VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 The Story of a 1926 Chevrolet Superior Series K Touring

I met up with Gary Shroyer in Anna, Ohio a couple weeks ago to discuss the issues that I have been having with my fuel pump as well to get the vent check valve that I needed. Since then, I have installed a new flapper valve and I have spent some more timing cleaning the internal parts of the pump.

I scored a new plastic flapper from Hal Houghton at Classic Preservation Coalition. It was pricey, but it seals very nicely. I spent some more time sanding the mating surface on the brass flapper housing to make sure all of the corrosion is gone and the flapper can seal well.














I have the pump all back together, but after taking it apart so many times and letting gasoline and sunlight get to it, the cork gasket has shrunk a bit. I put it in place without the cap and with all of the screws installed hoping to stretch it back. I even applied WD40 oil to the cork in an attempt to make it swell. I was able to get it installed with the cap, but I am going to need another one.

I hope to get into the shop this evening after work for a little bit to test. It's been raining in Ohio and I have not been able to test the pump on the road...So I'll probably have to do it stationary in the garage. I'm running out of time, as I am going to Mid-Ohio for the Vintage Grand Prix this weekend and I leave first thing Sunday morning for the VCCA 4 Cylinder Tour in Iowa.

Haase;
If you want a cork gasket to swell; you should soak it in water.

I think any liquid would cause it to swell and I was taught that soaking in the fluid that the gasket is going to seal is best.

I would have used water, but I don't want it to shrink again. I may have to take this thing apart again.... Gasoline made it shrink to begin with.

The ethanol in gasoline will suck the water from the cork gasket causing it to shrink. Generally does not happen until you remove it and leave it out in the air.

Long time, no updates. Since my last post, I've been to the 4 cylinder tour in Altoona, Iowa and a fishing trip to Canada. Unfortunately, I have not had a lot of time to mess with the fuel pump, but I was able to take the car to it's first public event since it was put away in 1986. My grandfather and I attended a car show at our local VFW. The car drove there without any issues and it got quite a lot of attention. A lot of people appreciated the state of the car and insisted that I leave it alone.






I noticed that the check valve on top of the fuel pump is missing it's guts and does not work properly. I suspect that this may have something to do with the pump not working. I used some rubber hose and a plastic vacuum check valve to check this theory, but it still did not pull fuel. I also believe that there may be a vacuum leak somewhere. There just has to be... I will be stopped by my buddy's automotive shop later today to see if he has a smoke machine that I can borrow.

I'll update when I know more.

Major congrats!!

I totally agree with the crowd: your car is WAY COOL the way it is. It would lose a lot of character if you restored it.

Besides, every bit of dirt and grime help tell its story.

Kudos to you and your Grandpa!

Dean

The fuel pump is fixed!

I wonder why this upper tank didn't hold vacuum....








I swapped out the swiss cheese upper tank for a spare that I got from a fellow member while I was in Iowa (Thanks Denny!). I wasn't able to remove the flapper from the spare tank, but it cleaned up well enough to use.

I also installed a replacement check valve in the cap. I was not able to find a brass one that didn't have plastic internals, so this stainless steel one will have to work for now.




I also put the spare rim and tire on the car. One of the Montgomery Ward tires is in pretty bad shape and I don't want to risk that thing coming apart on me. I will be installing new tires at some point, just not yet.








I currently have the steering column partially out of the car. I have a rebuilt column and box that I want to swap in. I'm hoping that I can use the original column tube in an attempt to hide the rebuilt (and freshly painted) assembly. I need to borrow a puller to get the pitman arm and steering wheel off.

I have a Tilk-Lok fatman steering wheel that I scored from a local guy who attends Hershey every year. I want to get it installed while I'm juggling steering columns. It will probably need an adapter, but I need to measure.

I am glad that rusty old vacuumn tank had parts good enough for you to use.

Denny

I can't thank you enough, Denny. The upper tank certainly was useful.

Beautiful Car! I just picked up a 26’ Two Door Sedan.. I need to replace the wood in it.. any idea who makes a kit for these Superiors?

Not sure who does 1926 wood if anybody. Be prepared to do it yourself.

I just stumbled onto this story from an “outside” link, was fascinated, joined the forum and now replying from “inside”.
I owned a 1926 Chev 4 dr Superior from 1965 to about 2000,
My car was pretty much as original when I bought it from the same dealership that first sold it in 1926/7.
My wheels and fuel pump never caused problems, I ran it most every year I owned it, it always started and drove well.
My major problem was engine overheating.
The body on my car was in fair original condition, Like an earlier comment suggested, last time I had it at a show parade the parade announcer “raved” about how good it was to see the car “as is” and un-restored to new, saying it looked like cars used to look when used by the original owners.
I sold the car - I believe it’s still with a fellow who appreciates its “as is” look - showing in local parades.

Great story Aggie. I have a 1925 Superior K Touring that a lot of our members think that I should not restore. My dad started the Chevy dealership here in town in 1948. The first convertible he sold that year, was to a lady who had bought the 25 new. It has been in our family since the. It has suffered a lot back the because it was stored in a leaky shed. but it is all original.

That is an early 1925 Touring. It appears to be in remarkable shape. I too agree that it should not be restored, but do only what is necessary to make it operational. Immediately, it should be photographed and placed on a CD so others can see what original really is. I for one would like a copy of the CD.

Ray my dad always called it a 24 1/2 Chevrolet

Been a while since I've posted anything here. I do have some excited news though.

Haase, I have just read the story in G&D. Great story and I bet your grandfather is smiling down on you. The memories of being so close to your grandfather are precious. Some day I hope that I can get my 25 running good enough to go on a tour with you!

Thank you!

He stopped by my place last night to congratulate me. The only reason he's smiling down on me is because he's taller than me! Ha

Those are great looking pictures! What a fun looking car. I'm glad you've just preserved the patina and drive it like that.

Time for new shoes!

Since purchasing the ”˜26, I have been running on the same set of Trail Blazer tires that have been on the car for decades. Rolling around on borrowed time is a bit of an understatement…However, having those old tires mounted is very convenient when I go to show the car in any “unrestored” categories. So, I decided to get a second set of rims that are dedicated to new tires, tubes, ect.

I found a gentleman named Steve Hood who operates Vintage Rims Australia. He builds and provides new wheels and rims for vintage automobiles and motorcycles. If you’re in need of replacement rims, I highly recommend sending Steve an email. He was incredibly easy to work with and he quickly shipped 5 rims from Melbourne to Ohio.









It’s very likely that I will never have to buy tires for this car again in my lifetime. So, it seemed to make sense to get the highest-quality tires and tubes available. I picked up a set of tubes from Bratton’s Antique Auto Parts, flaps from Coker Tire, and Goodyear tires from Kelsey Tire. I’ve read that many tires that are available are formed in old molds and are commonly not round… I read on this forum that Mr. Kelsey had brand new tooling made to produce these tires in Akron, Ohio, plus I really like the tread design. Works for me.





Once everything was home, I grabbed my Grandad’s Elite Manufacturing Reliable no 500 rim tool and got to work. The tires, tubes and flaps were all liberally covered in baby powder and assembled. I used a little bit of soapy water to make it easier to get the valve stem in the correct position before setting the dowel pin on the rims. This whole process was much easier than I thought it would be. What a relief!



My next challenge was making my brand new rims rusty. Crazy, I know, right? I had the option to have the rims zinc plated and I considered painting them, but I decided it was best to put some patina on the rims to match the car. After washing them with dish soap and water, I placed them behind a barn to sit.





After 5 days, not much happened… I think I need another 90 years. Ha



To speed things up, I sprayed a mixture of phosphoric acid and water on the rims two days ago. I am going to check on them later this afternoon and I’ll post an update with some pictures.

Thanks for looking!

Good idea to have two sets of shoes for baby!

I think Phosphoric acid is used to dissolve rust and prevent further rusting. Others should comment on this.

When I need to accellerate the rusty process, I squirt a 50/50 mixture of Hydrogen Peroxide and White Vinegar. After a few days, it looks quite old (and good!).

Cheers, Dean

Yes phosphoric will remove rust. Let your dog pee on it! Ever look closely at the base of fire hydrants?

There's a large city-owned building in San Jose, CA where one outside huge wall was left as bare steel (Corten) and to make it rust quickly and uniformly (when the place was built), they brushed horse urine on the whole thing (true story).

I hope they paid the 'painter' a lot of money for that job. Sometimes, work really stinks!

;-) Dean