Bryan

Found a strange part in my pile, but finally figured it out. My truck muffler has been pretty loud lately. This fit right in there and works great when you take the spring out. Must be some kind of baffle insert. Don't know why they would put such a strong spring in it, don't think the back pressure would push it open. Truck is quiet now. ? ? ?

One thing reading about ball hones, they remove burrs and metal hangers from cross drilled holes. Namely on the side passages to the camshaft bearings. From the factory I don't think they removed any of these. Found a lot when I was deburring the crankcase.

This one. 1939-54 CHRYSLER CARB KIT-STROMBERG BXES, BXD, BXV, BXVES & BXVD MODELS 1BARRELS | eBay

Done all I could on the block. Decided to clean the 53 Dodge head up. It had some kind of sandy very rough finish on the sides and some on the top. Used my Dremel with a stone to lightly take the tops of the grains. It was metal, not rust. Still wanted to leave a textured finish. I also cleaned 3 of the combustion chambers up. Just enough to remove the sandy grain finish. Not polish. Ran out of steam, wore myself out.

After I honed all the valve guide bores and the tappet bores (a little) the hone was slightly loose in the oil galley. The balls looked about 1/4 wore, 3/4 of them left. Still did a good job.

Finally got er' done. Had a few problems making the right tool. First attempt screwed the brush out of the crimp connector. Figured out reverse the drill, then it tightened, but the 24" drill bit screwed out. I had cut the drill part mostly off, just left enough for the connector. Thing was, what tightened the brush then turned the bit out. I crimped more and played with it, nope. Also, the first rod was a little short. Then I saw some kind of hard plastic fiber dowel I had for my kid's high school experiment (2015). I used it and it worked fine. I could crimp holes in the connector and it punched into the softer rod. The galley cleaned up well but not a mirror finish. Had markers on the tool to keep from going too deep and hitting the end threads.

BXVD-3 is the same number on my base. Mine's a Stromberg.. Have not took it apart yet but have a kit. My father had changed it to a manual choke. The throttle plate shaft seems to have very little play. There are carb brush kits to clean with. Also my brother buys finer steel guitar strings to clean small holes with. My gas tank is rusted out too. Changing everything.

Used the ball hone today on the valve guide bores and tappet bores. On the guides I did more than the tappets. The guides were tough to get out, and don't need to have a certain clearance (just be a press fit), so I honed them enough to get roughness and rust out, but not the vertical markings, made when the guides came out. On the tappets I just made 4-5 passes to smooth them a little. Didn't want to increase the clearance. I also cleaned the draft tube area, which also drains oil from the tappet area, to the rear of the camshaft, then to the crankcase. It's hard to clean. Just got my crimp connectors and extension that I'm going to try to make a 24" shaft for my hone brush so I can hone my main oil galley tomorrow.

Possums also eat a lot of ticks.

Did you have any unusual cold weather during the Winter?

Never watched any of the reality shows. Pitting one person against another, all the sleazy drama, win no matter how. Nope. I prefer science fiction shows but good ones are rare. Don't watch any of the animated stuff for adults. Find most of it vulgar and crude.

Maybe just change the condenser first. Easy things first then the more difficult stuff.

Thank you Lord! That's great news! Yeah, those experimental trials can really pull it through. Before they came out with the 2 month cure for Hep C, I got the trial at Uni-Klinik Frankfurt in Germany around 1999-2000. Almost one year of interferon & Ribavirin. Nasty stuff. Got rid of it and never came back.

Like my brother used to kid about Advance's lifetime warranty for starters.."you'll be replacing the starter every 4 month for the rest of your life". He's had problems with new electronics before.

I bought a ball hone for my main oil galley which fits slightly snug. I found that it fits my valve guide bores but not as tight. I'm planning on honing both, since the valve guide bores were slightly rusty, and the guides were extremely difficult to get out. I think the tappet holes are about the same diameter but I'm not messing with these (maybe a light rub with 1000 grit sandpaper). The tappet bores were not rusty and showed no signs of crud or damage. Tappet side clearance was on the border. Opinions?

If you are running ethanol, you can tell by the metal ring above the threads. The porcelain will always be somewhat white. Heat range from the tip. On gas without ethanol you tell mixture by the porcelain. Hard to find good charts. Both are for racing Tips - Reading Spark Plugs - Ken's Auto Machine Shop (google.com) Reading spark plugs | Tuning Spark Plugs (enginebasics.com) Most charts are just for showing major problems, oil fouling, overheating, detonation, etc. I looked for a while and hard to find a good Youtube video about jetting, mixture and reading plugs. If someone has a good source...

Didn't see it quick enough or would have posted pics.

Is the tank new, or been cleaned out? Maybe open the line before the pump or filter and see if gas runs into a container. Does the car run at all, or won't start?

Was at a social event most of the day. Did receive my 35/64" 320 grit ball hone. Attached a picture description. It fits snug in the main oil galley. You can push it in easily by hand, but have to pull it out with a pair of pliers. I have to make an extension to get at least 24" total, the brush is about 8" long. Going to attached it to a drill and hone (not bore) my main oil galley. (Have to watch and protect the threads on each end). For the rear of the galley I bought a $1.20 Dorman freeze plug 555-012 which is 0.760" diameter. It fits but is not tight enough. You can easily tap it out with a cleaning rod from the other side. I had measured .7575 on the hole (hmmm). Was going to use it as a backup to my brass hex plug (which I will use sealant on the hex plug). Next size up is a Melling MPC-225 at .775". And then 20mm which is .787".

Some here have had experience with buying something and the seller was not upfront with all the issues. Plus we don't know your mechanical abilities, your experience, how many tools you have, the actual level of effort & money you want to put in the car. It can look nice and the seller can tell you all sorts of things. Just trying to help.

The key is "I and my Dad". Retired here with just my 5ft-2" wife. Almost 65 and basically no help here. I don't take offense. I overhauled a SBC on a kitchen table when I was 20 something.

Think I'll try this on my IAT distributor. Not paying $75-95 for a simple vacuum advance.

Maybe for the best. I would buy something in fairly good shape that is running well. You can change brake shoes and lines, tune up, maybe add dual headers, new fuel tank and line, stuff like that. Do some minor body work and paint it yourself. Avoid ones with major rust. Avoid rusty chrome or dented chrome - expensive to re-chrome or find replacements. Engines can be $3-4K to overhaul (parts $1,200-$1,800). If you do yourself you have to buy a motor hoist, leveler, motor stand, etc. Painting by professionals can be $10-15K. That's in SC, had a quote. Repairing leaking Fluid Drives can be expensive and difficult. If you work on the minor stuff and their interest continues, then maybe get deeper into it. Look at my motor pulling post and you'll get an idea of what you'll run into. Snapped bolts, broke manifolds, etc. You have to have the right tools to do the job.

Went out today and cut some grass with the push mower. Was checking both my heads out (49 Plymouth and 53 Dodge). Both are warped, Plymouth head is almost .009 in the middle across a foot. Almost seems like the very ends are high, and I didn't have the straightedge on a bolt hole. Dodge is about .006 off. I rechecked the straightedge on my newer engine block, perfectly flat. The Dodge head looks rougher, had a lot of surface rust before. One thing, I checked the thickness of the water jacket holes. The Dodge head seems to have about an 1/8" more material. Both heads - holes for the thermostat are the same (opening and bolt holes). My old T housing has a recessed opening measuring 2 1/2 inches. (Edit: Rock Auto lists a Gates 33028 with 2.13" flange as correct thermostat. That's wrong. The old housing with the external bypass hose has a 2 1/2" flange. Gates 33038 is correct. ) Reckon I'll clean the Dodge head up, get it milled and use it.

I have different stones & carbide graters, the problem is that some places are deeper and form a cavern under the valve seat. I'd have to braze or weld and add material to build up under the seat edge. Also when I was looking at the water jacket surrounding the valve area, can tell it's not real thick. I don't think I have 1/4" . Got me too cautious to smooth any further.