TodFitch

I think you'll find those pipe threaded plugs line up with the main bearings and were the access for drilling the oil feed lines to the bearings. Threaded plugs as they need to hold back 60 to 100 psi oil while the water jacket plugs have little or no pressure on them -- unless you rev the engine when cold and the thermostat hasn't yet opened (ask me how I know).

I wonder if these new Airtex pumps will have the issue that the older "new" pumps had of the pivot pin working loose. . .

At least on my car, which uses an older version of the master cylinder in your photos, setting the free play is quite easy. If you move the brake pedal by hand you can actually feel when the push rod comes into contact with the piston. And you can do it from under the hood, so it is simply a matter adjusting the nut then feeling the result. When close enough for your satisfaction tighten the lock nut. On the late '30s and 40's cars with the master under the floor I don't know if my method is possible, but I'm guessing it is on the trucks as the master cylinder for them bolts right onto my car (I used one until I had my original one re-sleeved).

The state railroad museum in Sacramento and adjacent old town are great. But if one wanted to do Columbia there is still a railroad option near there that is a state park and, I think, considered to be part of the state railroad museum: http://www.railtown1897.org http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=491 Bunch of movies and TV shows filmed using the equipment at Jamestown. http://www.railtown1897.org/film-credits

Antique Auto Parts Cellar PO Box 3 (6 Chauncy Street) Weymouth , MA 02190 Telephone: +1.781.335.1579 Fax: +1.781.335.1925 email: Thecellar@then-now.com http://www.maritimedragracing.com/then_and_now_automotive.htm

Would this be on the day of the picnic? or the day preceding or following?

Maybe. Maybe not. Reading the Gasoline FAQ and some other source indicates that there has been a drive over the years to reduce the amount of higher temperature boiling point components in gasoline because they cause a disproportionate amount of pollution. Also interesting is that the usual blends for aviation fuel end up with a lower final boiling point than automotive fuel so it sounds like heat related issues could be worse if you decide to use aviation gas. Anyway of the 500 or so different hydrocarbons that are or could be in gasoline, some boil at temperatures as low as 28°C (82°F). So heat related issues, vaporizing fuel in pump leading to lack of pumping (vapor lock in by book) or fuel percolating in float bowl after stopping when engine is hot leading to a hot restart issue, is highly dependent on the mix of hydrocarbons in the the gas. Since nearly all cars on the road today are fuel injected with high pressure manifolds delivering fuel to the injectors, gas does not need to be optimized for a high boiling point. So the oil companies may not bother. But back in the day when all cars had mechanical pumps in the engine compartment and a carburetor sitting on top of a hot engine and no concern for smog they were certainly optimizing for different things.

Hmmm. I got by for decades with my only special tool being a brake drum puller. It is possible to adjust the brakes without a special tool. It is possible to arc the shoes without special tools. It is possible to set the ignition with nothing more than a feeler gauge and a test light, etc. I ended up getting more special tools for my newer cars (80s and 90s), things like an adjustable advance timing light, oil filter wrench, etc. than I ever got for my old car. And I have thrown in the towel for the new ('01 and '04) cars. To start there I'd need to get an ODB read out tool and a bunch of other stuff. Yes, the factory manual has a number of special tools that make the job easier and faster. And I have acquired some of those over the years. But you can do one heck of a lot with nothing more than standard hand tools.

Did you follow Don's suggestion and search for the recent shoe arcing thread? I got around the issue fairly well (probably not as good as using an arcing machine) by getting a roll of sticky back sandpaper. Cut a length long enough to fit all the way around the inside of the brake drum, stick it on, mark the shoe with a sharpie so you can see what contact you have, then sand it to fit by rubbing it back and forth inside the drum. Only takes a minute or so for each shoe. Since each drum may be slightly different diameter, you should match the shoes to the drum. If I recall correctly, the cost of the roll of sticky back sand paper was less than $5 at the local hardware store. If you have a choice, get the thinnest sand paper available. I took my calipers along to measure thickness. If/when I get access to an official brake shoe grinding machine, I'll use that in the future. In the meantime the sand paper got me close enough to use my Ammco measuring tool. By the way, I found that setting the Ammco to the exact diameter of the drum and then using feeler gauges (one each for the toe and for the heel) was easier for me than trying to adjust the Ammco to the heel and then for the toe.

Interesting the different takes people have on "mostly keep it stock".

There are 6v quartz-halogen bulbs and sealed beam lamps. But read the power specifications before using as some of them draw more current than your electrical system was designed for. If you go for a higher power bulb you should also consider headlight relays, etc.

I doubt that the insulation in the cab or on firewall make much difference but putting it on the underside of the hood assembly may well have made a big difference.

Depending on the price and cost of shipping, I might be willing to purchase such a machine should your option 2 come to pass. Edit: Just noticed that you are within driving distance so shipping is not an issue.

Without looking at a wiring diagram, I'd guess P=power, T=tail lamps, H=headlights and I=Instrument lights. Now let me dig out the 46-54 service manual and see if I can find a wiring diagram. Pretty hard to read my reprinted manual, but I think the above is correct. Volt-ohm meter or continuity tester will say for sure how the switch is contacts make and break and thus how it should be connected.

http://www.santacruzwoodies.com/woodies-on-the-wharf/

Any chance the heat riser is stuck in the cold (heat directed toward carburetor) position?

Based on the description, it sounds like heat soaking of the carburetor leading to gas percolating and getting into the manifold. Prevention: Assure phenolic insulating spacer is under the carburetor, lower the float settings slightly below factory recommendations. I'd add find some place that sells less volatile gasoline except I don't think that is possible though some people swear by adding a little diesel to the tank. If percolation due to a heat soaked carburetor is the issue, using the choke probably is the wrong thing. Better would be to hold the throttle wide open to move the gas on out of the manifold. To me "vapor lock" can only occur when the fuel pump stops pumping because it has vapor in it. Immediate fix is to cool the fuel pump down, I find pouring some water on the pump works very well. But having the fuel pump heat shield installed will greatly reduce the issue.

Probably "limey" is more common. As I understand it, was based on the English navy's use of limes to prevent scurvy. "Redcoat", way less often used, referring to the red uniforms of the English army around the time of the American Revolution. In conversation, I'd most likely simply use "English" or Englishman". Even further off topic, back in the 70's there was a big fad for people referring to themselves as "xxx-american" where xxx happened to be someplace that many of their ancestors came from. Italian-American, Polish-American, etc. I happened to end up staying at a place where a couple of fellows visiting from England passed through. They had notice this phenomena and made a point to simply ask each person they met "what nationality are you?". Apparently I was the first they had come across that simply said "American" without a prefix. I guess I was also the first they'd met that had ancestors here going back to the mid-1600s.

So the next question is why did you use "Limey" in the thread title instead of, say, "Redcoat"? Are you a mariner?

I guess my question is, didn't your truck have that insulating spacer already on it? I thought it was standard on all the Mopar L-6 engines from the early '30s on up. . .

NapaOnline crosses that Chrysler number to NOS 38709.

I am not sure of the chronology, but I don't think that strong rare earth magnets were available in 1957. So it is highly likely that all the motors in your car (heater, wiper, and definitely starter) use wire wound field coils and are insensitive to polarity. Other than a radio (no clue if those old tube radios are polarity sensitive), swapping the ammeter leads and coil terminals should be all you need. You can run with the ammeter and coil polarity backwards for a short while, so an easy test would be to swap the battery leads, flash the generator field, and try things out.

I'd heard that firefighters didn't like wood truss roofs and this thread caused me to do a little searching. It also seems like they don't like the engineered wood floor joists as well. Near as I can tell the reason is that the engineered wood building components basically have less wood in them so it does not take as much fire to weaken them enough to be unsafe for a firefighter to be on or under.

Or when you are in the car ready to leave chatting with someone and, with both hands fully visible and obviously not being used, the engine "spontaneously" starts. Does the high/low beam switch count as another pedal? If so then the count is five instead of four.

Probably a totally different setup, but with the full floating axle on the 3/4 ton '63 D200 I once had I found I could remove the tire from the opposite side I was working on and lower the drum/backing plate to the ground. Enough of the oil in the axle then went to the low side and I could remove the axle shaft without having an issue with drips, etc. But with a dual wheel setup and probably much stiffer springs, etc., that may not work on this truck/tractor.