BloodyKnuckles

Well, my lovely wife Heather turns 40 this month and I wanted to do something nice for her. Knowing that her Skylark "Gasser" wouldn't be done for her birthday and that our Model A is far from road ready I decided to let the "A" loose and pick up this little beaut. The guy I bought it from bought it from was talked out of rat rodderizing it by a close friend and fellow Iron Lord. He owned it for a few years and never heard it run or was able to drive it. I picked it up today and after about an hour being home I had it running and after adding some brake fluid we were driving it with the help of my 2 buddies Jimmy TuTone and Ron-AKA Senior-AKA Pops! Thanks guys. The little sucker runs and drives pretty damn good. On to the pics of her new 1934 Plymouth. The happy, happy birthday girl and her new toy; We are not sure if we will modify this one. Out of curiosity, If you owned it what would you do? BloodyKnuckles

Just a heads up. I got one of those phenolic spacers from a friend who said that they are under most 1 barrel carbs on Chevys through the 50's. A company Chevs of the 40's sells them. I run one on my wifes DeSoto. BloodyKnuckles

The coil would be considers but after the engine is hot there is no gas in the carb or fuel line from the pump. The pump bowl is full but it won't pump to the carb when hot. When it's cool it will fire and run, no problem. BloodyKnuckles

I believe the hard lines to be original. Guys, I can't thank you enough for continuing this discussion and assisting me to diagnose this issue. All of you have been a big help. One of the things I find odd is when the car is hot it does not want to start and run but when it is cool, like in the morning, it will fire right up and run great. When I get back from Pittsburgh next week I will change out all the hard lines and rubber lines, cover the lines in the engine bay with thermal protection and remove the pump and inspect and do the tests. Even though I didn't get this squared away for this trip, I have to get it running before the end of August. I plan on a run to Charleston, SC for Heather's birthday. Again, without this great forum and great guys I would be hard pressed in figuring this out. Thank you very much. BloodyKnuckles

The line is steel and I did not replace this line. When I cut the line to install the electric pump the inside of the line looked perfect. Thanks Tom. I will try that. You know I drive my cars whether it's 15* or 105*. I have to get this right. I thought it was 12 pumps but it wouldn't have made much difference in my case as of now. I will do all 3 tests. Thanks BloodyKnuckles

You got it. Best of luck. Stay positive. BloodyKnuckles

I'm loosing the war guys. Everything I've done today hasn't cured all my problems. I can now drive the car with the mechanical pump but I am still having, what I believe to be, vapor lock. If it sits for 10 minutes or more it is so tough to get it to run. Sometimes not at all for long time. Not sure what to do. I am thinking the problem is low or no fuel pressure. The pump will pull fuel into the bowl but will not pump out. I did the fuel volume test but the first test was when it was hot and nothing. I let it sit for a while and tested again. This time maybe an ounce or so in 12 strokes. Then waited a while longer and pumped about 6 ounces. I blew out all the lines again and blew back into the tank. Not sure what else it could be. I am thinking that it may be a worn lobe on the cam. This is an on going problem no matter what mechanical pump is in there. Maybe I need to just run a good quality electrical pump. Any other ideas?? BloodyKnuckles

Just a bit of an update. I adjusted the float level higher and drove it hard for a while. It didn't sputter once. I stopped and shut it off for about 25 minutes and let it get hot. Went to start it and it stumbled and stalled. I pulled the choke on and cranked it a few more times and it started. Drove back home pretty hard without any stumbling. This is all with only the mechanical pump. I am letting it sit for about 15 minutes and will try it again. Updates to follow. BloodyKnuckles

If I do the flow test and do not yeild the proper amount and since I am on my 4th mechanical pump should I suspect a worn cam lobe and permantly install a good electrical pump (...Holley??)? BloodyKnuckles

Pics of engine and shield. The fuel lines are ran a bit crude but I wanted them away from the engine as much as they could be. I forgot!! I also put a phenolic spacer under the carb. Didn't work. Oh well. BloodyKnuckles

Greg, I really appreciate your input. I have gone through this car so many times and I'm still fighting this problem. Thanks. BloodyKnuckles

Well, I built a copper heat sheild out of a thick piece of flat sheet. Installed it and started it up and it idled fine for about 25 minutes. Then I took it down the road and it began to cough and sputter so I had to flick the electric pump on. Drove some more, flicked off the switch, sputter sputter cough cough. On went the electric pump again. So I decided to bypass the electric fuel pump and run only off the mechanical. First of all it is hot here, really hot. After I bypassed the pump I tried to start it, no go. I tried and tried on it's own to start but I had to resort to starting fluid. Once I got it started I drove down the road. Under semi-hard accelleration it began to sputter again but would still run, to a point. I was able to get home by babying it. Even running on the electrical pump it will, after about 25 minutes, begin to cough and sputter also. I don't think it's a fuel pump issue. So, what I believe is that the fuel lines are getting way too hot and need to be sheilded from under hood temperatures. They get too hot to touch, rubber and steel. Everything under the hood is hot, real hot. I think the heat shield is doing it's job as I put my hand under it then beside it under the exhaust manifold with a noticable difference. I am going to try to find some sort of heat sock to slide over the lines tomorrow. Is it possible that I may have the float set too low? It is set to proper specs but I am willing to check it again if you guys feel I need too. I rebuilt the carb a few months ago thinking that would solve my problems but it didn't. Also, I have a friend who drives nothing but carburated cars here and swears by Sta-Bil additives. He says he has had not troubles this year at all. What do you guys think? I planned on making a 1000 mile round trip starting this Wednesday up to Pittsburgh and wanted to take the DeSoto. Thanks for keeping up with me on this. It has been frustrating but I am determined to get this right. BloodyKnuckles

No different; on or off. Thanks again guys. BloodyKnuckles

That's a valid point. I replaced the original cap with a nicer one from the same style car. One day I removed the cap and heard a rush of air. So I decided to drill a 1/8" hole in the filler neck. Not sure if that worked though. Maybe I need to try the other cap again. Thanks, BloodyKnuckles

Ok. What about an improperly operating heat riser? I disconnected the spring and moved the valve forward thinking that it is the closed position. Is that correct? I am hearing gas boiling and the fuel pump perculated a couple of times in the glass bowl. Should I try a heat shield on the fuel pump? Also, I pulled the sending unit. The inside of the tank is Spotless!!!! I was absolutely amazed. I guess that's a good thing to know. Thanks again guys. BloodyKnuckles

I have not replaced the entire line yet. None of the fittings are wet or dirty to say that they may be loose or leaking. That's why I haven't changed them yet. Also, when I installed the electric pump I cut the hard line and the inside looked perfect, no signs of corrosion. I agree with you on the electric pump. That's why I'm about done. Thanks Don. Thank you. The same reason you installed yours is why I decided on mine. I have a vapor lock issue if shut off when hot and restarted. So, It is excessively hot in North Carolina right now. I took the DeSoto for a long drive through the country. After about 25 minutes of steady 45-55 mph it started to fall flat but I kept it running. Then I stopped at a stop sign and pulled out. While accellerating through 1st it would not properly run. It acted as if it was running out of gas. I let it sit for about 45 minutes while I sweated my butt off walking through an architectural salvage yard:rolleyes:. Then on my way home,after about 25 minutes it did the same thing. I removed the gas cap completely with the same results as before. I pulled into the driveway and set it on fire. Just kidding. Very frustrated right now. I am going to remove the sending unit and inspect the pick up tube now and will report my findings soon. Thanks to all that responded. BloodyKnuckles

I'm just about spent! I have been chasing an on going problem with my wife's DeSoto 251. Since I bought the car about 6 or so years ago I can't get proper fuel delivery. I have rebuilt the carb twice, flushed the lines to the tank and vented the tank. I have replaced the fuel pump about 4 times up to this point and everytime I think I have it fixed. I drive it and it will either vapor lock during start up or starve for fuel upon accelleration. What I have found throughout this time is which makes me think I have fixed it was loose lines. Not overly loose but I thought maybe loose enough to cause an air leak. So as a last ditch effort I just purchased and installed a new mechanical pump and as a back up for vapor lock a Mr.Gasket electrical pump was installed with a pressure regulator. The mechanical pump will not pull through the electrical pump if the pump is turned off. Which boggles my mind because I know others who run these and the mechanical pump will pull through it when off. I can drive the car just fine with the electric pump on but I want to only use it as a back up for vapor lock starts. What am I missing here??? BloodyKnuckles

Sorry for my ignorance. I thought I was looking at the pistons. I just went through my manual and realised that I was looking at the valves. Amature:rolleyes: BloodyKnuckles

Well I thought that I was looking at the pistons. Maybe I'm not. Is it the top of the valves?? If it is They look good which is another good sign. So what would I be looking at? BloodyKnuckles

Good news! I got it running yesterday after I replaced the points, condenser, cap, rotor and coil. Pulled the spark plugs and they are new. The crazy thing is the tops of the pistons are bright aluminum which blows my mind. I'm wondering if the engine has been rebuilt. Man, that would be great. What I have to do; Repair or replace the gas tank Rebuild the carb Replace the fuel pump Rebuild the braking system Repair a ton of wiring Once I get this stuff done I'll be driving in style. Can't wait! BloodyKnuckles

I pressure washed the Dodge today. It really is in good shape. Who ever prepped the body for paint did a poor job, especially on the front clip. The rest of the paint hung on well. I plan to have it running tomorrow. Then onto the brakes. We'll see. BloodyKnuckles

Thanks for the compliments. Yes, the Buick came with a 215 aluminum V-8. It ran so damn well I struggled with doing the swap. The brakes, driveshaft and transmission all had major issues which ultimately made up my mind for me. I'm really happy with the direction the Skylark is heading. I'm hoping to maybe drive it this summer. BloodyKnuckles

A 1961 Buick 401 nailhead with a switch pitch 400. It's all in there already. I have to set up the steering then everything back out for a rebuild. BloodyKnuckles

I do plan on some sort of artwork on the IH for the business but I'm hoping I'll be doing it to the Dodge if that guy buys the International. Good idea on the depreciation. I bet you haven't seen the Buick since I made it a roller. Well here you go; As for the little car, I haven't messed with it at all. Someday. Thanks guys. BloodyKnuckles

Mine's pretty crude and not on an old Dodge. Up on the rails to utilize the whole bed; In the bed; I studied many old pictures to come up with a style that would fit my style build. I use the truck as my construction truck so it needs to be big, srtong and versatile. Not fancy by any stretch of the imagination. BTW...Sorry for the OT truck. BloodyKnuckles