Pete

Hi all, I got my LED headlight bulbs here: http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/ They have 2331 positive ground bulbs. These are very bright, but I did not like then as much as halogen as the light is very diffuse and doesn't penetrate the dark like the halogens do. My old eyes need bright lights. The plus side of the LEDs is low heat and you can use your original generator/regulator. I got my halogen bulbs here: https://www.lbcarco.com/mg.html They have 2331 bulbs in 35/35 candlepower. They used to also have 35/50 candlepower, but I don't see them on their site now. I would run a 6v positive ground alternator with these due to the higher current draw. Their halogen bulbs did not seem to care whether the car is positive or negative ground. If your headlight bulb sockets are original you need 2331 bulbs. Someone in the past may have switched them to 2330. These sockets may be more common as I believe they were used on F*rds and Harleys. As Rich said you can switch the pigtails and be happy. The high & low beams were the correct orientation for my 2331 sockets for both the LED and halogen bulbs I bought. Both were just a bulb change from the original tungsten bulbs to the LED & halogen bulbs. Question for Rich: How do you tell which lens goes on which side on the '39s? I have a couple sets and none are marked L or R. Pete

I feel your pain. I rebuilt my '39 Plymouth headlights back to stock a couple of years ago. The hardest parts to find are the 6 small clips that hold the reflectors to the buckets. I also had a hard time finding the rubber seals that go under the headlights as none of the aftermarkets ones fit. I made my own. I tried LED bulbs. They were amazingly bright, but were not focused well and didn't penetrate the dark very far. Right now I'm back to stock headlight bulbs, but will use halogen once I convert to a 6v positive ground alternator. I have the combination in '38 Dodge pickup and it works well. The reflectors were the easy (but pricey) part. There's a guy who uses a newer, non-silver process that never tarnishes. Here's my info on him: Uvira, Inc. PO Box 1137 Merlin, OR 97532 Telephone: +1.541.956.6880 Fax: +1.541.476.9096 email: uvirainc@gmail.com Bill Atwood owner. Uvira has a process to put a glass covered polished aluminum coating on headlight reflectors. They will stay in good condition for years (perhaps decades). Much better than silver plating. Shipping address: 357 Shan Creek Road, Grants Pass, OR 97527 You need to have the reflectors nickle plated before you send them to him. That's the pricey part. Don Axelrod is a good source for various pre-sealed beam headlight parts: hdlthqtrs@aol.com Donald Axelrod Headlight Headquarters 35 Timson Lynn, Massachusetts 01902 781-598-0523 Let me know if you have questions, Pete

I believe the car is a 1957 Chrysler. The light falls in such a way as to illuminate the tail lights but not the fins. Pete

HI Keith, Then and Now Automotive makes fuel pump kits that include new fulcrum pins that have C-clips on both ends to prevent the pin walking out. I had this happen to me on a drive. The pin walked out and the spring ended up in the oil pan. I put one of these pins in and the issue never came back. http://www.then-now-auto.com/?s=FPA-48+Fuel+pump+kit Pete

Hi Keith, Very cool. I ordered one from eBay. I plan to put it in my '39 Plymouth. In the '39 the radio has an integral speaker in the middle of the dash. I plan to remove the radio & put a single speaker there connected to this unit. Does anyone know how to wire a single speaker to the unit's two stereo outputs? Do I just attach both to the one speaker's input? Also, the car is still 6v positive ground. Do I attach the negative lead from the car's wiring harness to the red or the black power leads on this unit? Thanks in advance, Pete

Hi all, I found another Auto-Lite instruction sheet for installing a headlight relay. These instructions appear to be for Studebakers, so some of the part numbers may not apply to Mopars. Pete

In a former life (in a galaxy far, far, away...) I went to film school and worked in the film industry for a while. Worked as a cinematographer on a few (low budget) films. Love the cars and movies of the thirties. Pete

Those "outdoor" scenes were filmed in a studio.

In the big Sleep Bogart drives a 1938 Plymouth coupe. See the pictures. Some are dark, but hey, it's film noir. Pete

If you are asking about the Electro-Tech turn signals I mention above, they work with either positive or negative ground. My old Mopars are both still 6v positive ground. Pete

I have these turn signal units in both my old Mopars: http://www.turnswitch.com/Turnsignal.htm They do what you want. I have them wired to my fog lights and brake lights. The work correctly whether the fog lights are on or off. They are pricey, but they work well and I've never had any problems with them. Pete

You may need to polarize the generator, too.

If you really want to geek out on this subject, this is a great book (attached). 2020-02-23-0001.pdf

Hi Keith, This might help. It's a chart I recently put together for the Plymouth & Dodge 23" engines from 1934 through 1959. I made it because I was trying to figure out where all the bits on my engine came from, and what performance increases I might get. I sourced the stats from Mopar parts manuals, Motor manuals, and some online. I think it's pretty accurate, but not perfect. And additions or corrections thankfully received. Pete Plymouth - Dodge CID HP CR 1934 - 59.pdf

These may or may not help. Pete Mopar wiring code information.pdf Guide to Wire and Fuses.pdf

My wife and I met in our 50s. Her father was always into old cars and was a judge at Hersey for many years. She went with him since she was about 10 years old. He had all kinds of old cars including Packards, a '38 Chrysler, Studebakers, a SAAB 3 cylinder 2 stroke (known as the "buzz bomb"). Unfortunately, he passed away just before I met my wife, so maybe I'm a replacement? She says if he had lived longer she would never see me as we'd always be in the garage working on old cars. She loves to go on old car tours when she can get away. Pete

Keith - that spring under the gas pedal is exactly what I did on my '38 Dodge Brothers pickup. It's worked well for years. Pete

Hi all, Attached are the installation instructions for the Auto-Lite HRB-4201 headlight relay. If you are looking for authenticity these are period correct as they came on Studebakers and Hudsons from 1939 - 41. I have one of these on both my '38 Dodge Brothers pickup and my '39 Plymouth touring sedan. They work well. They come with a 14 amp fuse. I needed up replace that with a 20 amp to handle the increased draw of halogen headlights. The hookup is easy. You only need one relay, and it installs in series on the wire from the headlight switch to the foot dimmer switch. This way both the high and low beams go through the relay. I put my relays on the firewall low on the driver's side. I see these on eBay often. Mine has never given me any trouble. Pete Auto-Lite Headlight Relay Installation Instructions.pdf

I replaced the vent window glass on my '39 Plymouth touring sedan a couple of months ago. I took them to a local glass place because I wanted tempered glass installed. Someone had replaced the glass previously with safety glass, which had started chipping badly on the vertical side that touches the front roll-up window. I read somewhere the original vent glass was tempered. Only the vent glass was tempered, the other glass was safety glass. Pete

Vermont on the Connecticut River. Last year's picnic was great. See you again in September! Pete

Hi Dodgeb4ya, I'm not sure what you mean by "T-tubes" ....that being a 3" welded washer and tube assembly. I'm having my engine rebuilt ('39 Ply) and have purchased new upper and lower rear mouths, washers, and bolts. These are all separate parts. I haven't taken off the old mounts yet. Should there be a tube that the bolt fits in that is welded to the washer? Attached is a scan of the rear mount parts for the 1939 Plymouth Passenger Car Parts List. Pete

Hi all, I'm hoping someone can identify this cylinder head. The number on the head appears to be either 131804-3 or 131:804-3 or 1311804-3. See attached pics. The block is original to my '39 Plymouth. The engine was worked on probably in the early 1950s based on dates stamped on replacement parts. It was bored out to 2 1/4 inches which makes it as 218 rather than the original 201. The engine is currently being rebuilt. This head has been machined as part of the rebuild. It now has a compression ratio of about 7.5 to 1, which will still leave good flow. The top had .005 taken off to even things up. It is an external bypass head. I have a number of Mopar parts books but can't find this part number anywhere. Questions: What does the big "D" on the head stand for? Dodge? What is the extra tapped hole between #4 and #5 spark plugs for? It's the one with the bolt in it in the pics. It goes through to the combustion chamber. In the past it was plugged with a bolt and had nothing attached to it. It has a boss which makes it look line part of the original casting. This is not the timing hole over the #6 cylinder. Mostly, what engine and vehicle did this head originally come on? What years was it used? Also, I got an NOS cylinder head that is correct for 201 & 218 heads. My engine builder cc'ed it and said he can't take enough off to get the CR anywhere near the current head, so it was decided to use the mystery head and not use the NOS head. Thanks, Pete

Just to confuse the issue -- in 1937 & 38 Dodge put 216 25" blocks in their half, 3/4, and one ton trucks. That's what I have in my 38 RC, and the build card says it's original to the truck. Pete

It looks like a calm breeze could knock it over.