John-T-53

The YOM program in California states that you must display the plate(s) exactly as they would have been issued in that year. Therefore, if one plate was the standard issuance for '45, then that's how it shall be. I would suggest bringing proof of this to the DMV though; don't expect anybody there to know how it's supposed to look, or even know what YOM is in the first place. Your effort will take several trips to the DMV to get it registered, guaranteed. Don't give up! A little historical note, in 1945 we were in hard times....despite winning the war, materials were in short supply, and perhaps the same went for paint pigments that were an actual "color" as well. Thus the austerity of the 1945 tags. This plate is of historical significance and I'm happy to see it receive such a deserving restoration!

This thing needs "BIG JAMOKE" painted on the door!

More information here as this topic has come up before....

On the master cyl to chassis line, I bump-formed the loop, and happy with the way it turned out, but I wonder if it'll ever be prone to cracking? @PT81PlymouthPickup did you get that tube material at classic tube?

Looks nice. I haven't heard much about the nickel-copper lines myself, but sounds like they were a breeze to work with. I used stainless and it was a b*****! What are the Wilwood inline connectors for?

I like the old school braided look, and ran a set of laquered wires for a while, but the insulation isn't as reliable and would often cause a miss if touching something, even a heater hose. I went with Pertronix "stock look" 7mm wires, cut to length. While not totally stock, they are black silicone jacketed and look stock enough, but more importantly are high performance and will last a long time.

I was previously thinking out using IPE or another variant of exotic hardwood, but I recently used white oak on a carriage door project and liked the way it behaved, plus it's lighter than the Brazilian stuff, cheaper, and smells better. My local woodcraft only had the oak in 31/32" though.

I've had good luck with 1-shot paints. They flow very nicely and are a high quality oil based enamel. I recently requested physical color chip card via their website (subset of PPG) and it was mailed to me within a week, along with a hand written post-it note thanking me for my interest. Since I have it handy, the gal was Erin Teets teets@ppg.com Their office line is: 800-323-6593

Hey Jim, It's possible to replace the rear main without completely pulling the crank, but I can't imagine doing this with the engine installed. Much easier to pull it. The photo below is of a 251, crank raised off the bearings about 1.5". This provided just enough clearance to work on everything. However if the crank is rusty at the seal location, you might need to polish it. "This may or may not help"

I was prepared for the gopher crowd again this year too....

This sounded like a fuel problem to me.... Also check the check ball at the bottom of the accelerator pump well. It usually gets gummed up and/or rusty/caked with mineral fallout. Carbs need goin' through every few years no matter what.

So where / how exactly am I supposed to get my grass mowing fix for this year then? ? ? ? ?

And bring the cat!

Chaos is ensuing here in the bay, a "shelter in place order" just dropped today for my county. Fuggem, I'm going to work tomorrow. I'm not participating in the "rules for radicals" manufactured crisis. Who of y'all can I call to bail me out?

I don't recall this massive of a shutdown and hysteria in 2009 when the swine flu broke out....and killed 12,000 people in the US. WTF. I don't mind the light traffic, though. The freeways around here have been empty all week!

Nothing that a little JB weld can't fix! Maybe you could make a new chamber from a stainless dog bowl, bundt cake tin, or som'n.....

Soak that sucker in a bucket of Evap-o-rust! Karp's Power Brake in Upland, CA might be able to help you out. They rebuild boosters and sleeve cylinders.

I need my truck to help move! Thanks tho...come down anyway! Looking at the calendar at the end of March, moving and the BBQ might have some overlap....this is gonna get tricky.

San Luis Obispo. Getting kicked out of the house in Belmont, owner is moving in. There's nowhere to go - all to expensive and substandard up here. I'm done with the bay area. Over it!

I'm moving this spring but will still make it, although the drive will now be close to 250 miles! For my a$$'s sake, I might drive the big New Yorker, we'll see.... JT

Wow just wow. Is there any oil in the sump? It would be interesting to pull the tappet covers and see what it looks like on the inside.

Looks promising... Otherwise, for beverage containers, I would look at canned sake. The cans are small and sometimes made from steel too. There's a restaurant out here that serves what might be the perfect can... #4 below.

I think photobucket went off the rails long ago, didn't it?

Where did you get the reamer from? Do they still make 'em new? Years ago, the guy that sized my bushings used just a Sunnen hone. Came out great, .001"

I agree that extra clamping is not needed and that is not the reason that I used them on mine. Here are four pros and cons that I see with studs. For me, the pros outdid the cons. Pros: 1. Original bolts are often corroded and won't seal properly into the water jacket. Original style bolts might be hard to come by. 2. Re-torquing. With studs, the thread sealant down in the block is not disturbed in the process. 3. The fine thread nuts with machined washers provide a more consistent and accurate torque reading, which translates into more even clamping pressure across the deck. When my engine had bolts, I blew out the head gasket a couple times. Since studs, no blow-outs. 4. Studs look cool and generate banter. Cons: 1. Increased initial cost and labor. 2. difficulty installing and removing the head when in the vehicle. 3. If not painted, the stud tips, nuts, and washers eventually rust. Bolts can be painted with the block, but the paint gets disturbed when re-torqued. 4. Difficult removal if the thread sealant leaks (only on Ferds, though!) EDIT: Photos below.