martybose

When I originally bought my 47 I had planned to seriously hotrod it. I was building a 400 (Mopar, thank you!) stroker motor with 500 ci, aluminum heads and fuel injection - 540 HP and over 600 lb/ft of torque! But at the same time I was driving the 47 with the stock motor, and I noticed something interesting. The car didn't accelerate well, didn't stop well, didn't go around corners well, but when driving it I was living with it's limitations and just mellowing out. Waving to people that waved at me, etc. Then I considered how much I would have to reinforce the car to stand up to that engine without tearing apart, and changed my mind. I decided to build the car as a 50's hotrod with a tricked out flathead six. It took me the better part of 5 years to figure out what I wanted, find all of the pieces and get it assembled, but I enjoy going for a ride in it every time I can. The Killer V-8 would have been something you would have had to be very careful driving, and wouldn't have been near as much fun. My flathead has a neat sound that gearheads appreciate, nobody tries to challenge me to race, it's just a cool car to roam in. I'm still very happy with my decision, although I am looking forward to putting front disk brakes on it! Marty

I purchased a set of Technostalgia's LED taillights for my P15 the week they were released. Recently, while troubleshooting an unrelated electrical glitch, I noticed that a few of the LED's on both taillights weren't lighting up. I emailed Technostalgia, and Todd told me to send them back and they would fix or replace them. I sent them back last week, and yesterday I got an email from Todd stating that they had received them, repaired them, and sent them back to me, all in the same day. It's nice when a vendor stands behind his product and supports his customer that well. Thanks, Todd and Technostalgia! BTW, he also mentioned that they are developing an LED front parking light for the P15 that should be available in a month or so. I've already told him to sign me up for a set! Marty

Technically, this statement is true on an item-by-item basis. However, most 12V systems also tend to use more modern, higher amperage charging devices (ie alternators rated at 60 amps or more), so you will see higher amperages when the battery is initially charging after starting the engine. My amp gauge usually pegs for a couple of seconds before it drops back in range. Marty

I'm clueless on the carb stuff, but #6 is the oiler cup for the distributor, and #7 is a block drain for coolant. Marty

James, When we took apart my 230 block, we found it was a well worn .060" over motor. I could not find any .080" or bigger pistons, so I had a set custom made with a metric ring set that came out at .072" over. Anyway, my point is that my machinist had an ultrasonic gauge kit, so we checked every cylinder every 90 degrees at three different heights (top, center, bottom of bore). My block could easily have been bored .100" over, there was plenty of material and the bore was well-centered in the casting. Marty

I think we need more information. Does the end of the valve that isn't hitting appear to be higher up in the block than the rest, which could indicate a stuck valve. Or does it seem to be the same height as the rest; this could be something as simple as a valve adjustment to an indication of a badly worn cam lobe. Marty

Yeah, sure looks like it would fit! Measured the same way, my original measures about 2-3/4", so I'd pick up 5/8", which is more than enough. Thanks for measuring it! Marty

Especially true when you consider that (1) the tuner on Eric's car was his father, and (2) he was married to John Force's oldest daughter. Everyone on that team has got to be in shock, on multiple levels. Plus Force must be having real second thoughts about his second daughter driving one of his Funny Cars this year. It's a tragedy on a lot of levels. Marty

The reason I'm asking is that I am using a 6 X 15 Wheel Vintiques Rally wheel with their flatter stainless hubcaps; I'm curious if the hubcaps will clear using the ECI hub. I'll have to see if I have enough clearance with the wheel moved out half an inch. Marty

I use (1946,1947,1948,46,47,48)(Plymouth,Dodge,Mopar) as my search, so that it catches listings like 47 Plymouth or 1947 Mopar. Marty

As I stated in the other thread, i have used powdercoating on my car. I powdercoated the entire throttle linkage, after painting didn't last more than a year or so before it started rusting. After cutting off all of the excess material off of my Langdon carb adapters I powdercoated them gloss black, which along with the throttle linkage mount that is also powdercoated gloss black, the pivot blocks and lever arms that are anodized blue and the stainless steel pivot shaft, really looks good on top of my polished Edmunds manifold. I also ceramic coated the exhaust headers and down pipe, after the carefully preped high temp paint job burned off in 4 years. I'm not trying for an authentic restoration, I'm after a good looking engine compartment that doesn't requre a lot of maintenance. To each his own. Marty

If I was "restoring" a car, I'd agree that powdercoating is over the top. But living a few hundred yards from a salt water bay, I've found that things like the throttle linkage and throttle pivot plate tend to start rusting slightly over time. So the last time I had the head off, I had the entire throttle linkage system powdercoated silver. It cost me a minimum lot charge of $50, looks like an original paint job, and won't ever rust again. So it isn't "original", but it is what I wanted for my driver! Marty

It should work fine; it's supposed to seal up to a .010" gap, and isn't affected by fuel or oil. As I mentioned, I use it on the quickchange section of a midget rearend in our roadracer, sometimes changing the spur gears a couple of times in a test day, with no leaks whatsoever. The only caveat when doing multiple cycles like I do is to have some of their solvent handy to clean off the surface completely each time it is apart. Marty

Here's the current URL for Daniel Stern Lighting http://www.danielsternlighting.com/home.html Marty

Okay, I'm home now! If you like the hylomar gasket maker in the 8 oz can with a brush, you can get it at Pegasus Auto Racing Supplies in Wisconson, www.pegasusautoracing.com If you like Hylomar in the squeeze tubes, or any of the Hylomar solvents or other products, they are available at Racer Parts Wholesale in Indianapolis, www.racerpartswholesale.com I've never tried it as a bolt sealer, but might have to now! Marty

Hylomar is a little hard to find, but it is available; I use it in lieu of gaskets on the quickchange rearend of the race car I work on. I've got some sources at home, will post them tonight. Marty

There are really only 2 ways; cut the springs, or install a set of Fatman dropped spindles. The only issue with the Fatman spindles is that they pretty much require a conversion to disk brakes, which most of us think is an upgrade anyway. I made them work with the stock drums, but wish I hadn't, as they were a royal pain. Marty

If you feel like making up more than one set, I'd sure like to drop the rearend of my 47 down an inch or so, too! Marty

If you change to a 6V Optima battery, you can remove the original battery tray and put the Optima on top of the left fender shelf. Makes a lot of room for alternators, etc. I'd have to look, but I might even have the battery holddown setup I used for my 6V Optima, before I converted to 12V. Marty

This won't work real well with our multicarb setups, because we tend to have multiple carbs on a common plenum. so they have the same vacuum signal. It works great for independent runner systems! Marty

A number of years ago i was driving on the freeway on a sunny afternoon, and the traffic stopped. So I stopped. It moved forward a ways and stopped again, and I did likewise. About the third time the guy in the car in front of me waved his arm, but i didn't think anything of it. A couple more of these move and stop cycles, and he turns around, glares at me and shakes his fist. Maybe he thought I was stopping too close to his car; I have no idea. When the traffic started moving agin, he moved up about 10 feet, then slammed on his brakes. He does this three or four more times, and now there is a gap in front of him that is over a hundred yards long, and traffic is moving. The next time he slammed on the brake I was ready for him; I sidestepped the clutch in low gear and used the next lane to get around him, then just drove away normally. He suddenly developed an urge to take the next exit, which he reached by cutting across 3 lanes of traffic rather perilously. I never did figure out what his problem was. Marty

Niel, I'd argue that you did it the right way! My mechanic, an oldtime funny car racer, kept a 1" thick piece of perfectly flat glass that was about 8" by 8" that he would tape a really fine grit aluminum oxide sandpaper to, add a little oil, then use that to flatten carburetor gasket surfaces. It was sometimes amazing how long it took to get some Holley 4 bbl bases truly flat to ensure sealing! Marty

Sounds like what you really need is one of those higher second gears that I've heard about a few times; I gather George Ashe usually has them available? Marty