Rusty O'Toole

Assuming they are going on a 56 Plymouth I don't see why not. I'm not even sure what this question means. If you want to use OEM parts, Chrysler always used Autolite so far as I know. You could just order the parts from your local Chrysler dealer if you want to be sure you get the right thing.

Do the bearings have grooves? This might account for it. You could have it checked by a machine shop to find out if it is bent. They will be able to tell you if it can be ground down or not. If it can, they can grind it for you. It will need to be ground in any case if it shows that much wear.

Have you considered rebuilding the engine in the 58? It's not that difficult or expensive if the rod isn't sticking through the block. Probably no more trouble than the engine swap, and you will know when you are done that you have an engine good for another 80,000 miles.

Vauxhall cars were never made in Canada but many were sold here. Canada being a British Commonwealth country, English makers could export to Canada with no import duties to pay and minimal red tape. The British government was hungry for hard currency right after the war and implemented a policy of forcing manufacturers to export as much of their output as possible. This was quaintly named the "Export or Die" policy. English car sales began in Canada with the 1947 models and continued through the fifties and sixties before petering out in the seventies and early eighties. Best sellers in the fifties were Austin, Hillman and Standard Vanguard and Mayflower sedans, MG Triumph and Austin Healey sports cars and of course Jaguar. I have seen a few Vauxhalls Rovers and Humbers but not many. The Vauxhall Viva, Envoy Epic and Pontiac Firenza (all Vauxhalls sold by Pontiac dealers) were a phenomenon of the sixties and seventies. Ontario and British Columbia were the biggest buyers of English cars. At one point in the early fifties English cars accounted for 90% of the import cars sold in the US and Canada. This was before VW and Renault put on their big push. In the picture you can see the Vauxhall, also an Austin to the left and possibly a dark colored Rover in the middle and the rear window of another Austin to the right. All about equally distant from the camera.

The usual rule is to assemble the front clip, rad support etc and mount it as an assembly. You will need to adjust and shim it here and there for alignment. If you saved the original shims and know where they go, that is a good start. Then put the hood on and align that. Of course the doors must be hung first. The doors align to the body, the front clip to the doors and the hood last.

Gas dilution of the oil was common on cars with carburetors, under certain conditions. Short trips that did not allow the engine to completely warm up especially in winter. With the choke on, excess gas could get past the rings into the crank case. This was especially prevalent on old flathead engines. They had such massive iron castings that it could take at least 15 or 20 miles of driving to get them completely up to operating temperature. The solution was to change oil more frequently in winter if the car was used for stop and go driving. So, if your car is not on the road and has merely been started, moved around or run for a few minutes at a time it could be completely normal. On the other hand it could also be a defective carburetor, for example a soggy float, leaky needle valve, etc. I don't know when your carb was rebuilt last but could be due for one. This is one of those cases where you need to use your own judgement or have some old mechanic look at the car. Sorry it is not possible to be more specific without seeing the car.

If the gauge itself is good it should not be too hard to repair. You need to solder the pipe and refill with ether, there is a lesson online on how to do this but I don't know where. Has some member done this repair? Or, there may be an instrument repair man in Germany who does this work.

Great looking car, the 54 Windsor 2 door is a favorite of mine for style, room, comfort, and the last Chrysler flathead six. The Powerflite trans is a bonus. Shouldn't take too much work to put her back in commission. You should have some fun times with that car.

If the motor was started and run for 5 minutes with the choke on there could very well be a little unburned gas in the manifold. Nothing to worry about.

There shouldn't be, after the motor warms up. If you went for a drive long enough to get up to operating temp, the manifold should be dry. If you only started the motor and let it idle for a few minutes maybe there could be some gas hanging around. Especially if the heat riser is not working. When you say a small amount do you mean the surface is damp or it's sloshing around down there?

Check with your DMV if you can register a homebuilt vehicle. You will need receipts for parts like engine, body, etc and will probably need to be inspected. In most cases it is not too much of a hassle and you will have a legit registration.

Rinse with kerosene or Varsol. Either pour some in and slosh it around or soak in a pan. DO NOT blow with an air hose, it will make channels or holes in the filter material and the dirt will go right through. Let it drip dry. When it stops dripping pour a little 50 weight oil over it, and put it back on. Do not worry if there is a few drops of kerosene left in there, it will not hurt anything. While the filter is soaking or draining, pour the oil out of the filter and wipe out the dirt with rags or cotton waste. Fill to the line with fresh #50 oil or if you are a tightwad like me put the old oil back and top it up. I only do this service if the filter base is over half full of dirt. This takes literally years since I live in a fairly damp climate and drive on paved roads. Just check the filter at tune up time and oil change time.

With today's crappy low lead and no lead gas some feel they need to protect their valves and rings. MMO, Redex, Bardahl and other brands of upper cylinder oil are traditional . They won't hurt and might help.

I would put a long bolt right through, with a washer on both ends. Use some anti seize compound if you want it to come out later. You shouldn't need any sealer. Do not tighten the bolt too much.

Good pics of the access ports. The one at the front is directly below the dash, on the right side of the trans tunnel. Roll back the carpet and there it is. Take off the cover plate and underneath, is the bellhousing. It has a round hole with a snap in cover. Pry the cover off. Inside is the fluid drive. Bump the starter until the plug comes into view. Remove the plug and top up the oil. Use SAE 10 motor oil non detergent or TDH tractor fluid, ISO 22 or 32 grade. 22 is closer to original spec if you can get it but 32 is just as good. TDH stands for transmission, differential and hydraulic fluid. You can get it at Walmart or auto parts stores or farm supply places. Before you take out the plug, stuff a rag around the hole. This will save you from accidentally dropping the plug on the floor, or even worse, inside the bellhousing. Chrysler said the fluid drive never needs changing, just top up every 10,000 miles. It is a sealed unit, no dirt or air can get in and only one moving part.

Old Car Price Guide says $428 to $10,700 depending on condition. Those prices are for "parts car" and "perfectly restored 100 point show winning restoration". Your car isn't either of those but without a better description, can't pin it down. A "driver" would be $2140 to $4820. Meadowbrook is right, no Plymouth ever came with a "flat 6". Up to 1959 came with a "flathead 6" 1960 up came with "slant 6". Engine could be a 225 cu in slant 6, 318 V8 A engine, or a 361 or 383 V8 B engine. Most came with a 318. They were the only one with bolts in the middle of the valve cover, the others had them around the edge. If the original interior is in excellent shape it may well have 42000 miles on it. If it was 142000 the driver's seat would be torn and rump sprung, the pedals worn down, driver's door handle and hinges floppy, steering wheel worn, etc. But if it has 42000 it will be much closer to a new car. Savoy was not absolutely the cheapest full size Plymouth. The price guide lists a "Fleet Special" but the Savoy was the cheapest "civilian" model. Funny that after naming their models after hotels, like Savoy and Belvedere, they never offered a Motel 6.

With no engine or front sheet metal or bumper the springs should be fully extended and rigid. I would be concerned about the one that is flexing.

Before WW2 gas stations sold Premium, Regular and Straight run gas. The straight run gas was low octane with NO additives or lead. It was meant for dump trucks, hit or miss engines, tractors and other low compression engines. It was great for Model Ts, Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts and other older model cars.It was only about 50 or 55 octane. Regular around 65, Premium 75. The real heavily leaded high octane gas did not come in until 1953 or 1954. Before that even Cadillac and Chrysler hemi had a compression ratio of 7.5:1. It was not many years before pump gas of 100 octane became available and compression ratios of 10:1 were offered in the hot performance cars. So, practically all cars before 1953 or 54 will run on unleaded gas with no trouble. They were designed for gas of lower octane than anything you will find today, and little or no lead.

If you want to keep your original wheels for looks but they are split rims and/or rusty to the point of being unsafe, it is possible to cut the center loose from the rim and weld on a new rim. Without going into too many details, hot rodders have been doing this since the fifties.

Never seen oil spill from an air filter in a vehicle. __________________ Knighthawk in post 15. Heard the same thing before from the owner of a Power Wagon who used it off road, the oil will splash out in rough going unless you use the correct heavy oil.

I am very happy for you. Have to ask though, what is the idea? You could use a Pertronix igniter or even a Ford thick film module and have the same thing with a lot less work?

Cure the splashing problem by using the correct oil, SAE50 .

After reading road tests and reports in English car magazines for many years I am puzzled by the poor mileage reported. Typically, the same miles per gallon or a little lower than in the US in spite of the 20% larger gallon. Possibly something in English traffic conditions, or some peculiarity of English gasoline.

Some have found relief from vapor lock by adding 10% diesel or kerosene to the gas. Not recommended if your compression ratio is 8:1 or higher.

You should be able to buy a brand new set for $150 to $200. Look in the phone book for spring shops or ask your local truck garage where they go. If your truck is mobile take it to the shop and have them installed. Definitely worth the money.