Ivan_B

Hi Dave, Thank you very much for the reply. Your illustration is showing a correct OEM thermostat, with the main opening on top (closed when cold) and the bypass openings on the sides (open when cold). The thermostat I found must be from a way different housing configuration. Although, I checked, the way it sits inside the housing, its valves will only be able to open about half way up. So it looks like when both - hot and cold, the flow of coolant in my engine was open through the radiator and the bypass at the same time, with the radiator part becoming somewhat more restricted with rising temperature ? I already ordered an OEM thermostat, waiting for delivery. https://www.ebay.com/itm/256372276175

I believe that those are called worm gear clamps. Virtually the most common clamps, these days. I personally, prefer the t-bolt or spring clamps, for some reason. Also, I believe that spring clamps are actually technologically superior because they supply constant pressure to the hose. But the early cars have an open cooling system, so it is not like you need a lot of force to hold the clamps in place. Also, I've seen different types of clamps in different Chrysler illustrations from 1940-50. Some wire clamps had Philips screws, some had round slotted head. Once, saw a single wire spring clamp on the bypass hose ?

That should be the last option ever. Even if you need to remove the remains of the plug physically, I would first attempt to cut it up to the thread, from the inside, with a tiny saw blade. And then pry it out toward the center of the hole. I've removed some stuck bolts like this in the past. You drill it out, but at a smaller diameter, and then chisel away the old threads. If you are careful, the hole itself remains the same way it used to be

Is there a shackle in the rear? Otherwise, this leaf spring will have no place to expand under load... Could be a cool DIY lowering, as well ?

Maybe this little guy? ?

These are regular radiator hoses, made to look like the ones produced in the past. Here are the sizes, for the 201/218 engine, from the manual: Enjoy.

Do you think the grill is not chromed because of the special styling requirements, or due to the fact that this was a "on a-budget-budget" project? ? Also, can't believe they forgot to mention extra nuts under the hood! That's a deal breaker ?

Same car, already reported:

Posting ended, not sold ?

Sorry, I certainly meant the drums, assuming that we are dealing with the OEM brakes. Thank you for the correction.

One more question: are all the new components (and especially the master and slave cylinders) the correct OEM size? Some of the aftermarket cylinders might be smaller, and that will considerably increase the requisite pedal force.

No, it is not. I assume you are feeling good pressure at the pedal and it is not just going to the floor? For the very basics, I would start by making sure that: 1) bearing grease is not leaking onto the rotors 2) brake fluid is not leaking onto the rotors 3) the rotors are clean (you've probably figured it out by now) 4) the shoes match the rotors with a good (large) contact area. Technically, you should grind\machine the shoes to fit the individual rotor properly. Also, the rotors themselves should be perfectly cylindrical (verified with an indicator). The disc brakes are much less sensitive to the above problems, due to the way they function

Please check all of the bulbs, and try to remember what happened to the wiring in the replaced junction box. Is it possible to return it into its original configuration, for testing?

Thanks. The specs are available here: https://desoto.org/wp-content/uploads/wpforo/attachments/54/22950=2553-803.pdf None of the tubes, unfortunately, are compatible with my unit, so I'll have to pass. If you want to get rid of it, and no one here is interested, we can post it on AntiqueRadios forum, I have an account there.

Well, there are a few ways to get it out. First, you can probably try the heat/cold/oil and the extractor method: If that does not work, the other methods would involve physically destroying the left-over plug and potentially getting metal shavings inside the cylinder. If it's dry, you might be able to clean those out with a vacuum/magnet, etc. As a last resort - the head comes off

Do you have a picture of how it's broken? You might have to remove the head to get that fixed...

Okay, so did you fix the low beam issue? Because on the old box, I see 5x4 configuration, and the new one is 5x5 ? Does your turn signal switch has a hazard lights position as well? The fact that after messing around with the junction box, front lights started working and all 4 lights now flash, kind of points toward incorrect wiring, and a poor contact somewhere (front lights not working). Do you know for a fact that the lights still worked as intended after your replaced the junction box?

I don't see how a clutch would get stuck after trying to start the car in gear... Why did you need to get under the hood to switch the car in neutral? Wasn't the gear shift lever disengaging from the cabin no more? How do you know that the clutch is stuck? Did you verify that the disk is physically not disengaging, under the flywheel cover? Are you able to shift the transmission through all gears with the engine turned off?

Oh, come on... ? So the front lights did not work? Silly question: when you worked on replacing your junction box, how did you memorize what wires go where? Did you label them, etc.? The front junction box has the wires for the front lights in it so, technically, something can be messed-up in there, since the front and rear signals are connected together. Does your first picture displays the old junction box before you touched it? The top wire seems to be not connected to anything, is that right? What happened to it after you got the box replaced? Are you able to take a multi meter and tell us where each of the wires from the junction box is going?

Yes, the rear flashers would be connected to the front ones, at some point because I imagine that you have only one flasher and the switch connects to it either 2 left or 2 right bulbs. What else have you done with the wiring, lately? What junction box did you swap? ? Are you able to trace your rear flasher wires to the turn signal switch using the multi-meter?

Looking for a second opinion here Finally got around to replacing my coolant hoses, because the old ones had thick flakes of rust visible from underneath at the metal/rubber junction. The thermostat housing was very difficult to remove, one of the studs was heavily corroded but I managed to get it off without casualties. There seems to be plenty of dirt inside the cooling system, although, the block drain was not clogged as I expected (hi Keith ). Don't be fooled by the bright green antifreeze the PO put in. The thermostat housing has obviously been on the car for a while... The most interesting thing, I found, is this guy: Based upon the way I understand the Chrysler 201 cooling system, by default, the radiator inlet (upper hose) is closed, and the coolant is circulating through the bypass. From what I see, with the OEM housing, this thermostat appears to be working in the reverse order: the radiator inlet is open by default and the bypass is closed. Was my cooling system closing the radiator while warming up, all this time? ? Also, for the little tip of the day - here's how you drain the block without making a mess:

No snow around these parts... The temperature was in the 60s, now is in the 70s and slowly getting warmer. Might get brave and go for a swim, one of these days ?

What specific model is this? The signals were installed somewhere in mid/late 40s, I think. Some older manuals are available here: https://chrysler.oldcarmanualproject.com/manuals/index.html

That's what I thought. Do you have a fuel pressure gauge installed, or did one of the members put one inline with the carburetor? If the car has not been driven for more than a few years, I would probably avoid trying to run it with the stuff you have in the gas tank, for now We have an original engine with a carburetor, right? It does not really need much pressure to start/run, as long as the carburetor fuel bowl has fuel in it, the car should start. It will eat the bowl and stall, in a minute or two, but it should start alright.

That's probably a good idea, given the very little information provided by the TS. I'll just ask one more question: How do you know that there is no/low fuel pressure? ?