

[Vic Piano]

Bob, it's a "hot rod", the trunk is full of tools... LOL

[B-O-B]

I didn't know that you had to carry TOOLS? Never did in my 32 or a spare tire or jack. 85,000 miles & still ticking, think I better call it Timex. I'm not kidding never been let down. One time while @ my sisters house I was checking the oil & noticed a weep of water by the thermostat housing . It was a chrome thing,off shore pot metal & electrolysis had eatin away at it so bought a cast iron one from A Z & borrowed a couple of wrenches & screw driver.
When the bride/queen goes along there is not enough room for anything else & hardly all her beauty tools.Behind the seat even gets used.
Hopefully if I ever get the 34 too that reliability I can carry some tools. It has way more room than the 32.

[B-O-B]

WHAT!!! no spare parts, coil,distributer & water pump & fuel pump???

[Vic Piano]

Parts are always included with the tools, on all our antique vehicles, not just the Flatheads... You know that if you carry spare parts, the ones in use on the vehicle won't let you down... Whenever we go for a long drive, say to North Georgia and back (some 1200 miles round trip), I usually bring the parts you mentioned and a few more. Over the last 44 years, of driving Flatheads, I've had to make several road side repairs...

[Vic Piano]

We spent last Friday & Saturday (in the rain) in Sarasota, visiting my sister and Brother-In-Law. On Saturday, we went to the Sarasota Antique Auto Museum. It is a small museum but there were some unusual vehicles on display. Next door was an antique car sales show room with some cool vehicles for sale, like this '50 Ford Ute...



And a '47 Ford Sportsman.



The "fact sheet" on the Sportsman said it had Overdrive... There was no Columbia in it... I always thought that the Columbia (two speed rear) was the only Overdrive available on Flathead Fords up through '48...
Sorry for the poor quality photos, I used my cell phone to take them...

[KiWinUS]

Ya gotta love them Aussie Ute,s

[Vic Piano]

Hi Tony, I thought that was a nice looking Ute. Some of the other cars were also nice and you could tell that the dealership was proud of them all based on the "asking prices"...

[37 Coupe]

The Sportsman is and has been in Hemmings for $217,500.

[Vic Piano]

I've been driving the '39 CS for over a week now, with the electric fuel pump and the OEM style fuel pump (that was modified by Marv to be a "pass through" pump) and, I've been very pleased with the results. The temps here have been in the mid to upper 80's this week and yesterday I got caught in a traffic jam that caused the water temp to climb to just under 200 degrees... There was still no hesitation, no missing or any other heat related fuel delivery issues. I got to my intended destination, shut the car down for around twenty minutes and, when I fired her up (the temp gauge read 195 degrees) she started right away. The trick is to let the electric fuel pump push liquid fuel up to the carb before hitting the starter button. As soon as I get the '39 LZ distributor back from Bubba's, I'm going to do the same fuel system modification to the Zephyr... It looks as though Vapor Lock has been vanquished...

[Vic Piano]

I talked with Marv earlier today, about making another "pass through" OEM style mechanical fuel pump for the '39 LZ. I think I'm going to give it a try myself, maybe this weekend. I should also be getting the LZ's distributor and coil back from Bubba's so, maybe this weekend I'll also start rewiring the LZ... Hopefully some of the guys will come over and lend a hand... Maybe I can entice them... PIZZA... LOL

[BILL WZOREK]

Vic:

You have taken a different approach to the Vapor lock problem then G.M.
Both reporting Good results.
Did you ( and I apologize if you mentioned it in a earlier post ) use / install the
1/2" Ventilated carb spacer as G.M. did.
Also what did you do with the fuel pump push rod ?

Your approch appears to be a much simpler way to solve the problem while keeping a more stock apperance.

Where did you put the pressure regulator?

[Vic Piano]

Hi Bill, First, I will admit that I don't have the expertise that G.M. has, nor do I poses his fabrication ability. I do however tend to seek out the simplest (read easiest) way to solve a problem. I have a top oiler installed on the '39 CS, which, in addition to supplying MMO to the valves, also elevated the carb. I left the push rod in place, as I have done on other Flatheads that I installed electric fuel pumps on. I mounted the electric fuel pump, additional fuel filter, and pressure regulator on the rear cross member. I also insulated the fuel line from the pressure regulator to where it goes inside the frame rail, because the car has dual exhaust. I should mention that I also installed a "kill switch", for the fuel pump, under the dash just incase I ever need to intentionally halt the flow of fuel. The modification has worked wonders for the car, she has been running extremely well, in fact, I drove her up to the Saturday "Hot Rod Breakfast" (some sixty miles each way) mostly on open highway. She ran at 170 degrees, responded effortlessly to increased pressure on the gas peddle and fired right up after sitting in a hot parking lot. It may not be the end all solution where Vapor Lock is concerned, but it sure is working for the '39 CS.

Here's a shot of me following Don on the way home after the Breakfast.

The only drawback was that this is Love Bug season and by the time I got home, the front of the '39 CS was covered in dead bugs...

A little Simple Green and some scrubbing washed the bugs away...

It sure has been a joy to drive the '39 CS with the electric fuel pump installed, so much so that I think we may drive her up the East Coast this Fall...