MikeMalibu

I recently went through the same process with the CA DMV. My car had a set of 60’s black plates, not the YOM yellow plates. It had been in a farmer’s field for more than 40 years. The farmer died many years ago and the family couldn’t find the title document. The black plates were in bad shape like yours and not acceptable to DMV. (I managed to get a restored set of plates through DMV for another car, but those matched YOM). I didn’t care about keeping the black plates because they weren’t YOM (still looking for a set of ‘49s). Anyway, titling the “field find” was easy: got the VIN verified by the authorities and submitted the correct documents. The DMV employees told me what to do on the first visit and then gave me a new title and new plates on the second visit. In the end, all the risk of having an illegitimate title is on me and I also sensed that from the DMV employees.

I thought the price of my home was way too high when I bought it 32 years ago. Nothing compared to today’s inflated prices. Now I’m getting the benefit of California’s property tax law: 1.1% of purchase price, increasing 1.1% per year. Easily affordable. Hopefully the law won’t change back to current accessed value and cause trouble for fixed income retirees.

Thanks for the link. I looked into after market EPS, but was put off by the cost. The Toyota option looks reasonable if it can be purchased for $100. If you add an aftermarket column, then it might be cost effective to just go with the Uni-steer kit. There was a post on this site about using a GM box that had the same splines & travel as the stock box.

Thanks for the quick reply and advice. I’ll move forward without removing them.

Thanks for the replies and apologies for the misunderstanding. I already have the radiator support removed from the chassis and am ready to have it media blasted to remove rust. That is the reason I want to remove those two bolts. Can anyone else confirm that the two bolts are welded to the radiator support and cannot be removed without drilling them out?

1949 Plymouth radiator support frame has two 1/2 inch bolts holding the support to the chassis crossmember. They look like carriage bolts. Are they removable or fixed into the support? I’ve used PB Blaster and a hammer to try to tap them loose without success. Before I really go at it with heat and a bigger hammer, thought I’d check the knowledge here.

Oldtimelampshop, With the SBC swap, you’ll have difficulty with the steering column interfering with the exhaust manifold and pipe routing, even if you shift the engine to the right. The limit is the frame rail and room for the right motor mount. You may need to graft in a rack & pinion setup for this reason. A Mopar V8 has the advantage that a 1960/1970 exhaust manifold can wrap around the steering column (also makes posters here less excitable). Any V8 is a tight squeeze between the radiator core support an firewall. You’ll have to modify both; the extend differs between early and late 1949 models and the water pump you choose. A 1970’s Challenger radiator fits within the core support with the top bar cut an welded 1” forward. You may need to modify the transmission tunnel if you plan to use an overdrive automatic. For sure you’ll need to modify the inner fenders and the wiring harness. Obviously, installing a V8 is more work than rebuilding the L6, but could be less costly depending on your sourcing. Please post pix of your progress.

Suggest you buy a couple of inexpensive glass suction cups from harbor freight for your helper to lift the glass out and back in.

It is likely that you’ll need to change the steering to fit that engine. There are several posts describing a rack retrofit. The advantage of your engine/tranny choice is the many low cost options for aftermarket equipment and the technical know how on the internet versus using a Mopar drivetrain. The advantage of using a 5.2/5.9 mopar engine is that you can stay with the stock steering by using a 60/70’s exhaust manifold. It’s also likely you’ll need to reshape the firewall and tunnel, which is not difficult sheet metal work, to fit the radiator and position the combo at a reasonable angle for the driveline. I’m looking forward to hearing about you progress.

Collects all types of cars, knows every detail about them, wears blue jean pants and shirt, wants to hear about your car, and is really funny. Hope to share stories with him some day.

Is there something special about the rubber mounts that rubber from another make & model car won’t work? Size & durometer, what else? I paid about $60 for mount kit for another car.

Thanks for the quick replies.

The oil fill tube on my car seems like a lose fit. I can remove & re-install easily. Is it suppose to be a tight press-fit? Is there an o-ring gasket or other oil seal, or am I over thinking this fit? The oil dip stick extension tube has sheared at the block. Is there a source for this part? I have a stock 1949 P17 with P18 block. Thanks for the help.