Bryan G

A guy I know has a barn full of...everything. When I was between jobs about 10 years back I was selling some NOS parts for him on eBay (among other things, some 20's carburetors, a bunch of rebuilt starter solenoids and voltage regulators from the 30s-40s. I remember on a shelf he had a NOS muffler for a Dodge, I think in the 48-52 range. Thing is probably still sitting there, I just don't have the time to try and grab it from him. (Very interesting guy, belongs on "American Pickers") but difficult to get him to stand still long enough to ask him a question.

I can say that I initially set using the cold specs, and found that they were quite far off when I went to do them hot.

Ditto, I sweated over it but it really wasn't that bad. Most valves go really easy, just some access issues around the center of the manifold. I used my old straight feelers and had no problem. After one round, I could hear a little noise from a couple so went back and touched them up.

Not sure how helpful these are, but this is what mine looks like. Maybe that number embossed on the bottom will lead to it? (couldn't blow it up enough on my phone.)

The muffler that was on my New Yorker wasn't an original equipment type, but was QUIET. I had a bad backfire and the thing swelled up like a balloon, but you couldn't tell it by listening. I had a mechanic friend weld up a small leak elsewhere in the system and, without asking, he replaced the muffler. I was nervous...but there was no change in sound. I'm not sure what he used, but it looks like, well, just a plain muffler. Probably a generic Walker or something similar? Not sure I could find any markings on it to ID it. Either way, I'm sure it was something the local Federated or NAPA had in stock. People do tell me all the time how quiet the car is. There are times when I wish I could throw a switch and really hear what that engine has to say, but overall I'm happy with this setup.

From what I've read from various sources, new production pistons could offer performance advantages. They might be 3 ring vs 4. But I've also read of quality issues. I also think of last year, when I shopped for a set of rings, some of the places that listed them on their website were actually out of stock. Personally, I'd hunt around just a bit and see if I could come up with NOS at a decent price.

My quick google search says PEX is good to 200 F; I wouldn't trust it. CPVC lists the same thing (and I'll admit to using CPVC fittings in order to do a temporary bypass.) I would think there would have to be a NOS core sitting on a shelf somewhere. My favorite trick is to start by finding an OEM part number and then use that for your search. I would also think that a good, old-time radiator shop could make something work.

A great find! I would also go the MMO route. It won't hurt anything, aside from creating a lot of smoke when you get it running. Lots of debate on oil. I've seen some suggest to start with non-detergent for break-in. I haven't been real picky about what I regularly use in my flatheads; as was mentioned previously, anything is much better than what these engines saw 70+ years ago. I typically buy whatever 10w40 is on sale. Whatever I did, I'd change the oil and filter for the first time no later than 1k miles.

I love that you dared to take that old road; well, these cars were made for such routes! Here's to more European adventures behind the wheel of your Plymouth.

Err on the side of being too loose, not too tight. I would get them close to right cold, then once you have the engine up and running and everything sorted out, adjust them again hot. I was nervous about that job but it isn't really that bad and it goes fairly quick. After I had adjusted all mine hot I still had some very slight tapping and at that point it was easy to pinpoint the couple valves that needed just a bit more adjusting. Now I have some slight noise when cold that goes away after a minute, which I feel is appropriate.

I have a couple of the tools (I can tell you the old Blue Point I have is better than the newer no-name Taiwan, though it's hard to actually see the difference.) I just didn't find them to work very well on the older style Chrysler brakes. My hands are my weak point but I've still found a good pair of vice-grips works fairly well.

I strongly suspect that all of the "old school" 6 volt car batteries may now be coming from East Penn. The photos I've seen online all showed the same unique case, just with different stickers. I generally get mine from NAPA; I had problems with overcharging and the first one I installed in my Chrysler was shot in a year. I bought a replacement from the local Federated store and it was identical except for the decals. Anyway, I say buy from wherever you get the best deal/best service and don't worry about the brand. Duracell, once part of the old Mallory company, is now just a brand name owned by a consumer products company. Nothing wrong with their products, but the company has no special expertise in car batteries, nor is East Penn slapping their decals only on the factory seconds

I would take my chances on it. The width should be fine and with two holes on each side you should be able to make it work. I was previously using a homebrew hold down that I found in a Lark and it looked very much like this.

I'm a real fumble-fingers, but somehow despite that I haven't been able to screw-up the carb in my Chrysler...yet! Every other time I peeled the top off a carb, it ran worse than when I started. I actually made this one better, despite good attempts at bending something or losing a part. (I'm going to give the credit to Mother Mopar and Father God!)

That's a real head turner, the kind of car I'd walk a mile to catch a glimpse of at a show. I've also never seen that 2-tone setup. I like it. Such a break from all the Fords/Chevys.

That '34 is an absolute head-turner! Very unique. A million thanks for resurrecting that flathead rather than ripping this cars heart out. This rig is going to put a whole lot of smiles on a whole lot of faces.

Judging by my 49, it would seem that the M6 would be okay without the correct carb, you would just lose the anti-stall (idle correction) and the kick-down. Neither should be a deal-breaker, though? A manual kick-down switch wouldn't be hard to add. Am I missing anything else?

Check that idle speed isn't too high; check that the wires to the carb are intact. Recently I had a plug wire too close to the kickdown wire; the resulting short caused the transmission to drop into 3rd. My radio isn't wired through the ignition, though I plan on changing that someday. On mine, the power switch had burnt out. It controls 2 circuits, both the dial light and the radio itself (the latter draws quite a bit of current.) Some models just ran everything on the same circuit. I tinker a lot on old radios so dug around my junkbox but couldn't find a correct switch, only one for a single circuit. I experimented with using modern headlight relays which were easy to tuck inside the radio; the idea was to save wear on the replacement switch, while also allowing the dial light to still be on only when the dash lights were powered. A 12v relay is marginal down around 6v and I found them unreliable so switched it back to just using the switch to control the radio directly. Anyway, I was having an issue where the radio wouldn't turn all the way off. I found that if I turned the dash lights on and then back off, the radio would cut off. I guess it was back-feeding somehow. After I did away with the relays it hasn't done that.

I wouldn't mind knowing my RPM; in the other current thread there was a mention of a kit to make a 12v neg ground tach work on our cars, and I may dig into it. I have a 70s vintage Sears engine analyzer that I thought would work but it's 12v only. I've been keeping my eyes open for an older model. The timing mark on my crank pulley was butchered long ago; almost impossible to see down there, anyway. I just set the timing with a vacuum gauge, then dialed it back slightly so it didn't knock. (I'd been running it for quite a while with the timing way too retarded, which explains the hesitation I kept getting when accelerating.) As for RPM, I've adjusted it by ear and sought that sweet spot where it won't stall. I need to up it slightly right now as it tends to conk out on occasion when feathering the go pedal while warm. My ear tells me I have it set at 450 or so but I really don't know. What I do know is that these engines can truly impress with their low idle speed (and smoothness.)

The one jfish posted looks identical to the ones I've bought. Generic Chinese pump. It seems like at some point I'd bought one that was labeled Carter or Airtex. I really can't complain about these; usually plenty on eBay. My last ones were from Brock Auto Parts via the 'Bay.

Valves tend to get quieter as things warm up. With everything adjusted properly & up to temperature, that engine should be exceptionally quiet. I used to hear folks suggest "pull the pan" but I never thought it worth effort. But, really not such a chore on these...and then you'll know what you're dealing with. Worth it just to have things cleaned out.

Not too hard to find those outboard tanks this time of year at flea markets and yard sales. Before I had my fuel pump rebuilt I rigged up an electric pump, using rubber hose and a barbed fitting to connect to the carb. Then, there was the old guy I used to see around town back in the 80s with a gas tank mounted to the roof of his Willys pickup, gravity-feed style. Not a suggestion

NAPA is often holding a "bucket sale" (buy a 5 gallon bucket and anything that will fit inside is some percentage off.) Their rewards program is also pretty decent. I think you'd get $5 your next purchase given the cost of a battery. Wish my local NAPA store had it's act together... There is a local chain that specializes in alternators/starters and they are very competitive on price. Something to keep in mind: from the photos I've seen of various brands of traditional 6v batteries, they all look to use the same case with a different label pasted on. It is very possible they are all made by the same company these days. Shop by price.

Getting it running won't be so much different than a cheap old Chevy. The electrical components on the carburetor generally have to do with maintaining rpm when the transmission is put in gear, and allowing kickdown into low gear for passing. You can ignore them for now. Personally, I think converting to 12v is a wasted effort, but that's a huge debate. A service manual isn't hard to find; they are being reprinted. I just checked and there are plenty on eBay right now. They're well written and have decent photos/diagrams. Get to know some of the vendors that specialize in these cars, like Roberts Motor Parts, Andy Bernbaum, moparpro.com. Keep in mind, they may be "just" an old flathead six, but they were very up to date for their time, ahead of some of their competition. (back to Chevy again...)

If you ever wanted to make a James Bond automatic smoke-screen, an MMO injector into the exhaust would do the trick! It will amaze and astound just how much it will smoke from that little bit. Don't fret, though, it WILL stop. The first good drive will usually do it. Wishing you many happy miles ahead, with or without the DeSoto. If it's time to sell the car, I hope it finds another good home.