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Gixxer, Welcome to the forum, congratulations on your nuptials and your lovely bride, and nice going with the great looking car! Phew, I think I covered all the bases with that sentence, lol. Seriously, welcome; it's always nice to see a new face. If you've been following the forum at all you already know we have members in your area, although from the looks of your little beauty you may not need a bunch of our help on much of anything. Fortunately, this forum isn't only about which end of a wrench to grab before you smack something with it. We tend to be a loose-knit group of folks from all over the world who sometimes talk about the world away from Mopars and generally try to have fun in whatever endeavor we pursue. Again, welcome. -Randy

Tim, Sometimes cold steel is all it takes. -Randy

Gents, I find it interesting that both cars seem in opposite condition, the attractive one is half the ratty one's price, and they have the same area code. Wonder if they know each other? -Randy

Ed, If those tabs are stock there is one very good explanation for them being there and another why they were discontinued - parallax vision. Parallax is the offset you get when a dial is above the face of a gauge because unless you're looking directly at the needle there will be a slightly inaccurate reading. Sort of like when you ride in the passenger seat and look at the speedometer; you may see it read 55 when the car is actually going 60. Gauge makers often counteract this by putting a piece of reflective foil on the face so when the needle is directly above the face and you can't see the needle's reflection you know your reading is accurate. When timing an engine you could align the zero marks (or whatever) on both tabs with the mark on the dampener and know you weren't off a couple of degrees. The reason they were discontinued was that nobody knew why they were there or it was too much trouble to use them or "it worked good enough in the past" or a combination of those reasons. Phew, it took me two days to remember the word "parallax" so I sure hope this helps! -Randy

Gents, "Non sequitur (Latin for "it does not follow"), in formal logic, is an argument in which its conclusion does not follow from its premises.[1] In a non sequitur, the conclusion could be either true or false, but the argument is fallacious because there is a disconnection between the premise and the conclusion." -Randy

Mark, I was going to comment of Unkka's dapper appearance too, but I bet he plays hell hitchhiking in that get-up in the winter. -Randy

Gents, Are we talking natural metal as in vs. pot metal or painted steel? You know how I hate to err even slightly. Mine seems to be steel that was painted several colors before I got my grubby mitts on it and when it goes back on the car it will be gloss black. -Randy

Bingster, The one on Pigiron certainly appeared to be when I took if off for painting. Surprisingly enough, it still does. -Randy

Tim, It all falls into place and seems so simple when put into simple words. Thanks. -Randy

Gents, If Pigiron is ever criticized the bad-mouthing usually comes from someone who is looking for justification for over-extending his budget to purchase the newest and flashiest extension of his anatomy; the sort of ride that has a meaningless name and a life expectancy to match. I generally ignore such ego aggrandizements for what they are but if I ever discuss my P-15 with someone who is serious about wanting to know what I like about it other than driving a solid car one of my first statements is that the turning radius is only slightly greater than that of my '67 VW Bug. Maybe I've missed something in its translation but I fail to see any value to modifying the steering in order to obtain a tighter radius. Granted, there's a reason for having an 18 1\2" diameter steering wheel but that doesn't reflect anything other than a lack of power steering. Please enlighten this ignorant soul on what is wrong with the stock setup. -Randy

Gents, Rather than worrying about obtaining the proper "group" by which my future POC trailer queen will be judged, I've simply measured the space available and gotten the largest battery I could squeeze in. That gives me the best chance of getting the car started when it's -15 outside and the peace of mind that comes with it is always worth a few bucks more. -Randy

Scotty, What the car actually looks like is not at all what I had in my mind's eye. Hit it with some #1200 w\d and spray the clear coat. You're done! -Randy

Scotty, There's a bright side, if you hide in a closet and close your eyes while becoming violently drunk and screaming obscenities, because you may be on to something big. "Patina" is the word given to worn-out paint because it's a more pleasant word than the real problem, and I guess the word got coined by someone who didn't want to go to the trouble or expense of painting the car properly. We all know what it is and that it will continue to deteriorate and take the car with it but the clever use of a simple word created not only a demand for such a finish but aftermarket products to assist anyone wanting his ride to go into the toilet faster than the next guy's ride. What I'm getting at here is that if you can come up with a word that doesn't describe the finish but is an alternative to the truth and can be said several times in a row while maintaining a straight face, you may have just created a whole new genre in automotive finishes. It would be not only possible to get a veritable host of slobs behind you but your car would be the first to offer attractive orange peel and artistic runs! The self-gratification afforded the inventor of the process would be immeasurable! Flat black would become blase for it's inherent lack of ability to loudly display what has hitherto been wrongfully scorned. You'd be considered a genius amongst your peers! We're all behind you on this and good luck in your fame and fortune. Good luck patenting the process, too, but we all wish you the best in your endeavor. Can you imagine how this will ease the burden of guilt previously bestowed upon this now-immaculate art form? "We knew him when!" -Randy

Scotty, There was quite the discussion on a spray paint chrome system perhaps before you joined, and the opinions went from "that sure do look pretty" to "it's paint, and paint scratches as easy as paint". I agree with both sides and I haven't heard of anybody here trying it yet so look at this site and decide for yourself: www.alsacorp.com. They have some spiffy stuff and videos for a lot of it but the product I'm talking about is their 3-step chrome paint system. Even if you don't buy anything it's the sort of website you can spend too much time exploring. -Randy

Jeff, I don't know where you are but I've always had great service from Neil Riddle in Seattle (206) 285-6534. There are lots of places you can get parts but I mention Neil because he drives a '51 or '52 Suburban and might go "that extra mile" due to your kindred spirit. He should be good for the hinge but the other stuff is up in the air and will probably take some looking. -Randy

Lee, Good thing you decided against any subs in the trunk! I have been enjoying your posts very much. Thanks for taking time to get pictures and being willing to explain what you're doing and why. Enjoy the show and we'll check on progress next time. -Randy

Chance, Wagering a guess but there has been more than once in my short life I've wished for a small extension to an interior sun visor for when the sun in just the wrong place. I think this would fill that bill. -Randy

My48Ruby, There was no frustration or discomfort in your use of Finnish in your posts; I had just read the latest installment in the "Large block into a P-15" tirade and felt some humor was in order. Thanks for the "travelogue". It has gotten my to the atlas more than once. -Randy

Jim, I'm with Greg that it's a fun accessory but when you're low and the vacuum doesn't suck oil it sucks air, thereby changing your air\fuel mixture. Telling you you're low is one thing but punishing you for it goes a tad too far in my book. Maybe the guy who invented it had a hand in starting MicroSoft? -Randy

Scotty, I think tires are the bane of the working man, right along with women, alcohol, and a list that continues into the horizon. I suppose if we all put covers on them to keep UV off them and jacked the cars to get weight off them they might last longer but I believe that sort of regimen would last about one or two times around my house and sensibly less time with others. Have you already decided on the tires to replace them? You got me with the "gasser" part. I don't know when and I don't know how but you will eventually pay for that. -Randy

Gents, I'm finding the posts about your plans for meeting with each other quite fascinating. My ancestors arrived in the US of A in 1635 and all were from England, something of which I'm rather proud, but I have had friends who's parents were from foreign lands and I've always rather envied their ability to jump from one language to another. I learned Spanish so I could speak to all the members of my friends families but it never seemed quite the same. I enjoy that you write salutations and phrases in Finnish but since I don't speak a word of the language would you mind writing your Finnish in English? -Randy

Wally, You're right but if you squint a bit you might see it with some of the spiral obviously going outside the edges of the head. Or, just use a diagram but the squinting part worked for me the first time and now it's easy for me. It's just a suggestion that I thought I'd pass along. -Randy

Duke, Welcome to the forum. I don't know your level of experience so I hope you're not insulted by this, but when I first started wrenching an old red-headed mechanic told me to install the head bolts in a spiral pattern starting in the center. If you look at a diagram you'll see the spiral and by following it you won't need to keep referencing the diagram, and this holds true for any surface you may need to torque, not just heads. -Randy

scottyv47, I notice the dark stains on the metal under the paint and wonder if that what folks are trying to remove with an acid wash? Are you planning to do anything along those lines? I ask only because I have the same stains on mine. -Randy

Dr. Fell, You mentioned building a box for the radio. It strikes me that the heat generated by the vacuum tubes would be a deterrent to that, vs. hanging it in the breeze the way the factory did it. Have you had any problems along those lines? -Randy