Dan Hiebert

Northern Maine, technically we're in New England, but still 300 miles east of New Hampshire. I'd still be interested in what you'uns come up with. Now that I'm gainfully unemployed, forays are much easier to venture out on.

That "nut" on the top center of the steering box is actually a cover for the adjustment screw. Take that off, there is a star washer under it (that you can just make out in the photo) that keeps the adjustment stud/screw in place, take that off, too. Then adjust as needed. This raises / lowers the sector shaft gear to change how it meshes with the steering shaft worm gear. Then replace items in reverse order.

Mmm, Breyer's ice cream...and looks like an AP (Associated Press) recreation of some newsworthy event, old-timey cop and forthright citizen (with what looks like at least a 10 gauge blunderbuss) fending off some evil-doer(s).

Think to self - procrastinating because it's hard, or because you are unfamiliar with it? Either way, just dig into it, you'll surprise yourself. It'll be easier than you thought, hard just takes more time...unfamiliar just takes getting started. Attention to detail and perseverance will always reward you. You're doing a bang-up job so far, and I, for one, can hardly wait to see the results of your work. I always look for the latest on your build thread. Ooh-rah!

As little as a one inch strip, 1/4 inch wide, at about 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock will work (meaning 4 points). But you can really use as much as you want, up to a bead all the way around, not more than a 1/4 wide. Of course, the more you use the "harder" it will be to remove the hubcap, but it will still come off when needed. One benefit of using silicone, they won't come flying off. No harder to remove than if the clips were new.

That company (H. Gerstner & Sons) has been in business making that kind of stuff since before WW1. A friend of mine in Buffalo, NY collected and restored those chests as a hobby, unfortunately, he died a few years ago, so I can't ping him for more info. They are still in business, and could probably help dating that particular cabinet. Parts are readily available, if I recall correctly.

That's just what I installed - plain old screw in LED bulbs - because I already had all the hardware for screw in bulbs. But, I spaced the boxes so I can use them to hardwire 4' LED shop lights when the time comes. Up in these parts, LED shop lights didn't become readily available until two years after I rewired the shop (only a couple years ago). I gave up a little initial lighting coverage knowing I'd upgrade in a few years. I like the instant on and brightness of LED, and no issues with whatever the temperature happens to be.

What do those look like installed? I've got LED lighting in our garage, but it's just plain ol' bulbs. I'm planning on installing actual shop lighting this upcoming spring, but haven't decided specifics as of yet.

Not one item, but various tools, the vast majority along I-10 in Hudspeth County, TX. Walked the side of the Interstate, secondary roads, fence lines, drag roads, ranch roads, field roads, pole-lines, etc. looking for people tracks almost every day for 7 1/2 years there. Found everything from a 1/4" quarter inch socket, to channel locks, crescent wrenches, a set of combination wrenches, 1/2" torque wrench, pliers out the ying-yang, etc. Some cheap stuff, some good stuff, some weird stuff, but all still in my tool box (except the weird stuff). Looking down for details on the ground you can find a lot. Stuff people would put on the hood, trunk, roof, etc. of their car or truck somewhere, forget it was there, then drive off. That was close the middle of no-where, so no one would even think of going back to look for the things that fell off their car.

A friend/coworker of mine drove a Yugo in the late '80's that just wouldn't die. He couldn't make right-hand turns without first having a plan to hold the driver's door closed, windows only worked intermittently (not a good thing with no AC and being in south Texas) and he had to check the rearview mirror for parts every time he hit railroad tracks over 20 mph, but it just kept on running. He isn't a "car guy" by any stretch of the imagination, all that mattered to him was that it started and ran "OK", so he swore by it regardless of the ribbing he got from us. Only got rid of it because he got married, had a kid, and had to take his loved ones' well-being into consideration.

Base for inside sunvisor…?

Nice! That's probably the one thing I wish our current abode had. Haven't had a wood fireplace since we lived in NM, really miss the warmth, smell, ambiance, etc. I enjoyed the wood gathering process, too, albeit 20 years ago. We've got a wood pellet stove in the shop/garage that adds a nice aroma to the yard, but that's not the same.

Here's Ollie, a Norwegian Forest Cat, and an A-1 mouser, on daily rodent patrol / work inspection. He's the reason I don't have much of a mouse problem. Friendly as they come, just doesn't like to be picked up and held for more than 10 seconds or so...or else...

Welcome! You will indeed find much sage advice, information, and especially inspiration in these pages. Just about any challenge you come across will have been met and figured out by someone herein, and if you figure something out that hasn't been touched on, then certainly let us know. We really like to follow members' progress, too, so don't hesitate to post success stories, or just good ol' having fun with the Plymouth stuff - photos are always encouraged.

A belated Merry Christmas to all from northern Maine! Went to the In-law's in NJ, and left the electric leashes here. Typical New Jersey Italian holiday...LOUD. All the other niceties apply, of course, just turn up the volume. A white Christmas here, had a couple inches of snow earlier in the week to freshen things up, and it's been cold enough to stick around (that's kind of a "duh" for these parts, but it was a tad iffy there for a bit). More coming down today. Here's to a Happy New Year to everyone and theirs!

What seems to help maintain their interest is explaining why some of the things they are helping with need to be done, or why you are doing them (cosmetic resto, improvement/upgrade, etc., because sometimes they also learn "not broke, don't fix" quickly, and catch onto "make-work", which can turn them off). Doesn't have to be an in depth technical explanation, like Einstein said, "If you can't explain it to a six-year old, you don't know it well enough." Often something "really important" that only they can help with means a lot to them. You know your tykes best, and what will keep them interested.

15 x 5 is the correct original rim size for '48 D24. Your car, so your choice on tires, you won't get grief from us, but you should not fret about loads from radial tires. Bias ply tires put a good deal more stress on the suspension than radials do. There is a reason cars engineered for bias plies can run radials, but cars engineered for radials can not, and should not, be run on bias plies. I have a first hand experience story about that, too. Back in the '90s, the agency I worked for used quite a few Ford Broncos as cruisers. The Sector I worked in decided to save money and buy a truck load of bias ply tires (we went/go through a lot of tires in the desert southwest) for those Broncos. Use of those tires greatly reduced the capability of the trucks - in all realms, and exponentially reduced their lifespan, they were all junk within two years, (suspensions, primarily) when we usually took five to six years before they were "trashed". (The Border Patrol is by default hard on patrol vehicles.) Of course, the wiz that recommended those tires, and convinced management to buy them, got an award for saving so much money...on tires. No one brought up the damage they caused in the long run, except us Nugs in the field, but that was back when what we said didn't matter very much. But a lesson was learned (for a while, anyway) about using proper equipment. I certainly carried it forward when I got into that management.

Very cool! When that plant was expanded to rebuild tanks during WW2, my grandfather, a welder, did a lot of work there. At first he did construction welding to help erect the plant, and he did such a good job that he was picked up to weld on the tanks when the expansion was complete. He was 4F for poor vision and lived in Centralia, IL (where my Dad was born) at the time. Working in Evansville played a role in his relocation to Carmi, IL (where I was born) after the war. My brother and I would spend part of our summers in Carmi after the family moved to Dallas, and every year we did a shopping trip with Grandma to Evansville, where she once pointed out the (by then former Plymouth) plant where Grandpa had worked. I didn't remember much about it until "Djhall1950" posted - Thanks! I still have an Uncle and cousins that live in Carmi. They take a lot of trips to Evansville, it's not far, and the "big city" in the region.

Our D24 was originally "Fortress Gray". I painted it a "dove gray" shortly after we bought it, which has a tinge more blue in it than the original, but now faded pretty close to original after 28 years. A PO had done a poor paint job in silver, I don't mind silver, but it looked awful on the D24, much less that it was not done well. That said, there is no indication anywhere on the car identifying what color it was painted at the factory.

Very sad news indeed. I've followed Don's exploits from the early days of the P15-D24 Forum, and had the pleasure of meeting him once in Port Huron at a POC meet. Quite memorable was his ongoing racing build challenge with BlueSkies as he was finishing his P15, the way he wanted it. Many humorous (and some not-so-humorous) anecdotes haunt these pages from Don, not to mention what must be the longest thread on the Forum, the "Interesting Photos I Have Come Across", that he started quite a few years ago. Bummer.

Welcome to the Forum! That is indeed a good looking car, and since you're obviously a car guy, you will have fun with it. I'm a bit partial to the D24s myself. Lot's of good info here, just about every challenge you meet with your car will have been addressed herein at some point or another, and/or it never hurts to just ask away, gives the folks here an opportunity to help.

6 inches of new snow Thanksgiving day here in northern Maine. Stiff winds to stir it around a bit Friday and kill my MPG on the way home from NJ. Even stiffer winds Saturday when it was time to move the snow. But still, the only time I mutter bad words to myself about the snow is when that wind changes direction (the surrounding trees make our property like a commode with the wind) and sends what seems like all of that snow from the snow-blower back into my face...

Geez, we've got at least four inches of snow on the ground already... The autumns up here are gorgeous, but as some of you noted in your areas, they don't last very long. Fall colors, anyway, I didn't even get a chance to do a fall colors photo safari this year. We get what folks in the more southern environs would call fall temperatures starting in August. Those are nice photos, thanks for sharing!

There is no "registry" that I am aware of, but then again, one would have to register their car with a registry for that to work in the first place. But, depending on just how curious you are about the numbers, your State's motor vehicle component (DMV, BMV, etc.) may entertain a query about how many are registered in that State. They may not divulge who the owner is, or their private info, but they may tell you how many 1947 Dodge sedans are registered in the State. I went with a friend to register a 1945 Ford F-1 in Texas many years ago, and they flat out told him he had the only one registered in the State without him even asking. I asked Maine BMV how many 1937 Terraplane 4dr sedans are registered here, and there's only one...mine. I had to go to the main office in Augusta, the town office where I registered it doesn't have the resources to look that up. Not that there aren't other operable 1937 Terraplanes in ME, mine is just the only 4dr sedan registered. Some States are tight with that kind of info, some aren't.

To be blunt, these cars were engineered to use DOT 3 brake fluid. Other fluids, such as DOT 5 silicone based fluid will work but you will notice a difference. I don't know the mechanics of it, but DOT 5 in a system engineered for DOT 3 will seem spongy, almost like there is a bit of air in the system. DOT 5 is good for show cars that don't hit the street very much, as it does not attract moisture, and doesn't ruin paint. I put DOT 5 in our D24 several years ago when I rebuilt the braking system because we weren't using the car much and were in a relatively humid environment. It has held up very well, but I don't like how the brakes work now that we have been using the car more...the aforementioned "spongy" braking, even though the system was thoroughly flushed. (As noted, the DOTs don't play well together.) If you intend to use Dotty as a regular, or even occasional, driver, then I'd recommend the tried and true DOT 3, and just adhere to regular maintenance on the brake system.