James_Douglas

I have checked the float and it is correct. Following that line of thought, what is "splash over"? In the Carter BB, the bowl is basically sealed so I am wondering what it would splash over to. Thanks, James

Hi all, Does anyone have an idea or experienced a MOPAR flathead six that stalls under very hard braking from say 25 or 30 MPH? This car has a flathead six, a fluid coupling, and a m6 Trans. The dashpot magnet is working, however, I cannot tell if the inside of the carburetor part of the dashpot is working. The fuel float level is correct. Anyone with any ideas, I am all ears! Thanks, James

If I was going to switch to 12 volt, I would consider electronic. However, all my 6 volt cars work very well on 6 volts and so I have no other reason to swap them over. I am going to follow up with Mallory and ask about that double life unit. What is the model number of that unit? Best, James

Greg, Everything you said was correct. It all come down to the specific situation. One thing is when rebuilding something to as new condition, you can in fact spend almost as much as new replacement---if one can be found. Best, James

My flathead sixes are all running around 8.25 to 1. When MOPAR raised the compression over 7.5 to 1 around 1955 they went to 12 volts for a reason. They needed more coil secondary voltage. I ran an old dual point that one of the other car guys I know loaned me while my dizzy was out waiting on a rebuilt vacuum can some time ago. I did not change a thing on the car and it started and ran better than my NOS Auto-lite dizzy that had been set up on a Sun Distributor machine. Both dizzy had very close advance curves. The only real difference was the dual point allowing more coil saturation. I also just want all my dizzy's to be the same so I can stock one set of spares. I also like having a tach and the tach drive housing on the Mallory will allow that. Also, from a money point to build a as new Auto-lite Distributor I figure based on ebay sales: Core unit $40 NOS breaker plate loaded with new wires and condenser and points $50 If shaft is not perfect then lathe down $50 Or NOS one at $100 New bushings and shop time to line hone $75 (reaming does not do it as shaft has to be near perfect for dwell not to float) New cap and rotor $30 Rebuilt vacuum chamber $75 Sub-Total of around $300. Plus, I still have to put it all together. For an extra $200, I get tach drive, better spark and someone else does the work. James

Don, I would be interested in knowing how much tapper at the top of the cylinders you have since the original rebuild if you measured it. I have an 86 year old machinist here just south of "Frisco" :-) that tells me that the blocks on the flathead six's seem to go out of shape relatively early due to soft cylinder walls. So, anyone that built one up in the last 10 years and thus uses new oils and rings...and then pulls off a head off after 5K or 10K miles...I would like to know how much of a ridge and/or the actual tapper they get. Best, James

Hi all, I am talking with Mallory Ignition. They still have the prints for the old Dual Point adjustable mechanical advance, with adjustable vacuum advance, distributors. Although Auto-Lite made a dozen different distributors for the flathead six's, which many use different rotors, caps, and vacuum cans, they are all basically the same if you set the advance curves to your cam and carburation. I am thinking of getting two of these made up for my cars. Hotter spark, ability to set the advance to the new fuels, and be able to stock one set of spares for both cars. The only thing is that they are going to be expansive. In the $500 range. I did ask for the quote to include the housing with the tach drive. I have some folks in Sonoma, CA that makes some special little tachs that will work with the tach drive that look good on the steering column on the car. If anyone else is interested let me know. If more folks are interested I may be able to get the price down. Best, James

Hi All, It has been a while since I posted. This last year has been busy with an ailing mother-in-law and we have been doing the San Francisco-LA run quite a bit. I have been able to get back on the 1949 Desoto the last few months. The other day, on what would have been my late mothers 97 Birthday, I started the car and moved it under its own power for the first time since 1970. I have a number of things to do yet, about 3 weeks of work, then off to the shop for the interior and the top. I hope everyone is well. Best, James

A couple of cars, one of mine and two of my friends needs new windshield glass. All 1940's MOPARS which all had original PPG glass in them Our local PPG (Pittsburgh Plate Glass) dealer went bust and I wanted to find another. So I called PPG HQ which told me they sold the glass division. It is now PGW (Pittsburgh Glass Works & owned by a investment fund). So, I called PGW to find another local distributor. In the process I asked which factory in the US was making their flat laminate safety glass. Turns out they stopped making it. If they need some for their distribution chain they get it from others overseas. But, they only order it if someone puts in a very big order and currently they don't have any in the pipeline. So, my question is: Does anyone know if there is anyone making flat plate laminate safety glass in the USA ? Best, James

I just had the frame off of my 1949 Desoto S-13-2 and the serial number was on the driver side top of the frame rail. It was hard to see the whole thing. Part of it was struck deep and the actual unit number was fainter and done with a different die.

I had a clutch slip after a fluid drive seal failure. I could not see or feel any oil on the clutch. I changed it and nothing else and it stopped...my guess is that some fluid vapor misted back onto the clutch. The other thing to keep in mind is that buried in the literature on the pressure plates is information that they used several different sets of spring pressure depending on the engine HP and or weight of the car. On my 5000 pound suburban, I increased the spring pressure when we rebuilt the pressure plate because of the weight of the car. The leg pressure on the clutch was just a hint more, but it is worth it as extra security to help keep the clutch from slipping. Good luck, James

Yes Tim, Thank You. James

Hey Tim, What would you say the weight of the A518 is compared with the M6 (Tip-Toe_Shift) transmission? I have been playing with an idea to cut off the bell-housing and mate one to the factory bell housing and crankshaft of a flathead. I know of a racer trans outfit in the South that does this kind of thing all the time for the racers and I think it would be a natural fit if I can work it all out. I would like to be able to do it my hanging it off the back of the bell just like the M6.... Thoughts? James

Hi All, Anyone in the South every heard of Lewis Jenkins in North Carolina at 336-667-4242. I got a lead on him as someone that may have some "Bedford-Cord" seat upholstery. Thanks, James

The unit has a VERY short screw to attach the wire. Over the years people put longer ones in and it causes a short. You MUST make sure that the screw does not go in too deep. As an aside...I grew up with the grandson of Mr. Sisson. James

A fluid coupling is 98% to 99% efficient at transferring the power to the transmission input shaft once it un-stalls at about 6 MPH. Since it does not have a stator it is more efficient than a (non-lockup) torque converter which runs in the low 90's % range. In my 1947 Desoto Suburban with a curb weight of 4800 pounds and 4 people in the car I recently got 20 MPG on a round trip of 250 miles running at 65 MPH for most of the way. The car has a 3.91 reared and BW overdrive with a 251 cu.in. engine at 8:1 Compression and a single Carter Carb. James

Go here...read this...follow instructions...James http://www.imperialclub.com/Repair/Lit/Master/012B/cover.htm

Is anyone with a Desoto, who is a forum member, going to the NDC Meet in Reno between July 27-July 31 ? James

Like this? http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=26379&highlight=carter+fuel+pump James

Jim, One thing to keep in mind. The clutch gear assembly was a "custom fitted" assembly. They took inners and outer and fit them to keep the play to under 1 thou. There are a set of dots or scratch lines on the edge of each part that must be lined up to keep the clearance in specification. I purchased a couple of sets that I was told were NOS. When I inspected them I could tell by the marks that they were done by different people. The sets were made up well after they left the manufacturer. I sent them back and kept at it until I had a set that was clearly correct. This may seem like a minor point, but I did find service literature that makes a point of this issue. Good luck, James

Jim, The 3 little plates that ride between the parts, that the big "C" wire clips hold in place... The early ones were stamped steel and later MOPAR replaced them with forged ones. That may have something to do with it. Also, if a clip fails then the plates can get jammed (cocked) and things can go wrong from there. If you want to talk..email me a number and time to call...James

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=26379&highlight=carter+fuel+pump James

Be careful. I used a new set of Dorman Brass Plugs on my engine and several blew out. Turn out the brass plugs were about 10 thousands under the size of the steel ones. With an old block with the holes a little larger, that under size can cause issues. I replaced them with steel ones and the problem went away. Be advised. James

Ken, The SFMTA link is a load of crap! What really happened is this... A bunch of guys that were into old street cars formed a little non-profit outfit named after the long gone Market Street Railway. They are the ones that started restoring street cars here in San Francisco mostly just below the US MINT. When they had a couple of cars done, they begged and begged the MUNI and The City to allow them to run them on Sundays on Market Street. The planning department of MUNI and the rest of the Transportation Planning Establishment wanted to have nothing to do with surface street rail in the core of San Francisco. Finally the guys who restored some of the cars got permission to have the cars run. The cars were such a success that it took MUNI and the rest by surprise. People loved them. They added Saturday to the service and the loading numbers went to crush loads. The added cars and even more people rode on them. MUNI and The City saw the writing on the wall and the Gay Community in the Castro, the Eastern Terminus of the line pressed hard and The City then went into rebuilding old PCC's, with ADA compliance, for a proposed Market Street surface line. After a few years tourists started to ride in large numbers as well. After the Embarcadero Freeway was taken down in the wake of the 1989 Earthquake, the old belt line railway line was sitting there doing nothing and the Market Street Railway guys got The City to run a few cars along the Embarcadero. The tourists flocked to it and MUNI got $$$ in their eyes. So, the reality is that the transportation and city bureaucrats did nothing to make that happen. A bunch of Hobbyists made it happen. Best, James

I have two extra rear ends. One a 3.91 and one a 3.36. I cleaned up the 3.91 and am putting it in. Desoto used a 3.91 during the first few months of production of the Suburban. I think that went to 4.11 because of the weight. I will take my time, assuming the 3.91 works and find a new set of gears for the 4.11. Mine are about shot. Then I will have the old pumkin rebuilt. I will get a set of ARP bolts for the ring gear during the rebuild. If too long, I will put them into my lathe and cut them down. I will know by this evening if the 3.91 is working. Wish me luck. James