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hendo0601

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Everything posted by hendo0601

  1. Is your choke operating correctly? If it is staying closed it will reduce air flow and increase fuel causing stumbles and bogs.
  2. I know I haven't been on in a while (life gets in the way sometimes) but I will try to get back on here a little more often. As far as a fan clutch goes, your engine doesn't have a fan clutch. It's a purely mechanical fan that spins the same speed as the water pump. Freeze plugs are made of very soft metal that is meant to expand if the water in the engine block were to freeze, thus preventing the block from cracking. When you remove it you will destroy it. I doubt you will have to play the waiting game as just about any parts store will have them in stock. Freeze plugs come in a wide array of sizes, and the parts store more than likely has yours in stock. If you are getting a little hot at idle but it's cooling back down while driving I would suspect your cooling system is clogged or blocked somewhere. I would start with a really good flush (both the block and the radiator), replace the water pump and the upper and lower hoses (cheap insurance and it's extremely easy to do.) I noticed mine would run a little hot and kinda rough after an extended drive then coming to a stop and idling, so I did what I mentioned above and now she runs cool as a cucumber all the time. I sat at idle in traffic on an 85 degree day for nearly 15 minutes waiting for a train with zero hiccups. These engines are extremely simple to work on, you just have to get to know it a little bit. I have been using mine as a daily driver for the last few months and I'm loving it!
  3. I discovered I have a load of GL-5 in hiding....I hope that will do the trick!
  4. Even if I can get 1/2 of it out that's better than ignoring it and hoping it isn't low! I have a small suction pump that I have a small rubber hose attached to for draining PS fluid reservoirs so hopefully that will do the trick.
  5. I am wondering now if I should somehow drain the steering sector and refill it with clean gear oil? The rear differential is number 2 on my list so buying gear oil just makes sense.
  6. I have not checked it, but now that moves to the number 1 spot on my list of things to do. Should I discover it needs lubrication, what should I use?
  7. They most certainly are! I drove her last fall when I first got her and she seemed really tired and lethargic, the bias ply tires up front wanted to go every which way and it was rather scary. This feels like a whole other car! I drove her to the local napa to buy a few washers to shim up the exhaust flange bolts to help quiet down the small leak I have going on and boy was there a crowd around her! The parts guy even gave me the washers for free, said my hard work paid off and I should get a reward. He saved me about 75 cents but still very cool of him!
  8. FANTASTIC NEWS!!!! Early this morning I went to the local tire shop and had two new radials mounted and balanced for the front (already have radials out back), came home got them installed and promptly did my pre - drive safety checks, hopped in fired her up and drove a few blocks to the gas station. After brimming the tank I decided shakedown time is either now or never, so I drove a few miles through town, hopped on the interstate and cruised down to the next exit, came back through town to the house all without a hitch! The presto matic worked like a charm every time! She seemed kinda boggy when first getting on the interstate but after a few seconds it cleared up and she cruised along at 65 like it was nothing! I am back home now enjoying a celebratory beer and I feel just pure elation. Man this is a fun car to drive! Welcome to Cloud 9, population ME!
  9. I left the older hose on it for now and I may leave it for a few days then switch it to the new one, this will give the coolant a bit of a chance to kinda flush out any bigger chunks. I used the garden hose with a pressure nozzle and flushed the coolant tube and the water jackets. To my amazement not much in the way of junk came out, just a second or two of pinkish water then it ran clear. I did the same with the radiator before installing it. I let her sit and idle for a good 30 minutes or so varying the rpm and she never got close to overheating. As I was prepping the radiator for paint I was using some 150 grit to get rid of the paint and at the same time it really brought the brass to a nice shine. Instead of painting it I decided to leave the upper tank exposed brass and I think it looks really great. Pictures to follow! She gets new front tires tomorrow then it is time for a shakedown cruise!
  10. Thanks!!! For now I will reuse the old hose until I can find/buy a new spring. The lower hose I took off has a date stamp from just a few years ago and is in pretty good shape, so it should hold up for a little bit until the correct part can be found.
  11. Okay so quick question, and hopefully I can get an answer right away, but if not that's cool...I am replacing the water pump and hoses and all I could find for lower hoses said "without spring" or just the universal bendy type hoses with the spring molded in. The lower hose I took off is this universal type and the hose I bought is a pre - bent direct fit part but has no spring. Is the spring required in the lower hose to prevent the hose from collapsing? I have the radiator out and I am painting it now so I have some time before I put this thing back together. I am either going to install my new hose as is or reuse the existing hose depending on the advice I receive here. Thanks!
  12. Thank you!!!! I feel like the work never stops, but then again that's how it goes with old cars. There is always something that can be improved or fixed! Immediately after posting that I went into the chat room and plymouthy Adams told me that is how they are supposed to work. That's one less wiring gremlin to deal with, now to get the rear working correctly and I will be in like flint!
  13. Steering Wheel After Mirror installed Danger Will Robinson!!!
  14. Yesterday I also decided to tackle the kick panels. The passenger side panel was in about 3 pieces so it was junk, the driver's side was seriously deteriorated but still maintained its overall shape so that was my template. I traced the pattern onto the backing, cut it out then stretched the material over It and dyed it the same (as close as possible) silver that I used on the window frames. I think they turned out really well and they definitely look a lot better than the ugly exposed metal that was there before! I also decided to fabricate some small panels to cover the exposed area at the bottom of the B pillars between the doors. The carpet didn't cover this area and the material covering the B pillar just stops about 4" above the floor, so it was just exposed metal and looked ugly. I considered painting it but decided against it due to overspray issues. I took a small piece of cardboard and just cut it and shaped it until it was the way I wanted it, then traced it onto the backing and stretched some extra material over it and colored it the same as the kick panels. I am decently pleased with the way they came out, but I am thinking these will be temporary until I can come up with something better. Steering wheel before
  15. So today was a super productive day! Yesterday I was looking at the steering wheel and couldn't handle how ugly it was, so I pulled it and managed to rip the horn wire apart where it comes out of the steering box. Literally ALL of the bakelite is gone from this thing, and steering wheels for a 1950 chrysler aren't just laying around everywhere...so I got creative. I wanted the outer rim to remain black so I split some rubber tubing down the middle and slipped it over the rim. I went with 3/8 hose for the entire length then at the bottom added about 10" of 5/8 to give it a cool stepped look. The inner spokes were super rusty so I sanded them down and painted them the same red as the front steel wheels. To hide the fact that I used rubber hose on a steering wheel I wrapped the entire rim in black electrical tape, polished all the chrome for the horn ring and put it all back together (after replacing the horn wire). All in all I think it looks pretty rad, and will work until I can find a good replacement wheel. I then decided to move the car over one space to give me more room so the flat tire had to come off, that's when I noticed the wheel I was planning on using as a spare is cracked between 3 of the 5 lug holes! ***danger danger danger*** so back to the drawing board on that one! I put the damaged wheel on it just to move the car a few feet but that is all she wrote for that thing! Anyone who lives up in the Pacific Northwest knows about the moss that grows everywhere, and some had started to grow in the drip rails and along the rear fender welting, so I spent an hour or so with a toothbrush scrubbing all that crap off, she looks mighty fine now! I had been contemplating adding a side view mirror to the car, and I had a pretty decent twin post mopar side mirror sitting in my parts pile for forever, so I bit the bullet and decided to mount it. I decided on mounting it on the top of the door frame dead center of the wing window post. It doesn't really show me what's behind me all that well unless I crane my neck a bit, but man it sure looks tough! After fiddling around with other odds and ends I decided to jump in and see what was the deal with the lights not working so great. I took off every connection from the starter relay and voltage regulator and cleaned the connections. I then did the same with every wire at the big junction block on the core support between the horns. Man those things were RUSTY!! After getting them all back on I did a light test and boy do they sure shine bright now! I guess I am due a few "I told you so" from some of you regarding the importance of good grounds on these cars...I deserve it so go ahead!- The only things that do not work are the front marker lights do not come on when the headlights are on, only in the parking light position, and the rear turn signals don't work with the headlights on. They blink super bright without the headlights on, but with them on I cannot tell if they are flashing. Honestly it is just too bright outside to really see them that well, so I will double check their operation tonight. Leave it to a Pacific northwesterner to complain about it being too bright outside! We are used to it being grey and overcast, not bright and sunny! Since I am posting this from my phone I cannot add pictures but when I get my tools put away and some housework done I will add pictures from my computer.
  16. I didn't spend any time up front as I assumed the front were only turn signals and not parking lights (I don't know what year this became mandatory etc). As a stay at home dad it is now too late to go out there and do any work as cooking dinner/looking after my son take precedence. Tomorrow I will go get the correct bulbs then start checking what's happening up front.
  17. I suppose I should also mention that neither of the front marker lights work when the headlamps are on...they only function as turn signals. I am guessing this is not right? Tomorrow I will return to Napa for another pair of 1158s for the front and see what happens.
  18. Ok so back outside with no rain, power probe hooked up (backwards) and here is what I get as far as voltage at the rear lights. No lights at all Driver side Wire 1 6.2v Wire 2 6.2v Passenger side Wire 1 6.2v Wire 2 6.2v Brake lights only driver side Wire 1 6.2v Wire 2 1.0v Passenger side Wire 1 6.2v Wire 2 0.4v Parking lamps only Driver side Wire 1 0.5v Wire 2 3.5v Passenger side Wire 1 0.5v Wire 2 2.8v Brake lights and parking lights on Driver side Wire 1 0.5v Wire 2 1.0v Passenger side Wire 1 1.4v Wire 2 0.3v With the parking lights on I can use my power probe to apply full battery voltage to wire number 2 (passenger side) and it lights up brighter but still not as bright as drivers side. With both brake and parking lamps on the drivers side illuminates both filaments. On the passenger side Neither filament light up... These tests were all done key off engine off.
  19. So today my goal was to do a walk around of the car and make sure all of the lights work. When I first started I had no turn signals front or rear, no license plate lights, driver side brake light worked, and headlamps work. I yanked a few bulbs and headed to Napa where I got two new 1154 for the front, two 1158 for the rear (these are what I took out so these are what I bought) and two new 63s for the license plate lights. Get home and get them all installed and now I have brake lights, turn signals, one license plate light, and parking lights. The inop license plate light is due to a broken ground that I found, so that is an easy fix. The drivers side parking light is very bright while the passenger side is very very dim...almost non existant. I swapped bulbs side to side, same result. Indexed the bulb both ways time and again same result, removed the socket from the housing and cleaned the mating surface, same result. I unplugged the butt connectors in the wiring in the trunk and cleaned them and put them back together, same result. I even took one of the new 1154 bulbs from the front and put it back there and it's still super dim. I did the old "mechanics wiggle" on the wiring while watching the bulb and still no change. I noticed the passenger front turn signal was not as bright as the drivers side also. I was about to break out my power probe and start applying power to the wires but it started to rain so I had to pack it up and come inside before my beer got rain in it. Why would the lights be dim on one side only? The sockets all have the original cloth covered wiring so I know they haven't been changed at any point. It is only the parking light that seems to be dim, the brake lights are bright, the turn signals are bright. There are only two wires going to this thing and I know power is getting there because the brake/turn signal works. I chased the wires along the inside of the trunk inspecting for rub-through and did not find any. I really hate wiring problems, even as a professional mechanic I still don't like doing it. As a side question...have any of you ever used a Power Probe with a 6v pos ground system?
  20. On my 63 dodge polara I was having problems with gas boiling in the carb on a hot day after shutting her down. I couldn't install a big spacer under the carb as the high rise single plane intake already had the carb mighty close to the hood. So I took a piece of 1/4" aluminum plate and cut it into a rectangle that was basically the same dimensions as the entire carb, drilled some holes and trimmed it to fit around the linkages and stuck it between the carb and the intake. It worked perfectly to absorb heat and dissipate it before transferring it to the carb, thus eliminating the problem of fuel boiling away after a hot shutoff. I got fancy and polished it so it looked shiny and less homemade.
  21. Beans beans the magical fruit the more you eat the more you can....insulate fuel pumps with the left over cans? That is a terrible song...
  22. Excellent advice! I will definitely do that, plus it will be a sort of litmus test for fluid leaks...jam a broom handle in there and if it's on the floor after leaving it all night I have a leak and can probably find it. I always leave the battery disconnected...just a habit I reckon.
  23. My driveway is not level, it tilts slightly nose-down and left, and the driver front tire was flat all winter long which caused the angle to be exacerbated greatly. I think this coupled with the low fluid level was the root of the problem, because once I got the vehicle level and full of fluid the pedal came right back, for now. When weather permits I am going to go over the entire brake system to check for leaks. As it is right now I can press and hold the brake pedal for a long time and it does not leak down or fade, so if it does have a leak it is very very small.
  24. The last time I checked the fluid level was last fall before I parked it for winter hibernation. It wasn't exactly full back then, but it was also sitting on 4 inflated tires. I think sitting at such a wonky level allowed it to suck air, hence why after adding fluid the pedal came right back. I went outside with the intention of pulling the front drums, but my pregnant fiance asked me to check the brakes on her car....sooooo I got to do rear brakes on her car (in the rain) rather than fiddle with the old chrysler. Her safety and that of our baby is paramount to anything else. There is always tomorrow
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