knuckleharley

You should also check around for any place in Europe that furnishes parts for the restoration of WW-2 US Military vehicles. Most of the 3/4 ton US Military trucks right up to the 1970's used the 230 Dodge flat 6 engine,and I have been told some of the tanks used the 265 6 cylinder industrial Chrysler engine.

Those early 30's Chrysler and DeSotos were unbelievably beautiful..

If your car sat for 6 months I hope you drained all the old gas out of it before trying to start it. If not,do that now,including any gas in the carb float bowl.

Forget the high compression. It is not compatible with the crap gas you are likely to buy in remote areas. Also,you won't need more horsepower or torque than a well-build 230-265 will provide you with the proper gearing. I am GUESSING there will be very few,if any,areas where you will be able to reach speeds higher than 75 MPH,especially is a antique car long distance race over a lot of poor roads that is restricted to antique cars. If you are allowed to adapt a modern 5 speed or a period 3 speed with overdrive transmission,pick a final drive gear ratio that will allow you to pull the steepest grades at the maximum speeds you are likely to be able to safely drive up them,and you will be good to go. Factor in the overdrive for the top speed on the flat and improved roads you will drive,as well as the engine torque and hp to make sure you will have enough power to pull a final gear ratio in overdrive at those RPM's. Here is where you need to do some serious research as to cam lift and duration,as well as compression ratios. As well as some serious research into the quality,composition,and octane ratings of the gas you will be using. If it is allowable according to the rules,take along a LOT of octane booster and gas treatment for water,as well as inline gas filters. I can't think of anyone better to ask about these questions that the these guys. If they don't know the answers to any questions you might have about building a flat 6 Mopar for competition,I don't know who would be. Yeah,they race flat 4's,but all flathead inline engines have the same limitations and potential capabilities. BTW,I have no idea why this is all underlined,and it pisses me off. If there are specific issues they can't help you with,I am sure they will know who to tell you to contact. http://www.fastfourspecial.com/the-story.html If they don't respond,look at the list of participants of this annual American road race and email the ones you see who drive the old Dodges and Plymouths. Yeah,the roads and probably the gas quality is better,but it's still a long-distance reliabality race using antique cars. http://www.greatrace.com/history Good luck to you!

I THINK I might have seen one for sale on ebay a few years ago that covered 1920's cars,but for all I know it could have been the 1930 Edition.

I agree with JerseyHarold. Factory service manuals are something everyone should have,but they are written to address experienced Mopar mechanics working at a Mopar dealership,so a certain level of knowledge is assumed that a novice mechanic or someone not experienced with 1940's cars might not know. Not so with Motors Auto (or Truck) Repair Manuals. They have whole sections dedicated to brakes,ignitions,charging systems,etc,etc,etc,and are written in plain language a non-mechanic will understand,and highlighted with photos showing what they are explaining. I literally pulled,rebuilt,and installed the first engine I ever rebuilt by following the instructions in a Motors Manual. If it were me,I would look for a 19th Edition that covers all American cars from 1946 to 1956. That will also cover your P-15,as well as later model Mopar flatheads and drive trains in case you want to update your car mechanically with updated Mopar parts. Here are some listings from Abe Books,my favorite book source. You can also find it on ebay,amazon,and pretty much every other place that sells books. https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?kn=Motors+Auto+Repair+Manual+1956&sts=t

OOPS! Sorry about that! I don't understand what you mean. There won't be an "old version" versus a "new version". If a new one isn't an exact replacement when it comes to size and fit,it's useless to you. If the size of it is correct for the recesses in your gooseneck and your head,and it is the proper heat range,it doesn't matter about it's appearance because it will never be seen. I don't think yours would have a pressure bypass hole in it,but you can look at it and easily tell if it does. If it does,use a replacement that has the bypass also. If it doesn't,use one that doesn't have the bypass hole.

New is new when it comes to thermostats. Makes no difference if it was made 50 year ago or yesterday. Your only concern is "Is it the correct thermostat for my car and at what temps does it open? It wasn't uncommon prior to the 60's for some people to run a 180 degree thermostat in their car in the winter,and a 160 degree in the summer. The 180 will obviously supply more heat for your heater to keep your toes warm. Why not take it out and go to a NAPA store and see if they can match it up with one in stock? If you can do that,you will then have a parts number that will work at any NAPA store in the country.

Gotcha. I wasn't even aware there is such a thing.

How do your drums look? If they are grooved,just turn them to remove the grooves,and you should be in business. After all,if you are putting new brakeshoes on you have to turn them anyhow,what do you have to lose? If the brakes are too tight after the drums have been turned,you can have the shoes ground down then.

In the meantiime,just don't tighten your radiator cap past the first "stage" to keep it from building up pressure. You may have to jack your car up, put it on jack stands,and remove a tire to be able to gain enough "straight-line" access to be able to pull or drive the new freeze plug in. You might have to remove the inner fender panel to gain enough access to do a proper job of cleaning the holes in in the block and seating the new freeze plugs in place. Do yourself a favor and replace them all while you are at it. They aren't very expensive,and if one is old and rusty enough to leak,so are the others. Even if they aren't leaking right at the moment. Keep in mind that once you replace all the freeze plugs that your heater core probably won't be able to handle the pressure from a modern radiator pressure cap,so replace the cap you have now with a new one that will hold maybe 4 psi at the most. If you can't find one,just run your current cap only tightened to the first "stage".

I am loving the original woodgraining on the garnish moldings,and if the upholstery and door panels up front are as nice as the ones in the rear,you are already a BUNCH of time and money ahead of the game when it comes to having a nice car. Nothing is cheap these days,and that goes for both upholstery and chrome.

You're welcome. Hope it helped you.

Thanks,I didn't even consider new stuff. I am a lifetime junkyard guy. I have a underdash unit I pulled from a 57 DeSoto parts car I used to own to put in my P-15.

First of all,there is no need to apologize for not knowing something. We all had to learn,and no one ever knows it all. Secondly,you don't have to take the generator off,but a lot of times you do have to loosen the nuts at the front and back of the generator to get it to swing close enough to the block to take the belt off. Just remember to re-tighten them after installing and adjusting the tension on the new belt.

Put a gasket between the light and the trunk lid so it doesn't ground out.

Well,the underdash ac units worked in the big 50's 4drs,so why wouldn't one work in your 48? Your problem may be trying to find one to buy.

A quick "fix" that will enable you to get the plug out where it's easier to see what you are doing and work with it is to take a socket extension slightly smaller than the fitting,cover the end where the plug goes with a shop rag,and then take a hammer and gently,or not so gently,tap the extension into place so you can remove the plug. Who knows,you might be able to find one the same size at a big hardware store that DOES fit US square drives,and save yourself a bunch of work and a ruined extension?

Yes it does,but I always thought the sediment bulb was as much to allow the owner to dump out water as it was to filter particles. Not sure how effective it is when compared to modern filters,but it has to beat the hell out of no filter at all.

Not a direct reply to your question,but another question instead. Why would you want to put a fuel filter at the carb instead of between the gas tank and the fuel pump? Why not protect both your fuel pump and your carb at the same time?

ONE of the advantages of lead in gas was it helped lubricate the valves. Ethanol has no lead in it,but it does attract water,and water causes combustion chamber temperatures to rise. The combination of no lead to lube the valves and higher temps can cause valves to stick.

I noticed three different octane levels available at the airport the last time I went,but can't remember what they were,other than all were over 100 octane,and VERY expensive compared to gas station ethanol gas. No,it won't hurt a flathead as long as the timing in right,assuming it isn't any higher than the "high test" pump gas of olden days,which I THINK was around 120,max. It's never safe to run the timing too advanced or too retarded with any fuel.

BTW,you can usually buy non-ethanol gas at marinas and small airports that service private airplanes. Don't expect to drive up and fill your car tank,though. It's legal forr offf-road use only,and you will have to fill gas cans.