slatgrille

I'll shop wherever I can find the 'damn' part...all places mentioned above. I was about to get a voltage regulator from Rockauto for $97, when lo-and-behold....I found one at Auto-Zone for $43 and free shipping! Guess I lucked out. No other auto store had them for less than $100. Back in the 80's-90's, NAPA was my go-to for flat fender jeep parts....family owned. Now, as I said above, it's any place that has reasonable prices.

I hear you 'soth'. The rebuilder said if I needed a new armature it would cost approx. $85 just for that, even though the copper prices have gone down, whereas they were only around $35 a few years ago. Hopefully it just needs some upgraded insulated wire and the commutator turned with new brushes that he has on hand. Unless TOTAL junk, he said it shouldn't be more than $125 total. Also, this guy is only 48 yo...not an 'ole timer about to retire. He learned the trade from an older employer when he was in his 20's...plus, he knows to adjust the regulator to match the specs. required. Showed me the shop and equipment plus some finished projects he did. I should have it back by Friday. Craig

Sorry to hear it happened to you too! I'm taking my generator and regulator to the rebuilder this afternoon...aren't too many of these guys around anymore.

Measured the voltage output from the generator while on the car. Meter only read .445, despite 'motoring'. I'll close out this topic by saying, off with the genny to be rebuilt! Thanks everyone for the help.

Well, the regulator overheated and a piece of solder fell out while removing it from the car. Since that replacement 'sh*t the bed', I set adjustments on the one that came off the car that worked. Corrected the point gaps according to the manual. Put it on, started the car, revved it up and......no change. Still showed no charge, but did show a discharge when turning on lights...and yes, I did polarize it beforehand. Pulled ground cable off battery to see if was charging, and engine would quit. Next I performed the 'motoring' test, and the genny passed with flying colors. No wires are melted, nor corroded anywhere in the system. Should I just give in a buy a new regulator, or press on trying to figure this out?

Here's a follow-up. I looked up amperage testing in the manuals and on youtube. Before attempting any testing/adjustment, I changed the existing regulator w/another exactly like it that I had on the shelf. It reacts exactly the same, so I left it on and took a 20 mile trip this afternoon. The amp gauge still showed a reading between 30-60 amps depending on engine rpm. I put a load on the circuit with the headlights and heater motor on to keep the charging rate down. I started detecting a 'burning' smell about 6 miles into the trip...not overwhelming, just kind of there. I pulled over, popped the hood and smelled nothing, nor saw anything out of the ordinary, so continued on my way. At approx. the 15 mile mark, the gauge stopped showing any charge and fell back to zero instantly as well as the smell going away. I turned off the 'loads' and continued on as the car ran fine. Just before reaching my destination, I turned the lights back on and the gauge showed a discharge. Upon my 20 mile return trip, the car started up without issue and drove fine back home. Before I tackle this issue Sunday morning, does anyone have experience with this similar issue regarding too much output w/a burning smell before the circuit quits working? Again, thanks for any input. Craig

Thanks for the replies. First, the reading is on the car's gauge, not precise test equipment. Second, it's the 2 brush type...not an adjustable 3rd brush (like my Model A Ford). I'll check out the video Keith. Thank you. Craig

To keep this topic brief, here's a quick overview. My '48 P15 stopped charging a few weeks ago...unfortunately at dusk. Had to drive home without using lights since I needed what was left of the battery to keep it running...what a trip that was! Anyway, next day I ran the revs up and pulled the battery cable to discover no charging taking place. Opened regulator cover and manually manipulated the Bat and Arm contacts and the 'ole genny couldn't keep up. Pulled genny and rebuilt it, i.e. cleaned armature and commutator, new brushes. Assembled, reinstalled and 'viola' it works! Nice crisp spark at the battery terminals...however, my amp gauge shows increasing output as engine speed increases. At high revs, it reads more than 60 amps!. I turn on the lights to create more 'draw' and that keeps it around 40 amps. Is there any way to test the output regarding amperage? I've looked online and in the manuals I have, but they show bench tests with all sorts of equipment, or just voltage tests. Is there a shortcut test of the genny or regulator while in the car, or should I just 'pony up' for a new regulator? The original generator brushes were worn down to where the copper wire was showing. Previous to that the amp gauge would show a max. of 5-10 amps charge rate. Craig

I'm betting on head gasket...exact thing happened between #'s 5 & 6 after running it at 55mph then stopping for gas. Checked compression....nothing. Just finished fixing last night. I'll take it for a ride today! Craig

My topic sure diverged real fast...lol From cylinder head color to lead in paint....similar to a family tree; branching out everywhere. ?

You're right 'Sniper'. When I painted the car and tried to match the original numbers for Kenwood Green, nothing came up, anywhere. I took an original screw from inside of the door hinge to NAPA to get a gal of paint. It matched up to 'British Racing Green'. I'm sure also that the old paint had lead in it. When painting my WWII jeep in 1990, I was able to get Olive Drab that had the warning it contained lead.

An update on the head. Except for one head bolt 'hanging up', removal was flawless! Sending unit slid out smoothly and was very clean....as was the head gasket. The copper looked brand new except for the break between # 5 and 6 cylinder. I know that the head has not been off this engine at least for 40 years...if ever! The gasket's printed info on its facing has even 'embossed' itself onto the head surface and will not scrape off. Only resurfacing will get rid of that. I've since cleaned it up including the mounting holes and head bolts. All bolts are good except for one which I will replace. The block and cylinders look good, as there are very minimal ridges at the top of the bores. No pitting anywhere. Once resurfaced and painted, back on it goes! One question...when I put it back on, what is recommended as a sealer for the head bolt threads? With all the cleaning I did I don't want any coolant seepage. Craig

Touche' gents! I am humbled...?

Wow! Doesn't this affect compression in #6? My Model A and WWII jeep don't have this when #1 and #4 are at TDC...seems like 'over engineering' to me. Thank you 'Los'. Craig

As related to my other posts regarding head removal and paint color, while cleaning it up I discovered a small hole that appears to be manufactured in the #6 combustion chamber. On the top of the head is a small square head fitting directly in line with the hole. Anyone know the purpose of this? Inside where the fitting attaches it appears to have a piece blocking the hole from going through the head. This is located between the back two center head bolts. Thanks again! Craig

I'll check that paint out too! Oh, as that 60's song 'standard' says...'Farmer John.....I'm in love with your daughter, the one, with the Champagne eyes.......'?

Thanks also Bob...I'll stay away from POR 15!

Thank you 'joe' and 'plymouthy', I will pick up that aluminum paint pronto. I'm just fixing the blown head gasket for now, so that's all I'm painting. Further 'down the road' when I have more time, I'll paint other engine bay components. I just had the car 'buffed' by a body shop around the corner. I painted it 3 years ago, and left a bunch of overspray...not happy with my work. With other antiques to finish up, I had him do it last week. Glad I did! It shines now. I never could have done such a nice job

From looking at pics online, am I correct in assuming that a 1948 P15 Special Deluxe would have the engine painted silver (argent) regardless of the body color? I pulled the head to replace a blown head gasket and want to paint it after planing. Right now, the faded paint seems to be a teal (bluish) color. I don't believe the engine has ever been apart, at least not in the past 40 years I've been associated with the car. (Belonged to a close friend in that time.) Thanks to all you specialists out there in 'Moparland'. Craig

Thanks everyone, I've got one on order. While I wait, I'm having my overspray paint job I did a several years ago buffed out by a professional body man down the road. It is something I probably could have done, but didn't want to acquire all the materials or spend countless hours doing it. Craig

Thanks Sniper, I'll search it out.

Forgot to ask....what's the best place to get a head gasket? I'd like the original style with both sides copper with the filler in between. I see several places have them, including RockAuto, but not sure of composition...

My '48 P15 Special Deluxe Coupe has been a pretty trusty vehicle these past few years. It belonged to a good friend for 34 years until he died suddenly and his widow gave it to me. I've been familiar with car over those many years and much of the time it was in storage. (He was a Merchant Marine at sea.)The car is mostly original and the engine never taken apart. Unfortunately it developed a 'skip' while coming back from a car show. Besides burning a little oil, it purred like a kitten until yesterday. Long story short, I believe the head gasket blew between #5 and #6. No compression on #6 and under 15psi on #5. I've rebuilt many flathead jeep engines over the years and a more modern 258ci 6 cyl. jeep, but this is a first for the Chrysler Corp. flat 6. It looks like a simple job, but I'd like to know if there is anything 'quirky' about these engines before I tear into the 'top end'. I'll get the head planed and check the block for flatness. I thought about doing a ring job, but I've got a tractor to finish and a Model A that has bearing knock that demands my attention. Although I take 'Plymmy' to shows, it is a driver so I'm not ready to 'shelf' it to do a complete rebuild and paint. The head measures 23" long x 7" wide so I'm assuming it is a 218ci. The block indicates P15 then a 'star' with serial #. Thanks for any comments! Craig

Thanks to this topic, I got them here in Maine for the same price....but they're for my rebuilt jeep engine instead. Craig

LOL...Blueberry Hill was Fats Domino, not much 'wiggle room' there! Craig