Pete

This reminds me of an extended nightmare with my 1938 Dodge pickup. It had intermittent fuel starvation problems. It would run fine for about 20 miles or so and die a lurching death. If I waited 15 minutes or so it would start and go for a short while. I ended up replacing just about everything in the fuel system. I rebuilt the carb twice, sent the tank to Tank Renu, blew out the lines with compressed air. Nothing solved it. Completely frustrating. I really abused my AAA membership during that time. Finally I found the cause. There was a small seed that had apparently gotten into the fuel tank and got sucked up all the way to just downstream of the flex hose right before the mechanical fuel pump. After running for a while it would get sucked up into the brass fitting. It fit just like the needle valve in a carburetor. Once the fuel pump stopped it slowly floated away downstream. I "deseeded" the fuel system and it's been running good since. I saved that damn seed... Pete

Here is what I used:

I have a '39 4-door touring sedan. It's as original as I can keep it, including the drive train. All the numbers match -- it's the original 201. No overdrive. I got it for touring. It will cruise all day at 50 - 55 MPH. I have Coker radial 16/600s on it. It wandered a lot more with the bias plies. I believe that overdrive was an option in '39. It's an earlier BW that shorter. I've seen a couple of those for sale over the years for exorbitant prices. I've read that if you put a 1940s BW OD in you would need to modify the X-frame chassis member. The only issue I had with the column shift was I lost a bushing on the engine side of the firewall. Did a roadside fix and then found original replacements online. My '39 was in storage for about 13 years when I got it. Brakes were awful & the compression was low but even. A few hundred miles of driving brought the compress back up. Pete

I was 15 and watched it by myself on a small black & white TV. I still get chocked up when I watch it now. Amazing what they accomplished given the technology at the time.

HI all, I put a QuietRide firewall pad in my '39 Plymouth. It fit good and looks great. They are very easy to work with. They can add or remove cutouts if you work with them. Check out their website. They have different catalogs for different years. Pete

Hi. One more thought. As mentioned earlier, a PO had plumbed the canister filter backward. Before I corrected that, the dipstick would turn pretty dark within a few hundred miles of an oil change. Afterward, it stayed much cleaner and newer looking for many more miles. Also, there was a bunch of oil crud in the bottom of the canister to clean out during the change-over. The point being, look at the dipstick following your re-plumbing. It can confirm if you've done it correctly. Pete

Here are some turkeys in my yard. It's from mating season a couple of years ago. I took these from my living room window.

If you remove the canister from the engine give it a good cleaning. I did this on mine and found not only were the inlet and outlet marked on the canister under the crud, but a PO had plumbed it backwards. And yes, not all brands do the inlet and outlet the same way. I think the manual diagram you posted applies only to the factory installed canister. After market brands do it their own way. Pete

Hi Greg, Thanks -- good stuff. Do I need to disconnect the vacuum line from the carb to the distributor, or is that taken care of by setting the idle to 400-500 rpm? Pete

It does nothing for me, but I wish I had that kind of time on my hands.

HI Ken, Thanks for the reply. Better fan flow sounds like a good idea. I don't want to go with an electric fan at this point as I want to keep my original generator and regulator. Where would I find a fan/blade with better airflow? From a different Mopar flathead? After market? Pete

Can you turn the canister 90 or 180 degrees if you loosen the hose fittings? That should get the hose away from the starter. If you turn it 90 degrees towards the driver's side the canister oil drain will be a lot more convenient. And I second the idea of replacing the hoses with metal tubing. Pete

In my post above I meant 20.5 inches of vacuum, not lbs. Haven't had my coffee yet...

Hi all. My ’39 Plymouth touring sedan has a strange thing going on. I searched here on this forum and also elsewhere online, but have not found the info I’m looking for. Apologies in advance for the long post. The problem affects warm and hot idle. With the engine is warmed up I set the mixture screw by backing it out until I get max vacuum, which is 20.5 lbs. I have the idle set a bit high at about 700 - 750 rpm for drivability. This doesn’t seam to affect the off-idle port as seating the mixture screw will stall the engine. Lowering the idle speed does not change the vacuum reading. The problem is much worse with Ethanol fuel. However, at this mixture setting when I put my ear near the tail pipe it sounds pretty unsteady like it has a lean stumble. If I back the mixture screw out another 1 to 2 turns that slowly clears up until it purrs like a kitten. The vacuum is still at 20.5 lbs. At this point the mixture screw is out 3 to 4 turns from seated. That seems to be way too much. The car has its original 201 engine, and I installed a correct pro rebuilt carb about 2000 miles ago. I lowered the carb float by 1/32 inch from spec to account for Ethanol fuel expansion. I pulled the plugs and they look good with just a very light coat of light gray. The engine runs well at any speed above idle. I occasionally add MMO to fuel tank. The heat riser valve is not working, so I have it locked closed. The ignition system has not been modified and seems to be working fine. The car starts easily (except after a heat soak) and I’ve never heard the engine ping. When the engine is warmed up I spot checked the engine and the radiator with a laser temp probe. All seems normal. I’ve had the cooling system gone over by a local old-time radiator pro and all looks good. I think the car has been running too lean at idle since I got it. If I run it at or near idle for a long time like in a parade on a very hot day the car has fuel problems. My understanding is running an engine too lean causes it to run hot, which is why I been looking at this issue. Just last weekend I smoothed out the idle by backing out the mixture screw and haven’t yet put many miles on it to seem if this clears up the problem. The car seems to be running really well. My planned next step is to take the spare carb that came on the car and give it a good cleaning, rebuild it, and see if that makes a difference. Please let me know your thoughts on this. Is having the mixture screw that far out bad for the engine? Is it wasting fuel? Most of all, is this normal? Do any of you need to do this? Should I just leave it as it is and be happy? Thanks in advance, Pete

Great picture. I love Maine. We try to go every year. We went on an old car tour up to that area a couple of years ago. In Kennebunkport we took a couple of small boats out to Goat Island. If your pic is Kennebunkport Harbor, I think we left from the smaller pier in the background. Goat Island has an old working lighthouse and is just across the water from the (Presidents) Bush compound. We toured the light house and had a BBQ lunch with the light house keeper. The weather was perfect. Wish I was there now.

I thought the North Dakota state tree was a telephone pole... Pete

Casper, how does the hydro dip hold up over time as to scratches, etc? Is it hold up as well as painted woodgrain? Pete

Hi all. I've had my '39 Plymouth out a couple of times now in the Vermont spring. I put her to bed properly in the fall and she's in heated storage all winter. In the spring I change the oil, check the other fluids, lube the chassis, fill the tires, hook up the battery and she starts right up. She was built 80 years ago today according to the build sheet, so happy birthday to Eleanor. She's doing pretty darn good for her age. For her birthday I gave her paint a light buffing, then a good coat of wax. The old girl doesn't look like she just rolled out of the factory, but she's pretty close. Now I just need to find more driving time. One more year until I retire. Happy motoring to all.

For some reason eBay returned this picture on one of my car part searches. I think it's a sign for how to use a pay toilet. I think it would make a great T-shirt:

My '38 Dodge truck has a windshield crank like this one. Be gentle with it. The zinc/pot metal on mine broke. I was able to find a used replacement. Pete

It is a great book. I have a copy and have read it twice. Highly recommended. Pete

Hi Greg, I'm using my fog lights as turn signals. I can use them as turn signals whether the fog lights are on or off. I'm using the Electro-Tech unit. Not cheap, but it works well. Just switch the wire that used to go from your fog light switch to the fog lights to go to the front parking lights terminal on the Electro-Tech unit. Use your fog light switch to turn the fog lights on or off as you normally would. Here is their website: http://www.turnswitch.com/Turnsignal.htm Here's a pic: Pete

I had my mechanic sort out the steering on my 1939 Plymouth touring sedan. I had new rubber insulators (either from AB or RMP) that he installed. When I got the car back the steering was still too loose. I took it back, he removed the insulators and it now works just fine. YMMV. Peter

My 1938 Dodge Brothers RC half ton. Picture taken about 20 years ago. It's seen a lot of work since then. Pete

My wife's cousin had 7 wives. He finally got it right. He was a long-distance truck driver... Pete