What I Did on My Lunch Hour

[B-O-B]

Vic;
Your car,time & money but if it we mine I would not put the pressure regulator on the rear cross member. I like to be able to get to mine & also have a gauge on it. Not telling you what or how just what I like on mine.
Took my bride to breakfast in it this AM (mothers day),Everything was kool until I stepped it up a bit & the wind blew her hairdo around. Shouldn't of had a V/8 heh heh he
Mine isn't as purty as your's but then I don't have to worry about the bugs.
I doubt it will go as fast as your's either,but we get there.

[Vic Piano]

B-O-B, I hear you about the pressure regulator, I have them mounted on the firewall in other applications but, this time, I wanted to keep the modifications out of sight. The regulator is set at 2.5 Lbs. and, if I loose around 50 Lbs., I should be able to slide under the car to get to it... Just another good reason for the "kill switch"... I think your car is really sharp, in fact, if you want to trade... I'll meet you half way between here and your place...

[B-O-B]

Vic PM sent

[Vic Piano]

Alright! The '39 LZ's distributor and coil are back from Bubba's and Skip, after one set of points broke, grounded and toasted the distributor and half of the coil. Everything looks good so, this Saturday, I'll install it and continue the rewiring of the Zephyr.

[TomT/Williamsburg]

Purdy!

[Vic Piano]

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Yup, I hope it works as good as it looks!

[Vic Piano]

This Saturday's Flathead Playtime is going to be especially fun... I'm going to rewire the '39 LZ, with the harness I got from Rhode Island Wiring... Any and all Cigar City Flatheads are welcome to come and play... I'll even spring for the PIZZA... Such a deal... Hope to see some, if not all, of you guys this Saturday, as usual, we'll start playing around 10:00am.

[Vic Piano]

The GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY

This past weekend we had some Flathead fun. The GOOD , I finally decided to swap out the 75 year old original wiring harness in the '39 LZ and replace it with one that I got from Rhode Island Wiring. Cliff came over to lend a hand so, we removed the front seat, console and instrument cluster and went under the hood to disconnect original wiring from things like the horn relay, etc.

The BAD , while removing sections of the original harness we came across (shall we say) various electrical modifications made by previous owners, etc. The LZ had been converted to 12 volts with a one wire alternator installed, before I got her. To say the installation was a sloppy job is an understatement! Additionally, there were myriad bandages applied (over time, and by different people I'm sure) that masked potential problems. None of this was unexpected, as I have rewired a number of vehicles that had similar "repair work" done to them.

The UGLY part began to reveal itself when I pulled the headlight switch from the dash. Someone in the past apparently thought it would be a good idea to solder the wiring connections to the switch... And they must have subscribed to the theory, "the bigger the glob, the better the job", because it is a mess...

We started running the dash and under hood harness but that's as far as we got on Saturday... Now the hunt begins, I need to fine a good headlight switch and dimmer switch, for starters. Next Saturday we'll see how much more fun is in store for us.

[Vic Piano]

Tomorrow the '39 LZ gets put on the "back burner" because my friend Don just bought a '50 Ford Convertible that (like most old cars) needs some work... The '50 will be delivered to my garage and hopefully we'll get her squared away. I'm still looking for some parts for the Zephyr, most importantly,I need a headlight switch and dimmer switch. If any of you know where I might fine these items, please let me know. Thanks.

[Steves46]

Hi Vic. Is this the same Don with the 37 Coupe and 48 pickup? Hope everything goes well tomorrow. Steve

[Vic Piano]

Hi Steve, Yes, it's the same Don. Now the delivery of the car is going to take place on Monday, not tomorrow...

[Steves46]

Well good for him! I look forward to seeing it soon.

[BILL WZOREK]

Vic: How much did you have to Pay the transporter to not deliver till Monday, HEY Monday is a holiday Maybe you bought a few extra days.
Sounds like 39 LZ time. ( HOW CONVENIENT) LOL / LOL

[41ford1]

Originally Posted by Vic Piano

Now the hunt begins, I need to fine a good headlight switch and dimmer switch, for starters. Next Saturday we'll see how much more fun is in store for us.

You might be able to save the switch. Get a decent soldering iron, 30 watts should do, and the widest solder wick you can find at Radioshack. Lay the wick on the blob then place the hot iron on top of it. Let the heat and the wick do their work.

Congrats to Don on his new acquisition.

[Vic Piano]

Chuck,

I was thinking about doing something like that to the switch, as the original wiring was also soldered to the switch terminals. It's just the fact that whoever did the job when they tried to "fix" whatever the problem was, did a really sloppy job... At any rate, I think I've located NOS switches for the headlights and the headlight dimmer. I'll convey your good wishes to Don.

[Vic Piano]

Originally Posted by BILL WZOREK

Vic: How much did you have to Pay the transporter to not deliver till Monday, HEY Monday is a holiday Maybe you bought a few extra days.
Sounds like 39 LZ time. ( HOW CONVENIENT) LOL / LOL

Hi Bill, the guy that sold the car to Don will be delivering it, he asked if Monday was ok... Like you said, now I'll play with the LZ tomorrow.

[BILL WZOREK]

Vic:
Well you Got today out of it,And as we know any day playing with our Flatheads is a good day.

[Vic Piano]

Keith came over with a friend yesterday and we continued with the '39 LZ rewiring project. We got the body harness, antenna wire, and headlight harness installed. I ordered a new firewall grommet and a few other related parts that should get here next week. I also located (I hope) an NOS headlight switch and dimmer switch... Now I'm waiting for Don to get here with his new acquisition, the '50 Ford Convertible. I spent the morning cleaning up the garage (after all the fun we had yesterday) to make room for the '50, should be another fun project.

[Vic Piano]

Here are a few photos of the Zephyr from yesterday along with some photos of Don's new project, a '50 Ford Convertible with factory Over Drive.









Its a Convertible so... I had to get behind the wheel... LOL

[Steves46]

Good looking car Don has there and a factory overdrive as well! Is she running now or does it need some tweeking?