pflaming

Either is OK with me. Maybe a mini swap meet. Count me in. Beautiful country, especially in Spring.

That's how we feel about earthquakes! I'm a Nebr fan, we've got some work to do also. Was at Wake Forest University when Agnus (1975) went through. Still remember the 'hot' never ending rain. Kids just played football and etc. as if it didn't exist.

No need for me to send a picture. The previous post covers what I saw. I talked to Jerry, who is 80. He said he has 200 motor cycles many fully restored and others in progress and he wants to work on them and quite a few airplanes as well. He is quite a gentleman. He knows exactly where every vehical is in his yard and that counts at least 400+. Amazing memory.

Just returned from Turner's in Fresno, CA. His son was killed a year ago in a race track accident and Jerry is in the process of shutting down the business. He no longer buys cars and hopes to have the property cleared by June. I got a grill today and maybe a rebuilt engine. He has a 52 / 53 Pilot-house with little rust and a low side box. It is in better than average shape. Took a picture with my cell phone. If I can transfer it I will. Jerry has been in business for 60 years. It is a Fresno landmark and will be missed.

I have an extra set out here in CA. If you cannot find what you want you can have my extra set for the freight. I think they are usable and will have some one check before sent if you decide you want them. I need a carburetor. Paul

And I thought Gustav might have been your wife!!!!

I had already stopped dis-assembling, figuring the same thing. If he takes it apart, then I figure, I "didn't lose it"! Contacted a good mechanic this afternoon. He is going to come by and look at it before I load it up. If I do it myself, I would gamble and put the one cylinder back in, button it all back up and see what I have. Maybe it would be good enough for openers. A friend here told me that some of the autoparts hand this 'loaner' program, so will check that out also. Regarding the carburetor. I do not have one, only the mount, picture sent a few posts back.

That '50 Plymouth dash brings back memories. Dad bought me a '50 'fast back' without my knowing. I was livid, a "PLYMOUTH"!!! But that car took me from Western NE to Central Calif and back in 1958. Always drove it by the temp guage and never had a problem.

I too am working with an engine for the first time. What's next you ask. Go to the technical archives, page three and read Gray Beard's review of these engines. I just did then I copied these two reviews and pasted them into my Dodge Truck Notes file. His explanation is invaluable. Thanks Grey Beard!!!!!!!!

To all: Thankyou and to Don for the pictures, they really help. I really didn't want to go into the engine but now I will then I'll know what I have and if I actually do drive it to Indiana or maybe even Maine I will have a bettter chance of getting there, so . . . next step: remove pistons. This is like researching on a Master's Thesis in Literature, the more you learn the more you realize you do not know. After looking at Don's pictures I've concluded that I am going to disassemble the engine then pay a mechanic friend to reassemble it. By the time I find / purchase tools for a little more money I can get it together by someone with expertise. That expertise is worth it in confidence alone. Will keep you posted.

I made a cylinder honer with a 3/8' dowl and emery cloth, put it in the drill motor and let it work. Piston came out quite easily. You can see the piston. Looks to me that there are four rings. Haven't cleaned it yet, wanted you to see its condition. Top two rings are stuck. Could that have happened as I first tried to drive this out without better honing? Would you conclude that the rings on all cylinders may be in the same condition? From this experience taking out pistons and doing new rings may not be that difficult to do. Probably will do that.

Going to order the book. In the meantime, this forum answers questions from pictures which books do not do. I may have abandoned this engine without this forum for it answers the precise question at hand and that is invaluable to a novice, so I do not apologize for my questions. Here is an example: My fresh air door is stuck. If I try to move it the hinges may break. Any suggestions: Question: Can it be removed, then worked slowly? PF

Thank you. I drove quite hard against the piston but I was using a 1" wooden dowl and it was shattering, so I may not have hurt anything. Did NOT know about a ridge cutter. Thank you. Need to find a friend to borrow some tools. A spring depressor costs $60.00 and that is 40% of the cost of the truck! I figured the work now is careful work so will take your advice. It is really a bit of fun. Would like to trade a manifold for a carburetor. Also may have an extra starter, horn; do have BLOCK with pistons, crank shaft, and clutch housing, (see picture) and four speed tranny. So if anyone has need, let me know.

(1) this is only the mount for the carb, so will consider it worthless; (2) head cleaned up quite good; (3) crank looks good. NOW, I drove the piston up but it would not go out, so that means the lip inside the cylinder wall probably needs more honing. The piston drives back easily so it is not 'stuck'. Question, since the cylinder walls cleaned up very smooth, would it be too risky to just reassemble and go for it, or am I just getting a bit impatient and should get that piston out and do a good hone job.

You need to first consider which one you want to sleep with. I once had garage, single, which I lived in Millard, NE. I could back one car in so that it was in the far back corner, then drive in the second, but then I had a Fairlane 500 and VW Bug so that might not work. In Omaha, hail is like mosquitoes, part of the way of life! Been there!

I was asking, is it possible to take an old rusty carburetor, have it cleaned ('boiled out', some how I recall Dad did that years ago) then rebuild it or is it more practical to just purchase a new carburetor? Somehow I concluded that the core must be sent in but I may be confusing that with some threads on other items. My question then clearly stated is: are carburetors hard to find thus we must keep what we have or can I just buy a new one. I have two manifolds and one carburetor. Yesterday I showed some high school kids a picture of my truck. They thought it was really 'cool', 'rad', etc. Kids are interesting, show them a picture of an old truck and suddenly they start quieting down. Suggestion: Make an appointment with the local auto mechanic teacher in your town and give a "show and tell" on how you rebuilt your truck / car. You will find that to be a very, very enjoyable experience. After you do it, report back on what happened. Kids need a reason to like old people, some even need a 'dad'. pf

Both engines had a manifold so I now have two. Will use the one that came with the 'rebuild'. Looks like either could be used. Will take the carb off the one manifold. How do I rebuild it? (1) boil it out, (2) get a kit and follow directions? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Olddadddy gets first dibs on the one I do not use.

You all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, each to his own. I still plan on driving my 52 pickup out to Indianapolis, IN when it is dependable and give it to my daughter. The drive may not be all that much fun, but the discussions at campgrounds with 'guys with memories' will be worth the trip in itself. My friends snicker at my 'old truck' interest and my wife, well it's a better hobby than drinking whisky, so we all have our quirks and that is why I like old trunk enthusiasts as well as high school students, it certainly is not the money!

As you are an english teacher I must ask how do you plan to remove the cylinders? Or if you mean valves do plan on going after all six intake valves, or all 6 exhaust valves? Don, I do not have the full technical knowledge of engines, English teacher or not! I do know that the cylinders are part of the block in which pistons are pushed upward and pulled downward by piston rods which in actuallity are not rods at all, but rather are a formed metal piece attatched to a crankshaft. When I referred to the valves as 'six' I referred to them as a set, each consisting of two valves, one intake one exhaust. If teachers set upon their students for each of their learning errors the graduating classes would be much smaller than they are. I know of more than one teacher who has 165 students every day, five days a week. In contrast I noticed that the Boston Celtics picture on the Wheaties' box showed 18 players and 24 coaches and each of those players is supposed to be a PROFESSIONAL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Somethings rotten in the state of . . ."

Looks like I have my work cut out for me this weekend: remove the cylinder and the valves. Don't think I will go after all six. They look too clean but will have a mechanic friend look before I reassemble. Thankyou for the pictues and advice.

Next step: Remove the rusty valves. I would guess they are released from the open side of the block. Need special tools????? I am a retired English teacher / salesman and I now substitute teach high school kids to keep me busy, so working over an old truck and now an ENGINE is NOT Shakespeare!!!! But it is a form of research and I've done a bit of that!

"Think it'll be ready for the Tailgate this spring? If not give me a call, I'm come up and give you hand!" 48D (1) where is the Tailgate? (2) When I get it ready to start up I just may give you a call. My first goal is to get it driveable and dependable, then discs, then rear axle, then, if possible maybe even power steering, and that is about as far as I will go, probably and radio and a GOOD heater. California is known for its small heaters and big liars, in Jan and Feb it is rather cold out here, but not like Omaha, Canada, and other places, for I have lived in NE and remember 50 below zero. Now that takes a good coat and a six pack. That is why beer was developed in Wisc. PF

". . .lap the other valves and re-ring all the cylinders. You could platigage the bearings to check out there condition as well." Encouraging. Define: lap and platigage. I put a strong penetrating oil on the rust and it seems to be more 'crusty' than stuck so it might clean up. Thankyou for the encouragement. Paul

Any suggestions: The rest of the engine seems OK. The mechanic put a bolt in instead of a spark plug and water . . . The red is tranny fluid. I released the bearing and the engine is free. With a modified 2x4 and a hammer the rusty cylinder is now moving also. No sludge in the engine, note valves, pan was clean. Is it salvageable?

Carl, I did as you suggested, here is what I found. So I removed the piston rod from the crank and the engine was free. Then put a narrowed 2x4 in the piston hole and drove it down 1/3 inch. The bore is the same as the engine I took out, 3 5/8 bore and 3 1/2 stroke approximate so this engine is essentially the same as the one I removed. The red liquid is tranny fluid, the head is upside down over the block; the valve pic shows the rest of the engine not bad. No sludge in pan and all the valves moved. Could turn the shaft easily with a 15" cresant once the stuck piston was disconnected. The 'bearing' sleave was smooth and no edge at the top of the cylinder sleave, so this engine must not have run that much. Next? question: Is this worth salvaging? Seems the piston will have to come out, haven't figured that out yet, the the piston rheamed, the valve ground (professionally). Think I will start looking for different engine. Any out there? I am an ex English teacher, works and ideas are exact but not like this. Never done anything like this before so . . .fun!