keithb7

Good to see the miles adding up on your Meadowbrook. We currently have no snow on the ground either. Its been sunny. Nice blue blazer skies. I’ve been tempted to take my Chrysler out. However with the nice days, comes cool frosty nights. They’ve been sanding and salting the hill home. I’d rather not drive my old car on the salt. Its too bad, as otherwise its perfect cruising weather.

I struggle with this bodywork and paint stuff too. It is indeed an art form. An acquired skill. Some people come by it naturally. Others, not so much. I am tempted to buy a MIG welder and start wrecking stuff. Maybe I could find a spare parts car and cut out pieces of the body that are better than in my car now. Then weld them in. I suspect this project would become a disaster. Then there's the grinding and the filler. Then sanding all the filler off three times, and adding filler again. It seems to be the long way to turn wet liquid filler into fine, dry dust. There must be a quicker way to make this dust. Ah yes, then there is the paint....Home in the drive way. The bugs land on it. The grass clippings stick to it. The orange peel and runs are part of the charm. Here, just take my money. How much?....Actually don't tell me. Just do it. Here is a blank signed check. Paint the car. I want it to look good. Fill in the check when you are done. Take my money. I'd rather lie under a car with a tranny on my chest any day. As I hoist it, lining it up its leaking 90W and drips into my ear canals. Any day...Over body work.

My experience with grease and the pilot bushing was documented here. I screwed around to save $20 on a pilot bushing puller. Gave up. Bought the puller and had the bushing out in 60 seconds flat! Fast forward to the 8:20 mark.

Good to hear a more upbeat positive report! Glad to hear the situation is improving. I’m unsure what shop #2 is referring to, a crank bushing? Maybe they mean pilot bushing for the transmission pinion? No need to take the bell housing off to change it. I do however recommend a pilot bearing puller. Skip the “bread” or “grease” tips to remove it. Didn’t work for me.

Straight cut, non-synchronized spur gears in that tranny. From what we can see, the gears actually look be in real good condition too. Someone has been tender and kind to that tranny for decades. I like how they shaped the leading contact edge of the sliding gears. Not a straight edge to be seen where it makes contact. Nice work by the gear maker! Glad you liked my video. Those comments make it all worth while. Helping others is my goal.

In my 1938 3 speed equipped Plymouth car, I have a "clutch gear". A double ended synchromesh that works speed to match adjoining gears. If you are interested in learning more see here:

Thanks for this list. I downloaded it. I will use it as I reassemble my engine this winter.

In my '38 3 speed, I seem to recall having to drive the countershaft back out from at the front case. Then the cluster gear could drop. Then the pinion can slide out the front. You're in pretty far by that point. I am imagining a tranny on the bench. The larger pinion needle bearings stayed in place well. The pesky multiple needle bearings and thrust washers in the counter shaft where more of a problem. A wood ¾" dowel really helped hold it all together.

I’m about to remove all the valve guides. I need to be sure that the new ones I install are indexed probably and set at the right depth. Mopar manuals claim ⅞” from top of block deck to top of valve guide. I got to thinking about a simple way to achieve that, without buying another tool I’ll probably use but once. I measured the distance on the bottom side. Inside the valvetrain area. Its 2 ⅛”. I cut up a wood spacer block. This will be my reference for installing new guides, from the top down. I contact the wood block with the guide end, I stop driving the guide. I checked, the stock factory installed guides are not all exactly the same depth. Pretty close seemed good enough. This step does not seem to require micro-measuring to spec. Seen here, my spacker block placed (wedged) between a pair of guide ends and the engine block. Guides are at the bottom of this photo. My wood spacer sits right on the tappet bore deck. Good enough?

"Don't use too much electrical tape. It can cause a fire. Also, its expensive!"....Said no one here.

Thanks dpollo I’ll try compressed air tomorrow. Crank is out. Block is stripped. Just a few remaining pieces to pull before it goes to the machine shop.

According to the parts drawing there should be a plunger to remove. Is there a trick to removing it? I don’t seem to have anything removable inside my 1953 block. Poked around in there a little bit with an oring pick. Nothing is moving. Tips appreciated. Thx.

Exhaust noise from the air intake side is often a symptom of an intake valve that is not sealing from some reason or other. When the piston travels up on the compression stroke it pushes high pressure air back out the intake valve. Back up thru the intake manifold, the wrong way. A popping noise, similar to leaking exhaust manifold gaskets can be heard. Especially as you put your ear to the carb intake. How this be a result of the new exhaust that incompetent shop #1 installed, is a mystery to me. However if shop #2 is being paid by shop #1, shop #2 is gonna prove some way or another, come h e l l or high water, that the repair shop #2 did, was needed due to something shop #1 screwed up. There is no shortage of incompetence these days....I'd send a tow truck and get it home. ASAP. Before this escalates further. Write off the experience and fix it yourself. I'd wager it would probably take the average person here under 30 mins to find exactly why you are hearing an exhaust leak. I love the fact that a lawyer can fix his old 1952 car at home. Good luck - Signed, The couch quarter back, keyboard warrior.

I had two long bolts here that I overlooked. They are seen below here circled in red. The rest were all nuts and washers on studs.

Cool! Welcome to the dwell meter club. Have you set it up to check your dwell yet? How about a little report on your findings? Thx.

@TimMuldoon what determined that your 228 was a truck motor? The reason I ask is to learn. The 228 was also in Canadian cars. My 1954 228 ci Canadian engine (3 ⅜ x 4 ¼), was pulled from a 1954 Canadian built Dodge Regent. As @greg gmentioned it was a good runner, low mile motor pulled out of a wrecked car in the scrap yard. Swapped into my 1938 Plymouth by some young lads over a weekend. Way back in the 60's. I too, same as you, am going to go over to 3 7/16" bore. The 4 ¼" stroke will net us 237 ci. The stock 1949 S13 Desoto, USA built car, used this very configuration. 3 7/16" bore x 4¼" stroke, 25" long engine. A "Spitifre" engine. Find yourself a 4 ½" throw crank, you've got yourself a 250 ci engine. A 4 ¾" crank will net a 265 ci engine. I love the simplicity and commonality of these old Mopar 25" long blocks. You can build whatever bore and stroke you want. Seems the Chrysler boys had figured out a way to offer many engine displacement configurations with simple, cost effective changes. As Tim and I bore up to 3 7/16" , not only will the bore increase, but so will compression PSI. Would be fun to put a 218 head on this 237 ci engine. It just happens I have 25" a spare 25" 218 Canadian cylinder head here...Hmm.

There does not seem to be a lot of good photos floating around of a ‘38 Imperial coupe. It appears as though 788 were offered that year. Straight 8. 3 speed. With overdrive I suspect. It checks all the boxes for me.

The years pass..We likely have an old Mopar or two, or three. Or more! Time runs its course. We aren't getting any younger. LOL. Perhaps there's vintage Mopar you'd like to possess some day. What car/truck, whatever, is on your mind? Unlimited funds. You won the lottery...Or at least have your wife's permission. Same thing. Just for fun, we can dream. I'll start. #1 A big old Chrysler. Back to mid-30's. 2 door. Pre war you might call it I guess. 1938 Chrysler Imperial or Royal coupe would be do me just nicely! Why? Chrysler to me, has the fit and finish, handling and looks of luxury and class. The bigger the coupe the better! Straight 8 NY'r coupe could work too! #2. Dodge or Plymouth 1/2T truck. Same era. Pre-war. Why? Trucks are very nice! No luxury. Stock please. Hod rod resto-mod stuff need not apply. I think I have a good chance to make this happen some day. Fingers crossed. What's on your dream Mopar list?

Well I thoroughly enjoyed the tear down. The easy work! Lol. The real work comes now. Only #1 piston had a broken ring. No others. I’ve still got a few more little bits to remove from the block then its off to the machine shop. I’ll wait to order any new parts until the block and crank pass crack testing.

I am interested in learning what unique trouble shooting tools this analyzer offers. Looking at the hook-up diagram I don't see how it can cancel individual cylinders. Maybe there are 6 or 8 lead wires to monitor secondary ignition voltages to each plug? I suspect there is more to it than shown in the limited illustrarions above. My current stash of tools, will they accomplish similar end-results? Dwell meter and RPM tach. Digital multimeter with clamp for up to 600V DC amp readings Timing light Feeler gauges compression tester gauge oil pressure gauge fuel pressure gauge vacuum gauge spark plug gap gauge I can pull a spark plug wire and re-install while monitoring the tach to try and locate a dead cylinder I have no idea what cool stuff this analyzer can do. Please excuse my ignorance. All my tools above fit in 1 drawer in my rolling tool cabinet. In High School back in the mid-80's I took shop class. We were intimidated by the mighty analyzer, just like the one above. It was a beast. I assumed it was for real grease monkeys who had way more experience than I did! 35 or so years later, here I am finally addressing and discussing it. LOL. I do remember one cool thing it seemed to do. I was 16. In grade 10. My brother 18 in grade 12. We worked together and rebuilt the 225 slant 6 engine in my '76 Dodge Dart. At home in the back yard. No shop. When we had it up and running, I was happy with it. My brother took my car into this Grade 12 shop class. Hooked it up to the mighty analyzer. I envisioned it would spit out a pass or fail on our backyard rebuild. Bro found that the spark plugs were acting weird. I had installed them. re-used the old ones. I was broke trying to pay for the engine rebuild parts and machining. I had no idea that I had to gap the plugs. Some had no gap. Some had a massive gap. The analyzer monitor screen showed the problem some how. So I know it does that!

Oops.

The home made guide tool worked fantastic! The guides come out very easily. The chisel tool cost $5. My buddy turned it down on his lathe for free. Guess who's buying beer next?

20 mins later on the lathe...

I have a blunt tip chisel here for use with my air hammer. I tried it on 1 valve guide. It quickly split the cast iron guide. The impact load needs to be spread out over a wider area. I will take my chisel tool to my friend who has a lathe. We'll cut the chisel tip off and turn the shaft down in his lathe, to a nice tight fit in to the valve guide. I'll create a shoulder that will sit snug against the guide end. That ought to do it. Then I'll try again pounding out the valves guides...We shall live, learn and proceed.

You must know a lawyer...This getting worse! Send a tow truck. Get it outta there ASAP!