Happy 46R

Good to finally meet you. Looking forward to a joint cruise with your 48 and mine hitting those Saskatchewan roadways.

So here is an update to the above post. Last Thursday I headed out to complete an 1100 mile round trip in my 46 in 4 days. Not fast driving just long stints behind the wheel. First I have to say the car ran exceptionally well. Thursday was very hot, 31 C or 87 F, and my temp gauge went from the 160 standard to 175 but never climbed higher. I do not have the speedometer synchronized to the smaller wheels she came with but my calculations were that 65 to 70 on the speedometer gave me 55 miles per on the road. About 1/2 the trip was 4 lane divided highway and the rest was two lane undivided. Maximum speeds went from 100 to 110 KMH (60 to 70 MPH) Like mentioned above "head on a swivel and no distractions." Having never taken a long trip before preparation was key and from there it was sticking to the plan. The hardest part was in the bigger centers where signage wasn't always the best or only provided short notice. Regular stops along the way and a couple extra ones to check on folks who had broken down. Will I do another big trip like that again, probably. Will I do it alone again, probably not. Also a big Shout Out to Saskwatch who spent a few hours on the road himself to come down and see my car when I was driving in his neck of the woods. Good luck with your project! The best art of the whole trip for me was some new possibilities like those below. Safe driving everyone.

Thanks everyone for the perspective. I am a driver of an original and not inclined to change things to modern. My problem is that 5 months of the year the car is parked due to winter conditions and I don't want to risk damaging my coupe. That means during the summer I take every opportunity to drive, to the store, to a car event or to the Provincial capital 75 Kms, that 46 miles away. Easy 55 mph and play it safe with extra distance, hand & mechanical signals, pulling over and making sure I know where I am going before I get into trouble trying to find a turn or off ramp. I think the most fun is when I am at a car show or club event and I invite someone to sit in the car and they experience the feel of the old stuffed seats that I enjoy during my drive. Yep it is a different world out there in an old car but I wouldn't change it for anything.

Unfortunately my acquisition isn't quite as nice as yours but I will document it's dissection and rebuild carefully. Thank you everyone for your feedback. Dave

Thanks Sniper quick response. I measured the block and it is 25" so more detective work required. I am guessing that would make it the 218 ci? Would you think the US numbering system and the Canadian system would be that different? Dave

This is probably more for the Canadian followers but today I picked up an engine to use as a spare if needed. This engine will need some grooming I am sure and would only be used as a back up if needed. It is a 25" block and according to the seller came from a 1947 Plymouth convertible that is currently being rodded! The interesting information for this engine is the serial # begins with a T112- which is totally different than my 46 Dodge which begins with the qualifier D and then the model # 25C. Does anyone have any literature on engine numbers for 40's Plymouths that indicate a letter prefix of T? Also of interest was a tin medallion that was riveted to the side of the block. It shows a rebuild in Winnipeg Manitoba with a .30 overbore on the cylinders but nothing to the mains or rods. Has anyone got any information on these tags or who to contact to chase the numbers on it. I am just curious about the history of my back up engine before exploring all of its parts and pieces. Thanks Dave

Love your car by the way. Really great eye turner I am sure! Your trunk and mine are the same configuration with that little rise at the back for the differential housing and then the 6" channel that nothing fits in behind the back seat. As mine is a daily driver and not a show car I made a wooden platform that rests on the housing bump and is supported by legs on each side parallel to the spare tire recess. The platform is about 10" high, is contoured to cover the majority of the floor space and holds my first aid kit, tool box and two lawn chairs under the platform. It allows for suitcases or what not on the top. I cut a 6" hole in the platform and set my fire extinguisher in that so it is always handy and never covered by other stuff. Because mine is a dry chemical ABC type I shake it monthly to keep the retardant loose and not compacted. Sorry I don't have a picture. Dave

Last year I was inquiring about the same thing and forum input said that a Wix 15480 was the proper size gasket for the filter housing that I have which looks a lot like the one pictured above. I ordered one last week along with my Wix 51080 filter and am expecting both today or tomorrow at the local auto parts store. Will update once I have them in hand.

As predicted, sitting at computer watching the snow come down while enjoying morning tea. Up to 3" predicted in local broadcast area so might be more than a couple of weeks in the garage. That said, I was able to put 100 miles on the car yesterday in bright sunshine and + temperatures. Take it when I can get it. Hope everyone has a first ride as good as mine was this year. Dave

We had a cold finish to the winter in north central Alberta and lots of snow. Thankfully over the last few days it has warmed up and dried off the primary roads but not necessarily the County roads or Gravel Roads. Couldn't resist the temptation today to run 10 or 12 miles to check out the success of the winter repairs. Now more snow tomorrow so back to the garage for a couple of weeks.

I use both the heat shield on the fuel pump and a heat shield on the after market fuel filter that was added just before the carburetor. I have had one issue of vapor lock and the outside temp was 32 degrees Celsius and the car had been driven for about 2 hours at less than 30 mph (caravan) and then let sit for about an hour. As mentioned as soon as I started to crank the engine and it didn't want to catch. Foot to the floor and within 20 seconds it fired, spit out some smoke and then settled into sinus rhythm. My original car as a kid had a wooden clothes pin on the fuel line just before the carburetor and despite the high temperatures in Penticton I had no troubles with vapor lock. Here are pictures of the after market (read as home built) shield someone made for the fuel filter (lower left edge of picture) and the factory added fuel pump shield which is the sideways S shape immediately below the exhaust manifold and immediately above the fuel pump mount.

Hi Marc, My Dodge manual shows total pedal travel to be between 1.75 to 2". I had my car to the garage today to bleed my brakes and set everything up. They noted there was excess travel in the rod that actuates the master cylinder piston (Free Play) and adjusted it as per the manual to the recommended 1/8 to 1/4" and the distance for the primary cup to cover the relief port to the 5/8 to 3/4" distance and the pedal travel to move the shoes to the drums of about 1 in. Not sure about a Desoto but must be similar I would think. Dave

Hi Chris, When I changed out my plugs I followed exactly what Desota1939 recommended. I went with what was working when I took out the old. Other than protecting the cylinder I am not sure what benefit removing the head will give you. If you can top dead center the piston, pack the space with a cloth and then wedge a ratchet extension into the remainder of the plug you may be able to get enough leverage to spin the remaining that may work or maybe a tack weld to an old extension might work. Just a thought! good luck. Dave

Hi Chris. As mentioned by Robert go with metal and as mentioned by maok the pressure isn't enough to cause problems however you can flare the line very slightly if you want to give the clamp something to work against as a back up. The one thing about the location you have chosen is temperature. Vapor lock can happen because of the exhaust manifold heat and just as the fuel pump has a heat shield I would recommend one for the filter. Mine is very simple as I just used two longer bolts in the inner fender panel and bent a thin piece of aluminum to shield the filter. The through bolts from the fender panel hold the shield in place with a couple of nuts. Pretty simple to say the least but I don't have any percolation problems. The filter is just visible along the edge of the picture and the shield surrounds it. Sorry best picture I had. Hope it helps. Dave

Took a look at my car and a parts car and took the bracket off to get a better look at it. I believe you are on the right track as the bracket has a row of sharp teeth facing the exterior of the car that the headliner slips behind and become caught on. Once it is stretched side to side the teeth hold the material in place. Here is a picture of the back side of the bracket showing the teeth. Hope this helps and good luck with your project. Dave

Hi Marc, Here are a couple of pics from a 46 Dodge. As indicated by the others the line from the MC to brake light switch and splitter starts with a u-turn and then runs tight along the frame. For my car there is enough clearance between the pedals and frame for the brake line and it clips into place in two spots. Hope all the information helps. Dave

Not sure about your neck of the woods but our local public library has a 3D printer as does our high school. Might be an opportunity to touch base with the shop teacher, yep I am that old that we had a shop at school, to see if they would want to try something like this? Just a thought. Dave

Hello Tired Iron, This won't help you much but on my D25C the choke knob is located in the dash right of the steering column as Throttle and Headlights take up most of the room on the left side and the turn signal apparatus blocks viewing some of that side as well. Booger and Laynrubber have both suggested under the dash to the right and given the intricacies of the dash that I have seen on line they have a pretty good handle on the issue. Good luck as I also am not a fan of auto chokes and think you will enjoy benefits of manual choke for many years. Dave

When I put my starter in my Dodge I used a knuckled short socket and two knuckles on the extensions of a 3/8" drive to do the tightening. Your right it was a pain. Dave

Thanks everyone. Was pretty sure it was a reproduction and yes it was great of her to think of this for me. I didn't want to screw something up by opening it when I shouldn't hence my question. Dan next time I am in Ludlow, ME I will be sure to buy you that coffee. All the best for 2022.

I received a booklet for Christmas from my SiL and a google search shows that this is probably a reproduction of an original Dodge publication but before I open the cellophane wrapping I am checking to see if that is the case. The images I saw on Google had an identification on the lower front right corner for the model of the car. An example is Code D-24. Mine does not hence my thoughts that this is a reproduction. Has anyone had any experience with these? Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.Dodge Booklet.pdf

Hi I am not sure what the hole you mentioned in the side of the transmission would be for. I have attached a picture of my transmission on an all original 46 D25C Canadian cousin to yours. There is nothing attached to my standard three speed, (no OD) in that hole and mine does not appear to be threaded although I didn't test it. As for the leak there is a blind hole in the transmission that flats against the bell housing. There is a gasket that goes between the bell housing and the transmission face that covers that hole and occasionally someone cuts it out when they put the two together. In fact the gasket covers the hole sealing it off. There is also a gasket on the end of the shaft cover that bolts the pilot shaft to the transmission close by where your arrow is on picture that says leaking in this area. When I pulled my transmission after noting some seepage around the edges of the face that someone had actually cut that hole out of the gasket but that the new gasket was solid across that face. Hope the pictures help but there was also a thread I think in the technical section dealing with the same issue but my quick search didn't locate anything. Hope it works for you. Dave

Hello Chris and welcome, That pride you have isn't going to go away. Every time you tackle another problem you will remember all the great times you had with your dad working on the restoration and in all probability all the good stories he had about learning to drive it. My computer program won't let me open the picture but I will take the word of Neil that it is a beauty. Keep us updated and again welcome. Dave

I have a local source I use for my 46 Dodge so I will check with him for anything for the 41 Plymouth. He has a salvage yard with a large inventory of older models so you never know. I will let you know what I find. Dave

When I rebuilt the carburetor a couple of months ago I got two gaskets in the kit that I thought were for the oil bath to carburetor neck and thought I got lucky that they sent an extra until I realized the second gasket was for the reservoir location you have indicated. Unfortunately the gaskets came in the carb kit and didn't have any separate parts numbers associated to them. Good to have the information you provided for next time when I am not buying a carb kit. Thanks for the info. Dave