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  1. There's an old joke told by Rodney Dangerfield about dinner at his house. "You don't brush your teeth after dinner, you count them!" Well, I am going through an Overdrive transmission and I decide to try the only optional gear set for the 1940-54 transmission. At the same time I am building a 1939 Ford V8 transmission and a Studebaker R10 Overdrive ( very old school, mounted in the middle of the torque tube ) to replace the hated T5 in my Model A. My Dad said he had a set of Lincoln Zephyr gears and I thought I try them at the same time. Well a Lincoln Zephyr gear set is 3 gears and if you want a NOS set they are astronomical in price! ( there's a set like I thought I had for $2,895 on eBay ) Turns out what I had was two of the correct gears and a cluster for a 1955-56 Ford with a 272 V8. When I looked at a gear chart from Van Pelt Sales and counted the teeth nothing made sense. Hence the Rodney Dangerfield joke. It took a phone call to Mac Van Pelt to identify what I had. Back to the Plymouth: At the time my cars were built ( 1949 & 52 ) the speed limit was 55 mph and the closest thing to a freeway in Los Angeles was the Arroyo Seco Parkway ( aka Pasadena Freeway ). Which is kind of laughable as a "Freeway". Anyway that's why the old cars had 3.90 rear ends and 3 speed transmissions. When Chrysler went to column shift ( largely so a 5 passenger car could suddenly become a 6 passenger car ) They tried the one year only second gear ratio and thought better of it for 1941. Turns out that 1940 second gear ratio was highly regarded with the "Boy Racers", it making the mopar gear box more close ratio. Not only were there lots of factory gears sold as replacement parts, the after market made them too. There's plenty of them for sale on eBay for less than $300! That seemed to me like a cheap experiment. So here we go counting teeth again. The 1940 Cluster Gear ( aka Transmission Countershaft Gear ) is part number 853-885 and has the tooth count of 32-25-19-14 Whereas the 1941-54 tooth count is 32-23-19-14. Second gear is the only different ratio and thus you only have to change two gears. The 1940 second gear is part number 692-687 and it's tooth count is 23. The 1941-54 second gear tooth count is 25. Enter the Overdrive: The Plymouth R10-G1 Overdrive will shift into 2nd Overdrive plus the top gear overdrive making it actually a 5 speed. When new, the cars were delivered with 4.30 rear end gears giving them lively acceleration....to 55 mph. Now days as the song says "I can't drive 55!" My 49 came with a 3.73 rear end and with Overdrive that car is really happy at 55 mph and 70 sounds like 55 used to. When I installed the Overdrive I swapped the speedo gear from my old transmission which has 17 teeth and the speedo is close ( p/n 652-848 ). With a tire size change and I would change to a 16 tooth speedo gear P/N 652-846 which is also useful with a 3.54 rear end ratio ( there being no other smaller tooth count speedo gears ). One fly in the ointment: Between the loose needles used in the cluster gear and the thrust washers it's a challenge to assemble the countershaft. Chrysler had a solution for the dealer mechanics, the Miller Special Tools C-578. It is a short rod slightly smaller in diameter than the countershaft and only as long as the cluster gear with the thrust washers. You assemble the cluster gear with grease ( to hold the needles and washers ) with the tool inside. After all the other parts are installed you invert the case and the cluster falls into place. Then you push the counter shaft in and the tool keeps everything aligned until the counter shaft is in place. The same method is used by locksmiths changing the pin combinations. Only one problem, try and find one! SO...I am going to make some from plastic rod stock which will work even better than the metal one did. If you enjoy using your brain and working little issues out, the old car hobby is the best! Have fun!
    6 points
  2. Andyd: When ever I gain more info about my car after fixing something I like to pass along that information to other owners. The name of the game is pass it forward. Here is the reason why. In 1976 I bicycled across the entire USA from Williamsburg Virginia to San Francisco. It took us 60 days with 30 pounds of gear on the bike. One day it was in early June and a real cold wet rainy day. Pulled into a small town just before going into Kentucky. Stop at the local gas station and general store looking to see if they had any motels in the area, they said No but the one person told us to go up the hill and his dad's barn was available. Later on the father came over and welcomed us and said stay as long as you need to. He had a sign on his roof that was spinning in the wind, Have BULL will Travel. Being a city kid asked what he did and he stated artificial insemination on cows. We all had a good laugh. The next morning he woke up and told us to over to his house and his wife had a farmers breakfast prepared for us. When we walked into the home the wife greeted us with open arms and said welcome. The table was about 4 ft long and was filled with a farmers breakfast. After eating the husband gave us all paper bags and then said go make some lunch to take with you. After making a lunch I mentioned to the other guys to get out their wallets and its time to pay for our meal. The farmer then informed us to NOT leave any funds he did not want anything for the meal. His only stipulation was that each one of us will be required to pass along this favor or some other favor to someone else or a group of people. I stayed in touch with this gentleman for 5 years. I still remember his and his wifes kindness even after almost 50 years of meeting these special people. I do not know if this would happen in todays world but people extended their open arms and welcomed us all the way across the USA. It was a great country then and still is but times have changed. remember you only reap what you Sow, and any farmer will fully understand the meaning of my statement. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
    6 points
  3. All ready to re-install. I bought this one on eBay for $400 delivered. When I changed the Counter Shaft Gear ( aka Cluster gear ) I didn't like the countershaft so I replaced it with a good used one. The reverse lock out switch was open so I replaced that as well. Other than those items it was in very good shape. If you are going to go through one of these, the service manual and a parts book will help. There's a couple of little secrets you have to know about. Example: the lockout arm must be retracted to take the back housing off and there is this tiny tapered pin you have to drive out with a pin punch to do that. If the transmission is covered in grease you may not find it. I got all my parts super clean and checked the movement and function at each stage of assembly. I did not however install the governor as the book says to do. When I rolled the transmission over on the bench the pawl slid into place and things wouldn't turn as expected. I took it apart once more and figured out what had happened. Not a bad thing as I am now really good at assembly and disassembly for the experience. lol Of course it happened again and I simply turned it over and the pawl slid back into its rest position. Since my Suburban has Back Up Lights I wanted to see if I could add the switch with the Overdrive. It does fit and it does work! The beauty of the B-W R10 G1 Overdrive is all the MoPar replacement parts fit. Most of the wear parts in the Overdrive unit are standard B-W parts common to the other makes that used it. The reverse lock out switch is different however. When you see them on eBay most sellers call them a "Neutral safety switch" because that is what they look like. If p/n 1370-462 ever becomes hard to find at a decent price an adaptor could be made to fit a "real" neutral safety switch. ( another note: there's a short little round part that relays the movement of the reverse shift shaft to the switch. If you remove the switch under the car it will fall out and you could lose it. Best to check it before you install the transmission )
    5 points
  4. Spring arrived this week. I saw enough vintage cars and motorcycles on the road to stir-up some nostalgia. I removed the car cover and rolled out my ‘38 Chrysler today. It flashed up and ran like a hot engine that was just tuned-up yesterday. I didn’t do a thing other than check the oil and hit the electric fuel priming pump. I love a well maintained flathead engine. While warming it up the pup wanted in on the action. We went around the neighbourhood a couple times. I will drain the oil now and put in a fresh jug of 10W40. How’s 2024 shaping up in your Mopar neighbourhood? -59,331 miles.
    5 points
  5. I saw an add for Modello Turbo that interested me. I sent a picture of my 46 P15 and they replied with a sample line drawing. I had them eliminate the spotlight and antenna, and this is what I went with. 27” wide, 16” tall, $118 delivered from Turkey, took 13 days from start to receiving today. I’ll probably white out the hanger bracket with touch up paint. I like it but the problem is I have an idea for a perspective of a 47 Dodge truck and it means more stuff, I have enough stuff. They are neat and affordable though. The shadow is from my lighting in the shop, it sets out 1/2” from the wall. A flash picture works better. But that’s on my PC with a digital camera. You get the idea. Rick D.
    5 points
  6. Finally changed the 16 year old tires- went with 16R-7.00 in the back and 16R-6.00 in the front. Did a toe-in alignment. Took it for it's first ride and it seems to track well. I plan to take it to an alignment shop before the "Woodies in the Valley" show in late April in Visalia CA.
    5 points
  7. Having a 47' De Soto myself that is, no offense, in far better condition, I understand what IvanB is saying, but something you said caught my eye. I'm 70, and have had the car a little over ten years. Thought I'd have it done by now. By saying that you might not be alive to drive it, you may be alive to find a car in better condition that takes less time to restore. You can still have the same amount of fun and bonding with your grandsons, and I'm sure they would like to take that drive with you.
    5 points
  8. As many of you go to your local auto supply store and might see various types of Brake fluid bottles, that range from DOT3, 4, 5 and Dot 5.1. I use DOT 5 silicone brake fluid in my 39 Desoto. I asked the counter person is Dot 5 and Dot 5.1 compatible and they could not answer the question. So i did some searching and found out the DOt3,4 and 5.1 are glycol based products and can be used together BUT DOT 5 is silicone based and you CAN NOT mix dot 5.1 with DOT 5. I have attached the document for your reading. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com Brake fluid Dot 4.docx
    5 points
  9. We had a 1951 Dodge 1/2 ton on the ranch when I was a kid. It’s the truck I learned to drive. In the ‘70’s, the truck was sold by uncle to a local kid that drove the wheels off of it, then parked it on their ranch. I found out that the truck has been sitting outside for the past 45 yrs. I got to talking to the current owner, and he agreed to sell it back to me - it needs everything. But, no major dents or rust throughs. For $400, I got another project, and this one has sentimental value. Now I have to lube the doors and hood to get them opening, break the brake shoes loose from the drums, and drag it home - only about a mile.
    4 points
  10. That won't work. The drive gear that turns the oil pump and meshes with the cam gear is attached to the oil pump shaft, not the distributor shaft. Since both the oil pump and the fuel pump are driven by the cam, one has to wonder if the cam is moving? Pull the distributor cap and see if the rotor rotates as you crank the engine. If it is then the cam is moving. If not, you got issues. Pull the carb top and fill the bowl with gas, as for priming the oil. You could rig up a garden sprayer as a pressure priming tool and prime the oiling system via one of the oil gallery plugs that run along side the drier's side of the block.
    4 points
  11. The 39 Desoto has now come back home from being in the shop. Issue was that I was getting a severe pulling to the left when applying the brakes. The steering wheel would pull right out of my hands and lock up the left front tire. I pull both front drums and no evidence of brake fluid or grease on the brake lining, proper clearance of the shoes and arced properly. The mechanic that is very knowledgeable suggested that we replace the front cylinders and I had a set of NOS. Put on new return springs that i had. Road test still pulling, Cleaner out the brake block to see if any junk in the line. Also then tested for applied pressure and release press at each cylinder applied read at 500 and release went right back to 0 on both wheels so that meant to blockage in the lines. Also replaced all three brake hoses He then pull the drums again took off each shoe and cut down the lining made skim cut on all front shoes. This solved the issue. He feels that there might have been something in the lining that might have hardened the lining to cause it to pull. That issue was corrected. When having major brake issue I did not want to fool around trying to solve the issue. During my inspection he discovered that the lower outer bushing on the passenger side had to much play. Found the correct lower outer bushing parts on Ebay. When taking the old right side bushing out he discovered that the setting pin wedge was missing or maybe never installed. The pin is a tapered pin and is used to keep the inner shaft from moving. I have owned the car for 35 years and these might have been the original factory installed bushings. When doing the driver side he had to remove the kingpin which came out real easy. Asked if I had an shims and i took hie three sets of king pin kits that I had Tolf him to replace the KPs on both side since he had one side out. All four tierod end are good also the upper and lower control arm bushings are good no movement. He installed a new emergency brake cable and adjusted the brake band at the back of the trans. Also lubed the entire car and also the yoke for the clutch and brake pedals. He had the car you 20 days but worked on the car when he had time. Of special note he showed me the two races that are part of the kingpin assembly and stated that he packed the race with grease to make sure the ball bearings in each race would be full of grease. He has see where other mechanics just install the race and then grease the entire king pin assembly via the zerk fitting. But he has found that the grease was not getting into the ball bearing for the race. So if you are getting your King Pins replaced remind your mechanic and or even yourself to pack each race for each king pin to ensure that grease is inside he race opening. refer to the attached pictures of the race from my old king pin setup. The red pointer is showing where the ball bearings are located in the race. Also if you pull your front tires look in the area of the lower outer control bushing to verify that the metal wedge is installed to prevent the movement of the inner shaft. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
    4 points
  12. Hey papa, you forget to leave the keys in the ignition.....
    4 points
  13. whose wife is also in charge of his hobby....
    4 points
  14. As some of you may remember last year i pulled off an impressive amount of work on my car to make the nationals. Im at it again. I have started some body work on the car. I have spring work to do. I will once again keep a running post on progress since there is little info on these cars here.
    4 points
  15. After 2 Days in the Garage everything works again as it should. The limit switch had no contact just like the wiper switch. The circuit breaker was also out of contact. Then I cleanrd the collector on the rotor clean and cleaned the slots between the contacts. The brushes were made common and the tread cleaned. Everything was thoroughly cleaned in gasoline, re-greased and it's a miracle, the engine works like new again! Even the removal was relatively easy if you removed the glove compartment and the radio first. Many thanks to everyone for the various useful tips! Joe
    4 points
  16. I will be responsible for injuries from extreme laughter brought on by viewing my Limo Project,Lol
    4 points
  17. this is what happens when a old radio don't know the words to the new songs.....
    3 points
  18. Should finish this off tomorrow.
    3 points
  19. I believe one comes in the engine gasket kit but I don’t know if it’s sold separately. I used an o-ring on mine. It works fine. Just take your distributor with you and find one that fits.
    3 points
  20. We did a photo shoot with Santa and the 47 P15 yesterday. Been trying to get together and do this for a couple of years. Yesterday everything finally came together. And it was a beautiful day. The phone used for the pictures made the paint on the 47 look much better that it is. I suspect some sort of AI enhancement. Looks like a new candy paint job. It is not. Any way me and Santa are tight - so if you want me to put in a good word I can do that.
    3 points
  21. For me a cobbled together old car that runs well, brings lot of fun and pride. I have about 6-7 old scabby fuel pumps here. I mix and match parts as needed. I’ve ordered pump rebuild kits and rebuilt my own. Good times were had and extremely valuable knowledge is earned. You’ll learn skills that will allow you to troubleshoot and fix problems on the side of a road with a pocket knife. My ‘38 Plymouth looks like it came out of a field last week. People sure take a liking to it when they see me ripping around town in it. I won’t win any show awards except probably longest drive in what appears to be a shaky car at best. But its not a shaky car. Its very solid under its exterior appearance. I keep en eye out for old Mopar parts and acquire them proactively. I can’t tell you exactly how much money I’ve saved getting my old Plymouth reliable and road worthy. But its a lot. The hobby doesn’t have be expensive if you’re smarter than the average bear and ambitious.
    3 points
  22. From the Mopar Montana guys https://www.moparmontana.com/tech-faq.html HEAD TORQUE Your block should ideally be decked to give a smooth flat surface for optimum sealing. Head bolt holes should be chamfered and thread chased with a tap after decking. A modern composition head gasket will give the best results and these are available off-the-shelf from Fel-Pro for 23" and 25" Mopar flathead 6's. Fel-Pro recommends using a sealant on the copper (block) side of the gasket. Vintage double sided copper gaskets require sealant on both sides. A copper spray such as Copper Coat works well. EDGY heads have a very smooth, flat surface for use with modern gaskets. Due to this, no sealant is required on the head side of the Fel-Pro gasket. Any head fasteners that go into the coolant jacket (ALL of them do on Mopar flathead 6's!) should have a non-hardening PTFE sealant such as ARP or Permatex applied to the threads. Hardened and ground flat washers should be used, and need an ID chamfer if using bolts (chamfer goes up). ARP makes the best ones and are available directly from us. Ensure that the fasteners you are using fully engage the threads in the block. If using ARP studs, the upper threads, and nut/washer faces must be coated with ARP assembly lube. Torquing should be done in three stages following the order on the attached picture. Use of a high quality torque wrench is highly recommended. Torque values for 23" and 25" Mopar flathead 6's are as follows: First stage: 25 ft-lbs Second stage: 45 ft-lbs Third stage torque is fastener dependent: Stock head bolts: 65-70 ft-lbs (with sealant on the threads, oil underhead and on washer faces) Stock studs and nuts: 52-57 ft-lbs (sealant on block threads, oil on top threads and nut/washer faces) ARP studs and nuts: 63 ft-lbs (sealant on block threads, ARP lube on top threads and nut/washer faces) Run the engine to normal operating temperature and allow it to fully cool over-night before retorquing. Repeat this procedure at least three times, or until there is no more appreciable take-up on the fasteners.
    3 points
  23. I thought I was unique, lol. I have a 2015 535i (son's college car) and a flathead 6 too. I, and my son, do all the maintenance on the BMW, he used to help me with the flatty, till he moved. Taught him the basics on the Plymouth and threw him out of the boat into the water with the BMW.
    3 points
  24. The engine sounds good! However, the idle is set way too high, these engines will tick over like a sewing machine at 400-500 rpm. Also....please get rid of the the plastic fuel filter! When that thing gets brittle, cracks and sprays fuel due to proximity to the exhaust manifold you will have a serious fire hazard. And yes, it looks like you are due a head gasket.
    3 points
  25. Hi Tom, i checked the wipers. I use to own 12“ Anco‘s. Since i couldn’t scource shafts with better splines i got the problem solved with tiny cone brass sleves i made. Everything works now like new and will hopefully last for these 10 times i need to use the whipers next 50 years… ? Thank you!‘ Joe
    3 points
  26. I agree with changing out brake fluid periodically. I thought I’d post on a tool that we all rely on. I’ve needed a good air compressor for years. I just couldn’t make the dive into spending a couple thousand for what I wanted. I have a school bus business next door. They had to replace their compressor. One day the secretary asked if I wanted the tank on a pallet outside. The motor was gone but the cage and grommets were there. I pulled the heads on the compressor and replaced the reed valves and head gaskets for $100, found a 5 hp. motor for $100, and changed the pulley to 9.250” on the motor. 21 cfm is what it seems to pump up to with a slower motor and larger pulley on the motor. I put it on wheels, so I can get it to various places in my home/shop. 80 gallon tank. So, for $300, I have a $2000.00 compressor. I was lucky that the heat didn’t hurt the rings on the pistons. My next favorite tool is my bead blaster cabinet, with a dust collector, instead of a shop vacuum. You can see my old Curtis compressor in the background. I only use glass beads, but the filter still needs periodic cleaning, for full suction/vacuuming of dust. You can tell by the suction on the gloves if the filter is clogging. Rick D.
    3 points
  27. Looks like half the splines are wiped out. Probably why it sits deeper?
    3 points
  28. Headlamp crossbar final paint is done and dry. Very classy i think.
    3 points
  29. The weekends' work on the first inner fender (vertical panel and arc panel test piece)
    3 points
  30. Well I solved my own problem this morning after spending too much time checking the battery and cleaning all battery connections and start connections. I even pulled that little starter relay thing off the top and clean that up inside. It was kind of crappy so I figured that might have been the problem but I hit the push button start with my foot and nothing again. I started thinking it feels kind of weird though. If I pushed the relay with a screwdriver the starter would spin. I started looking closer and would you believe a bolt had fallen out of the linkage so the push button start wasn't doing its job. What should have been a 5-minute repair turned into almost two hours but at least I have clean connections now.
    3 points
  31. This is what the car really looks like.
    3 points
  32. Key point to keep in mind is the amp meter feeds the ignition switch but also all HOT circuits. Many times the voltage loss is here and one needs only to clean and secure the wires affixed to the amp meter both from the battery and the down stream feeds.
    2 points
  33. I found this clipping from the Feb 1948 Fresno Bee. Apparently Crocket Bros. had enough 1947 engines to offer the service. I wonder how many months at $3.71/mo it would cost to take home one of these beauties?
    2 points
  34. No sentimental value as far as it being in the family previously. It will become such as my two grandsons and I are going to do our best to restore. We all enjoy working on cars, and know the time and effort spent together restoring, to us ,will be more meaningful than if spent fishing, or hunting, or setting in a sports stadium or in front of a TV set. We do realize the amount of time, and money, and probable frustration it can cost, but it will be worth every bit of it. Family, quality family time and the memories we make together on this project are priceless.
    2 points
  35. I threatened my wife with that 5 gal bucket, or she could drive to Walmart 1 mile away. I got “the look” . . .
    2 points
  36. Keven did an awsome job on my speedo last year, still need my gauges done. I'll go $225
    2 points
  37. maple season is a bit early for me this year, but that's our new weather. collected sap yesterday, and began boiling. should be drawing off syrup today. quick video of sap flow from one of the short lines, and pumping to the truck... sap flow & pumping
    2 points
  38. I had brown-ish sludge forming in my #1 sparkplug well. Things started to slowly get a little worse. I’d clean it up. It would soon be back. I believed it was burned coolant. I traced it to the thermostat water neck housing. I took it off. Looked at all the corrosion around the gasket area. I cleaned it all up. Put JB weld in the voids. Block sanded it smooth reinstalled all. Test drive…Burnt coolant was soon back. It could look like oil to the untrained eye. It is brown. Round two: I took the 251 ci cast iron head off. I spotted a crack in the head near the thermostat mount. It travelled down towards the spark plug. Aha! I recycled the iron head. I installed a spare 228 ci 25” head that I had. It had a little smaller combustion chamber. A tad more oomph. She’s been all good ever since. No more gooey mess.
    2 points
  39. Just an update I got my car back together and my grommets were installed upside down. The flat side should be facing you and seal against the bottom of the floor pan. It did make a difference when they are installed correctly with the amount of fumes that get into the car when driving.
    2 points
  40. I started my 1953 Dodge B4B Project in September 2023. Here are a few progress photos. The engine went to the machine shop on Thursday and my goal is to have a rolling chassis to put it in when I bring it home. This is a great forum! Dan
    2 points
  41. Made new cab mount. Decided to plug weld it in since I don’t have great access to run a bead underneath
    2 points
  42. It's crazy. There is NOTHING unique or difficult about these engines. One of the reasons I got my 51 was to teach my son the basics and there is nothing more basic than the 51, lol. Then I threw him into the middle of the lake to teach him how to swim (got him a 2015 BMW 535 and he does the maintenance on it). What I suspect is the real reason is that it is a rare, these days, engine that the shop may have no idea where to get parts and they do;t want to deal with the potential hassle. Since you are an OTR trucker any chance you could drop it off somewhere? I know the Model A guys have a listing of machine shops that cater to their stuff. Got to be one of those shops near you that shouldn't be afraid to machine your stuff.
    2 points
  43. Chin up! We understand the need to vent, it helps. Life happens, can't do much about that, but you have options to get your car up and running. Silver lining to the over-the-road dark cloud is that putting your car in a long queue may not be a bad option, since you're out on the road a lot. That also gives you the opportunity to seek out a decent shop, which are indeed far and few in between. I had to wait almost a year to get our Dodge's radiator restored! It would have been longer if I'd gone out of State. Unknown who you drive for, but mayhaps you have backhaul (that's what the truckers up here call it) opportunities to get either the whole car, or just the engine, to a shop and back. I don't know of any shops that work on older engines that don't have a waiting list, because there are many more that can't or won't do that work, for whatever reason. These things can take a while, you've got a nice car and plans for how you want to enjoy it, don't lose hope.
    2 points
  44. ...thanks....I guess?
    2 points
  45. Perhaps you can drag Jay Leno along this time? haha.....
    2 points
  46. This is no laughing matter. This venerable vehicle deserves the respect (and loving care) it deserves from surviving this long. We trust that you will give it the care it deserves.
    2 points
  47. Engine mounts mocked up before final welding.
    2 points
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