Barsteel

Hello! Since I got the '52 Cranbrook running and on the road, I decided that I wanted to get the interior done. I am fortunate enough to have a local (2 blocks away) upholstery shop that lets me do some of the work. While he's working on the door panels, he asked me to install the carpeting. Here's where it gets interesting. The car came with only 1 pass side rubber sill plate, so the first question is, Does anyone out there make repop rubber sill plates for a '52 Plymouth. I tried all of the usual suspects, Bernbaum, Steele Rubber, but no luck. Second issue - These sill plates appear to have "nubs" on the underside that pop into holes in the sill plate, which would lead me to believe that there should be corresponding holes in the sill plates for these nubs. Well, on my car, there's only 1 on the the driver's side, and none on the passenger side (I've attached a picture of the driver's side bare sill). I'm pretty sure that someone replaced the rockers on this car at some point in time, and it appears as if they used a rocker/sill that didn't have holes for the sill plate. Is that what it looks like? Sorry if it's an obvious question, but this is my first ever Mopar. If no one makes rubber sill plates, what others done for sill plates? I'm going to need something to hold the carpet in place. Thanks... Chris

Here's a link to the cloth I'm using for my '52 Cranbrook. Not identical, but close to original. Rated for 50,000+ double rubs. Best part is, its $12.45 a yard. http://www.ebay.com/itm/400607780728?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Already ordered a sample. Nice stuff. Chris

Andydodge - LOL, ok, yes, maybe I am a hotrodder, but I like keeping things "traditional", as much as I can, so any hotrodding on the Crankbrook would be old school...dual carbs, reground cam, milled head, maybe crossdrill the crank for better oiling. I'm not a big fan of automatic transmissions, fuel injection, bolt on or clipped front ends, etc. I still want to know (and feel) that I'm driving an old car. If I wanted modern day performance, I'd buy a brandy-new Challenger. Chris

Thanks to all for their replies. I found an insert type filter housing from French Lake Auto parts, and it'll be on its way on Monday. Don - Yes, I used an adaptor kit for my T5 install. Everything bolted right up. The car is a joy to drive, and the engine isn't screaming on the highway. Andy - I don't know if I'd call my car "hot-rodded" . I made the changes I made so that I could drive it on the highway without worrying about stopping distance, going to slow, etc...although I'm really tempted to pull the head and have it shave .050 or so just to bump up the compression. Chris

Hello - Finally got my '52 Cranbrook running and registered. I bought it about 3 months ago and have since done the following: 1) convert to 12V neg ground w/rebuilt generator and new voltage regulator 2) Complete rewire front to back 3) Replaced the 3 on the tree with a floor shift T5 5 speed 4) converted to 4 wheel discs with a dual well master cylinder, all new brake lines 5) New sending unit in the gas tank, tank flushed, red coated and painted 6) new exhaust system 7) Dropped the headliner and removed a 10lb mouse nest 8) New tires 9) Converted to electronic ignition. The car runs like a champ and starts with a flick of the key. I've already lubed the chassis. Next on the list is an oil change, and here's the embarrassing question - HOW do I remove this oil filter? I've included a picture of the filter. I appears to be a sealed unit, and I'd like to know what I'm dealing with before I start pulling things apart. My understanding is that this car uses a replaceable filter element. Napa had one, I think that the number is 1040. Can anyone shed some light on this type of oil filter? Thanks.... Chris

My '52 Plymouth came with a new in box YNZ wiring harness. Very nice quality, directions were good...not perfect, but good. It was my first rewire, and it was not all that hard. I've never used anything from RI Wiring, but I've heard lots of good things about them. They'll both suit you well. They may send you a copy of the directions if you ask, that way you'll be able to see which one you think is better. Good luck. Chris

Robert - Thank you! Chris

Hello! As I get closer and closer to getting my '52 Plymouth Cranbrook on the road, I'm trying to get together some of the smaller pieces to make it as complete as possible, and one of those pieces is the jack, jack stand, and tire iron. I have the email of a guy who has a lot of vintage car parts, and he says that he has a ton of jacks, but doesn't know which one would be correct for my car. Can anyone out there help me with a pic(s), maybe a part number, some dimensions, etc? Thanks... Chris

Don - I made the conversion to make the ignition as fail-safe and maintenance free as possible. Do points work? Yes, quite well, but I wanted the set the timing once, bolt down the distributor, and forget about it. Chris

You also might want to check out Langdon's Stovebolt website. Although dedicated mainly to Chevys, he does offer a complete HEI distributor for dodge/Plymouth flat 6s that's a "drop in", although you will have to convert to 12V neg ground. I just installed one on my '52 Cranbrook, and it engine runs so smooth and quiet that it's hard to tell it's running when the doors are closed. It starts with one quick flick of the key, and the distributor uses (I'm pretty sure) Chevy components internally, so fixing it would not be a problem no matter where you are. It's also a small cap format, so it doesn't look out of place on the engine. The complete setup (distributor, coil, plugs, wires, misc hardware) will run you about $220 shipped to your door, but it's, IMHO, worth every penny. Here's a link... http://www.langdonsstovebolt.com/store/#!/~/product/category=361515&id=1222043 Good luck. Chris

Hello! I'm getting closer to getting my '52 Cranbrook 2dr on the road, but before I do, I'm going to have to repaint the roof. The car has had one repaint of passable quality some years ago, but for some reason, the paint is peeling off of the roof in small sheets. The car is close to the original color, which is a blue/green kind of color, kinda nice actually. Looking at pics of similar cars on Google, I've seen that some had the roof painted white, and that seems like it would be a nice touch. Did Plymouth offer an option of painting the roof white in 1952? If so, was it on a specific model? I've also noticed that some cars have just the roof painted white, while others have the roof and the window frames above the beltline painted white as well. Which one is "correct", if there is such a thing? Thanks... Chris

Thank you! to Tod, JerseyHarold, and all other posters for the definitive ID and input. I believe that my car has a chrome ebrake handle, but I'd have to re-check to be sure, and it does have a full chrome ring horn ring vs. a button. I just finished a complete re-wire, conversion to 12V neg ground and electronic ignition, and next its on to a full 4 wheel disc brake conversion with dual well under floor MC. After that, I swap in a T5, and then I'll be done with the major mods. Can't wait to drive it... Chris

Hello! My car was definitively ID'ed as a Cranbrook in another post, based on the body serial #. Anyway, I have ONE hub cap that came with the car, and that is one with a 5 1/2" circle, same as the right hand hub cap in the Ebay picture in included in a link on my first post. Wether it's the correct cap or not, it's the one I'd like to use because the rims are painted the same color as the car, and I like the look of dog dish caps with beauty rings. So, if anyone knows where I might find a set of the large circle dog dish hubcaps, let me know... Thanks... Chris

Hello! I'm trying to ID the exact model of my '52 Plymouth. From what I understand there were 2 models in 1952, the Cambridge and the Cranbrook. The PO repainted the car and left off all of the badges, so I don't know the model. Here's what I've got: 2 door post coupe - from what I can gather it was called the Club Coupe. Has body side stainless trim, beltline trim, as well as bright molding around the windows. I'm pretty sure it has rocker moldings as well, although the rockers appear to have been replaced at one point, and there are no mounting holes for them, although I have both pieces. Radio delete plate Deluxe heater (2 knobs, 2 sliders) Interior is two-tone blue, with solid caps on the top backs of the seats with a striped broadcloth on the lower backs and bottoms, some color scheme on the door panels. Engine # is P23 748695, and I believe that the engine is original Vehicle # (on the front DS door post) is 12970563. Can anyone ID the exact model I've got, or are there any "dead giveaways" to the exact model? Thanks... Chris

Ed - PM sent. I'll have to measure the 1 cap I have and see what size it is. Mine is a 2 dr post coupe. I have yet to ID the exact model, probably will post the stats later today. Chris