TodFitch

Last time I had my brake system open it took several tries at bleeding before I finally got all the air out. My guess is that there were some bubbles trapped at a high point and it needed some flow of fluid to get them to move on to the wheel cylinder to be removed. I do remember that they came out at the front right and that I had run a considerable amount of fluid through the lines before they finally showed up. Without the pressure bleeder I built, inspired by designs I'd seen on this site, I am not sure how long it would have taken me.

It is my understanding that the very noisy electrical system presented by a generator is best measured with an analog meter as it has a needle that is inherently damped as opposed to a digital meter that might be doing instantaneous sampling. I am guessing you could get your digital meter to read better if you put a choke on the test lead to smooth things out.

There thousands of different auto manufacturers, not just brands or models but manufacturers, in the US, most in the very early days and some may not have any actual documented production. So any of those would be orphans too. I wouldn't be too surprised if you've forgotten some like A.B.C., Abbot, Abenaque, Ace Acme, Adams, Adams-Farwell, Adelphia, Adria, Advance, A.E.C., Aero, Areocar, Aerotype, Ajax, Akron, Alamobile, Aland, Alco, Alden-Sampson, Allen, Allen Cyclecar, Allen-Kingston, Allis-Chalmers, Aldo, Allith, Alma, Alpena, . . .

On my car and on the others from the '30s and '40s that I've looked at closely enough to notice, the serial number tag is held on with what look like nails or rivets while the builder's ID plate and body number tag are both screwed on. It was my assumption that the difference in fasteners was due to their legal status, but I could be entirely wrong.

Don't reply to this thread but PM rfcr instead. rfcr, you should seriously consider placing a free classified ad rather that using the regular forum area when looking to buy or sell parts.

All this is true… As long as your crimping is done correctly with the right tools and dies properly calibrated so that the crimp is tight enough to make it a good air tight connection but not so tight as to damage the wire strands and weaken it. In the home garage setup like most of us have, the crimps are nowhere near that quality. I find it easier to get a durable connection by soldering. To avoid fatigue where the solder has stiffened the wire, it is usually pretty easy to secure the wire against movement with proper routing and clamping.

If I recall correctly, the Ammco instructions have you set the pin/dowel to the drum diameter minus the desired clearance. It is probably just me, but I find it easiest to set the pin/dowel on the tool to be the actual drum diameter and then use feeler gauges to check the lining to pin/dowel (drum) clearance. Plural on gauges as my service manual lists a different value for heel and toe. Other years list one number for heel and toe, so check your year and model's specification when doing this operation.

I think are the car side they were called body number tags. Screwed on as they have no legal/registration purpose so they did not have to worry about tampering. On the car side, the format varied over the years and even within one year based on the body manufacturing plant. I suspect the part of your number prior to the dash is an indication of the body/cab style and the number after the dash is a sequential manufacturing (serial) number.

Trying to set up dueling moderators?

Remember if you are going to eventually sell parts that should go in the classified section of this web site. Marketing parts in threads will get a note from one of the mods and an eventual post deletion.

I gave up trying to do paint on appearance items decades ago and only do chassis and mechanical stuff now so I am not current on the primer products that are available now. But... "Back in the day" that I took some auto body classes I learned that primers were porous and that they would not protect the metal against moisture. Based on that antique knowledge I'd recommend following the other poster's advise to use something like rustoleum. I like Jeff's idea about using bed liner. Seems like that could help create a quieter ride as well as protect the metal.

In addition to the resources page that Don referred to, I have a page on my web site at http://www.ply33.com/Backmatter/EngineColor

Given the era the styling was done and the general way things were done in the advertising and graphic design world at that time, I would not be surprised to find that the letters were hand drawn specifically for that application and that there is no typeface that exactly matches.

Almost looks like an ignition wire tube for a '20s or '30s non-Chrysler product.

For what it is worth, the '36-'48 Plymouth parts book shows a number for the windshield regulator for '36 and '37 and a "not used" indication for '38.

+1 Pucker factor recollection: In the late 1970s when I moved back west from the east coast I purchased a small utility trailer for hauling all the extra parts for my Plymouth. A couple of transmissions were in the lot of parts as well. I never weighed the setup but I wouldn't be surprised if it was pushing 1000 pounds. The utility trailer had no brakes. All this being pulled by my '33 Plymouth with its massive 190 cu. in. engine and being stopped by narrow little 1 1/2 inch wide shoes. First day out of Baltimore, for some reason now forgotten, I had the freewheeling enabled. Coming down out of the mountains into Wheeling, West Virginia, on a big sweeping downhill curve I came across a traffic light that turned red just as it came into view. Immediate brake fade on those tiny '33 Plymouth drums was followed by getting freewheeling locked out which in the '33 requires having the engine pulling the car so you had to accelerate, then a double clutch to 2nd for some engine braking and an application of the hand brake in addition to the regular brakes to get some sort of deceleration happening. I just barely stopped at the limit line of the intersection and it took several minutes for my heart to stop pounding. Here are a few photos of that rig.

So length in meters by width in cubits by height in miles divided by 223? Might it be easier to say 233 cubic inches equals one gallon? Got to worry about the shape too. My gas tank has an oval shaped cross section, so even multiplying width by height by length in inches to get cu. in. would be inaccurate.

Only if you have a 1935 or later engine, those of us with a '33 or '34 engine don't seem to have that issue.

Intake and exhaust should be removed and re-installed together. There are 13 nuts holding the combined manifold assembly to the block, don't forget the one hidden on the intake below the carburetor. When you re-install, have the bolts between the intake and exhaust loose so that both manifolds can seat properly against the block. Then tighten the bolts holding the exhaust to the intake. There maybe other ways of doing this, but the above seems to be the easiest to assure a leak free assembly.

All you guys with those new fangled engines. . . Ya probably got those fancy modern rotor thingies in there too instead of gears. (Looking at the parts book, you are correct that '46 was the switch over year.)

Making your own gaskets is quick and easy. I wouldn't try it for a head gasket. And my success for exhaust manifold gaskets has been so-so. But for things like oil or water pump gaskets it is pretty darned easy. First time I replaced my oil pump cover plate I found that the brown craft paper they make grocery bags out of was just about right to both seal and give the correct clearance between the gears and the cover. For the gasket between the block and the pump, I'd have to measure the thickness but I suspect gasket paper stock that is close enough is available at your local auto supply.

Concur with Fargos-go-far about brakes being the big concern. At the very least, put some surge brakes on the trailer. And while I don't like modifying cars away from stock, I'd seriously consider putting disc brakes on the front of the car if you plan on pulling a trailer. You won't win any acceleration or speed contests with that rig and you'd probably want to stick to as uncrowded back roads as you can if you go that route.

Yep. Leaded gasoline was nasty stuff. And to keep the lead deposits to a minimum they used some nasty stuff to scavenge it. I know the first engine I maintained after non-leaded fuel became the standard impressed me on how long the plugs lasted, how much less gray deposit I found in the valve galleries, etc. Converted me to wanting to use unleaded gas for everything. Which is one reason I have such a negative reaction now, decades later, when someone is adamant about finding lead additive for gasoline.

Looking at my cross references I show a Wagner number. But that was from about 20 years ago and when I search for that Wagner number now all I come up with is my web site and this forum. Those brake tee fittings are pretty simple and if one could find a tool to make the seat for the inverted flare, it seems one could make their own. But I've never seen, or even heard of such a tool. Anyone who has some background in machining have a clue on how those holes are drilled, threaded and the seat made?

Not sure, but I think that '37 and '38 caps are the same. If so, then it might help widen your search a little.