Sam Buchanan

Nice score! I would not pull the head unless the flattie is begging for it. I agree with just driving it for awhile to find out the true condition of the engine, these engines are amazingly resilient even after sitting for many years. Decent compression...not smoking.....no bad rattles or smells.......DRIVE IT! Spend your time and $$$$'s on brakes....that'll keep you busy for awhile.

No regulator here, either on my Carter pump.

I've run into this with aviation plugs. Spec is for a plug to have less than 5K ohm resistance but I've found many plugs that show infinite resistance and still operate perfectly. This is a big deal since my Lycoming O-320 has eight plugs @ $35......each! Our old cars are a bargain..... ?

If we do much work at all on these old cars we'll have more invested than market value. But that doesn't bother me......

I have suggested battery and starter cables that are sized for our 6v systems in several threads. I think it would be helpful to avoid comparing apples to oranges. For sake of discussion, let's limit this 'debate' to the flathead engines with stock specs found in most of our old Mopars. Veering off into compression ratios, large displacements, etc is just a smoke screen when discussing large-gauge cables for our six volt, flattie systems. As Sniper mentioned, the need for larger gauge cables to accommodate the large current loads of our 6v starters is simply a matter of established physics. The only time I've suggested upgrading cables is when I've seen photos of 6v engine bays with wimpy little cables that are customarily used on 12v systems. If the starter, ignition components and battery are suspect those items must be brought back up to spec before larger cables will work to their full potential (pun intended...).

I'll get the popcorn popper going....

Lean over the left fender facing the left side of the engine.....12:00 will be at your....uh.......12:00 o'clock...... ?

Found it....from this thread: https://p15-d24.com/topic/54484-whats-the-best-driveshaft-repair/?tab=comments#comment-582634 Scroll down several post to where I broke out the components needed. ================================ Just for grins I ran searches for the parts listed in the invoice above. They are readily available and listed below are some (not necessarily the least expensive) of the links I found (in same order as listed on invoice): https://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-2-2-349.html https://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-5-1310X.html https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdh-2-3-8001kx?seid=srese1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0Jnjv8qK4wIVkp-fCh34jQYOEAQYASABEgIxHvD_BwE https://www.northerndrivetrain.com/product/SPI-2-28-437.html https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sdh-2-40-1521 $318.83 + tubing + labor The tubing should be a stock item at any driveshaft shop:

There was a thread a year or so ago (which I can't find) where I posted a shopping list for the parts needed to build a driveshaft for our cars that is a bolt-in replacement. The necessary adapters are available that bolt to the flanges on the transmission and diff, a seamless conversion. Seems the total cost was somewhere around $400.

Here is the 6v system in my '48 P-15. It spins as well as any older 12v vehicle I've had and has never failed to start. The key components are fresh, properly-sized battery, starter and ground cables, and the 6v alternator which keeps the battery hot all the time. Here is the vendor where I sourced the alternator: https://www.ebay.com/str/HowardEnt?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 It is internally regulated so one wire is all that needs to be connected, the old regulator gets tossed. Battery cables: https://www.batterycablesusa.com/1-0-gauge-battery-cables-0-awg.html Provided the starter and ignition is in good shape there is no reason why a 6v system shouldn't start your car reliably.

I'm not a moderator (at least on this forum) so I may be speaking out of turn....but posts like the one above really need to be in a separate thread. This thread is about Nick's car and shouldn't be hijacked with topics that don't apply to his project. Thanks.

The one on the right looks like the thermostat I removed from my '48 P-15.

I just replaced the thermostat in my P-15 218, the old one was stuck open. I bought the thermostat from Napa: https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/MRD55?partTypeName=Engine+Thermostat&keywordInput=thermostat In the box was a rubber seal that sealed the top of the stat against the housing and also a large brass adapter that made it fit on the head. This photo in the link above shows the brass piece attached to the thermostat. Without the brass piece the thermostat was definitely too small to fit the housing. I don't know if any of this applies to the Dodge 230 but maybe it helps in some way. The old thermostat was very different from this one, much taller and fit without any adapters.

My experience with this particular topic is way too shallow to offer any advice about wheels. However....for the benefit of readers who may be just beginning their journey with an old vehicle, what James is experiencing is often the case when changes are made to a car's original design. One change requires another, which requires some more stuff to be changed, then more complications ($$$$$$'s) arise and pretty soon things get complicated. Customization is certainly one of our options, but we often see new owners with big dreams who don't realize the cascading nature of going down the custom path. James, hope you get something figured out that is practical and affordable.

It is obvious we are a bit confused about which oil lines you are asking about. If you can specify which lines and what they are connected to the group can provide more specific info. If the lines you want to replace are hard lines that are in the original standard locations you can replace them with brake line. The only flex line firewall forward in my P-15 is the short hose near the rear of the block for the oil pressure gauge.

That is the path I took on the last two cars I "rescued". I'm sure that some folks would think I paid too much for my P-15, but its 30+ year old paint and interior saved me several times the purchase price over what it would have taken to bring a "project" up to the same level. Just paint and interior can easily run $25K, much more than our cars are worth on the market, and that doesn't include whatever mechanical work is needed. Here is how my P-15 looked when I bought it.....I feel very fortunate.

Yes, that is to protect the big wire in case the alternator shorted to ground (unlikely). You will like the alternator.....you will never be tempted to go back to the generator. ?

That's what I did when the spin-on bypass filter was installed. You can also see the flex hose for the oil pressure gauge.

Here is my alternator: This is the vendor I used, best price and excellent support: https://www.ebay.com/str/HowardEnt?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 The alternator is a single-wire device, internally regulated. The old regulator can be removed or remain in place as just a junction terminal (I threw my old regulator away and returned the new one that was DOA). This is a simple installation and the ammeter continues to work as designed. Your headlights will be brighter at idle and the battery will stay fully charged. No brainer. You can also see the correct gauge battery cables that are essential to making your starter work at full capacity. https://www.batterycablesusa.com/1-0-gauge-battery-cables-0-awg.html

If you can't reach a good resolution with your old genny and regulator, there are 6v, one-wire (no regulator) alternators available at a very reasonable price. Mine has been flawless and puts out 7.5v @ idle.

What a rubber brake hose looks like after succumbing to long-term attack by brake fluid:

Nick...I thought you had learned not to use your dad's jokes....... ?

Uhhhhh......you cut holes in it? At least that's what I did on the VW Beetle I restored.

We pay good money for wide-whites.....why would we want to cover them up? ?

If I was about to buy a new clutch disc, I would really want to know which vendor you were dealing with so I could take measures to prevent the same problem with my clutch. You aren't doing anyone any favors by not identifying the vendor...might even be setting the vendor up for more customer returns.