VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 Questions for the day

Hey guys, thanks so much for your input on all the random things I ask. I am very new to this and can use all the help I get. Here are my questions for today...

The fuel pump bowl screw mechanism on the top is rusted. Before I wrench too hard on it I was wondering which way to turn it. Am I turning the nut left and trying to get the screw to come down from the bar or is that one piece?

Is there any way to find/make a replacement for the felt pad underneath the air cleaner cover? Is it even necessary?

Locking gas cap no key. What do I do? I need to pull the tank. Can I do that before dealing with the cap or does the filler neck need to come out first? Do I drill out the lock?

Thanks guys!

Looking down at the nut on top of the fuel pump glass bowl - turn counter clockwise to loosen. A drop or two of penetrating oil may help.
The felt pad under the cover was for silencing noise. It came with a new cover only and is not necessary.
I believe I have a new cover.
I would suffest disconnecting the filler neck and taking the cap and neck to a locksmith. It can easily be removed first.

A good locksmith should be able to get the cap unlocked. Some will have a set of master keys, others can "pick" the lock. You can also ask some of your old car buddies for even your local law enforcement for help. They may know of someone that can help.

Funny thing about that felt pad. My "48" developed a habit of running up to speed and then stalling/standing on its nose etc.Used to happen at about 30mph in second and 50 in top. I spent a fortune having fuel pumps replaced, tank cleaned out, carby rebuilt; all to no avail. One day we were trying all different ideas and I went up the street and it ran perfectly.Why?. We had left the air cleaner off. What was happening was that the felt had shrunk with age and the edges had dropped away. At speed suction would pull the felt down and block the carby; back off and airflow would be restored. It made a great frisbee and the car never went better.

Thanks! okay so for today...

The carb sits on an insulator. Should there be a gasket between the insulator and the manifold?

The is a heater of some kind under the dash that looks like a beehive. there are two hoses running in the engine compartment from near the thermostat housing. Do those hoses need to be plugged before running the engine or is it ok without them for now?

The factory did not use a gasket below or above the insulator. They do come with carb. kits and are used at times. have never found a need for them.
If the heater dosen't leak do plug the hoses. It also can be run without plugging the hoses. Just loop a hose between the two connections.

So do those hoses normally run coolant through them?

yes.

ok. new question...

I have both the throttle and choke cables on the car. The carb isn't connected. Both of the knobs I can't pull at all. Is this something that won't work until the carb is holding them or are they frozen from rust. If so, is there a good way to loosen them up?

Soak them in WD40. Or repros are readily available.

Choke and Throttle cables: What I did is get a couple of manual choke cables from the local parts store for about $6 bucks apiece. Cheaper than ordering them from "Chevy's of the 40's". Soak the knob in 150 degree hot water, and then pull it off. Put the original in the hot water for about a minute and pull it off the old cable, then put it back into the hot water for another minute push it on the new cable. You shouldn't have to use any glue. You may need a bit hotter water, but not boiling. Careful with that old plastic it is brittle. Worst case is you have to order a new knob, but not whole cable and knob. Try lubricating the whole old assembly as earlier suggested first, but if it's kinked or won't move easily enough this is the way to go.

Yeah I have to replace every knob in the car since they all shatter like glass when you touch them. Here is an interesting question...

The right heater hose connects to a bar that sticks out from the area under the thermostat housing. Looking at it yesterday there is a piece of wood shoved in the end of the bar(I will get a pic up). This can't be the way it came can it?

here is a link to the pic.

http://postwarchevrolet.gofreeserve.com/Photo5.JPG

Would there be anything wrong with removing this t-bar and running the hose straight from the connection?

Also, this feels like a dumb question but where is the fuse box? I have traced many wires and still can't find it! There is one on the wiring diagram so I must be overlooking it.

When the 1948 left the factory it had NO fuses. There is a circuit breaker built into the light switch to protect the lighting systems.
If any eletrical accessories were added such as a radio or heater it will (or should) have an inline fuse holder some where under the dash.
I cna't download your picture at this time.

My website is a little screwy. If you copy the link and paste it in the browser it pops up but clicking the link doesn't work.