DonaldSmith

Having troubles with the download - would have to add some app. (HVEC Video Extension - is it safe?)

Fuel pump test? 12 pulses, 8 fluid ounces. I remember a humorous record, where God instructs Noah on how to build the Ark. So many cubits wide, so many cubits long. After the detailed instructions, Noah asks, "What's a cubit?" I'm asking "What's a pulse?" Ok, the fuel pump works off the camshaft. One revolution per two crankshaft revolutions. I did the test. counting fan hub revolutions, 24 revolutions, about 4 ounces. But how many crankshaft revolutions per fan hub? I did a second test, watching the gas as it came out of the hose. I could see pulses, about one per three starter grunts. 12 pulses, only 4 ounces. So, is my mechanical fuel pump faulty, or I did the tests wrong?

Adam, you may be right. (Wah!) So, I can live with my occasionally loping engine till it gets worse, buy another Pertronix module to get me through for a while, put the points parts back in the dizzy, or do that slant 6 mod/GM HEI module. Popping in another module may show that the first module was at fault, and will give me time to chart a better course. I'll have to sit back and think about it - and pop another Dew. (There i go, deflecting the thread again.)

It seems normal for vibrating equipment such as cars to have lock washers to keep the nuts from backing off. And star washers have worked well for me, since we do have less than pristine surfaces, and low voltage to contend with. For me, star washers cut it.

Here's my fuel pump shield: The front end is secured by a manifold stud and nut.

Adam: "A few of the Pertronix I have tossed acted similar to your symptoms and I've tossed plenty of them.... Junk." How long have you had your experiences with Pertronix ignitions? Has it been the module that fails, or the coil too? Is the module good out of the box, and eventually fails, or hit-and-miss? (Like the capacitor crap shoot for the breaker-type ignitions?

I'm trying to figure out how to plumb my fuel line for a test. Either I need a coupling for a hose, to extend to a container for my 12 pulses for 8 ounces, or to add a tee for my vacuum/pressure gauge. Stay tuned.

I had some lead-based paint that I brushed on. And then some quilted stuff. Here's a before photo. What's that batten stuff stuck to the underside of the roof? Is that from the same mystery roll one of the the guys found in his trunk?

Can't get too many grounds. And I use star washers at the bolts and screws. The washers bite through the paint, rust and crud.

When I see a thread, I have to look at the date of the first posting. Otherwise I'll get into it, and sometimes get a useful response to mind, and then find that I myself posted the useful response, maybe a few years ago. With this one, I was thinking, what's Keith up to now, and find out he was up to it a few years ago. I don't have the problem with the posting tools thread, since the great Don Coatney of fond memory has passed on. God rest his soul, and all the other ones of fond memory.

The older version of Mountain Dew: O, they call it that good ol' Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew, And them that refuse it are few, mighty, mighty few. I'll shut up my mug if you fill up my jug, With that good ol'' good ol' Mountain Dew.-

So what's the horizontal rod going back toward the cowl? Is the throttle linkage behind the block, from the left-side driver position to the right side carb? On my 47, the throttle linkage goes to the top of the block and then over to the carb. Inquiring minds need to now.

No points. Pertronix. There is still a ground wire from the breaker plate to the shell. Maybe Pertronix needs the ground. I'll check that wire. Does the Pertronix get screwy? Anyone having problems with Pertronix? I've heard of failures, but that may have to do with not having a resistor in the semi-auto transmission circuit. (I pace myself with the Mountain Dew - one can in the morning, and one can in the afternoon. Usually.)

Send me a PM with your e-mail address. I have a 6-chapter Word document, documenting my PS saga. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go 12-voltand electric gear. I would still have to modify the steering column.

How does one install a crankshaft hub on 48 DeSoto? - very carefully. (I'll go sit in the corner now, with Andy D)

There are companies that sell wire looms for these cars - the guys will chirp in with some names and experiences. Being cheap, I made my own wire loom. I bought wire of different colors and gauges from the local hardware/lumber yard. (Low voltage wire - not rated for higher voltages; stranded wire, for flexing, vs solid wire.) For gauges, I matched the existing gauges or went a little thicker. Get the wiring diagram for your car. That will show the colors and what goes where. You might want a quick disconnect for the battery cables. Don't leave the battery connected when you are not working on it, until you have confidence that there are no bare wires lurking. I have had good luck with the battery disconnects, They also serve as handy handles when I'm lifting the battery. (I keep a coating of anti-oxidant on the mating surfaces. )

The throttle cable pulls up a link to the carburetor throttle, but also works a bellcrank to push a link to something heading back to the cowl. What could that be? Accelerator pedal linkage for right-hand drive? Oz?

That wiring looks BAD!

It looks like some sort of sound-absorbent batten. Maybe it comes in a big roll, and when it gets near the end, the Briggs Body guy just stashes the remainder in some available hiding spot, rather than disposing of it outside the car.

Thanks, greg g, for the fuel flow test procedure. I have a remote starter with optional ignition switch, so I can crank the engine while holding a receptacle at the end of the fuel line. Better yet, secure the receptacle, to avoid clumsy episodes. 12 pulses, 8 or more ounces. got it. I don't suspect the fuel pump is causing the loping, but I want to rule it out anyway. (I do have the stalling at speed problem, which will get into investigating the condition of the tank, for possible sediment blocking. I already replaced the fuel filter "in front of" (on the inlet side of) the electric fuel pump. As I understand it, the main purpose of that filter is to protect the electric fuel pump.)

Spark test: I put a neon test light in series with each spark plug, and noted even firing, even when the engine would lope. That would seem to rule out ignition problems. Choke: Functioning normally. Closed when cranking, partially open when the manifold is cold, opens fully as the manifold heats up. If I push it full open, the engine idles a little faster. Fuel pump test? The manual says to "insert a tee in the line at the carburetor and connect a pressure gauge... reading ... between 3-1/2 and 5 lbs ... remain constant ... drop slowly ..." OK, it doesn't say crank the engine with ignition off, or run the engine. Does it matter? I would crank it with ignition off. Challenge: Fit a tee in a line with flared tubing. (I could cobble something.) I have heard of another test, where the fuel line pours into a container, and there should be a certain volume pumped out in so many seconds. (This would be cranking with the ignition off, of course.) Comments on what would make sense? And I still have Keithb7's checklist of things to took for, and other odd things that could affect a smooth idle. This is all while I'm not feeling so hot. Chronic back problems. Now the foot arch. Facial nerves mimicking a toothache. But the weather is getting better, and I can do a little at a time. Frequently I have to take what the family calls my "Wert Gunnell" breaks. Wert was an old mechanic that lived next door to my friend Jimmy and treated him as a son. My dad hired Wert to do a valve job on a tractor, and I went along as the go-fer. Wert would wrench for twenty minutes or so, and then take a twenty-minute break, while he did justice to a cold beer. I was the anxious get-it-done kid, and I didn't understand the pause. Now I understand the pause, but with a Mountain Dew instead of a brewski.

Back in the year two-thousand-aught-seven (2007) I brought my Superheterodyne Automobile Radio back to life. One valuable source, which is still out there, is Nostalgia Air. Radio Daze was a source for parts and info. I found I had a Colonial Radio Corp 671, Mopar 602, and got the manufacturer's wiring diagram. The information probably is still out there somewhere. I cleaned the points off the vibrator by running current through it, in series with a 60-watt light bulb. That brought the vibrator back to life. A bought a condenser kit from some source, and replaced the capacitors. (The soldering was not the neatest, but did the job.) I replaced the speaker with something the kids left at home. The radio hummed and came to life! I ran around the house, arms waving, shouting for joy. These days I turn the radio on, it hums loudly, and then voices come on from the local AM station. That's good enough for show.

I'll check the choke. Lots of little pieces to move around and wind up in the wrong place. I'll check the spark. I'll check the manifold heat control vavle. (Is that something like the disgronificator?) I do have the time to go over everything. Things are looking brighter. Thanks, guys.

In the illustration, notice the two sets of louvers on the top of the radio case. These let in the rain that gets past the cowl vent. You might want some flashing above the louvers, to deflect the rain.

I love the forum. I love showing off the car, but I can't keep it running right. We are signed up for the National DeSoto Club Convention in Chatham, Ontario, in July, but I'm having trouble getting the car to run right, and I have fears of the car misbehaving and having to be flat-bedded home, if it even makes it to the convention. The car starts. It runs rough for a few minutes - lup lup lup. Then it smooths out and runs sweet. I take it for a drive. Randomly, it decides to lup lup again, and it's all I can do to goose it and keep it running. (Hint: this is when it is in idle mode.) Something loose, that changes things? After sixty-some years of trying to keep cars running, I still don't have a handle on diagnostic procedures. One year of experience, sixty times over. Put a neon thing in line with a plug wire, to see if the ignition falters? Pull the plugs to see if one cylinder might have intermittent valve problems? At least I'll be doing something, "Ruling out" this or that. The vacuum gauge usually runs at 18 or so. When the engine lups, it drops to 14. But no wild fluctuations. Maybe you guys can advise a diagnostic procedure. Or maybe it's just got to be the disgronificator.