VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION Forum Questions Activity

This is the first time I have noticed that I am the only member on the Forum, with 17 Lookie Loo's and 11 Spiders or Bots online.

Like you Ray I am here with 18 lookie loo's and 10 spiders. I doubt we are on close to the same time.
Tony

I too have noticed the waning activity from time to time.
Hope it's only because of Summertime activities with the old Chevys.

I am sure summer has a lot to do with it..I will say though,there has been a large drop in activity in the 46-48 forum?I personnly have had assumed new business challenges over the last 6 months and extra time has been sparse at best..Hopefully retirement will come knocking soon!!I took off today for the Greenwood car show,the bigest in Seattle over 1 1/2 miles of cars in normal attendance,but the RAIN has kept me in the garage..
I see Charlie and BackRoads in attendance presently..3 others I do not know,31 Lookie Loo's and 17 Spiders

Also where is Beamer? Have not seen him around for some time.

I would say there is a prety good list of guys who have not been around in a while

Beamer was on this site just two days ago on June 26th.

Good to hear

Guess nobody misses me...I've been busy...Fallen out of the habit of checking in every day...Out in the "sticks" with no computer will do that...

Kevin,you,Russell,Dale and a few others,were whom I was refering to..46-48 is not the same without the secific knowlege and of course the well needed humor once and a while

Must be a nice day everywhere.........only 5 members online at 6:00 pm eastern.

I've been in the middle of a kitchen & bath remodel for roughly two months (we work slow). I've been out of the Chevy scene this season and regret it, but life happens. I'm hoping to get out more later this summer and post more here as time allows. On the plus side, the '47 hasn't required anything but an oil change this year.

Without a good hearted friend to poke fun at, it just is not any fun. Really miss the enjoyment of the past few years!

Russell,poke all the fun you want,we are gluttons for abuse

So how's the car doing these days, Russell...? No problems I hope...Kevin

Must being doing well,no questions for the chat

Got to be something...Do what I do when I get bored...Just make up something...Try to "stump" the experts...Just kidding...lol

Well, If 41s and 42s were in the forum with the 46-38 there would be a heap more activity. There is no reason that 41s and 42 should be stuck in a chronologically ancient junk yard with the lacks of 37-40s. It's downright embarrassing and discriminatory. It's like having to kiss you sister. (That may not always apply in eastern Kentucky or WV, though.)

I have tried to get this changed before but none of the high order of potentates will listen to me. It's like talking to a turnip.

One of the reasons we have such little traffic is that we have beat the bushes trying to flush out any new questions only to find that everything has already been discussed ad nausea. Sort of like asking your more elderly neighbor to tell you one more time about all their ailments.

Heres a couple questions:

a. Why did Chevrolet use a 4:11 differential for so long?

b. Why did they use Huck brakes so long?

c. Why did the G-ment start using good ol' ethanol?

d. Why did folks start referring to the Chevrolet propeller as a Bow-tie?

e. Why doesn't the club recognize the wisdom of my suggestion to move 41 and 42 and make it the 1941 -48 Forum? Is it because the 37s and 38s will squeal like jealous little sisters denied going to the teen party and mom and pop then telling you that you have to take them along or no body is a-going?

When I get I charge of this here outfit there's a-gonna be some changes made. You bet chum, Red Ryder!

Charlie

Reply to a....why did Cherolet use the 4.11 for so long?
It just worked well with the 216 engine in the pre Interstate days. The cars had good high gear power for climbing hills or city driving. Would run at 65 MPH all day. You could run it up to 85 MPH for short stretches which few owners did.
Up to 1950 you could order the car from the factory with a 3.73 ratio if you lived in the flat lands or like to cruise at 70 MPH. Consumer Reports recommended this option if you did a lot of high speed driving. After the Power Glide came out with the 3.55 ratio the Power Glide Chevrolet was rcommended by them for a high speed driving low priced car.
In the 1949-1954 range both the 6 cylinder Pontiac and Oldsmobile 6 (49& 50) came with a 4.11 with standard transmission. Small Buicks used a 4.44 and 4.11. For other "low priced cars" Ford had a 3.73 in 1949-1951 and and 3.90 in 1952-54. The majority of Plymouths a 3.90. Studebakers, big Nash and Hudson a 4.11. Small Nash a 4.44.
So you can see a 4.11 was rather common.
And the Chevrolet dropped to 3.70 in 1953 when it put a 235 in stick.
Now if Chevrolet would have made an overdrive available in the 4.11 years it would have been a perfect option. Pryor to 1955 Chevrolet talked down the overdrive says it would take X number of miles to pay for its self and wasn't necessary. They just didn't want to pay Borg Warner the royalities for the use of their product.

Now Huck Brakes is another story.
By 1949 they should have changed over and Chevrolet was the only maker to use them. There again probably a royality thing and if the could save a buck a car and that would be a milllion dollars a year.

Charlie -

While I have no answers to your questions, I did enjoy reading your ranting (or were you raving?) :-)

Gene -

You mean I can really be driving my '48 at 65 mph??? I've been hesitant to drive for long highway stretches at over 55-57 mph - worried about my babbitt failing on me. Cousin Dave would really appreciate it if I'd kick it up a bit on these long trips to get to Central Meets or 6-Cylinder tours.

Back then the speed limit in Wisconsin was 65 MPH and most of our customers drove that fast.
The break-in speed from 300 to 500 miles was 60MPH.
For years I drove my '39 at 65 MPH with 4.22 gears
Go to old car manual site....read Floyd Clymers report on the 1949 Chevrolet.He drove a 1949 wide open for 100 miles on a California dry lake.
Four Chevrolets were entered in the 1950 Mexican Road Race. All four finished. The only make to have all entered cars finish.

I drove my '34 betewwn 55 and 60 for years. The present owner drove it to Colorado and back at those speeds this summer and it had a poorer rod oil system than a 1948.

Heck yes! I have a 1951 Chevrolet with 4:11 gears and I normally drive it on the freeway at 65 MPH with no problems. I have been doing that for decades!

Dale, go ahead and give it a try. If it works out, then come April you can let the top down, go over and hit I-75, and drive that thing down here to middle Georgia.

Remember, if she blows, you can drop in a small block (or big block) AND still be welcome here, now!!

Russell, Russell, Russell.

Too bad I don't have 16" tires (mine is a late '48 with 15" tires). It would probably save me a few RPMs.

Hmmm - 6 cylinder tour in September is in Verona, NY. 350 miles away. Direct route is I-90. May have to see how she does.

I suppose you can really drive a 216 with the 4:11 gears but here's the rub: You have to ignore the sound of the seemingly high revolutions that tell your ear that you are exceeding safe RPM and/or a mental redline.

There is no cure for this except wads of cotton or custom made ear plugs. I remember that right after flying piston engined aircraft all day my 41 Town Sedan ran really quit on the way home. Speeding right along didn't cause me any anxiety during such runs - until my normal hearing returned.

Right now I can't hear so good and still it bothers me when I get the 41 coupe above 45 or so. It makes so much noise that it seems the pistons want to swap holes and all the other parts go a-flying in different directions. Stressful. Last time I pushed it hard it erased a section of the timing gear. That acerbates the caution factor even more.

Charlie