TRICKS OF THE TRADE
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by Unknown from Reminice Magazine

from Automotive Engineering October, 1936
TRICKS Of The TRADE
1936 Studebaker Gear Shift
There have been some complaints of difficulty in shifting gears in the 1936 Studebaker Dictator model. This condition is usually due to rough gear shift lever balls, paint t)r lack of lubrication on the gear shift lever balls and in some cases it may be caused~by an excessively tight fit of the low and reverse sliding gear and synchronizer assembly on the main shaft. Ordinarily ease in gear shifting will increase after the car has been driven approximately 1500 miles: however, in the event the owner objects to this condition, the gear shift base assembly should be removed and disassembled so that the gear shift lever ball can be smoothed up, all traces of paint or roughness removed, and thoroughly lubricated before reassembling. At the same time the low and reverse sliding gear, synchronizer assembly and main shaft should be removed and any rough or high spots smoothed with a hand hone. The gear and synchronizer should slide freely on the main shaft. Performing these operations should provide normal gear shifting but in the event the owner desires further ease in gear shifting the gear shift lever can be heated and rebent, using the gear shift lever of the latest type, part No. 189441, as a pattern. The latest type gear shift lever enters production with transmission serial No. D-6-6.

Zephyr Hand Brake
The hand brake adjustment on the Lincoln Zephyr is made by moving the upper end of cable conduit either forward or rearward as required. This is accomplished by the two nuts located at dash end of conduit. Adjustment of the conduit nuts should be made to give 1/4 to 1/2 in. lash at the extreme end of hand brake lever. To decrease lash in hand brake lever, adjust conduit to the rear. To increase lash, adjust conduit forward.

Terraplane Manifold Heat
With the advent of warm weather, the exhaust manifold heat control valve on the Terraplane De Luxe models was set in the center position on all cars leaving the factory. For best operation in hot weather it is essential that the valve setting should be changed from the Winter setting to the Summer position, which is a point where the arrow cast on the valve body is straight up and down or midway between the letters "W" and "S". This will cut down the flow of exhaust gas around the intake manifold and reduce the possibility of overheating the carburetor and fuel. The extreme forward setting for the valve should be used only when the car is to be operated under high temperature conditions

Hudson Timing
The correct ignition timing for 1936 Hudsons and Terraplanes is exact dead center. This timing gives maximum performance. Late ignition timing will cause overheating, poor gasoline mileage and poor performance. Early ignition timing will cause spark knocks and loss of performance. To guard against late ignition on a new car during the break-in period, the timing is set ahead of dead center at the factory. This is to compensate for the wear-in of the breaker point fiber cam block. This wear is quite rapid during the early miles of the car, retarding the timing and reducing the point gap. Since it is our purpose to prevent late spark and the attendant overheating, the initial advance is so great that probably no car ever reaches the dead center timing due to wear. It is therefore essential that the distributor points be adjusted to .020 in. and the ignition be reset to dead center at the 500 mile inspection when the governor is removed or spark knock will be experienced on rapid acceleration.

Air in Cooling System Promotes Rust
Leaky water pumps cause a lot of trouble aside from the need for frequently adding water to the cooling system. If a pump leaks it will cause air to be sucked into the cooling system and a mixture of air and water causes nearly ten times as much rusting as water without air. The air also increases electrolytic action and results in more corrosion of radiator metals, aluminum cylinder heads, etc. And another trouble may be foaming and consequent over-heating. Air and water do not cool as well as water alone...As a result of rust and corrosion radiators clog and engines overheat. The pump is not the only offender. Leaks on the suction side of the pump may allow air to be drawn into the cooling system, and the condition is always aggravated by high speed. Hence, test carefully for leaks and always service pumps that drip with the engine idle.

Chevy Carburetor
The gasket under the cover of the carburetor float chamber must be replaced each time the cover is removed. This is necessary because when atmospheric pressure is admitted to the float chamber excessive gas consumption results, especially in the intermediate driving range. The two ends of the float chamber cover are slightly higher than the center so that when pulled down a tighter seal results. Should any cover be found where the "bow" is reversed and the gap between the bowl and the cover is .018 in. or more, without any gasket in place, the cover should be replaced.

Studebaker Shocks
Effective with Studebaker Model 3A, serial No. 5535495 and 4A, serial No. 5245644, a change was made in production on the front shock absorber on the Model 3A and the rear shock absorber links on the Model 3A and 4A Dictators. Because of the difference in appearance of the canceled and released links, the link halves should not be used interchangeably. The complete links, however, are interchangeable.

Chevrolet '34,'35
To stop shimmy on knee action jobs, remove king pin needle bearings and replace with bronze bushings, now available to fit without reaming. No fuss, just install. They fit. They positively work. Paul Xavier, Amityville, L. I.

Chevrolet '35
When troubled with valve tappet noise be sure to check spring caps. The valve spring caps on intake and exhaust valves are different and if mixed may cause valves to be a little noisy.- Paul Xavier, Amityville, L. 1.

Chevrolet '32
Noise diagnosed as a burned out connecting rod was due to a loose flywheel, the bolts having hacked out and caused the holes in the flywheel to become elongated. New bolts cured the trouble. Pyle-Innis, Drexel Hill, Pa.

Chevrolet '33.'35
Pan hard to get off and on can be easily cured by taking a crescent wrench and bending the edge of the rear cross member down slightly along the top edge. D. J. Lazenby, Treece, Kan.

Chevrolet
Noisy valve mechanism was caused by the rocker assembly being installed backwards so that the outer sides or plugged ends were in the middle instead of at end and the mechanism was starved of oil. Emil J. Novak, Omaha, Nebr.

Chevrolet Condenser
Pinch the eyelet shut enough to make contact in the electrolock cable. This one caused me plenty of hunting until I happened to pull on it-then went OK J. R. Damm, Clinton, Iowa.

Essex '29
Motor cutting out at high speed caused by wrong type spark plugs. Joseph Peter, Omaha, Nebr.

Ford A
Oil consumption can be greatly reduced by lowering the oil level in the splash plate of the oil pan. J. L. Stockton, Charlotte, N. C.

Ford A
Flickering lights may be fixed by eliminating the head lamp plugs, and fastening the wires directly to the head lamp socket wires J. L. Stockton, Charlotte, N. C.

Ford V-8 ‘32
Excessive gasoline consumption is often caused by the fuel pump pump pumping too much pressure on the needle and seat in the carburetor. This may be corrected by adding gaskets under the fuel pump to reduce the pressure. J. L. Stockton, Charlotte, N. C.

Ford A '30 Gear shift rattle when car is in high gear cured by checking and tightening front and rear engine supports Joseph Porter, Omaha, Nebr.