Sam Buchanan

Nick, money spent on professional finishing compound is worthwhile. Find a local auto paint jobber and get their suggestion. I've used a product called FinessIt, don't know if it is still available, may have been replaced by something even better. ALL the orange peel must be sanded off and then.....a lot of buffing. The proper pad is also important. The hood looks good, but there is still more gloss to be had. ?

The fuse in my headlight switch appears to be a SFE 30a (1/4" x 1 7/16"). The 30a AGC is shorter. My local NAPA store has them in stock.

That is the exactly the stupid idea I have been considering.....and suggested in post #5. ?

On a related note. Is there a "modern" replacement headlight switch that can be adapted to our original knob? The parking light step in my switch doesn't work and it may just be a matter of time before the headlight position gets flaky.

Thanks, Greg, I'll pull mine to check it and put a couple of spares in the glove box. But if the fuse blows, the replacement almost certainly will, too.....

No, just the lights go out. The ignition is wired hot with no fuse.....you can still hold a good flashlight out the window.......or get another motorist to fly formation with you....... ? I agree that having all lights on one fuse isn't the best arrangement, that is why I mentioned replacing it with a breaker. But a breaker will have to be mounted somewhere other than the switch and I assume in the line between the ammeter and switch. The other option is the addition of a fuse panel that breaks out individual lighting circuits through separate fuses. That involves major changes to the wiring architecture. But....if a breaker trips there is a problem that is best addressed with the AAA card...... ?

Nope, won't work. Here is the fuse in the P15 headlight switch. There is a glass fuse in the cylindrical holder.

Hmmm, gonna have to take a another look. Last time I looked it appeared the fuse was the same shape and size as a regular glass fuse, don't see how that rectangular fuse would fit the switch.

Ok....for those of us that have a headlight switch with a built-in fuse, what are our options? What kind of breaker (part number, application, current rating, etc) and where do we put it? In the lead between the ammeter and headlight switch? Then we put a slug or something in the switch fuse holder? Or maybe a box of slow-blow fuses in the glove compartment........what size fuses are used in the switch?

In that case you should be safe to assume the oil didn't come from the cylinder.

Seems that if there is enough raw oil in the combustion chamber to push past a loose spark plug that you would have severe plug fouling problems......

A cork float fuel cap gauge is common in some of the antique aircraft. I've purchased corks at the hardware store (Lowes the last time I needed them) and after they are sealed with a thin coat of tank sealant (in the olden days shellac was used) they will last several years. I see no reason why this wouldn't work with an automotive sender if someone was determined to save an old sender. The photo shows two corks working in tandem.

My comments were not directed at international shipping. Fortunately here in the USA we have USPS which offers inexpensive shipping with tracking for small parts. I use it frequently with high percentage of reliable results. If it is good enough for a major aircraft supply vendor it should be good enough for a smaller vendor shipping old car bits and pieces. ?

I guess what kinda hacks me off is Bernbaum insisting on shipping a small, light part UPS for $14 when it could be dropped into a padded envelope and shipped priority mail for $3. That is why I consider their shipping fees on small parts to be a "profit tax", it would add up to a huge margin over the course of a month's shipments. No doubt a good business plan for them, but frustrating on our end.

I don't want to vendor bash....but that inflated shipping charge is just a back-handed way to jack up the price of the product. Sorta insults my intelligence.....I've bought quite a bit of stuff from Berbaum but only as a last resort.

Nick, you won't be able to consistently shoot the new low-VOC paints without orange peel. But there is a remedy. Search YouTube and the internet for "cut and buff" or "color sand". You sand the color with very fine sandpaper until the orange peel is gone then machine buff to a high gloss. The new paints respond very nicely to this procedure, that is how the show-car finishes are done, even with clear coat. Here is an example of a back yard paint job with single-stage PPG Concept that has been sanded and buffed: Yes, when the chrome on the bumpers is shot you can paint them body color for the time being. It's been twelve years since I painted that car and the bumpers are still painted.

Now you tell me...... ? ?

That was my fall-back on the tank in my car. I've built aluminum aircraft fuel tanks from scratch, the P15 tank would be a simple build if original appearance isn't a priority. But a new replacement tank that looks like the old one was readily available so it was a no-brainer after I stuck a camera in the old tank and saw the alien life-forms inhabiting it..... ?

No, that was just the tank. I bought a new sender and hose coupling for the filler neck and reused the straps and hardware. Total was less than $475. Your $500 figure is in the ballpark if everything is included. If you buy a new tank pressure test it with a shop vac and soap bubbles....best to find any manufacturing defect before the tank is installed.

The actual cost of a new tank is much less than $500 if you take into account the cost of repairing an old tank. The ethanol-contaminated gasoline has changed the equation for new vs repaired. Ethanol is hygroscopic and that is challenging for old tanks. Some of us are biased toward frugality and that is just fine, I tend that direction myself. But the main lesson I learned with my P15 (my first really old vehicle) is that piecemeal repairs are a false economy. I started out trying to replace just the truly bad stuff but never achieved daily reliability until total replacement of brake, fuel and charging systems occurred. I now have a car that can be driven anywhere just as it was intended in 1948....and the money was well-spent. ? (My new tank was $345 from Vans Auto)

Keep in mind your tanks were 20 years newer than the old tanks in our cars now (and hadn't been exposed to ethanol)....lots of bad stuff can grow in a tank in twenty years especially if the car has been idle or the tank has old ethanol gas in it.

Is it worth $500 to know you will never have a fuel tank problem that could result in a flatbed ride home? ? Disclaimer: My P15 has a new tank, sender, lines, filter, and electric pump. One flatbed ride was enough for me......

Kurt, the power for the pump comes off the ignition switch. I put a 10a in-line fuse in the wire right at the switch. The wire penetrates the firewall where the wiring harness goes through then down to the frame rail and back to the pump which is located just forward of the rear axle. The other fuse you see in this photo is for the turn signals.

3/4" NPT. https://www.engineersedge.com/hardware/taper-pipe-threads.htm

The load carried by the tires determines how much pressure should be used. A light vehicle won't need as much pressure as a heavy one to provide the tire with proper contact area. The pressure stamped on the sidewall is what is needed for maximum load capacity of the tire which is also stamped on the sidewall. I had 205-50/15 radials on my kit car which had an empty weight of 1500 lbs. I ran 17 psi in the tires for proper contact patch even though "35 psi" was stamped on the sidewalls. My P15 runs with 24 psi in the bias ply tires. The car only weighs 3200 lbs, pumping up the tires to the same pressure (35 psi) as what would be needed for a 4500 lb car is not only unnecessary but unpleasant and may wear the crown of the tread. Hence the recommendation to chalk the tires.....use only as much pressure as needed for proper contact.....and save your achin' back. ?