Kilgore47

I looked back at my post and realized that it sounded like I got the NOS breaker plate from the local auto parts store. I did not - got that on line.

I got a set of points from one of our major suppliers and they are junk. Could probably build a better set with a hammer and screw driver. They really are that bad. So I went to one of the local auto parts stores and they got a set for me from Mexico. These are as close to original as I have found. Installed and working great. Also picked up a NOS breaker plate complete with points and condenser as another spare.

After I got the P15 I was trying to remove the front right wheel. Couldn't get those lugs to move. Got the impact out and tried that a couple of times. No go so I decided to stop before I broke something and thinking that those lugs were rusted in place. Figured I would deal with that later and removed the wheel by taking the axle nut off. A few days later I remembered about left hand lugs. Some time in the past history of this car someone switched the axels and drums around. The left hand lugs are on the right and the right hand lugs are on the left.

Vacuum leak? It seams low. If you have a PCV set up the PCV could be sticking. Vacuum wipers? Pull the hose to the wipers and plug the hole and see what happens. Do the same with the vacuum advance. Do the old spray carb cleaner at the base of the carb trick and see if that makes a difference. A carb cleaning couldn't hurt. While you're at it blow back through the fuel like to clear the pick up in the tank.

I haven't run out of gas since I was a teenager. Fumes were my friend back then. Having only 50 cents for gas back then was often the case - but that was two gallons. I have actually been trying to run the tank down so I could install the new one and not have to siphon too much gas out of the old one. Guess I achieved my goal the hard way. The point is that a fellow old car person stopped right away and that was cool. Guess this will be new tank week. I don't like working under the car but some things need to be done. I can get the car about four feet off the ground with the end jacks and I built a sit down creeper to make the job easier. Next big one will be rebuilding the pumpkin. Then the under car stuff should be good for a while.

I took the dog to the vet yesterday in the P15. On the way back home the car started sputtering about a mile from the house. At first I thought it might be the points again. But I pulled the choke and it started running again. Oh no - I'm out of gas. Was able to get to within about two blocks from the house and it died. The choke wasn't helping any more. As traffic started backing up behind me a guy in an old square body chevy pulled up beside me and asked if I needed help. What good timing - I told him yes and asked if he could push me out of the way with his truck. After the cars behind me went around he pulled behind the P15 and the bumpers matched up. These old cars were made to do that. So off we went. He pushed me back to the shop where I had 5 gallons of gas. His truck was a survivor like my car so a new scratch or two didn't matter. I have a new tank and sending unit in the shop ready to install- guess it's time to do that.

I can only tell you how the generator on the P15 was set up when I got it. There is not a rod that goes all the way through. There are separate nuts and bolts on each end.

I know it's going to happen every year but it still amazes me how hot it gets this time of year. Last year I lost a couple of evergreens because of the heat. This year most of the elderberries are brown. They should come back from the roots when it cools down. When I took this picture it was almost 5pm. The weather station was reading 112 but by the time I got the camara on the phone going it had cooled off to 111. Ha - cooled off. Only another 5 or so weeks to go before it starts cooling down. Good thing is that before I retired I replaced the 20 year old HVAC system with a new more efficient system. Even in this heat it's still cycling all day. The old system would come on at about 10am and not cycle until about 9pm. I had it checked and it had plenty of juice in it - It was just old and couldn't keep up.

And check the vent on the rear end housing. Make sure it is not plugged.

There is an inner and an outer seal on these. Replace both. While you have everything apart it would be a good time to inspect the brakes. Cylinder rebuild kits are not very expensive. Inspect them and rebuild if needed. Auto parts stores keep these parts on hand. Take one of the old rubber parts with you and they can match the size. If the cylinders are too pitted then you may need to replace them. With the cost and quality of reproduced cylinders now it may be better to take the old ones to a machine shop and have them sleaved with stainless steal. Then you never have to worry about that again.

If you found burnt wires at the distributor then the cap is damaged and should be replaced. Pushing the wires back in will help but it will not fix the problem. Those two cylinders are probably mis firing. That's a third of your power.

When I first got the P15 I used double 12 volt cables to get things going. It worked but the engine still turned over slow. Re wired the car and fixed all the grounds and got a set of 00 cables - still turned over slow. I finally got a really expensive battery with a zillion cold cranking amps (6v Optima with 1000 CCA). Turns over fast now.

Well I made it to the lake and back with no problem. The new visor didn't rattle at all even with some serious wind gusts from oncoming traffic. I was also able to adjust the prism in one of the small towns I go through. This town is so small it has only one four-way stop with overhead flashing lights. No one else was around so I was able to sit there for a minute and adjust the prism. This is the end of my Fulton visor post.

I tried to adjust the prism in town a couple of days ago. Didn't have much luck. It may end up being more for show. When I was looking for a visor I found one that had small louvers to be able to see the lights. It was the only one I saw like that. My first thought was that the louvers probably wouldn't be in the right spot and they would most likely function as a dear whistle when driving. So I didn't get that one.

Tomorrow I will give the new visor a road test. Heading over to the lake Tyler marina to meet with some of the people I used to work with for brunch. Can't believe how old those people are?‍??. I'll be zooming through the back roads at speeds up to 60 MPH. The visor seams really sturdy. Four bolts on each side through the drip rail. I used small stainless bolts in place of the self tapping screws that came with the kit. Two brackets in the center. The center is the part that I'll watch the closest. No red lights on this route so I won't be able to test the prism on the dash. More news tomorrow

The spring feels good. I was surprised at how strong it is. The spring is a separate part. I put it together for the picture. I remember the first time I got a set of points with the separate spring when I was a teenager. Took a while for my young mind to figure that one out.

The spare set of "Made In Mexico" points that I ordered came in. It appears that they do have the phenolic material for the rubbing block. The pivot point does have a plastic isolator but it is snug. Time will tell if that holds up. The junk set of points I got had a plastic rubbing block and the pivot point was really sloppy.

You shouldn't feel a tingle when moving the distributor. Could be a cracked cap or bad wires. Check to make sure the plug wires are pushed all the way down onto the cap. When I got the P15 the plug wires were just barley into the holes. This caused arching and the cap was destroyed. The previous owner said they couldn't keep it running. After I went through the ignition system I couldn't believe they got it to start.

This is one of the old cars I had with a visor. Not a Mopar. I'm the one on the right. My friend and his future wife wanted to use the car in their wedding. I polished on that car for a week before the ceremony. We had a lot of fun that day. I wore a drivers hat and drove them around town. This was the late 80's in Rockport Texas.

The P15 stopped running. Knew it was the points - the last time I fooled with the points I just filed them and put them back. I had used too much grease on the distributor cam and fouled them. So I pulled out the new set that I got from one of our main suppliers and looked close at them. There was no way I was going to use that cheep off shore junk. So I went to one of the local auto supply stores. They had, on the shelf a set of points that were made in Mexico. They looked really good. Infinitely better that the junk points I had. The made in Mexico points are installed and working great. So I ordered another set to keep on hand. Guess I'll keep the junky set for an emergency but I'll file the old set first to get the car running.

I did get one of those prisms so I can see traffic lights. I have had other old cars with a Fulton visor so I know what driving with one is like. The first time I took it out of the shop into the hot Texas sun it was like being under a shade tree. I like it - and all my friends like it. It adds a huge cool factor to the car. I admit that when I first took it out of the box I was surprised at how wide it was. And how much wind resistance it would have - but this is a run around town and cruise the back roads car. Not for zooming down the interstate at 80 with overhead signs. I have modern cars for that. This visor came with two center brackets and it seams solid. Time will tell. I had no idea that these visors were first used at Bonneville - does that mean that I have a race car now. Sixty mile an hour speedster. I live in a small town and know the back roads - that way I avoid most of the lights. And when I travel to one of the near by small towns I take back roads. I wouldn't even consider taking one of these old cars to a big city like Dallas or Houston. Get someone to help you. It's not that heavy but it's bulky. Use tape to minimize paint scratches. I ended up installing the end brackets on the drip rail first and then installed the main visor. To me it was easier that way. The installation instructions were minimal. Remove from box and install?. My main question was where to install the brackets. I finally found an article that said to place the bottom of the bracket 10 3/4" from the bottom of the drip rail. That worked out on my car. Fully assemble the visor and test fit it. Then take it back apart to paint it.

Finally got around to installing the Fulton visor I picked up a while back. Getting it painted was the biggest hold up. There is an auto parts store in town that does a good job matching existing colors. Got a pint and three rattle cans made up. I tried one of the rattle cans on one of the inside surfaces. Didn't come out that good. My neighbor is the paint and body guy of our group so I got him to paint it for me. Not perfect but it matches the rest of the old survivor. After it was installed it was time for a drive. Half way out of the shop it died. Points again. Drove it back into the shop with the started. I know that's not good but I didn't have anyone to help me. Today I'll pull the distributor, install new points and go for a drive. Some people don't like the look of these visors but I think it adds a major cool factor to the car. One down side is that I won't be able to take it to the drive through car wash now.

I'm sure there are people on this site that learned how to work on old cars the way I did. In the back yard on the grass. Mostly dirt - the grass didn't grow in that area. We used logs that we hadn't split yet to support the car and make sure it wouldn't fall on us. Always make sure the car CAN NOT fall on you. We did most of our work with a hammer a screw driver and a pair of pliers. We did have a few sockets - the ones we hadn't lost yet. Dad wasn't too happy with us about loosing his tools. But we always got the job done. Sometimes it took more than once to get it correct. It took longer and it was a little frustrating at times not having all the tools we needed. The point is - keep working on the car when you can and keep asking questions. Your questions will always be answered here.

I have used everything from long thin needle nose to a long thin screwdriver to a pick. But the best tool is again an old screwdriver. File or grind a small C clip wire size slot in the end of the blade close to one side. Use this small notch to press down on and move the clip into position. Don't press too hard - you don't want to deform the clip. Have the clip under one or two of the notches for the clip before trying this method.

I have rebuilt hundreds of carbs. Never used a special tool to remove a jet. I just modify an old screw driver to fit the slot on the jet. Minor grinding or filing is required to fit the hole and slot. You want the blade to be as wide as possible so that it catches both sides of the jet and it should be thick enough to fill the slot on the jet. Never damaged one using this method. I have had to remove many jets that other people have ruined and that usually requires drilling. And after you are done you can still use the screw driver as a regular screw driver. A pawn shop is a good source for old screw drivers if you don't want to modify the tools you have.