Daniel Jones

Interesting discussion. On a related note, a friend who restores (and paints) automobiles professionally, has offered to ceramic coat some of my exhaust manifolds and headers if I buy the coating. Does anyone have any recommendations on ceramic coating brands? I figure I'd try it first on some Buick 300 exhaust manifolds I have but I'd also like to do a couple of Chrysler straight 8 and Nash OHV 6 exhaust (and intake) manifolds which I don't want to screw up.

I'm afraid I don't. One engine came without an exhaust manifold and another had a cracked one. I'm looking for one myself, along with another harmonic balancer.

Keith, my 1938 Chrysler Shop Manual states the final drive ratios for C18 Royals were: 4.3:1 with overdrive (all) 4.1:1 without overdrive (sedans) 3.9:1 without overdrive (coupes) For the 1938 C19 Imperial and C20 Imperial Custom, the ratios were: 4.3:1 C19 with overdrive 3.91:1 C19 without overdrive 4.55:1 C20 with standard overdrive Oddly the T86 with R6 overdrive lubricant capacity is different in each application. The C18 is 3 1/4 pints, the C19 is 4 1/2 pints and the C20 is 6 1/4 pints. I can verify my C19 needed over 4 pints after I drained it.

Keith, I watched your overdrive video and have a quick question. When your overdrive engages, do you feel it or does it engage smoothly? I was expecting a bit of a clunk but mine seems to engage very smoothly. Oddly, mine seems to engage overdrive when the knob is pulled out, not pushed in. I don't have a tachometer in the car but, with the knob in, RPM seems higher when on the highway and I feel more engine braking. With the knob out, I don't feel the overdrive kick in but I do notice the car coasts more easily and the engine RPM seems lower. What I do notice when the overdrive is engaged is that, if I get off and back on the throttle quickly, there will be a bit of a mechanical lag. Does your overdrive do that? Also, while the car was in motion (well above 35 MPH), I depressed the clutch and tried to push the knob in but it didn't want to move. When I attempted to force it, I heard a bit of gear clashing and quickly backed off. The owner's manual states that "pulling this button out to the limit of its causes the overdrive unit to be inoperative. Do not pull this button out when going more than 35 MPH. However it may be pushed in at any speed while the clutch is disengaged." I need to get back under the car and see if maybe the control lever was flipped so that it's 180 degrees out from where it would have been originally.

A quick follow up. Shifting is much improved with a fresh fill of Syncromesh fluid. I no longer have to pause for a second between shifts which makes keeping up with traffic much easier. Also, I think the overdrive may be working but not the way the owner's manual says it should. The owner's manual states that "pulling this button out to the limit of its causes the overdrive unit to be inoperative. Do not pull this button out when going more than 35 MPH. However it may be pushed in at any speed while the clutch is disengaged." Mine seems to engage overdrive when the knob is pulled out, not pushed in. Also, while the car was in motion (well above 35 MPH), I depressed the clutch and tried to push the knob in but it didn't want to move. When I attempted to force it, I heard a bit of gear clashing and quickly backed off. I need to get back under the car and see if maybe the control lever was flipped so that it's 180 degrees out from where it would have been originally.

Thanks for the reply. I don't think I've ever seen a SAAB 96 in the wild though I have seen a Sonett III. I did an oil change last night (6 quarts of 15W-40 Motorcraft Super Duty Diesel oil, has 1000+ PPM phosphorus in the form of ZDDP). While I had it on the stands, I also drained and refilled the fluid in the T-86 transmission and R6 overdrive. I didn't think about flushing it first with ATF but I let it drain for several hours. I filled it with 4 /4 pints of Pennzoil Synchromesh fluid and checked the lubricant level in the differential which was topped off. I drove it to work today. I'll need more seat time but the synchronizers didn't have any issues shifting into second. I forgot to order water pump lubricant but did that today.

I'm getting ready to change the transmission and overdrive fluid in my 1938 Imperial with Borg Warner T-86 3 speed and R6 overdrive. The 1938 factory service manual recommends the use of SAE 70W aircraft engine oil in the summer and 50W in the winter. There's a warning against using lubricants with extreme pressure lubricants that contain lead soap as they can centrifuge out. There's another statement that says other types of EP lubricants are okay. Searching the net (and this site), there's a warning against gear oils with EP additives (which may attack brass/bronze/copper parts) unless they pass the ASTM D130 Copper Strip Corrosion Test and some are running the Ford tractor 90W all mineral gear oil from Tractor Supply. I'm thinking about trying the GM/Pennzoil Syncromesh fluid. I run Syncromesh in my TR8's LT77 5 speed transmission and it is recommended by the TR8 Car Club of America's. Before I switched to Syncromesh, I polled the TR7/TR8 list for what people used. Lots of different lubes were tried: Types G and F ATF, Dexron II and III ATF (with and without home brew additives for yellow metals), Redline MTL, Syncromesh, etc. Synchromesh was universally recommended. Some had used ATF with no ill effects but some of the racers had had problems. Also, my Tremec manual specifies GM Synchromesh for 3550 and TKO transmissions and a number of autocrossers run it in their T5 5-speeds as well. Syncromesh contains additives for protection and performance of the synchronizers and any yellow metals in the transmission and has the proper viscosity for low temperature operation and protection of the small plastic gears in the LT77 transmission oil pump. When Pennzoil introduced their version of Synchromesh, I saved the press release: "Pennzoil has designed a new transmission fluid, Pennzoil Synchromesh, that is specially formulated to meet the demanding needs of manual transmissions used in certain General Motors vehicles. These vehicles require GM part number 12345349 (Spec. No. 9985648) Synchromesh Transmission Fluid. Pennzoil Synchromesh Fluid is formulated with high quality paraffinic base stocks, a fluidity modifier and a multifunctional performance additive. It also has corrosion inhibitors, a foam suppressor, and shear stable viscosity index improver additives. Pennzoil Synchromesh provides excellent oxidation stability and low temperature performance. Plus, it's compatible with yellow metals, such as the bronze, brass and copper components found in manual transaxles and transmissions. This fluid will effectively lubricate General Motors manual transmissions and transaxles from -40 degrees C to 150 degrees C." One of the TR8 owners sent in a sample of the GM Synchromesh fluid (GM p/n 12345349) and it came back is a mineral as a paraffinic base stock with additives and viscosity enhancers improvers and appears to essentially be a kind of motor oil adapted for transmission use. Similarly, a post on the message board at www.oilanalysis.com found Synchromesh to consist of a 5W30 non-detergent oil with a friction modifer and an EP (extreme pressure) additive. It is made under contract for General Motors by Pennzoil (APC 3378) or by Texaco (Code 1874 MTX Fluid). According to Don Johnson: "Synchromesh fluid was developed for use in the New Venture manual transmission used by Chrysler and General Motors. Specifically, Synchromesh is formulated for transmissions that require GM Part No. 12345349 (Specification No. 9985648), GM Part No. 12345577, or Chrysler Part No. 4874464 (Specification MS-9224). Owners of Diamond Star Motors (DSM) Eclipse, Talon, and Laser cars with MMC (Mitsubishi Motor Corporation) transaxles have reported positive experiences using Synchromesh. The same can be said for owners of the Mitsubishi 3000GT and Dodge Stealth cars with the Getrag-manufactured AWD transaxles. The main benefit to DSM and 3/S owners seems to be excellent synchronizer performance, with reduced grinding and easier shifting compared to using some other gear oils. Pennzoil Synchromesh Fluid can be purchased as that brand or as the equivalent products: Quaker State Synchromesh (Quaker State is part of Pennzoil), Texaco Synchromesh, GM Synchromesh, or AC Delco Synchromesh (part number 89021808)." I have to granny shift 2nd gear on my T-86 to keep it from clashing and the overdrive is not engaging. I've got a rebuilt T-86 with R6 OD ready to swap in but I figure it's safer to experiment on the transmission currently in the car. Any reason why this could be a bad idea? Loren, how did your 10W-30 synthetic motor oil work out?

Bike is a 27" frame and 27" wheels. I didn't want to do a roof rack which wouldn't clear the garage door nor some of the trees I need to prune over my driveway. No Countach wannabe wing on this Pantera. Those are cosmetic as the flow separates at the trailing edge of the roof and doesn't reattach before the wings location.

Here's a picture of my 1983 Fuji. I've got it apart updating it with a 22 speed group set (50-34 compact double using the vintage Sugino AT crankset with 180mm arms, 11 speed Shimano 105rear cluster and brifters) and plan on repainting it in a dark blue. In the picture, I'm mocking up a custom trailer hitch for a bike rack on my 1974 DeTomaso Pantera. The car is low (roof is below my belt line) and I had to mount the bike rack high enough to clear the mufflers so the bike ends up towering over the car.

A couple of weeks before I moved that block, I decided to start weight training again after 20 years. I'm nursing elbow damage from lifting heavy weights and doing martial arts punching drills when I was younger. Your story is more reason for me to be extra careful as things don't heal like they used.

Would any of those parts be for sale? I'll be building two straight 8s, one for myself and one for a friend. I could use a post-WWII 2 barrel intake manifold and a side cover.

The two crankshafts pictured both carry part number 855153 (there are also $G, $I and V 48 A markings). These are 4 7/8" stroke crankshafts from post-WWII 324 cubic inch engines and weighed in at 98 pounds. The flanges are tapped for 8 bolts and with a bolt circle approximately 4 1/4" in diameter and a pilot diameter of ~0.9". The parts book lists part number 855151 as 1939 to 1942 crankshafts (C23 with Fluid Drive, 1940 C26 and C27, 1941 C30 and C33, 1942 C36 and C37). 1946-1950 crankshafts are listed as 1115281. In the pre-WWII parts book, 618623 is listed as a C19 and C23 without Fluid Drive crankshaft.

A straight 8 cylinder heads weighs in at 47 pounds on my bathroom scale. Of the six cylinder heads pictured: Four have the casting number 1314574-1 with date codes of 1-4, 4-26, 6-9 and 7-1 One has the casting number 121447-1 with a 10-11 date code One has the casting number 870146 with a date code 3-23 870146 is from a 1937 274 cubic inch and is the one on the left hand side. The yellow residue is left over Magnaflux powder. I believe the rest are from 324 cubic inch engines. If you look closely at 870146, compared to the post-WWII heads, the inboard row of holes opposite the combustion chamber are larger and 4 small holes near the far end chamber are missing. That accounts for the differences in the pre and post-WWII headgaskets. I still need to remove the remnants of the spark plugs and extract one of the thermostat housing bolts on the one with the 6-9 date code. An eBay ad from Vintage Mopar Direct claims that casting numbers 121446 and 121447 are 1946-1948 heads. One of the 1314574 heads is from the 1950 engine I'm rebuilding. I need to check the 1938 head to see what casting number it carries.

I moved the Chrysler straight 8 block that I had cleaned from the shop to the basement. The ground was frozen and it's uphill and I knew I should zip tie it to the 2 wheel dolly but was pressed for time. As I crested the top of the hill, a layer sheared off the permafrost. I remained on my feet but the cart pulled me down the hill and dumped the block in the soil. I rounded up a big zip tie and attempted the hill a second time. This time, I took a couple of steps and then pulled the dolly towards me in a rowing motion. That worked but I had to lift the dolly and block into the house as it wasn't going to roll up the step. I cleaned the dirt off, snipped off the zip tie and lifted it onto my bathroom scale. It may be hard to see in the photo but the bare block with main caps and bolts comes in at 288 lbs, about what one of my assembled Buick aluminum V8s weigh.

I ordered a paper copy of the "Chrysler Passenger Car Condensed Master Parts List - 1935 through 1942, Issued July 1947" and a digital copy of the 1949-1950 Chrysler Factory OEM Shop Manual. The latter came with a PDF of the 1946 to 1950 Mopar Parts Catalog ("MoPar 1954 and prior models Passenger Car Parts List"). I spent a few weeks scouring the parts entries and checking them against the casting numbers on my straight 8 parts then my hard drive failed and I lost all the data I had entered ? I found many of my pre-WWII casting numbers referenced in the early parts book but could find few of the post-WWII casting numbers in the 1946-1950 book. For instance, the camshaft timing gear part number does not appear, nor does any of the post WWII cylinder heads. > There are two types of chains and gears. Morse and Whitney. It appears that only the Morse style chain is available ($352.47 for just the chain): https://egge.com/product/timing-chain-124/ Specs say Morse type 40-106 with 0.5" pitch, 1.25" width and 47 links. A new-old-stock Morse 40-106 chain for Chrysler straight 8s was advertised on Ebay for $60 so I grabbed it. I'm not sure if my gears are Morse or Whitney and the old chain has no markings. The Morse chain is of a different construction with more but thinner links though it seems to fit the sprocket fine.