captden29

i had the motor for my 54 Chrysler rebuilt 3 times.nobody really knew what they were doing even though they claimed to know. it ended up worse than when i started. finally broke down and bought a new one from hydro-e-lectric in florida. bought the wiring to go with it too.i have not yet installed, but i expect to in the next few weeks, weather permitting. your pump should clean up, as mine had that same powdery stuff in it when i first took everything apart. cleaning that fixed the pump. main issue with the motor was the brushes.they had gotten brake fluid on them and never were right again. they would leave residue on the commutator so it would only work a short time. they are spot welde to the motor and nobody would replace them. good luck. by the way, i hope you disconnected the pistons when manually operating the top. still not easy for one person, very easy for two. capt den

bypassing the booster is not a hacky way to get the brakes working. it will simply give you perfectly good manual brakes like all the other Chryslers built that year that were not equipped with power brakes. the booster can then be rebuilt at your leisure and reinstalled later. you get to drive the car. captden

hemmings lists several rebuilders. i used a guy in calif. back in about 06. 300 then, maybe more now. i can find the name somewhere if you have no luck. also, you can simply bypass the booster on these cars and just have manual brakes that will work fine. just split the brake lines out of the master to the front and rear. my 54 Windsor has a booster, but it was bypassed sometime before i bought the car. just not eager to pull the booster and spend the money for the rebuild. also, if the diaphragm in the booster fails, it will allow the vacuum line to suck all the brake fluid out of the system and you will lose ALL braking in a very short time. this happened to a 53 imperial i owned, but luckily i never left the property that day. i then had the booster rebuilt. if you pull the front seat out there is a cover in the floor you can remove for easy access to the booster. i am a fan of these 50's Chryslers. capt den

i already spilled brake fluid in the car in the past trying to fix what was there. i will be neater this time.i have been nursing the original motor, but finally gave up and bought a new one. hope it is worth the money and time. capt den

i do not wish to did-assemble the cylinders, but i can take them out of the car and clean and flush to get all the brake fluid out.the film that vintage sent shows how that can be done. the new pump i bought recommends ATF, but brake fluid is also acceptable. the original pump used brake fluid. the mopar film shows the exact system i have, so it is a tremendous help. i never knew how all the adjustments worked. the top mechanisms were always a mystery. not any more. thanks to all who responded with advice. capt den

wow! great film. a lot i did not know, but now i do. thanks much. i will flush with just ATF. capt den

i want to flush the top cylinders of brake fluid to use ATF. i know some kind of alchohol is used but cannot remember which type. also, is that not a good idea for the seals in there? appreciate any advice. thanks, capt den

something very satisfying in getting a vintage engine running again. you eventually get a kinship with that engine and you know when it is not feeling well. keep it running well and it will take you many places. capt den

knuckle, the 54 Chrysler had a similar A/C set up in the trunk. 6 volt though. sell the harmonic balancer for a good price with the stipulation they must take the whole car. capt den

Tom and Don, thanks for your service. i also served but do not have the same issues as you. i have some issues due to jp4 jet fuel, which had agent orange in it for some strange reason. VA denies any disability. but. on the trans fluid side, i use dex 3. i did not think type a was available, but i will look for it. maybe tractor supply. my trans is the 2 speed powerflite. works great, but no passing gear, and it will occasionally slip when turning hard. so i do not turn hard, and do not try to get passing gear. 56 dodge nice car. my grandmother had one until she wrecked it. happy new year. capt den

surprised no pictures. must be pretty.personally i have always liked cars that are modernized with drivetrain and tranny, but mostly looking original. always up to the owner what to do. i do not have the money or physical ability to do my car, but a newer 8 cll and torquflite would be great. 10k original does seem like a nice car, and maybe a second car to modify would be better. capt den

my first car, 1950 meadowbrook. love the square gauges. tinted green if i remember right. engine sounds great. was that a 12 volt start up? i also remember the back seat. capt den

the key word in jb weld is "weld". these plugs should pop when needed. this is not a hemi engine. if jb weld works for you, that's fine. a sealer like permatex will definitely make any removal later much easier, especially with the engine in the car. i use jb weld for permanent fixes. good product. capt den

not sure JB weld is good as a sealant.too permanent, maybe? i use a product called boatlife. it is typically used in marine application for watertight seals hardens , glues, seals, but can be easily removed. capt den

fastback, i have 2 arm rests for a 1950 Plymouth. front doors. they need restoration. also, a clear plastic knob for the end of the shift lever. yours for postage if interested. capt den

fuel flow in this area is rather slow, so it is probably working correctly. drive the car and you will know. capt den

if your drums have the locating pin then a new wheel must accommodate that. they are 4 1/2 by 5 bolt pattern, capt den

never knew about the mercury switch. my trunk light is not working so i will check out the advice here. 54 Windsor should be the same. capt den

the screws that hold the carb sections together can loosen, try to tighten them. most likely the carb needs a quality rebuild . vacuum advance diaphragms rot. check that and replace.timing?usually about 2 degrees btdc. check your manual. are the new wires steel core? look inside the cap for any burning. these new parts we get now are often low quality. capt den

i use 235 75r 15 on my 54 Windsor. no rubbing and they handle well. no whitewalls though. i used to use skinnier whitewalls as they can be gotten anywhere and much cheaper than cokers. wide whites are nice, if i could afford them. capt den

got head bolts from the machine shop that milled the head for me. i will get the # off the box when i go out to the garage later. capt den

head gasket will have breaks, pieces missing, usually between cylinders. if you had a new one, or picture of a new one you will see where there is damage. did it blow white smoke when it started running bad? that would be coolant sucked into the engine at a point where the head gasket blew. keep us posted when you look into this further and more info can be given. local car club guys are always willing to lend a hand. nice looking car. captden

pull the head. blown head gasket will be obvious. crank it over and any stuck valves will be obvious. either one of these issues are fixed easily. capt den

Greg, you mean me. yes, my car came with me from NY and it is all original. i attend that show every year. hope all is well with you. dennis,aka capt den

i am also in need of one rim for my 1954 Windsor. i am in Wilmington, NC. just found out yesterday why the one rim is bad. captden