Sam Buchanan

The spring in a seal goes toward the oil/grease.

Here is my thread on installing leather boots:
 
https://p15-d24.com/topic/59682-installing-leather-u-joint-boots/
 
The boots are available here:
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1946-1947-1948-PLYMOUTH-P15-U-JOINT-LEATHER-COVER-MOPAR-SPECIAL-DELUXE-CHRYCO/182964254211?hash=item2a9984f603:g:XO4AAOSwWCBax6DG
 
The boots have over a thousand miles on them and look great.

The washer and spacer are separate pieces. In your case they may have become corroded and stuck together. You might try removing the lower mount so you can get a vice grip on the spacer so you can work it loose.
 
 

Bob, I have Coker H78-15 bias ply on my '48 P15 which is oversize compared to the original tires. However the speedometer is spot on so the diameter must be very close to original. The tires work fine at 26-28 psi, these large tires would probably be happy with less pressure but lower pressure would require a bit more effort when parking.

Your tranny is lying on its right side so that makes it a little harder to explain. Below is my tranny right-side-up, the hole you are referencing is upper right in my photo and is for the top shift rail. It doesn't need a plug because it is above the level of the oil in the tranny. The hole being pointed to in my photo is for the counter shaft which is a press fit in the case. But it can wear and allow leakage if not sealed. That may or may not be a problem in your case.
 
There is a paper gasket between the tranny and bellhousing, see bottom photo.
 
 
 

 
 

Carefully read the section in your Repair Manual on linkage adjustment and follow the procedure. If engagement has been getting progressively worse the transmission mounts may be degrading......or shot.

Congrats on your new ride!
 
Shop manual:
 
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=10593676&cc=1486757&pt=10335&jsn=404&_nck=Ekt6BqBF1pwlXdx0gYlm1esw98pF26vehMm%2FGG3C%2Fl2QOXSJubi7WSpUmUSdg3OxWOs2f5z9h422EONy36O0PjCuaadDqI1r86y%2FvJ1lBqxeBNhI9mMX8H1x0fHFzmF%2BF%2BfJVJLRM%2FPOzb2h9mGwtOklgC7qGdsUwYYJkbMC5HSTqqj9r6dqkkEPp62vDQ%2Bj2YXQZ2rhmyqI4yy2JFS7HrlFvubsR2lAELFgt%2B0f71xpDDIRtui42KjEVgxLqY9HJqAD0FJEAONYacHuYQbtKA5GOT1w6OHQ%2FhdpEUARvUf7otZn0rToHZr0DKEZE%2FpMRlqn0vrSg75V1%2Bxpnox75%2BkOtoL1Oz9gSZ9YqMYZuNN1cHYxvPEhx%2FT86FStvFsG

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.
 

No.

Yes, if the 6v battery has enough juice to fire the coil.
 
Connect the ground of the 12v jump battery to the engine block, turn on the ignition switch, and touch the positive jumper to JUST the terminal of the starter that has the big cable. That will provide 12v to the starter but not the rest of the vehicle. The starter will spin the correct direction regardless of polarity. As soon the the engine catches, remove the positive jumper from the starter.
 
I have jumper cables in my tool bag in the trunk of the P15. 

You really need to get a shop manual for your car......... 
 
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=10593924&cc=1486874&pt=10335&jsn=379
 
But in the meantime (amazing what you can find in a shop manual):
 

When your truck was new it was positive ground. Since the ground cable is now connected to the - terminal of the battery it is now negative ground.
 
The wire on the coil that goes to the distributor should be connected to the (-) terminal of the coil, and the ammeter should be wired so you see a positive indication when the battery is charging. If those are not the case reverse the wires.
 
That's it. Carry on. 
 
P.S. My originally positive ground '48 Plymouth is very happy being negative ground after the above changes were made.

12-24 is #12. Zinc plated steel will be less likely to be damaged by a screwdriver than softer stainless.

The answer to your question is in this thread:
 
https://p15-d24.com/topic/55364-o-ring-for-oil-pan-gasket/#comment-593626
 
That link was posted in a recent thread that will also be of interest to you:
 
https://p15-d24.com/topic/60009-oil-pan-gasket/

Me thinks this is a solution in search of a problem..........
 
These old cars ran for decades without a coolant recovery system.

Your service manual will have the transmission and final drive ratios for your car. If it is the cousin of the P15 that I have third gear is 1:1 and the rear end has a 3.91 ratio. Only other thing you need is to measure the diameter of the tires and rpm can be calculated for any speed.
 
As a datapoint, in my P15 (no overdrive) 2548rpm is 55mph, 2780 rpm is 60mph and 78mph would be 3614 rpm which is where rated power is achieved (but that isn't a recommended cruise speed!).

Remove the distributor cap and try moving the rotor laterally. Most likely you will feel some play as you move the shaft side-to-side. Worn bushings on the shaft will allow the timing to wander. Timing jumping one degree probably isn't enough to worry about, when it starts wandering several degrees it's time for a distributor rebuild.

https://p15-d24.com/topic/51306-new-dash-light-bulbs-bright/
 
Looks like the bulbs are still available.
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Plymouth-1946-1947-1948-extra-bright-tail-light-bulb-63-replacement-6-volt-63/161410757417?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Update:
 
I forwarded the above message to AB and received a reply from Chris within an hour. Apologies were offered for the tardy service and explanations given (I won't go into that). AB sent me a credit statement that indicates the bankcard credit should be forthcoming. I will consider this matter closed provided the credit appears on my bankcard account in a timely manner.
 
Andy Bernbaum has been a reliable vendor for me for four years and I assume that will continue to be the case. I appreciate their prompt attention to this matter today, just wish it hadn't been necessary to follow-up several weeks after the fact.
 
Update: Credit has been received, case closed.

Just to close the loop on this thread--the P15 ran nicely without a vacuum advance but I decided to install a new one since that is how the distributor was designed. I purchased a rebuilt advance from Bernbaum and even though I don't have numbers to support my observation (placebo effect?), the engine does seem to have a bit better midrange response. I didn't change the 10* BTDC static timing. The light throttle lean condition that started this thread is now gone.

Yes.
 
I didn't realize the high tension wire was a part of this discussion, I thought it was a given that it went from the coil to the distributor. Also, "to ground the points" is a misnomer since the points are grounded via the mechanical attachment of the distributor to the engine block. When the points close, they connect the coil to ground. When they open an impulse is released from the coil through the high tension cable to the distributor cap and to the plugs via the rotor.
 
Yes, a gross simplification, but maybe this is helpful.....

Leak is fixed...so far. Still have a small drip out or off the flywheel belly pan, but the flywheel was clean when I removed it and the rear seal looked dry. The little rubber seals on the bearing cap may be passing some oil.

Just to close the loop, the frame is on the bench masked and ready for paint. The trick for an easy removal from the door is to pop out the front half of the frame followed by the rear half. For some reason I couldn't get it to work the other way, maybe the vent spring wasn't clearing if it didn't come out first. Anyway....problem solved.

Listening to the video, the engine sounds good from the passenger (valves) side. But when the camera moves to the driver's side a distinct knock is present. I think valve train noise would be more noticeable on the passenger side, not the driver side. I suspect there is something to do with crank/rods/pistons that is causing the deep knock that I hear on the left side of the engine.

That looks a lot like the brake tool I designed.....   ?
 
Here is a thread about how to use the tool:
 
https://p15-d24.com/topic/50182-brake-adjustment-tool-updated/