Volume IV, Issue 1

to a match that I shall be using. I have yet to determine what, in terms of glue, I need to affix the plastic knob on the metal handle. No, it does not screw on, unfortunately. That being so, I shall have to resort to J-B Weld™ or something similar to get a permanent connection.

The week before Memorial Day, The Gray Lady was fired up for the first time since the carb had been rebuilt by me. I had to coax her with a bit of starting fluid, but she fired off and started purring like a kitten within seconds. It was neces-sary to get the car out of the garage, so I could check the tire pressures. I know when it is time to check the tires because the car develops a noticeable lean toward the passenger side; way too close for comfort to the work bench running along-side the full length of the car!

Once I had her running, I thought, it is a nice day for drive, so off we went. It was fun to watch people look and comment as we paraded by.

I also could not help but notice the difference between 1950’s and 21st century engi-neering. One should not plan on taking a corner quickly when escorting The Gray Lady down

the boulevard. It takes at least 4 revolutions of the massive steering wheel to turn a corner!

Once we returned home, I took the preventive measure of waxing the sabre wheels and bumpers. I was not wearing sun glasses at the time, and the bright glare off the freshly waxed bumpers was blinding to the eyes. I am also amazed at how much chromed metal goes into the bumpers on a ‘55 Caddy! I do want that metal to stay in tip-top condition, ergo the decision to wax it.

My next project is to replace the after-market gear shift knob. Mine is wood. It should be plastic, dark (cumulus) gray in color, with metal end caps. One cannot buy cumulus gray paint in the year 2011, I find. I do have the knob (It was a steal at $46?), but it is white. I need to sand, paint and install it. I found a gray color paint that is pretty darn close when it comes

Car Barn Activity

GDYNets® on the Web

Find GDYNets on the web:

CCC® -THE FORUM

http://ccc.activeboard.com

Car Collector Chronicles-scribd

Saved 62 - 1962 Olds web site http://www.freewebs.com/jeandaveyaros The Gray Lady - 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site

SAVED 62: A website devoted to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dy-namic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobiles and its founder, Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY: This web-site features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville and Caddy in-formation.

DAVE’S DEN: A website de-voted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive informa-tion on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmo-bile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.

A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2011, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 2011 Car Collector Chronicles

Car Collector Chronicles®

Exploring:

Car Collecting Today

Classic Rides

Reports From the Field

Oldsmobile (1897-2004)

Cadillac (1902- )

Allanté (1987-1993)

Corvair (1960-1969)

IN THIS ISSUE:

Car Barn Activity 1

GDYNets On the Web

1

Allanté Maintenance

2

Kiwi Olds Followup Report

4

Coming Next Issue

4

Photo Gallery 5

CCC® Forum EMail: OldsD88@gmail.com

My initial attempts to rouse Auntie Pearl, our ‘92 Allanté, from her win-ter slumber were not met with success. Initially, I noticed that the idiot light on the Battery Tender™ was not indicating that the battery was charging. It should have been showing the battery as fully charged. This seemed to be a bit strange to me, given that I had connected the device when I put her to bed back in November? I checked the connec-tion and was able to get the proper light signal that the unit was now working. So, I let the charger do its thing for a couple of days. After passage of 48 hours, I got in the driver seat, inserted the key and turned the ignition. Absolutely nothing happened! Using my astute powers of deduction, I determined the problem must be a dead battery? To confirm this, I jump started the car. The electric fuel pump first did its thing, and Auntie Pearl roared to life without complaint. I deemed it best to let the car run for a while, thinking the alternator would refresh the de-pleted battery. After about 2 hours, I turned her off. Confident all was again well, I immediately tried to restart her. When I got in and turned the key, absolutely nothing happened, again! Duh? I decided I would hook up a “real” battery charger, thinking the battery was too low for the Battery Tender™ to be able to work its usual magic. On connecting the charger, strange things began to happen. The amp needle would swing wildly from 0 to 8 amps. The headlights would si-multaneously flash on and off, albeit quite dimly. The dash lights were also flashing. Auntie Pearl was throwing a tantrum, delivering a verita-ble light show in the process and causing me considerable consterna-tion! It became clear at this point that the battery would have to come out of the car. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, first one has to find the battery! It is not located under the hood. Nor will one find it in the trunk. It is in fact located inside the car, behind the passenger seat. I removed it, and again hooked up the charger. This time, the amp needle never moved off of 0? I was now looking at purchasing and installing a new battery. Again, it does not sound all that complicated, right? Wait one! Since the battery is located inside the car, it must not only be a vented battery, it must be one that is able to be vented to the outside of the car. This is to prevent dangerous fumes from escaping into the interior, to the detriment of any-one riding in the car. Incidentally, the 6 yr. old Wal-Mart™ battery (made in Mexico) being removed was not a vented battery. Nor did the battery compartment any longer contain any vent tubing.

Allanté Maintenance

Car Collector Chronicles Page 2

“The

headlights

would

simultaneously

flash on and

off, albeit

dimly. The

dash lights

were also

flashing.

Auntie Pearl

was throwing a

tantrum,

delivering a

veritable light

show in the

process … .”

ALLANTÉ MAINTENANCE – Cont’d. After doing my requisite research, a properly vented American made battery was obtained; a NAPA™ BAT 75100. Before installing the bat-tery I also had to make a trip to the local hardware store to purchase vent tubing and a tee. Nor was I at all happy with the tightness of the positive battery cable connection on the side post. A longer, replace-ment terminal bolt was purchased and installed. I am able to report that once again Auntie Pearl is happily tending to the needs of her family, sans any light shows either inside or outside of the car, and without risk to the well being of her cabin occupants! Having flushed the cooling system last fall, I decided it was now time to flush and bleed the braking system on the Allanté. Unlike most cars, on which the brake fluid is never given a second thought until a line breaks, flushing and bleeding the brakes on the Allanté is deemed rou-tine maintenance, to be performed every two years, whether needed or not. Allanté owners ignore this schedule at their own risk. With an Al-lanté, it is a “pay me now, or pay me later” kind of thing. If one has not yet gotten the picture that nothing is simple in Allanté Land, let me reassure you, brake system maintenance falls squarely into this category. It is so not simple that Cadillac published an entirely separate service manual covering only the brakes! My first task was to read the manual. Not only must the wheel cylinders be bled, but also the master cylin-der and vacuum booster. It was necessary to first resort to the manual to try and locate the bleeder valves on each of these devices. After looking at pics in the manual, I was able to find the bleeder valve on the master cylinder fairly easy. I have to acknowledge it did take more than a bit of time to just to find the vacuum booster itself, and then spot its bleeder valve! Knowing in advance where they are does make the job simpler, and less frustrating. The flushing and bleeding is pretty straight forward, with a few quirks unique to the Allanté Bosch III ABS System. There is a definite se-quence which must be followed, and it is still a 2-person job. First the brake system is depressurized by repeatedly pumping the brake pedal (25 x). The ignition is then turned on to re-pressurize the system. Then the vacuum booster valve is opened while foot pressure is applied to the pedal. This process is repeated until all the air is expelled and the old fluid emptied. This same procedure is than instituted with respect to the master cylinder. Next, in sequence (RR, LF, LR, RF), the wheel cyl-inders are bled. This procedure follows conventional practice, except for re-pressurizing the system before bleeding each wheel cylinder.

“Unlike most

cars, on which

the brake fluid

is never given

a second

thought until a

line breaks,

flushing and

bleeding the

brakes on the

Allanté is

deemed

routine

maintenance.”

Car Collector Chronicles Page 3

Car Collector Chronicles Page 4;;

KIWI OLDS FOLLOWUP REPORT The latest info I have is that efforts were made by the buyer to have the responsible parties come to the table and man-up with respect to resolving his dilemma. The seller, from what I understand, has declined to do so. The shipper, however, has a lot more at stake and is actively contributing to a solution. This particular shipper is a fellow New Zealander, and has built his business on meet-ing the needs of Kiwi importers. The fact his business is able to thrive is some indication of the popularity of American iron in New Zealand. His firm also inspected the car in NV for the purchaser, furnished its assessment, then drove the car from Henderson, NV to Long Beach, CA and handled the shipping. The shipper is finding a replacement frame and shipping it to NZ, all at its expense, and then paying the cost to have it installed under the car. Replacing a frame is not a simple task, to say the least. I suspect it shall be some time before the car is deemed roadworthy and actually able to be driven and licensed. In the interim, the purchaser is searching for a correct 1962 Olds, 394 c.i. 4 bbl. intake manifold and carb. If anyone has a lead on one, do let me know. I shall be glad to pass the info on. We shall keep you apprised of developments …. Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now its your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and contributions, and ask that you help spread the word about our pub. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com. Now that you have finished reading this month’s issue of our pub, come start/join an ongoing dialog with other CCC® readers and like-minded car collector folk on the CCC® Forum. Stop by, check us out and share your views … . _______________________________________

-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: As we are departing (in the Allanté weather permitting) on 1 Jul for a short vacation, it

remains TBD what shall be covered in the August issue. Since we are going to be in Canada, perhaps there shall be some info on the Canadian car collecting scene?

Photo Gallery -

1. Cadillac El Domino ↑

2. Corvette Wagon→

3. Olds Toronado Camper ↓

Car Collector Chronicles Page 5;