Leaderboard

Hey Guys, Well I was feeling bad and had an urge to build something to remember my truck by, and I’ve wanted a propane fire table at the lake, so I built this little beauty…218 flathead fire breather. I figure like my truck is a complete custom and you aren’t likely to see one like it. One thing that did anger me in this build, in all my time and multiple past engines I never found a road draft tube bypass kit, or the special oil filler neck with the collection canister on it to dump the breather oil…this engine had it all, and would have saved a lot of under body oiling on my truck. enjoy and take care guys!

As a sailor I can definitely stated that after about 3 or 4 beers, varies with the individual, they all start tasting the same. So I drink a few good ones then follow up with the crappy ones.

When I pulled my trans, many years ago, I used my motorcycle jack with some strategically placed 2x4s all screwed together. It worked pretty good.

Just info for those who like the period correct look, there are now shrink tubing produced looking like braided wiring. I've used them for my heavy gauge battery cables

I have visited this site a few times in the past but recently started again and have been impressed with the activity, the assistance offered and the relevance to my interests. I currently have a 1929 Plymouth tourer with body by Holden Australia restored on club licence since 1999, a 1955 Plymouth Belvedere Suburban RHD built in Detroit with 259 V8 and 2 speed auto also on club licence, and a 1938 7 passenger Plymouth with Aussie Richards body, in a million pieces. This my first attempt at a post with pics so hope it works. I purchased the '38 running and licensed in Feb 1981 with the plan of having a car I could use for club events while I slowly rebuilt my 1929 Plymouth from a wreck. It was painted black, the engine barely ran and the leather upholstery was falling apart, but we drove it onto the trailer under its own steam. I cant find any pictures of it as bought but I must have been dazzled by the fact it was a 7 passenger and had all its chrome and fittings. There was no water in the radiator and It turned out the engine had a hole in the head above No 1 cylinder, every pot had broken rings, and water had corroded the bearings, crank and camshaft. The bottom of each centre door post was rusted out, and there was rust in the boot (trunk) area. By July 1982 I had it on the road with new paint (Ford Neptune Blue), new tyres and a temporary engine out of a 1936 Dodge utility (pickup) that we found abandoned up in the hills, and sheets tacked over rebuilt seat frames. My daughter in the pic below is now 41! In the next couple of years I fixed oil leaks, replaced spring bushings, brakes and wheel bearings and changed the diff from original 7 passenger 4.3 to standard 4.1 ratio as we tend to travel longish distances. By 1984 I was ready to replace the interior with upholstery in original blue leather. When I stripped the hood lining I discovered I had serious rust issues under the lead used in large quantities on the roof, which was fabricated from a standard roof cut in half with a central insert about 18 inches wide. The repairs were completed by Nov 1985 and the car was back on the road, however the upholstery guy was no longer available. In 1988 we had a surprise addition to the family, a baby girl after 17 year drought! The upholstery money went on adding a bedroom. In the meantime the car was used as a daily driver by my wife on the school run - rule was "no running in the car"! By 1995 the brake lines had rusted thru, the radiator had collapsed for the second time, the exhaust was shot, valves keep sticking and to cap it off I backed it into our Falcon wagon and badly dented the boot. I deregistered it in disgust as by that time I was making progress on the 29. Fast forward to 2012 and we have changed address, I now have 1/2 acre and a 5 bay shed. However to fit the 7 passenger in it I had to remove the front clip. The car is now a mobile storage unit for surfboards, wetsuits and a couple of broken chairs. But it still runs! I plan to post an outline of the rebuild process which started in 2012, but here is a recent pic of the body on a home made rotisserie - stripping back roof to bare metal after a VERY bad sand blast and prime job. Jim

I drive in the Metroplex a few times a year (2020excepted), as I have a daughter, grand-daughter and greats there. I can attest to the need to drive 70-80 and stop on a dime as a real need. I don't plan to drive my 56 flathead truck down there as I don't plan an independent suspension and still debating brake systems. Sniper probably remembers what 360 is like! Maybe if it had a V8, front clip with good steering, disk brakes and no killer steering column, but not without.

Sniper: I totally agree with what you are saying. But i do not use my 39 Desoto as a daily driver around the Philadelphia area. Yes even around here people with modern cars are way past the legal speed limits, cutting in and out cutting you short and race from red traffic light to the next red traffic light and then I just pullup behind them or next to them and then just look over at them. I always stay to the slow lane and use less traveled roads when ever possible.. But I do have the legal right to be on the roads but with due caution front, rear and side. I also have the duty to be respectful of the faster drivers and idiots so try to be respectful of their rights also. So with people that have antique cars that want to travel at 70+ MPH it something that might be 60-80 years old is very dangerous for themselves and the cars also around them. The older cars were not ment for those types of speed and were not setup to the 80MPH speeds, the geometry of the frame, steering suspension, rims, tires were meant for around 50-55 Max. So what I am trying to say is that if you want a classic car then get a hotrod that has been done by a professional HR builder that has all of the bells a whistles. So think of it this way. In your younger years when in High school or College and if you ran track you had all of timeing amuscle to run fast jump hurdles do sprints and could revcover quickly uf there was a problem. and you could compete in several events at the same event. But now you are 50-60 years older same body, the legs are tired, the muscle reaction is not the quick you recoup time is longer, you train agian and get in shape as a 50-60 year old guy. You have put on all the new fancy wind reducing clothes, lighter track shoes,etc, But now you are trying to compete against the young studs of 18-22 year old. You get left in the dust and can not keep up with the guys and you are a hazard to the group. It is hard to face reality but everything gets older and has it place and the same goes with antique car. Souping thme up is fun for some guys and be it so, But the car is still an old car and can not safely run with the big boys you get outclassed. So step back and enjoy the ride with the old cars becasue life is not standing still for any of us, but you better enjoy the moments that you have because they are so precious. My oldest daughter just had her first baby and my first grad daughter. I have come to the reasoning the the need for speed is not required, but safety on my part is required. I do not want to be going 80 MPH on my way to her home to see her and be involved in an accident and possibly be killed. So it might take me another 15 minutes longer but at least I feel safe and have a great chance of visiting and holding and playing with my grand daughter. At some point in time we all see the light at the tunnel as it gets brighter as we near the end of our journey so why make it come any faster. Rich Hartung

I am so old I can almost remember when a dollar was worth a dime.

Third brake lite also!!!!

Unbelievable! You just KNOW the market for this has to be minischule,yet,THERE it is!

A 1940 Desoto is a very cool car. I can't image the engineers ever had any intentions of it seeing Dallas Hi-way speeds in 2021. I am not sure what you are working with there now. Thinking about Dallas freeway travel: Have you thought about brakes? Suspension? Steering? The need to keep your body in one piece when travelling at 70+ MPH? These are not things the engineers had in mind when the car was designed. It can be done. It won't be cheap. My advice is to consider all the areas that need improvment. Not just engine power and speed. Maybe tell us a little more about the current state of the car . Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

Highway driving, I'd get brighter brake lights.

Last time I grabbed some at Menards I believe they had black white red and green

hi yes thats the part number i have to and it shows a solid one,I suspect they changed it for the solid version for cost and durability ,now all need to do is buy one and figure out how to fit it!

There are places on the harness in my P15 where the cloth was worn away but if the original tape in the harness was opened up an inch or so the insulation was in very good condition since it hadn't been exposed to the elements and heat. I used a crimped butt splice to replace the frayed section of wire and install a new crimped connector. I want to stress that I use a ratcheting crimper, not the cheap crimpers you see in auto parts stores. The ratcheting crimper is far superior since it guarantees a complete crimp each time and isn't dependent on the grip strength of the installer. I've used this type of crimper on many automotive and aviation projects with superb results. Here is the disaster I found behind the dash of the TR6 which was the aftermath of a huge hack job by a previous owner....note the multiple electrical tape "splices". Ughhhhh.... Here it is after sorting the harness, bundling common circuits with heat shrink tubing and replacing the taped splices with crimped butt splices. Much better. There is a lot that can be done to rejuvenate the harnesses on our old Mopars if good wiring practices are followed. Stripping everything out and replacing it is not always necessary. The terminal block in the front of the P15 where the lights and horn wires connect was a corroded and frayed mess. Here is the new terminal block with the frayed wires trimmed back, heat sleeving added as needed and new connectors installed. Good for another 70 years.

That's weird. I also have a 41 and mine has the solid ones. Viewing photos of parts list they are solid. Photo on manual (printed 1940) show cast wheel like yours. Further reading part list they changed these to solid in 41/42. So Dodgeb4ya is correct the later ones will work. Attached page from part list, see note 2 22.pdf

Be safe Keith. We have the heat in Saskatchewan, some fires in the North. But we safe. Neil

Go-karting the truck is so much fun. And yes, a great way to trouble shoot any issues without body parts in the way! My buddy on my go-kart day.

While the tranny jacks and adapters are great tools it is possible to scratch build a cradle that will make it easier to manage the tranny. Below is the really crude and ugly cradle I use for jacking the non-OD trans in my P-15. Prior to removing the transmission I moved the floor jack under the trans and used whatever scraps of lumber was necessary to fit the contours of the housing so it would balance on the jack. Yep...it looks dreadful but actually works quite well. And of course the guide pins, in this case flats were ground so a small wrench could be used.

I found it helpful to jack up both ends of the car to the same height. Do you have the tunnel sheet metal section out of the floor? Have you assured the OD input shaft has the same number of splines as the original trans? Are you planning to utilize guide bolts? Guide bolts a 3 0r 4 inch long bolts from the hardware store with the heads cut off. Screwing two or three into the bell housing that will assist to slide the trans in place along their length. After you cut the heads off, cut a slot 8n the outer end 5o accommodate a screwdriver to aid in removal. I used Allen head cap screws to replace the stock bolts as it was more accurate to get the threads started into the bel housing. The fdrivers side upper can be a pain in the butterfly to get aligned even with a six point socket. The Allen head is just that much more precise which gets it started much easier.

I was just looking at my 230, US 23" engine, no I don't have a stamp there.

Glad to see you have taken lots of pictures. I recommend taking way more than you think you will need and also writing yourself notes to help remind you. When I restored my '51 Dodge D39 Business Coupe I took hundreds of pictures and wrote dozens of notes. There were still times, upon reassembly, I was not sure what to do and just had to figure it out. Take LOTS AND LOTS of pictures! They are like tools.................you can never have too many!! The end result is worth it!

Well it was a bitter sweet day today, I had listed my truck thinking it would take awhile to sell, but I had someone here 12 hours later and they took it away today. It was time for a new adventure and that meant a lot near the lake and a trailer to go on it, so the other toys had to go. I just wanted to thank everyone here for the years of knowledge and help and debate and general discussion, it was crucial to my success with the truck, and I hope in that time I also helped out a few other members. I don’t see myself trolling here much anymore, I’m thinking that might be a downer for me, but I’m sure once in a blue moon I’ll stop by thanks! niftyfifty...aka Shane