TodFitch

There is a 1934 specific factory service manual but I think it is far harder to find than the later 1936-42 multiple year service manual. While mechanically things are largely the same there are some differences. Off the top of my head:
 
1934 is the last year for using Delco-Remy electrical parts. In 1935 they switched to AutoLite.
You have a non-synchromesh freewheeling transmission. Starting in 1935 it had synchros and no freewheeling.
The 1934 independent front suspension is one year only. It looks a lot like that from later years but probably has differences.
The 1934 Deluxe (PE) has a unique one year only vent window setup.
 
A 1934 specific factory service manual will have those details specific to your car so you probably want to keep an eye out for one. I have a second generation photo copy of the preliminary 1934 manual but it is hardly readable and I am pretty sure that a copy of that will be unreadable otherwise I'd make and send you a copy.
 
In the meantime, any Plymouth or even Dodge factory service manual that covers cars from the 1930s will have most of the details you will need for maintenance and repair work.

From my lookup tool at https://www.ply33.com/Misc/vin
 
Serial Number: 31966879
Found in range: 31867801 to 32038822
Serial: 99079 of 171022
Year: 1952
Make: Dodge
Model Name: Meadowbrook or Coronet
Model Code: D42
Engine: 6 cylinder 230.2 cu. in. L-head
Wheelbase: 123 1/2 inches

For a modern radio just get a 6v+ to 12v- converter designed to allow you to install a sound system into an old car. Saves having to convert the whole car.

Reminder: Requests for parts must be in the classified section. Negotiations for parts should be by PM.

For the Plymouths old enough to have used Delco-Remy, the Chrysler part number is 41928. Apparently the later P15s also used that number. Other than the really late P15 listing, later AutoLite distributors used Chrysler part 640715.
 
I don't have a cross for the 1261004 or 640715 numbers but that early 41928 part number is in the lookup at Vintage Power Wagons and they are selling an O-ring (rather than cork gasket): https://www.vintagepowerwagons.com/products/new-distributor-to-engine-block-rubber-gasket-o-ring-cc41928-n

Best option is to have your current water pump rebuilt. I have used Arthur Gould a couple of times but there are other vendors.
 
The internals of the 1933/34 pump are the same as the later 1930s pumps and vintage rebuild kits are still fairly available so if you have the right tools and skills you can rebuild it yourself. At a minimum you will need a press but having a lathe or appropriate reamers may also be required.
 
The shape of the water pump body is different between 1933/34 and later pumps so if you put a 33 backing plate on a later pump you will have some large gaps. But you can make a new custom backing plate to adapt a later water pump to the 33/34 block. The good news is the bolt pattern is the same so with a custom backing plate the newer pump will mount correctly.
 
edit: My solution is to have two water pumps. A rebuilt one on the shelf and the one on the car. If/when the pump fails, I swap in the one on the shelf then get the failed one rebuilt and put that on the shelf.

They used different schemes at different times. Ignoring export versions:
 
Q is 1928
U is 1929
30-U is 1930
PA is 1931
PB is 1932
PC & PD are 1933
PE, PF & PG are 1934
PJ is 1935
P1 & P2 are 1936
P3 & P4 are 1937
P5 & P6 are 1938
.
.
.

On my much older transmission the little ball bearing under the shift rails (actually bars on mine) are the lock out mechanism that keeps you from engaging more than one gear at a time. If that is missing or displaced you will almost certainly lock the transmission up. On my car’s transmission I can’t fathom how that ball bearing could come out with the shift rails properly installed. But, again, it is an older design than yours.
 
Anyway, I would look at how the shift lock out mechanism works on your transmission and see if anything seems amiss.

I would be inclined to focus on the location given on the build card. Is it possible that the T&M Garage in Miami, AZ was doing business as Frisco Motors (or vise versa)? If so then there should be some legal record of that either in microfilms of old local newspapers (legal notices) or with the city, county or state (not sure how Arizona deals with "doing business as" paperwork).
 
Microfilms of old newspapers should also have any car dealer ads. So regardless of the entries in the old business directories if a dealer was using Frisco as a name there ought to be an ad in there.
 
Copper mining was a big business in Arizona in that era so I would not be surprised if the Miami-Globe area was more populated and wealthy back then that they are now and could support at least one daily newspaper.

I would be inclined to focus on the location given on the build card. Is it possible that the T&M Garage in Miami, AZ was doing business as Frisco Motors (or vise versa)? If so then there should be some legal record of that either in microfilms of old local newspapers (legal notices) or with the city, county or state (not sure how Arizona deals with "doing business as" paperwork).
 
Microfilms of old newspapers should also have any car dealer ads. So regardless of the entries in the old business directories if a dealer was using Frisco as a name there ought to be an ad in there.
 
Copper mining was a big business in Arizona in that era so I would not be surprised if the Miami-Globe area was more populated and wealthy back then that they are now and could support at least one daily newspaper.

On the '33 the bezel around the horn button unscrews. Normal right hand thread. May be a bit stiff with age and crud build up in the threads. If you try to pry it off you will crack or chip the bakelite (don’t ask how I know). Disconnecting the battery (or unplugging the horn wire at the connection just before it goes into the bottom of the steering column) is a good idea if you don’t want to wake your neighbors up.

As noted by @Doug&Deb the main purpose of freewheeling and automatic clutch was to make shifting easier. It wasn’t until 1935 that Plymouth got synchronizers in the transmission. With freewheeling to stop the wheels from spinning the transmission output shaft and automatic clutch to disconnect the transmission input shaft you could move the shift lever from one gear to the next silently without using the clutch even when stationary. If only the freewheeling was engaged (middle position on the cable pull) the you would need to use the clutch for when starting but could shift between gears without clutching or making grinding noises when the car was moving.
 
The automatic clutches were troublesome and got in the way of servicing other parts of the drivetrain so they usually were removed and discarded. I was able to find one that I was going to install on my car but the control valve mechanism was badly worn (no filter on the vacuum in port and driving on dusty roads would quickly do that). I installed it without hooking it up to the vacuum for show purposes only but it got in the way of other maintenance items so it now resides on a shelf in the garage.
 
As for freewheeling, it works on my car but I leave it locked out all the time.
 
If you want to scare the cr*p out of yourself, engage the freewheeling in hilly (or worse mountain) terrain. The tiny little brakes fade pretty quickly, really only good for one panic stop from 50 MPH or higher, and you then remember that to lock out the freewheeling you need to have the engine accelerating the car. Might not be so bad for later cars that had two inch wide brake shoes, but the 1.5 inch wide shoes on the 1933 fade pretty quickly. I think the 1934 still had the 1.5 inch wide shoes. Not sure when the went to 2 inch wide, maybe 1936 or 37.
 
I still remember the first day on my trip west in 1978 pulling a little utility trailer filled with all my (heavy) spare car parts coming out of the mountains of West Virginia. A long sweeping downhill curve ended at a traffic light which turned red just as it came into view. Normal service brakes were fading, so I gunned it enough to pull the freewheeling control then double clutched down to second, pulled the hand brake and pressed the brake pedal as hard as I could. Just barely stopped in time. And I resolved never to use freewheeling again.
 
With respect to control cable routing: The cable goes from the dash to a lever on the back of the transmission that controls the freewheeling. Another cable attached to that same lever then went forward to the automatic clutch.

Gaskets shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but the diaphragm might be if it hasn’t been rebuilt in the last 20 or so years. Antique Auto Parts Cellar/Then-N-Now Automotive has rebuild kits that have modern materials.

I imagine that places like Faxon Auto Literature would carry the reprints. In the meantime, here is a scan from the '33 DeLuxe Plymouth Instruction Book as I am guessing that the Dodge and Plymouth transmissions are very similar (might even be identical).

It was deleted. . . There were several reports about it and I went to take a look and it was already deleted by the time I got to it. Not sure which other moderator did the deed.

Riffing on Plymouthy's comment: There are basically three throws on the crankshaft at 120° apart. Each throw has two pistons. The pairs of pistons are 1&6, 2&5, and 3&4. So if two of the pistons are at bottom dead center then none of the pistons are at top dead center.

Do you have a wiring diagram?
 
I don't have that model or that style fuel gauge system but my understanding is there should be three connections on the dash unit where one connection goes to the ignition switch for power and the other two go to the tank.
 
If it is the same as the similar era Plymouth, the wire to the ignition should be blue and there should also be a brown wire on that same terminal that goes to the starter switch.
 
The other two terminals on the gauge should be labeled "1" and "2". A blue wire on #1 goes to the one side of the sender and a black and yellow wire on #2 goes to the other side of the sender.
 
And, of course, the sender should have a good ground to the frame.
 
(All the above from the Plymouth service manual as my older car is totally different in this area.)

I simply used black enamel on the outside of the drum and nothing on the inside. So far (probably 25 or so years later) most of the black paint is still there. Worn away in spots but mostly there. So I am not sure that special high temperature caliper paint is needed but it can't hurt. The insides of the drums don't have too much rust or dirt as of the last time I checked. Suspect there might be enough grease/lubricant fumes to keep the rust down and the rubbing surface is kept shiny by the shoes.

Looks like they used part number 1118149 from 1936 through at least 1948 for that drive shaft key.
 
Is that the same one for the P23?
 
Part 600238 was the number for the '33 Plymouth models which was 5/16" square by 2 1/4" long.
 
Does anyone have the exact measurements for part 1118149 so I can update the description in my database? (Confirm Andy's 3/8" dimension and supply length.)
 
Thanks!

I think Chrysler considered them '48 models, at least by the serial numbers.
 
But many states set the model year in their records based on sale date back then.

If I recall reading it correctly, DOT5 is less dense than DOT3 and DOT4 which means the DOT5 would be on top.
 
And that is one of the problems in converting to DOT5 - you will never get all the DOT3 out of the cylinder without disassembling everything as the bleeder is on the top. Apparently the interaction of the DOT3 and DOT5 in the cylinder over time is what causes the problem with the quick and dirty "just swap the fluid" method of converting. And I've read that flushing with denatured alcohol can cause issues with the rubber components...
 
Basically if you are going to switch fluid types you want to be doing it when you are totally overhauling the brakes and have all the cylinders open... Best time is if/when you are replacing all the components including all of the steel tubing.