bacelaw

@keithb7 has a great YouTube video on this. His electric pump is on a hidden switch. Faster starts, a backup if mechanical pump dies, and I think solves any vapor lock issues...it's on my list as well.

North shore, Rockport

Our '41 Wagon spends the Summer outside, under a California Car Cover - I highly recommend it. It's waterproof, durable, easy to throw on. I'm happy to risk wearing the paint in exchange for preserving the wood. If you don't have a garage, a CCC is a great option. Everything deteriorates, but the cover will certainly slow down the process.

Thanks - so standard 48 3-speed?

Hi everyone - I just acquired these parts, but I've never seen a vented bellhousing like this. Any idea the year/make of the bellhousing and this transmission? Thanks! !

They do have all four mounting tab on the reverse. If anyone is interested, message me, I have no use for them.

Hi all - Need some help identifying some parts...Is this a '42 Chrysler dash clock? Any idea what year/model windshield wiper mechanism this is? And...I think these '41 Plymouth window sill things are hard to come by...

I'm in Massachusetts as well... there can't be very many 40s mopars in this state.

I realize that. On that front, this forum and its wealth of knowledge can get it started, guaranteed! A new Optima 6 volt battery can work wonders. And I could be wrong but there isn't much that can go wrong with these old starter motors. There are armatures on ebay. Has @Bingster tried a fresh battery? I was only trying to encourage everyone to remember to get out and drive.

Ever see the videos on Facebook of a day in the life in some city from the 1940's? I keep reminding myself, people drove these cars daily. In the snow, in the cold, they drove them. None of us are getting any younger. If you want to drive a 40's vehicle every day - do it. Undercoat the frame and floor with Fluid Film every year. These cars will outlast all of us.

I've put this unit in two classic car radios now Mini Amplifier Board Bluetooth Amplifier 2.0 2X50W 5V-24V Audio Power Amplifier Module for Store Home Theater Speakers https://a.co/d/eLQJ7OB Give it power from the original radio knob, and wire it to your speakers - the little device is hidden under the dash, and uses your original radio knob to turn on. Couldn't be easier to have bluetooth music through your phone into the old speakers.

I have opportunity to buy a very rough '50 dodge pickup. While it's a rolling project, I may make a couple Winter dump runs here in cold MA. How likely will original flathead startup? Block heater perhaps?

I bought harbor freight's $150 titanium flux core welder. I find a reason to use it all the time. I bought some quality wire and it performed much better. Railings around our house, welding nuts on broken bolts, etc...I replaced a door skin with it, and it worked well even on thin sheet metal. It's portable, easy.

Buying a cheapo flux core welder was one of the best purchases I've made. It will weld nuts to broken bolts and make short work of them. I've even welded sheet metal patches with it, one tack at a time. Just yesterday I welded a brake booster pushrod back together - highly recommend. Sure, you could get a pro welder with a gas bottle...but the little flux core welders do almost anything your average DIY guy could need. They are compact, lightweight, no gas required...it's fun to learn.

What engine? Does it have a plug on the top of the cylinder head towards the firewall? If so, that's what the plug is for... finding TDC.

I posted the bluetooth device link. I'm a purist and love that you got your AM radio functional...Mine was beyond repair, with melted wires, and AM radio doesn't provide much content these days. So, all I did was hook the bluetooth device to the internal speaker, and to the switched power supply - that's it. So now we can listen to 1940's music via Spotify through our phone (or podcasts, or anything for that matter), and no one knows the original radio was modified... I think it's a balance between keeping things absolutely original versus the benefit and enjoyment we get choosing our soundtrack when out for a ride. My wife absolutely loves the experience of the 1940's soundtrack as we cruise around. To each his own...

Here's the link to the bluetooth deviceI purchased MakerHawk Mini Amplifier Board Bluetooth Amplifier 2.0 2X50W 5V-24V Audio Power Amplifier Module for Store Home Theater Speakers https://a.co/d/dewspZw For anyone interested, it was an extremely easy fix. The device gets power from the original radio switch...so, my original radio turns on the bluetooth device. Then, I hid the device inside the original radio, hooked the speaker up to it, and voila! Phone connects to the bluetooth, and now we're playing 1940s music through the original radio. From start to finish, it took a hour or so...couldn't be happier with it.

No need to gut the original radio, other than replace the speaker. If you can get an 80 year old tube radio reliably working, you could try to find an AM transmitter for bluetooth, that's definitely another option. But for folks like me, with an original radio that doesn't function - this solution keeps it all looking original, and functional with modern bluetooth. The best of both worlds.

For anyone else interested, have a look at this Take a simple bluetooth unit, hook it up to switched power, and you've got a working radio connected to your phone. I was able to use the orginal dashboard knob/switch with this unit too. A couple cheap speakers in place of the original, inside the original case, and it really works flawlessly...

Well, mine is missing the input plug on the antenna, and doesn't power on. I was hoping to put a bluetooth unit or one of those transmitters with an input jack under the dash - and send the music through an original radio.

Anyone have a radio for a '41 Plymouth they are willing to let go? I'm told the 800 model is what I need. My wagon has a strange two-piece radio, that actually may be aftermarket. It doesn't work and I'm hoping to swap in a working one-piece model. Thanks!

Anyone have a radio for a '41 Plymouth they are willing to let go? I'm told the 800 model is what I need. My wagon has a strange two-piece radio, that actually may be aftermarket. It doesn't work and I'm hoping to swap in a working one-piece model. Thanks!

The diamondback auburn radials look exactly like bias plys...Coker makes a radial too that looks just like the vintage bias ply.

I just put Diamondback Auburn radial tires on my '41 yesterday. They required tubes to work with the original rims, but made a major difference - cornering is much better, the road noise is way quieter, almost silent, no more tracking in grooves in the road. I will say, the radials are more difficult to turn at a dead stop. But, I'm pretty happy with them. They look very similar to the bias plys, with maybe a bit more bulging at the sidewall. I debated back and forth and read all the pros and cons. To me, it's more important to have the modern technology of a radial.

I access the master cylinder on my '41 from under the hood. According to my service manual, the level in the resevoir should be 1/2" from the top when you take the plug out - no less, no more. I've overfilled it in the past and fluid will leak out the cap's air holes. Make a simple L-shaped dipstick that extends 1/2" down... Another great tip: if you store the vehicle for the Winter, put chewing gum over the holes in the resevoir plug. It will prevent moisture from entering the system. In the Spring the gum will be hard as a rock and peel off easily...