oldodge41

When I replaced the 218 in my '41 with a 230 from a '48 the temp gauge bulb from the '41 was too large for the hole in the '48 head. I used the '41 head on the '48 block because of this. I did have an aftermarket gauge that worked on the '48 head but the original would not................Tim

A word on safety. Always wear eye protection when blowing out the passages with carb cleaner or compressed air. It won't always come out where you expect it to. That stuff in your eyes will ruin you day..............Tim

Joe, I, for one, am glad you decided to just paint without adding any weight. I was getting all confused trying to convert pounds of glass to pounds of potato's. Not to mention the new math required to figure out the sixteen ounces per pound of glass stuff. ::cool::D

Congratulations Carl! Nice car. Nice co-pilot too...........Tim

Good progress. Keep it up and you will be driving in no time...........Tim

I believe to check your gear ratio on an open (non posi-traction) rear differential, you jack up one rear wheel and rotate it two complete revolutions while counting drive-shaft revolutions. About 4 revolutions is probably a 4.10 and about 3.5 revolutions is probably a 3.54 etc.. On a sure grip, posi-traction, or locked type differential you raise both wheels and rotate the wheel one revolution while counting drive-shaft revolutions. That is the info I found while making my rear swap and it seemed to work well..............Tim

Looks like he is reading road conditions and feels they will be "RUFF"!........Tim

I have been following along on the "365 days of A". It is a nice quick read every couple days.

Carl, try opening the air bleeders and pushing the brake cylinder pistons further into their bore. They may be holding the shoes out if the old lining was worn thin and the pistons have been extended for a long period of time. If the pistons are stuck out you may have to rebuild or replace them while you are at it. I have always bled from furthest to nearest the MC also..............Tim

Welcome! Car looks great, keep up the good work. My Grand-dad had a '49 that color when I was a youngster and my Mom used to drive us everywhere in it.

Looks great, I will subscribe for sure. Welcome to the forum..............Tim

Looks and sounds great! Nice Job!

Very, Very Nice!!

Great job! I am very impressed with your craftsmanship. Can't wait to hear how it runs..........Tim

Thanks for the info guys. Al that 53 Chrysler kit looks like just the ticket. I never thought to look at larger cars. I had found a kit for a 64 Dodge A100 that might have worked but the one you listed looks more like it. Let me know if you don't use your 1" kit............Tim

I hope all this fame doesn't go to Coopers head. He is such a photographic little guy. Sort of a poster boy for these cars..........Tim

I purchased a master cylinder from ebay. Add described it as a used unit for a 1953 Dodge that may need rebuilt. I got it cheap. Looks great externally and in the reservoir. I took it apart today to inspect the cylinder and found it to be what looks like a new rebuild with a fresh brass sleeve installed. The rubber cup was stuck to the brass but popped free easily enough. Just dried up lube stuck a little. I have a rebuild kit here and was going to use it but the bore after the sleeve was installed is 1" versus the 1-1/8" of the kit I have for mine. Everything in the cylinder looks good but I would like to replace the cup with a fresh one because of how it was stuck. I have a 1" one from a wheel cylinder kit. Would that work? The one in it has a brass washer embedded in the back of the cup. My replacement doesn't have that washer. Where would I get a 1" rebuild kit for one of these? Did any of these cars have a 1" bore master cylinder? Thanks...........Tim

Sorry to delete my post but after reading Don and Niels post I realized my information was incorrect and I didn't want to confuse the issue. I checked a starter I have here and they do not operate the way I thought they did. Sorry if I confused anyone........Tim

Randy, My wife loves to drive and has driven everything I ever owned, three, four and five speed manual tranny, with one exception. She refused to drive my International pickup because it was a three in the tree. I got her to drive my '41 once in the 20+ years I have had it. Something about a column shift really intimidates her. I've tried to explain it is just an H pattern vertically rather than horizontally but she doesn't want to hear it............LOL............Tim

Pat, I agree the old times were the best. However, kids of today can't relate with the old days because they can't get behind the wheel of one of those cars on Monday. I think that is why things like drifting and movies like Fast and Furious do so well. Young guys relate to those cars and can emulate them with their own. NASCAR may well have to go to the cars you describe at some point to keep a fan base as those of us who think real race cars have to be fire breathing monsters disappear. As for the cars lasting 500 miles, I don't think that is a problem at all. I hope it doesn't come to that for those of us that remember the glory days, but if you are not progressive, you are history................Tim For modern performance cars being fun. Check this out

That is great news Chris! So glad to hear your mom is doing well. look forward to reading the adventure of your trip whenever it is...........Tim

Speedometer won't care what size the rims are as long as the overall height of the tire stays the same. I am not a purist so I say run which ever suits your purpose. I have 16" on my D19 but am considering going to 15" and radials when I make a change strictly based on cost and available tire options.....................Tim

Great story, keep us posted on the progress and post some pics............Tim

Heater shutoff valve. Vintage Power Wagons have them here http://www.vintagepowerwagons.com/pdf/parts/05cooling.pdf look on the bottom of page 25.............Tim

We have 6-1/2 inches of fresh snow here since about 11am and it is still snowing. Looks like maybe another 2 hours or so and it will be done. I hate March, I look forward to March and nice weather all winter and it always kicks me in the face.