HotRodTractor

I've thought about adding a return line - it would certainly help with a vapor lock situation if nothing else. Also - a cooler in the return line is a must. I'm going to pull the engine and all the plugs this winter. Its not enough to cause issues, or to loose a noticeable amount of coolant. Plus I can slap some new paint on the engine as the paint that is on it is getting tired. I need to read Squirrel's thread - I have it marked, but haven't had a chance.

Slow down, speed up, it seems they always want the opposite of whatever you are doing at the time.

Yeah - The temp didn't bother me as much as the stumbling did. The GF was a bit freaked out that it was going to die and leave us stranded. I just made sure I was holding the RPMs up while sitting and and reving it up higher than needed while I slipped the clutch out leaving a light. Once moving and above say 1200 or 1500 RPMs it was happy. More CFMs on the electric fan was certainly something I was already thinking about. The cooling fan is already on at 180, so it never shut off while running down the interstate or once I got off. More flow while at low speeds or stopped at a light would definitely help though. The GF told me to slow down on the interstate..... so it goes fast enough.

Over 250 miles on the car this weekend. Over 15mpg on the trip up, I haven't filled up to figure out what the mileage was on the trip back. Cruised at 80 most of the way up and back on the interstate with some spirited spurts above that to get around traffic. I had what felt like some heat related issues on the way back hitting some stop lights just off the interstate after everything is thoroughly heat soaked. Just off idle with a load leaving a light lead to a fair bit of stumbling. Not sure if it was the gas I got in Ashland, or if it was just heat, or something else. We stopped and got some ice cream and let the car sit for a few minutes with the hood popped. The symptoms went away after that, but I was within 20 miles from home. It was very apparent the gas was expanding out of the carbs while stopped. They became wet around the float bowl gaskets and the smell was noticeable. I need to check the floats, and I need to prioritize my little thermal camera experiment as is, as well as with phenolic spacers. All in all - a fantastic trip - and the car really ran great overall, even with the minor off idle stumble once it was heat soaked. The GF's family thought it was cool. I feel I should clarify the heat soak term I am using - the car normally runs about 190F give or take a bit. After 45 minutes to an hour at 80mph, the temp slowly starts to climb, but then stops climbing at about 205. Jump off the interstate and immediately sit at a light and you'll see 210, but never higher. Oh - and I saw some coolant seepage at the base of one of the untouched freeze plugs while stopped. Its just enough to make it wet and see the green. The tank looks nearly full once the car cooled back down and I could take a look.

JB Weld eh? I was thinking some kind of sealer... but wasn't quite going to make the jump to JB Weld. Maybe I should. I was thinking of using a variant of green Loctite. I don't recall the number off the top of my head, but I spec'd it out for an application at work and it will seal a 0.015" gap if need be once cured. (It might be 680??? - I'd have to look it back up again to be sure)

OK - long story made short: I put a new freeze plug in and it still has a small coolant dribble right at the bottom - just enough to make the area under the plug damp after bouncing around town for an hour or so. I'm going to leave it until this winter when I can pull the engine and do it correctly out on a stand. It was actually kind of pain even on this "easy to access" location. Also: if you use brass plugs - the cast iron corrodes. If you use zinc plated plugs - the zinc corrodes, but not nearly as bad or as fast as they are much closer together in the galvanic series. I could give an exact ratio... but I'm mathed out for the week. I've got a road trip up I-71 tomorrow with the Plymouth. I'm hoping it doesn't rain too badly.... Going up to visit the GF's family.

I believe that to be correct without going through threads and pictures.

Flipping quickly through the books I have - I think 1957 was the first year power steering was optional equipment. I wouldn't swear to it, but its the first year I can find it listed as optional equipment ($112 too! ).

I feel like I just read somewhere that someone was sending Champion an old radiator to get the outlet made correctly. In any case the aluminum radiator works well in my P15 - I didn't install it, but I think it is a Champion. If I dig through Don's threads I'm sure the info is hiding in there (or his Photobucket).

Here is another vote for no aluminum. Go with Nickel Copper. Easy to cut and bend, and holds up a lot better.

This is the "correct way" if you go the OEM route.

"Correct wiring" with modifications can sometimes be a matter of opinion. Many things are wired as you describe from the OEM. I know my car is currently wired the same as you describe, but I honestly have never looked at how it was from the factory. To put it into a different perspective - on the truck side there is a mechanical lever that engages the starter motor - you can easily push that with your foot and turn the engine over without ever flipping the key on.

That's all in the eye of the beholder. You or I might call it inventory, but many/most other people would call it junk. Its only valuable when needed.

Click here for a direct link to the show flyer. Looks like a cool show to attend.

Horn wiring. Goes to the button in the center of your steering wheel.

Well I hope you all are happy. I had to go into storage to pull out some light reading. Just shy of 1400 pages of fun.

I hope he sells a ton of them at that price. That will make all my junk more valuable. lol

Its a tab at the top of the page - there is a ton of information in all of the categories. If you drill down through the DEPTCA section you'll come to this: http://dodgepilothouseclub.org/know/blueprints/index.htm

I'd have to look up the charts again, but I thought brass was more likely to corrode than zinc in this instance. Could be wrong and remembering incorrectly.

It sounds like you are having issues under load. Do you have good clean tank and lines? Are you getting a good supply of fuel to the carb under load?

I have dealt with corrosion issues before - specifically electrolytic corrosion like being discussed here..... so I did a little research. Apparently the plugs that I have purchased are zinc plated (we shall see when they show up). In the grand scheme of things - zinc is the least likely to corrode and the least likely to rust. Its probably the best choice all around.

I popped my freeze plug out yesterday - there was an inch plus of crude in the bottom of the block that blocked up most of the hole and completely block the drain petcock right beside the plug. I ran water through a garden hose until it came out clear and I think I got most of the crud out. Sadly - none of my local parts houses had 1-5/8" concave plugs of any kind. I ordered some off of Amazon since that was the quickest and cheapest that I found to hold me over until later this winter. During my ordeal I looked at a few other plugs and I found a couple that show signs of some corrosion right along the bottom. So I'm definitely pulling the engine and going to replace all of them this winter and freshen up the paint under the hood. It will also be a good time to clean up some of my wiring. It never made it into a loom before I started driving it. Does anyone have a good source for brass plugs?

I totally understand and respect that decision. For the record - I've put roughly 1500 miles on my P15, and much of that has been at highway speeds and in and around rush hour traffic. Disc brakes up front, Dodge Charger axle out back with drums and 3.55 gears, T5 5 speed transmission (for overdrive), 251ci engine out of a Desoto with dual carbs and dual exhaust. It starts up, it runs, drives, and performs well for daily driving activities. Runs straight down the interstate at 80mph if I want. I bought it to drive and enjoy and travel with. Since I have owned it less than a year and have been ironing out kinks in it (needed rewired, fuel pump issues, been sitting in a garage for some time), I think I'm doing pretty good so far. All anyone on this forum will want to do is help you make the best decisions for you. Those decisions might be different than someone else might make. All we can do is provide advice and explanations as to how we ourselves decided based on what we are doing. Good luck! I hope this brake job is quick and painless and you are enjoying your ride in short order!

Factory Parts look here: https://www.oldmoparts.com/parts-service-brakes.aspx If you want to go discs up front: http://rustyhope.com/site/ There are several different dual chamber master cylinders that have been adapted. I don't know if anyone has a "perfect" choice for that. There are of course other vendors for parts than those I gave you links to. I have the Rusty Hope setup on the front of my P15 with no issues - but I bought it that way, so I can't speak directly to specifics of the install (seems VERY straight forward, but I am pretty handy, so.... it depends on the skill level of the individual doing the work).

Nice ride! I've said a few times that I wouldn't mind having a Suburban in the stable. Where abouts are you in Southwestern Ohio? I go down 71 and 75 an pretty regular basis (I live just a bit north of Springfield on 70). Electric wipers were an option as well as some aftermarket pieces currently available(I think 12V only). I know i am going to be putting in an aftermarket unit in my 48 Plymouth because the vacuum wipers are terrible and I don't really want to deal with them.