RobertKB

Parts will be out there. Not sure where and what the cost will be but it’s fixable. Young Ed on this forum got into an accident a few years ago with his P15 and it was a lot worse than yours. It got fixed and car looks great. It hurts to have your car damaged but it is fixable. There are a lot worse things in life that can and unfortunately do happen.

I can’t believe so few people seem enthralled by the eclipse. I am no where near the line of the eclipse but still amazed by it. You could fit over a million Earths inside the sun and it is going to be blocked by the moon that has a diameter 1/4 that of Earth. Probably not many places in our galaxy of 140 billion+ stars can that happen. If you are not totally amazed by what happens in our solar system, galaxy, universe, I feel sorry for you.

I had my 1953 Plymouth out today for the first drive of 2024. Weather is warm and snow is gone. I put on a new water pump and fuel pump recently and all worked well. I live on the prairies of southern Alberta but if you enlarge the picture you can see the Rocky Mountains in the distance above the car’s roof.

Probably 10,000-15,000 volts running through the spark plug wires. I’ve had the experience of touching one. A bit of a wake up call is all. Old time mechanics would touch them to check for spark. It’s amperage that can kill you I believe.

I did not clean anything before painting. I didn’t go too far down as it becomes 70 year old grease. The head was amazingly clean and I just painted it. I did pull the plugs and put in an old crappy set and just painted around them. Everything is back together now and running fine. Changed oil, that’s why the funnel. Not sure what you’re seeing. Only thing below the water pump is the front engine mount. I did replace the rubber part of the mount.

Gotta be the truck! That will be a great project! I also think it would look very nice in its original colours.

In the OT forum there are comments about the lack of content in the forums. Certainly not as much as there used to be. So, I’m going to try to be a bit more active. I will continue with my cheap engine rebuild thread (aka Tremclad/Rustoleum rebuild). LOL. A new fuel pump and water pump have been added along with new brushes in the generator. I even went to the great expense of painting my fan which was at least 50 cents. I spare no expense! ? Next, recored radiator (that was expensive), new hoses, anti-freeze, oil change and lube job. Then wait for the weather to improve and put a few more thousand on the old girl. I’ll probably wear out before she does.

There is way less content on the forums than 5-10 years ago. I try to add a bit once in a while but not as much as I used to. Gonna try to add more. Check out “Cheap Engine Rebuild” on the car forum.

I really like the fact you use your old truck lots. Hauling ice, sap, lumber, etc. Worst thing for an old vehicle is sitting unused.

That’s the plan!

No question in my mind. I’d go original. Look how good they are after a lot of use. Grease well upon assembly.

Engine had a burnt valve at 72,000 miles. Valve was replaced with a good used one and the others were lapped. A set of rings were thrown in also after honing the cylinders. Bearings were right in the middle of specs and reused. That was over 40 years ago. I’ve owned the car since 1975. I change oil when it gets a bit dark and lube everything then also. Paint is original to the car as well.

My engine looked tired so I thought I’d give it a quickie rebuild. Before After Total cost approximately $1.00 CDN. ? As I said, it looked tired but even with 102,000+ miles it still runs just fine. I was changing out a water pump so I thought I’d take the opportunity to spruce the old girl up with a bit of silver paint. Engine is original to my ‘53 Plymouth.

Those pieces are amazing!!

If the car is the one shown in your profile, it seems a shame to modify a beautiful car like that. Is the original engine broken? Unless you have great fabrication skills or the money to pay someone else, you could end up with a project car that’s never finished.

I just fully drained my block today. Want to get the radiator checked and change a bad water pump. Drain is between the distributor and oil filler tube. Mine drained perfectly which pleasantly surprised me as they are often plugged with crud. I will add new anti-freeze when I refill the cooling system.

Most likely Australia. Note the right hand drive. Australia was known for its utes.

The machinist I have had do some work on my cars has absolutely no time for speedi-sleeves. Says they are way too thin but may be ok for vehicles that get low miles but not daily runners. He wouldn’t put a Speedi-sleeve on the same hub as shown above. He machined the hub and made his own thicker sleeve to bring it back to original specs. Very reasonable on price as he likes working on old car stuff. I’m lucky although I think he has retired now. He had his own business for years but sold out to a big outfit and ran their shop. He did small jobs like mine on his own time. He’s a real character and very proud of his trade!

A member in my car club has that Chev………or one just like it.

Ditto. Solder and shrink wrap. Then I know it will outlast me and probably the car!

Coupe windows can be different than sedans. This is certainly true of the Plymouth P15 sedans and club coupes.

Here’s the forecast ??‍? for where I live, Lethbridge, Alberta. We have had a very mild winter so far thanks to El Niño. However, for some reason, we are going to suffer due to a Polar Vortex occurring. Apparently highly unusual during an El Niño year. It looks to last four or five days. Temperatures are in Fahrenheit for those unfamiliar with Celsius. Both Fahrenheit and Celsius are the same at -40.

A factory shop manual for any car with the Sissons choke will also explain how to set it properly. I have two cars with Sissons chokes and the chokes work perfectly if set as directed.

I’m 75 next month with good health so far. However, when people complain about getting old I have a simple reply. “Getting and/or being old means you didn’t die young or die in middle age.” If possible, enjoy the fact you are alive on our wondrous planet! As mentioned above, it’s better than the alternative.

If you have a shop manual for your truck or car, it tells and shows you exactly how to install the glass. Then it’s done like the factory did it and removes any doubts. Shop manuals can usually be found online at a reasonable price.