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TodFitch

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Everything posted by TodFitch

  1. That worked for my parents until age related health problems started. Then it was an hour drive to the nearest medical and none of the home health care services were willing to go that far out into the sticks. My siblings and I ended up with a lot of short notice trips to help them out. That involved flying into the nearest city, renting a car then driving for over an hour. Those trips made me realize the downside of a very rural retirement. So we picked a location where we can walk to pretty much everything: Grocery store, drug store, hardware store, auto supply store, post office, library, etc. If/when we are no longer able to drive there is a chance we can still be independent. And equally important, good medical is pretty close by. More expensive so many probably couldn't do it. But as long as you can pull it off with out a mortgage it can still work.
  2. Me neither. That is the key. I can’t imagine being retired and still having a mortgage to pay. All other debt too. Interest can make a pretty big hole in anyone’s retirement plans.
  3. The spark may not be quite as hot and your points may wear faster with reversed voltage. But basically there is very little in a 1941 vehicle that does not have a radio that is voltage sensitive. Your ammeter will, however, read backwards unless you reverse the wires on it. There can be an issue when switching polarities with getting the generator “flashed” (i.e. getting the residual magnetic field in the field iron cores setup).
  4. Way back when I used a phosphoric acid based rust remover and it worked well. But I am leery of potentially dangerous chemicals so was always keeping my eyes open for alternatives. About 20 years ago I found out about removing rust via electrolysis and haven’t looked back. You already have almost everything you need to do it: A plastic container or bucket large enough to hold the piece you want to de-rust, some scrap metal you are willing to sacrifice, a battery charger, and some washing soda. If you do it indoors you will want good ventilation but everything is safe and the process is very effective. Lots of instructions and videos on the web: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=remove+rust+electrolysis&ia=web
  5. In the old days a good set of points would have tungsten for the contacts not copper. I don't know of any place there might be a date code on the cap, rotor, points. But the nice thing about those parts is that you can tell with a close examination if they are still good or not.
  6. A lot of old literature called it a “hand brake”. And other old literature sometimes called it a “parking brake”. I am not sure when people started calling it an “emergency brake”.
  7. The “mechanical” gauges work by having the bulb filled with ether which in the closed system pressurizes the capillary based on the bulb temperature. As long as your poorly reading Chinese gauge actually has ether in its bulb it should be suitable for use as a donor regardless if the dash unit works or not. The pressure in the line, as long as it is sealed, is simply a matter of the working fluid and physics. A crappy set of mechanical parts in the dash unit has more things that can go wrong. There is the possibility (actually pretty likely) that the outside diameter of capillary tubing is different between your original and the donor but it is pretty easy to drill out some brass tubing to make a sleeve that will work.
  8. I could have sworn that I had at least one extra in my collection of parts and if I did I would have just sent it to you. But either I don't or it is in a mislabeled box. Sorry about that.
  9. If we are talking about the brake shoe return spring, Plymouth used part number 301477 for almost all applications from 1929 through 1942 (exceptions being the 7 passenger and limo versions of Plymouth) so there are likely a bunch of possible sources. Following up on the Bernbaum suggestion, the illustration show at https://www.oldmoparts.com/parts/g_service_brakes/brake-return-springs/ looks pretty close.
  10. There is a template/pattern for making your own in the downloads area.
  11. I have never heard of crushed shells of any type of nuts being used to make brake fluid. Back when my '33 Plymouth was manufactured most cars on the road had mechanical brakes and there was a chance that the owner of a Plymouth might find themselves in need of brake fluid but have no local source to get it. The manual gives a recipe to make your own brake fluid, it says: I would guess that modern brake fluid is different than that available in the 1920s and 30s and that a simple mixture of caster oil and alcohol is pretty far from the current ingredients. Regarding the issue of DOT 3 brake fluid being an effective paint remover, one possibility is to use DOT 5. There are advantages and disadvantages to that with the paint removal properties being only a minor thing to consider and you will find plenty of ink (or digital bits) wasted on that discussion.
  12. On the shorter 23" block the center of the rod bearing is slightly offset from the centerline of the rod. When installed the offset on one rod is forward or backward depending on which cylinder (thus “paired”). On the 25" block the rod bearing center is in line with the centerline of the rod. There is some thought that the offset on the rods on the shorter block may cause some issues at higher RPMs so the bigger block engine could be more durable than the shorter block engine. It has been enough decades since I took my statics and dynamics classes that I don’t feel qualified to give an opinion.
  13. Huh? When did Chrysler put cast iron pistons into the L-6 engine? My '33, the first year for the L-6, came from the factory with cam ground aluminum pistons and it seems highly unlikely that Chrysler would have back tracked on that item for cost savings.
  14. It is not clear from the original post what year Plymouth car or truck the question is for. Their info says they have a 1940 Plymouth truck. In 1940 the cars used a two wire fuel gauge. Not sure if the truck also used that or not (the truck and car part numbers are different for the dash unit). Your advise would be correct for a 1949 and up Plymouth. And backwards with respect to reading for the early 1930s Plymouths that used a single wire sender. And wrong for the era that used a two wire sender.
  15. Certainly good for the 6v on our old cars, the 12v on current conventional internal combustion engined cars, or even 24v system found on some big truck starting circuits. I would not want to use that on the main battery of an hybrid powered car or an EV. So not quite “good for automotive” in the general case.
  16. I am a little surprised that you did not check the gauge with some boiling water on the stove top before installing it. I like to check the calibration of any gauges I get before installing them.
  17. Not quite. And it does not have to be a humid environment. tl;dr The crankcase ventilation system on these cars only works when the car is moving. When stopped the combustion by products, which include water vapor and unburned hydrocarbons and some acid forming stuff, will escape the block the easiest way they can which is usually the oil filler cap. The crankcase ventilation system consists of the road draft tube at the passenger rear of the engine and the oil filler cap. The road draft tube should extend into the airflow under the car. When the car is moving that tube will experience a slight vacuum due to venturi effect which will create a vacuum in the crank case to pull out the combustion products that make it past the piston rings and clean air to come in through the oil filler cap. To keep dirt from getting into the crankcase, there is a wire mesh air filter inside the filler cap which should be cleaned and oiled periodically to have it actually filter the incoming air. In any case, this crankcase ventilation system only works when the car is moving at a reasonable speed. If the car is not moving then the combustion byproducts (water vapor, unburned hydrocarbons, etc.) that make it past the rings will accumulate in the crankcase and slightly pressurize it. Those vapors will then come out, some through the road draft tube but a lot also through the oil filler cap. So it is not unusual to see some vapor or smoke coming out of the oil filler cap when the car is stopped. This will be more noticeable on engines that have more blow by (worn rings or cylinders) but will happen even on engines in very good condition. If this bothers you, then you can retrofit a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system. The military used it way back when on their engines because they did not want a road draft tube that could let water into the crankcase when fording rivers and those PCV parts are available from the people who cater to the Dodge military trucks. Or you can rig your own. It has been a while but someplace on the in this forum there were posts and threads on how to make your own.
  18. A proper brake spring tool will work too.
  19. Some vendors use stainless steel for sleeving, some use brass. I don’t know if one is really better or worse than the other and I don’t know if being sleeved makes a difference on the piston material. That said, when my cylinders were sleeved with brass they were built up with standard aluminum pistons. That vendor has retired with no one buying the business so I can’t recommend them. But the cylinders have been in use on my car for quite a few years now with no problems.
  20. This is the answer. For American cars at least, high revs on the highway was the norm and you definitely heard a roar at speed. Much of that due to the fan, but other things as well. With similar gearing the '63 Plymouth I learned to drive on was quite at home on the then new freeways at 70 MPH and even when they raised the Arizona speed limit to 75 MPH in the pre-55 MPH days. But you really heard the mechanicals. After the 1973 gas fiasco manufacturers started focusing more one fuel economy with taller rear ends and over the years added a lot more sound proofing to the cabin so things got a lot quieter at speed. For what it is worth, I have driven my '33 with its stock 4.375:1 rear end all day at speeds between 60 and 65 MPH. That is 100 KPH for people who live in lands with rational measuring systems. A bit on the fast side for the '33 as its suspension and braking is designed for slower speeds. But by the time your '53 was built the suspension was greatly improved and you have larger brakes, etc. Your '53, in good mechanical condition, should have no issues at your 100 KPH speed limits. Another for what it is worth: My current daily driver is an EV. At highway speeds you hear a bit of tire noise and the faintest hint of wind noise. Even when pulling a fairly steep grade at freeway speeds. The darned thing is practically silent and absolutely no engine vibration. My guess is that drivers who are raised in the coming EV era will worry that they are beating their noisy 2020 vintage internal combustion powered collector car too hard when running it at 60 MPH.
  21. Check that the relief port in the master cylinder isn’t blocked or clogged.
  22. Then you know you are dealing with an engine builder who has never worked on a Chrysler product L-6 engine from the 1930s, 40s, 50s, or on industrial engines into the early 1970s.
  23. By "front seal" do you mean the outer seal for the rear axle? That would be in parts group 3-35-01 and I believe for a 1937 Plymouth your original Chrysler part number would be 891437. I was unaware of that parts cross reference web site. Thank you for the link. For the Chrysler part 891437 it shows the following cross reference: CHRYSLER 891437 SKF 507493 MCCORD M5797 NATIONAL 5797 SKF 45121L Fel-Pro 2693 MCCORD 88011 It also has this to say: I am not sure about the 1936-42 version of this seal but for the 1933 version it is a seal assembly with a stamped metal carrier and a seal pressed into the carrier. While the whole assembly is not available for 1933 you can get a modern seal of the correct dimensions and replace the one on the carrier. I wrote up that on my web site at https://www.ply33.com/Repair/axle_seal/ You may want to go that route if you have a local to you auto supply store that can get seals by size.
  24. On my older B&B carburetor there is a "power circuit" which handles the transition from idle up. It is actuated by manifold vacuum through a passage through the mounting flange. When it wasn't working the symptoms were similar to what you describe. If the mounting gasket for the carburetor is installed wrong then a small hole that provides the vacuum can be blocked. I don't know if your Stromberg, or even later B&B carburetors have that. But if there is a small hole in the mounting flange of the carburetor there is likely supposed to be an equivalent hole on the gasket.
  25. Depends on which car you have. My '33 has about a 2" filler neck and it is really easy to insert a probe of some sort into the tank to measure fuel level. One of the "tools" hanging on the pegboard above my workbench is a paint mixing stick that I have marked with the depth for each gallon of fuel.
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