Silverdome

cadillackid1955 that looks to be a leather grain and wldavis3 looks to be sepele woodgrain in a vertical pattern. As stated above go to this website http://www.woodgraining .com it wiil show you examples of the techniques used plus you can purchase supplies to recreate the patterns yourself.

Murphy is always lurking in the shadows and will follow you around silently like a cat on the prowl then pounce on you when you least expect it. He is nobody's friend.

So what are the suggested gaskets and fasteners for an aluminum head and intake on the flat head sixes?

Do you still have vacuum wipers? That is another possible source of leakage.

If you are using fuel with ethanol in it you will probably have to have a slightly lower float setting. Probably a 1/16" difference at most. If the car sat with this ethanol enriched fuel for more than 2-3 months you may have to clean out the carburetor as it tends to gum up pretty quickly.

Start with the basics. With engine idling turn the idle mixture screw in until it starts to stall. If it doesn't stall when completely screwed in it most likely is a vacuum leak. If i starts to stall back it out while counting the turns to see when it starts to stall. Split the difference and turn back in, for example if it's three turns between in and out then turn 1-1/2 turns. Check the rubber fuel line near the tank it may look good on the outside but be collapsing on the inside. Put a clear fuel filter inline to see if it is pulling junk from the tank. Take the top off the carb and inspect for sediment in the bowl. If the car sat for a long time clean the carb and fuel pump. Good luck and keep us informed on the progress.

Too many variables and not enough information. Condition of carburetor and fuel system? When was the last time it ran correctly? And so on so forth.

Nice Job belvedere666.

Looks Great! And yet another way to accomplish a woodgrain finish on metal.

Jdee, thanks. I would also like to thank you and your company for your input and support of this lost art. I feel like all information whether it be a success or a failure can be useful. Patience and a good attitude go a long way toward success.

Very nice jdee.

Veemoney, thanks that looks real nice. Did you just dob the stain on with that open pored sponge? Mortimer452, thanks, my dash isn't too bad yet but my garnish moldings were pretty worn so I started with them for preservation purposes if nothing else.

I wasn't aware that any '39 Plymouths came with factory dual exhaust. If you can share some pictures of this it would help.

You can also buy them direct from Coker and they have the liners and tubes.

That's the weep hole. It is put there intentionally to let you know when your pump is about to fail.

Can you get a close up picture of the grain? It looks interesting. What was your technique on the graining?

Looks good, more pics please.

AC R45's

Rich that is a very nice looking piece.

This last one shows the supplies I'm using. I prepared the surface with what I could afford making sure of cleanliness and adhesion. I have to depend on the weather and my environment to get a good finish. I don't have a paint booth or environmental controls. So I guess you could say this is the poor mans way to woodgrain. I will keep practicing and hopefully get better at each attempt.

I have four more pictures to upload, so please be patient. These were done with a sponge that you will see in the fourth picture that I contoured to fit the trim piece. Instead of shaking out the sponge between I swiped it on a piece of cardboard to swab off the excess stain. Please tell me your opinions. I still have not clear coated them, maybe this weekend.

Do you have a farm store near you? They would possibly carry bias ply 6.50-16 tires. As for radials, just last month I put P21575R15's on my '48 Plymouth rims and they are only 4-1/2" wide with no problems of the tubeless tires seating.

We all should be so lucky to have such a family treasure. It sounds as if you have the right attitude for this, keeping it as original as possible and fixing it up for your grandparents. More pictures are always welcome and please don't hesitate to ask anything as there is lots of knowledge on this site willing to help.