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Picked up a sweet P12 last week. Nice shape and runs well. The car was restored in the late seventies and has been well cared for. The original engine has been replaced with a later 251 flattie and the transmission is now a R10. Needs a few repairs and I already have plans for some upgrades. I'll be asking a bunch of newbie questions, so please humor me.

Beautiful car! Got mine cleaned and polished. Boy its been a while since I have worked on single stage paint. Just did a quick hand seal with Zanio Z3 I believe.

Here's one right side up on a bench.

I HAVE TO concur with Donald! I got a BAD CASE of "newbie fever"...three times! Now I have three "projects" is different levels of disassembly...and none of them are drivable! Thanks God my wife loves me...

I called their Tech group before I placed an order. There are so many variants I felt this was the safest way to be certain I got the correct set up. Installation was a breeze. One of the main reasons I switched over to an ignitor was the way the points were holding up. I tried 3 differents sets along with 3 or 4 new condensers. I just didn't like the way they began to look. Jeff

I think that's an "A" series polysphere V8. It's not an "LA" series 318 or 360. If it's an original '56 model, then it will be a 277, but other displacements are 301, 303, 313, 318, and 326. It's been a while since I messed with polys, but I seem to remember there were some differences between early and late polys with belhousing and timing cover/water pump changes from '62 to '63. Later model '63 to '67 318 polys share the same bellhousing bolt pattern as the later model "LA" engines. Others that are more knowledgable may have better info than myself, so please jump in and correct any of my mistakes.These are good performing small V8s and are very durable. There is a very active 318 poly group on Yahoo Groups and some of those guys are getting some serious power. Is that a small 4-barrel carb? If so, I would hold onto that manifold and carb. Very hard to find. Edit: The intake manifold is a one piece design with no valley pan and the scallops in the valve cover make me think it is a poly 318. Scott.

Ed here you go. Spendy though and looks a little rough. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1946-1947-1948-chrysler-mopar-dodge-desoto-plymouth-water-temp-control-valve-/221793301687?hash=item33a3e934b7&vxp=mtr

It not an original car, but it is our car. Its ours, that's what's important, not whether it meets any particular criteria in the car community. Has not been an original car since 1957 when Dad bought it and started doing the changes he wanted to make it his. The car does not have a flathead.....it currently has a Ford 200/C4 combination. Dad an I left the flathead (60 over, 90 off head, Dual Carter BB, Split Manifold dual exhaust, etc.) out on the lawn many years back. Don't take the post wrong, we'll investigate all options, but Nah. The shop I'm dealing with kept Dads secret for 20 years. To suggest they are money mongering is to make a spurious statement from a lack of knowledge of the personalities involved, their relationships, the current personal situation(s), etc. Which, all in all, is to be expected and forgivable since none here have been in on the many conversations. Have faith. Ol Bessie will be treated well. Every project needs a plan and an alternate to prevent it becoming a Craigslist ad for a box of parts! (Dayum, that coulda happened here to Ol Bessie!) We're discussing what's best for the way we want to use the vehicle. And given some recent family health concerns, I have decided that Dad and I laying under the car farting around with our share of the restoration work like brakes, suspension, wiring harness, tuning, etc....are steps that (with a suitable budget) go away in favor of a set up that gets the car on the road sooner and with no questions as to reliability. Whats best may well be original suspension and the Ford drive line, or it may be a change out to something less than 78 years old. I should have held the car and fixed it years ago. As it is, Dad held the car for me because that's what Dads do and now I am driven to have this ready for both of us to drive while we still can and for as long as we still can.

From the factory (probably as a dealer install option) there were three different bypass filters: A sealed canister which is hard to find nowadays as WIX stopped making them about 15 years ago and two different housings one of which takes a paper filter (most common) and a different "heavy duty" one that takes the "sock type" filter. So if you have a Mopar replaceable element bypass filter it might take the sock element or it might take the paper element. All oil going into the filter bypasses the engine. If the flow is too high then the oil pressure could drop especially at idle. However on all the Plymouth engines built from near the end of 1933 on the return flow from the filter goes through a shut off circuit built into the pressure relief valve. The way that is set up, if the engine oil pressure drops too low the flow through the bypass filter is shut off.

The impulse pickup and module is/can be affected. That's what triggers and controls the spark. They are magnetic based, same as crank and cam position sensors, ABS sensors. on the new vehicles. Putting in a stray magnetic field confuses them.

I wouldn't think much harm would have come to either the suspension or the engine or trans being stored indoors that long. The only concern I can think of it body shop dust getting into the engine if it wasn't sealed up well.

Clearly Bill is a man who likes to build things. I have the same disease & so it's easy to recognize. With that regard, no other justification is necessary.

I wonder if it would do any good to report the matter to the local police ? Perhaps money has to change hands before it is considered a crime . I remember a few years back when I had a home advertised for rent , someone else was advertising my house for rent on craigslist . I think that is what the cops told me , no money... no crime . That is a very nice car , welcome .

Not sure what people were saying about your design exactly....but from what you wrote, they were missing the point. HP and Torque don't live without each other. Exhaust systems affect engines that have wide power bands and routinely operate below peak torque. Torque is what most people feel...not HP. If you race your vehicle at a high speeds (rpm) and can hold it there...now you're feeling HP. The harmony of HP and Torque for most vehicles relies on the gears, the power to weight ratio and what the vehicle is suppose to do. I am getting to a point...really...lol. Bill's vehicle is not going to race at 9000 rpms in competition on a circle track, he is not going to set a new land speed record of 400 plus MPH, he is not reinventing the wheel or rethinking physics. For me, Bill is testing, and challenging the HP and Torque of his mind! He is building the thoughts from the creative side and sharing it. If he was only interested in going fast, his vehicle would be ugly like mine, he'd have more electronics and roll bars. If he was only interested in show, he'd have less interest in what makes him happy. Honestly, I don't care what his "Dyno'd numbered - ET- time slip thingy- dragon coefficient - scooby doo" is.......This guy is turning the volume up to eleven and having a great time! You're doing a fine job Bill.....thanks for this awesome thread and rock-on brother! Tim aka 48Dodger

I have modified my cowl lights to work as turn signals. As originally fitted, they (left and right lamps) were wired in series and operated at parking lights. I just fitted new pigtails as others have indicated and isolated each lamp to work with the 7-wire turn signal assembly. They work fine. I had fitted an amber bulb at one time, but I've gone back to a white one thinking they are easier for the semi-blind, myopic Nissota operators to see.

Were it me I would think about disconnecting the battery before attempting the swap. Then I would think about re connecting it after the install.