Sam Buchanan

This is outstanding advice and difficult to accept for those who think they can transform a rough project car into a reliable driver. Returning a rough car to good roadworthiness will ALWAYS cost far more than anticipated. The onion just has more layers than we expect.......Just the price of paint and interior can be overwhelming and that doesn't include whatever mechanical work is needed. It is better to buy a nice car (an older restoration is ideal) for a price less than what the restorer has invested, let them take the financial hit. This is the most economical path if a "daily driver" that looks nice is desired. Like the old Fram oil filter commercial....."You can pay me now or pay me later"!

Oil smells like smoldering money.........

I suspect these old engines always used a small amount of oil, they are pretty "loose". Mine leaks more than it uses! ? I appreciate your desire to make the engine last as long as possible but your compression numbers indicate an engine that is in pretty good health. Driving it regularly is probably the best medicine you can give it.

So what is the problem?? ? Sounds like a longer exhaust pipe will be the solution.

We may be comparing apples to oranges. The paint I purchased had the reducer already in the paint, it is advertised as "ready to spray, no reducer needed" after the gloss hardener is added. I am familiar with automotive paints and the various temp reducers, have used them on several automotive and aviation projects. No, I didn't read the data sheet on Summit's paint, I assumed it was similar to the system I used since the pricing is similar.....wrong assumption apparently.

From the listing: They mix at a 4:1 ratio, so when a gallon of paint is mixed with our activator (sold separately), you get a full 5 qts. of usable paint. Activator is also referred to as gloss hardener. But the reducer is already in the paint and you don't know whether it is slow, medium or fast reducer and the best temp for application.

The automotive urethane finishes (they are more than just paint....) are now stupid expensive everywhere! I think everyone has pretty much adopted CA's VOC requirements.

That's the same type system I used. Comes with gloss hardener that mixes 1 to 4 and the paint already has the reducer in it. Automotive paints allow you to customize the reducer.

Yep, a garage fire would be much worse than just losing the car......... I've enjoyed the TR6, nearly everything on it has been repaired or replaced......typical for what is needed to keep an old, cheaply-made British car running as it should. But I always have a grin after a drive over the backroads. The '48 Plymouth is light years ahead of the TR6 in materials, engineering and build quality!

I think Nason makes nearly all these "inexpensive" paints such as Summit, Eastwood, etc. It was ok but didn't flow out like the high-$$$$ paint. The Restoration Shop paint I used was a little under $100 for a quart kit. These paints come premixed with reducer so you don't know how "hot" is the reducer. I think the reducer in my paint may have been a little too fast for my spraying conditions. These kits just don't give an experienced painter the same control as real automotive paint.

Also get familiar with the data sheet for the epoxy primer. Most have strict mixing requirements and need to have top coat applied within a limited window of time so it will crosslink with the topcoat. That is why we need to use a complete system so all components are compatible and can offer advertised durability. I used some "cheaper" poly enamel (Eastwood, etc) for a job this summer and it definitely doesn't offer the same finish quality as the PPG Concept I have used for several projects over the past two decades. But the PPG product's prices have gone from very high to breathtaking! Multiple hundreds of dollars for a gallon.........

Except for the locking relay your system is similar to the master contactor (relay) we use in aviation. Your implementation is pretty clever. However.....it seems to me the greatest risk of electrical fire is when the vehicle is in operation and while the battery cutoff may inhibit a fire once it starts if you turn off the ignition it won't prevent the short from occurring. But if your installation gives you confidence that a fire won't start undetected it has value for you.

"Daily Driver" is commonly defined (especially by insurance carriers) as the vehicle that is your primary, "daily" mode of transportation for work, pleasure, or traveling. I have three vintage cars that are in excellent mechanical condition, I can confidently drive them anywhere with an expectation of reliable service. However, insurance carriers that cater to vintage vehicle WILL NOT offer coverage for a daily driver, and we must have a true daily driver on a conventional policy before they will insure our vintage cars, and the vintage policy has mileage limits for each covered vehicle. So, my old cars are most definitely not daily drivers. Being vintage means they do not have the creature comforts, safety and ease of repair that a modern vehicle possesses. Know what concerns me most about daily driving my old cars? Collision damage. It is true insurance would either repair (or total) any of these vehicles but how long would my P15 be in a body shop waiting for replacement fenders, doors, glass, frame/suspension, etc even if they can be found? Weeks, months, a year, two years???? Most likely the insurance carrier would just cut a check to get rid of the hassle, and then I would be out of a vehicle if it was my "daily driver". That is...if I was fortunate to survive a collision in a car with NO safety features...... ? Bingster, my heart goes out to you and your wife for the very challenging situation you face. Most likely some day you will wake up each morning in a world you don't recognize and the sense of being lost will be overwhelming. I've been there, I lost my dear life companion nearly three years ago, the emptiness can't be described. But she loved riding in the P15, I'm so thankful we shared those experiences. Stay strong, brother.

Epoxy primer.

Useful info added to above post: Moore’s is located in Rapid City, SD Here is a link that works: http://mooresautosalvage.com/

The reason the Redline oils such at MT90 and MTF work so well is because they provide MORE drag than the modern GL oils. Sounds like Redline might be an excellent choice in the very old transmissions. It sure cured the crunchies in my P15.

Yes so the rear crankshaft bearing cap can be removed to provide clearance to insert the bolts.

Can you grind down the edges of the "mushroom" so the pedals can be reassembled on the cylinder? Be very careful with this, the pin is extremely safety critical!

I had to smile at this comment. After months of working on your car with the intentions of being very frugal with expenses you have finally arrived at the fork in the road that all of us eventually reach if we decide we want an old car that functions well. Old cars are more expensive to renovate and maintain than we imagined when we began the journey. At some point we decide to spend whatever is necessary to make the car functional and our earlier intentions of frugality fade into futility. Welcome to the club! ?

Our old cars spent a huge part of their life on dirt/gravel roads back in the day. The felt seal probably isn't as big a factor these days.

Two is probably fine, I get a bit OCD sometimes. But nothing wrong with using three pins, whatever you need to get the job done.

Just cut off the one you have. ?

The three holes in my photo are the only ones that work on my P15. The bottom left hole has so little clearance that tightening the nut can be tedious, not enough room to use a pin.

The coil will function either way but the correct hookup is per the above posts.

Modify the pin lengths to get them to fit. Here is what I use for my P15. Flats are ground on the ends so you can use a wrench to insert/remove the pins. I do this job single-handed mostly from inside the car. Here is the very crude cradle I made out of scrap so the tranny can be strapped to the floor jack. The various pieces are assembled so the trans will balance on the jack in spite of the irregular shape of the housing. The bolts are removed, guide pins inserted, tranny strapped to the cradle, then the transmission is carefully slide backwards keeping everything straight so the input shaft doesn't damage the clutch disk. Once clear, the jack is lowered and the trans pulled out from under the car. Installation is the reverse of removal. You need jack stands with which you can trust your life. Here are mine, they are tall enough for the transmission job.