Dan Hiebert

Very nice looking Plymouth! And congrats on getting the YOM plate approved. Here in Maine, if the vehicle is registered as an antique, all you have to do is put reasonably serviceable YOM plates on the car, and keep the "new" ones in the vehicle in case the Po-po need to see them. Had our D24 registered in 5 States now, this is by far the easiest to run YOM plates in.

You may not need the vacuum advance for acceleration, but if it's there it needs to work. If it leaks you'll have those flat spots on acceleration.

Two things - 1st - yes, the pinstripes are a factory item, I'd only be guessing if I said how I thought they were applied. Many years, makes, and models had them (i.e., our '37 Terraplane has 'em) so I wouldn't have a definitive answer on when they started or when they ended. 2nd - the master cylinder is indeed not a difficult item to remove / replace / or even rebuild. I don't recall if your car has the removable floorboards, our D24 does, so it was a topside fix for me. If you do have to crawl under the car, that would probably be the hardest part. It's not the first thing I'd want to do again, but I wouldn't cringe about it if I had to.

Since it appears you may like the air & space stuff - If you have time do the Udvar-Hazy (sp?) annex of the National Air & Space Museum, it's the complex out by Dulles Airport. You can either go there on your own, or they have shuttles that run from the museum on the National Mall. Much bigger than the main museum and mostly aircraft. They have airplanes there you've only heard of, and many you haven't.

Why not ask your DMV before taking the car for inspection if there's a chance they'll question the numbers? You may need to speak with an experienced clerk or supervisor, as many only know about their State's requirements AFTER vehicle identification numbers were standardized by Federal law, or they may even have a clerk that specializes in such things, doesn't hurt to ask. If a change is in order they may give you an option which number to use, personally, I would opt for the serial number, easier to read, easier to prove...also because I have over 30 years experience in identifying false documents, in part by comparing numbers and letters, and that number in question is a 5, not a 6, so that number is not correct on the title. Neither number will "conform", and they'll have to override it anyway, every States' motor vehicle registration program allows for older cars that are still on the road. I've dealt with such things with the DMV in five different States, (including Texas, where my brother retired as a Trooper and is now a Sheriff's Deputy), some clerks wig out a little because it's outside the lines or their comfort zone, but I've always left with what I needed.

Unless you want factory correct, with the DPCD on the heads of the bolts, just about all of the fasteners on these cars are common size nut and bolts, screws, etc., and can be found at any auto parts or hardware store. I don't strive for that kind of perfection, when I replace fasteners I use stainless steel. More for my peace of mind than any technical reason.

My hearty appreciation to the Webmaster for setting this Forum up, and more so for maintaining and sticking with it. I don't recall exactly when I first stumbled onto the site, it was while we were living in Carlsbad, NM, so it was before 2003, and you'uns have let me tag along through four States. Lots of good people, information, and stories here.

I'd have thought it'd be a bear to steer, too. But many years ago my wife's uncle made a "Thundertrike" out of a '78 Thunderbird. As you'uns can see, the 460 was between the front wheel and the driver, so a lot of the weight was out front. Handled well, though. I guess if the geometry is right. It was driveable and legal, but he died before it was finished. It's already been sitting 10+ years here, I imagine it's in worse shape by now.

Our '37 Terraplane has the "auxiliary" hand crank. Doubles as the lug wrench. While it's laid up I use the crank to cycle the engine a few turns at least once a week to keep the cork faced wet clutch lubed up, or else the clutch disc will stick to the flywheel and pressure plate, (as it was when we bought the car). Bought a new 6v battery for the D24 the year before last at Tractor Supply Co. Good commercial grade with more cranking amps than one from any of the local auto parts stores, with a two year warranty. If I recall correctly, it was $79, but don't recall the brand name. Had to buy a new battery for the riding mower last night, same place. $60...sheesh!

3/4 of what they're selling either isn't available, can't ship to, or won't work in our little corner of the US of A. My wife rather enjoys messing with their minds for 20-30 minutes to waste their time, if she doesn't have something else to do. I just emphasize "no" and hang up on them. I used to think I was rude doing that, but it's most often the only way to get rid of them.

Welcome to the Forum! You'll find all the sage advise (and some humor) you can stand here, we're all more than willing to share what we know to keep these cars on the road. I would recommend that doing a search for what you're looking for first will save you a little grief. Do you know any of the background of your car? It looks relatively unmolested and in awful good shape for a south Texas car. I lived in Mercedes through my Freshman year of HS, my Dad and Step-mom lived in Weslaco for a few years. Then I was stationed in Brownsville from '86 to '90, I don't recall very many native survivors down there. (I'm interested in what that vacuum thingy is, too.)

Serviced the ol' D24 last weekend for what has become it's traditional first day out up here - Mother's Day. Load the missus up and head down to the Elks Lodge for their Mother's Day brunch. (Trees are only just now budding up...)

I've got my license from back (way back) when it was required by the FCC, but darned if I remember my number. Here in Maine they call CB "MURS" (Multiple Use Radio System) out in the woods. Smaller frequency band, not as many watts, so the timber companies don't walk on each other. Loggers use it to announce locations of trucks and other equipment on the roads in the North Maine Woods. No cellular service in most of the NMW. Good to have so you know where the log drivers are and which way they're going, since log trucks have the right of way in the NMW (all private and corporate roads). So, after not using my Radio Shack CB since I got out of high school, I've dusted it off and put it in my pick-up truck for forays into the wilderness. I turn it on for giggles once in a while, but all I get is woods traffic. Probably going to invest in a modern one, that old transistor CB doesn't quite cut it any more.

Automotive 6-volt batteries don't have as long a life as 12-volt. Just the nature of things. A deep-cycle charge may revive it - that's a nice, slow charge taking several hours, vs. a one or two hour quick charge. But I'll second/third/etc. that it needs regular use and/or a trickle charger, and that will take it to five or six years. The shortest life I've ever gotten from a 6-volt was three years, and that was with admittedly poor treatment, longest has been only six years, keeping it above freezing, checking voltage regularly and charging it when car is not driven regularly, but no trickle charger.

Engine and transmission/transaxle are easy to find. (Some folks get picky and insist it's a transaxle, no transmission.) Year of pan will dictate whether you need to look for a "swing arm" or IRS transaxle, but still readily available either way. Prices vary based on what you want to do with the engine, stock up to hot rod. And best part - it's really easy to work on, an excellent project to do with young'uns. You just have to get your head around the air cooled thing. I just had the engine out, replaced the release bearing, and engine back in my '70 Beetle in an afternoon after work yesterday. Your going to have a blast with it, especially with the G-kids helping.

The rear end on our D24 is unmolested , and does not have those guards on it, which is a tad surprising knowing they may have been available, and the car was sold new in southern New Mexico back when very few roads were paved. It had the splash shields for the engine compartment, but those were removed long before we got the car. They don't help with cooling in a desert environment. Sure wish I had them now, though.

Nice! I've picked up a few adds for the '48 Dodges that we've framed and actually have up on walls (believe me, that's an accomplishment). "Its a ship we're buying. Smoothest car afloat. etc." I note Chrysler has two pagers, all of our Dodge ads are one pagers. Thanks for posting, that's neat.

Our D24 never starts on the first few turns anyway. I always just ensure everything is up to snuff. I never crank it more than 10 seconds, give it a rest, then crank again so the starter/solenoid doesn't heat up too much. After two tries the oil is up to par. After three I'll put some gas down the carb, which usually gets it started, but sometimes it will take four, with the last attempts taking some gas in the carb. I don't do starter fluid or ether at all. Car is not tight my any means, first starts of the spring are always accompanied by copious amounts of smoke.

That is really cool, and excellent design work. Are you going to put colored "gels" behind the cut-outs? That'd be even cooler.

Excellent story, thanks for sharing! You learned wiring the way I learned to swim...

"Majestic." I like that. I never thought to even include a description in the same sentence as acceleration, but "majestic" is cool. I'll echo the previous posts, it sounds like you car is running as it should. If you're driving it with the clutch all the time, you should drive it like a regular manual tranny car - gas with clutch release. But the fluid-drive is intended to reduce clutch use, and in some cases eliminate it. Once you get going you really don't need the clutch anymore, and the car's idle will be noticeably below the unloaded idle speed. Driving around town, I'll leave it in second, otherwise once I get to third, I leave it there. Because there is no mechanical link, the car shouldn't outright die, but there is load, so the idle will slow down below unloaded idle speed when stopped with the car in gear, and no clutch. The carburetor has a retarded throttle return so the car doesn't die when you come to a stop, it allows time for the fluid-drive to even itself out. I set my "regular" idle at 600 rpm as Merle suggests, but that's more for my assurance than the car needing it.

They're scarce, but not all that rare. A couple of the air cooled VW sites I haunt have one, or parts of one, for sale at least every other month or so. There were so many kits you could slap on a Beetle pan that they're hard to keep track of. Paul - yours has a bit of that WW2 command car look to it, ought to be a really cool project for you and the grandkids! You've probably already done the research, so you'll know air cooled VW parts are readily available, and relatively inexpensive.

Just the heater in these parts...

Why leave? Stick around, you've still got some knowledge we may benefit from, and vice versa. Doesn't matter what car you own. Besides, these members can be a hoot and just plain entertaining.

...AND...Desoto sponsored his show! Not old enough to have seen it "live", but the reruns are a hoot!