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Just installed a Red Crown Gasoline light in our carport to go with the truck. I am pretty happy with the results.

My Great Grandfather, and guessing my Great Grandmother with the '55 Dodge (I'll be inheriting this summer) and what I believe is a '55 DeSoto. The truck was my Great Grandfather's then my Uncle's, and then my Parent's, and soon to be mine. My Dad just told me that he is getting too old to work on too many toys, and he is giving it to me. It is in a little worse shape than here, but pretty much original. I'll post pictures of it's current state, in the correct area, when I get it out of the barn, but from what I recall it definitely will need a gas tank and fuel pump, amongst other things.

The filter is far from the headers. The pipe that it is close to is an intake runner, and when the engine is running those runners stay very cold. That's why I built it like that. Cold air is denser and allows more power to be made. The long runners introduce a ram effect on the intake charge and produce more power. This was a question about installing the windshield and rear window.

I like aluminum paint, it dries without any buildup. Check the inside of the tires for any tags, that could eventually rub a pin hole in the tube. I wiped the inside of the tires and the tubes with corn starch with a cloth. It doesn’t need a lot. I paint the bead of tire with rubber lube, so the bead slides easily on the wheel as it sets, you can put the lube on the wheel seat to ensure a soft seating of the bead. The flap doesn’t need any lube. Set the opening of the lock ring opposite the valve stem. I have a special hammer/mallet with a duck bill on the other side. I use the rubber part to tap the lock ring into place as I fill the tire slowly by adjusting the pressure on my regulator. This assumes that your rings are clean and no cracks, they have been painted and the notch in the wheel where they lock is perfectly clean. I’ve trashed wheels and rings that had been beaten with metal hammers. The lock ring ends should be almost touching when done correctly. Any questions, ask, it is a risky job even if you’ve done it before. These are 16” wheels, but the same design as the 20” wheels that I have. Once the bead is set and the lock ring is secured properly, I let the air out and refill with the valve core installed to eliminate any tube wrinkles. After you get it to pressure, you can bend the valve stem for access when the wheels are on the truck. If there is anything you don’t understand, ask. Rick D.

Another vote for making your own. It’s like a puzzle to solve. You screw a few up. You learn. You get better. Building and shaping your first ever 3 ft line across the left rear axle housing? Order two 25 ft rolls of 3/16” brake line tube. 😄

preformed and then curve and bent to fit a box for shipping, you better off making your own tailor fit set.......

Here's a possibility. I wonder if the Dodge rod bolts have threads that are cut, while the Pontiac rod bolts have rolled threads. Rolled threads are formed by dies that displace (smash) the material into the shape of threads, without removing any material. This results in threads that have larger outside diameter than the adjacent shank section of the bolt. On the other hand, cut threads are just that - they are made by cutting material away to achieve the thread shape, so the threaded section diameter will not be any larger than the diameter of the adjacent shank. It's kind of hard to tell from your photo, but it looks like that might be the situation. If so, then accordingly, the Dodge rod might be made with smaller bolt holes to snugly fit its cut-thread bolts, but the Pontiac bolts, with their rolled threads are too large to fit. I have a couple of Dodge 230 flathead rods at home, along with their bolts, and I can tell you that the threads in those bolts have the appearance of being cut, which surprised me, since I have seen other Dodge flatheads that have the appearance of having rolled threads. I have no reason to think that those are not the original bolts, and perhaps they were early rods that used cut-thread bolts. I could take some measurements and photos of those rods and bolts some time in the next few days and we can see if they match the dimensions of your bolts. We can also see how thin my other rods are (the ones that used rolled-thread bolts) in the wall between the bolt holes and the bearing saddles. I remember them being pretty thin. We might find that you have room to ream out the bolt holes in your rods to accommodate the slightly larger Pontiac bolts, or some aftermarket bolts, such as those from ARP. From the strength and durability (fatigue) standpoint, the bolts containing rolled threads are very much preferred. I believe virtually every manufacturer uses those types of rod bolts nowadays and have for many, many decades. I remember seeing early rod bolts from other engine makes that used cut-thread bolts, but I think most everyone moved away from that type of design long ago.

with all due respect, items needed to exact this repair is common at any hardware store or big box building supply, TSC etc that one can walk in, get the item, pay and immediately got to work repairing. While mail order from many companies and sites are MOST BENEFICAL when you dealing/needing bulk quantity, I have to state IN MY OPINION this is not the best option for this particular thread. Heck if it boils right down to it, one can find where a person may park a chevy/gm product and find where these have fallen off and free for picking up. Ok so the last part is a joke...maybe real at times, but still intended as a jab/joke.

SURVIVOR: saw this Dodge between Lake Graham and Newcastle

By turning the ignition on and then off you did the same thing the points do when opening and closing, letting the coil fire a plug, and if a gas mixture is in that cylinder when it fires it'll rock the engine. That's my guess.

In Canada I think Marine marked gas is still ethanol free. That’s what I run in my old cars. Illegal, yes. Lock me up! Hide behind pump so cashier cannot see. Show up with a legal gas can. Cashier will check that you have a gas can. All good. Fill gas can. Stuff fuel nozzle in your car. Proceed to slam all you can in there. Cashier is too distracted with other customers. Pay for your gas and leave. All good! Or go directly to jail. Lol.

Did not try that... The "gas test" was only performed because I spilled it while filling-up 😂

I speculate that pre ww2 bolts were more likely to be cut but with the advancements in the military equipment, i.e. planes, etc, stronger threaded fasteners were needed. Just a thought. dan...

Yeah that is the stock correct P23 vacuum advance line. It is suppised to go over the head as shown. It's never been bent out of original shape either. Fuel line looks OE too.

I have not seen a paint that would hold up to the effect of Dot3 fluid.....powder coat may stand up but would be in my opinion stained at minimum. Most areas you cncerned with are likely not subject to ease of powder coating either. Go DOT5 or forever be ye careful.

I should have stated more clearly, that I am only referring to the sedans, the design with the continual slope from roof top to deck lid. The other style sedans may well be different all together in that area. But on these P15 sedans, the arm rests mount in the exact same position in relation to the rear wheel wells. I will have to do some actual part to part comparison to know for sure that they are exactly the same. But if anyone else is following this topic, and has patterns for the P15 sedan rear arm rest upholstery, I would sure like to get in contact with them.

My P15 had developed a habit of occasionally going dark between high-beam and low-beam switching which made me wonder if the switch was going to totally die soon. A really dark road and the proximity of deer meant the car was more likely to pull this little trick. I replaced the dimmer switch and now the lights are reliable. I was pleased to see Rock Auto carries the switch in the Standard brand which is usually a good bet for aftermarket. I had to replace the old bullet connectors on the harness with ring terminals but that was a minor blip to get a new switch. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=445771&cc=1486874&pt=4340&jsn=390

The dimmer switch might have corrosion on the contact points. Press the dimmer switch several times to clean the contacts. Check the fuse for the light switch might be blown. Go to the headlight junction block and use a test lamp to see if you have current flowing to the connection block. If you have power to this section then your lights might be toast. Pull a headlight bulb disconnect the wire connecter then test with a 6 volt battery charger to see if they light up. If they light up then check each connecter at the base of the bulb to see if you have current flowing to the socket. Also could be a grounding issue or maybe the bulbs are bad. Just basic diagnostic procedures. Rich hartung desoto1939@aol.com

I suspect that engine noises are best troubleshot from under the hood/underneath the car. Have someone step on the gas and listen 😉

Kind of sounds like an exhaust leak to me.

Stainless, when in contact with ferrous will rust. I have done a lot of stainless projects over the years and you have to avoid contact with ferrous at all costs, especially on sanitary work. Cupronickel tubing works well. It does not rust and it is easy to form. The best SS to use would be 304L or 316L but hang onto your wallet and plan on purchasing some rather expensive tools to form the flares. If you do not have plans to show your car at Amelia Island or Pebble Beach, save some money and use the copper nickel alloy tubing.

Stainless steel is more brittle and work hardens easier and it does rust. Not better on many fronts.

There is no rational reason for having a plastic filter in proximity to the exhaust manifold. I don't even like having a metal filter in that location because it can absorb heat which is transferred to the fuel (vapor lock). There are locations that are much better suited for a filter.

I recently replaced the windshield in the '69 Beetle. A bottle of KY Lube from the local drug store turned out to be a superb windshield molding lube. It also triggered several off-topic comments from bystanders......

Most of us don't have a cage to use when airing lock ring wheel/tire combos. I'm one of those without. Haven't done one in a while but when dealing with them , I put the wheel on backward, ring toward the inside before airing to higher pressures. Seat ring first with just a few psi in the tube. Might not be possible on all axle/frame/wheel combos but works on some. RuGlyde on the beads, corn starch in tire and on tube. Dad used to wrap a chain around the tire and thru all the wheel holes to retain all the pieces 'just in case'. Never seemed particularly safe to me. A local tire shop operator in my home town was killed by one of the two piece widow-makers when I was a little kid. Hearing the description in adult conversation made me very cautious my whole life.

It’s good to learn with these old bombs. When you get that perfect double flare you’ll then realize that you forgot to put the nut on. Oops . I enjoy making up my own fuel and brake lines. I agree with Plymouthy Adam’s, you’ll have to reshape them anyway after unpacking them.

That is a very reasonable answer. I have some smallblock dodge ARP rod bolts and just like the pontiac bolts, they also will not go into the 218 holes. I would appreciate your efforts in measuring your flathead rod bolts to compare numbers when you get the time. Thank you and anyone else who has early flathead dodge rods available to measure the rod bolts. This seems like a plausible answer. WELL AS A MATTER OF FACT: You are the man of the hour. I just went out to the garage with my nut/bolt gauge and also a 3/8-24 standard bolt with nut and amazingly so, they fit the Dodge rod hole, rod bolt, and nut exactly. Additionally, the pontiac and ARP bolt will not thread onto the nut/bolt gauge or the 3/8-24 bolt and nut. We have a winner!! Sorry, no chicken dinner. But many thanks for the solution. I never would have thought in that direction. Now it's a matter of if the rod and cap will take a reaming without interfering with the bearing. Thanks again for all the responses and especially the solution. It does seem odd that in all the builds online, no one mentions this. Thanks again all. dan...

What is Petronix saying about this when ya ask'm about this prob?

I would check how far away they move the shock from the frame. i do like that mounting surface. I been thinking about my 1948 Desoto.

The drag links I'm familiar with had one end with cotter pin and slot cut into the end that a wide screwdriver blade or drag link socket fit into for adjusting and the other end would be a tie rod style. If the end that has play is similar to the tie rod style Sniper put up, replacement is your needed. If the other style, I believe some replacement sockets and cup, spring may be available. Post a pic of the bad end if you can.

I agree with you that could happen, but only because it is a Pertronix. Points system won't do that because they fire on points opening. With the points open at rest there is no current flowing so it won't fire. Closed at rest there is current but the closed points don't interrupt the flow so spark. I have read that Pertronix fires on point closing, but have no personal experience with them.

Interesting question.......those mount on a flat surface which may or may not work where the chassis upper shock spot is on the 1940-48 mopars, also the lower mopar mount is basically pointing to the rear of the car....these mounts when attached to the chassis have the "pin" pointing more or less at 90 degrees to the frame........but usually the upper & lower shock eyes can be turned at 90 degrees to each other...........I'm curious whether they may work.........andyd

VINTAGEPIC: saw this Dodge on the FB

SURVIVOR: saw this Dodge between Lake Graham and Newcastle

Sorry for the off-topic, but this reminds me of the add I saw on Craigslist: 🤣

I have only installed a 2 piece flat windshield once, so I cant give specific advice, but I recall that multiple friends are a big asset to the task. Some pizza, cigars, beer, whatever you have to do to get some extra hands will be well worth it. Go slow and be patient, you can make it happen. Good luck!

I think I’m a year with the electric 6V boost pump in Chrysler. No complaints. It will push through vapor lock. I have done so with it. I do like it spliced into ignition switch (wire to fuel gage). Then I cannot leave it on when I park the car. I have left the heater blower and AM radio on by accident. They were wired to direct non-switched power sourced. Dead battery the next morning. A sure way to ensure premature death of an otherwise good 6V battery.

Ok. Here is the Summit Racing listing of electric fuel pumps (2000+ hits related to fuel pumps): https://www.summitracing.com/search?SortBy=BestKeywordMatch&SortOrder=Ascending&keyword=electric fuel pump Most of the pumps have fewer than ten reviews except the......wait for it.......Carter pumps, the most common which have hundreds of reviews averaging at least 4.5 stars. Here is the search return for just Carter pumps and related stuff: https://www.summitracing.com/search?SortBy=BestKeywordMatch&SortOrder=Ascending&keyword=carter electric fuel pump If you want to look elsewhere you might check into Bosch, AC Delco, Airtex and Walbro but I have no personal experience with them. I've run Carter rotary pumps on two vehicles over the past 15 years with no failures. But the one on the Plymouth might die tomorrow.....

I did.

Never saw the points firing a plug when turning the key 🙄 Is this a stock setup, besides the ignition? Are you running an electric fuel pump or any other things connected to the ignition switch?

for the most part our Home Depot, Lowes, TSC and local hardware stores carry a fairly good selection of hardware....NOW THEY DO NOT have everything....and SAE fine stainless does fall in that DOES NOT HAVE But I do have a company locally that has a better selection and prices and will sell 1 or a thousand with the same courteous service. Cannot say that for a certain main stream specialty store that by the way went tits up in this area due to the poor management and over the top gouging prices. For many folks the TSC by the pound hardware is a pretty good deal when you look at. I was not saying ordering on line was out of the question, sometimes it is the only means to an end on some very special hardware......and I have ordered in my fair share, I do however give the locals a chance to fill the order first so not to have stop/delay a segment of a build/process. Common sense stuff folks, nothing more.

Last year redid the wood bed of my truck. Some of the carriage bolts and nuts I was able to reuse by just a quick brush and repainted them (the heads only) with the POR15 Black Glossy Paint. I used it on my bed strips as well and all these parts were steel. I looked online for hardware, E-bay, Ace, Grainger to name a few after taking inventory on what I needed that was not salvageable for hardware. I found the best prices for what I needed at Menards online. Based on prices everywhere I decided to go with hot zinc dipped hardware and added the sizes for carriage bolts, washers and nuts to my online cart. Menards will pull your order and have it waiting for you at the pick-up counter but they charge extra for that, so I printed my online cart list and went down and grabbed them myself.

Same here. If you decide to delete the mechanical pump you might consider modifying the fuel line inside the engine compartment to get it away from the exhaust manifold. Here is how I ran the line across the upper firewall and over to the carb.

and as such when it is no longer original (as in not broken on assembly) toss these for some fresh hardware preferably stainless steel, BUT if you are a purist, and must stay with the stock stuff break out the molasses and let the big dog eat, weld the breaks, chase the threads and when completed apply for social security......enjoy a few pancakes while soaking your nuts and other hardware

Likely not a "factory" accesory, more likely a mass produced catalog or dealer option, these aren't listed in the Accesories section of the manuals.

SURVIVOR: saw this Dodge between Lake Graham and Newcastle

Thanks sniper and DJK for digging up info. And here's my two cents about electric pumps. First off, I love 'em! And here's why: When one of my vehicles has been sitting for a long time, I don't have to waste precious battery capacity cranking the motor to get fuel up to and in the carb. I also put a electric switch in the supply line to the pump so that, in Autumn when I'm putting cars to sleep, I can turn off the switch and keep running the motor until it dies. This does a good job of draining the carb, reducing varnish build-up. Yes, I could use a gas additive (and I often do), but with lots of cars and equipment, and full gas tanks in each, that's lots of Stabil! And, in regards to leaving the mechanical pump in the line, I've done that numerous times, but one thing to consider is this: if you do that and the rubber diaphram of the mechanical pump fails, you'll get raw gas going into your crankcase and diluting your oil... and not know it!

That is a great calf hauler! love the scenery…… cool find

So I am watching Roadkill and they are in Darlington. In the museum, Freiburger points out his favorite exhibit, the winner of the first 500 mile race. A 1950 Plymouth.