TodFitch

If I read this chart right, looks like that would be a 70 psi cap minimum. If you got a leak you may have some trouble as steam at that temperature and pressure is nothing to play lightly with. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/boiling-point-water-d_926.html

I had that style axle on my '63 D200 way back when. I found that if I removed the wheel from the opposite side that I was going to be working on and set it (the opposite side) as low as possible (drum on ground if you can) then you will be working on the "uphill" side of the axle and you won't lose much, if any, gear lube when you pull the axle shaft.

If you can get a rod, preferably metal, cut to the exact length of the standard size drum then you could use that and feeler gauges to measure the drum ID.

Just leaving Tucson, at the airport now. But there were nice, if subtle displays of wildflowers in the foothills on the north side. Lupine, indian paint brush, desert/California poppies, etc. Those are pretty transitory in the desert so it was nice to see them. It was also in the low to mid 80s during my stay here, so spring is/was here too. Soon it will be summer and start getting warm.

I have not noticed any difference in the level of spam getting through my email server and email client's spam filter.

Depends on the operating system and web browser being used and how they deal with various file types. It can also be affected by how the web server sets up the "headers" that tell your browser what type of file it is. The server side has new software which might be using different headers, but the biggest factor is what the OS and browser are which haven't been stated.

Copper-nickel alloy and you'll never have to deal with it again too.

In retrospect this would have save me from some of the initial driving debugging issues. I also had a couple missing cotter pins that led to issues. Had I just left things apart until I had all the clamps and pins needed for correct final assembly I might have spared myself some grief. But given the vehicle is basically together and you are now debugging it, I think your process is good. Just make longer and longer trips with safety checks on everything after each trip.

Do YnZ's or Harnesses Unlimited stock the harness for your two door? My limited experience is that both of those vendors make good products.

My '33 has a similar drivetrain to your P15... The longest I've driven my '33 in a single one day in the last several years was just under 500 miles. Will be leaving in the '33 for a trip of about 2000 miles in a few weeks (900 miles each way with some other mileage expected while there). Breaking the to/from into three days each with the longest day planned as about 400 miles. We will have several cars caravanning so we have some "safety in numbers". But when I moved to California and drove the '33 from Maryland to LA (via a non-direct route) I did it by myself. Well over 2000 miles on that trip. A bit younger then and did not have a schedule to keep which makes it easier, but even long distances alone will work. So, I'd say yes, if your car is in reasonable mechanical condition it should make it. Take your time, enjoy the back roads. And if something happens along the way look at is as an opportunity to practice your roadside repair skills rather than as a problem.

I would keep the caps with the rods. I wouldn't be surprised if they had them assembled together when they bored/reamed them to correct size and if so you wouldn't want to upset that.

Check your PM

I think their standard is anything that is on old paperwork as long as it is not a duplicate of something already in the computer. A body number might serve that purpose. Not sure it is possible nowadays, but my car was originally registered in NY using the engine number. When I moved to Maryland I asked if they could register it with the serial number. And they did with essentially no hassle and no inspection of the car. When I moved California they accepted the serial number but did have an inspector check the car for the proper numbers.

Dumbirons still extend out for the original springs so it doesn't clean it up that much. And I'm not all that convinced that '40 Ford "juice brakes" are that much better than '33 Plymouth "juice brakes", especially if you're going to swap out for later larger drums.

California requires at least one wiper on a car/truck if it has a windshield: And all cars are required to have windshields if they came with them: But there is no annual equipment inspection so that type of thing can slide by for years.

Radiator shell is for a '33 not '34. I wonder why the junked the good Plymouth front suspension to put on a crappy Ford buggy setup...

Should be some old Plymouths in the parking lots of the hotels off exit 143 of I-15 in Hesperia at the end of the day. That would be our group, currently about 5 or 6 cars, driving from the San Francisco area to Tucson. Expected arrival time, assuming my speed and distance estimates are correct and we have no problems, around 6 PM.

"Limit of weight variation" for pistons is listed as 1/4 oz (7 gr) in the specifications at the back of the 1933 DeLuxe Plymouth Six Instruction Book. I figure if the engineers thought it was required back then it was probably required. Interestingly, I don't see a specification for that in the 1934 Factory Service Manual, the 1936-41 Factory Service Manual nor in the 1946-54 Factory Service Manual. Also interestingly, the 36-41 manual shows a switch from aluminum alloy pistons in the 41 and earlier (201 and 190) engines to "Light weight cast iron" for the 42 218 engine. Sounds like a step backwards to me. Maybe that is why they changed out the bearings (heavier but cheaper pistons putting heavier load on the bottom end). I don't see mention of the material the pistons are made from in the '46 to 54 manual. Were they aluminum or "light weight cast iron"?

It was decades ago... But when I ordered pistons for my '33 from Egge I weighed them and they were not within factory spec with regards to relative weight. If you have an accurate scale it would be a good idea to see how close in weight they are. Another reason why an experienced machine shop can be a help as I would hope they would check that type of thing and balance them before installing.

I find it is a lot easier and cheaper to have the oldest car on the block rather than the newest car. It is amazing the number of people in very expensive high end cars that give us a "thumbs up" when we are out driving around. I guess they don't realize that my car has a market value that is 1/10th of their car. And I'll have mine next year while they will probably feel their vehicle is obsolete and needs replacement because it isn't the latest and greatest.

Concur with this. All Plymouth L-6 ("flathead") engines from 1933 up have hardened exhaust valve seat inserts from the factory. The only issue with modern gas is additives that are unkind to the old rubber formulations. You mention getting an new fuel pump in one of your posts. I'd really recommend rebuilding your existig pump with a kit from the Antique Auto Parts Cellar. You will know what you have and that it was done right. There have been a few people on this forum who've had issues with new pumps or pumps rebuilt by others with the pivot pin coming loose. Do it yourself and you can be sure that pin is put in right.

Yes, the last year that used the same rod and main bearings as my '33. First version of the Plymouth 218 came out the following year.

I am not amazed. These old L-6 engines can keep soldiering along with all sorts of issues. When I got my '33 the previous owner said everything works except the heater and that it had a rough idle. I drove it about 2,000 mile before I started digging into it. Heater did not work because the water pump impeller had become disconnected from the shaft so it wasn't pumping. And the rough idle was because valves were badly burned on 3 of the 6 cylinders. And all the pistons had broken rings with one missing a piece of the top land. Compression was zero in three cylinders and only about 50 or 60 in the other three. It was hard to start and it lacked power, but it still ran. So it doesn't surprise me when someone else has an engine that runs and is quiet but when opened up has a host of problems. I am not a fan of doing things like shaving the head or doing other mods for more power... The original power is enough for most of my needs and I'd rather keep the loading on the bottom end as low as possible. Seems like it just being nicer to that 80 year old design that way.

Millions of years sitting in an anaerobic underground environment. Not quite the same as in a can after being exposed to the refining process and, possibly, air in the packaging process. Also, how much of that was cracked from longer chains, etc. which might not be quite as stable as the stuff simple isolated from the crude by distillation. Finally, the additive package may be unstable. I'm pretty sure they weren't designing that for a 40 year shelf life. Yes, there is a good chance that it is still usable. But it might not. And unless we have a qualified petroleum chemist on board here it will just be a guess. Why chance it? Makes a nice shelf display and there is plenty of guaranteed good oil at your local auto supply.

I wish you hadn't posted that... I'm leaving for a 2000+ mile trip in my '33 Plymouth a couple of days after this BBQ (one reason I won't be there as I've got a heck of a lot of things to get done first). And I had been studiously avoiding thinking about the gas costs. Thanks for reminding me.