Barabbas

Last Feb I send George Asche a deposit for an Overdrive--I think I was third in line. A couple of weeks he called, he had it done. So I waited with great anticipation for it to arrive. Well it did...appears that Fed Ex decided to roll the tranny down hill or at least drop it off of a fork lift. The Solenoid has a serious dent in it, the governor has chunks of plastic missing and one of the mounting ears was broken off of the case. My question is: can I just have a new ear fabricated and welded on--or do I have to remove the internal parts first and then weld Thx Mike

I just converted my 52 Plymouth to 12 volt. My 6 volt generator was working fine ---I did manage to snap the threaded stud that connects to the field wire when I removed it. If you want it--you can have it for the price of shipping. The bearings etc were good and the winding should be in good shape, I think it would be easy to fix the stud Mike

You figured right!--Thanks for the laugh:)

Using a good Sealant is something I picked up from Rob's original post--I used Permatex #1 Mike

Welcome to the forum! Love the 340! Most of my Family lives in your neck of the woods, Sycamore. I'm hoping to drive my P23 there (2100 miles) once she's done

I used steel plugs... I was going to use Brass, for the reason you mentioned but there were some guys on the forum who had trouble with brass plugs staying in. Seems they were a bit smaller in dia. than steel and did not make as good of a press fit

Check out Eaton Springs http://www.eatonsprings.com/ They make both exact replacement or shortened coils

Dave, I found the same thing---the plug that was most rusted had a ledge behind it--it appears just to be flash from the casting, but I wondered if somehow that ledge prevents circulation of the coolant in that small area and increases the corrosion. I replaced 3 plugs and only the one really bad leaking one appeared at all rusty--the other two seemed very solid--

I scrapped out the rust "chili" as best I could but I did not flush the engine---we have a new brick driveway and I my normally understanding partner, Beth, may not have been too understanding about the rust stains. I only replaced 3 of the plugs---the top rear and the lower one by the oil filler tube I left in for now. I didn't think I could set them with my mallet and I wanted to prove the hammerhead technique before making my block look like swiss cheese

Rob--your thread was very helpful. One thing I have found that helps me on the forum is the range of experience. On one hand there are the experts would could probably fix a flathead blindfolded and then there are the folks who have never touched a wrench (spanner) before but are courageous enough to try. I'm somewhere in the middle And yes, there is a great sense of satisfaction when I fix something and Doris runs noticeably better

I replaced all the plugs that I could get a clean swing with a hammer. I did not pull the other plugs until I convinced myself that the hammerhead method of seating the plug would work-----the one behind the flywheel, well I think I'll just pray for that one

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a puddle under Doris (52 Cranbrook), I opened up the hood and found a leaking freeze (core)plug. So I did what I always do when I face a new problem with Doris--I searched the archives and found that Rob (boxer_inv) had the same problem last year. So thanks to Rob for the thread and everyone who helped: Don & Phil (no not the Everly Bros), Andy, Joe and Tim-I was able to get Doris patched up. I did have one problem--I couldn't get a clean swing with my mallet to set the lower plugs so----I used my handy dandy Sears Hammerhead electric hammer. It was a bit slow but it did work--it took about 3 minutes for the hammerhead to flatten an area about the size of a quarter. Before posting this I took Doris out for a 100 mile drive--she's dry as a bone

I asked George Asche the same question and his opinion was that by far the biggest bang for the buck in performance was dual exhaust. He didn't have any dyno type numbers but did his own "on the road" test. He found that dual exhaust improved his speed on his measured course by 7mph whereas dual carbs (1bbl ea.) increased the speed by only 2-3mph. I don't remember any more details except his measured course was running in 3rd gear up a steep hill--

We had a rare sunny day yesterday, this thread inspired me to take my camera with me downtown

Pete, As I said when I joined this forum: your car and your inputs to this site were the inspiration for me to get my 52 Cranbrook..I can imagine it's very hard for you and your sons to let the 50 go. It's a bit like finishing a good book--satisfying to finish the book but still not wanting the experience to end. Thanks again for all the advice and pictures Mike

I've seen a couple on the internet- here's one--http://stores.ez2wire.com/-strse-37761/AMC-Jeep-Chevy-Chevrolet/Detail.bok

Nice looking coupe'--from the looks of the interior and wheels, it appears that someone has already done some work on her. I am curious about your Catalina---got a picture? And welcome to the forum

George must be busy--He's rebuilding a '52 OD with a "fast" 2nd gear for me.

501 heaters were used on P22 & P23----My 52 Cranbrook's heater looks just like that one.--You will need a blower motor and scroll that attaches to the front of the heater Mike

I haven't been too particular about oil I use Pennzoil 30wt in what passes for Summer in the PAC NW and 10W 30 in the "winter" (temps only get down to 20). Should I be more concerned? I thought today's oils would be a heck of a lot better than the original lubricants Mike

Thanks for the info---I'll bookmark this thread, this is definitely going on my to do list

My 52 Cranbrook has only 59,000 miles and has never been rebuilt. I have the 4.1 rear end. She really wants to cruise at 50-55, so until my overdrive comes I keep her there. Use less than 1 qt of oil every 1000 miles. I haven't checked compression yet, but she runs smooth

I like it--very clever. Do you have any more pictures of the process?

WOW---nice job---seeing the "pics' from the beginning really puts a perspective on how much work you've done! Great job

My experience is that if the electronics make it through the first couple of months they will last forever or 150,000 miles whichever comes first. But if they start to have intermittent failures early in life, they will just keep getting more frequent and leave you stranded in some very strange places