MarcDeSoto

I've taught high school kids before in auto mechanics and auto body. I would never hand my car over to high school kids. That's like handing my blood over to Dracula for safe keeping! I already have all the supplies.

I think acrylic urethane is too glossy for an old car, so I think I'm going to use acrylic enamel with half the recommended amount of hardener.

Did you use the glossy hardener with the urethane? Was it easy to apply?

Are cross linkeded finishes a urethane paint? Are they also super glossy? I read an article that said that acrylic urethane is the easiest auto paint to apply and that acrylic enamel is difficult. Any truth to that?

I am painting the car myself. One question I have is should I use the Acrylic Enamel Wet Look hardener. I asked if this will make the car glossier that original and they said yes. So I asked if I choose not to use it what would happen. He said the paint will not flow as well and will not be as durable. So not sure what to do.

Has anyone used this paint supplier before.https://www.autocolorlibrary.com They are based in San Diego and they say they can sell me acrylic enamel. My local paint store says they cannont sell me acrylic enamel. And this paint store specializes in antique colors going back to buggies! It is the Auto Color Library. There is no charge for color matching and you choose your color online. I am thinking of ordering my paint from them. A gallon costs about $240.

Elvis made a lot of movies. Which one are you talking about?

Someone in the U.S. probably would sell you those parts, but I don't know how you would make the over center spring. I'll do what I can for the other two parts.

The bracket could be made easily, I think. I guess the spring could too. but I had the same problem with some missing parts to the brake linkage, so I found a guy with a parts car similar to mine and he was nice enough to part them out to me. If you can't find a parts car, I am assembling a 48 DeSoto so I could make a crude template from parts that are already installed on my car. You will probably have to find a parts car to get the overcenter spring.

Maybe the balancer could be JB welded back together?

Or the parts are made in China or India, where they have no idea what the parts are supposed to do on a car. Take for example the modern engine mounts which are made out of very hard plastic with no give whatsoever. They have no idea that these parts are meant to cushion and absorb the vibration of the engine.

I bought a replacement hand brake band in the 80s. It must be one of those too thick linings. Luckily, my original hand brake band is still good, so I think I'm just going to re-install it.

I checked it. It's 1/4" npt. The way I checked it was I tried to screw the old drain cock from my junk yard radiator into the fuel pump, which is 1/8 npt. I didn't fit, so I assume it's 1/4" npt.

My NOS radiator didnt come with drain cock. Is it 1/4" npt or 1/8" npt?

Yes, thanks to Sniper! Just think how long this radiator has been sitting in that box! Probably close to seven decades! I sold the 46-48 Dodge radiator to Dan Hiebert and was glad to find it a good home with him.

Oddly, no. But I plead guilty, with an excuse. I hadn't had my afternoon siesta.

Here are some pics of the new radiator. I got my new NOS aftermarket radiator still in the box yesterday. It's an aftermarket radiator that was sold or stocked by Montgomery Ward in Denver, CO. It was sent in the original box, that is certain. Check out the old style printing on the box. This could have been boxed in the very late 40s or 50s judging from the age shown on the box. We heard something metallic rolling around in the top tank, so we got it out, and it was a piece of solder. We gave it a flow test and it passed superbly as you would expect from a new old stock radiator. We installed it and that's another step toward getting this engine started.

I got my new NOS still in the box radiator yesterday. It's an aftermarket radiator that was sold or stocked by Montgomery Ward in Denver, CO. I was sent in the original box, that is certain. Check out the old style printing on the box. This could have been boxed in the very late 40s or 50s judging from the age shown on the box. We heard something metallic rolling around in the top tank, so we got it out, and it was a piece of solder. We gave it a flow test and it passed superbly as you would expect from a new old stock radiator. We installed it and that's another step toward getting this engine started.

I can't believe I made such a dumb ass mistake after I'd been doing correctly for many weeks, and no one caught it! If you read my first post, I said I connected one of the remote starter lines to the positive battery cable and the other line to the upper right terminal of the solenoid. WRONG!!!! You don't connect one of the wires to the ground side of the battery! You connect it to the negative side of the battery!!! Did that and now it cranks like gang busters!

No I haven't been working on it lately. But I see I'm not the only one having trouble with this handbrake.

Yes, I connected the remote starter between the Upper right side of the solenoid with the lower right side of the solenoid where the negative battery cable is connected. There was no continuity between these two points with the cable off, but there was continuity with the cable attached. I don't think its the remote because I went out and bought a new one. Both remotes checked out good using my ohm meter.

I installed my new after market radiator today. It looked like it was in the original box and had the name Montgomery Ward on it. Who knows how old it is? 50s? I hooked up my remote starter button to the positive terminal of the battery and the other lead to the upper right terminal on the solenoid. I've been doing this for weeks and it always cranked over well. this time when I pressed the button nothing. I put a new charged on the the battery. Still nothing. I checked the battery cables and they were tight on the battery and on the block and starter terminal. Still nothing. I thought I had a bad remote switch, but I checked it with a multi tester and it checked out good. The only thing I can think of now is an open between the solenoid and the starter. I checked it with my ohm meter and there was continuity when the battery cable was attached, but no continuity when the battery cable was disconnected. Is that normal or not?

My radiator shop cut a 5"X5" square off the top of the gas tank so they could look at the internal Oilite filter. The original bronze filter was rusted away and definitely no good anymore. So they removed it.

Wow. Never thought it would be that easy. Good job!

Since I don't have the original fuel filter, the Oilite filter, in the bottom of the fuel tank anymore, I think I need a fuel filter. I will place it as far away from the exhaust manifold as possible. Maybe under the manifold near the fuel pump would be better than close to the carburetor as heat rises.