Loren

My 52 has spent the last 30 years sleeping in dry storage. The worst thing I will deal with is dust and rodents. I'd call it a Barn Find except it was never lost. The Suburban was ahead of its time, a Sport Utility Vehicle before the term was thought of. Cars seem to be going away with the utility of SUV types and Pickups. In Europe hatchbacks like the SAAB 99 then 900 then 9000 became very popular because they could be used for so many purposes. The problem with the American market was that we saw hatchbacks thru the lens of the Pinto and Vega....cheap econoboxes. While the SAAB 9000 made up 50% of their sales in Europe it never got more than 5% here because no American would pay that high a price for a hatchback/econobox. The Plymouth Suburban is an enduring design and style. The combination of round front end and squired off rear end just works, form following function. Woodies are elegant and extravagant but not as practical as an all metal Suburban. The Suburban was the first all metal station wagon and it made a market for itself, like the minivan generations later it set a standard that others followed. Of all of KT Keller's new post war cars (1949-54) I like the Suburban the best. Its time has come again.

I am not a fan of disc brakes. I do not feel the change is worth the effort and expense. You have to ask yourself what purpose is served by doing this? If you want better brakes why not up grade to Chrysler or DeSoto 12 inch brakes? They use exactly the same hydraulic parts and since they are exactly the same design, you are not re-engineering the car. A Chrysler Windsor weights 600 lbs more and since it was a premium car it started off with better brakes than a Plymouth. Take time to read the posts on this site and you will see the issues folks have had with this swap. Then ask yourself are you adding value to your car or taking away value? Be honest with yourself on this question, because to some folks a dead stock car has more value than one that's been modified. Nobody knows how successful your modification is or where to get replacement parts. Take a wheel off a Plymouth that has 12 inch Chrysler brakes and you know what you have. Everything fits and works as the factory intended. I ask myself all the time, "Do I really think I can engineer the car better than Chrysler did?" The answer has always been no. My opinion is totally old school and it is just that, my opinion. It's your car do what you want but most of all have fun.

I have a 52 but doesn't have turn signals, so I have very low experience with this specific car. I did have a 64 IH Travelall which had a Mopar steering column. The switch for this column if you could find one was in the $400 to 500 range. I finally broke down and replaced it with an accessory Signal-Stat switch that I got from Snyders Antique Auto, a Ford Model A & T supplier. The cost was $80 and it worked very well indeed, except for the fact it didn't self cancel. (you can get cheap Chinese copies for $29 or even less if your okay with that) The IH problem was plastic switch parts that could not be replaced. Your switch should be all metal. The contacts could be corroded which is a solvable problem. My first thing to look at would be the flasher unit. They wear out or get fussy. Since they are cheap I'd change it just to be safe before tearing into your wiring & switch. Also remember the only thing you know about a new part vs an old known good part, is that the new one came in a box. I've had bad electrical parts sold to me many times before. Usually they give you another part and put the one you returned back on the shelf! Also having the right bulbs in place is pretty important. The flasher unit uses the current draw to trigger the on/off action, thus LED lamps don't draw enough current to make the system work. Some even come with huge resisters to supply the load needed and sometimes that isn't enough. Turn signals are pretty clever they way they work and they don't work the way you might think they do. I still sit down with a diagram when just changing the flasher doesn't work.

Honestly I don't know, that's kind of why I was asking. I've kept my Plymouth parts hoard to strictly 49-54, so I don't know if stuff fits from later years. I don't know why it wouldn't.

My question would be, Can you transfer the innards to the 53 transmission case? Or more likely moving the Overdrive to the 53 transmission. I have a 52 Overdrive transmission I am thinking of replacing the cluster and the 2nd gear from a 1940. This lowers 2nd gear for a little speedier take off, which I may need as I have a 3.54 rear end gear. I know a lot folks with 1949-54 Plymouths will pass up 1955 and later Overdrives because the linkage is different or the input shaft is wrong. If I can put a 1940 2nd gear in a 52 why not mix and match other parts?

Somebody grabbed up the New Britain puller on eBay I mentioned. Below is a photo of mine, just so you know what to look for. One thing I've noticed is that a puller has to have heft to work. I am not sure you need 5 lug bolts but you do need heft. There can be no springiness to it. When you tighten it, it should be solid. When I tighten mine by hand and strike the hammer bar things move, they don't just tighten up. I've used flimsy pullers and you just end up beating on them till you're worn out with no result. This puller sends a message! Oh and you need the Engineer's hammer too.

Before I'd spend $230 on a single 10 inch brake drum I'd spend $250 on a complete set of Chrysler Windsor 12 inch brakes...which I did. You will need the drums, backing plates and front spindles. Then you'll have an all Mopar brake system that will rival disc brakes (without the hassle) and stop pretty damn good. All the hydraulic pieces interchange with Plymouth so there's no engineering involved. I recommend you order your parts in two orders. I ordered mine from a well known supplier and they called me back to make sure I really wanted 12 inch shoes which I affirmed...then they sent me 10 inch shoes. Steve @ (559) 352-1407 is where I got my used parts and he may well have more and certainly will have 10 inch Plymouth brakes. Also before you change rear ends consider the stock rear axle can accommodate ratios from 4.3, 4.1, 3.9, 3.73, 3.54 to 3.36. For my money I just changed the 3rd member...easy-pezzy. If you hop up the engine to the point you are breaking the 8 1/4 axle (which would be a great achievement!) you can always upgrade to a Mopar 8 3/4 axle which is the same design (only larger) and highly respected among hot rodders. BTW on eBay right now is the tool you will need to remove the rear drums its called a New Britain #109 Hub Puller used for $80. I have one just like it and I think it's the best!

I went into the archives and found this letter announcing the "New Overdrive" for Plymouths.

Okay it looks like you got everything but the relay and throttle switch. 1955 Plymouths are 6 volt. There are reproduction relays which are 6 or 12 volt. All the switches and governors can be used with either. Looks like you'll need a rear seal. Take the old one to NAPA and get a modern seal. If your old transmission's e-brake parts will fit I'd just transfer them. PM me your email address and I'll send you a manual file you can print and you'll know as much as anyone.

The quickest easiest way to tell from the outside if an engine has a gear drive cam or a chain drive cam is which direction the distributor turns. In fact all you need to do is find plug wire #1 and then the next cylinder in the firing order. Which side of #1 its on will tell you the direction the distributor turns without getting your hands dirty. I'd look it up right now but I'd might wake up the dog and that would not be good.

I've seen so many variations in Plymouth tailshaft length that I always assume the driveshaft will need work. My 52 Suburban transmission had a very short tailshift and the Overdrive transmission I got for it was from a 52 Suburban as well, came with the driveshaft. Better to be warned unnecessarily than to be surprised later on. Also its a good opportunity to upgrade the U-joints to Spicer type with a slip joint at one end. When you do that the shop usually just makes you a new driveshaft.

$700 is a good price. I paid $1,100 for mine. It had been rebuilt with a new 12 volt solenoid, a new 12 volt relay and a drive shaft. There are several sources for wiring diagrams and service manuals, some free. Do not take the short cut of an on/off switch. Your risking the destruction of a rare and expensive item. (don't ask me how I know) The R10 Borg-Warner Overdrive is designed to be Automatic and it works very nicely that way. If you think your car has charm now, just wait! The operation works like this: When you're in second or above and the Governor (a type of speed sensor) says its okay (the trigger speed is adjustable but don't worry about that) lifting the throttle slightly will allow the relay to interrupt the ignition (you'll never feel it) and activate the solenoid which shifts into Overdrive. It takes a little practice to activate in second gear and a certain type of road condition but high gear is easy and you won't even need to think about it. On the highway when you hit a hill which requires full throttle the throttle position will trigger a switch which shifts the Overdrive back into direct drive giving you power to pass or get up the hill without slowing. Once you crest the hill lift throttle and you're back in Overdrive. Of all the cars that had Overdrives available to them, I think the Plymouth benefitted the most. Because Chrysler waited until May of 1952 to offer them, they are kind of rare. I really don't know why that is as the Chrysler engineers had plenty of experience with Underdrives in their semi-automatic transmissions. Properly installed and functioning correctly an Overdrive will really improve your car. I once owned an International Travelall with a B-W T86 3 speed transmission and Overdrive which worked very well. I absolutely loved its operation! Plymouths are not race cars, they were meant to be sensible transportation and the Overdrive makes them even more sensible and pleasant to drive. To install the transmission you will need a shorter driveshaft. That is not really as big a deal as you'd think. Every city I've lived in has a shop which specializes in driveshaft repair and modification. Talk to them before doing any engineering on your own. Next be sure the parking brake is in good shape and adjusted correctly. You will need to be religious about its use! You can't just leave the car in gear when you park it...it will roll. The electrical hook up is very simple if you have the right relay and switch. Plymouth used a switch on the carburetor. If you don't have the bracket they are easy to make and certainly not worth what some people think they are. ( I've seen as high as $250 for a tiny piece of angle with three holes drilled in it! ) A lot of cars used a switch which came up thru the floor to the bottom of the throttle. I've had both and prefer the stock Plymouth set up. When I needed a switch I bought one from a guy on eBay who supplied them for Studebaker owners. Studebaker used a carburetor switch while Ford used a floor switch. The Carburetor switches are much smaller so they will fit and that's the identifier. I can not stress this enough, install the Overdrive as designed with throttle switch and relay. The cable control to lockout the Overdrive is optional only because not having it will not destroy the Overdrive. Its for push starts and parking on hills with an "iffy" parking brake. Once you've used one that's properly set up you'll never consider anything less.

This is one of those "Did you know?" posts. The oil cross over tube from the oil pump to the galley is a 7/16" tube. Did you know this is a size nobody makes fittings for? Of course when the engineers worked on the flathead 6 engines that was not even a consideration. The Dodge Brothers machine shop built parts for a lot of car manufacturers and delivered complete running chassis to Ford until 1914. They could (and did) build just about anything the designers wanted and did even special parts like they were everyday. The engine I am working on was a bare short block. The oil pump, cross over tube and some other things simply weren't there. I could buy a surprising amount of this stuff NOS. Vintage Power Wagons supplied the NOS Oil Pan, NOS Pick Up Tube and used Pick Up Screen assembly. A Cross Over Tube had to be made. 3/8" and 1/2" fittings are commonly available. 1/2" won't fit inside the pan so 3/8" it is. Because the 3/8 tube is smaller than the 7/16, I wanted to make sure the bends were perfect large radius with no kinks or flat places to restrict the flow. Steel tube from the hydraulic shop was used because it has a nice heavy wall and no seam. You can bend a tube perfectly by filling it with a low temperature melting metal such as "Cerro Bend Alloy" which is a brand name for "Woods Metal". Woods metal is made of Bismuth, Lead, Tin and Cadmium which melts at 158 f degrees. Because of the Lead and Cadmium it is considered toxic however unless you work with it all day every day your exposure level is minimal. I heated up a mini Pepsi can with a propane touch and poured it into the 3/8 tube, then let it cool. As Cerro Bend cools it expands and makes a tight fit to the tube. When it was room temperature I proceeded with my bender. Since you are now bending a rod as apposed to a tube it's not easy. You should lube the bender and have a vice handy. Once bent and trimmed I put the work piece in a pan of water and brought it to a boil. The Cerro Bend was coming out in little metal balls before the water boiled. A few taps to make sure it was all out and it was ready to put the final double flare on the tube. It was easy to do and solved the problem I had with the reverse turning oil pump. Here's some photos.

Just a wild guess I'd say it's a 23 inch engine (Plymouth/Dodge). The reason I say that is because I don't believe Offenhauser made manifolds for a 25 inch Chrysler/DeSoto.

The delay was because they were worried about messing things up. There was much handwringing but no action. Since you brought it up I suppose I should tell you how I got the gear off. I put the cam in my press and applied just a little pressure, then applied plenty of heat from an acetylene torch. Once it was good and hot I applied more pressure and it came right off very easily. To put it back together I left the cam in my freezer overnight. I set up the press with a bearing separator fitted to the number 1 cam bearing and heated the gear. When it was good and hot I fitted it over the snout of the cam and it went half way on. The I pressed it the rest of the way with minimal effort. To tell what rotation cam you have remember the 4 strokes of the engine. Exhaust always leads Intake. Auto engines run clockwise looking at the front of the car. Even a VW turns clockwise when you open the engine cover to look at the engine. (That's why Subaru engines are swapped into Vanagons). A chain driven cam turns the same as the crankshaft and a gear driven cam turns counterclockwise. So looking at the cam front the gear/sprocket end you will see the direction of rotation by the exhaust lobe. There are some engines that have gear or chain drive such as Ford V6 which was made both ways (the later versions were chain). To grind a gear driven cam with a chain drive master, you just turn the master around in the machine. In the photos you will see the stainless steel wire used to hold the thrust plate in place.

I finally got the cam back! Some back ground: an IND 33 is basically a forklift engine. It has a gear driven cam instead of a chain driven cam. The reason is to drive the hydraulic pump for the forklift equipment off the top of the cam gear. I had a WWll vintage Clark Carloader that had a Continental engine that was the same configuration. One of the nice things about gear driven cams is that there is no chain to get sloppy. There are some costs however. The cam rotates backwards so you need an oil pump with a different gear. The fuel pump eccentric is at the rear of the cam (because of the position of the hydraulic pump) so you either use the IND 33 block or go with an electric pump. If you ever wondered why the oil pump has two ports then a cross over tube to the other side of the block this is why. If the cam turns backwards then the oil pump does too. So the inlet becomes the outlet and so on. All they had to do is screw in the tube to the right port. The cam gear is a shrink fit in stead of a bolt on. So you chill the cam and heat the gear and in theory they should press together easy. That technology kept my cam from being ground for months...til I asked for it back. Here's some photos to show what I am talking about.

Remember the old (it was current then) joke about bumper jacks? "On a $1,500 car you always get a $1.75 bumper jack, why is that? Because they ran out of the $1.50 ones."

There's an outfit in San Diego which re-molds steering wheels. They peal off the old plastic and stick the wire frame in a mold they made and pour in new plastic. They are noted for the two color wheels of the 1950s. Also clear sections. I have no idea what their services cost and certainly a nice used one will be cheaper but....what price beauty? In the mean time I would imagine almost any Mopar wheel of the same era will fit. You could fill the missing parts with epoxy then sand and repaint. That's what most repair service guys do.

My bad I didn't read fine print only the headline. However, I stand by my statements on brake hoses (which as you point out can work both directions, although I've only seen the pressure side) and push rod adjustment. To isolate the issue, while the car is on the lift, open one of the bleeders. If the rear wheels turn you'll know. I'd then remove the rear hose and have a close look at it. As I recall on this car there are other hoses between the master cylinder and the rear brakes, anyone of them can be the cause using the same logic. I am not too familiar with remote boosters but that's the next place I'd look.

A de-lamination of a brake hose is caused by a pinhole in the inner liner. The liner fills with fluid and the harder you press on the pedal the harder it resists. That gives the sensation of no brakes. The brake dragging issue is caused by a mis-adjusted push rod to the Master Cylinder. I can't tell you how many I've replaced without even checking, I am embarrassed to say. It's an easy-peezy fix. Looking into the reservoir, push down on the pedal. When you release it you should see a gush of fluid coming from the second hole in the bottom. That's the relief port. If not then loosen the adjustment on the push rod until you do. That pressure has been known to persist for days, so no hurry. Of course there's a section of the shop manual showing the proper brake adjustment and stages of pedal engagement.

The Plymouth manifold is much smaller (shorter and the ports are much smaller). The flanges are the same shape but again are smaller because of the smaller ports. The Chrysler ports are just under 1 1/2 inch. Plymouth is not even close. I have an Edmunds 2x1 manifold for a Plymouth and an Offenhauser that I don't need. What I am using is a 2x1 manifold for a Chevy 216. The outboard ports have to be moved 1/4 inch closer together and you need to make flanges to fit. Then adaptors for the two barrel carbs I am going to use. I've seen 2x1 Edmunds manifolds for Chrysler 8 on eBay but not lately. I seem to recall there was a factory two barrel manifold for the 8 cylinder early on but they dropped them and made adaptors to retrofit singles.

Since it seems to be story time: Back in the mid 1960s a 49-54 Plymouth was considered a "Transportation Car" and you could buy a nice one for about $150. My Dad's partner in a Beer Bar favored them and had just washed his before going on a date. After completing the task he went in for a shower and shave. When he came out the car was gone! Looking around he hear a commotion down the street, so he went to investigate. There was his clean Plymouth upside down in the middle of the street. Within a day or two he had another one and was very careful about setting the hand brake from them on. In college I decided I needed a spare car. I was racing my SAAB 96 in autocross and it was getting temperamental from time to time. (I'd shear the key in the countershaft for 1st & 2nd and I'd only have 3rd & 4th) So I bought a 49 Special Deluxe two door. Once I was out with a friend and we chatted for an hour or so in front of their dorm. At mid night they got out and I fired up the Plymouth for the trip home. Drove about 3/4 of a mile on a foggy night when something went radically wrong! The car lost power and stopped suddenly in the middle of the street. As I sat there behind the wheel trying to figure it out I noticed tendrils of smoke coming up through the floor boards between me the the dashboard. I tried the starter and the engine fired right up and ran as sweetly as ever, til I let the clutch out. It died without even making the car shutter. Star Trek was popular then and one of the storylines was about the Enterprise being caught in a "Tractor Beam." "Get us outta here Scotty!" "Captan she's givin us all she's got!" I laughed at myself as I rolled the window down. The fog was just below the level of the street light hung over the center of the road and it made a spooky kind of glow but gave no indication of any aliens. Nothing above me so it must be below me. My first thought was about an old movie about little creatures from Mars that tunneled under the ground then coming up to grab unsuspecting people with Octopus like tentacles. Another nervous laugh and a deep breath for courage and I opened the door. I leaned over and I could see orange light under the car. I slammed the door, took another deep breath. Then decided to face my fate head on. I opened the door and leaned way over to find the source of the orange light. There in the darkness under the car was that damn brake band glowing a bright orange! I sat back up feeling like the stupid 20 year old kid I was. I turned the key and released the parking brake and drove home feeling very embarrassed at how far I let my imagination wander. I resolved to watch less TV and study more. You can be sure it never happened again.

I haven't tried this but on another forum it was suggested to degrease the engine and dry it real good then get some Talcum powder and sprinkle it where you think it might be leaking. It will lead you right to the source. Talcum powder turns dark in the presence of wetness. I was tasked once to find an oil leak on a brand new car once. I did not want to invest a whole lot of time on the job as it was a flat rate warrantee job. So without taking one thing apart I took a half can of Freon I had left over from another job and flooded the crank case with the gas. Then I went over the engine with a leak detector. Bingo! On this engine there's a gable plate behind the flywheel, it holds the flywheel seal and provides a passage to drain the oil from the cylinder head. During assembly they forgot (?) to install the gasket between the plate and the block. I had the service manager check my methodology and got approval for the repair. What could have taken forever to find was identified correctly without taking one part off. I got paid for my labor (if not my brilliance. lol) and the customer got his car back the same day.

My thoughts on oil consumption. If you think oil consumption is only for old cars think again! The manufacturers experimented with "Low Pressure Piston Rings" thinking they could squeeze more gas mileage out of their cars. The result is cars burning a quart of oil every 600 to 800 miles! Of course the 49 you have had a recommended oil change interval of 1,000 miles. Once way back in the 1950s as a little kid I was sitting on my bike on the sidewalk and a cloud of black smoke came down the street. When it got directly in front of me it stopped and a man emerged from the cloud. Just as it started moving again I got a glimpse of a car under the smoke cloud. Being a car fanatic at that young age I identified it as a 49 or 50 Ford. It was making so much smoke that I couldn't tell it was even a car till that moment! In spite of being able to identify the brand, the cloud closed up so fast I couldn't tell if it was a four door or a two door! No telling what the oil consumption of that Ford was but I'll bet it wasn't as good as your's! lol Looking back on that incident I wonder why the thing didn't burst into flame.

Yes! It was very gratifying to see it work! There is one just like it on eBay right now but it's set up for Fords with only two legs and a ring thingy to engage the drum. So they are out there. I saw at least three Snap-On Blue Point hub pullers which looked like they could do the job but they are PRICEY because of the name. Blue Point is the brand name for stuff that Snap-On buys but does not make. The Engineer's Hammer in the photo is the minimum for this kind of puller. You need 3 or 4 lbs head with the longer handle otherwise you're just playing with it. You have to send it a message! I will never change the rear end in my Plymouth to something else, because I now have the right tools for the job!