greg g

A few years back we had a challenge where members would post pics of thier cars in front of a period correct, building, bridge, attraction, memorial, business, landmark, point of interest, scenic wonder, one of the seven wonders of the world. The first member to submit a pic of thier vehicle in a similar setting, got to pick the next type of setting. Any body want to ride along? Here are the P15 Picnic folks at a 50s era roadside Market and cider mill in the Niagara Region of Ontario Canada Sept 2013.

Simple fault test: Cut a 5 to 6 ft long 12 gauge insulated stranded wire, add an insulated alligator clip to both ends. Find an assistant observer, connect one alligator clip to the field terminal. (smaller diameter post of the two posts on the generator) Have assistant start the car and set the throttle to have an idle speed of 800 to 1000 rpm. Now ground the jumper wire momentarily to the engine. Observer should see amp gauge peg to positive charge. If it pegs the generator is OK. This usually means the fault is with the voltage regulator. Could be as simple as dressing corroded points, bad connections or poor ground of the regulator. Also for optimum operation of the 6v accessories install a ground strap or cable between the body and engine.

I repowered my brake lamps (running three bulbs) with a dedicated wire from the battery side of the solenoid to the brake light switch. Used 12 gauge wire with inline 20 amp fuse. Try bypassing the switch making a direct connection if you have light(s) the circuit is good. The switch is dumb, doesn't care about which terminal is in or out. And today it's not unusual for new parts to be fubar right outa the box. Taking the brake light circuit out of the headlight switch makes every other light happier. Use a temporary fused power wire to do the circuit test. If you have a short between the switch and light, you don't want to fry the headlight switch fuse.

From experience, my engine had the same symptom. Many people will tell you it's vapor lock. It's more likely to be perculation. These engines are 700 pound heat sinks. After sitting under hood Temps raise with radiators and engines both contributing heat to the situation. Fuel in the float bowl boils and over flows causing a flooded engine. When thus happens try a wide open throttle start. Slowly press the gas pedal to the floor and hold before engaging the starter. If it starts but blows black smoke for a few seconds, this confirms raw fuel in the intake. You can correct the majority of this symptom by lowering the float a couple 32ths under factory spec. This will help give the fuel in the bowl some room to expand into. I recall some late 70s Datsun models had a amall fan from the factory that blew air toward the carb float bowl. Guess it was their way od dealing with a similar problem. ,

There is a "legend" about this.

The description says tires are set off by port o walls .

Paint color? Nope!

When you get it off, you will find a bolt which gives you more adjustment through another slowed part of the hold down plate. That should be centered assuming every thing is in good condition.

Looks well done going pretty inexpensively for what looks to be a turn key unit. The body and paint work these days would cost more than the current bid. Not to mention the engine and brakes. But the old car market seems pretty depressed these days.

Volvo have a pretty stout rear ends with correct bolt pattern . I had a 940 turbo that had ford wheels on it. But it had disc brakes. If Jeep Cherokees or Grande Cherokees are available they would be worth a look. How about Vauxhal Van's, Sprinter, etc?

Once the hold down bolt is out, the only thing holding in is gravity and force of habit. Most had a cork gasket in between the distributor and block. Most of them are long gone, some might have a new o ring as a substitute neither of which should resist removal very heartedly. Try tapping the body while trying to rotate it by gently turning the vacuum canister. A liberal amount of some sort of penentrating goop being assumed before hand. Do you have one of those as seen on TV rubber strap wrenches that were kinda like an oil filter wrench. If so that may give you some extra twist. Couple whacks with a rubber mallet could also be effective. Have you attacked it from below? Tapping upward with a long socket extension or similar?

Is that the one driven off the rear of the generator?

Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. Naturw hates imbalances. Every h9le has its filler. That's a nice one. Guy around here has a 49 Plymouth in light tan with a bit of maroon stripping. Make sure to post again when spit shined. Where are you in Pa? You should join a bunch of us In Cooperstown NY for this year's p15 picnic USA Sept 12 thru 15. Scenic drives, few museums, some other attractions and a good group of folks with old mopars, and or Orphan brands.

As Larry of Larry, Larry and Darell said, " I looked at it from the top side and I looked at it from the bottom side. I have concluded its best that panel comes out to remove that tranzmichion"! Just sorry Darrell couldn't save the rubber floor mat.

Had the center floor out when I swapped in the od. If I remember, I ground the out side of a cheap deep socket, a wig wag and long extensions. When I bolted the new unit in, I bought allen head cap bolts with washers. This made getting the threads started easy.

Remember, the temperature rating on the thermostat is for when it starts to open, not for how high the operating temp will be. Rule of thumb if I have it right. Over heating at low rpm is linked to lack of air flow. Overheating at high rpm is related to poor coolant circulation. Others let me know if this is backwards.

It is normal for a temp gauge to show a rise in temp when you shut off the engine. The engine is basically a 700 pound heat sink. When you shut it down, while you are no longer producing heat, you have shut down the coolant circulation, and the air flow through the heat exchanger. The heat now has no where go but out through the cast iron and into the now non circulating coolant. The coolant gauge will show this gain. Remember, with a 50/50 coolant your boiling point is around 225 degrees, so you have wiggle room. Also. You might take actual Temps of several places with one of those point shoot and read temp thingies. Not unusual for the gauge to be inaccurate. Check the radiator top tank. The thermostat housing, the head where the sender is located. Compare those to what's on the gauge. Also if you live where it doesn't get below freezing, you can increase the ratio of water in the coolant mix. Water is a better heat transfer medium than polypropylene glycol. I don't drive in winter, and my garage doesn't get much below 40. I run a 70/30 mix with 70 the water. This gives me anti rust, freeze protection down to 20 and I think better cooling. Hardly goes over 170, even driving hills in 80s/90s.

If they are both 23 inch long, should be close to a bolt in. You may need to swap oil pans and pick up plumbing, and the crankshaft flange on the Dodge may be thicker than the Plymouth which might effect starter to ring gear line up. You will need to use the car bell housing as the truck units bolt to the frame not a crossmember and the brake pedal and clutch linkage are different on the trucks. There is probably fiddly stuff also, like starter activation and wireing, I am not real familiar with trucks, but I have seen "T" engines in lots of 40 and newer cars. My advice is free, so don't depend on it...

I have a vacuum one, and tries the garden sprayer one to back flow the lines from wheel to mc. Neither worked well. I usually put a couple inches of fluid in a large Mason jar. Then using a long hose from the bleeder into the jar, so the tube doesnt suck air when the pedal is on the up stroke. I set up lights and using a mirror, I pump slowly till the bubbles dissappear. My dad taught me to put a piece of 2x4 under the brake pedal. This keeps the piston seal from getting roughed up by any ridge the hone might have missed by not allowing it to bottom out

We call our 46 Kate. When she is on the starter, she sounds like Katherine Hepburn's laugh. If you are acquainted with her characters in several late 30's early 40s movies.

Somewhere in my stash I have a U Haul clamp on bumper hitch. It was on a 51 Plymouth my cousin gave me. I think it says it's rated foe 875 pounds. I also had a more HD U Haul chain on half ton rated bar style hitch that I grabbed off my Uncles 48 Buick before he traded it in. Also have Western Auto clamp on that was on my dad's. 54 Dodge. He pulled an early pop up camper. Was basically a tent in a tin box on wheels. Couldn't have weighed 5oo pounds with out gear. Most of the weight was canvas and poles. My uncle pulled a home made draft beer tap with ice chest. He hired out summers to company picnics, family reunions, softball tournaments, square dances, Graduations etc providing beer, soda pop, and watermelon. The compartment over the model A front axle could accomodate 2 full barrels or 4 half barrels and enough ice to cover and get the pop cold. He would pay my cousin and I a penny for every soda we opened proven by saving our caps in a small bucket. If we worked Saturday and Sunday. We could earn 2 bucks. Big money for a 7 or 8 year old in 1955. Plus we always ate good at the various parties. Enough rambling about early trailering.

Thanks Ivan. Enjoy your day.

For us vacuum gauge timing guys, I have asked before can't find the thread in my head or on the site. Is retard clockwise or counter clockwise? This time I will add a note to my manual.

The Carter is a good reliable carb that is fairly easy to rebuild. In the downloads section of this web site there is a step by step with pictures on doing a rebuild kit on the Carter. There has been discussion on float setting lower then spec as an adjustment to avoid percolation of current fuel blends. Some folks have had good service from the Holley carb used on the 225 cu in slant six and larger 60s Ford 6 cylinder. Not the 170/200 Mustang/Falcon stuff. These have an externally adjustable main jet. Most of these will fit the manifold stud spacing. The linkage might need tweaking as to direction of pull.

The 56 trans was not an od equipped unit. So I guess that's the rub. Thanks for both responses.