Lou Earle

I used a Volkswagen blue and a just cream/white Several folks say how much they like this combo I would use it on a coupe but I bet 65 or 66 mustang springtime yellow- and white would be great Lou

so far 8 seconds

cutting torch- no really The can be removed but difficult. I have done it on a 48 ford , I highly recommend removing the front seat- it makes the job a bunch easier

more than adequate!! Overheating was never a problem with Chrysler products. Many folks run Ac' units and 12 v generators or alternators and use stock fan and radiator.One fellow runs a 12 alternator a 6 v generator and a ac unit on the stock flathead engine and uses the stock fan a radiator. By the way a pump moving more water can actually cause the water to overheat and boil!! Ford had that problem with the 2 pumps on the v/8. The solution- knock off some blades to slow water flow!! Lou

I solved thsi problem year ago by buying about 20 stainless steel carrioage bolts from my local hardware store. I bet youcna find then with a search on google

I bought a 48 Plymouth convertible and the floors were really bad in the front. I had acquired a wire /gas shielded welder a few years back and so A friend on mine said it was a piece of cake to weld with it. We got 16 Gage sheet metal-4x8 sheet fro about50 bucks. I made patterns with heavy duty aluminum foil. The patterns would include the bends like at the toe boards. then we flattened out the patterns and outlined then on the metal sheet. Cut them out with a with wheel. Then like for toe board used a 4 pound hammer and edge of a 4x4 post to bend then into shape. It worked just fine . Then came the welding. Tim Adams gave me a few tips as did my friend and we were off to the races in welding. The welds - mine - wee gorilla welds- strong but ugly- hey that is what a grinding wheel is for!! I patched over not cut out and fit. I am not a perfectionist like others here- right Tim?? That weld of yours is sickening- it is so perfect!!! So when I patched over if I had trouble clamping and I did I have no clamps I simply ran a couple of self taping machine screw in thru both the patch and old metal to hold the patching place. Then when welded removed the screws and welded in the hole. I am glad I used the 16 Gage - a little heavier and I did not have to worry about tin canning at all. No problem there. When I got to the gas pedal area - about 3 curves- I made a pattern again of foil and flattened it out and marked it on the sheet and cut it out. Then just looked at it and kinda cut it or pleated it like u would a piece of fabric u are putting on a seat with the cutting wheel. bent it on vise and hammer and welded it back and put it in and welded it to the floor. Works just fine. To me the trick to good welding is a VERY GOOD helmet. I splurged and spent about 100 on mine and it makes seeing very easy. The point behind all this is that anyone can weld OK if I can with the new equipment. So why not look around your area for someone who can weld and u and that person go at it? Unless u are looking for perfect welding up floors is just not that critical to appearance and if you just use a little heavier metal I think u get much better results. Couple of hints 1- take out the seat- front- makes it all much easier. 2 Clean the area very well with a wire brush. I laid my patch in then magic marked the edge on the old metal then wire brushed it mark of so I had clean metal to weld to . 3bucket of water close by or air gun. When I was welding floor some old grease caught fire( I had not looked under to see if there was any). I blew it out with air hose. Water hose would be good. 3 use gas shielded wire welder- very easy to use. Also if you check the Aoogah site - a model ford guys if you cannot find someone on this board- I am sure u will find someone in your area to do the job for very little . Lou

Doing some work on an ideas for a jeepster and other cars. Was it plywody that has the p15 that was clad in wood as like in a Woody? Can anyone please post a pic of it so I can get some Ideas? I have hot located the one i saved Lou

probably will not be your last!!!!

I will be getting mine done next 2 weeks. I will post some pics when I get er done!!!

yes used black because the felt is black and so is car. I would use black if car were white I guess

A local headliner guy here is going to be making me 2 new headliners for My two 4 door p-15's He makes them from the foam type fabric now used in headliners and they are beautiful. I will have epics of mine when installed. He thinks he can sell them for about 80 bucks plus 5 to 10- bucks shipping If he get enough orders. So anyone wanting one- will be your color choice let me know So I can give him an idea of how many he will need to cut. If he can cut 3 to 5 at a time he can save us a lot of money! He will be using my original pattern Let me know at louearle@bellsouth.net Lou

check your service manual- your symptoms are indicative of a worn out rubber in-the master. Remember the Master can be rebuilt on the car - and NAPA HAS REBUILD kits for them. I would try a re build first you can do that for about 30 bucks

I am installing new window Chanel on my Phantom car- no one has seen it yet - an might not - and discovered something. It is a lot easier to install that stuff using black silicone sealant that the clips. I put the Chanel in dry- no adhesive then cranked up the windows and got the Chanel right with the curves. Then rolled window down and pulled the Chanel out some and put silicone sealant on the Chanel and re installed it and rolled windows up and left it overnight. they are in tight as a tick and seem fine. Do not come out of place and the glass runs very smooth. Lou

I have a overdrive from George Asche behind a stock 218 and am very satisfied. I cruise at 70-75 on interstate and get 20-22 mpg all day long. I believe the key is the rear end ration Mine is 3.9 and that is just great for around town acceleration and then with 30 to 33 percent reduction your driving with about a 2.50-2.75 in overdrive. Best money I have ever spent on one car. I will be putting a hotrod 230 (Built by Asche) in my taxi and that overdrive. Bet it will haul A then!!! That has , I believer a 4.1 rear. If that is 2 fast a rear I have a set of to put in. Remember the overdrive set up usually an 4.11 rear I am told. For my money the best increase in power comes from exhaust splitting somehow. Everything I have read and my personnel experience sustains the literature- it gives about a 102 to 12 % increase in hp and the dual carbs about 7%. Milling the head gets a bit more but unless u go a new cam the best best it just split the exhaust in the beginning. The reality is this-to me About 1500 for the overdrive- and a NO NONSENSE COMPLETE BOLT IN. And you Can cruise at 65-75 without the motor screaming all day. Any add ons to the engine are pure additional pleasure.

The furelpump went bad on my 48 taxi and i twisted the old line 2 much and tore it Soooo- I took old fuel pump and line to Town and got 2 hose fittings one for the line and one for the pump Installed the fittings then installed the pump then installed a rubber hose with clamps between the fittings. Works great and a lot easier than the original hose. The fitting on the original and the fuel line to it are a b&^tch to put on upsides down under the car.

I used 16 and that gave a bit of stiffness to the patchitself Lou

If you are talking about window chanels JC whiney has sets at good prices. Also your local napa store and on line has many standard parts-

Thes guys have the lacing and a lot more http://www.restorationspecialties.com/

I would check the kingpins the way the service manual suggests- various shaking by hand motions-and make sure the axle nut is snug- not tight but snug. A 1/2 turn on it can make a world of difference. Also be sure it- the front end is bad before going to the expense- the service manual has good tests and they are accurate. I bought my inner and outer tie rod ends form Napa and the steering boxrebuild kit- (2 bushings and a seal) from baum for my dodge. Also just set up search on the bay and they will appear. Kingpins sets usually go for about 50 on the net Lou

I find in my purchases of cars in the condign your is in ( per the pic on your profile) have frequently already had the engine work done. My taxi burns and drips oil but it is obvious the engine was re done- I cut the dripping way down by tightening the bolts on the timing chain cover!! Think about it - 1-most of these cars are bought by men. 2-most men including me who buy them like god running vehicles 3 most make sure the car is reliable. 4 most then drive them while fixing other parts. Also give the age it is almost impossible for one engine not to be rebuilt or replaced. So if you do not have the knowledge to diagnose your engine find someone who does and check it out first. An engine with no rattles knocks good compression smooth idle etc is just as good and maybe better than a newly rebuilt engine-in my opinion. Believe me you will be amazed at what ruiing a mix of 3 to 4 gallons of gas and a pint of sea foam addative will do for your engine and fuel system alsong with a good tune up. I drove my taxi to Tim's house and back 120 miles-with a pint of sea foam in about 5 gallons of gas on the way and there several of us thought we heard a knock at idle when I got there . Might have actually heard one do not know. Butwhen I got back home at end of trip no knock now 2000 miles or so later still no knock and a great running car. Actually the best starting I have. no knocks or sputters at all . Lou Lou

Don is right. I have had several engines rebuilt to only last a few thousand miles. Before I would do that I would check it out or have it checked out. The Chrysler products of this era already had hardened seats for the valves so that will not present a problem. My experience is that what fails is the externals- generator ,voltage reg., carb, fuel pump, points, plugs, water pump. You can get pretty definite picture of your engine with these simple tests : Vacuum Gage- there are several articles on how to read it - it will tel you if valve guides are weak, valve burned,etc. Compression check- low compression but even - worn some or a lot depending on reading vs new reading or benchmark reading. One low can be several things etc. Close look at tail pipe after 5 mile plus run will let experience person know a lot about fuel system. Any experienced mechanic can pretty well tell you all about your engine from these tests I road test every car I have immediately after I get them in running shape. I run then at 60-65 sustained speed for 40 to 60 miles. That in my opinion will tell the tale and display almost all defects. On a long trip _ I do not do many -no time- I have carried a dist cap,points condenser rotor button. 6 v fuel pump. I have the 6 v pump so I can by-pass the regular one. I do not carry a spare regular pump because I feel they will become "stale" in a few years because the internal parts and rubber or other very flexible material. Of course a decent set of wrenches and tools. As a preventative measure I install an in line filter on all my cars - the cheap transparent one-= that has worked great fro 15 years. If your still doubtful pull the pan and head- you can really get a complete pic there- you can also drop a main if you want and have someone look at it or plastiguage it but if it runs well and no knocks screams or bumps I would leave it alone. I have a bad oil burner/drippier engine in my taxi- so far it has only gone about 2,000 miles at 60 + mph and another,000 around town without a problem except adding oil every 150-200 miesl or so, and 2 grand will but a lot of oil!!! Lou

doe 48 dodge springs ahd shoes interchange? or 52 or 54 plymouth? I s I have one I can send u. Someone if tey can post a pic if mine matches I will send the poor Devil a spriong and soem shoes off one of my junkies if they will work Lou

Notice u are in a larger city. Find where school buses get their brakes re-done or dump trucks. The have the equipment on site to do your brakes. I bet the other place sends them off- that is why 2 weeks. I take mine to Macon GA on Monday and get them back Thursday. Lou

found the problem- loose connection on solenoid - tightened the screw and runs fine thanks for all the help Lou

Friend on mine got a beautiful 4 door 51 Chrysler Windsor 4 door. very pristine western car. Has one problem- the trans will not shift into hight(4th gear??) except after 2 or 3 miles running then ill not stay there- downshifts back to 3rd when let off gas. I am betting wrong fluid in the trans- Motor's manual calls for 10 weight oil and I think some probably put grease in the thing. Anyone got any ideas before he starts t have the local transmission guy go to work on it? Lou