Dodgeb4ya

Great photo's BTW!?

Your engine has Silicon-Chromium Steel valves and valve seats. Exhaust valves are sodium filled..exhaust seats are stellite faced too. Plus the block is "Nickel-Chrome." No need for valve seat or valve additives.

No water in the gas? Just throwing that out there. Had a job years ago withnester contamination. Can cause your same problems. I think it's going to be some silly little issue.

Brillman stuff is really good quality. No problem there I would think. Anyway to check spark do like I said. Pull coil lead out of distributore cap.. Anyway you can firmly position the coil wire end 1/2" from any handy metal part on the top of the engine, head, coil base mount etc. Make sure the vehicle is in nuetral ... Turn the key on.. Have someone stomp on the starter and crank it over while you watch for a 1/2" strong snapping blue spark. If you see this happen the distributor and coil are doing their job. I never have help so I just reach down to the starter lever and operate it with my hand and watch for that spark. Bummer this problem judt came up on your big show day!?

Well you have plenty of gas for sure... The back firing is most likely a ignition issue... It's firing and not firing ....then igniting all that excess fuel in the exhaust system. Possible causes.. ***loose wire in or to the distributor ***Bad condensor ***rotor bad/misding spring clip ***distributor cap center carbon button broken/missing spring clip under rotor *** Distributor cap carbon tracking ***Distributor has rotated changing timing.. ***cheap modern chinese points (contacts faulty) *** loose ignition coil feed wire at IGN switch... Did you check for a strong steady spark at the coil lead?

If it was a vase of bspor lock if afterban hour or so to cool down it should have stsrted up and ran normal again. The no idle problem is odd though. Probably won't idle because of flooding out?... Can you shut it off and then start it up again fairly easily but the have to keep it revved up to keep it running? ...does it run half decent at higher rpm's? Was the back firing through the mufflers and or the carbs ? A couple things maybe you need to check for... ***Enough fuel flow out through the fuel line to front carb and to the rear carb (fairly strong pulsing squirts while cranking over engine...if so fuel pump and tank supply is ok *** Not too much fuel ..meaning is one or both carbs flooding out....debris in a needle and seat of one or both carbs. *** that both carb filters are still like new and free of debris ***Do you have a strong 1/2" blue strong snapping spark out of the high tension coil lead (end of coil lead held 1/2" from head or bolt) Point gap needs to be .020". If you were to install a pull through pump use only one...best to have it near the tanks as the pump is better at pushing fuel than sucking it.

Was the fuel pump rebuilt recently? Tanks rust and dirt free? Ethanol fuel can cause vapor locking in very high heat situations like what you just experienced idling in the parade An electric pump turned on in that situation would most likely keep you up and running. I always just run ethanol fuel in everything I own including my big 413 Dodge same as yours. No easy alternative fuel around here. I have not installed electric pumps...maybe should.

There is a very slight indentation feel on the shifter cable button. Just a slight feel of it when pulling up into high. The control valve on the firewall causes this by design. That shifter cable has enough friction to stay where ever it's pushed or pulled to. Yes do carefully check the cable to the valve assembly.

That 2 speed rear end with no vacuum supply is designed to automatically pull back into low range. There is a very strong spring in the shift diaphram housing on the rear axle. With no vacuum applied that spring will force or hold the rear end always in low range.. Either the spring is broken in the diaphram housing or the vacuum control side is leaking vacuum when not wanted to the diaphram causing unwanted upshifts. The shift control cable must have full travel to operate the firewall mounted vacuum control valve too. I have never had your issue on any of my trucks. ..lucky me I guess. Remove the vacuum hose from the rear axle diaphram and plug it...then drive the truck and see if it stays in rear axle low range. If so the issue is not in the rear axle. Report back.

Great pic Keith! Same way I remember back in my automotive MoPar beginnings. I even used the same Blue Bird "KayDee" knock down rental hoist! This all back in 1971. Cooper is on a beginning mission in his old car quest. He's learning and having fun with this 49 Plymouth. Not many if any of us had many tools in our beginning either. We learn what's needed as we go. Cooper will too. Guess Ivan has never laid on the wet, cold slimey ground. Doing this under a car held up with blocks of wood. .. rain dripping on his crotch trying to remove that stubborn heavy "Load-A-Matic transmission or what ever it may be. Transmission fluid dribbling out all over you and on the ground. Only tools ....his "Handy Man" tool kit and a screw jack. But the great satisfaction of just doing it when young and dumb is over whelming at a young age!? Go Cooper!

1946-48 C39 Chryslers don't have a hood that just pops up using a spring. The hood latch uses a cam that forces the hood up about a 1/2" when the jood and latch is adjusted correctly. The hood cannot fit too tight into the fenders either or it will require a lot of efgort to pull the hood release handle which can end badly...broken hood cable! Not a simple fix at all.

Moving right along!?

This is the hose or equivalent I use...225lb MPI fuel injection hose. Gates # 27340. Maybe a bit over kill but will out last me and fuel systems I install it on.

They probably should have never put the carburetors on top of engines... I guess Updrafts would be safer.?

I spent several hours checking/fitting/working those factory asbestos MoPar rear main seals...take plenty of time to be sure it's right as you know.?

1/8" female pipe connection into the filter... Typical Dodge truck Ball and Ball needle and seat brass fitting..

I will not use regular Gate's type fuel hose anymore as It cracks sometimes as soon as two years og use. The way more costly safer fuel injection hose is all I use anymore.

Not a good location for a fuel filter.

Looks great!

Factory B-series Dodge truck fuel filter installation... Orientation of course is slightly off.

Really need to see what style of rear main seal design your engine uses. On the 1946-52 Plymouth engines the rope seal is only mounted into the three bolt retaining plates as shown. Those retaining plates must be removed to fit the ropes into them. The plates need to be slightly spread open to install the ropes then sqeezed carefully back..this locks the ropes in place. The are replacement rubber lipped steel three bolt seal plates you can use to eliminate the rope style seal plates. Note....The rope seal is not pushed into the machined groove in the cap and block! The rope fits into the steel retaner plates. 1953 and later engines use a upper and lower modern style seal that fits over a raised steel lip on both cap and block...no bolt holes drilled into the cap or block. Easy to replace on 1953 and later engines.

Yes there are several different M-6 side cover styles...and no ...you cannot drill the covers. Find the correct one or design up a bracket and switch that will operate the BU lights. ....I might have a nos correct cover I will look over the week end.

Didn't know about your early history with your dad and the Fire Truck. That's really wonderful you are the one bringing it back to life and you and your father get to do a replay with it...just like old times! Re-live your youth? Yeah...those white wheels.... Glad their red now...ha ha!

There better be pic's or it didn't happen!

Thanks for the follow up info!?