Tips from the Speedwell Garage – (aka Ross Miller)

There are two problems that show up often on cars brought to the shop that they are worth mentioning. The repair of both of these cost nothing in the way of parts or materials, and precious darn little time.

#1 Improperly-set Timing - When setting timing, it is of course a big help to put a little white paint on the pointer and on the correct timing mark as specified in the service manual. Very important is having the engine run at a slow idle, and having the line to the vacuum advance disconnected. This last point is particularly important on cars with the Carter 4bbl carburetor (’53-‘54 Seniors, ’55 Juniors). Failure to do these two things will result in the timing set to the wrong baseline – the net effect will be retarded, up to 15 degrees off as in the case of the car brought in yesterday. Setting the timing to spec on the car dramatically improved its performance and made it run cooler. Conversely, F.Y.I., timing that is too advanced, especially on the flathead engines will make them hard to start when hot.

Also, while that vacuum advance line is disconnected, put a bit of rubber tubing over the line and draw a vacuum on it with your mouth. If it will not hold a vacuum, the advance unit is shot – as so many of them are not at this advance age – and need to be replaced. This will have a big effect on economy, performance, and engine temperature.

#2 Adjusting Brakes – This tip is for cars with hydraulic brakes only.

When adjusting brakes, loosen the handbrake adjustment at the equalizer (at the center of the “X” in the frame) until the cables are quite slack. In fact, push them into their sheaths as far as you can. This insures that the rear brake shoes are not being held apart by the parking brake mechanism. Now, adjust the brakes using the star wheel. I recommend tightening the star wheel (pull up on the end of your adjusting tool) until the wheel can no longer be turned. This settles the shoes firmly against their anchors. Then, back the star wheels off about 10 clicks or so till there is no appreciable drag on the drum.

After adjusting both rear wheels, readjust the hand brake mechanism:

· Pull the handbrake on about 3 clicks.

· Tighten the equalizer until you cannot turn the rear drum with your hands.

· Release the handbrake and make sure there is not excessive drag at the rear wheels.

Adjusting the brakes in this way will let the rear shoes have full contact with the drum, and will let them have the self-energizing “servo” action ther were designed for. This will result in lighter pedal pressure, less brake fade, and longer lining life.

Most complaints about “push and pray” brakes can be solved in this way.

If your car has one of those little cable shortening gizmos on the handbrake cable, I can guarantee the brakes are not adjusted properly. I have not yet seen a case where the cables were stretched and needed such a thing. I have however put about a dozen of them in the trash after adjusting the brakes properly.