SpringHeeledJack_53

Thanks all the info. I upped the gap to 45 yesterday and it seemed to run alot better. Better than it was anyways.

Good morning all. I just put in the electronic distributor from Langdon. It came with Champion plugs but i normally prefer Autolite. Ive searched quite a bit on here for a pn or interchange but have not found one. What is a good plug and gap to run with this distributor? Its a 218 in 53 plymouth btw. As of right now i have Autolite 303 set at .35. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

And that is normal? I've never seen that before. Seemed a bit odd.

Hey all, I've got a 53 plymouth that I am about to put new rear leaf springs on and I noticed that the axle has shifter to the right about an inch due to the u bolts being loose. But as I started to really look, the front of both springs appear to be mounted on the inside of the frame where as the rears are mounted in the middle of the frame making the front mount more inward than the rear. Make sense? Is this normal?

So i should be all right buying a set for 41-50? I just bought a NOS moog set for 39-40. Completely different (i wasnt paying attention!). I got a few NOS mopar inner and outer kits but wasnt sure if they would work with the cast arms.

I was tearing down the front end of the car to replace the king pins and while cleaning all the parts i noticed the right hand upper and lower control arms are bent where the outer pins go. The upper when on a flat surface sits flat at the inner pivot but has about a 1/4 or more gap on one side. On the lower arm i have to pry one side up/down to align the pin when installing. Will this effect the camber adjustments or should i get a new arm? I have seen a few Moog and used arms on the ebay but for a 41-50...any difference between a 41-50 arm and 51-54 arm? Id hate to buy a new used arm with the same problem. Any help and/or advice will be much appreciated!

I double checked and they all seem to be in the proper place. I figured it would at least start but it only pops each time it fires. I did pull off the air cleaner and look in to the carb. It had a bit of fuel in the intake. Seems the throttle link was stuck open slightly. But I've been told flooding wouldn't cause back fire or 'popping'. I've never had this problem with one of these before. I am stumped.

After getting everything back together to drive to work, all I am getting is really loud back fire from what sounds like one or two cylinders . Brought #1 to TDC, pulled the cap and noticed that the rotor was in the #6 position. I haven't touched the distributor at all Since a first set the timing weeks aago. Pulled it and rotated it back to #1. Turned the key and now it sounds like a miss fire on each cylinder. Scratched my head a few seconds and thought...maybe I have the wires at the cap wrong.. moved them around. Turned the key and now only the solenoid pops. Checked all my wires, battery is showing voltage...any ideas?

I have a air guide mile minder vac gauge on the column and an old one I use under the hood. I usually get a reading around 16-18. The air guide is a bit jumpy especially while driving and on bumps (too sensitive I guess) and the other one I use stays steady. I've checked for leaks over and over and found nothing. I'll go back over it after I install new rings.

What would cause the freeze plug to pop out? They were installed when the machine work was done. Wrong rad cap perhaps?

I have already put the head back on with a new gasket because I live in an apartment and car repairs are frowned upon in the parking lot. Its not impossible to do this in the parking lot but I'd prefer to do it in comfort at work which is about 19 miles away. Would I be risking much damage to drive it that far? Or is this something I should do where it sits? Abother $35 head gasket wouldn't hurt my feelings as much as more machining or something. By the way, this is my FIRST flathead rebuild (a bit different than my usual V8 and V10s here at work) and everything I've learned and done has been from repair manuals and sites like this. I'm thinking there maybe a few things I overlooked during this rebuild haha.

I'm not sure why they have rotated, this is after the rebuild, and one of the scratched cylinder walls

Thank you for all the replies! And this is a complete over haul. The block crank and head were sent to Blain's in Dallas. They were std bore but had to go to .060 due to out of round and gouges. Every thing but the crank, cam and rods were replaced. The ring end gap was checked. Greg, as far as I can tell the timing is near spot on. I do not have a timing light so I play it by ear and feel. But it is something I'll have to investigate next. Don, I am 97% sure the holes are facing the cam side...which brought something to mind...if I remember correctly the pistons I first pulled had two slots on the skirts While the new ones had it only on one side. Now if this is true and I installed them with the slot on the cam side, was I right? I'll have to dig the old ones out of the scrap bin tomorrow. Dave, yes. It was bored over size and I will be rehoning.

Good morning all, I've been digging around in here for awhile and decided to make my first post. I'll start with a brief history of the car to lead into my problem/question. I bought this 53 Plymouth about 3 years ago when I was in Pittsburgh and drove it everyday, sun rain or snow. No problems for over a year until I moved back to Texas. I drove it for another 2 years daily about 60 miles round trip in rush hour with only some minor repairs along the way. I decided to do a complete engine over-haul while the money was available. Noticed all the top compression rings were broken and one piston cracked (Ran good at 70 mph). Got her all buttoned up after a few months and yet again my luck ran out. I never could get it to idle smooth, has a miss here and there. Changed points, cap, rotor, blah blah. Still there. Last Saturday coming home from work cruising around 70 mph, an expansion plug popped out and dumped all the coolant. I was able to shut her down before getting too hot But once at a stand still it peaked about 240°+. New plug and coolant I was able to get it home. Popped the top to investigate any internal damage and noticed on #'s 3 and 4 some light scoring on the valve side of the walls. When I tore it down the first time it had the same issue in the same locations. I'm sure I am answering my own question, but that is the cause of broken rings right? Would these be my most likely cause for the misfire? Are the broken rings caused by my installation or the high heat? Can I run it as I did before the rebuild? I can't put much into it at this point. But I would hate to waste a rebuild. I apologize for the story. thanks again! I'd post a photo but not sure how...