Dan Hiebert

Our D24 gets a vibration increase as the speed increases or decreases through 30 mph. Since the (original) speedo shows 5 mph increments I can only nail it down to always through 30, beginning on the way up between 25 and 30, and on the way down between 35 and 30. Does not matter whether I am in 2nd or 3rd. I do not think it is the engine and drive train up to the clutch, since I can rev it in neutral from idle up to about 3K with no excess vibration. I initially wrote it off to a bent rim that was on the car forever, but I replaced that a couple years ago and the car still does it. It's a whole car shaking vibration, noticeable, but not severe. If I'm not in that vicinity of 30mph the car runs like a sewing machine, noisy but smooth. It has done this as long as I can remember. I put a new clutch in it about 30 years ago, that was the last time I had any part of the drive train apart, and I have absolutely no recollection if it did this before then. I have never fiddled with the ball-and-trunnion joints. I have suspicions but want to get you'un's thoughts.

I would echo Greg, there's no need to go so far as to remove the manifold, that's a lot more work than you need to do to resolve the issue, and most likely unnecessary. And to confirm another response, I've had two newer vehicles with the same symptoms as yours, with different causes, one was restricted fuel flow due to the pick up filter in the tank being clogged, the other was due to the points not being correct due to a loose clamp screw on the points base (points too close). So it could still be either of those issues - fuel or fire. Not to be mean, but who did the tune up on your car? You mention that it was done, but not that you did it. So checking those settings may still be in order. I'm having visions of modern techs not being familiar with 70-ish year old cars that don't have computer terminals...

Incorrect toe adjustment generally affects both wheels...but. If the toe was adjusted without first ensuring the steering was centered, an incorrect toe adjustment can affect wear on just one side. If the tire is wearing too much on the inside, and there is feathering of the tread away from the worn spot, it is a toe in/out issue. One of the symptoms is the car darting along the road for no particular reason, which can be difficult to diagnose if you have bias ply tires, since they tend to follow irregularities in the road anyway. It's not a difficult adjustment to make, it helps to have the specific gauges for the measuring, but those aren't mandatory if you're ok with field expedient equipment and have patience.

I was taught to use aluminum spray paint on metal gaskets, too, before there was any kind of spray on gasket available. I think it's because they (at least used to) use actual aluminum in the paint. Now Permatex makes a high temperature copper spray gasket that I've used on a few engines with no issues at all.

Response deleted, already covered.

The Powell Sport Wagon Co. is the name of the company. Built the pick-ups from 1954 to 1956, and a station wagon in 1955 to 1956. Production "voluntarily" ceased near the end of 1956 due to lack of useable chassis and running gear. They apparently had no problem selling everything they made. Running gear was from '40's and '50's Plymouths, chassis primarily were 1941. All chassis and running gear were refurbished from used or wrecked vehicles, Mr. Chrysler had no say-so in it, and apparently Powell made no attempt to solicit new components from MoPar. The Powell vehicles were sold, titled, and registered as new vehicles. I'm curious if that would fly in some States today. Any Plymouth service center could work on them. I can't find a definitive number, but production to date in mid 1955 was 1,000 trucks and 300 station wagons with an estimated production of 15-18 units per day (I can't find the breakdown of "per day" units).

My wife's late uncle created a "Thundertrike". It was a '78 Thunderbird converted to a trike. It was deemed safe, titled, and registered as a motorcycle (less than 4 wheels on the ground) in NM. He would never say what the end product was supposed to look like, I don't believe he was thinking that far ahead. Unfortunately, he died before it was finished. Someone bought it when his widow moved, no idea where it is now. In the photo, it has been sitting in the NM sun for 12 years, it actually looked half-decent when he died.

I know where one is abandoned in the far west Texas desert, according to Google Earth, it is still there. I was told by the land owner I could have it if I got it off the property, he was probably hoping someone would remove the eyesore that was upsetting his cattle. Barely accessible at the time, I'd wager it would take heavy equipment to fix the gravel road into the area now. It piqued my interest for a while, every time I started pondering how to get it out, I'd look up pictures and talk myself out of it...

Ditto. 3M, Mother's, and Maguire's that I know of make excellent polishing products. Their lines of products have varying aggressiveness depending on how "bad" your paint is. They aren't cheap, though, and work best with mechanical polishers. The abrasives break down as you go so you don't take too much off and end up with a nice shine. I recently tried all three brands on different panels of my brother-in-law's car to decide which I would use on our cars and couldn't make up my mind as they all performed quite well with my limited skill level. So I'll go with least expensive.

With a '47 Dodge, you will indeed have the 3-speed manual tranny behind the fluid coupling. There are no relays, and there shouldn't be any sort of governor, either. Check the fluid level in the fluid drive itself. If you are getting the engine rpms but the car isn't moving like it should, low fluid could very well be the culprit. There is an access panel on the passenger side of the transmission hump. Rotate the fluid drive assembly until the plug is lined up with the access hole. Remove the plug, and the fluid should be just to the bottom of the hole, if not oozing out a bit. If it is not there, it needs fluid.

Ditto Doug&Deb's post. What it looks like you are expecting to happen is not supposed to happen with your car's fluid drive, it is not an automatic transmission. It's up to the operator how to drive the car, you can either go through all the gears like normal, or once in second or third, just leave it there the rest of your trip, depending on where you're driving. I find that city driving where you rarely get over 25-30 that leaving it in second is a little livelier, to avoid getting honked at too much. Use the clutch to get into the gear you want, then you don't have to use it again. Sounds wrong if you're not familiar with it, and the carb has to be the right one for it to work right. What would help with expectations for how the car operates would be an owner's manual in this case, or look up some of the old advertisements for the model.

Browse some of the transmission removal / installation threads for tips on making that aspect somewhat easier, since the transmission has to come out to remove the clutch. There are also a few threads relating to work on the clutch. Both are topics that have been discussed at length herein. There are always lingering questions or clarifications needed afterwards, but a good browsing session will help start getting your head around the task. I am not good at searches, but others here are quite adept at it and can help. I haven't messed with the clutch in our D24 in 30 years or so, but I've done clutches in other cars in the interim. Safety would be my primary concern if doing that job alone. Proper tools to jack the car up, support it, remove and install the tranny (if you don't have the strength to do it unassisted - you have to be honest with yourself there), and alignment devices so you're not fighting the clutch or tranny.

As my grandma used to say..."sweat the meanness out" as she sent me and my brother out to do chores on the farm.

The metal on these cars is much easier to work than newer cars. As Dave72dt noted, it just may be possible to straighten that out while still on the car - it would be on a D24, but I don't know how the inner fender on the '51 Plymouths is situated. BUT, the fenders are relatively easy to remove. While it may be feasible to leave it on, I believe you'd get the best results taking it off. That way if you decide not to tackle it, it'd be an easy transfer to a body shop. You'll have a devil of a time finding a good replacement here in Maine. Indoor unheated storage won't affect where the chipped paint is too much, just don't wait too long to remedy any bare metal. And just in case it makes you feel better...guess what I forgot to do that led up to this... I, too, had to chase my wheel for a surprising distance.

My VW's gas tank sprung a leak last month, now that the G-kids are headed back home we'll have some discretionary money available to install a replacement, but as it always means with me, it'll be time to scrape some crud off the car that I couldn't get to before. Our "heat wave" broke yesterday, (we've had high humidity and mid-80's for a month ?), high was 75 yesterday, it's 52 out right now, and not supposed to get over 72 today with clear skies. It'll be tough to get up the gumption, but I think I'll be working outdoors today...

As another Forum member once told me, if you think it's noisy at 60 mph, run it at 70 mph for a while. When bone stock, these cars are noisy compared to modern cars. I believe top RPM for performance, such as it is, with these flathead sixes is 3.5K. I've always been happy not so much with how fast I drive, but how the car runs at between 1.5K and 2K rpms (no overdrive). I'd think that way, regardless of the rear end ratio, you'll find the sweet spot you like with the car's roadability, which may not be as fast as everyone else. But, yes, these cars can be noisy by nature.

If all else fails, check the choke, too, if your car still has the Sisson automatic choke. A treatise on how to service and adjust it was posted a few weeks ago. If it's not working correctly, it can cause starting problems and rough running when the car is hot.

I went with what was in stock, knowing Wix is a good product, and it had been recommended in other threads in this Forum. It is obvious when comparing the construction of the filters that the Wix one is a sturdier filter, and I like that it has a bail on top to ease removal when the time comes. Not that I ever had a problem with the Fram C134PL filters, I bought a case of them many moons ago and had used the last one with the oil change before this most recent one. From the responses I got when I was looking for the Fram filter, which included no Fram replacement number for it, I can only assume Fram doesn't make a filter for our stock applications anymore.

I could not find a Fram C134PL filter anywhere in northern Maine (not saying much, not much here). Almost seems they don't make it anymore (?). Every place I tried, even ones with supplies of Fram filters, had to research the number. I went with the Wix 51080, which isn't intended for old cars per se, but for industrial / agricultural applications. Advance Auto had them in stock - with a good layer of dust on the box.

I've installed both windshields and back glass in cars and trucks, Dodges and Fords. All were from the outside and using two persons. All the manuals I have call for installation from the outside.

For what it's worth - Unless you're bent on originality, there is nothing "wrong" with an aftermarket manual choke on these cars. I've had one on our D24 for thirty years with no issues, but the more I look at it now, the more I want to put the Sisson choke back in operation. My installation of the manual one isn't quite of "hambone" (I like that descriptor) quality, but it's not far off. I had replaced the Sisson choke way back when because it was not working right, but I'll be the first to admit I knew absolutely nothing about it - other than it wasn't working. Now I know why it wasn't working and how to fix it, thanks to this Forum.

Broken brake shoe return springs will cause that, too. I had about a two year span when one of the shoe return springs would break every two or three months, causing the exact same thing to happen. All had come from the same vendor, too long ago to cast aspersions about product quality now.

If queries fail - auto parts shops that sell auto paint, and auto paint shops can scan a sample if you have one and come up with a close or exact match. Downfall is that the patch they scan has to be at least 4" and uniform in color. If your "sample" is immobile, some can even send one of their people out with a special camera, I know NAPA will do this. They can also cross reference what the color called "Eddins Blue" has evolved into as far as what it's called now. It helps if the shop has a good paint guy or gal. It's been discussed herein before that exact matches to older colors are really hard to get for varying reasons. Some shops will be lost if they can't find an exact match, some will get you recommendations for something close.

Yup, that happens here "occasionally". Actually makes for some interesting threads...as long as the OP's question gets answered.

I'll third VHT. Although the wrong color for our engines, I used VHT Chrysler Blue on my engine 30 years ago. It has held its color, and when I repainted the fan last year, was a bear to remove, even with a sandblaster. And ditto yes, the engine color was silver from the factory regardless of the car's color. Not quite as bright as aluminum, but no one makes "silver". The POR-15 is supposed to be the closest, but you've seen how that ages. "P15 Reference" information under "Resources" in the header above has a list of what's painted what.