spitfire

Hey guys, thanks for your time. Pat, the car has 88k original miles. I guess its just a don't follow too close deterrent hahahaha. Yeah, at that age, it should be exempt from anything emission related. Where can you get freeze plugs for these cars? I've never removed one, but im thinking I may need to, as my car is running hotter than it should and the cooling system was a mess. I know I should have done it while it was apart, but iv never needed to before, so I didn't really think about it. Im also going to try retensioning the belt. In traffic it gets up 195 and keeps climbing till I move.

What if I removed the manifolds? Is it possible to do the job in-car then?

Thanks a ton, Greg. I will for sure let you know. Forgive me for a potential dumb question, but do they knurl the outsides or somehow knurl the insides? So, the traveller oil is similar to the old, better Rotella? What weight do you prefer? I think I will remove that plate and clean out that whole area, especially those drain holes. The engine does seem to be fairly healthy, so I just don't see any reason to rebuild it yet. I kind of want to see how long it will last...I want to see a roll-over. One more question and I will try and put this thread to rest- Where do you find service manuals for these cars? I just want to say thanks a bunch for all the help and that you guys are genius. Maybe my next post will be fun related.

Thank you very much, Pat. I'd love to see some pictures of your car, if you have any! I love projects... Are those flappy window things even still available? The driver's one is broken. The others are great. I use it all the time, so maybe I should just leave it broken, so I don't just break another . So, after some investigating, I guess it's possible that my cars valve guides could be shot. I'm not saying the rest of my motor is in perfect shape with these kinds of miles, but it seems to be in pretty good shape, so I can't justify rebuilding it yet (well, most of the problem is that I don't have nearly that kind of money at the moment). What would I need to do to replace them? Pull the head? Maybe this is dumb, but say, maybe this summer, what if I had a valve job done, replaced the piston rings, all bearings, and did a cylinder hone, even while leaving the block in the car? I know it's not ideal, but would it work? A main concern is that I live in California....a definite hell for old cars. I'd hate for someone in a new Prius to report my car smoking, because it tainted their latte. I actually don't know what they can do about a 50s car (way before any pollution control devices came into play). I have to worry about all this until I can move.

Thanks. I think that's what I will go with when I do the oil (soon). Well, its a bit of a bummer, but my 61 year old car isn't perfect hahaha. It doesn't smoke under acceleration at all, but when decelerating from 55 mph, the car smokes. Not suprising though for a classic with 88k miles. The compression is 110 across the board, except for #3, which is closer to 100. The verdic is out on that one though, as I couldn't get a good, tight seal because the threads were kind of funny ( its hard to get that plug back into the hole). Oh well, I'm sure she has a few more miles in her until shes done. Ill happily rebuild her then, as long as I have the cash. At least she still carries 55 lbs of oil pressure!

Thanks austinsailor. I have a Tractor Supply Co. pretty close to me, so I ventured over there, as they have some "different" oils. I found this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/vehicle-maintenance-accessories/vehicle-lubricants-oil/motor-oil/shell-rotella-reg-sae-30-oil-1-gal--0830683 They also have 15w-40 and I think 10w-40 Rotella, but I kind of want to stay with what Chrysler originally specified, at least when it comes to weight. I'll have to buy two bottles at a time (unless I can find quarts somewhere else, maybe NAPA), which makes it a bit on the pricey side, but still not too bad, as I will be able to use the second bottle with the next oil change. Well, unless she burns it in between the changes . Does Rotella "T" have Zinc? Also, after reading about it on this site, I tried the water down the carb trick. It seems to have made a difference! The car seems to be really smooth and I think it may have freed up a couple horse power. You guys are for sure Gurus!

Alright guys, so in all seriousness, with this old motor, is detergent oil a bad idea or an ok idea? I'd like to run it, but it would be terrible to risk destroying a good engine over it. I'm kind of thinking about Rotella...

Thank you everyone and thank you Don for all those pics. I will be checking it all out shortly. At least she runs really good!

Hey everyone. Very sorry for the late reply. All I've been doing is attempting to get the car going and then school. I ended up testing the thermostat, only to find that it was functional. So, I ended up pulling the new pump I installed and reinstalling the old one. Works like a charm. I think I will end up purchasing a rebuild kit for this pump in the future. For now, it works great. It just drips a small amount, not even enough to leave a puddle on the ground. It's a nice relief to see the temp gauge stay low! Maybe I will be able to do the points and the timing over the weekend! Does anyone know what could cause the clutch pedal to stick on a fluid drive? I've been bringing it back up with the side of my foot. Could the return springs be weak? Thanks again, everyone, for all the help you guys have given me.

The uppher hose is the "in" for the radiator, correct? With that logic, could I disconnect the upper hose to see if any fluid is coming out at all? Also, Don, how do I tell if I have an internal or external bypass? Im not sure how to tell. Thanks a bunch for the help.

I retensioned the belt, filled everything properly, never removed the t stat ( don't have a new one yet or a gasket. This isn't my first water pump job. This one was easy when comparing it to the camaro. The back plate looked the same. I checked it before I installed it.

Well, this is fun. I drained all the coolant, removed the radiator and ran fresh water through it, installed the new water pump, and added fresh coolant, but it overheats. It got all the way up to the "p" on the temp gauge, so I shut it off. The radiator was totally cold, while the engine was way too hot. I don't know if the new pump is bad, if there's a blockage in a passage, or if maybe the thermostat is plugged with something. I'm guessing that the pump isn't working. Just scared me a little is all. None of my cars have ever been over normal operating temperature.

Thanks, Andyd! This photo I found on google really gave me some encouragement. I guess this is what my car would look like with fresh paint and some white walls! The color is actually really pretty.

I very much agree!

Hey everyone, thanks for the kind words. Sorry about the profile, it's all fixed. I will personalize it further in the future. Bob (Dodgeb4ya), thanks for the advice. It's working fine, so maybe I will leave it. As long as it shouldn't cause a problem leaving it. One problem I did have twice is the car not wanting to shift into 4th when in high gear. I tried low gear, but the same thing happened- I had 1st, but no 2nd. Eventually it went back to normal. I've put over 100 miles on it since the last incident and it hasn't done anything of the sort since. My guess is that the solenoid or the governor contacts are dirty/corroded a little. It did sit for a long time. Greg, I have the Semi automatic "clunk o matic." Yeah, the parking brake seems to work ok, but it could use some adjusting. It could be better. The po made sure that I knew that there was no park, so the parking brake is a must. I hope to own my car for another 41 years! Bob and bob, the steering wheel is ok, but the plastic is cracked. There aren't any pieces missing out of the plastic or anything, but it isn't at all perfect. It doesn't bother me, though. My last car had a leather steering wheel, and when it got hot inside the car, part of it would melt and get on my hands or pants. I polished up the chrome on the steering wheen and it really shines. There is minor pitting on the chrome, but nothing too serious. I'm pretty impressed with how well the chrome held up over the years. They really built cars back then! Don, I will post some pictures of the engine as soon as possible. It's not real pretty, but not bad either. I'm glad the car isn't perfect. I'll be honest, the car is parked outdoors and it's my daily driver. I don't have a place to store it. I'm going to cover it, but that's all I can do for now. Also, I know there's a lot of mixed opinions on using a classic car as a daily driver. My last two cars were 80s cars, riddled with vacuum lines and prehistoric sensors. I sold the Camaro after spending 10-20 hours per week on average repairing it. I really enjoy working on cars, but I hate dealing with all the extra stuff in the way. I've had lots of fun working on this car so far and it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if it keeps needing work (I know it will). I'm prepared for hours of work. I'm also happy that this car is the one getting me started in classic cars. I always jump into things head-first and choose the most trashed item to learn from. This time, I chose something solid that I can use and learn on slowly. It will kind of break me into classics. I purchased some antifreeze, so tomorrow it's cooling system day. I'm going to replace what look like the original, weeping flex hoses with some new flex hoses I purchased from NAPA as well as swap out the water pump with the one that's waiting in the trunk. I'm going to flush the cooling system a bit first, though. I may try to do the points as well and maybe lubricate some more of the many lube points. Can anyone steer me in the correct direction for tuning the carb? The mixture screw was at one turn out when I took the carb apart, so that's where I put it back. It runs really good, but there is a very, very small amount of roughness off idle. I don't know if that's the slip from the fluid coupling or something needing to be tuned. Another thing- the car came with a factory radio delete, but the previous owners found an original radio for it back in the 60s. They never installed it, just left it in the trunk. I restore tube radios, so I have it on my bench and I've started the restoration process. I've never done a car radio, so it will be an adventure, but I'm really looking forward to the finished product. I'm going to wire in an audio jack, so I can plug an mp3 player into it. It will just be like a pig tail and it will be hideable, so no one will ever notice it. I can also easily remove it in the future. That way, the car is still pretty close to original. Thanks for the help and support! This is the most helpful forum I've ever joined. Dan

Wow, thanks for the warm welcome, guys! This seems to be a very active forum. Moose, the car is a four door. Sorry for forgetting to mention that. Heck, I didn't even need to say that, the pics will answer that question! Kevin, that must be a gorgeous car. I really like the way these flathead mopar cars look as two doors. I was going to purchase a 1951 Cranbrook couple with a 3 speed, but this car was local and in really good shape. The other car had some cancer and the interior wasn't in as good of shape. Thrashingcows, my family actually isn't a car family. I'm the car nut. I've wanted a classic car since I was small enough to where I couldn't see over the chrome grills . I sold my regular car due to many problems and other details, plus I had some money saved up, so I took the opportunity and bought this one. My father isn't into repairing cars, so I'm a combination of self taught and helped by my uncle, a couple of neighbors, and nice people like you over the web. I learned off of a 1980 Cadillac Eldorado (I still have that car), which has fuel injection and no diagnostic capabilities, so this car is really nice to deal with. 48mirage, thank you for that help. I really do want to drain the fluid drive system. The fluid looked nice and black. I wouldn't be surprised if it's never been drained. At least it was full haha! So, you use multi-viscosity oils? I was kind of curious about that. I wasn't sure if these motors would do ok with all the new oils. Thanks a ton for the information. Tom Skinner, by these cars liking oil changes, do you mean that they like to burn the oil, or that they dirty the oil, or? So far mine hasn't burned any, but did get dirty fairly quick. I'm just afraid to dump detergent oil in it, but I'm sure that's what the po did. Also, is that hwy mpg or all around average? That's excellent gas mileage for a car this vintage. I've never really tuned a carburetor, so I will have to do some reading on tuning it with a vacuum gauge, as you suggested. I have been meaning to do the points and the timing. Maybe that will be tomorrows project. Thanks a ton for the help. P-12 tommy, older cars do have a rich history! I always picture the early owners driving around with their families in the earlier days of our old stomping grounds. I'm really happy with the car. The engine runs with 50-55 lbs of oil pressure and just purrs. I noticed how smooth it is under acceleration today. It makes sense to me though, because when your engine is configured in a "V", the inertia from the pistons could make the engine want to rock back and forth, due to, say, a 90 degree setup. With these engines, the inertia from the pistons just create energy that travels "north to south", so to speak. I'm only speculating. Maybe it's so smooth just because the car is so heavy and solid. I haven't done a whole lot of cleaning, but I think after a good buff job and some touch up with matched paint, it will look great. The interior needs cleaning, but it's still ok. It has seat covers on it that have been on it since the car was new. They are just about mint. I have cleaned it up since, and it looks much better. The first exterior pic is before any cleaning. I had just got it home. Also, sorry for the poor quality, they are cell phone pictures. After I get it all polished, the interior cleaned and detailed, and the rust taken care of, I will take some better pictures and post them up. Thanks everyone, Dan I just noticed that you can see the ground strap hanging from the frame in the first picture. I didn't even know about those before this car.

Hello everyone. My name is Dan and I very recently purchased a 1950 Chrysler Windsor, equipped with a 251 Spitfire head engine and a fluid drive transmission. I'm really excited to have the car and I love driving it. I think I'm the only 19 year old in my area who loves flathead 6 cars ! I hope I'm ok posting about this car here. You guys seem to really know what you are talking about. I hope to hang around and learn as much as I can about these engines. I know a little history on the car. The car was purchased in Santa Rosa, California (about 10-15 minutes from me) new. In 1963, the owner sold the car to her friends, who live in another outlying town (what I'm getting at is that this car has always been local). They used to car to go to Reno a couple times and in 1969, the car was parked indoors. The owner took proper care in making sure it was safe for storage. It has 87,000 original miles on it and has good compression in each cylinder. The body just has a little surface rust on the driver side fender,on the driver side rear quarter, and on a couple misc. parts. There's absolutely no cancer anywhere.The interior is an easy 7-8 of 10. I purchased it from the surviving owner (well, did business with her son). He changed the oil, replaced the brakes, wheel cylinders, master cylinder, and installed some points that he thought were correct, but he wasn't sure, so suggested that I change them out. He also put some good used tires on it. The water pump was a bit leaky, so he gave me a new one that was still in the box. So far, I've replaced the oil filter, spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, rotor, condenser, serviced the transmission with 10w non-detergent, checked the fluid drive level, rebuilt the carburetor, and had a new exhaust installed. I still need to change the oil again, change the hoses, change the water pump, service the cooling system, change the points, etc. The car runs beautifully and doesn't seem to burn oil. I had a few questions on things that I would like to do to the car. First thing, is it ok to use detergent 30w oil? I can get non-detergent just as easy, but I know that detergent oil is a better choice, if it can be used. My concern is that if there's tons of sludge built up in the engine, will it cut all the stuff loose and plug up the oil passages? Also, should I add a zinc additive or something? From reading on this website, I've found a few improvements that can be made to extend the life of the engines. PCV valve, 180 degree thermostat, possibly gut the oil bath filter and install a paper filter, and pull the valve inspection panel and clean out the sludge. Are these all good practices? Is there anything else that I can do? I've been letting it warm up plenty every time I start it, as I read that driving these motors cold is a big no-no. I've also been keeping it in the 55-60 mph range. I'm a little nervous to ask the motor to do 65. The fluid drive fluid is pretty old looking. The owner's manual (yup, still has the original owners manual) states that you do not need to service it. Would it be a good practice to suck out the old fluid with a small pump and add new 10w non-detergent oil? One issue I'm experiencing is that the clutch is sticking. I've greased the fittings and sprayed WD-40 on some of the different pivot points, but so far it hasn't changed much. Could there be a worn return spring? I really enjoy working on the car. It's also a pleasure to drive and things seem to get a little better day-by-day as I drive it. So far my best mpg average is 13.5, which doesn't seem to terrible for a 61 year old 4,000 pound car with a straight 6. My dad says that I need to drive it like a normal car, but I've been being real easy on it, because I want to take care of it the best I can. I haven't done a hwy test yet. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and thank you in advance for any help. Also, sorry to just jump in with lots of questions, I'm just excited to get her running the best she can. I hope you all have a wonderful day!