Took the old 37 Buick on a several thousand mile trip and noted this: Vacuum can needed--the straight 8 idles at 250 rpm so when you lift your foot off the gas to use the brake the booster soon runs dry. Idled up with throttle but a Ford gallon sized can would help. Disc front brakes--not a disc nut but in Kansas City rush hour in pouring rain the brakes got very erratic. I think it was due to the right drum being in water, which cooled it, while the left drum was running much hotter. Discs are self cleaning which makes a much better foul weather brake. Overdrive transmission--I thought I had the right combo with the turbo 350 and a 2.69 rear gear. It's great here as a flatlander car but when I got into hilly country it sucked. With a shallow rear end I'm ALWAYS shallow geared while with an OD I can use a 3.73 or 4.11 and have the same shallow final drive but have deeper gearing when needed. All in all the trip went well with just one blip on the radar screen. Filter in the glass sediment bowl stopped up so unscrewed bowl off carb and replaced with a translucent in line filter. The old Buick loves the no alcohol gas available in some areas. MPH was exactly triple the tach reading (in hundreds) according to the GPS. 1800=54mph, 2100=63mph, 2500=75mph, etc. Temp: 180 in rain, 205 in 96* Texas heat with a/c running Oil: 30 psi steady Charge: 13.8v steady Fuel: sipped gas at a steady 13mpg.
Glad you made it back safe and sound! Just in time for more rain~ That is certainly a sweet ride you have! Time for an oil change I'd guess?
Trip Notes Evan ; Something amiss here : trailing throttle should easily produce massive volume of vacuum exceeding 25"........ I wish I could have seen it in motion . Can't you split the overdrive on the lower gears ? .
Nate, I think my problem is not in the amount of vacuum but in the supply of vacuum. As I said, the problem goes away when I pull the throttle out to get 600-65orpm idle speed. I think at 200-250rpm I use up the supply faster than such a slow turning engine can produce it, at least where multiple braking is needed. The straight eight idles dead smooth at a very low rpm but I now see draw backs to this.
Steering isn't a problem~ I loved how that '37 made a complete u turn at the end of the block! Not even close to redirecting the travel!
Vacuum Evan ; I can't see this as the vacuum source is from manifold vacuum so the engine slowing down should create much higher vacuum in both inches and volume.... Where is the brake vacuum line connected and what size is the fitting into the engine ? .
Major "Street Cred" Evan, You have done what many aspire to, and what others fear. You have actually DRIVEN a vintage car, and for some distance I might add. You have successfully endured a "round trip", and I don't mean to the local "show and shine". You have exposed shortcomings in your present setup, shared them with your peers, and considered ways to mitigate them for your NEXT road trip. You have garnered the ultimate badge of honor: Bugs on the windshield. For this you have earned my respect. My goal, from day ONE, was (and still is) to build a DRIVER. Pebble Beach? NO. Hampton Beach (NH)? absolutely! I affectionately refer to my impending trip (from Atlantic to Pacific) as the "Victory Tour" and when it DOES happen, it will be a victory indeed. Thank you for your accomplishment, it gives ALL of us who wish to "drive" our vintage automobiles hope.
Driving The Oldies Mike ; It really isn't a big deal as long as you take a modicum of care with maintenance . I drive oldies every day , I don't own modern vehicles . I learned this in the 1960's when old pre WWII vehicles and equipments were pretty much all we could afford , it always took us where we needed to go .
