VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Misc. Questions

Just wondering about some things:

a. Has anyone been stopped lately for running blue-dots? What was the outcome?

b. Has anyone been stopped for not having turn-signals. Not hand signals but turn signals. What was the outcome?

c. Has anyone been stopped lately for running a gutted, steel packed, or "smite", et al? What was the outcome?

e. Has anyone been stopped for speeding in a pre-55 Chevrolet? What was the outcome.

f. Has anyone been stopped for running a stoplight because you were driving with a stinkin Fulton obscuring your vision? What was the outcome? (You should have been made to take it off right then and there.)

h. Has anyone had a flat and had to use a standard tire with the other three being radials. How did it drive afterwards? Peachy, huh?

i. Has anyone had their AM radios converted to AM/FM or just FM? How do you like it? Recommend which?

k. Has anyone used full synthetic and believe they are getting their money's worth in an old car. Say a 216?

l. What are the symptoms of pending cam shaft gear failure? Fiber type. When I blew mine, I had no warning that noticed. It just blew.

m. Is E85 okay to run in our old engines. I expect that it is but would like to know for sure.

Thanks,
Charlie

Hey Charlie....the only one I can answer is your "l" about the cam shaft gear. Mine started to run dry and the engine had a strange higher pitched hum just off idle. A number of mechanics shops listened and few called it right. Finally just tore it down and sure enough running dry...replaced with the alum. set up . No problems.

can only reply to the last item...

I have run the Ethanol Stuff in my 1929, think it is 10% Dethanol though. But I also put in StaBil 360 to be safe. So far so good... Only have Dethanol Fuel around here :/

a)no blue dots
b)my gray hair gets me a pass
c)my 383 stroker t bucket the cops would wave to grandpa as I went by open headers
e) my cars are to slow
f)no
h) used them all
I)no
k)no
l)no
m)no

Hey Charlie,

Only 2 things I can comment on:

I had the FM conversion done on my 60 Imapala. The one where you turn the radio on-off and back on again. It was a waste of money! It would cut in and out, sent it back a few times, same problem. Happened always at idle, after the third time taking it out and sending back I get a phone call from the vendor who performed the service. He suggested that I check the alternator, I told him I don't have an alternator I am using a generator, he resonds "thats the problem, the voltage is too low at idle for the transistors to work, put in alternator in and the problem will be fixed" I sort of understand what he is saying due to the low or no charging rate at idle, but he fails to realize the reason for the radio conversion is to keep things physically correct, which the installation of an alternator defeats. This was about 15 years ago, I would hope the technology is better, but I doubt it.

Sythentic oil and old engine sealing systems don't get along well, if you have leaks they will be worse. I would not use that stuff in anything older the 2005. Cost too much to have it laying in the drip pan on the garage floor

Charlie… only use synthetic oil if you're looking for a fancier sheen to the garage floor. I know, in N.Carolina that sort of thing adds value to your house… but do it ASAP, as a good thick layer of synthetic is what people look for. Adding it the month you list the house is considered a bit of a slime-ball real estate agent trick, and easily seen through…

As for the Fulton/traffic light question… I didn't get stopped, but did run a light right in front of an officer near Niagara Falls on my way back from the 6 Cylinder meet in Vermont in 2013. There is a spot right before the bridge to Canada where a whole bunch of weird things are going on, coupled to all of the nerves about how long is the line? Is the car going to overheat? Are they going to tear the car apart because I looked at them wrong, etc..etc.. Anyway, there are two traffic lights in a row with room for about 1 or two cars to wait between them if you made the first light and got stopped by the second. I was stopped at the first light, and it was up over the visor. The second one was out front and it was red too. You guessed it, the second light turned green… I could see it twice, once in the Guide Viewfinder as well… so I went! The one above the Visor was REALLY red!! The Longmuirs behind me watched me go, and the officer behind them was either busy admiring their car, or had seen it happen too often before to bother stopping me. You only do that once, and you triple check every time after...

Charlie

E:
In at least one time I mysteriously did not get a speeding ticket from an automatic speed camera ( I did not know it was there )I was driving about double the speed limit.
K:
Referring to a normally good running 48 Fleetmaster. Used fully synthetic this season ( one of the top names )I will never use it again
First drive I got overheating problems for just waiting 1 minute by the stop lights!!! and the complete engine seams not to like it

Jianis

That's one reason I haven't installed a Fulton...Can't see worth a darn...Don't want to wreak the car because of the "fruit truck visor" as we used to call them...Syn. oil...? Don't waste your retirement money...Aluminum cam gear...? If you don't mind the noise...Fiber's fine...Like Gene mentioned, oil hole must be clear...Or did he say drill it bigger...? E85, I don't think is all that bad, if it's a daily driver...Forget chainsaws, though...Ruins them...As for driving the 'ol'47...I've never even seen a cop look at me...It's like I'm invisible...lol

e - yes but they couldn't catch me.

h - yes and couldn't tell the difference under normal driving.

k - have used synthetic and really no difference....as expected.

l - Some times you will hear a clatter that you can't put your finger onto. When the engine stops and the wipers jump up you know the timing gear went.

m E85 is 85% eathanol. Sould not be used in any engine not designed for it. The car will usually have an emblem on it saying it can use E85.
Old cars should not have over 10% so it leaves out E15 also.

When you say the cam gear started to "run dry", I am understanding oil is not getting to the gear.

If that is accurate, how does the aluminum gear work OK, if there is an oiling problem ?

The aluminum gear usually makes a whining noise with cold heavy oil due to the fact that oil is not dripping from the nozzel. If it were to get no oil it will have a louder whine.

My timing gear ran dry of oil because the oil passage ways and final dripping spout were plugged up with 73 years of gunk. The noise of the fiber timing gear running dry was agrivating and a worry . Gene and others on this site walked me through the process of the clean up and change out . My new aluminum gear makes very little noise if any at all. I did drill out the final oil drip spout hole bigger. Great fix, but I`m sure if the oil is getting to the gear , either fiber or aluminum works.

We were in Hendersonville today.

Your post from above did not mention the "cleaning of the gunk", only mentioned the swap of the gears, thus my question.

1. Blue Dots, I have them, they are not legal although some say that since they represent an era they are okay in old cars. Then there is the friend that nearly wiped out the behind side of my 52 who complained that the damned blue lights are not visible and obscure the reason for brake lights.
2, Turn signals, what pushing down a handle or winding down a window to allow a driver to notify others of his intentions. Pure craziness. Obvious by the lack of use on all the new cars.
3."Smithy mufflers" When I had them on my 38 in 1951 i got a ticket about 2 times a month for excessive noise. The last time I wrapped out with the headers and glass packs on the 52 216 I got a from a near by lawenforcement officer.
4. E-85 in our cars big no. E 10 well if I have to.
Times they are a changin but not all for the better.

Don't use BlueDots in Miamisburg, Ohio or you will get a ticket.

Hello Back Roads. Are you speaking from personal experience ?

dtm

dtm, No, I have been told by people that attend Cruise-In- The-Berg.

After pulling the balancer and cam gear , there is a metal plate behind the gears with a small oil trough stamped into the back of the plate that run from near the cam shaft and the oil is directed up this trough and then through the 1 inch oil spount where it drips on the fiber or Alum. timing gear. On the back of the plate behind the timing gears is where that oil trough get all carboned up and also the drip spout hole ... must clean it all up and drill out the drip hole in the spout a size or 2 larger to help keep it open. After seeing what crud was there I dismantled the rocker arm assembly and found it to be equally full of very hard carbon deposits. Since this fix 2 summers ago , I`ve dropped the pan and cleaned and adjusted everything I could get to .....The pan had 1 inch of tar looking crud in the bottom ...even tho the oil ran clear on oil changes pryor to digging into the engine . Get the crud out!!