TodFitch

I removed mine the same way Dennis did. When you install the new ones be sure the seat is clean and use some sealer on the edges of the new plugs.

With the block cleaned out and the water distribution tube the engine should be okay. You might do a flow test on the radiator... If coolant is circulating rapidly (as it should) there will only be a modest difference in temperature between the top of the radiator and the bottom. The fact that there is enough for you to feel is interesting. But don't overlook other possibilities for overheating: Dragging brakes, incorrect ignition timing, lean mixture, etc. Plymouths did not, in my opinion, have a tendency to overheat if they were properly maintained. My 1933, with a 160 degree thermostat, only reaches 180 on the (calibrated) gauge when pulling a hard grade at speed when the ambient temperature is 90 or higher.

Number 1, you indicate a firm but low pedal. That being the case you probably don't have air in the system so bleeding the brakes some more probably won't help. On some (all?) of the Plymouths with Lockheed brakes the rod that connects the pedal to the master cylinder can be adjusted in length. If it is adjusted too short you will have more pedal travel. However if it is set too long your brakes will lock up. There are two holes between the master cylinder reservoir and the cylinder itself. The piston cup must clear the small pressure relief hole when the pedal is released. Failure to do so will result in the above mentioned brake locking up symptoms. So there is some unavoidable travel there and during that travel you will see a small geyser of fluid being expelled from that hole. Since you mention the fluid coming out the cap if you move the pedal "even a quarter inch", the adjustment in the pedal/master cylinder rod is probably okay. (Why is the fluid coming out of the cap? On my car that geyser is contained by the cover of on the master cylinder.) The biggest source of pedal travel on these cars has nothing to do with the brake pedal or master cylinder. It has to do with how much the shoes have to move out before they contact the drum. There are two adjustments on every shoe and you have to adjust them manually to compensate for wear. There are instructions for adjusting the brake shoes on the main part of this web site. I have also posted some on my web site at: http://www.ply33.com/Repair/brakes The professional way to adjust them is to use a special tool. The original was a Miller but the typical one found now is an Amco1750. These cost big bucks on eBay and elsewhere. However there have been some recent posts on this forum on making an acceptable tool using PVC tubing from your local home center. Do a search on this forum (or the Dodge Pilot House forum) for brake tool or brake adjustment. If the car is new to you, you probably want to pull the drums and inspect the brakes anyway. After all your life depends on having them in reasonable condition. I assume that you know you will need a wheel/drum puller to get the rear drums off.

A shame about the water in the vault. I wonder how well that plastic wrap/bag and all the cosmoline worked. . . However trip to Tulsa won't be a total loss, after all there will be the "Big Race" between Blueskies and Don Coatney.

Nice photos, sounds like a good trip. And your son looks like he is loving it and will remember this forever. It would not have occurred to me to swing through Durango, Colorado to get from Idaho to Tulsa. Talk about taking the scenic route! By the way, I don't recall the road up Mesa Verde to be a "cliff hanger". Just a typical western mountain grade for the first part then winding along the mesa for the rest. But you do have to allow a fair amount of time. If you do make it there on the way back, see if you can stay overnight in the area (I recall some pretty good camping places in the park if you are on a budget). The reason for the overnight stay: The view from the restaurant at Longview in the late afternoon and evening is incredible. If you are into trains and coming back that way, the Durango and Silverton is excellent too. Or, a bit further east, the narrow gauge at San Antonio, Colorado/Chamas, New Mexico is also a good ride.

Thank you for the report from the road. Good to hear you have made it the first few miles and have the suspension and steering issues sorted out.

Good luck to you too. Take (and post) plenty of photographs!

There is a tourist attraction called "The Mystery Spot" near Santa Cruz in California. For the shortest moment, I wondered if that was what you were writing about. Then I figured I'd have heard of that much old iron there.

The fan and water pump on my 1933 PD can be removed without removing the radiator. Which is a good thing as removing the radiator requires removing the hood which is very difficult to do by one person without marring the paint. In removing the fan bolts you are sure to also remove some skin on the back of your fingers as they squeeze between the fan and the radiator.

Would you have clearance to replace the fan belt? That is one item that ought to be replaced periodically as a regular maintenance item. For the rest, you are just making R&R of things like the water pump more difficult.

I don't know about you, but I have averaged 44.1 MPG in my 2004 model "daily driver". That is actual miles driven divided by gas purchased, not based on the car's built-in MPG display. I actually think that new cars deliver better power, comfort, safety and reliability than the old cars. However they are less durable (I don't expect very many of them to be around in 50 years), take a higher skill level and/or fancier tools to diagnose problems, and are not as much fun to drive. But I think you are asking me a question you probably intended for Norm.

If I recall correctly, the service manual for the 1963 Dodge truck I once had listed the oil bath filter for heavy duty use in dusty areas and the paper filter for light duty highway use. My impression from reading the manual was that the oil bath did a better job cleaning the air but at the expense of mess and possibly more restrictive air flow.

I backed off half the oversize. Never occurred to me to try it differently. . . So you found a shop that can/will grind the shoes? I'd like the contact information. Thanks!

Perhaps some lubrication on the clutch linkages is in order. But I believe you have an "over-center" spring arrangement on the P15 clutch pedal to assist you in depressing the clutch. I know that the equivalent "over-center" spring arrangement on the 1963 D200 pickup that I once owned occasionally got out of whack and gave the same symptoms you describe. Do a search on this forum and I think you will find some information on how to adjust it.

I was thinking the same thing. Especially after meeting a fellow who couldn't take his old Plymouth the meet in Santa Maria because a lady in a SUV clipped it while it was parked in a shopping center parking lot. Glad to hear your truck emerged unscathed and I am not surprised that it was a hit with the people there.

I should probably keep my mouth shut. (Keyboard silent?) If I recall correctly, all the accessories and lighting you have is basically factory stock. So it seems to me that the original factory electrical system should probably be able to support the load. You installed an Optima battery because it was "better" than the original. However the charging characteristics of the Optima when used with a generator and mechanical regulator on a daily basis caused problems with generator. So you went to a 6v alternator. And now you don't have sufficient power for all the accessories, at least at idle. Hmmmm. How come they can't run off the battery when at idle just like they used to do with the original battery and generator? Isn't the Optima up to the task? Anyhow you are now considering converting to 12v which will entail further effort especially with regards to the radio. How about revisiting the original change: What is so good about the Optima battery that it makes all the other travails worth the effort?

Santa Cruz is about 45 miles from me. . .

If it is "blasting through the exhaust", check for leaks on your exhaust system, especially on your exhaust manifold. This will cause "backfire" when decelerating and/or running down a grade on engine compression.

In theory you can disconnect the battery and everything should still run off the alternator. As I recall, Chrysler did a promotion of their then new alternator (industry first) by starting a car, removing the battery, then driving it cross country. This is something you can't do with a generator as the idle output is too low to keep the engine running especially if you have the lights on. Note: Don't try disconnecting the battery on a 1920s or 1930s car with "third brush" regulation of current. You will fry the components in your electrical system.

James has an Optima battery which means he can't just check the electrolyte density to see if it is properly charged. I guess he could check with a sensitive voltmeter if the battery has the proper value for the float charge on a lead-acid battery but that would, I think, require he disconnect the battery from any possible load. And the few 10ths or 100ths of a volt difference between the float voltage and not would be too small to detect on any volt meter I own. Based on James' experiences I think I will never get an Optima battery. I get good reliable known life out of inexpensive off the shelf lead-acid batteries. And I know how to check them with simple tools to see if they are in good condition.

I've attached a vastly simplified wiring diagram that excludes fuses, switches, starting circuit, etc. Basically the 30 amps that your alternator is putting out is going into the junction on the right side of the ammeter on the diagram. And all of it is going out to the lights, accessories, etc. So none of it is going to the battery. DonC suggested that you measure on the battery cable as being more a more suitable place to check the ammeter. That is sound because the ammeter only shows the current on the leg to the battery. The exception to this is the starting circuit. To put large enough cables and beefy enough ammeter to show the starting current is not feasible. So the high current portions of the starting circuit are on the battery side of the ammeter.

If I am reading this right: 1) You showed a negative 30 or so amps on the dash gauge with the engine off and all the lights and accessories on. 2) With the engine on and the alternator tickled so it is working you show zero (or close to it) with all the lights and accessories on but you show 30 amps at the alternator with your Fluke meter. This sounds right to me. At least on all the cars I have ever had the loads are on the alternator/generator side of the dash gauge. So the 30 amps the being produced by the alternator and used by the lights and accessories simply is not being run through the dash ammeter.

I think it depends on the timing light. The one I have clips around the spark plug wire (inductive pick up I guess). Anyway, I don't need to have a common ground between the 12v battery running the timing light and the 6v car to have it work.

Good wiring and clean contacts are the key to bright lights on a 6v car. If the current incandescent bulbs are burning yellow then switching to quartz-halogen won't do you any good. The high resistance in your lighting circuit that is keeping your incandescent bulbs from putting out to their full capacity will also keep the quartz-halogen bulbs from performing. See http://www.ply33.com/Repair/lights for my experience. In general a quartz-halogen bulb will put out about 40% more light for the same power rating as an incandescent bulb. If you are familiar with camera exposures, that works out to less than 1/2 f-stop. So it is not a lot but it is better than nothing.

I guess I should remember that you just changed transmissions and may not have the correct drive gears installed for the speedometer. I'd follow up with DonC's suggestion about checking the odometer. I could be that you are simply turning the cable too fast. . . Once that is verified/fixed then you can deal with calibrating the speedometer.