Rusty O'Toole

There is supposed to be dirt and sludge in there. It gets caught in the filter and falls down to the bottom of the housing. So you know the filter is doing its job keeping all that muck out of your engine. Show this to the guys who think the filter "doesn't do anything" because it is a bypass and only filters part of the oil lol. Good info so far, drain the housing if it has a drain, or syphon it out with a suction gun or baster then wipe clean with a rag or cotton waste. New gaskets should come with the filter, or you can buy them at industrial supply places like McMaster Carr

The surface must be clean of rust and grease or wax. Grinding off the paint is recommended but frankly if the paint is stuck on good it won't hurt anything. Any holes will allow moisture to come through, cause rust and lift the filler. Any welding slag or brazing flux likewise, will cause bubbles. Sandblasting is recommended or, a wire brush in a drill then kill rust with metal prep. Have used seam sealer or butyl caulking to seal small gaps when in a hurry and never had a problem. This can be a handy trick on a long seam on a flat panel like a door, they tend to warp if you weld them solid. The filler will last as long as the metal underneath if it is applied properly.

Factory spec is 45 PSI @ 30 MPH for an early 50s Dodge. Your pressure sounds fine to me or at least, nothing to worry about.

When I worked in a garage we used to cut off the old bolts or break them off and put in new mild steel bolts, regular hardware store quality. They will rust up too eventually but who cares, just cut them off next time you need to replace the exhaust. This is a lot easier than messing with studs and nuts.

Stock size pistons should be fine. And they are a lot cheaper than oversize pistons. Vintage Power Wagons has NOS pistons cheap, last time I looked I think they were $75 for a set of six. http://www.vintagepowerwagons.com/pdf/parts/01engine.pdf

You mentioned electronic ignition, fan shrouds and electric fans. On flathead Chrysler products the radiator is so close to the fan that a shroud would be unnecessary. The electrical improvements would depend on having 12 volt electrics. In that case an electric fan would save you horsepower, and improve gas mileage. Would also reduce under hood noise. If you do this mod you will need a fan that goes in front of the radiator. The best junkyard source for this type fan is a GM minivan. They have a good sized fan and they are in front of the rad. German cars often use an auxiliary fan in front of the rad too. If you do this you will need to add a temperature sensitive switch to the cooling system to turn the fan on when needed. You will also need a relay. And of course the wiring. For electronic ignition I have had good success adding a Ford thick film ignition module. It will work with points ignition. Or, a simpler alternative is Pertronix ignition. Both these would be nice to have but not worth converting to 12 volts for.

One problem on your car is that the brake pedal pivots on the master cylinder itself. One solution I saw, was to leave the original master cylinder in place and mount a new one behind it, with a long rod through the old master cylinder to the new one. This required making a bracket for the new cylinder but was a simple solution.

For trivia fans, Chrysler was the first car in the world to offer disc brakes. They were standard equipment on the 1950 Chrysler Town and Country station wagon and 1950-54 Crown Imperial, a $400 option on other models. They were fitted to all four wheels, not just the front wheels. Ausco-Lambert brakes http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Brakes/lambert.htm

You are both right but some people do not have the resources to do it "right" or the $$$$ to pay a good body shop. It is easy to sneer at someone trying to do a job with limited resources but not much help when that is all you have to work with. The questioner indicated he was going to try to fix it himself. I tried to offer some suggestions that would make things go better or easier.

When plastic filler pops it is usually because the metal behind is bad or has a bad bond. Thickness of filler has nothing to do with it, in fact if it is real thick like 2 or 3 inches it seems to stay on better than a thin coat. Pry out the loose stuff and look behind it for rust, or holes. Even a pin hole can let dampness in which causes rust. Clean and repair as necessary. In bad spots fibreglass or kitty hair will hold better and last longer than bondo but if the metal underneath is not good it will be a temporary repair. Just fibreglass will last years where bondo will last months, if used improperly. If there is good clean steel behind the bondo, and the surface prepared properly the fill will last indefinitely. When replacing glass during a body job the way we do it is to first paint around the window opening, let the paint dry, install the glass then tape it off and sand before doing the complete paint job. This way there is no danger of damaging the fresh paint when putting in the glass, yet you know there is paint under the rubber. As a general rule it is best to do all mechanical work first, then the paint job, upholstery last.

Most vehicles had them on the right like the Ford in the background. But I don't know where the factory put them. There should be a factory bulletin on this as a lot of radios were dealer installed in those days.

Wonder if a Durango or other SUV chassis would fit better than a pickup frame? I know the truck frames usually have interference under the rear seat because they are not designed for a car body. Have not checked into this at all , it just occurred to me.

They are much bigger. I could give you the part numbers if it would help. Need to know, exact model #, Canadian or US built, and whether it has power steering. Generally speaking, Plymouth and Dodge use the same suspension. DeSoto and Chrysler share a heavier suspension. And all DeSoto and Chrysler estate wagons, and Dodge, DeSoto or Chrysler 8 passenger sedans and limousines share a still heavier suspension. The stock brakes are very good and should be adequate if your friend knows how to drive a car. On the other hand it is a heavy powerful car and if he is used to barrelling around like a fool depending on his brakes to get him out of trouble then discs might be a good idea. I used to drive a 1952 New Yorker and never had any problem with the brakes. The stock power brake setup is better and more reliable than rivals that used the Bendix Treadlevac system. They were prone to fail without warning. Not so Chryslers.

Look on the distributor for a model number. Go by that when you order parts.

You can reuse a head gasket if it is not burned out or blown. Be careful not to bend it when you take it off. Soak it in hot water and spray it with silver paint and put it back on the same way it came off, if it didn't leak before it won't leak.

Chrysler recommends SAE50 in their manuals. Unless the temp is below freezing, then they recommend SAE20w. The main reason they stopped using oil bath filters was because paper was cheaper. In addition, paper filters were easier to fit under the lowered hoods of the later fifties cars. And gave them an extra profit by selling replacement filters. There was nothing wrong with the oil bath filters per se. By the way Bob - I think you have a good idea about the McCulloch supercharger. I have 3 of them myself and would like to put one on a flathead Chrysler engine. Even with a paper air filter lol. If you figure out how to do it I would love to see it.

I'd like to change from paper to oil bath. Why not just soak it in kerosene or paint thinner overnight, rinse it out, refill the base with 50 weight and be good to go for the next 5 years?

Wow that's a lot of truck for $400 bucks! Looks in decent shape too, not all beat up and rotted out.

If my frame and body were that far gone I would be looking for another project. They aren't that rare. Shop online, look in the southwest, west, or dry mountain states. I would rather drive for a week and tow a good car home than work on a rot box for 6 months and still have a patched up rot box. I come from the northern "rust belt" and know all about trying to fix up rotted out cars. No thanks. What you have now is a parts car.

You may need to use the 218 oil pan for steering clearance. It will interchange with the 251 if the 218 is a Canadian engine. To make sure, measure the length of the engine at the cylinder head. Canadian 25" US model 23 1/4".

Is the bore straight or tapered? If you are talking about .007 to .010 of wear, .007 is considered the limit for reringing. If the cylinders have been trued, you might have to knurl the pistons to prevent piston slap. Then install the .010 over rings. The .010 over rings will work in a tapered cylinder just not for as long. 20000 to 30000 miles vs. 50000 to 80000 if the cylinders are true.

Not sure if it makes a diff to performance but have heard it will "sound better" if you weld in a divider plate with a hole in it.

A year or so back I hunted up some 52 DeSoto grille parts for a friend. Found several sets including a guy in Australia who is reproducing the grille in aluminum. I don't have the web site but if you do a search you should be able to find him.

Developed horsepower is not the whole story. The old long stroke engines can "punch above their weight". By that I mean, the low RPM high torque and mid range allows driving in traffic and in hilly places with minimal downshifting. They do their work easy unlike the somewhat frantic modern short stroke (Honda) type engines that need a lot of gear shifting. Once you get used to the easy going nature of the long stroke engine it is surprising how well they work for such a low horsepower.

Jake you can get the same thing easier, by using a 12 volt battery and taking 6 volts off the middle of the battery. You do this by driving a screw or bolt into the connecting bar in the middle of the battery and using that for all the 6 volt stuff. And using the full 12 volts for 12 volt stuff. Or, use 2 6 volt batteries in series.