Tom Skinner

Also one can test their repair with a 9 volt battery. Hook it up and it should snap shut. Remember to hook it up to a ground also on this test. Then unhook it because your not supplying heat to it afterwards. You don't need a fancy tester here its not rocket science.

Yes these are the tabs there are 3. The insulating material is stiff, I chose 30wt felt paper but anything will do. I believe the choke gets juice at the beginning of the starting cycle - then the temperature relaxes the spring through the asbestos gasket from the manifold which slows down the idle from there. This is not rocket science here. Relax take a deep breath and adjust your choke (cold) as the service manual directs you to. Prestodigitorium (as Merlin the Magician would say). It works! Tom

Joe, Its been a couple of years now, but the top half comes off and the tab you speak of must be replaced. Then it works again. One must be careful to just pry back the tabs to remove the top - just enough to do so - or else its difficult to get it back together. Tom

Gents, If one gently pulls the Tabs back and di-assembles the Choke, Then it is relatively easy to re-insulate it using just about anything. I used 30wt felt (a scrap) and re-assembled it. It works fine. These things are about industructable. Clean it up well with a wire wheel and presto a new Sisson Choke. I snagged a couple on ebay last year cheap (they still can be had) for a little as $35 or so - but you have to hunt for them pretty much continuosly. Tom PS. I didn't know Mr. Sisson or his Grandson:D

Thanks! That was a really good Tutorial! I would think drilling that first hole at the end of the crack to start the proceedure would be the most important hole drilled, because one would need to position the hole so as to be sure it would circumvent any further cracking. After that it looks like - if your patient - it would be fun to do. I personally would not use Tap Bits in a drill, I would hand Tap every hole, thats only because I did some Machinist work in the 70's and wouldn't want to rush the Taping Stage. Well Thanks again for Sharing that - now any one knows they can Fix a Crack in their Block without welding. Tom

Reg, I use Marvel Mystery Oil in my Gas. Just add 4-6 ounces at every refill, thats seems to work for me. I'm sure there are others that will say its just snake oil etc., however, this is just my humble opinion. It is really cheap at Walmart a large bottle is only $4-5 (32oz. Bottle). It seems to keep the motor quiet running as well. Tom

Skiviskaves, Did you "Static" Time it? That would get the stongest spark at the right instance. As follows: Engine not Running. With the Piston of the no. 1 cylinder on Top Dead Center (Timing Marks Aligned) the points should be just opening. Loosen the Distributor Clamp and turn the housing in the direction of the rotation (clockwise) of the Rotor until the Points are closed. Turn on the Ignition switch and hold the end of the High Tension Wire from the Coil about 1/4 inch from a ground. Turn the Distributor in the opposite direction (counterclockwise) until a spark jumps the gap from the high tension wire to the ground. Tighten the Distributor Clamp and turn the Ignition Off. This should position your "Timing" to start the car, afterwards tweek the timing with a Timing Light (once engine is running) to achieve a "Dynamic Timing":cool: Tom

Jorswift, Its a piece of cake........if you...........................staysober. Tom

Mike, Please do not misunderstand this message it is not meant to anger or judge you or anyone. It is only "in my humble opinion" as lived through 37 years of experience with working on old cars. However, the guys that grab a wrench and a Service Manual seem to always come out way ahead of the guys that grab a wallet to restore their cars. Michael I really do hope you work out the bugs in your project with a minimum of money hassles. As I get older, I can see a day where I might have to rely upon someone else doing the work on my car as well, so Father Time will have its way with us all. I would still opt to pay a young person in my neighborhood to do as I instructed him/her to (while supervised) even if he/she had no experience whatsoever than to trust some of these so-called resto shops. They seem to thrive on what they think are "the well to do". What I'm trying to say is these shops think your loaded because you have an old car and have brought your old car to them. Case in point, my current 1948 Chrysler needed a clutch job in 2008, I bought it to a Transmission/Clutch Shop in Mooresville, NC (No Name listed on purpose), the owner wanted to do it time and material with no maximum price. When I pressed him for a price he finally said 3-4 K. I went home and did it myself for around $400. There doesn't seem to be a limit to some people's "Audacity". I hope your shop doesn't try to set you up as a mark on this one. Hell, I'd rather try a repair myself than be bamboozled like that. On a side note I recently drove by his shop, and I guess because of the economy - it is now shuttered down. I not happy about that either because I just got laid - off from my job recently also. Bottom line - our cars are fairly simple machines that anyone with a little research and a few tools can handle a repair on. Well anyhow Good Luck and thanks for letting me ramble- (run my mouth). Tom

All these old Mopars leak somewhere so a little at the Vent Hole in my Fuel Pump doesn't bother me. The other thing I was going to comment on is if its real hot out and you have turned your engine off for a short period - say at a gas station - then when re-starting just slowly floor the gas pedal to "clear out" the Vapors, while holding it to the floor hit your starter button and she should start right up - original fuel pump that is. It takes a little learning each vehicle just like the old days - electric fuel pumps - be gone - as Wayne Dyer would say (L.O.L.) You don't gotta buy into all that malarky. Those electric fuel pumps just saturate your crancase oil, pumping it prety much continually into your carb bowl, which in turn dumps it into the intake manifold and runs down into your crankcase dilluting your oil. Changing Oil every 500 - 1000 miles would then be necessary - or risk cooking something in there. This is J.M.H.O. - please realize I don't really give a damn what you put under your hoods - my car is stock and starts great in the south when its 95 degrees out. Tom Skinner Huntersville, NC

Dodge Dude, I had the same mess about 1-1/2 months ago. I filed em flat, center punched em, and drilled them out incrementally with a small bit up to the clean out size. Use real Drill Bits (Not Chinese) go slow it took me about an hour per hole (4-Hours) to do mine. Then go see a good welder to repair the crack in the Manifold - Free up the Heat Riser Flap etc. Whoops I didn't see that busted Flange. I know if you go to the WPCClub website there are some junk yards listed to replace that exhaust Manifold is it a 230 or 250 Engine? Tom

Joe, It sound like your Timed at "Static Timing" right now - which is fine if that what you want. But as the Bar Tender in The Movie "The Shining" once said to Jack Nicholson "If f I may be so bold as to suggest Sir, you might want to solve your problem " - you might try a Timing Light and reach Dynamic Timing. That is to say get to the most economical setting, and then tweak the carburetor settings with a Vacumn Gauge afterwards. "In this way Sir you will have solved your problem". Tom

Greg, I hope you get under there and check to see if its indexed correctly. This is why I do all of my own work on my cars for 38 years. I hope you get it resolved. I torqued my pinion nut down hard to 120 - 130 (all I could eat with my old Torque Wrench) but I think it calls for more and I have no Vibration. A Damned Good Drive Shaft Mechanic will tell you heat from the Muffler can warp a Drive Shaft after a while. When he puts it on a Lathe and uses a Torch with cold water - if he knows what he's doing he will True it up for you (Balance it) Good Luck! Tom

Perhaps a Hood Release Cable Return Spring Mechanism? (When One pulls the Hood Release in the Cab, then this devise would have returned the Cable to its correct waiting position)????

Fellows: Awsome work on those Mats! They look Great! Back in the day when I was young and poor we just used old Skatter Mats to cover the holes in the Floor Boards so Possums would'nt jump in the Cab wif us and Bite ussuns - that is to say me and the Missus and the Younguns that is. Tom Skinner Huntersville, NC

Larry, Yeah, your at the point of re-wiring there. Those Bakelite Connectors have "Bullet" ends pluged into them. You can get them also, and remember to Solder everything - especially inside your Directional Buckets. They come undone if you don't and reak real havock on your re-wire. Your stuff under the Dash looks real rough, you are probably a good candidate for the Whole Harness. Expensive but much faster. By the way keep your Battery un-hooked when your not using your car, there can be a real Fire Hazzard afoot with all your Bare Wires. Good Luck. I think most of those wire places are good, but RIWire was the one I used. Your Call! Have Fun with it and remember go slow and get it right the first time. I crossed a Wire at my Front Junction Block and it caused a problem I couldn't find for weeks. Tom Skinner Huntersville, NC

Larry, Just a suggestion, not meant in a mean way, - perhaps a Service Manual for your car would have the entire Wiring Diagraham. I would follow it religiously for the sake of "keeping it Stock" then if you entertain "Accessory" notions or add ons follow the instructions. I know how confounding wiring can be I just rewired my 1948 Chrysler Royal. It took months as I am a hard head and chased the wires one at a time, a back breaking tedious task - but hey our spare time (hobby time) is our spare time so what the hey. By the way I bought my Cotton Braided Wire at Rhode Island Wire (www.riwire.com) Travis or Marsha are Real good folks to deal with, I bought wire by the foot, much more economical than buying Harnesses, but much, much, much, (did I mention much?) slower. Tom

Paul's Chrome in PA. They are the best but expensive also.

I envy you New Yorkers (New Englanders) for those wonderful Covered Bridges. When we were kids my mom and dad would drive us upstate NY from East Orange NJ back in the 60's in a 1949 Shivrolay (as Don C.) would say, and we would stop at the old covered bridges. Our family camped out a lot and we camped out near Fort Ticonderoga NY, Lake Winnepesauga NH etc. I will always remember fondly riding in the back of that 49 Chevy the smell of the wool seats and dad's Chesterfield Cigarettes. The windows down the hum of the road always put us to sleep, when we woke we would be either at another Covered Bridge or Camp Site.... those were the Days. Nice Memory Picture - Thank You! Tom Skinner Huntersville, NC

49 Dodge Dude, Even with all stud nuts off that baby is stuck on there good. My motor was relatively rust free and I used flat bars, wedges of wood, and a hammer, for 2-3 hours with no results. Finally marinating the whole manifold with several cans of liquid wrench overnight, then using wedges and a handle from a sledge hammer I climbed into the motor compartment sitting on the motor I stuck the handle of the sledge into the intake maniflod hole where the carb used to be and shook that whole manifold loose up to and including breaking several studs along the way to pry that rascal off. It werent no party. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. Then slowly I removed all the studs and replaced them after I chased the holes with a tap. Use Silicone thread sealer when re-nstalling studs to keep any leaks from developing from the water jacket. Tom Skinner Huntersville, NC

White Spyder, We used to call them "Flappers" becuase when you drove down the street they would sound like .... Flap.Flap.Flap.Flap.etc. Tom

By the way, if you can free it up with liquid wrench applications and a vice grip plier you would save yourself a REAL wresttling match.

If what Shel Bizzy said, "its open" then you run like your "cold" all the time. That is to say the Flap never closes letting exhaust straight to the tail pipe. Therefore causing exesive carbon build up and light exhaust smoking? I'm going to guess that is un-burnt fuel/carbon smoke not oil smoke. I would look into cleaning up those reseviores in the Valve Chambers and Freeing up that Flap and addressing the Weight Spring issue. It looks to me like your going to have to remove the Manifolds. I did that last month on my engine and it was a Bear of a job. Tom

Could this then be part of the problem?

49 Dodge Dude, If that is a picture of your engine, where pray tell is the heat riser Flap? I see no weight, spring or otherwise to tell me if your Heat Flap is operational etc.???? Is it frozen open/closed or even operational? Tom