keithb7

It measures down to .0001, one 10,000th of an inch. Its accuracy is 2 10,000ths of an inch. It comes with a 2” calibration spacer. That one would be fine for me. If someone ground more than .0625 off, you’ll need a 1-2” mic. I doubt it is that even an option? Measure several times at the same spot. You’ll need to practice your technique. You’ll flub up. I know I sure did. Many times. Get the pen and paper out and a calculator. Scratch your head a few times. I did!

Not all bearings have the size stamped on them. If I were doing this I’d first of all get a paint pen. Draw an arrow on each rod cap pointing towards the front of the engine. You can number them as well just incase they were not stamped at the factory. Its so vitally important the caps go back on properly. If an oil hole is covered up by improper cap placement, you’ll be mad at yourself when the bearing starts knocking. The micrometer, if needed can be used to measure each shiny rod bearing journal on the crank. Measure each journal 3x. At each outer and, and in the center. As mentioned write down your measurements. You’ll get fumbled up a few times and think holy! That one is way out of spec. It’s likely your mistake when reading the mic. You are not doing the actual machining here. So a machinist grade micrometer is not required. You are measuring to ensure you get the right size replacement bearings. I looked it up. A new 218 rod bearing journal is 2.0615 to 2.0625 “. If they have been ground down you’ll come up with a smaller number than this. Max allowable taper or out of round of the journal is .001”. Rod journals are often ground .010, .020, .030 down or more. When I rebuilt my engine the surfaces were stock size still. True and even wear. I found a set .001” bearings on ebay. Designed for when just a polish is needed. I bought them and that’s what I told the machinist to do. He kinda a tweaked a little saying “it might be hard to get just .001 off the journals”. He did. The clearances turned out great. Great oil pressure! When installing new bearings make very, very sure they go in place properly. No oil holes are blocked. Re-install caps exactly as they came out. Be sure the lock washers are re-installed. Torque nut to 80-85 ft lbs. A Fowler brand mic on Amazon is not the cheapest junk. Not too expensive either. It’ll do fine. The principle here is they mill down the crank journal so its diameter becomes smaller. Then they make the bearings thicker by the same amount. So the crank is undersized, the bearings are oversized. This job is considered a major intervention. You are basically performing open heart surgery on your cars major component. Think it through. Pay extra attention. When in doubt, stop. Re-evaluate. If you make a mistake the engine may have to come out. At the minimum the wallet comes out. Sounds like an idea for a future video. Measuring your crank! I might do that. Keith

I bought some asian made micrometers. (not Mitutoyo).A 0-6” set. A dial bore gauge too. I really didn’t want to spend a lot. Possibly using them just for one engine overhaul. So I didn’t buy the best. Nor did I buy the cheapest. Sort of in the middle price range. I considered them to be part of my education costs. There’s no local course to take for rebuilding Mopar flatheads. I invested in myself and learned a ton. The tools allowed me to really dig in and find, and understand internal engine wear. Thrust and combustion forces. Uneven wear patterns. Etc. I measured everything I could, many times and gained a ton of experience. I researched why parts were wearing as they did. The tools really knocked it home in my pea brain. Proving the wear patterns. High quality tools are nice to have but not necessary. If you have time, scour garage sales and auto swap meets. You can find quality tools for great prices. That’s a bonus. I have found that I reach for my micrometers for other work quite regularly. They get used in my shop. The dial bore gauge? Awesome tool to own but it might, maybe, see one more use in my lifetime. I do like rebuilding engines. Who knows? Another opportunity may come along. If I recall (double check to ensure) your rank rod surface is in the 2 ⅛” range? Buying 1 single 2-3” micrometer would get you what need today. It won’t cost much. Then you get to learn how to read a micrometer! Fun times ahead. 😊

Plasti-gauge and a micrometer are your best friends here. Measure the crank throw bearing surface 5x at the same spot. Write down all measurements. Divide total by 5. This will get you a good number. Note the differences in surface wear near outer edges at crank counterweights. Expect more wear on the outer surface area due to thrust forces of the spinning crank. I believe the crank naturally wants to walk backwards toward the tranny.

Hi folks this topic is in regards to my daily driver, a 2006 Mazda 3: Last spring my A/C was not working. I found a rock had punctured a hole in my condenser. I purchased a new condenser. It came with a new receiver dryer as well. I installed both. New seals were used. I tested the system for leaks. None. Pulled a vacuum on the system for about an hour. I added 2 oz of PAG oil. The system calls for 6 oz of PAG oil, but 4 oz sits in the compressor they say. I added the proper amount of R132a and the system blew cold air. It worked for a little while then no more cold air. I left it alone over the winter. I just did some more trouble shooting today. The system still has a charge. No leak down. I have a gage set. When the A/C is turned on I am getting no increased pressure reading on the hi-low gauges. I measure 12V at the compressor, at the clutch wire connection. The compressor is not working. See some excessive wear on the compressor belt. Signs of a possible compressor seizure. I suspect I may have not added enough PAG oil when I installed the new condenser, then the compressor locked up. This is an original 2006 compressor. 18 years old. Vane style that are known to be problematic. Just the compressor clutch coil could be bad, yet for its age I figure it's lived a good life. I'll replace it. I was thinking I'd order a new compressor and belt. Install it with new seals. Then take the car to a proper A/C mechanic to flush the system out, pull a vacuum, add the correct amount of PAG oil, then add the proper R134a. I'll explain to the tech that I changed the compressor, belt, reciever dryer and condenser. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? I won't charge or run the system after the new compressor is installed. I'll drive it straight to the garage. Why am installing my own compressor? The cost savings are considerable. $300 for me to buy one and install it. $1000 at the garage, plus install labor. Or maybe I can do all this myself at home. I'm just unsure if I can flush out the A/C system properly and add the correct amount of PAG oil. How do I ensure I get all the old PAG oil out of the system? I've not done A/C work before and have limited knowledge. Thx. Keith

I’m sitting on the sidelines, watching. Minding my own business. I get dragged in to one of two discussions that will never be solved: 1. What oil to run? Zinc additive? 2. 6V or 12V? I’ll respond based on my experience and what makes me tick. 6V? Cool. I wonder how that system works? Let’s rebuild it and see if we can make my car perform like it did when it was new. I’ll learn a ton along the way plus it’ll feel good to fix something I know little about. Hmm. The wiring is old and crusty. A bit of a volatile mess. Do I order a new replacement wiring harness? Pretty pricey. Plus how am I going to improve my soldering and harness building skill-set? I’ve got plenty of time that I don’t seem to mind wasting. I sure don’t like paying someone else to do what I can learn to do myself. I sure don’t like letting money out of my wallet very quickly. Off we go. 6V it is. I’ll read and study all about it. I’ll make my own harnesses and upgrade wire gauge too. I’ll add relays & fuses. A 6V-12V converter too for my iphone. I’ll rebuild switches. Sockets. Salvage and re-use rare wire connections. Voila. My car starts up immediately and runs like a dream on 6V. I feel good. I like it. It’s different than everyone else on the road. It works well. People I meet like to talk about my 6V system. These experiences feed my brain good things about the vintage car hobby. I’d rather spend $1200 on books, tools and parts. Then another 40 hours of my time perfecting my skills, versus spending $1200 on a new harness assembly. So now I’ve appeased myself and quelled my curiosity. I like 6V and I’ll stick with it. Both of my cars are 6V and I’ll keep them that way. You can do whatever makes you feel good and secure. 12V if you like. The other 5 vehicles around my house are all 12V. They work fine too. No complaints except they are way harder to work on! Lol. Not sure I helped settle anything here. Now you just know me a bit better.

I’m not well versed in the early Mopar V8. I saw this local ad for sale recently. I wondered, did they offer a hemi V8 in 1951? I thought they were still straight 8 in 51? I honestly don’t know. What year did the Chryslers get the V8 option? Thanks for educating me!

12V if you prefer. That’s fine. I like 6V for old school cool factor. I like it when young drivers want to check out my old car. I point out the positive ground 6V system with a generator. Vacuum wipers. Suicide doors. Tube radio. Split hood. Flathead engine. Bias tires and more. They are often stunned and awed. I like being a custodian and teacher for these old systems. That’s just me.

Next time I’m in the area we’ll stop at the Denny’s again. Try and order the exact same meal!

With My 18 year old girlfriend at the time, it was July 1990. We were driving through California. We stopped for dinner at Denny’s. Just north of Sacramento. 34 years later, tonite we stumbled into an old box of receipts. I didn’t realize my love of Meatloaf went back that far. Lol.

Spring arrived this week. I saw enough vintage cars and motorcycles on the road to stir-up some nostalgia. I removed the car cover and rolled out my ‘38 Chrysler today. It flashed up and ran like a hot engine that was just tuned-up yesterday. I didn’t do a thing other than check the oil and hit the electric fuel priming pump. I love a well maintained flathead engine. While warming it up the pup wanted in on the action. We went around the neighbourhood a couple times. I will drain the oil now and put in a fresh jug of 10W40. How’s 2024 shaping up in your Mopar neighbourhood? -59,331 miles.

I like that deal. Yet I think I have 4 multi-meters kicking around here. One from each decade over the past 40 years. I do really like the ability to clamp around the wire to measure amp flow. One of my meters does this very well.

The plug in the first photo must be for the diff lock limited slip additive. 😉

If you do decide to stay with 6V a simple 6V to 12V converter works great to run a modern stereo and iphone charger. https://www.amazon.com/Converter-5V-11V-Waterproof-Module-Transformer/dp/B0B1CVW5GP/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?crid=GU0N6Z92UCCD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.G9g0AbApOZsfkd7KGDVFC1zkYe_uKnfVsCEEddfJrz7VQfG41r0xznMKN89VW_Cind6X-iE-YzsyjxUmWLTJeo5M-U0Yvv--cDUKYmYGkTOh8-QHK0P1iBhlWht3H-E2oS42Lz05Yjrz4Cpf2COxjtheKC8jd3qjvJX_b4FysusA8YLyckEpdU5fja00YwDZ9Yd9u-8usHzH5A38-DXfJQ.jjw1xEFS80mw_h6Knc7bjS-qMpjf9YitLt8pg53mtYM&dib_tag=se&keywords=6v+to+12v+step+up+converter&qid=1710089337&sprefix=6V+to+%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-9 I get-it if you want the whole system to be 12V. A nice little simple 12V alternator is pretty nice.

Make sure the push arm for the pump is positioned correctly in relation to the cam shaft lift lobe.

For me a cobbled together old car that runs well, brings lot of fun and pride. I have about 6-7 old scabby fuel pumps here. I mix and match parts as needed. I’ve ordered pump rebuild kits and rebuilt my own. Good times were had and extremely valuable knowledge is earned. You’ll learn skills that will allow you to troubleshoot and fix problems on the side of a road with a pocket knife. My ‘38 Plymouth looks like it came out of a field last week. People sure take a liking to it when they see me ripping around town in it. I won’t win any show awards except probably longest drive in what appears to be a shaky car at best. But its not a shaky car. Its very solid under its exterior appearance. I keep en eye out for old Mopar parts and acquire them proactively. I can’t tell you exactly how much money I’ve saved getting my old Plymouth reliable and road worthy. But its a lot. The hobby doesn’t have be expensive if you’re smarter than the average bear and ambitious.

No need to remove any of the grease in there. Just submerge it as is in the oil, and turn it by hand.

I too filled my oil pump with grease at rebuild time. I expected it to easily prime with oil pan oil. It did not. I pulled the oil pump and put it in a bucket of oil. I turned the drive back and forth by hand a couple of times. Reinstalled it and it worked great. Apparently grease isn’t a guarantee it’ll prime. Re fuel to carb: could be many reasons. Earlier info on the pump and recent engine work is not known to us. We can guess. I might start by putting a vacuum on the fuel line where the bowl float valve is. Suck until fuel arrives there. No fuel? Work back from there looking for a hose kink, plugged flex fuel line near rad. Pick up screen in tank etc.

This may offer some assistance for you:

I suspect that whatever additives are in the coolant, glycol etc, when all moisture has boiled-off you are left with a brown gooey concentrate residue. I struggle a bit to grasp how engine oil can get up into a sparkplug well. There is no oil above the valve covers in these engines. Except for the filer housing and oil pressure gauge line to the cab. Add to that the valves get misty oil floating around in the crankcase. Pressurized oil sprays up from the rod caps to the camshaft and tappets. It collects in the tappet oil pools. How does it get into a spark plug well?

I had brown-ish sludge forming in my #1 sparkplug well. Things started to slowly get a little worse. I’d clean it up. It would soon be back. I believed it was burned coolant. I traced it to the thermostat water neck housing. I took it off. Looked at all the corrosion around the gasket area. I cleaned it all up. Put JB weld in the voids. Block sanded it smooth reinstalled all. Test drive…Burnt coolant was soon back. It could look like oil to the untrained eye. It is brown. Round two: I took the 251 ci cast iron head off. I spotted a crack in the head near the thermostat mount. It travelled down towards the spark plug. Aha! I recycled the iron head. I installed a spare 228 ci 25” head that I had. It had a little smaller combustion chamber. A tad more oomph. She’s been all good ever since. No more gooey mess.

I’m voting for the coil option. However should be verified.

I can't speak about trucks, but my 1938 Plym has a solid I-beam front axle. The inner fender window comes out and I have great access to the valve cover. Maybe post a photo or two of your inner fender, while the front wheel is removed. It would give me an idea exactly what you are seeing and trying to deal with.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

Hi @1948DodgeD25S There’s tons of experienced folks here happy to help you. We’ all want to get your car going asap. I’ll refrain from any further tips on the fuel pump pressure until you work through the ideas already presented. Please do report back with any progress or new findings. Keep in mind these fuel pumps can take a long time to prime if the car has been sitting for some time. You’ll be cranking the engine over much longer than you might expect, before fuel is delivered to the carb.