Brakes

Currently the brakes don’t work. The brake pedal goes all the way to the floor without any resistance. The handbrake however does work. I need to get the brakes working so the car can be moved out of the shed and around the section (maybe even on the road). The car needs to get outside and play a little and get some fresh air.

The brakes on the 1939 Pontiac are hydraulic as illustrated below. 

In April I renovated the master cylinder and refitted it to the vehicle. I reattached the wires (I'm not sure if they are the right way around) and topped the master cylinder with fluid (dot 4). I started work on bleeding the brakes, starting with the drivers rear, but I could not get the bleed nipple off.  I couldn't really get my head in there and have a decent look so was using feel to get a 3/16"spanner on the nipple however it was not gripping. Went on e-bay and ordered new rear brake cylinders (along with bleed nipples). Subsequestly purchased the front wheel cylinders also. I will fit them so I can bleed the brakes and get them working. I need to check out how to remove the rear hub. While I am at it I will check the condition of the brake lines and replace them too if needed. 

My spare brake master cylinder under repair

Brake master cylinder repair kit imported from USA

The renovated master cylinder

I think the next step for the brakes is to replace all the wheel cylinders and brake hoses. I have new replacement parts that I have been collecting over the last couple of months. I have also imported some brake lines as follows:

So I have all the hardware i need. I just need to spend some time on the job and get the brake renovation work done. 

                                                             


                               

Pontiac II— Body structural rust & repairs

After inspecting the body sub-frame I discovered a number of problem areas with rust on the underside of the body. It will pay to repair these before they get any worse.  The floor pan on passengers side is rusted (wholes in many places) so needs repair. Someone has already had a go at the drivers side. The floor pan in boot also needs rust cut out (need to remove fuel tank first). Rust repairs are needed to restore strength to the body structure and to pass WOF inspections. At this stage I assume repairs can be carried by myself and with body on.

Parts of the floor pan has rusted through. The rust will need to be cut out and new patches welded in if the car is to pass its warrant of fitness test.

Rust holes below the rear door. Also needs cutting out and patching.

Rust holes in the floor pan under the spare wheel well and the tool well in the boot. 

Before I set off on any repairs I will need to carry out closer inspections. This is lesser of a priority than getting the engine and brakes working properly.

The next Step regarding the rust are:

1. Front floor pans. Assess the repairs needed, measure and plan.

2. Front door sills. Assess the repairs needed, measure and plan.

3. Rear floor pans. Assess the repairs needed, measure and plan.

4. Rear sills. Assess the repairs needed, measure and plan.

5. Boot floor. Assess the repairs needed, measure and plan.

6. hubs (x 4) and inspect brakes. Ceased? Leaking? Check brake lining. Repair plan?.

Brakes

I received a parcel today from the USA containing new front brake cylinders. Isn't it amazing you can just purchase something like this online from eBay and a week or two later arrives on your doorstep.

I intend renovating all of the breaks on the car including new wheel cylinders, new brake linings, new brake lines and a restored the brake cylinder. I have all the parts I need, it is just a matter of some time and effort to restore the brakes.

The brakes on Pontiac currently do not work at all. When you put your foot on the brake pedal it goes all the way to the floor. I've have restored the master brake cylinder however when I went to bleed the brakes I discovered that the brake cylinders were also in a bit of a sad state. Because of the importance of having good and reliable brakes I have decided to completely overhaul all of the brake system. I have progressively been gathering the new parts needed to do this and now I have the front brake cylinders I think I have all the parts that I need. So over the next few months will dismantle and restore  the brakes with a view to having all of the system replaced or overhauled some time soon.

The rust problem

Rust

The center bonnet trim, i.e. the "silver streak has become very rusted. This is the focal point of the whole car so I hope one day it can be brought back to its shiny glory. A Pontiac silver streak needs to have a silver streak. the Silver streak strip that runs down the center of the bonnet, or if you are American the hood, is easy enough to separate from the bonnet. The bonnet actually comes apart with a separate panel on either side of the center streak. It is along these joins that the rust forms due to water being trapped between the panels.

"

It looks worse on close inspection

As an interim measure I knocked the rust back a little just by rubbing is down with fine paper. I think I will apply some paint as a short term measure to prevent the rust from getting any worse. At this stage it is a matter of stopping the deterioration and then later i can focus on a permanent restoration to  bring it  back to its former glory.

Other trim (e.g. chrome strips) also have rust bubbles appearing. I also need to stop the rust as soon as possible. I will research about the best way of doing this. Maybe a molasses bath and then paint to stop the rust getting worse. I will then check out ways of restoring the pieces, or look for replacement bits. 

Pontiac II comes alive -Dec 2013

Pontiac II -November 2013

I fitted a new 6 volt battery to the car in November 2013. I successfully got the engine running again (31/12/13) after the car had been sitting for a number of years dormant. I had been trying to get it started since November 2013. Initially I had problems getting fuel to feed through to the carburator. After trying many things, including taking the manual fuel pump to pieces, I concluded that it would be best to bypass the old fuel pump an fit an electric pump.  I purchased a new electric fuel pump and fitted it. It still didn’t work and then I discovered the problem all along had been the fuel filter. I did away with the fuel filter and the old girl started right away. The engine is running sweet (at least compared with Pontiac I). Gave it a decent run and noticed that it was blowing less smoke after a good run. The engine is still effectively “running in” after its overhaul (done before I purchased) therefore is blowing some smoke, but getting less I think.

The engine is dripping oil, particularly when it heats up –this needs attention.  Seems to be coming from the right hand rear of engine, maybe at the breather pipe.

I’m also keeping an eye on the cooling system which has played up previously (got very hot) but no signs of trouble today.

Pontiac II November 2013

Pontiac II

Pontiac II in 2004 not long after I purchased it in Tauranga

The electric fuel pump fitted in November 2013 to bypass the manual fuel pump which I assumed was broken. It turned out to be the fault of the fuel filter. This setup is just a temporary measure, using plastic fuel hoses etc, and I intend to update later with better hoses and a fuel filter.

Pontiac I , 1988

Pontiac I during its glory years in 1988, when it was sometimes running. Here I am undertaking some running repairs while my father looks on and offers valuable advice. This is the era when the car was first retired to live on the farm and sleep in the farm shed. It still ran on the road however it was becoming more and more difficult to keep the warrant of fitness current. 

 Pontiac I

 Pontiac I -my father is loosing interest

The current sutuation with my two Pontiacs

This is the story of my two 1939 Pontiacs. I have started this web log to record the history of the cars until now and to capture the step by step developments going forward. Currently I own two unrestored 1939 Pontiacs which are in storage at my beach holiday house. Both vehicles are sick and not mobile. After a bit of recent soul searching and reflection I have decided it is now or never. I either need to restore the cars and save them from rusting into the ground, or I need to sell them and let somebody else rescue them from a rusty demise. I have decided to do the rescue work myself. This blog is to record how I get on.

The first Pontiac I bought was the black one which was about 30 years ago when I was much younger. When I first bought it it was green in colour and remained that way for some years until friend decided to get married and then it was given a new black paint job. When I first purchased this car it was my everyday car although it was not that practical compared with modern cars. I then moved into a new job offering a company car and the old pontiac was then relegated to my sunday car. I kept it on the road for few more years until 1989 when I packed up and went to London to live for six years. The black Pontiac was assigned to my fathers farm shed where it was kept under cover for years I was away. When I returned from overseas in 1995 I keep the car running however it was not registered to drive on the road anymore. Then I transported it to my beach house in 2002 and there is sat until now. During the last 10 years it has not been started that often. It now has a loud knock in the engine and a leaking exhaust manifold so sounds very rough on the odd occasion I have managed to get it going over the last few years. So that is the Black Pontiac which I refer to as simply Pontiac number 1.

The second Pontiac, which I refer to as pontiac number 2, to was purchased about 10 years ago. I noticed the car for sale on an online auction site called trade me and thought it would be good to have a second car in case I needed some spare parts to restore Pontiac number 1. So Pontiac number 1 was transported to my beach house where is set alongside Pontiac 1 the last 10 years. Some work has been done on Pontiac 1 by the previous owner including the engine which was allegedly reconditioned. Pontiac II runs much better than Pontiac I however it does produce a lot of blue smoke out of the exhaust. Initially I put this down to fact that it had new rings fitted and the rings we're still bedding in however the longer I ran the car the worse the smokes got. Eventually I came to the conclusion there was something wrong with the engine and perhaps the previous owner had not done a very good job on renovating the engine.

So this is a very quick rundown of how I've got where i am now, however i'll go into more detail sometime in the future.