Sam Buchanan

Have to wonder if your friend has more or less retired from active control of the business and the billing was generated by someone else......

Hmm....interesting point. I looked at the schematic for the P15 then went out to the car for a reality check. The dome light on my car is protected by the fuse on the headlight switch. But thanks for the heads-up, glad I checked.

There are places on the harness in my P15 where the cloth was worn away but if the original tape in the harness was opened up an inch or so the insulation was in very good condition since it hadn't been exposed to the elements and heat. I used a crimped butt splice to replace the frayed section of wire and install a new crimped connector. I want to stress that I use a ratcheting crimper, not the cheap crimpers you see in auto parts stores. The ratcheting crimper is far superior since it guarantees a complete crimp each time and isn't dependent on the grip strength of the installer. I've used this type of crimper on many automotive and aviation projects with superb results. Here is the disaster I found behind the dash of the TR6 which was the aftermath of a huge hack job by a previous owner....note the multiple electrical tape "splices". Ughhhhh.... Here it is after sorting the harness, bundling common circuits with heat shrink tubing and replacing the taped splices with crimped butt splices. Much better. There is a lot that can be done to rejuvenate the harnesses on our old Mopars if good wiring practices are followed. Stripping everything out and replacing it is not always necessary. The terminal block in the front of the P15 where the lights and horn wires connect was a corroded and frayed mess. Here is the new terminal block with the frayed wires trimmed back, heat sleeving added as needed and new connectors installed. Good for another 70 years.

While the tranny jacks and adapters are great tools it is possible to scratch build a cradle that will make it easier to manage the tranny. Below is the really crude and ugly cradle I use for jacking the non-OD trans in my P-15. Prior to removing the transmission I moved the floor jack under the trans and used whatever scraps of lumber was necessary to fit the contours of the housing so it would balance on the jack. Yep...it looks dreadful but actually works quite well. And of course the guide pins, in this case flats were ground so a small wrench could be used.

Nope, not hot enough for a fire threat.......looks like this is an area of expertise with which you are not familiar.............

Who said anything about an open flame??? I use a low-power electric heat gun for heat shrinking, the same one I used to apply shrink covering on R/C aircraft. I HATE electrical tape....a sure sign of an amateurs' wiring repair. (In a previous life I built/inspected wiring harnesses for military contracts)

Some judicious application of heat shrink tubing and new terminals can go a long way toward squeezing some more years out of the old harness. But the important thing is to INSPECT it and fix the places where insulation is missing and terminals are corroded. No need to condemn the existing wiring until you are fully informed of its condition.

Nope, a household test light won't work. A multimeter will do the trick, pick up one at Harbor Freight or Walmart for $10. Yep....you are waaay overdue for buying the manual.....

There will be members with Dodges replying soon but I can offer some thoughts. Do not pull the dash.......that is hunting quail with a bazooka...... The switch on the floor is the headlight dimmer switch. If your car is like my '48 Plymouth the starter switch is the button on the left end of the dash. You REALLY need a service manual (and also a 6v test light) with a wiring schematic, otherwise you are making this harder than necessary. With a test light and schematic you start at the battery and start tracing the wiring through the starter and ignition circuits. This will give you the opportunity to check for damaged wires and connections and also gain knowledge of how your car is wired.

Same here. My P15 is very happy with whatever that stuff is that comes out of the pump when you press the '87' button. I don't use any additives, either.

Here is the spin-on bypass system I installed on my P15: https://p15-d24.com/topic/50622-installing-a-spin-on-bypass-oil-filter-photos/?tab=comments#comment-537063

He has, see post in mid-thread.

Yep, the alternator will solve a bunch of problems....good move. ?

I installed a leather cover from Wheelskins on my TR6 and am very pleased with the fit and quality. Their website has instructions for how to custom order a cover that will fit our narrow wheels. I had to custom order the cover for the TR6 and it fit perfectly. Highly recommended. https://wheelskins.com/ As mentioned in the post before this one your wheel can be repaired. Here is the wheel in my P15 after I restored it with JB Weld and Rustoleum Pro paint:

I connected mine to the low beams at the dimmer. Makes a great low beam indicator and isn’t distracting when using high beams.

But hey......the shipping is free! ? I would probably be looking at a way to force a NPT barbed fitting into the old tank fitting and seal it with JB Weld (or retap the old fitting?) so I could use a piece of rubber fuel hose to tie the tank into the rest of the plumbing.

That is cool. ?

I've used collector car insurance for 17 years in order to avoid the very unfortunate situation described in this thread. If the policy doesn't implicitly specify coverages then they don't exist. I've never had a collector car insurance carrier ask for odometer confirmation at time of policy renewal. Just sayin'...........

From a historical perspective the people appear to have Asian features. This being a Southern Pacific railroad I wonder if these were Japanese-Americans being transplanted to the internment camps in the western states. A sad chapter in our history......

I've found high-quality crimp connections to be reliable in several automotive and aircraft projects. The key is to use the proper tool and excellent connectors. The cheap crimpers are a definite no-no, the only good option is a ratcheting crimper such as this one: https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-Ratcheting-Crimper-10-22/dp/B07WMB61J5 The connectors need to have the ability to crimp around the insulation as well as the conductor to provide strain relief. Here is one example that includes a heat shrink strain relief:

Many of you have made long trips in your old Mopars but Memorial Day was the first time I've taken the P15 outside our local county. It was a beautiful late spring day and perfect for pointing the old car north on US 31 for the ninety-mile trip to Franklin, TN to visit the grand-daughter and family. US 31 was the primary route for traveling between Nashville and Birmingham before the creation of I-65. The highway passes a quarter mile from my house and I was able to drive it all the way to Franklin without ever leaving the old road. The highway passes through wonderful valleys and gaps as it winds its way through the Tennessee hills and cuts through the historic downtowns of Pulaski and Columbia. The old car was perfectly behaved and proved to be a most comfortable ride. The bias-ply tires tend to follow irregularities in the pavement so more attention is needed than with a modern car. But 55 mph was perfect and the water temp stayed at 170F even when pulling some significant grades through gaps in the foothills. Here we are arriving in Franklin: And of course, here is the future driver of the P15:

This may be stating the obvious.....but you do have a service manual, right? You might try putting the brake drum back on the axle, start the nut a few threads, then use the drum as a slide hammer.

The Optima is AGM battery technology, very different from the flooded lead acid batteries. Is the old Mopar regulator compatible with this type of battery?

Instead of messing around with bandaid "repairs", just install the speedi sleeve and new seal and be done with it. I left the lip on the sleeve that I installed on the crankshaft hub, didn't see any need to remove it and possible damage the sleeve. The sleeve is readily available, easy to install and is a final solution. No brainer.

Congratulations Nick! You have accomplished something that very few young people attempt and have formed memories with your dad that you will cherish for the rest of your life. Yep, 55-60 mph is the sweet spot for these cars and the stock brakes are pretty much maxed out in modern traffic at that speed as well. Be safe and enjoy.....you earned it! ?