knuckleharley

Find out where the glass was made,and ask for customer references. I don't know about now,but a couple of decades ago new windshields and other glass were coming in from Central or South America,and I heard SOME people complain that it was too thin and the rubber didn't fit right. Also,beware of glass in a junkyard car that has been sitting out in the sun for decades. Old glass can be brittle. Do NOT buy that junkyard windshield unless they take it out for you at that price.

Guys,I ain't trying to rub it in and I even hate to admit it,but this thread has really cheered me up. Here I was thinking it was just me.

The good news is that if you want an original dash,they aren't hard to find or very expensive. I 'm with ya on the dashes of these old cars being beautiful. I think the dashes and steering wheels are half the reason I am attracted to them.

I I know. There is only one radiator shop I know of within 100 miles of me that is even willing to rod out or recore a radiator,and he only does it when he feels like it. You have to drop your radiator off,and then wait for him to call and tell you it is ready,and then make another round trip drive to get it. Maybe a week later,maybe 2 months later,depending on how much modern work he has to do. I have heard rumors about a guy maybe 75 miles away that has a one man shop and prefers to work on older stuff that still does recores and rodding out,but nobody seems to be able to remember his or the shop name,and the closest I can get for directions is "someone better town x and town y,I forgot what road." Driving me nuts. I have a 37 IHC PU that runs and drives perfectly,but the radiator core blew out and nobody even wants to look and see if they can get a replacement core. They just want to sell me a new one for 800 to 1,000 bucks.

I live in NC. I bought a 49 Dodge B1 pu from a guy in Virginia with a clear Va title,and the engine numbers matched the numbers on the title. I ended up selling it to a friend of mine and he took it to the DVM to get a new title. What he got was a registration good for 1 year,and tags so he could drive it. The DMV inspector,who he knows very well since he runs a commercial garage that does state inspections,showed up a month or so later,inspected the truck and the title,filled out his form,and sent it in. The NC DMV refused to issue him a title to the truck because the engine number didn't match the frame number. Yes,it DID match the title number on the valid Va title,which the state of NC destroyed,btw,but NC doesn't recognize engine numbers for title purposes. They told him he could appeal and they would give him another 1 year registration,but now he's pissed and just has it parked because he doesn't want to spend any more time or money on it when he isn't sure if he will get a title or not. Keep in mind that this was a perfectly valid title in Va,and unusual even for Va because most 1949 trucks have had the engine changed,or have no engine at all. In that case,you can get a title based on the chassis number. IF the NC DMV had returned the VA title he could take it to VA and get a new title in his name and have it changed to show the chassis number,but they don't do that. I had the same problem with my 37 Dodge 1 ton truck that was sold new to a Va city as a fire truck. I now have a 1937 Dodge truck with a NC VIN number that is not even remotely related to any MOPAR VIN number. BTW,my friend is a restorer,and he doesn't want and won't even accept a NC DMV VIN number for his truck. So it's just going to sit there until it rusts away.

I think a lot of it has to do with "it's a mail order world and they never see most of their customers". The "reproduction" radiator I bought for my 51 Ford 6 cylinder coupe came in with a neck the original 4 psi cap wouldn't fit,and the bottom radiator hose extension was shaped wrong. I had to cut it and use bent exhaust pipe to be able to use it. When I called the manufacturer to tell him about this and complain,he just said "Oh,yeah. We changed the necks to modern necks a while back,and a modern 16 psi cap will go right on it." When I told him I had bought it from him and paid him over 500 bucks for it BECAUSE it was advertised as an exact duplicate of the original and I wanted to run an original radiator cap,he just said "Sorry,we don't make those anymore." When I told him about the lower hose and fuel pump conflict,he just laughed and told me I would have to modify it. I used it is spite of this because the radiator came from a company on the left coast,and I live on the east coast. If he had been within a few hundred miles of me and laughed,he wouldn't be laughing any more until he got out of the hospital. I COULD have sent it back to him and waiting for a refund and then ordered the 700 dollar radiator from The Brass Works,but I didn't want to wait another month or two before I could drive the car,so I used it,and am still mad about it. It has been my experience in life that retailers that screw me do NOT laugh at me when I show up in person with a beef.

Yup,and as more young cops get a badge,there are going to be more cops that are enviro-freaks looking for any excuse to pull a old car off the road. Your only defense is to not give them that excuse.

The brake line is obviously going to run along the drivers side of the chassis,and you can mount it anywhere that is convenient to you. Do yourself a favor and mount your disc-brake mastercylinder and booster,if you use a booster,before you even touch the brake lines. The brake line can cross over to the passenger side under/inside,or even behind the crossmember where the rear of the engine/transmission crossmember is attached to the chassis. Inside the hollow is best because it is the most protected. Use new brake hoses,too. The gas line obviously runs along the passenger side of the car. I like to put a ethanol-proof gas filter to the line under the hood before it reaches the fuel pump,but that's just me. Make sure you use rubber gas lines approved for use with ethanol gas anywhere you need a rubber fuel line Do yourself a favor and use the new nickle-copper brake line for both lines. It won't rust inside or out,and you can even bend it with your hands without it kinking.

I don't know how far you have to drive,but why not call them first?

He was asking BECAUSE he wasn't sure it was a match. I'm not,either. Looks like a 5 to me. Look at the upper left corner on the number some people see as a "6",and you will see a "90 degree peak" like the number "5". What I once did in a similar situation was to just get a new title from the old one,and then a few months later notify the state there there was a typo on the new title,and gave them the correct number. No problem. They just sent me a new matching title. That is NOT something you can count on happening,but it is an option. If your DMV questions it and send out an inspector,just show them the number in question and ask them if they can see how it could have been seen two different ways by a previous inspector. No guarantee,but most are reasonable men with experience in the field,and there ain't much they haven't seen. This won't be anything new to them. Back in the "bad old days" new titles weren't scanned. Someone sat behind a typewriter 8 hours a day and typed that crap out. No matter how diligent and skilled you are,sooner or later you are going to make a typo. Even IF the inspector were to see a "6" instead of a "5" or a "5" instead of a "6",you would just get a new title with that number on it,and that would be counted as a certification of correct numbers from your state. On the other hand,if they want to play reindeer games,tell them to take up their bitch with the DMV from the state that issued it,not you,because YOU are not responsible for what some state typist or DMV inspector mistake. Unless they see obvious fraud like overstamps,you are going to get a title. DMV's are in the business of selling license plates and collecting taxes,not bullying taxpayers.

Pretty much any auto parts store in the country. Just take one of yours off to look for a perfect match when you get there.

Call around to all your local starter and generator/alternator rebuild shops and ask them what a starter rebuild will cost you. If your armature isn't bad,a rebuild is pretty cheap.

Looks like a nice,complete,solid car to redo,but I would be concerned about finding another windshield,and if you do find a NOS one it won't be cheap. Make an offer on the car with the possible replacement costs of a windshield in consideration.

Make sure you use one of the modern anti-freeze mixes that are rated to use with aluminum radiators.

Looks like a 5 to me.

I think that is true now in almost all situations where you need new drums,shoes,springs,wheel cylinders,and master cylinder. Even if it's not true,the disc brake swap is so close to the drum brake rebuild costs that you might as well do it and get better brakes you can get parts for anywhere. As a safety bonus,you are also upgrading to a dual-outlet master cylinder at the same time. Which is money you SHOULD spend anyhow even if you keep the drum brakes up front. I would only add that we should all keep the drums and other parts we take off for the next owner in case he wants to restore it. Can't sell that crap for enough money to be worth your time anyhow,and having it might even help your sale.

Ok,sounds like the voltage regulator to me. Disconnect the pos batt cable and then take the cover off of the regulator. Push the points open at each of the contacts and look for evidence of them being stuck or pitted. If they are,take a emery board and file them flat,put the battery cable back on,and start it up to see if it is behaving now. I am not sure of the regulator you are running,but the original ones were adjustable,so it was possible to put a amp gauge on the battery and adjust the points in the regulator to the point where it is putting out "X-Amount of amps at idle or at any specific RPM you want. If you can't adjust it,your only option is to buy a new voltage regulator. IIRC,a little less than 30 bucks from Advance Auto.

How is the battery? It sounds to me like it's not taking a charge. I guess it is possible the generator is overcharging the battery,but if it were doing this the battery would get very hot and hte water would boil out.

Every time I bring a new project home I am absolutely astounded by all the things it needs that I was completely blind to when I went to buy it. Blinded by the " I WANT ITS!"

Thank you for the heads up on this,and the link. They might also fit early Ford and IHC too,so tell your friends that own those makes about them. It can only make life easier for all of us if we share.

My thoughts are it looks like a solid driver,but you very first concern needs to be the brakes,tires,and suspension. Your second thought needs to be focused on the gas supply and delivery system,starting at the tank and working your way all the way up to the carb. It is best to just replace the whole damn gas line system from the tank to the fuel pump,and from the fuel pump to the carb. Use modern ethanol resistant rubber and gas filters,and use copper/nickel gas lines so you never have to worry about rust. Drain ALL the gas out of the tank and look for rust flakes in it. If it is still the original tank,chances are gas has "washed" off all the coating on the inside,and the new ethanol gas has deposited a thick coat of rust on the inside. If in doubt,drop the tank,remove the sending unit,and use one of those little battery-powered devices with a flexible end that shows video on a screen and take a careful look at the top of the tank on the inside. If it's rusty,just buy a new gas tank and be done with it. Steel if you are going for the restored look,and plastic if you never want to buy another one. First place to check is Tanks,Inc. They make good tanks,and they are less expensive than the others. No,I don't work there and the only connection I have to them is I have bought 3 gas tanks from them over the years. Make sure you ask the previous owner how long it has been since it was driven and how often it was driven. If it were me,I would just go ahead and rebuild/replace the fuel pump and rebuild the carb while at it. Cheaper than a rollback ride home,and a HELL of a lot cheaper than standing along side the road watching your car burn down to the ground or have your bearings spin because the fuel pump was dumping gas into the crankcase. Not to mention the attention-getting sound of a base explosion. Never heard of one happening,but it's possible. Next would be to get a professional to reverse flush the cooling system and to replace the hoses and thermostat. Take a look at the fan belt while you are at it. Go ahead and budget a water pump while you are at it. Probably best to just go ahead and buy a rebuilt from a quality rebuilder,and just keep it in the trunk until needed. Lots of times these old cars may have been stored with no anti-freeze or no water in them at one time or another,and the result was rust inside and on the waterpump impeller shaft that throws it out of balance and causes the bushing to fail. Then it's just the standard oil change and tune up stuff if the engine is good. I'm a little anal (big surprise,huh?) and would go ahead and flush and replace the trans and rear end lubes while I was at it,and check the shocks and all the rubber suspension bushings. All this sounds like,and is,a pain in the butt,but if you go ahead and do it when you first get the car,most of the pain is out of the way and you can enjoy driving it.

Probably because everybody was afraid to fool with them.

Damn shame Mother Mopar didn't try to make their transmissions and transmission servicing confusing,ain't it?

BINGO! I can't remember a car I owned or drove as a kid that I didn't have to do this.