Will do! Now we're getting somewhere. "I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we are making good time. The bad news is that I don't know where we're going!"
Seriously, I appreciate the info and the offer to help me decipher what I have. I didn't even know where to look for numbers. That helps a lot Antique!
Antique, 1/2 of an orange is better than no orange at all. Right?
Ok, I have numbers. Passenger side of block: Stamped into block T4151486. Below that in raised letters/numbers in three rows: 348532 (first row): then a bowtie followwed by 9, (2nd row): then, B288 (3rd row).
I have nothing by passenger's foot and unfortunately no plate on the firewall either. I didn't pull the valve cover because it appears to have a liquid (turned hard) seal around it and as of right now I don't have a spare gasket... just in case. I'll get up enough nerve to do that when I can play in grease and oil. Does any of this help?? BTW, she is a '26, 1 ton, model X (I believe). Yahoo, I'm excited.
Holy cow Dan, geez do you suppose the truck is actually a '28 or somewhere along the line maybe somebody just changed the motor? I know you don't know that answer but it opens another whole line of questions to be answered. For instance, would the title generally reflect the truck body/frame or would it follow the motor? Maybe the Waltons (Walton's Mountain), blew the engine running the sawmill and Johnboy changed it out!!! Now I really need to do some hunting to see if there are other numbers to help identify it. Where else should I look? Does the body or frame have its own set of born-date numbers and where would they be located? Dang, I thought I had an old truck ('26) and now I realize it is a young whipper-snapper ('28). No wonder it is so full of pep and vinegar as my mom used to say! My gosh, it is almost young enough for lead-free gasoline. I don't know if I should be disappointed or elated.
thank you for looking that up for me Dan, Jerry (the younger)
The photo in your avatar is too small to really tell what the truck looks like. A photo of the dash, dates and numbers on the transmission and rear end, photo of the radiator, etc. will help to definitively determine the year of manufacture.
Dan, now I am also wondering if (going back to my questions about overheating), do I have a thermostat in a 1928 motor as opposed to the 1926 that I thought I had? Oh, and now I wonder if I need a 1926 repair manual or a 1928? Evidently there were no '26 manuals so do I need a '25-27 or a '25-28? What IS available for us half-breeds? Oh my! So how do I reference my truck now...my 26/28? Ha, ha. Ok, somebody come up with a rhyme to match that!
Chipper, is there an email address I can send some pictures to? My email address is dubiousrunner@hotmail.com if you'd rather not post your personal email address here. Just send me an email with your address and I will send you some pictures that are much larger.
According to the spec book, it was fully open at 168 degrees (farenheit).
You might want to get the 25-26 and 27-28 Truck Shop Manuals (The Filling Station carries these), along with the 1914-28 Master Parts Book. Sounds like you got something like Johnny Cash's Cadillac.
Hi Chipper, it will not allow me access to your profile. I have to join VCCA today to have that privilege. BTW, as a monitor do you know if I am joining in mid-year, do I still pay the full year's subscription? This might be of interest to other readers of this site that have not become members yet.
VCCA memberships are for a full year. They begin on the month you join and include the next 11 months. So your renewal date will always be the same month each year. That change was made many years ago to better level the workload on the membership secretary. Most Regions have an annual membership that begins in January. It is a bit confusing but seems to work okay.
A few thoughts have come to mind. Towards the end of his life my great grandfather bought a 1925 Tourer new. Now he had worked horses and carts all his life so when it came to stopping this Chevrolet he apparently would put it into neutral, put both feet on the brake pedal, firmly grip the bottom of the steering wheel, stand up , lean back and yell, "Whoa-up boys". It does work well. At the same time there is the handbrake which nowadays is used to stop a parked car from rolling away. Back in the 20's it was more of an emergency backup brake which is why it has such a long lever. Try it while driving along. I often give it a tug going down steep hills as it gives the other linings a rest. If all else fails look for a soft spot to land. There was a fellow whose "27" ran away in the wet and it looked like, "over a cliff into the harbour". He slowed as much as possible, jumped the gutter, through someone's fence and ran into a bush. Sure he had a few scratches in the paint but he stopped. The home owner was most forgiving which is more than his wife was. She caught a bus home and refused to ever get into the car again. What is most important is that in the many years I have owned my "28" I have never heard of an injury or death. Some people have had a fright I admit but that's it. Just take care and try not to run like a modern
Terry, you made me laugh. I was picturing your grandfather standing on the brakes. I guess that is where the saying comes from, in the old days you literally had to stand on the brakes. I've considered that possibility myself while I'm holding the steering wheel in both hands, pushing on the brake and applying pressure upward on the steering wheel, all the while trying to make a stop. Then, I realize there are only four screws holding the steering wheel to the column and I let up a bit. Maybe that is where the saying comes from, Give me the wheel!
Let's hope all neighbors are as forgiving as the one in your story...and our wives too.
Ray, is there somewhere I can see pictures or drawings of this. My experience is so lacking that I wouldn't know where to begin and likewise probably wouldn't know when I finished. I am sure there are some things that I should NOT do that I might want to be aware of also. Like the fool that takes a few karate lessons and thinks he can lick the world, I have enough tools to take everything apart but it doesn't mean I can fix it! Unfortunately there is only me; you guys; and, any pictures or drawings I can manage to find.
To be quite honest, the brakes do work ok as long as I am careful and plan ahead or even coast to where I want to stop. An emergency stop however would be entirely different. In fact an emergency stop would be a short stop at the emergency room at the local hospital.
The brakes on a 28 can work real well if adjusted correctly and even better when you use 'soft' linings. The worst problem is the width of the tyres. When I had my accident in my 28 coach, where I T-boned a car that turned in front of me, there were skid marks 22 feet long on the road. Chris
I never measured the skid marks my '28 Canopy Express (1/2 ton) made when a White Ford Pickup made a left hand turn and then stopped in my lane. Left 4 black streaks on the pavement. Managed to stop a couple of feet from the passenger door on the truck. Was doing ~ 35 mph at the time I hit the brakes.
Ok, I'm scared! I was just paranoid before but now I'm both paranoid and scared. Are you guys suggesting I install wider tires or just softer brakes? I'm afraid that in the senarios you both describe, the only skid marks I might create would be inside the cab if you get my drift!
If it makes you feel any better, I have recently installed soft linnings on my 28 Tourer, and even though I am not leaving skid marks on the road yet, as I am still setting them up and bedding in, for the first time in many years I am not leaving skid marks inside the car.
Hope that helps
Cheers
Ray
Some say "Street is neat". I prefer "1928 is great"
I have documented my 45 years with a 1928 Chev Tourer, from 1973 to 2018, and regulary add other items that I hope are of interest to others. Your comments are most welcome.The story of the Red Chev can be viewed at http://my28chev.blogspot.com/
Jerry, Soft linings or high friction linings are a must for these old mechanical brakes. Hard modern linings will not provide enough friction to have effective brakes. Your truck will never stop as fast as one with four wheel brakes but will stop as well as a modern vehicle towing a trailer, maybe better.
Hot damn, sign me up and where in the US do I find them, what do I ask for and when do we start? Going fast is fun but being able to stop gets real important when the guy in front of you suddenly stops on a dime. You would have stopped if it weren't for all the beautiful people out the side window you were waving at! 35mph never felt so fast!!!!
Seriously, does Gary Wallace have them? Or where do I order them? Aren't I glad now that I only have TWO wheels with brakes? Ha, ha.
Ray...you really did get my drift! Good man! I should have titled the original post, "That's it, them's the brakes?" You guys have a great sense of humor.
You should be able to get a local industrial brake/friction company to reline your brakes. I had mine done locally here in Cincinnati at a cost of $12.50 per shoe (about 4 or 5 years ago). This was for a '30 coupe, so there were 12 shoes involved. I just told the folks who did the relining what the brakes were for, and that it required soft or woven linings.
These specs may be of some help when you get your brakes relined:
Like Chipper and chevguroo, I too had an incident with a car pulling in front of me that resulted in skid marks on the road (and elsewhere). Fortunately, no contact.
"Skid Marks, length and location, on the road and else where"
But I think in the interest of good taste, maybe we should not go there.
All I know now is with soft linings, I now dont have as part of my braking procedure
"Stop you SOB"
Cheers
Ray
Some say "Street is neat". I prefer "1928 is great"
I have documented my 45 years with a 1928 Chev Tourer, from 1973 to 2018, and regulary add other items that I hope are of interest to others. Your comments are most welcome.The story of the Red Chev can be viewed at http://my28chev.blogspot.com/
Do you mean "good taste" replaces good humor? I think good humor IS in good taste! Ha, ha. Whether we "go there" or not, you guys have made me laugh out loud. My wife is beginning to think I might be texting someone of the opposite sex. Now that IS humorous!!!
I spoke with Gary Wallace today about the soft brakes and it looks like that is the direction I will be going. Thank you all for the info and recommendations. Hey, did I tell you the one about.........
