'51 Land Cruiser

[mbstude]

Did have a question - does it matter if the nut/washers are inside the drum or outside?

I think every Stude I've worked on (or at least had the drums off of) had the backing plate nuts and washers on the drum side. Does it matter? I doubt it.

I finished up the brake job on the '51 today. For real this time. I retained the dual MC, and changed out the residual check valve to the proper one to use with drums instead of discs. Bled the air out of the system, adjusted the shoes, and almost like magic.. The car STOPS. The pedal height is high and firm as it should be, and it doesn't require both feet to stop the car.

Since the supplier has no interest in accepting any returns for their products, as frustrating as my experience has been, I did find it satisfying when I tossed the disc kit onto the scrap pile today. It's the little victories...

On another note.. I fixed the car's "going downhill" stance. The spring shackle on the left is an NOS part for a '51 Commander. The one on the right is what someone installed on this car. Some cars look good with the rear end higher than the front.. A stock-looking '51 four door sedan isn't one of them.

[62champ]

I think every Stude I've worked on (or at least had the drums off of) had the backing plate nuts and washers on the drum side. Does it matter? I doubt it.

Beginning to think the same - the truck shop manual shows it both ways - maybe it was up to which ever employee was installing them during their shift...

On another note.. I fixed the car's "going downhill" stance. Some cars look good with the rear end higher than the front.. A stock-looking '51 four door sedan isn't one of them.

Bet someone wanted that "Avanti rake" Need to have some side comparison shots now - keep us updated - always enjoy your posts.

[mbstude]

Need to have some side comparison shots now - keep us updated - always enjoy your posts.

I had planned to do that, but it’ll have to wait for a day when it isn’t raining.

And thanks! I think this forum would be a bit more enjoyable if there were others that posted about working on their cars, instead of arguing over grammar. I’m looking forward to more progress posts on your Champ.

[4hawks]

Nice... The cars looking great!

[(S)]

I was taught shouldered bolts are meant to be installed so the shoulder is 'through' the meat of the metal in order to stabilize the secondary part. They are the same length either way, but its about the bolt head being more stable against the forging rather than stamped steel.

Matt, your car will ride better with proper shackles, and it should also be more balanced so it should brake better......

[Buzzard]

Matthew,
Thanks for your reply regarding my '57 Clipper request (sad I was too late by a day).
I have followed many of your posts (especially the Avanti II as I have one) and noted you chose the BAT venue for selling your Avanti. I am about to list my '48 Starlight Coupe (ex Naugles' and G. Kaiser). Which venue do you prefer as I'm not a huge Craigslist supporter? I have simply spread myself too thin and getting old sucks.
Thanks in advance for any guidance.
Cheers, Bill

[mbstude]

Since the steering box is all new inside, it made sense to take care of the rest of the loose steering parts. Today's project was replacing tie rod ends, as well as rebuilding the center bellcrank pivot. Tomorrow I'll get everything bolted back together and set an appointment for the alignment shop next week.

The front seal in the AC compressor started leaking the last time I had the car out. A friend who's done a lot of AC work on Studes steered me towards Classic Auto Air in Tampa.. They still sell brand new Sandens that are setup for R12 refrigerant. But, as everyone knows, you can't buy a Sanden with a 6 volt clutch. I managed to get in touch with the guy who built the AC system on this car back in 1996. He said that he had someone at a local electric shop (now deceased) take apart the clutch coil and install 6 volt windings. I won't pretend to understand it, I just know that it works.

6 volt on the left, 12 volt on the right.



I swapped the "that-can't-be-done" 6 volt coil onto the new compressor and installed it on the car. Still need to pull a vacuum and fill it full of freon, but the hard part's done.

[52-fan]

Cool.....or it will be. Enjoy!

[mbstude]

The Shrocks were nice enough to take the Tan steering wheel in on trade when I decided I needed a translucent red one. I think it was Loewy that said, “never leave well enough alone”...

Now to just scrape up enough time to install the rebuilt radio.

[62champ]

Matt - is your AC unit from a '61?

[mbstude]

Matt - is your AC unit from a '61?

My best guess is that it came out of a ‘61 Lark.

[62champ]

My best guess is that it came out of a ‘61 Lark.

IIRC, that was a one-year-only under dash unit that incorporated a fresh air option. Did they tie it into the fresh air vent on the passenger side?

That wheel is really cool. It is always interesting to see what kind of unusual things manufacturers tried to win over customers...

Thanks and hope you guys have a safe trip to south bend.

[Trikebldr]

I'm still fighting problems with the Turner brake kit, but at least I was able to spend some time on the car this weekend.

I got the dual MC setup (mostly) installed, and swapped the 9" rear brakes in favor of 11" rears from an Avanti. New inner and outer grease seals, wheel cylinders, shoes, and drums. I need to run new metal lines and sort out the MC setup, but hopefully I'll have the brakes done before too long. The parking brake cable in the picture is one from a disc brake Lark that I installed temporarily to see if it would work.. It doesn't. A custom cable is now on the shopping list.



Feeling like I needed to accomplish something on the car, I installed the new steering wheel, along with an NOS horn ring and center button.

Matt, the shop manual for the 1950 models show the Champion with 9" drums on the rear and the Commander with 11" drums. I would have assumed that the Land Cruiser would have at least the equivalent to what the Commander had. What am I missing here? Please edumacate me on this!

[mbstude]

Matt, the shop manual for the 1950 models show the Champion with 9" drums on the rear and the Commander with 11" drums. I would have assumed that the Land Cruiser would have at least the equivalent to what the Commander had. What am I missing here? Please edumacate me on this!

As far as the chassis goes, '50 and '51 are two completely different cars. The Land Cruiser model is essentially a Commander four door with a 4" longer wheelbase and a rear sway bar.

1950 Champion, 9" drums front and rear. 4 x 4" wheel pattern.

1950 Commander, 11" drums front and rear. 5 x 5" wheel pattern. (Same drums as used on 1/2 ton trucks).

1951 Champion, 9" drums front and rear. 5 x 4.5" wheel pattern.

1951 Commander, 10" front drums, 9" rear drums. 5 x 4.5" wheel pattern.

[Trikebldr]

The Land Cruiser model is essentially a Commander four door with a 4" longer wheelbase and a rear sway bar.

And this leads me to another question. Are you saying the '50 Commanders shouldn't have a rear sway bar? Mine does, front and rear.

Somebody else also said the Land Cruiser had dome light switches on all four doors, full carpeting and grab straps. So does my Commander. I KNOW mine is a Commander because of the tag under the hood and the dash trim says "Commander". Sometimes I read something that says only on Land Cruisers, but I seem to have it on my Commander. Confusing!

BTW, do you know where that extra 4" was added in the body to give the extra leg room in the back seats? Just curious!

Thanks or the brake info. Very interesting shifts in sizes.