this darn old car, what next

[cas3]

my "quick easy" project to make just a driver out of this 34 tudor has been one of those i wish i never bought. today i finally got to start up the motor for the first time since i "freshened up" a used 59 block since the 34 motor was left with water in it, and cracked. so really i just want it to move so i can get it out of the shop, get the mower in for maintenance, clean up the mess, and get back to it later. starts up, runs great...oh boy!!!, i push in the clutch to feel how smooth the new disk is, i hear it engage, i keep letting it out more, and more, and now its out but not moving! i sit there pondering what the hell?, and then i see the drive shaft is running (the speedo turtle is off) and there is no noise, not going anywhere!! i never had a rearend that bad!! when i first had the floor open i noticed there was no turtle on the tube. first thought was they had the tube on upside down. later when my tired eyes were close enough i could see the outline of the hole for the turtle, same rust brown as the tube. poking with a screwdriver reveled the whole end of the tube was full of old dry mud!! so, when the motor and trans were out i cleaned it up to find they had omitted the speedo drive gear because it must have been easier to jam the u joint into the dirt with out that part. so really, i knew it would be the next thing to deal with, but jeez, i just want it to move under its own power! this guy who was working on it since the 70's, just put things together. yes, thats how we do it, but i thought you were supposed to fix the part before you put it together. most bolts i touch are either finger tight, cross threaded, or even a few coarse nuts on fine thread. the car is old faded paint for the most part, pretty good rust wise, usable seats, no top or headliner, just a quick project driver to satisfy my model 40 craving until my coupe comes home, but it is one i wish i never bought. i get some photos when its outside, we all like photos!

[Newc]

Cas 3 Don't feel bad, I'm trying to assemble a '39 dlx chassis and with the 'Good' rear diff... well I pulled the torque tube for painting and the drive shaft came off with it and the shear pin dropped on the floor! Worn spline on the pinion to boot! Newc

[FlatheadTed]

Don't Give up Cas3 ,I do it for a living ,oh my poor back ,Check the axle key way .Ted

[cas3]

yeah, i have another 34 rear i had planned to overhaul while this one was in the car, and drivable. better go to plan B

[Brendan]

sounds like my Model A, i blew a head gasket. i thought it would be a easy job. NOPE it took 3 weeks to get the head off, new studs, 2 new valves new guides and springs i had the head milled. got it on the road yesterday. it runs great! i feal your pain

[flatford39]

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Like FT said...check the axle key way before you go any further. Could be a real simple fix.

[cas3]

that would be swell if its just an axle key, then at least i could move it around. however, due to the front being full of dirt, i don't have much hope for the drive shaft bearing surface. i have 3 34 drive shafts here, and none have a good male end. 2 more to check, and then i have to make one.

[Milt K from Pa]

cas3
Just a little info. the rear end banjo on a '34 is narrower than '35 up. Gears are different. I think it's about 1/4 inch or so narrower.

Milt K from Pa

[rotorwrench]

Maybe your dirt was from a dauber type wasp. They can fill things up in a hurry.

If the guy liked to put things together loose, he may have put the hubs on with no keys at all. You just never know till you look for yourself.

[dude]

Like they say "when you buy an old car , you are buying another guy problems "

[Paul Bennett]

Out of curiousity and the desire to fully understand your difficulties, just what is a TURTLE with respect to a Ford automobile?

[Dyna]

The casing that houses the speedometer drive gear has a peculiar shape, it looks like the back of a turtle. It is attached to the torque tube. Here is an example.

[aonemarine]

pictures please!

[cas3]

thanks paul for asking the question, thats what the barn is for, learning. thanks dyna for posting the pic so i can be lazy! , and mr a1 marine, thanks for your service, and i'll get some photos up this weekend, skip

[aonemarine]

Originally Posted by cas3

thanks paul for asking the question, thats what the barn is for, learning. thanks dyna for posting the pic so i can be lazy! , and mr a1 marine, thanks for your service, and i'll get some photos up this weekend, skip

Wrong type of marine....
A one marine repair.

[willowbilly3]

Back in that car's era, a good percentage of mechanics were illiterate half wits who flunked out of school. Things were a lot less complicated and they could muddle by. Then the old hack farmers decided to fix one up in their retirement and do the kind of work they learned to do out of necessity during the depression. If it has old work done, it's a good chance it needs done over, right.

[barnnone51]

Originally Posted by willowbilly3

Back in that car's era, a good percentage of mechanics were illiterate half wits who flunked out of school. Things were a lot less complicated and they could muddle by. Then the old hack farmers decided to fix one up in their retirement and do the kind of work they learned to do out of necessity during the depression. If it has old work done, it's a good chance it needs done over, right.

Old Hack Farmer !! Well I resemble remark!! LOL

[Mart]

Take it apart one area at a time and go through it. Treat it as a "kit of parts". You might be pleasantly surprised and find lots of things that are perfectly serviceable.

Or not.

Mart.

[cas3]

well, i finally got the old wreck moving, ah...i mean my precious classic era ford (now that it moves!) flathead ted gets the prize, no axle key on one side. both side axle nuts were finger tight, one had no key so i would guess the old owner knew there was some work to do there. good news inside, both key ways look good, and once moving it was very quiet, like the rear might even be ok. seemed a bit low geared, probably 4.11's inside. so i went up and down my dirt road 4 times, about 10 miles i guess, and the motor seemed happy, no blow-by, and no smoke after it burned up the mmo i had soaked the rings with while the heads were off. the motor had a rebuild tag on it from 1961, so it should still be good huh? ( !!) now the bad news, this darn old car, i had the motor in my test stand full of water for two months, ran it a dozen times, water pumps never leaked, now they do! and, i had the radiator full when i ran the cracked 34 motor, never leaked, now it does. seems to be leaking from under the top bracket that holds the hood and bullnose on, hard thing for a radiator guy to fix as the location is critical. i see now why those darn kids leave the fenders off, it would be much easier to change the radiator! so, i went up and down the road with water spraying me in the face and loved every minute of it. good news again, it only ran at 149 on my heat gun so it should be an ok radiator once fixed. also, the generator has a bigger pulley than most of the others i have in stock, i did not think it would matter that much. but, it does not charge until about 25 mph, so that needs to go too. its a later 2 brush gen, with the big bearings, aftermarket thing i had that is 12 volts. so, some progress, as mart said, more things to fix, but it moved under its own power for the first time in many decades!!

[aonemarine]

Sexy body you have there.

The car cas3, the car....