Ham's '48 - Grouchy Old Beast

I've pampered the '48 this winter.

I've kept a little heater under it to loosen things up when I start it. I put a magnetic fender cover over the grill to hold warm air in (works surprisingly well).

Yesterday was a nice day in Indiana- about 50 degrees, roads have dried out - so I decided to drive it to reseat the seals. It fired up on the second cylinder. #3 misses for a few minutes but it cleared quicker than usual yesterday. I took it up the road for its mid-winter gas fill and she ran well. I use the term "It has pep in its step". Those who drive old trucks and Jeeps know the condition. Some days they run - but only grudgingly. Yesterday she wanted to get out and go!

There we were, sailing along, and I noticed that the temperature gauge was wandering up above its normal mid-scale point. Uh-oh. I was as close to the Quick Mart as I was home so I pressed on. I smelled coolant. Awwww Maaannnnn (as the grandkids say). Then the gauge settled down so we went to the gas station.

When we got there, there was coolant down both front fenders. I popped the hood -what a mess! Stuff everywhere. I gassed it up, then pulled the radiator cap. The top of the tubes were showing. I bought a gallon of 50-50 coolant and it took about half of it to get it where it should be.

I fired it up - temperature was where it should be and stayed there all the way home. I left it running, opened the hood and got a couple of buckets of water to clean things up a bit. I don't want to leave coolant on paint. She just sat there idling very nicely.

I pulled back into the garage and noticed the temp crawling up again. I shut it down and popped the hood again. More coolant.

I strongly suspect a stuck thermostat.

"If it ain't broke, you aren't driving it enough".

Harumph.

True. I live by the three Ts'. If it has teeth, tires, or tracks, it's going to give you trouble. I finally had a chance to pull out the 46 from the back yard shed, a couple of nights ago. I had acquired a 65 Galaxy 500 4 door post, and it of course is a non runner. Half of the tires are junk, and the other two leak air, so it took a while to come-a-long it up onto the trailer. The next night I had more time to unload it. The 46 turned over a bit slow, and was quickly running out of battery. On what could have been the last couple of revolutions that the battery could muster, she popped off. She spit and sputtered until I found the sweet spot of choke and throttle, then cleared out. The little 2A pulled the car off the trailer without too much trouble, just had to stop and readjust the steering wheel on the car.... Both junk tires are on one side, so it wants to bank hard to the left. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the Willys in action.