Good morning everyone. My wife and I are at the point in life where we are going to sell the old 52 GMC. Not all is lost though so hang on So 4 years ago the LORD blessed us with our first son. about 2 years ago He blessed us with our 2nd son. And now in about 6 months He is providing us a daughter. I am so excited to have a daughter next. But already all of us cannot fit into our truck. I can take really just one other person with me. We have enjoyed taking the truck out on drives. Heck I have put almost 12,000 miles on the truck over the years. So I was looking around CL the other night and came across a 1950 Chrysler Windsor. 38k original miles. I am basically the 2nd owner. It was laid up in a garage since 1970. Guy bought it from the grandson, went through it and now has sold it to me. No rust, and underneath is all the original factory undercoating. The interior is a bit rough, it just needs some stitching done on the seat covers and some other small bits. But man does this thing drive sweet. Its what I call a semi automatic. Really cool. Will cruise 65 pretty easily. And man operating the steering and brakes, vs my GMC are so much easier. And yes its all manually operated. I am so excited and yet sad. Excited that I have some old metal I can put the entire family in. Sad that I just can't justify having 2 vehicles over the age of 60. and this means that the GMC must go. I promise I will stick around. And I promise that I have and will continue to kick myself for selling the "blue" truck. You guys and gals are all awesome around here and have been the biggest part of me getting my blue truck running and thus enjoying it with my family. So thank you!! Okay some pics of the new ride, because lets face it if I don't post pics I'm in trouble, Zig, Nate see the last pic, yeah its a flat head straight 6 Oh I will be putting up the 52 for sale very soon. I will be asking a bit for it as apparently the market at least here is red hot right now for "patina" original trucks. My youngest son saying cheese
Nice, Brian! I hate to know the old truck is on its way out, but tell whoever gets it that they need to get on this page and keep us in the loop as to what is happening to it, right? Hey, you can still roll down here in that and go to the car show, right? 4th of July! Are you going to go over the brake system?
You are right about the steering and brakes on a Chrysler, they feel like power brakes and steering on other cars. Had a 49 Desoto convertible and a 50 Dodge 4dr. Traded restoration work on a 51 Chevy convert for the Desoto and bought the Dodge for my wife. The Dodge was like a new car (28k miles) but about 4" narrower as the elderly woman that owned it had a bit of a hard time fitting it through the garage door.
Great swap Brian, Car looks so nice. Why can't the G just sit around and age for awhile will not be hurting anything just sittin.
That Chrysler is SWEET. You have Got to lose that air cleaner though. Certainly not period correct. Lol. There was a time I wanted to get rid of the truck because I could not fit everyone in it also, but having a truck is just too handy for hauling. Plus as my four got older, they began to go on their own separate activities so there was seldom the chance to fit all four in the truck. For that, the Suburban came in handy. Good luck. That is a real cruse the family in style classic. Andy
Thank you guys so much! I wish I could have found one with the hemi, but at the price I got this for I don't think anyone would have passed on it I figure the GMC right now is worth 3-4 times what I paid for this car... Anyway yes that air cleaner is funny. The original oil bath is in the trunk. I would love to be able to keep both, but with a growing family priorities change. we will see I have the GMC up for sale but for a high price, but I was told by several people reasonable. Which I thought was crazy... I already have a super crew 06 F150 for hauling stuff and family around. I need to go through the brakes as the pedal is far to low for me. I have the GMC's Nates style, high and tight. So I need to figure out how to adjust these. But so far it is just a blast to drive. I drove the blue truck to a car show today with my oldest son. We had a great time. The only thing that is missing on that was having my wife and youngest son with us. Its such a strange feeling. Love the truck, but am bummed that I can't take everyone. Who knows, hopefully it will take a few years to get sold
That is sure a cool BIG family car. Back in those days, you could tell what it was coming down the street. Now, they are all just colored eggs. Enjoy each and every day with your young family. I had one graduate college this month, and one graduate high school today. It goes by way too fast. A man needs to support his family, but, don't work so much you miss out on things. I noticed you have not listed your GMC on the trucks for sale section on this forum. If there was any way you could keep it, you would be glad in the long run.
Who knows, hopefully it will take a few years to get sold /////////Who knows, hopefully it will take a few years to get sold/////////////// This is one of those "Oh...Ohhhhhh" moments or triggers. I had one of those back in the 70's when my 1964 Chevy StationWagon faded out of sight around the corner. I have now spent the last some five years since retirement looking for it. I would give anything to be able "to change back the hands of time" or for someone to have kicked me in the head a few minutes earlier...there actually was no reason to have sold it. Its kinda like what Kris and Rita said...If you could see me now. One who said he'd rather Rock than Roll. One who said he'd rather be.... /////If there was any way you could keep it, you would be glad in the long run./////// as a great man once said, but many have felt. At this point, it is much, much easier than after that fading corner. But it is a nice car! I personally would like to get rid of my modern vehicles. I would bet that GMC has hauled much more weight than the 2006, my pickup sure has...of course, it was not babied when it was young like modern vehicles! rod
A New Direction Wolf ; Is that a ' Highlander ' ? the plaid interior makes me think so , Chrysler used to sell these plaid interior models as serious budget busters , kinda funny to look at the yards of chrome dashboard now , dual ratio Gyromatic transmission and think " THIS was anECONOMY CAR ?! , yes , they were . $5 says the valves are tight , it's easiest to remove the right side innder fender to access them , expect burned knuckles . Guess how I know this ? . Those dual leading shoe brakes really are terrific , before you touch them , look closely at the shop manual as there are TWO adjusters per shoe ~ you only want to touch the wear adjuster , not the one at the end of the brake shoe , that's for centering them and i'll explain that later after you've bled and adjusted them and do full brake overhaul . Seat belts , right ? . Oops , gotta run .
Chrysler Mm , a good breakfast ! . Anyways , some here might not know about this fine car , it has a dual range semi - automatic transmission , meaning you shift it once , it shifts twice , effectively giving your four forward speeds to better utilize the long stroke , low RPM Flathead engine's limited power and RPM ability . I hope you'll come back here as you're up - fixing it . You truck is paid for and the amount of $ you'll get for it isn't important , you're a well established hard working Family Man who'll miss the Jimmy for decades after you've spent those Dollars . " Festina Lente ' here .
If we were to VOTE on this... You'd have an old blue pickup in the yard for the foreseeable future. Ask yourself THIS: 1. What do you stand to gain? Some $$ that will dissolve into thin air, and space in the driveway. 2. What do you stand to lose? A 52 GMC! If you don't have a hole in your wallet from the car purchase, keep the truck. my $.02
Thanks so much fellas! So far the car is just a blast. My boys love it. I hope the GMC will take a while to sell. Nate your knowledge just amazes me! Yes this has that Gyromatic transmission. It is cool. Strange and taking me some time to get used to but really unique and cool. I find it fun to drive. Yes it is the highlander! I love the plaid interior. I can't wait to get it cleaned up. The seats need a bit of work. Mostly just some stitching redone, but the front will need some new fabric. My goal is to find some NOS fabric or some reproduction. I don't want it perfectly redone, I just want it original and fixed. It is crazy how the brakes and steering are. They are very effective. Thank you for the advice on the brakes. I hope to get to those soon. I have the shop manual for the car. I would like to go through them all to make sure they are good. The pedal is nice and tight but just too low. On the GMC I have the pedal high and tight just like you suggested Nate. Now this car needs to like that. On keeping the truck, we will see. I have some great memories with it especially with my family. However the worst thing that would happen is for the truck just to sit and not be used. I would much rather sell it to someone that will enjoy and use it. Some pics after a polish!
Highlander It really looks nice . FWIW , the gas cap is supposed to be painted body color and there's always a bunch of them N.O.S. on E-Bay , cheaper yet if you buy a chipped / scuffed / rusted one you're going to re paint anyway....... I have prolly forgotten more than Evan every knew , I'm just old and have liked old cars since they were , well not very old . Remember : 33? dwell , 3? ~ 10? initial ignition advance , always do a Throttle Ping Test in third gear on flat ground . .032 ~ .035" spark plug gap , never , EVER trust them to be ' pre gapped ' ! . Me , I'd either remove the muffler complete or maybe a 34" + long glass pack way at the back of the car to make it sound sweet . I hope you remove that BAD air filter A.S.A.P. ~ it didn't last 60 years with a crappy air filter ! use ATF in the oil bath one to clean all the accumulated crap out , change it weekly / monthly until the ATF remains red . Enjoy and DRIVE it ! . I don't think your truck would be left unused ~ trucks are always handy to have around , you have THREE young Children meaning you have another TWENTY YEARS of hauling things yet..... Trust me on this last thing Dad . I wish I could afford your truck , I'd love me a L O N G Motor GMC .
Simply "style". ...and class... That's the way these cars were designed. Nowadays? Who the hell knows what direction car styling is going. Arrow dynamics? The speed limits haven't changed, so... Brian, your car is absolutely beautiful! Hey, my goal is to have my truck down at the park for the 4th of July car show we have here every year. It would be awesome to have that G of yours parked next to mine, or this new car you have. Either one would be a crowd pleaser! Think about it~
Thanks so much guys. So far the car and truck have been a blast to drive around!!! I drove both yesterday at different times. Just awesome! That is a great goal Paul! I will have to see what is going on. I know we have some big family plans here on the 4th, but the days before that I should be free.
Okay so Nate I need some advise on the brakes for this car. The brakes pedal is not high and tight! You can pump the pedal to get it there, but it goes right back to being "low". So what I have done so far: No visible leaks anywhere in the system. I looked at the fluid it was like tea. Yuk, so I flushed it all out, Now all the fluid is nice and clean. No air bubbles came out. No improvement in the pumping needed. What did improve is it is less Spongy. Once the brakes grab they feel better now with the fresh fluid. So I performed the "minor" adjustment on all the brakes. There are 2 slave cylinders per wheel on the front. This minor adjustment is the one you were talking about before. I do have the shop manual for this car. All the adjusters were very close. I got them just maybe a 1/75th of a turn closer. Yes they were all right there and nice and close. What bums me out is the pedal is still too low for my liking. You got me spoiled on the high and tight with my huck brakes. After one quick pump they are where they should be. What are you thoughts to what is going on? I have yet to pull the drums to see what is going on. I assume that should be my next step. Do you think the Master cylinder is going out? I did check the free play in the pedal as well as the other play where the fluid flows through the relief port in the MC. That all looks pretty normal. Just wanted to get your thoughts on this. I just love the brakes on my GMC. Yes they are the huck and yes they work awesome because nate told me how to set them up and keep them adjusted. Just got a set of 5 seat belts for the windsor. I actually got them from our host! I could just go drive there and pick them up and their prices are some of the best out there, plus they give you the mounting hardware.
Hey Brian, good news about the seat belts! (I know that's not how we rolled back in the day, but...) On your brakes and finding leaks~ I would have never found the pinhole in the brake line even if I was looking for a leak other than where the fittings were. It was in between frame rails, up front where the radiator/motor mount is. Covered with gunk and grease. I'm SO glad I decided to just replace all the lines! Hope you find the source of your problem soon!
Dual Leading Shoe Brake Adjustment O.K. Wolf ; There are TWO adjusters per shoe ~ one is a ' ! DON'T TOUCH ! ' and uasually someone did so the pedal will be hard after a pump or two but always low the first hit and shoes tend to wear more at one end . The second aduster raises or lowers the brake shoe to center it's contact with the drum . What you do is : remove the brake drum and get some PVC pipe that fits snugly over the axle / spindle , glue another bit of PVC to it so when you rotate the center bit of PVC pipe , the trailing edge of the arm you added , moves in an arc along the friction area of the brake shoe ~ it's *very* important that this is equal from the top of the shoe to the bottom of it . Look in the Factory Shop Manual I saw you had , it'll show a complicated tool , you're going to use PVC pipe or whatever you can think of , to make the same measurement . Once that's done , lock it down and re install the drums , use the OTHER brake adjusters to set the brake shoe adjustments , remembering there are TWO adjusters per wheel . Tesat it , should have better / higher pedal now , test drive it and re adjust a few times as the shoe's lining beds in and begins to match the curvature of the brake drum perfectly . Remember to always adjust the brakes when the drums or cool to your touch , never allow any brake shoe drag ~ each wheels must turn freely by hand when you spin it . Pretty much it's the same as the wretched HUCK brakes but the pinned end of the brake shoes are adjustable , unlike the Chevy way .
Nate you simply amaze me on what you know. Thanks so much for your help! Okay I pulled all the drums off. The rears were harder and needed a puller. Anyway all brakes were in very good shape! Shoes, wheel cylinders, springs, etc, all look new. The shoes all look like they have worn evenly as well. I can't see anything what I would call strange. Except on the lower cylinder push rod on the front looks out of alignment to me. Please see the pics below and evaluate. But no leaks or anything bad like that. So I don't have that nice fancy tool that my shop manual says I need. I am assuming they want you to use this to make sure the shoes are on the same radius as the drums. As well as angle. So I used a string to check the radius of the shoes. They were all dead on! Within less then 1mm. Maybe not the correct thinking here, but I think I have shown that the adjustments are on. Please let me know. I tried this instead of the pvc pipe trick. Hopefully it will show the same thing. I was able to "pin" the center of the string to the center of the hub. Yes it is my backwoods engineering...
