AFAIK these numbers are using the American gauge measurement system for the size if the jet.

No. 56 is 0.0465", & No. 64 is 0.036".

Dr Terry

The bolt pattern for the backing plates is different for EJ to HR. These will not bolt up to FE-EK stub axles.

From memory the way to do it is to use an EJ-EH stub axle & fit it to an FB-EK upright, the kingpin is the same diameter. Then fit that assembly to your FE.

The FE-FC kingpins are smaller in diameter, so you cannot fit the EJ-EH stub axle straight onto an FE-FC.

Dr Terry

Dr Terry,

I'm a little confused. Doesn't the pinion seal run on the finished pinion surface prior to the spline? If so the leak is prior to the spline and would be flung off due to gravity.

When you say smear some sealant on the spline what type of sealant do you mean?

Cheers

The oil has only 2 ways to exit the diff pinion. One is past the seal & the other is up thru the spline. If you look at a cross-sectional pic of the diff you will see what I mean.

My sealant of choice is Permatex Grey. It's a good sealant for oil or coolant & is far better than Silastic etc.

Dr Terry

All Holden diff pinion oil seals leak.  The shop manual says, "An occasional drop of oil is to be considered normal and does not warrant attention."
Rob

One of my pet hates is unnecessary oil leaks. Seal technology in the 1950s was very basic, but has improved markedly from the 1980s onwards.

I always try & source Viton type seals, which is a much tougher material than even the more commonplace modern Nitrile.

Another source of diff leaks is up thru the pinion spline. If you smear some sealant on the spline on assembly, & use a Viton pinion seal, the diff will be dry.

Dr Terry

I fitted steering box braces to my FC and FB. I am running standard wheels and tyres. The braces have made absolutely no difference to the steering at all. For me they are a waste of time and effort.

That is correct. They only offer any improvement, if you're running a big wheel/tyre combination, which causes the box to fklex on its mountings..

Dr Terry

What he said. ^^^

Dr Terry

I doubt it's oil related. Sounds more like a faulty thermostat.

Dr Terry

My memory says that the "S" section in Special had black paint fill.

Dr Terry

It's amazing the little mistakes you find when you look really close.

Now I've been using these wiring schematics since the late 60s & yet I just found another mistake in the FB drawings. On the FB 215, 219, 225, 229 diagram they list 2 versions of the dome light wiring, one for FB/217 & one for all others.

Given that the 217 model was discontinued mid FC, the FB/217 never existed as a production model. Looks like they forgot to tell the electrical drawing room this info & they went ahead & drew a diagram for that model's dome light. If we end up re-drawing the FB & EK diagrams we should delete that bit.

Dr Terry

Nice job black57.

I know it's a bit of work, but should we produce 3 different FE/FC wiring schematics, because of the confusion over the variation in blinker wiring. Look at the mess around the brake light switch & blinker switch connectors. Maybe even do 6 variations, 3 for FE & 3 for FC, because of the difference in front blinker/parker wiring terminations.

We should do one without blinkers, one with regular red rear blinkers & one with amber rear blinkers. Your version with the coloured wires is much easier to follow.

Dr Terry

I just noticed a small mistake on the original diagram. The white wire which connects the two door courtesy light switches is labelled Red 18g in one spot & White 18g in another, when it is white all the way.

Dr Terry

The diagram is correct because of the way the blinker can works.

The 3rd pin on the blinker can supplies both dash indictors with 12V, with their earth returns going back thru the front blinker globe filaments, so when the LH indictor flashes its dash indicator earths thru the RH front blinker globe & vice versa. A little difficult to follow but that's the way it works.

Likewise with the rear brake light & reverse light scenario. Both FE & FC diagrams show the original US-style flashing brake lights (not tail-lights BTW). The amber rear blinkers weren't introduced until around September '59, so were not mentioned in the service manuals.

For info on the later wiring see the FB commercial pic. Here:http://www.fefcholden.org.au/techinfo/images/ek-wiring-lo.jpg

For those who want to change to the later (amber) blinkers it is easily done by swapping the required terminals. You just use the reverse light wire (light green) for the brake lights & the two brake light wires (violet LH & pink RH) for the two lower amber blinkers. Then disconnect the white wire at the blinker switch connectors (at the steering column) & run it to your reverse light switch, after disconnecting the light green wire. The light green wire now goes to the brake light switch. Done !

Dr Terry

In NSW the seatbelt thing is a bit of a minefield when it comes to older cars.

If your car came from the factory without seatbelts & they were fitted by the dealer at purchase or soon after, do you need a certificate from an RTA Authorised fitting station to register the car today ?

Holden sold Nasco accessory seatbelts from the early 60s, so a dealer could have fitted front (& maybe even rear) seat belts to your new EK in 1962, do these need a certificate because they are not factory ?

Same goes for many 2nd hand cars from the 70s. Repco, Britax & other sold countless seatbelt kits during that time & these were then fitted to ten of thousands of pre-70 2nd hand cars by dealers, mechanics & owners themselves. Were these ever checked or certified ?

How do you prove that the rear seatbelts in you EK were fitted last year (by you) or 30-40 years ago by a mechanic or dealer ?

Dr Terry

In some circles , rough mine  fitters for example , the belief in what is the difference between NPT ( national pipe thread ) ie American and BSP ( British Standard pipe ) is a bigger shifter .

This is Aussie engineering at its best.

Here we are stuck on the other side of the planet with an "English" heritage & the Yanks on the other side, having to fend for ourselves.

What's  one TPI, doesn't matter !!

Dr Terry

I'm certain that the threads will be NPT.

To my knowledge since most of Holden's engine designs were of US origin, all the pipe threads used were NPT. BSP was used for Pommy & Euro (metric) cars.


Dr Terry

This creates a bigger dilemma. From my research on this site I think that the plastic and tin reservoirs aren't a match. So I will either need to find good reservoirs (I expect that will be a real challenge), purchase a complete set of brake/clutch master cylinders with reservoirs (expensive) or create a new set. I did read on here about someone making a set up but there were no details. I would be really interested to know what was used to build them so I can have a crack. Otherwise I will simply have to start searching antique shps for tins with threaded lids.

There was an aftermarket plastic reservoir (branded ABS) made back in the day which does fit in place of the tin can type. They have a black lid & you do see them from time to time at swap meets & on ebay.

Dr Terry

It sounds like the terminals at the gauge are mixed up.

The gauge is made up of 2 coils, one opposing the other. So one coil has constant magnetism & the other varies to swing the gauge.

Just double check the 3 connections at the gauge. I'll have a look at one for you later in the day & check.

Dr Terry

The late FC had amber lower rear lenses as blinkers & reverse lights, but used a single filament globe.

Have a look at the wiring diagram for FB/EK ute & van.

Dr Terry

Don't use heater hose.

Because it is only waterproof (not oil-proof or grease-proof) it turns jelly after a short time.

I use a thin wall 5/8 fuel line but any low pressure fuel, oil or hydraulic hose will do the job, as long as the wall is not too thick.

Dr Terry

The exciter voltage for the alternator is only required for initial start-up. The temp switch is open at this time so the required voltage will appear at the temp light wire as required. If the motor runs too hot (later on) & the temp switch closes the voltage will disappear, but that won't matter as the alternator has already been 'excited'.

Dr Terry