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Finally got the old red paint and grim off my engine and repainted to silver using POR-15 engine enamel. Painted the valve covers and timing chain cover black and am painting the oil pan black as well to provide some contrast. Happy with the POR-15 product but we will see what happens once the engine is running again. Next big job, strip and paint the frame...

while some say you may not totally get rid of the boat feel, for certain, a positive gain in driving and handling characteristics is easily obtained by moving the upper shock mount from the upper control arm to the chassis, just amazing the very stability you see immediately. Brake kits are quick and easy and I recommend olddaddy at rustyhope.com as a supplier and he is a local member here. Suspension rebuilds are affordable, if going radial tires get the alignment shop to add positive caster for handling, also will help get that wandering feeling out of the front suspension as these cars are set up at basically zero. You can also lower this chassis with drop spindles if you so desire, you can add a fairly late model rack and pinion while still keeping the stock suspension components. Basic front components like kingpins, R&P, shock relocation, disc upgrades, radial and alignment would be first order of business for front end hygiene, allow you to do this in stages without ever taking the car permanently off the road and each step would then be affordable and never get really over your head or behind your budget.

The body on the ambulance is an Australian job. You can tell by the vent window in the front doors. Cars built in North America had a vertical edge with the main door glass. Also the exposed door hinges. RHD export cars came from Canada after the war while prewar was generally from the U.S. After the war most of the countries in the world were having currency problems due to the debts incurred fighting the Germans, Italians and Japanese. Canada for one had restrictions on importing American goods from 1948 to 1950. Purchasing an imported car needed approval from the federal government. And there were import duties, excise taxes, exchange rates, etc. to deal with if you got approval. Studebaker, Nash, Hudson and Kaiser all started assembling cars in Canada by 1950, although only Studebaker was successful. Normally the serial number was stamped on a tag attached to the left front door hinge post. Have also been found on the frame, right side top of frame, just behind the front axle. The number is seven digits long and starts with "9". Are there any tags attached to the cowl (firewall)? Chrysler of Canada stopped building the postwar models (P15, D24, D25, S11, C38) by the end of December, 1948. There were no "1st series 1949 models" built in Canada. As a matter of fact, the Canadian plant sat idle until the real 1949 models went into production in mid-February, 1949. They had 1948 cars standing around the plant for two months after 1948 production ended waiting for some dealers to buy them. I guess people were not interested in buying a car in 1949 that looked exactly like their neighbour's 1946 model. And at retail prices to boot. Canada would also be shipping chassis and parts to Australia and other nations until everything was done. The Australian 1946-1948 Plymouth, Dodge and DeSoto (all Plymouth based) used Canadian chassis with bodies built by T.J. Richards. And those bodies dated back to 1939. Front clips,. fenders and interiors were changed for 1940 and 1946. The postwar models also had a one piece rear window instead of the two piece used in 1939 and 1940. The Plymouth you have has an Australian body as does the 1938. 1938 Plymouths in the US and Canada had the windshield wipers mounted above the windshield while the Australian was down on the cowl.

Ha, nice picture there, Walt! that sure was a great day, i would have loved to have more time to chat with you, it was all a little too much to take in at once for me, i must admit. we went to dinner that evening and then back to George's the next day and said goodbye and talked some more, but unfortunately we had a tough schedule to get on our way to the east. i hope you had a good time at Carlisle! best, Fred

Okay, saved the controversial subject matter for last - some are "traditional", some are "rats", but all are drivers with good metal work if not good (or any) paint (even the Pilot House roadster), and some showing a great deal of creativity. Hope you enjoy the pic!

Got my alternator and fan mounted - another step closer!

Got my gas tank installed on the 53 finally. Lots of calculations to make sure the fill hole lined up in the right spot and the tank is clear of the driveshaft.

After getting pulled off the dump truck for other projects (mostly for the wife and kids), I finally got my 1949 1.5 ton pilothouse running. Really didn't take much at all. Put some new wires and plugs, new battery, put a temporary gas can in the engine compartment, squirted some oil in the cylinders, changed the oil, put some coolant in it, and it pretty much fired right up. It might have been sitting for 20 years, so it was pretty amazing that it started like that. Runs very well considering too - take a look at the attached video of the first start. Anyway, now that I officially have a running vehicle, I need to start getting after the other little pesky items such as shot tires (all of them), no seat, and no brakes. Question 1: My truck has 22.5x8 tires on the front now, apparently somebody swapped out the 20's for 22.5 wheels, which is all good, except I can't find much in the way of a 22.5x8 tire out there. The front tires are a cool looking military/lugged style tire and ideally I would like to find more of those. The rear tires on my truck are 7.5-20, which are also pretty hard to find. I did find some Coker reproductions, but their about $300 apiece. Any ideas for doing tires a little cheaper? Question 2: My bench seat is missing the entire set of springs/wire, foam, upholstery, etc. But the seat frame itself is there. Any idea how I can get a replacement set of springs/wire for the seat? Maybe an upholstery shop could do the springs as well as the foam and upholstery? Question 3: All of my windows, windshield, etc. are either cracked or shattered. Any ideas on how/where to get replacement glass for these trucks? Thanks! IMG_2916.MOV

Ford and Chrysler and many other cars especially those made in England used positive ground systems. From an engineer's standpoint it may have been superior. Telephone systems were also positive ground. If you want your car to run at its best, return it to what its engineers intended. As mentioned above, Starters are not sensitive to polarity or even voltage within limits. Generators can easily be repolarized in seconds by running a clip lead from the battery terminal of the regulator to the armature terminal. A few sparks and it is done. As North American cars changed to 12 volts, they followed GM 's lead and went to negative ground more likely for standardization of accessories like radios than any other reason. Many British cars and tractors used positive ground into the 70s. This had no bearing on their notoriously unreliable electrical systems where LUCAS was known as the Prince of Darkness. .... why do Englishmen drink warm beer..... they have Lucas refrigerators. and just to be fair to Lucas systems they were far more complicated than they really needed to be. Hence the adage Simplicity is the hallmark of Good Engineering.

HI all. I just purchased a farm and wound up inheriting serveral Plymouths and Dodges from 1938 to 1949. I have one really cool vehicle I will restore but lack a few build details. I think it is a late 1948 or early 1949 built in Canada for export. It is a D25 with a D 25C engine. Any info anyone has would be appreciated. PM

The dash insert appears to have been swapped over from a 42.

I thought it'd be fun to see what everyone else has or is working on... I looked through the archives and saw the last picture post was back in 2006, so I thought it'd be cool to do another one. I am new to the Chrysler/Dodge/Desoto/Plymouth family and frankly, don't know a lot about them. I've always had Fords or Chevrolets as projects and even a 1964 Sears Allstate(Vespa). I have always had a liking for old Dodge trucks(30-40's). I just got a '47 Dodge WC that is pretty much all original.

Air-O-Ride appears to be available for Pilot-House cabs according to a sales pamphlet that I tried to upload last year, but the parts manual is a little vague on options in the seat cushions...I reckon if it fits, it ships

Nothing racist about it, but fixed just for you, everybody tries to make something out of nothing these days

If I were you the first thing I would do would be to edit out the racial term from your post.

Even with the finest brakes and best tires on the planet, they won't prevent you or your passenger(s) from slamming into the windshield, getting crushed by a steering column, being tossed out the door in a rollover, or being mangled in a side impact event. I think many of us older folks have seen plenty of these events to last a lifetime, and don't want to see any more.

Thanks for that info, it is very helpful. There isn't an application lookup for that is there? After doing some digging I found an old Wagner lighting and Moog chassis catalog.

additional information - Bulb Reference Information

Possibly, but at least my cars will be out of the elements...

One thing about this seller ... he comes up with some super rare parts. His prices are not firm either. Every seller/ buyer transaction could have an issue Don't be scared be wise.. ask plenty of questions before you buy. Buy smart.

No sure where you are looking or if it is the same, but on my trucks the s# is lightly stamped up front on the drivers side (area above the rivets on this frame) i can see that area with the fender on but the tire out of the way could make it easier

Good to see you up and cruising the backroads again.

I finally got some time (and enough bandwidth on my dicey home internet connection) to upload some MoPar photos from the 2018 Syracuse Nationals. The weather at the NTS Fairgrounds cooperated during my Saturday visit, and there were many interesting examples of our favorite vehicles that this years event. The first group is of stock restored flathead powered Mope's, and I want to give a special shout out to the gentleman who owns the beautiful Job Rated truck. As I was speaking to him he saw a young boy take a picture of his truck and start to walk away - the proud owner got up and went after the boy, asking him if he'd like a picture of himself in the truck. Well, the answer was Yes! and he boy was all smiles and his dad was very appreciative. That's one way to get the young-ins interested!!!

Right before I end up in the nursing home I'll send both sets Brent! Ah... as long as I still have what's left of my mind.

Have you checked the carburetor ? No, this is not a prank response. Consider that as you are engaging the clutch, you are also loading the engine which is something both the carburetor and distributor must adapt to. So power falls off then is restored then falls off and is restored many times in a few seconds. Result, not a smooth application of power. Shudder. Learned this from a long time service manager who recently applied this knowledge to a 48 Plymouth. No more shudder.

is there a stamp on the frame like the "B" series? if so you might be able to use http://www.t137.com/registry/help/decode.php good luck,

If you do mean the engine oil pickup pipe... just pull the cotter pin that retains the floating PU screen..pull out the PU screen..... insert a proper sized steel rod into the PU pipe still on the block and twist /unscrew the pipe.

Thanks for the reply. Just shot him an email.

Thanks for the link! I now have it bookmarked.

Great news!!!! I got my permit!!! Yay! Quonset Hut will be in the works.

Neil would contact me also when i was looking for certain items that he didn't have but he knew of someone who did. I traded many items I had left over to him and he always treated me fair. He's one of the most knowledgeable guys about plymouths I've talked to and my wagon certainly looks nicer because of all the help he gave me when I was looking for trim and accessories . Thanks Neil

It is fun when you have an experienced pro teaching you how to do it right. Learning to weld on your own is one of the most frustrating things to try to learn. LOTS of people are self-taught including me,but I sure wish I had taken classes instead of burning up enough steel to build a battleship first.

I think the Innocent people on the same road as you were the ones that actually dodged a bullet!!!

Everyone calm down here.... Breathe... I am taking the necessary steps to avoid fines. After I get everything wrapped up, I will then decide on whether or not I want to be vigilant with this naughty neighbor. PS- this "neighbor" called the Sheriff on me, he was upset that I have one of my Kansas vehicles here... The Sheriff was not pleased. A big waste of time and a disservice. The Sheriff is a great guy, I am glad that I met him. He will help me if I ask for his wisdom in regards to how to handle the guy next door to me....

they weren't widowmakers; they used a lock ring, which is different. ford used the split rims (widowmakers). clearly, your wheels are swapped in, which is fine.

Resister plugs or wires or, condensor on the Genny armature terminal.

I took these pictures of my 51 B3B just after rolling it off the trailer after moving it from Arkansas to Kentucky back in the summer of 09. Now that my move is over I've been sorting through all the boxes trying to find everything so I can start assembling it. With any luck at all I might just have it mostly assembled by late next year. We'll see...