Bryan G

Thanks, all, this helped me know where to focus. What worked was to carefully pry between the lens and the bezel at the bottom and it gave way on one side then the other. I did bend the bezel somewhat but I can massage it back into shape. Thanks for the reminder about the wiring.

While I'm waiting for a couple things to arrive for other projects I've been going around chasing assorted small electrical gremlins; none have been very difficult. So, the dome lamp (in the rear) is out. No visible screws; the service manual just says to pry the bezel off but it's up tight against the headliner and I really don't want to damage that original cloth. It won't budge with my fingers. I'm guessing I just need to really latch onto it and give it a good yank, but where to start? Top, bottom, sides? I don't like the idea of using any kind of tool to pry as I feel it will end up damaging the liner. By the way, I love the gimmick of using the left map light as a parking brake warning. I was puzzled by the old-fashioned headlight bulb that was in there (burnt out) so without checking the book I just stuck an 1129 in there (same as the right). Worked fine except the light would flash a bit even with the ignition off (and door open). Then I figured it out: the "old fashioned" 1110 is a dual element while the 1129 is a single, so it's feeding back through the circuit. I'll just have to dig up an 1110 and I'll be in business.

I've never been to either Carlisle or Hershey though they are only a few hours away. Had I planned things out better I certainly could have made the Chrysler show. This post makes me think I should really look at taking some vacation time and heading north to Hershey. I'd talked several times with my stepfather about riding up to one of the big shows but we never made it happen and now his health won't let him.

I had a very good customer with his first car, a '66 Mustang, rotting away in his driveway. I went out and looked at it once, a basket case. I implored him to just buy one already restored. I closed my business and my father rented the place out to a guy with a pretty shady reputation (sadly, Dad didn't do any research, just rented it to the first guy with cash. I think the first month's rent was the only one that was ever on time, and after a while they didn't come at all.) My old customer brought his baby to this character and the last time I saw it there was hardly anything left of it. Shop owner pulled up stakes and moved who knows where. That was a very sad call I received from my old customer's wife, desperately trying to figure out what happened to that car (and the money they'd paid out.) No idea if they ever found it.

I haven't checked with Bernbaum yet; my results there have been mixed. I might give them a ring. I tried not to work on the Chrysler too much through this good long weekend; my wife keeps saying, "guess you're going out to work on...the CAR again." She asked me again this afternoon when she gets to ride in it. Soon, soon. I finished wrestling the gas tank into place Sunday. Only the rubber filler hose makes it tricky, but it's done. The old sending unit was totally spent; there seems to be more than one manufacturer of new ones and I chose the lower price mostly because I liked that it has a copper float vs plastic. (Old fashioned? Well, heck, look what I'm working on!) Bad choice, maybe, as it 1) reads 1/4 tank on empty, though full is right on the money. 2) Less forgivable, it's intermittent, and I've been able to pinpoint that it's the sender and not the wiring or gauge. So disappointing to spring for a new part only to have this kind of trouble. I was talking to a friend tonight and he asked if I was going to Carlisle. Well, I didn't realize it was this soon, but regardless it doesn't fit my schedule. Never been to any of the big swap meets. Maybe that's where the good NOS parts are hiding for me? Guess they'll have to hide a little longer. Today I finally started tackling the brakes, beginning with the RF since the wheel was already off. It was already spinning free and with just a tweak of the adjusters the drum came off. Wow, I thought at first, this is easier than those goofy adjusters on everything else that you can never seem to tell which way they're going, etc. Sure, I would learn! Swapping the cylinders was easy enough. Amazing how bad they can get just from sitting, "rust and corruption" as my grandfather used to say. The shoes look great, and everything seemed it order and clean enough. I thought I had everything back the way it was before but darned if I could get that drum back on. After much fiddling I finally got it on there but I'm feeling too much resistance. The brake lines are dry right now so I'm thinking I'll revisit once I have it ready to bleed. Yes, I've read the excellent articles on here regarding the challenges of adjusting these. I'll brush up some more. On to the right rear, and the infamous drums of doom! I had enough trouble removing the castle nut: had to put the tire back on and set it back down on the ground so it wouldn't turn, then put a l-o-n-g piece of pipe on the wrench. I've played with the adjusters and it seems free as far as the brakes go. (I tried undoing the lower bolts but they just spin. I moved them to the spot where the drum turned the easiest.) And...I hammered, squirted penetrating oil around the hub, came up with a homebrew puller of sorts but I don't know that it will be enough. I left it on overnight and will revisit. To show my level of faith, I ordered a real puller tonight. In the meantime I have some lines I can change and I still need to reinstall the master cylinder. Oh...almost forgot, I tried the trick of putting the wheel on loosely and moving the car. Limited in what I can do considering I have only the parking brake and only about 10 feet I can move fore or aft. It felt very much like a brake was stuck on but I didn't think that RF was that bad so maybe it's somewhere else. Anyway, it didn't do anything for the drum. Maybe you need to be able to slam on the brakes to do anything? I tried the turn signals a few days back and was surprised that they came to life. Very slow at first but it woke up. Maybe the points in the flasher just needed some self-cleaning? I was shocked at how dim the taillights were, an accident waiting to happen. I was thinking of how I'd have to run new grounds, paint the reflectors white, change to LED's...then I pulled the lens. Well...someone put 12v bulbs in here! Odd, nothing else I've found had been converted. Proof again, start with the simple things! I had a pair of 1128's that were just waiting for this project and after cleaning everything up I'd say they're bright enough. More to come...despite the occasional frustrations I'm very much enjoying this.

I grew up in the family business, a body shop, and later managed it. I never had any interest in the hands-on part of it and the tiny bit of bodywork/painting I've done proves that! I closed the business about 8 years ago. We had a reputation for decent quality, and for being the kind of old-fashioned body shop that would do most anything for a buck. Lots of rust repair, old tractors, lawn mowers, refrigerators, whatever. Tons of all-overs. People come to me all the time and tell me they can't find anyone to do the work we used to. Anyway, $4500 sounds very reasonable. Even 8 years ago it was hard to turn a profit charging that much. The main reason I went out of business was because I didn't charge enough. How does MAACO do it? Big discounts on materials by buying in such volume, and working high-production through that booth. I talked to them once about a franchise and they promised me you could turn a profit on a $299 paint job, but that's a job you'll have to do every year or more frequently. I've seen a number of higher priced jobs in the MAACO parking lot and I have to say they looked good to my eyes. How well were they prepped? Who knows. Almost all the labor goes in before the shine goes on. That's where the big money comes in, taking the car apart, stripping it, quality bodywork, and then finishing it off with quality materials which are $$$$.

Sniper, that's a slick setup for wiring the pump. I'll have to work towards that. Some other activities this week: the bypass tube showed up; I thought there were multiple people making these but when I looked again it seems Moparpro might be the only one. Sadly, the quality is very poor (and I'm not picky at all.) There was so much flashing inside one of the openings that it was almost totally closed off. I had to cut away at it with a hole saw to clean it out (rough on the saw!) The other problem is the threads where the pipe screws in are so poor that it just won't go. (screws into the old one like nothing.) I asked the fellow at the hardware store in our small town but he didn't have the right size pipe tap. He suggested I try screwing a nipple in there so I bought one, forced it in a good distance, but found all I did was strip the threads off the nipple. I put a note in to the seller but haven't heard back-maybe they have a better one. Either way, they need to know. In the meantime I decided to try JB Weld on the old one. Not sure how confident I'd be driving it that way, but it seems okay right now. The trouble is getting it to seal. The new bypass was supposed to come with a gasket but didn't, so I cut another one from paperboard and used Permatex #2. I very gingerly tightened the bolts and let it sit a while but it seeped after running a few minutes. Maybe I didn't let it sit long enough. What to try? Real gasket material? I stopped by an auto parts store but they were sold out except for some extremely thick stuff or some embossed rubber sheet (nitrile?) Brought home enough to try it if I needed to. Or, the dreaded RTV? The gas tank also arrived; I ordered it from Van's via eBay and am impressed by how well it matches the old one. I spent some time tonight trying to get it in place. Really, the only challenge is getting that filler hose around both the tank and filler. I found that some lubrication helped but still it's stubborn. One way or the other, by the end of the long weekend I think I'll have the fuel system buttoned up so that I can say the car will run off its own tank. As for the brakes, I determined that the booster had been bypassed by someone in the past, so for now I'll copy what they did until I can get the unit redone. One thing that has me puzzled is the service manual shows a line from the master to the booster, then a return line back to the master. The manual doesn't specify but I'm guessing it would get plumbed into the second output port on the master? Thing is, the old one (a crusty old Wagner Lockheed) has one looks like a factory installed plug pressed into the second port. Perhaps it was a rebuild that came that way? Anyone else with this setup that can confirm proper plumbing?

I bought one of the old K-D's on eBay. Well worth it. Sometimes in a tight spot (around the downpipe, if you don't have it removed) you can manage to use it upside down. Along with a valve keeper holder, the job isn't so bad.

I've been spending 2-3 hours a night on the car; more progress. I tried the electric fuel pump (a 12v Facet) again on 6v but found it didn't have enough oomph to get the flow going. I also found trouble with my rebuild of the mechanical pump as it wasn't working. I tried swapping out the valve that came apart, putting one of the old ones back into place, and it seemed to be okay though I noticed the next day when I tried firing it up it had leaked down and took a lot of cranking to get going. Tonight I noticed a drip at the bottom so I tightened up the bolt that holds the lower bowl in place (it did seem too loose.) I'll keep an eye on it. My new water pump arrived quicker than expected so I swapped it. Yes, it would have been a fair amount easier with the radiator out of the way but it was okay and really didn't take that long. The little bypass "doohickey" doesn't come with the pump so I swapped it over but wasn't sure if it needed a gasket. There were no signs of one on the old pump so I just used a thick coat of Permatex #2. Well, it leaked. So, I made a gasket from some paperboard. As I was tightening up the bolts I decided it needed just a bit more and I felt, oh shoot! A crack. At first I thought it was the new pump but it was the bypass. Guess that's why new production ones are readily available! I notice the new one comes with a gasket so hopefully no leaks. Now, I admit, I couldn't help myself. Even with that gaping hole in the cooling system I just had to hear it run for a few second with that new water pump, as confirmation that all that terrible noise I was hearing really emanated from the pump. Yep, sure was! Much better now. It was funny watching the water come out of the bypass hose-if the flow was a tiny bit less it would have perfectly flowed right into the hole in the top of the pump While I had the pump out I checked out the damper to see if I could find those timing marks again. What I found is that someone long ago had taken something very sharp and made a ragged gouge at what appears to be TDC. They also made a mess of some of the other hash marks. At least I have some idea now. (I can at least read +10.) Tonight I pulled the old master cylinder. Yes, I did this on my back in the driveway. It should go back on a lot easier, now that I've cleaned up the bolts. I have the pedal swapped over and the assembly ready to install. I removed it through the access panel in the floor and that was easy. This all brought me to the next chapter in the book, "things Bryan has never dared tackle before." As some of you may know, on these cars with the power booster, there is only one brake line leaving the master...and while it doesn't look too bad, I couldn't get it to come loose without cutting it. While some of the other lines were changed in "modern times" some are looking pretty crusty. I need to change some lines. I spent some time tonight researching the matter and I feel fairly confident I can handle it. Lastly, while I was crawling under the rear the other day I noticed that there are drain holes in the spare tire pocket and through them I could see an old receipt. I pulled the spare and came up with a repair bill from 1994...and now I knew who owned it back then! I googled him and we talked today. He bought it from his former supervisor, then sold it after a few years. He said it was a great running & driving car during the time he had it. The buyer was someone who intended it for his teenager. I suspect that's where things went awry for the car as I had an old Packard with the same story: teenager decided they didn't want the car so it just sat and sat, going downhill. The good news is, it will drive again...and at this point it should be weeks, not months. (Oh...over the weekend I let it run for about 15 minutes or so, no drama aside from the noisy pump...I firmly set the parking brake and shifted into the gears. Not much of a test since I couldn't move the car but it seems raring to go.)

Dodgeb4ya, that's my intention soon! My goal remains early August. I've had a couple busy nights: I dropped the gas tank last night with plans to clean it out but I quickly determined it was leaking at the seams on both sides. (the several gallons of varnish inside were below the seams so the issue didn't show until I tilted it.) After I drained it I could hear/feel quite a large amount of wet crud in there. Considering tanks are readily available and not really that expensive (at least if you're in the states!) I decided to order a new one. I'm curious about the difference between the 20 gallon tank in my "big" Chrysler and the 17's used in everything else. The sellers just list one size fits all and the photos sure look identical to what I have. Who knows, maybe mine got swapped to a smaller tank at some point? Judging by the dent on a top edge it's been off before. The sending unit is also shot but again, easy enough to find a new one. I hooked up a resistor sub box to the lead in the trunk and the gauge works fine. A previous owner installed an electric pump as a backup, right ahead of the tank. They installed it almost exactly as I have in other vehicles except for some reason they had it wired to something that is hot all the time, with a switch. I'll change it to something that comes on with the accessories. The Airtex pump they installed looks 70s vintage (goes with the Kmart shocks installed in the rear!) but it's dead. I plumbed in one of those inline pumps that are pretty common these days; I had one I'd pulled from another project and had been using it to test run the engine but it apparently is going intermittent. I also have a 12v pump which I tried on 6v and was pleasantly surprised at how much it still flowed. Tempting to go with that rather than buying one, but I'm not sure if it's the type that will pass fuel through without running. After playing with that I pulled the "real" fuel pump and rebuilt it, which went fairly well except that one of the new one-way valves flew apart. Hopefully I put it together so it will stay-not as robust as the old ones. Another 30 minutes or so and I could have had it running off its own pump (assuming I put it together right) but my wife said I'd played enough for one night.

You just taught me something! I have to hand it to them, the engineers weren't asleep. Still trying to find the timing marks, have to try sanding it down some more. Guess it's safe to just aim for halfway between the "corners".

Tonight was a marathon to get the cooling all together (and a marathon to see how many decent hose clamps I could scrounge around here.) With it buttoned up I gave it a whirl, letting it run for maybe 10 minutes. Observations: it fired up readily and idles fine. Oil pressure remains strong and it's charging fine. The temperature eventually settled a bit over halfway on the gauge and the water seemed to be circulating okay. Tons of smoke, fully expected thanks to all that MMO dumped down the cylinders in my original effort to break it loose! I know that's going to take some running to burn it all out. Also some smoke around the manifolds that had me worried until I realized its just the remnants of my overzealous use of brush-on copper head gasket sealer that dripped all over. No water leaks so far. I revved it up a bit a couple times and it really felt & sounded like "smooth power". I bought a carb kit but I'm going to hold off installing it for now, at least until I can see how it behaves on the road. It just starts and idles too easy for me to go monkeying with it right now. Worst thing: that water pump is making a terrible racket. It's working, and doesn't appear to be leaking, but I don't see it being long for this world and I don't really like the noise. Some grease helped but just a tiny bit. Time for one of those new production replacements, I guess. I snapped some photos that demonstrate just how close the spacing is between the crank pulley and the front crossmember. This is why I had pulled the radiator in the first place, because there simply isn't any way to get a breaker bar, or much of anything, down there otherwise. In that first photo, notice how they notched the fan to clear the pulley! Another neat touch, which I didn't photograph, is that the side of the front motor mount is stamped "FLOATING POWER".

Well, I spent all weekend daydreaming about the car, knowing if I was home I could be installing that water pump...the notification I got from eBay was wrong, the gaskets didn't arrive until today! I'd originally planned on making them out of a cereal box but these weren't expensive and the wait was worth it. Before that I spent Monday afternoon and evening pulling the heater box out, tearing it down, patching it up and painting it. Quite a nifty little bit of engineering there, and very convenient placement sitting on the right inner fender. The heater core appears solid and had almost no discoloration to the water when I flushed it out. Part of the ductwork was handmade by someone years ago with sheet aluminum, rivets and good duct tape. I patched it up a bit and got everything back together tonight before mounting the water pump. I have some concerns about the pump since it was very, very stiff to turn by hand, though it did loosen up a bit as I ran the garden hose through it. Oddity? It has 2 zerk fittings. I wonder if one is supposed to be the weep hole, since I don't see a third opening? My plan is to get it all hooked up and fill with plain water, then see what happens. As tight as the space at the front end of this engine is, I still don't think pulling the water pump will be too hateful even with the radiator in place. I'm anxious to let the engine run a bit and see how the temperature holds. I was going to yank the distribution tube out but it was wedged tight. It looks exceptionally clean, as if it was replaced when the engine was last overhauled. I have a cheap borescope so I fished it in as far as it would go, maybe 3/4 of the way, and from what I could see it looked clean. The coolant that was in the engine looked brand new. Everything I've seen has pointed to very few miles put on this after the rebuild. I'll also keep an eye on the heater control valve, of course, as I know how they can be.

I hurt my back this spring which sidelined me from working on the car for a few weeks. After several visits to the chiropractor I realized the shapes he was bending me into weren't much different than how I was bending myself crawling around my Chrysler! Kidding aside, I hope you're feeling much better sooner rather than later.

The money has been worth it just for the experience; who knows what I can tackle in the future? And it really hasn't cost a crazy sum. I had to go away for the weekend and it killed me not being able to work on the car. Modern technology: my phone let me know the water pump gasket was sitting in my mailbox (and I was stuck 2 hours away!) I've spent all day thinking of what's next. A great distraction from life's tougher moments.

I keep meaning to come on here and write an update. I've been busy: A friend dug out an old Black & Decker valve seat kit (older than this car) so I gave it a whirl. The worst one (previously pictured) turned out just sort of fair; it will seal, I can say that. Most cleaned up nicely. My friend is experienced mostly with Model A's and old tractors and has reassured me it will be just fine...which is good enough for me I bought a set of NOS Mopar Power Punch Oil Saver rings from Deception Pass and performed my first ring job. In 5 or 6 of the cylinders the top one or two rings were stuck tight despite months of soaking. A light hone cleaned the cylinders up pretty well. I cleaned the oil pan up; really didn't take much as it only had a thin layer of sludge. I was concerned with what I saw on the crank but found it was easy to clean up with WD-40, a toothbrush and rags. Overall everything looks clean. One minor shock: when I pulled the oil filter canister open I found it empty! The last guy simply left it out. Never again. Slowly I bolted it together with new gaskets. I then turned to the starter which didn't seem to be acting right. After some head scratching I found 2 issues: 1) the 2 wires for the relay were reversed. 2) Someone had drilled a hole in the top of the relay cover, then filled it with silicone caulk. There was a gob of the stuff on the inside which I believe was enough to activate the relay all the time, or at least intermittently. I was getting some odd reactions but it seems sorted out now. Earlier this week I realized that I could, if I wanted, try a test fire. No cooling at this point (waiting for water pump gaskets, just got the radiator back tonight from the radiator shop where it tested fine.) The fuel pump needs rebuilding so I rigged up an electric unit and gave it a try. After a few cranks it coughed...and then for the first time in likely decades, sprang to life! If that wasn't enough, it then sat there and idled as well as anything! The oil pressure came up very strong. Of course I only let it run for a minute, if that. The next night my wife wanted a demo so I flipped on the fuel pump and twisted the key and it fired right up. A good start, in more than one way. I'm hoping to have the cooling back together within a week, then on to the gas tank and the brakes. My stimulus check is at least stimulating the economy of Bernbaum and Deception Pass and Kanter and Rock Auto and NAPA and more and more! But, there will be an end to the spending soon. I'm really loving this, though. Lots of little stuff to do which is what I was hoping for, gremlins to track down, etc. I'm hoping to be able to drive this, at least on a test run, by the first week in August, but realize this will be an ongoing project for a while. Trying to ignore my wife when she calls it my money pit!

Lifelong memories being made for that young lady! A friend gave me a Rand McNally from the fifties that had belonged to his parents; in it they had marked out in colored pencil all the routes for their annual vacations. Quite interesting to imagine some of those trips pre-interstate. Agree-they were meant to be driven, and what pleasure they can bring!

When it comes to new production reproduction parts I've generally been disappointed. Granted, my experiences have been non-Mopar up to this point but I'm not expecting a big difference. My worst track record has been with weatherstripping. Of course, with them and with most of the items we need, old stock just isn't an option. Typically the issue seems to be that they were either using old, worn-out tooling or did a less-than stellar job at matching new tooling to an old part. Trouble is you don't often have much choice. In one case my original motor mounts lasted 65 years before the rubber came loose from the steel; the new ones, made in India, started coming apart within a couple years. Unless there are 2 companies reproducing them there isn't much incentive to do better. I agree 100% with investing the time to do your own research and being able to walk into the auto parts store with the part number. I've found plenty of basic items that are available at any NAPA either in stock or next day yet the computer says it doesn't fit. For one of my cars that included a generator bearing, oil filter element, brake light switch, etc. An hour spent on Google and I learned my local Ford dealer had a brass float in stock for the sending unit on my 70 year old Fordor, because it also fit a Bronco. I needed a tiny spring for a generator, available online for a ridiculous price. The local alternator/starter rebuilder has them but won't sell them. I visited a local old-time tractor repair shop and he had a dozen in an old parts cabinet. It's quite amazing what you can find for cars like ours with some patience and creativity. Most recently I needed some piston rings. Bernbaum lists them but I learned they were new production and the manufacturer was moving from the US to Mexico when Covid hit. They haven't ramped up again as of yet. Thanks to a buddy with a parts book I have the OEM number, and Deception Gap out in Washington had them in stock...all it took was a net search of that part number. Personally I like that kind of challenge!

I love the thumbs-up and the comments; I really haven't noticed any age group that does it more than another. There is a certain group of 70-80 year olds who were really into cars, maybe still are, and they don't respect 4 doors. They are the only ones who ever give me any grief in a parking lot. It's often crossed my mind that few of the folks who ask me about whatever old car I happen to own today would ever actually want to own it. The last time I had a car for sale I didn't get a single call from someone younger than me (and I'm 49.) I did once have a beater '50 Cadillac sedan that I sold to a guy in his twenties. Sadly, he never did anything with it and the thing is slowly rotting away. I see a wide potential market, though. Farming is the big industry where I live and the antique tractor shows are loaded with teen guys...and GALS...who love showing off and driving their rigs. There is no reason they couldn't fall in love with a Plymouth or a Dodge truck that was the contemporary of their Allis-Chalmers or Massey-Harris. My theory: they don't know they'd love it! Nobody has shown them. The goal for my '49 is to have it running in time for the local tractor show in August. I'll park it in the car corral with the hood up. Maybe some of the young crowd will gawk and get ideas?

I tinker on old radios and TV sets as a hobby. Over the years I've met a number of folks who were in the TV repair business and enjoyed our discussions. One Saturday about a dozen years ago I was driving through a small town about 30 miles from home when I spotted a small shop that appeared long closed and I lamented that I'd never had a chance to meet the owner. But, something caught my eye as I passed. Was it actually still open? I made a U-turn and parked. The door was indeed open. I introduced myself and the Mom & Pop behind the counter were somewhat stand-offish at first. I asked if they had any old stuff they wanted to get rid of and they showed me around, including some real gems that were hidden away. They took my number and a few weeks later I got a call. They were ready to retire, and might I be willing to help them out? Over the next year or two I was able to assist in them selling a lot of parts, tools, signage and such. It was a great experience; I basically just kept some things for myself as way of a commission. One day I was visiting them at their home and Tony asked if I might find a buyer for an old mechanic's tool box in his garage. Seems many years earlier he had loaned some money to the owner of a local service station and took the box as collateral. Since he still had it you can guess what happened. I never could find a buyer but in the end gave him some money for it myself and took it home. Mostly I got a pretty nice drawer full of older Craftsman wrenches in a cheaper old stacked box. There were a few oddball tools that I could never figure out so I just left them to gather dust. This spring I've opened an engine for the first time in my life. The tools? Nearly ever one of them came from that old chest, including some of those I couldn't previously identify like a valve keeper tool and a piston ring land cleaner. My dear friend Tony has gone to his reward but now, every time I work on the car, I think of him (and that unknown service station owner who obviously had worked on some flatheads himself!)

Those cars were really built for roads like that! Great car.

When the school librarian in my home town retired she called me up: did I want all the projectors that otherwise would have been tossed? I've since give them all away (I already had one to keep.) Not expensive on ebay, you could buy one and play around with it. The projector I kept is 60s era with a build in phonograph. The record was missing but it came with a strip advertising, I believe, BF Goodrich tires (and prominently featuring the new Mustang.) I also know a Mopar parts guy with a lot of 70s era sales kits that include filmstrips designed to provide stills to TV stations who produced local ads.

On my off-topic collector car I've had trouble with percolating. I floor the accelerator when I crank it, being careful to let up as it fires. I lowered the float which helped; I really need to pull it apart and lower it some more. Last summer I added a gallon or two of diesel or kerosene with every fill-up and that made a real difference.

TThere have always been some old cars in my life; my Dad had a body shop and there was always something either coming or going. He owned a number of Dodge pickups but never a car. Personally I gravitated to something other than the performance models he liked; I prefer older, original "drivers". My habit is to find something with a fairly solid body that's been sitting for a long, long time, and go about resurrecting it. I'd been looking for my next project for a couple years and had kicked tires on a few Mopars including a '40 Windsor sedan & a '53 DeSoto Powermaster sedan. I kept being drawn back to a '49 New Yorker sedan that had been for sale for a while and finally pulled the trigger. Two notable Dodge cars from my memory: a '37 barn find that I could have bought around '93 for $1000. It was the real deal, solid, covered in pigeon droppings but all there. I haven't forgiven myself for not grabbing it. Around that same time I met a fellow with a nice old '52 Coronet 2dr. with one of the quietest engines I've ever witnessed. He begged for someone to give him $2500 but as far as I know it was sold as part of his estate.

What kind of shape is the gas in? If it has ethanol 8 months is getting sketchy, and if the fuel is a lot older than that it probably isn't helping anything.