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The Plymouth's First Two Miles


Joe Flanagan

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I put two miles on my 49 Plymouth today. I went to the gas station and filled the tank, then drove around the neighborhood a little. I just wanted to report my first impressions.

 

I'm amazed at how tight the steering is and how smooth, too. It really feels like a new car in that respect.

 

It's incredibly quiet. At times I wondered if it had stalled. 

 

I suspect the brakes are dragging. You can definitely feel it when you're coasting in neutral and when you let the clutch up in first it feels like there's some resistance. And there's also a mild burning smell, like when you get a new exhaust pipe or muffler that's still got a label stuck to it and it gets hot. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the emergency brake is making slight contact with the drum of the transmission but I recall that I was never able to adjust that out completely and I figured it was so slight it would just wear in. 

 

The shift linkage needs adjustment. It's very sticky but I think it's because I tightened the selector too much to correct my earlier problem where I had no 1st or reverse.

 

Though the steering feels great, there is a slight amount of drift at about 30 MPH. I'll have to look into that. Considering I just assembled the front end and never did an alignment, I'm surprised it's as good as it is.

 

The odometer works. I had set it to all zeros, so it's fun to see the miles show up on it. 

 

The speedometer works, too. The needle is nice and steady.

 

I do have some issues with directionals, but I'll cover that in another thread. 

 

So I only put two miles on it but I suspect other things will show up. It's a lot of fun to drive and it really turns heads.

 

CMA_5047_zps080d195d.jpg

 

CMA_5064_zps48bb9be8.jpg

Edited by Joe Flanagan
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slight drift to the right is acceptable. if you fall asleep you want the car to go that way to avoid a head on collision.hitting stationary objects is much less likely to end in a fatality, but is still a dangerous thing.getting hit by a train is the only thing worse than a head-on.i used to teach defensive driving, so this info is what will be the best as far your odds go.all that aside, hope your trips from now on will all be a success.love the grill on the 49. capt den

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On that hand brake band that might need adjustment ;  when all else fails , bend the band to prevent it from touching . My shop manual calls for removing the band and hitting it with a hammer to get the curve right . I just did one of those and cheated by just prying on the band with a large screwdriver . As I did this I was hoping that I wouldn't crack the lining . My new band touches just a little too , but I think that it will be OK . 

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Wow, what amazing progress.  I remember when you first posted photos and how far gone your car appeared to be, then visiting and seeing the progress you'd made last year, and now your driving around the block!  I can imagine how thrilled you are, it's exhilarating to bring any old car back from the brink.  I'm excited for you.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi I am new to these forums so I apologise if I am stepping over the line or feet with this, I personally own a 49 and 50 rebuilding the 49 as we speak. I had the same issue with my 50 you posted in the first post, however I knew my brakes were not tight and I did researching on front to back of the vehicle, and found they did a higher gear for lower rpms for long life they also have a slow down feature when going down hills and when you release the peddle to slow the car down to cause less wear on the transmission and motor. Also would like to say your car looks beautiful I personally like 4 doors over 2 doors.

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Hi I am new to these forums so I apologise if I am stepping over the line or feet with this, I personally own a 49 and 50 rebuilding the 49 as we speak. I had the same issue with my 50 you posted in the first post, however I knew my brakes were not tight and I did researching on front to back of the vehicle, and found they did a higher gear for lower rpms for long life they also have a slow down feature when going down hills and when you release the peddle to slow the car down to cause less wear on the transmission and motor. Also would like to say your car looks beautiful I personally like 4 doors over 2 doors.

Can you further explain this slow down feature? Where did you find this information? Is there a link or source where this is written? If I understand what you are saying it is better to somehow have brake pressure automatically applied when descending a hill as opposed to using engine braking thus less wear and tear on the drivetrain. Please explain further???

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So basically at the end of a long hill you could find your self with over heated and completely faded brakes, with nothing left to slow you but compression braking, should you be going slow enough to effect a down shift into second gear?

I believe your research may be faulty.

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Hi Joe,

 

Great job, I am glad things are worked out for you.  Are you going to put bumpers back on or do you have other plans ?  If you are like me the first long distance you go from the house you will start reliving all the mechanical adjustments but after a few more drives things settle down and you can just enjoy the car.

 

Congrats,

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Thanks, guys. Chet, I've put the front bumper on since that picture was taken. I don't have the bolts for the back bumper but I'm going to get some stainless ones. The chrome bolts are just too expensive. I've got 200 miles on the car now. Yesterday I drove it the fastest I've driven it yet: a little over 60 MPH in overdrive. I know what you mean about being a little nervous about all the mechanical stuff. But I'm starting to feel more confident about all that now. I need to bleed the brakes once more, and the clutch pedal makes contact with the cutout in the floorboard, which produces a screeching sound every time you depress the clutch. I'll take a dremel tool to that today. I haven't finished re-doing the steering wheel yet. It idles rough when hot and that's another thing I have to chase down. There are just a lot of little things that need to be done. But otherwise, it's great.

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Hi I am new to these forums so I apologise if I am stepping over the line or feet with this, I personally own a 49 and 50 rebuilding the 49 as we speak. I had the same issue with my 50 you posted in the first post, however I knew my brakes were not tight and I did researching on front to back of the vehicle, and found they did a higher gear for lower rpms for long life they also have a slow down feature when going down hills and when you release the peddle to slow the car down to cause less wear on the transmission and motor. Also would like to say your car looks beautiful I personally like 4 doors over 2 doors.

 

 

Can you further explain this slow down feature? Where did you find this information? Is there a link or source where this is written? If I understand what you are saying it is better to somehow have brake pressure automatically applied when descending a hill as opposed to using engine braking thus less wear and tear on the drivetrain. Please explain further???

Still waiting on a response???

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