Issues with my 31 Town Sedan

[RobertB]

I finally introduced my wife to the car Saturday, and she accepted it into the family after a drive around the neighborhood.

Piddling with it Saturday I have found some issues and hope the group can help me.

1. I'm 6 foot and a bit overweight, so getting in is a bit difficult. I found the seat release and promptly broke the handle off. Then is used the trusty vice grips to turn it, and could not get the seat to slide back. Should I assume it is just stuck and the sliding apparatus needs cleaning and oiling? How do I get to it? Pull the bottom cushion out?

2. There's a bit of water that shows up after running the car, on the head around the rear most head bolt in the center of the head. The nut is pretty rusty too. I was thinking, Kroil every couple of days for a week or so, loosen it, and then torque back down?

3. One of the previous owners spread some sort of caulk on the hinge for the windshield. It looks like painters caulk for a house. Any ideas as to how I can remove it?

4. Standing outside and looking through the windshield, the dash has about a one inch gap below the front edge. Is this normal, or is it missing a filler of some sort.

5. How does the dash attach to the car? Mine has about 5 large screw heads across the front...big stainless steel screws. It just doesn't look right.

I hope it's OK to lump several issues together like this instead of one thread for each issue.

[Bruce]

1. Don't use the running board when you step into the car. Stick your right foot in, hook your cheek on the seat, and slide over. You are shorter than Henry.
2. Sounds ominous. If you want to learn how they work, drain the antifreeze and pull the head. Then you can see what's going on in there. Maybe all it will take is to turn out the stud, dope it up with some gasket maker, and then thread it back in. If you just try to re torque it, you may get to pull the head anyway!
3. Fingernails strong? That problem requires what many of our grand fathers called "elbow grease." Not a lot of glory in the job, but it doesn't take much skill either.
4. That gap is your air conditioning. Tilt the windshield out at the bottom and drive 40 MPH. Very refreshing! (Except for bees.)
5. The screws are oval head and they are or were plated, not sst. Check out the vendors' section at the top of this forum and make some calls. Their catalog descriptions and pictures/drawings are very helpful in becoming informed as to what it might be 'sposed to look like.

Enlisting your wife early was very smart. If she accepted it "into the family" you are a very lucky man. As soon as possible, teach her to drive it. Also, leave the catalogs in #5 laying around ... maybe with important pieces you think you might need circled in red!

Oh. And it should go without saying, but I'm saying it anyway. Join a local club. Or two of 'em.

[1930artdeco]

Hi Robert,

My seat adjuster sticks a bit as well. What I have to do is rock the seat forwards and back just a bit to break the friction and then it will slide. However, since it is new to you and you don't know what the previous owner did, I suggest taking the seat out and looking. It may just need some grease to help it slide but this way you will know what is in it and you won't break another adjustment handle.

Mike

[Doug in NJ]

This is a slant-windshield car, right?

If the seat tracks get gunked up or rusty, it will be hard or impossible to move the seat. Lift out the seat base, and you can check that the latch mechanism is actually releasing. If you think the tracks are jammed, you can undo the 4 or so nuts on each side of the seat base that hold it to the tracks, and lift out the seat base (with a helper!). Then you could clean and lube the track mechanisms.

BTW, when I removed my front seat, one of the studs on the track mechanism broke off. Here are some photos of how I fixed it: http://31ford.dougbraun.com/All_Photos?page=21


Doug

[jrelliott]

Be thankful it is not a '28 where the seat is fixed in the Leatherback. 5'10" and not over weight and getting in is still a challenge. Once in not too difficult to drive.
Follow suggestions of those above to check slide mechanisms of the seat. Breaking stuff is no fun to repair.
Find out where the water is coming from on the head bolt. Kroil works good.
You could try some solvent on that chalk. It could be dried lubriplate.
Good luck

[ronn]

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you can take the caulk out with a razor blade.....

[Marco Tahtaras]

You don't necessarily need to remove the seat carriage from the car. I believe there is plenty of room to put a protective blanket across the rear floor and have a helper assist in lifting the seat and moving it straight back to just in front of the rear seat. You will also need to disengage the adjusting latch to release the seat.