Classic/Antique Car Repair: Question about 1955 Thunderbird, thunderbird club, mechanic work

Question
QUESTION:
Dear Sir,
I recently inherited a 1955 Thunderbird. I had a mechanic work on it last year and he got it into good running shape. It has been running great until, suddenly, last week, it started bucking --almost seemed like it was giving itself gas and then stopping. It kept stalling, especially on hills, and eventually it stopped completely. The electrical system seems ok, and it charges well. When we looked under the hood there was a small pool of brownish liquid in the carburator (I think it's the carburator, anyway -- the big round thing right in the middle?)  Do you have any idea what these problems indicate? I don't know anything about how to take care of this car, and it's very difficult to find people anymore who do know about older cars. Anny suggestions you could give would be appreciated.

Thanks, Tracy

ANSWER: It's pretty hard to guess at what has gone wrong from this distance, I think you are going to have to find a mechanic you can trust to work on the car.

I'll try to help you with a few questions:  You can respond by clicking on the "post a follow up question" to me with your answers.  

When you open the hood, the large round pot shaped thing on top of the engine, about in the center, is the air cleaner, (which is mounted to the top of the carburetor).   You cannot see the carburetor without removing the air cleaner.  If you saw brown liquid on top of the air cleaner, it would have to have come in through the air scoop in the center of the hood, or due to some eruption from the cooling system under the hood.  Had you, by any chance, just washed the car?  Or maybe driven through a deep puddle?  Did you smell the liquid, or feel it?

If you answer those questions, I can perhaps give you some help.

To find a mechanic you can trust, I advise joining the Thunderbird club, and attending some chapter meetings in your area.  You will find that most of the members are a helpful bunch, and will be interested in your car.  Just listen and learn, being alert for any mention of a good shop to take the car to.  Don't jump on the first offer, though - there will be people in the club who are cruising for business too - you'll have to sort the people out for a while before you put your car in anyone's hands.

You can contact the T'bird club at:www.ctci.org

Dick




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much for your reply.

In answer to your questions, the brown liquid was found under the air cleaner on top of -- or in the pot of -- the carburator. We removed the top of that and that's where we found the liquid.  I did have the car towed to a mechanic, and he thinks the problem may be that the car is running out of gas after only a few gallons from the tank are being used. He came to this second conclusion after having initially blamed the problem on a faulty wire in the electrical system. He "fixed" that wire, but that didn't solve the problem. Have you ever heard of a gas tank problem like that? Could it be caused by sediment in the tank? Before I got the car it had been sitting for a very long time.

Thanks for your suggestion about contacting the Thunderbird Club. I will look into that. We are in a pretty small upstate New York town, so I'm not sure if there will be a chapter around here, but there is an antique car enthusiasts club that meets near here, so maybe I will try to join that group.

Thanks again for your help!

Answer
If a car has been not driven for a long time, it is pretty normal to have problems with the fuel system.  If it were parked with a full tank, and if fuel stabilizer were added to the tank ("Stabil" is the usual brand name), it would be OK for about 2 years, then problems would begin to accumulate.  Modern fuels are very intolerant of storage - they are worsening all the fuel storage problems that old car enthusiasts always face.

If the tank was not full when parked, the deterioration in the fuel would be much more rapid (the fuel is exposed to more air and moisture from temperature cycling), and if no stabilizer were added when it was parked, the problems would be even worse.

The sediment in the tank would be a fine red powder, from rust forming on the top "roof" of the tank due to condensation, then flaking off and mixing with gas when the car was again driven.  Another deterioration would be the formation of a gummy residue in the fuel system due to the evaporation of the lighter components of the fuel, leaving a heavy, sticky residue.

The way to cure this problem, once it occurs, is to have the gas tank removed and sent to a "Tank Renewal" service - you'll find these places with a "google" search - one of the well known ones is www.gastankrenu.com

In addition to the tank renewal process, the fuel lines should be flushed with clean solvent (I use Lacquer thinner, but there are other good solvents), then blown dry with compressed air, and all the rubber components in the fuel system should be replaced with new parts - this includes the fuel pump internal parts and all rubber hoses. The fuel pump can be rebuilt by a mechanic, or it can be sent out for rebuilding by one of the companies that specializes in this service.  Egge is a company that does it out here in California - I'm sure there are others closer.  You can contact them at 1-800-866-EGGE if you wish to use them.

The carburetor will most likely need to be cleaned out also, after everything else is known to be clean, and of course if the car has a fuel filter, that should also be cleaned or replaced (depending on whether it is designed to be cleaned and re-used - some are and some aren't).

There is an easy way to find out if the failure to run is due to lack of fuel reaching the engine. It takes two people to do this, but it isn't difficult at all.  To determine if the problem is lack of fuel, remove the air cleaner so you can access the top of the carburetor, then have a helper crank the engine and press the accelerator pedal as if to start it, while you squirt short bursts of WD-40 down into the top front of the caruburetor. If the engine starts, even if only for a second or two, you have just proven that lack of fuel is the problem.

I still am not certain what the brown liquid was - that is why I wanted to know if there was an associated odor.  It does not seem likely that there would be a surplus of gasoline if there were a shortage of fuel coming through from the fuel tank.

There are many car collectors in your area - I have a good friend in Utica who has a large collection, and I know there are others.  I encourage you to contact the local clubs and meet some of the folks there - I think you'll be amazed at how helpful they are.  A local chapter of the Thunderbird club may also be active in that area - you'll have to find that out by contact the club main site.

Good luck - you have a beautiful and valuable car - it will give you a lot of pleasure!

Dick