HotRodTractor

I have never seen a carburetor that pulls air from a source other than its main throat. Not saying you are wrong - but I'm not inclined to believe you are correct. Perhaps something was in there and fell out between the last time you drove it and your current issues?? Would a gasket change perhaps uncover a hole that wasn't open before? If you plug it - can you then tune your engine?

I was trying to find some info on that exact carb, but I am not finding anything helpful except: http://www.carburetor-parts.com/assets/manuals/carter_bb_1937_prior_manual.pdf That document at least tells you to use the gasket with 4 slots if you don't have a governor.

It will take some modification but can be done without too much headache. You'll have to drill new mounting holes for the front engine mount. You might have to clearance the front crossmember a bit for the damper/pulley depending on what you go with. Finally you'll have to watch your radiator clearance - perhaps cheating it forward some, perhaps omitting the mechanical fan and going electric, or any number of other solutions. I'm the current custodian of a 1948 Plymouth with a 25" engine installed in it. I'm sure Don will be along to post details on how he did the work.

I would venture to bet that hole is your massive vacuum leak. What is the model number of the carb?

Well now I am going to keep my eye out for harmonicas at the various antique shows and swap days I go to..... need a few cheap ones...

I think this one looks promising: http://ecatalog.smpcorp.com/fs/#/vehicles/parts/num/74765?type=s

I had a few minutes this evening so I thought I would work on the headlight high beam indicator. Since The original high beam indicator mounts into the dash and also into the original cluster, and I no longer have the original cluster installed I need to make a spacer to take up some room. A generous 5 minutes with the part, some calipers, and a computer and I whipped up a widget as shot it off to my 3D printer. 15 minutes later I have this fancy spacer and the LED holder. The two wires coming out the back are coming from my bright blue LED that I have in a 3D printed housing (that didn't quite work the first go around.... hence the tape). All assembled on my desk. 12V LED powered by 9V because that was all I had in the office. Now I just need to fix my LED housing, and come up with a lens for the factory trim piece and I should be set to mount and wire it into its new home!

I have limited experience with dual carbs - but so far it has been different than yours. I have to do about 2 pumps of the accelerator pedal and she lights right off. You also shouldn't have fuel leaking out the throttle shafts on shut down. In 1954 Dodge released the hemi for its large truck line.... at the same time they offered a factory dual carb and dual exhaust option for the 25" long flathead I6.... the six cylinder had more ponies and it was in very fine print compared to the new marvel V8 engine. lol You might just have a pair of carbs that aren't well matched to this application - or they have enough issues to cause you a fit. Leaking gas on shutdown seems to me that you are getting too much fuel somewhere... perhaps on startup as well. Are your floats set right?

Several years ago I bought the Mastercool hydraulic flaring setup - best money I ever spent when it comes to repairing brake lines and fuel lines. I know its spendy, but its way easier to make a good flare, faster, and quite frankly much higher quality than I was ever able to do with the old bar clamp flaring tool. I've since also added a couple of extra dies so I can do modern fuel lines and A/C lines now. Granted I only use it a handful of times a year, but it paid for itself very quickly. Also - that ride height is looking spot on. Low when needed, high enough when needed. You made the right call shortening the bed too. I was a little concerned about proportions, but this last picture sold me on it.

So - I towed the old girl over to the farm shop because I have a 2 post lift - so its way easier to get under the car and change things like my dead fuel pump. It was miserable day to do this... but its the first chance that I had and I had help. Cold, wind blowing, and spitting rain off and on. Good thing its a short trip. I proceeded to inspect the fuel system, found the inline filter along the frame rail, and started to figure out what supplies I would need need to install an electric fuel pump on the frame rail. In the meantime I swapped the mechanical pump out for a good one and after bleeding the air out of the system she fired right up and idled beautifully. Unfortunately if you want to see a grown man cry.... watch his face as a glass sediment bowl slips through his fingers full of gas and accelerates towards the shop floor only to have it reach its destination with a resounding crash. It sucks, but it is what it is now. I'll find a replacement bowl in my stash of stuff somewhere I'm sure. I continued on with my wiring project and installed my fusebox base and cover. The cover JUST fits over the assembly with the new electronic flasher unit for the LEDs.... I'm probably going to print a new cover with a bit more room, and spaces for spare fuses, a fuse tester, and a fuse removal tool. I have the rear lights wired up - tail lights, turn signals, and brakes are all good to go! I now have enough done that I can start to drive her around a bit and put some miles on her. Most notably to drive her to get VIN inspected hopefully sometime this week. Things to do: Shorten wires going to the hi/low beam switch on the floor. Wire up dash lights Figure out high beam indicator mounting and light (I have a blue LED that I am going to use) Install wire loom Zip tie up the wiring in the trunk Install heater Install electric fuel pump Hookup front turn signals (still undecided in my direction on these, either a double bulb in the parking lights, or perhaps use a set of 7" headlights I have sitting here with LED "angel eye" daytime running lights and turn signals.... or maybe both). Hookup emergency brake cable (need to buy some supplies) Front seat..... I need to do something with it. either make a foam cushion for it, or completely replace it with something like Chevy silverado buckets out of an early 2000s (they happen to have integrated seat belts, so that would be a nice added feature as well) Jason

Years ago I had a '53 Pilothouse that had a random tick. I had no history on the engine other than it was a Plymouth 218. One day I was in an auto parts store and saw some "Prolong" sitting on a shelf and I remember some late night infomercial about them running engines without oil for hours after being treated. I figure - its only a few buck so I buy it. I dumped that bottle into the crankcase with the engine running...... I have never heard a more drastic improvement on how smooth an engine runs than I did in the few seconds after I dumped that bottle in.... it made me a believer that its more than snake oil.

I found some bullet connectors at AutoZone while I was out and about running errands today - so I might have taillights yet tonight. Don - I totally missed that new vacuum gauge, but I remember seeing it somewhere after seeing that picture.... I wonder what I did with it... I had a relatively new Stewart Warner Motor Minder sitting on the shelf that I shoved in the bracket. Its not hooked up yet, but the intent is there. I'm not sure what I am going to do with the interior lights yet. I had a hell of a time getting the wires up through the A-Pillar.... its a snug fit. In fact I had to cut off where the tail light wiring breaks into three separate wires. It simply wouldn't fit prewired like that. Thanks for the tip on the fuel filter. I haven't had the car up in the air yet to find that guy. I'm intending to install that pump. I was hoping it was going to be a later on project... but it seems that it needs it now. lol

I've had a productive couple of evenings late this week and a couple of hours yesterday to work on the old girl. Fuse box is mounted and wires are pretty much all run where they need to go. Gauges are installed and for the most part functioning. Everything is done under the hood except wire loom and figuring out running new wires to add in front turn signals. All the wires are routed to back of the car and distributed about - I just need to finish wiring them into lights. I do need to get a new flasher relay to work with the LEDs - this unit doesn't appear to flash at all currently. I need to wire in the dash lights. I need to figure out what I am going to do with the high beam indicator and light. Probably going to go LED and make a little bracket so the original housing works. I need to run the choke and throttle cables. Tailight power isn't wired in yet - I needed a bullet connector for the wiring that I don't have - I'll pick that up later this week. I also need to adjust the fuel sender a bit. I followed the directions and it appears that something is off..... 4" worth of gas in a tank that is 10" deep is not nearly empty..... which brings me to my next problem to tackle..... I went out for a spin yesterday morning - the first ride for the girlfriend and her best friend that was in from Texas..... after fighting with the car for a bit, she fired up and I drove over to the farm to grab some fuses (I popped one because I left the power on while wiring in the headlight switch... dumb!)... anyway.... 1.7 miles is all I made it and the car shut off like its out of gas. I popped the tops of the carbs.... empty. Fuel tank is nearly half full and relatively clean (I just dropped the sending unit down into the tank). So it looks like I lost the fuel pump. I grabbed the tractor and towed it back to my garage. Again I've got a busy first few days of the week on the road, so it will be later in the week before I have much chance to mess with it. I did take a quick gander down in there and lamented about how little room there is compared to a Pilothouse for access to that fuel pump.... oh well it has to be done. Jason

That is perfect timing Don. I was just going to start trying to poke around in your collection of pictures to figure out what fan control you used so I could effectively wire it in. I figured that switch was an override and wasn't going to wire it back in unless I found out I needed one. I started the car from inside last night using the switch and push button on the new harness..... so I'm getting closer! Also I found my home internet problem - some critter was eating through my phone line, so a new line has been ran and I can get some pictures uploaded now to show progress.

Well I'm not sure about all that.... But I do want to get her up and running and on the road. Lol

Well as most know by now, I purchased Don's P15. It needs some wiring to get back on the road, and I plan on doing some interior updates and upgrades - but first things first... time to make her run! I've temporarily mounted the fuse center on the inside firewall above the clutch pedal. I can get to it, but its not readily visible unless you are looking for it. Even then.... I have something in the works to cover it up. I have the new turn signal switch mounted on the steering column. I have mostly test fit the new gauge setup that Don already had into the dash. I had to do some slight filing on the corners of the new billet piece and I had to knock off the sharp edges on the original trim piece. Hopefully that will be mounted in place tonight. I have also started tossing wires around from the new wire harness and turn signal switch - its a spaghetti mess.... but things are starting to sort themselves out into general directions and bundles. I haven't started running any wires to the back yet.... I'm going to pick up some more supplies and run at least two more wires out back to cover me for future reverse light(s) and a trunk light. Well.... there should have been more pictures, but I am having a hard time with my internet connection at the house for the last week and a half..... hopefully that gets resolved soon. Anyway, back to laying on the floor of the car. I want it running from its own switches and wires by the end of the week..... and I won't get a chance to work on it the first couple of evenings this week. Jason

I'll give you a call tomorrow evening. I'm just the opposite. No land line - only a cell #. lol

The whole availability question thing is a default facebook response. I HATE getting them when I list things for sale.... but then I went to inquire about something and instead of it opening a message window up - it just automatically sent that message. VERY stupid. When someone asks me my bottom dollar - I usually add money to my price (say 5 or 10%). 9 times out of 10 they don't notice the price went up. Sometimes they even ask more questions.

I went and looked at that truck - it was a good solid truck that I thought about buying. I've become particular though and decided that if I was going to buy another truck it has to have certain options. (namely corner windows and the earlier gill style - I just like it better, totally a personal preference). Saturday, if all goes well - I'll be under the dash of the P15 running wires. I'm quickly going to run out of driving time if I don't get that done. lol Shoot me a message and we can swap cell numbers.

I'm not all that far from you - just about 10 miles northwest of Urbana. I'm fairly familiar with Pilothouse trucks as well - all in all I think I've had 12 through my hands in the last 20+ years (mostly parts trucks, but a couple of runners). Working on one that I hope will be ready to go late next spring/summer. I also just picked up a pretty rockin Plymouth P15 that I will be hitting hard rewiring over the next couple of weeks. The yellow truck in my avatar came from the Troy area about 18 years ago. Pretty sure the red and black pilothouse that was for sale in Western Champaign county this summer went in that general direction... but I could be wrong. It was a nice truck and I know they had it at the Firecracker show in Urbana July 4th.

Thanks Don. I saw the wires were labeled and that you had already started down the path of sorting them for how they need to be routed. I didn't see a wiring schematic, but I might have missed it. I did find the paperwork for wiring the taillights up in one of the boxes. Pete/Don - it was many of those forum threads between the two of you that solidify my desire to rock out a "hot rod" flatty. I simply wasn't in a position to buy Pete's car when it came up for sale. It worked out for Don's car though. I'm going to get the wiring straightened out and then start putting miles on her like intended while I also start a push to get my Pilothouse finished with a very similar setup to what is in Don's old P15 (its always going to be Don's car - people are going to recognize it as that for years as I have no desire to do drastic changes to it, visiting rights are granted).

If you post it on the internet. Its there forever. Things get copied, saved, moved, whatever, but it is still out there somewhere. In fact there is an Internet Archive that I use from time to time to go back into history of changed, or even dead and defunct websites to try and retrieve information, or even pictures/videos/files.

When I get further into it, I'll start a thread on getting the wiring done, and some other little things that I am going to do. Right now my free time has been spent just trying to map out a path to getting the wiring done and road worthy. I think I have most of the stuff scratched out on a notepad in the couple of hours I have spent. Its very obvious Don had a lot of it already mapped out and started down the path. No matter what I do though - I doubt I will ever come to the level of documentation that Don has done on this car. That is dedicated effort just by itself. BTW Don - when you read this - do you recall what wire harness fuse block kit this is? I was hoping there was a nice diagram somewhere that mapped out which fuse was which without me having to map them and write them all down.

Start with this: https://www.amazon.com/Dodge-Trucks-Restorers-Collectors-Reference/dp/1583880879

My farm shop is about 2 miles down the road from my home - when I got it off the trailer I took it for a quick drive down to the shop to unload some parts and sort out some stuff. On the way back home I leaned on her a bit and ran it up through 4th. Definitely a fine running example. I can't wait to get things buttoned up to take her for a proper ride.