Kilgore47

The clutch on the P15 didn't feel right. It had stopped returning to the full up position all the time. So I got under the car and started looking around. The clutch was about to fail because of linkage wear. That oval in the end on the rod that goes to the throw out bearing fork is supposed to be a round hole. The pin is not supposed to have a notch in it. I'm sure I can find a pin at the hardware store but I'll have to weld up the oval in the rod and then drill it back out.

We have had hundred degree plus days for over a month now. Electric and water bills are up there. Still cheaper than a bar tab. In the northern areas people store their cars in the winter. Too cold (and salt). Here in east Texas I don't drive my P15 in the summer - too hot. At 6 pm it's still a hundred degrees or more. A small chance for rain this week and that could bring the temp down to 99. In the evenings when I water there is a hummingbird that flies into the mist to get a drink. Tried to get a picture but the bird is too small and it doesn't show up in the picture. Only a month or so to go and then it should start cooling down.

Many of the bolts on these blocks goes through to the cooling jacket. So it could be for a bracket. Don't know what yours are for. It's always a good idea to add thread sealant to avoid future coolant leaks.

Couldn't get the link to work. I destroyed one while replacing the boots on the 47 P15. And now the new boots are cracking. I'll probably replace the drive shaft with one that has modern U joints the next time I have to fool with it.

Take the relay you have apart to see if you can fix it. May just be a corroded contact that can be cleaned. As stated above - check the ground first.

I roll off the creeper onto my knees. Then it's easy to get up. Easier. A friend has a power recliner. It has a battery back up. If the power goes out it automatically goes back down. Real slow it's only a 9 volt battery. The chair you have may include that feature and just needs the battery.

Using the new welder I built a sit down creeper. Started with 20 foot sticks of steel and ended up with this. Don't think I made a good choice on the rubber wheels so I'll probably change those out for steel wheels. I used the lay down creeper I have and pictures from the internet as a guide. This was a cut to suit, beat to fit and paint to match project. The end lifts I have only get the car about four feet off the ground so this will make it easier to do lube jobs and other work under the car. All in it cost about 75 dollars to build. The upholstery guy in our group gave me the material to cover it. I used hinges from a door I replaced for the pivot points. The back lays down so it can be used for a lay down creeper and then the seat raises for a head rest. There are ones similar to this for sale but I decided to try building one. It was a fun project.

Many years back I went to a dealer to test drive a new car. The salesman kept trying to get me to punch it to see how powerful it was. Told him no thanks but he kept bugging me. So I punched it. Well the throttle stuck open and there was a red light ahead with cars stopped at it. Shifted the trans to neutral and got the car stopped in plenty of time. Turns out the dealer would flip the floor mats over so they wouldn't get dirty on the test drives. That allowed the floor mat to slide up over the gas pedal and hold it open. I knew what to do because of the experience with the junkers I had when I was a teenager. Had to be ready for failures on those old cars. The young salesman was a basket case after we stopped. Bet he never tried to get anyone to punch it again after that.

Been practicing with the new welder. Getting better. I think I'm getting better at grinding than welding. Gona make a run today to pick up more grinding and cutting wheels. Building a creeper now. I'll add pictures when it's further along.

I had the exhaust replaced on the 47 P15 about a year ago at a local muffler shop. Under 300 dollars for a manifold back installation. This shop also works on old cars. Looks like it came from the factory.

Thanks for the video. That gave me a good idea. Start with a hand truck. And just add to it. This is what I have now. I had to modify it to fit this welder. As you can see it doesn't look stable.

The main problem with this cart is that it is narrow. The welder is almost 40 pounds and with the tank on board it wants to tip over. If the wheels were further apart it would probably work better. And yes the chains do not hold the tank well at all. I'll come up with a better strap for that. I'll try a wider stance for the cart before I build another one.

I finally got a good welder. A Miller Multimatic 215. MIG/TIG and stick capable. With automatic settings and a gas purge. It's the new inverter technology and time will tell if that was a good choice. Got it from a local guy that does the service and warranty work on these machines in this area. I didn't get the TIG gun - Not sure I need that. So far I'm happy with it but I don't have much welding experience to compare it to. The first thing I welded on was the cheap welding cart I got from HF. Probably going to start from scratch and build a good cart. Today I'm going to start welding together a sit down creeper. Got the metal to build it at a local shop for about 30 dollars. More news latter about that.

Cannuck - You may not need to replace the bearings. The axle bearings on the P15 were changed because they were dry and rusted. Fell apart when I pulled the axles. And that fixed the rumbling noise. Seals are a good idea and fairly easy to replace. On another note - Newer cars I have worked on didn't have an inner seal on the axle. The oil in the rear end lubricates the axle bearings. Has anyone left the inner seal out on one of these old cars and did it work? That could eliminate a lubrication point that is often overlooked.

One of the projects a couple of years back while trying to get the 47 P15 back on the road was a complete brake job. When the rear drums came off everything was covered in grease. The PO told me they had done a brake job and I could tell that the shoes looked new. They must not have replaced the seals. When I see stuff like that I always say to myself "I can fix that". And I did. After new seals, bearings, cylinders and shoes everything looked and worked like new. Well - A couple of days back with the car in the air for another project I noticed a drop of oil on the floor under the left rear wheel. So I pulled the drum off and everything is covered in grease. The new seal must have failed. Pulled the other side off and the same thing. Covered in grease. Turns out I did the same thing the PO did. Didn't check the vent and it was plugged. It's clear now and new parts are on order. I can fix that - I think

Sent you an email

The 47 P15 has several broken clips that hold the hub caps on. So I leave the caps off while driving and then I put them on when I get to a show. Take them back off when I leave. New clips have been collected and I'll install them one day.

That's funny about the boat. I once put a good metal chair at the curb with a free sign on it. Sat there for a couple of days. Then I put a 10 dollar price tag on it and within a few hours someone stole it.

I would take them in a heartbeat, but I live in Texas also. I was thinking the same thing - collect the parts so I could give them to people as they need them. People have given me parts and I would like to do the same. I would be interested in paying the shipping to get them here if that's possible.

The part you should paint is the disc that is part of the speedo needle. Yes your speedo should have the prism. If you look close at the picture I attached above you can see the colors on the base of the needle. That's the part that should be painted.

The split fuel hose works. And I re routed the fuel line to get it away from the exhaust manifold. Hot starts are not a problem now. If I had known about the insulating sleeve that Sniper talked about I would have tried that first.

The white stuff is either glue or it's for balancing. It's in my speedo also. The color wheel is at the base of the needle. The deluxe had one color and the special deluxe had multiple colors. This is a picture of the 47 P15 speedo in pieces. Had to clean out the old dried grease. I got this one off the internet. The one that was in the car had a broken speed cup and needle. It's repairable but I couldn't find the parts.

One of the things I found on the 47 P15 was dirt dobber nests. Many of the honey comb openings were plugged with dirt. When replacing the water pump I removed the radiator and cleaned the dirt out of the honey combs. There was a lot of dirt. Used a light from behind to check that everything was clean. I lucked out with this car. One of the last things I did when I was looking at it was to remove the radiator cap and look inside. I saw clean clear green fluid. At that point I turned to the guy and said "I'll take it". Pretty sure the dirt was the main problem on this car. It was starting to get a little over 190. Now with a NOS 180 thermostat it runs 180 to 185.

WOW $9.85 was probably two or three days pay back then. If I see one of those I'll pick it up also. Fun display piece at cruise night.

The portable end lift I have and am getting have a large foot print. One of the largest. That's why I spent the extra cash for the Walker twin cylinder 7 ton machine. Much larger foot print than a two post lift. I would prefer a four post lift but there just isn't room. http://www.phjjacks.com/merchant/graphics/00000001/w-W93692.jpg