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Joe Flanagan

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Everything posted by Joe Flanagan

  1. Thank you, Bob. I really am enjoying it.
  2. I used Rustoleum on my engine parts and it's holding up pretty well. I don't know if they sell it in Europe by that name but there is probably something similar. It's just a common household spray paint in a can. For the red script on the hubcaps you might try red nail polish. The paint for plastic models that comes in a tiny bottle with its own little brush might work, too.
  3. I don't know how the year of Jim's car slipped my mind. I always associate it with Pearl Harbor.
  4. 41 Woody. Yeah, I knew that. I'm so used to typing "49."
  5. It was a great ride down I-66 early in the morning. The Plymouth rode smoothly and the insulation I put on the floor last weekend really makes a difference. We rode around in Jim's 41Woody Special Deluxe, too, reminiscing about the time one of its pistons exploded. That is a really cool car. Anyway, it was a good workout for my 49. It seems to get better and better the more I drive it.
  6. I got mine from Restoration Specialties. They have a couple of different sizes. I also have a P-18, by the way.
  7. That's basically what it looks like. The one I used looks a bit like the third one Dodgeb4ya shows.
  8. I'll post a picture of it as soon as I get a chance.
  9. I will take pictures and thank you. Jeff, I believe everything from the exhaust manifold back needs to be replaced, actually. I can't wait to do that. I assume that the specialty vendors are the only places where you can get exhaust items for a car like this, is that correct? I know Roberts carries what I need, as does Waldron Exhaust. But I'm wondering if there are other sources as well.
  10. Thanks, Rich. The nut you have to turn is in a hard-to-reach location and it would be impossible without those wrenches. Even with them it took a while to get the hang of it. I'll get them in the mail back to you soon.
  11. I have not tried pulling the wires. They are new and the plugs were recently cleaned and the gap checked. There is no missing on acceleration or while climbing a grade. I may try the Rislone, though. This engine idled for a long time while I was rebuilding the rest of the car. I'd start it every so often and let it run for a few minutes. I did that for a few years. My thought was it might be carboned up and maybe some got in between an exhaust valve and its seat but I'm told that's not likely. I really like this idea. I've been thinking it might be related (actually, "hoping" is more accurate). Exhaust system needs to be replaced anyway, so we'll see what happens when I do that. I was thinking the same thing as I was roaring down I-95. Maybe I'm just expecting it to sound more like a modern car. It may be that they were noisy when new, too. I haven't really driven it with the sound deadening I put on the floor yesterday, so we'll see what that does. In my 56 Chevy truck it made a big difference. But nothing made more of a difference than a new exhaust.
  12. Thanks, Mark. I also rebuilt the front end with all new bushings, etc. and paid very careful attention to the dimensions of both upper and lower control arms. I haven't had it professionally aligned because I wasn't sure there were any shops that could do it.
  13. Thanks, Jim. Maybe this weekend, weather and schedules permitting.
  14. I now have 1500 miles on my Plymouth. For the most part, everything is good but there are a few little things that need attention. Foremost is the slightly rough idle, which I've mentioned before. It does appear to be an exhaust valve that isn't closing completely, since that's what the dollar bill test indicates. It's very irregular. In fact, it went away entirely for a few days and then came back. But it's much better than it was a few weeks ago. I'm told that it may clear up once I get about 5000 miles or so on the engine, which I'm hoping is the case. Other things, like slipping out of gear in second and hard shifting, cleared up with use. Last week I double checked the valve adjustment with the engine hot and running and they are all correct, so I can rule out a too-tight valve. There are no broken springs and everything looks to be operating as it should. On Saturday I took a 100 mile trip on the interstate. It was the first time I've driven at highway speed with all the windows closed. I was surprised by how loud the car is. The exhaust system is the one that was on the car when I got it 13 years ago and I don't know how long it had been on the car before then. But I do know the muffler is rusted inside and there's at least one pinhole in the pipe. Add that to the fact that the floor has no insulation on it and I guess that could account for some noise. It's nice and quiet up to about 50 MPH. But after that it gets pretty noisy. So this weekend I put some insulation on the floor. I'm also going to replace the entire exhaust system and see what that does. According to my GPS, the speedometer reads about 8 MPH faster than actual speed. The gas gauge only works from empty to half full. From half full to full will not register. From what I've read in the manual, that is a grounding issue at the sending unit. I'm thinking maybe because I painted the trunk floor and it's not making good metal-to-metal contact. I'm forever getting little dings in my new paint job. But I guess that's life. I think there's still some air in the brakes, but not much. Once in a while they feel mushy but one extra hit on the pedal firms them up. Doesn't happen much, really. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the old Plymouth. I do tend to focus on what's not right, but when I think about what HAS gone right, I should be glad. I drive the heck out of this thing and I drive it practically every day.
  15. What it says in my manual is that caster depends on the correct assembly of the upper and lower control arms. Yes, I have a '49, by the way.
  16. I'm wondering if this could cause the rough idle condition I've got or somehow imitate the symptoms of a sticking exhaust valve, like if there were a restriction and I was getting some back pressure.
  17. I can't wait till that happens.
  18. Last weekend I was crawling around under my Plymouth checking on some things and I noticed that there is something loose inside the muffler. When I hit it with my hand, there is a tinny, rattling sound, like there's lots of small metallic objects inside it. My guess is it's rusted inside. It works, the exhaust is quiet, etc., but I was wondering if this might cause problems. Can it contribute to a restricted exhaust or have any other negative effect?
  19. The straight edge does not touch the tire anywhere. It only touches the edges of the rim, or I guess what you are calling the bead. You put the level against the straight edge and see how far out of plumb you are. At least that's how it was suggested and what I did. I should look into the gauge Ulu mentioned, though.
  20. OK thanks. If anyone can tell me what 1/4"' is in degrees I'd appreciate it.
  21. When I had about 500 miles on my Plymouth I noticed that the front tires were wearing on the outside edges. According to my manual, this is caused by too much camber (tires leaning out). Using a straight edge and a level (with the straight edge resting on the edges of the rims and not touching the tires), I determined that both front tires were in fact leaning out. Forum member Rich Hartung was good enough to loan me his camber adjustment wrench and I just did the work. The passenger side is now almost perfectly plumb and the driver side leans out a little less than 1/4". The manual calls for 0-3/4 degrees. I assume that means in either direction. Am I OK where I am and can anyone translate what 1/4" would be in degrees? My tires are 16".
  22. A vacuum leak is also a possibility.
  23. I'll be doing this again soon myself. Both the front and rear gravel guards on my Plymouth need to go in the tank.
  24. Jim, if yours is missing, I have a couple of extra springs lying around. If they aren't the exact item, they probably could be made to work.
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