hendo0601

So today while replacing the exhaust pipe gasket I dropped a wrench, and when I looked under the car I noticed a steady drip. Out came the handy Snap On cooling system pressure tester and lo and behold the water pump is leaking. My question is, is there any kind of an upgraded design water pump, or is the factory replacement part are there is? It's a 1950 Chrysler with the 251. While I am at it I may as well replace the upper and lower hoses, thermostat, bypass hose and gasket. Any recommendations on where I can get all of this stuff in one location? Napa seems like a good bet, but the guys who work at the one in town are not exactly bright. Thanks in advance!

Anyone?

So the weather here is finally nice enough to get outside and work on the Chrysler. I went to go take the carb off because it needs a rebuild, and I noticed that the wire going from the dashpot on top of the bowl simply goes down to the side of the carb, and then nowhere. Upon inspecting the wiring coming off of the coil bracket/air cleaner support I found a wire that comes from the top (I can't see where exactly it goes) of the transmission around the oil filter, distributor, up this bracket then nowhere. It is perfectly long enough to reach the connector on the side of the carb. I looked at a bunch of pictures online but couldn't come up with a definite answer...and it makes things harder because at some point in time someone replaced all of the wiring on that bracket with all red wires. Last summer when I got the car it ran and drove just fine without this wire hooked up, didn't stall when releasing the gas pedal or anything, but if it was there from the factory it was there for a reason. I just don't want to hook anything up to the wrong place. I would attach pictures I have taken but I am on my phone and there is no way to upload via mobile. Any help or pictures or even wiring diagrams would be a massive help!

Deathbound, Did you end up adding more lowering blocks to the back of your car? I am curious because it has been a few months now since you installed the springs and they should have had time to "settle" a little bit now. I too am looking to replace the sagging/worn out rear springs on my Chrysler and I am wondering if I should just order the springs and some lowering blocks at the same time and install it all at once, or install the springs and wait for them to settle down. I know here at work when we lower vehicles with new springs I have to explain to customers it may not look as low as they thought right now, but give it a few weeks and some driving and the new parts will settle down. I lowered a Yukon with a bolt-in 4" lowering kit two weeks ago...it looked like it was at the factory ride height when we got done...he came back this past saturday and it sure did settle down and it looked great!

Perhaps I am wrong but last I knew there was a big fire at ChryCo many years aho that destroyed decades worth of information. From what I understand you can still obtain a build sheet for your vehicle, but as far as previous owners etc you will have to go through the state(s) in which the vehicle was registered/titled...but good luck getting them to release such info

Failed attempt at a gun sight....lol

I do believe it is a double post...LOL

Depending on what your intentions with this particular vehicle are, and depending on the service history of the vehicle...first and foremost you gotta fix the trans fluid leak, or rear main seal leak as mentioned above. Reliable running means you need to have a firsthand knowledge of the components needed for the engine to run. Are the spark plugs good? Wires? Distributor cap? Rotor? Condensor? Points? These are simple things to inspect and change out, or you could end up on the side of the road because you trusted the previous owner. I would carefully check all of these things and if they look old, worn, or suspect I would replace them. What about fluids? Is the radiator full of rusty crappy water or does it have actual coolant in it? Might as well swap out the thermostat just for insurance against overheating. How is the brake fluid? Most likely it has been in there for a long time and has absorbed tons of water which has played hell with the internals of your braking components. Speaking of brakes, might as well yank the wheels and inspect the brake linings, wheel cylinders, hardware, and also give the front steering and suspension a good shakedown. How are the tires? Radial? Bias Ply? How old are they? Lots of dry rot in the sidewalls? Nothing worse than ending up in a ditch (or worse) because of a blowout. Do all of the lights work? Better to spend a few bucks on replacement light bulbs than a hundred or so bucks on a ticket from Johnny Law. How is the exhaust system? Is it intact or does the pipe look like rusty lace? Carbon Monoxide is a colorless odorless gas and will make its way into the cabin of your vehicle...then you start getting sleepy but in reality you are getting dead. If it were my car I would put my hands and eyeballs on all of these systems/components and make sure they are in tip-top shape before I deemed it "reliable." Just my .02 By the way, WELCOME!!!!!

I think we have a winner...the rear bumper, trunk release handle, and tail lights are all a perfect match for a 46 Lincoln. I like Bob's Lancer better than that Lincoln tho...

I would imagine they are made from copper as it is soft and conforms to irregular surfaces to allow better sealing. I would think that over time the fiber or cork gasket material would absorb liquid and cause the gasket material to deteriorate thus causing leaking. I would try to replace it with rubber if possible and maybe some thread sealer on the screws for added insurance.

Your photo files are probably too big. Try resizing the images (I use Paint to resize images) or upload them to photobucket or another picture hosting site.

The Tucker was rear engined so there is a large chrome "grill" going across the tail panel to allow hot air to escape, and also had 3 exhaust tips on each side sticking out from under the bumper.

Not to be the broken record....PICTURES!!! I can't get enough car porn!!! Sounds like you got a solid plan for this ride, good luck and welcome from another (relative) newbie!

A Tucker? I see no Tucker in any of these pictures. I would be very very very afraid of what would happen to a real Tucker in the hands of these guys. Ever seen a Tucker doing a burnout? Me neither and I kinda want to keep it that way LOL

I suppose it all depends on if they have been sitting out in the open with no hood/intake/carb/air cleaner etc. No hood or carb or air cleaner you will probably have a TON of rust and/or pitting in the cylinder walls, combustion chambers, et al. If the hood has been shut and the air cleaner still on it you have a chance of saving one with little headache. The good thing about these poly engines is the cylinder wall thickness is MASSIVE and you can overbore them like crazy. I know the Poly 318 can be safely bored .090 or more without destroying the integrity of the casting. If you REALLLLLLLLYYYYY want an old poly engine I would go through and find the one that looks the best as it sits. Maybe ask them if you can pull the intake manifold off of it so you can see what you are up against down in the combustion chambers. I hate to say it isnt worth it, but you could probably do some hunting and find a good running early poly that a hot rodder yanked out in favor of something with a little more grunt. I am sure that with some super in-depth research and digging through countless catalogues you can find internal parts that will interchange and work inside of whichever engine you choose. Or you could just snag one of them, yank the cylinder heads and have a pretty cool 8-flower planter for the yard...LOL

reading this is almost like being in the Army...acronyms for EVERYTHING...

What size polys are these? I know in 1957 Dodge and DeSoto both used a poly version of the 325...parts are pretty hard to come by to say the least. There were several cubic inch polys used throughout the years, all of them are pretty cool if you ask me, but being a former 325 Poly owner I can tell you how ridiculous it is trying to find parts for it.

That was my next guess....LOL

LOL yep...but it is now "Joint Base Lewis McChord" I guess the Air Force decided "If you can't beat em, join em!" Hahaha...just a little jab at you Chair Force fellas...

I just open the pictures in Paint, go to "Image" then to "resize" and I usually take them to 75% length and width and that seems to get them down to an appropriate size.

ASR = Active Stability R? ESP = Electronic Skid/Slip Protection (traction control). The only reason I know what ESP means is because I like watching Top Gear UK lol

Sgt Hendricks, Jonathan P U.S. Army 2006-2010 (active) 2010-present (U.S. Army Reserve) 2nd Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, Infantryman/Grenadier Iraq 2006-2007 Attack Co. 2-1 Infantry 5th Stryker Brigade 2nd Infantry Division, Infantry Fire Team Leader/Long Range Marksman Afghanistan 2009-2010 D Co 3/414 Infantry LDAC. ROTC Instructor

That is a pretty nifty solution to your problem! Kudos to you for being 1)creative and 2) thrifty! I am sure someone somewhere would have charged you an arm and a leg for that...but now you get to brag to your friends and family "see that clock in there? Yeah I did that..."

I watched this episode last night and had no idea that the 50 dodge was going to be a part of it...then when I saw it on the trailer I felt a lump growing in my chest because I know what these guys like to do to cars and it aint pretty. All I could see was ridiculous wheels and a 350 and crappy paint....but when I watched them tinkering with the flatty and get it running and driving again I was happy. I am glad it went to a fellow who knows about these old girls and will fix it up the right way. I thought the price they settled on was fair. I like watching this show purely for entertainment, but shows like this, counting cars, and del ray's garage are realllllly ruining the old car hobby. My .02

I paid 200 for my kit about 5 or 6 months ago. I think they are up to 249 now for the master kit with the short finder. Just the regular power probe 3 is something like 149.