Redmond49

I installed a rebuilt card from a shop this evening, and got the car running. The shop says they set the idle on a test motor at the shop, but on my engine the engine is revving full blast. I started to turn the idle screw but it was having no impact so I just shut it off because it's running really hard. I then checked that the throttle linkage is in the right position, and the choke and throttle don't appear to be hung up. They seem to be in the same positions as on my other P-15. The vacuum tube to the distributor seems tight. Then I tried tightening the idle screw all the way in and it started fine, and ran at a bit lower RPM, but still way too fast for idle. Recommendations?

If I'd looked a bit deeper into the carb before I posted, I would certainly have answered my own question. That's some fine eastern Washington dust in there, probably mixed with some gas tank rust.

@thebeebe5 - That's a very beautiful engine compartment sir.

Great info, thanks.

Do people generally have a fuel filter added inline somewhere, or is the tank filtering and fuel pump sufficient? I have a replacement tank that doesn't have the original's brass filter on it.

I took the carburetor off. There was a quarter inch deep puddle of gasoline sitting in the bottom of the intake manifold (solid bottom, apparently not the original manifold).

@Plymouthy Adams Coker or Diamondback probably have radial tires that look like bias-ply tires in the sizes you are looking for. The Diamondback tire line is called "Auburn". Coker has their own Coker brand and another called American Classic.

I've been looking at tires a lot lately as I've been thinking about replacing the modern radials I put on my '49 P-15 before I knew the nuances of this stuff. If you are running 6.00x16 bias ply tires right now, they are probably 28-28.5 inches tall and they are meant for a 5-6 inch wide rim. The tread is probably 4-4.5 inches wide. Looking at the Coker tire site, there are wider bias ply tires for 16-inch wheels - this one is over 8 inches wide and fits on a 5-6 inch wide rim. The problem is that it's over 32 inches tall. That means your car would be perched higher in the air, your speedo will read slow by a significant amount, and I think it would effectively make your gearing taller. Not to mention possible rubbing in the tops of the fenders. If you want wider, you would probably be best served to put a pair of modern radials on the car. But then finding the tire with the right height becomes a bit of a challenge, and the tires might easily get too fat for the fender wells. I currently have 215/70R15 tires on the '49 P15 and they are an inch too short, causing the engine to turn over higher at speed and making the speedo read way higher than the actual speed. But the width is good for not rubbing, and they handle nicely. In the end, the 6.00x16 tire size might be the best choice for your car, especially if you want to stick with bias ply tires. Coker has multiple bias ply offerings for this size, and they have radials in this size that look like bias-ply tires. Diamondback Tires (dbtires.com) also has a very nice radial with a bias ply look - I have them on my '46:

Thanks for the pointers!

My 46 sat for about a year and when I went to restart it, it started right up with just a bit of starter fluid. Then it sat a few weeks and when I came back to start it, it would not start and no amount of cranking or starter fluid would work. I replaced the fuel pump, but that didn't help. Then I somehow decided to open the carb, where I noted the float bowl was dry. So I filled it up and the car started right up and I ran it for 15 minutes with no problem. That was about a month ago; last night I got the car all back together (new brakes) and the car would not start with starter fluid, so I again popped the top on the carb, filled the bowl with gas, and started her up and went for a short test drive on my new brakes. Today, I went to start it expecting it to start easily but it did not. The carb bowl was dry, and filling it did not help. The gasket between the top and bottom of the carb is thin brittle paper, I'm wondering if the opening and closing has disturbed it enough to cause this problem. Any thoughts?

I did some checking on the Coker site tonight - their modern sized radials for this car are all around 27 inches tall, but their classic bias-ply tires and classic-look radials are all 28 or even 28.5 inches tall, so I think a switch to the classic style 670-15s will work just fine and probably produce the result I'm looking for.

I had the Firestone 215/70R15 tires and the Auburn Deluxe radials side by side and the 6.00-16s are definitely taller tires, by more than an inch.

I've been running what I believe are the recommended tires for my First Series '49 P-15 --- according to the tech reference, 6.70-15 is the correct size. I'm currently running 215/70R15 tires. According to this tire size conversion chart, the 215/70R15 tires are the right size: http://www.vintagecarconnection.com/vintage_tire_size_conversion_chart.htm. However, my speedometer reads way optimistic, and at an indicated 50 or 60 mph, the engine is turning over pretty loudly. I have 16 inch wheels on my '46 P-15, and they have 6.00-16 Auburn Deluxe radials from Diamondback on them. I put these on the '49 just for fun a few weeks back and the speedometer read true, the engine was more relaxed at speed, and it seemed to accelerate better. I talked with Diamondback today about this, and their rep said the later P-15s did indeed come with smaller tires. Did the switch to different tires for the later cars also involve changing rear end or transmission gearing? Or is my speedo just out of adjustment?

We ask for a free will donation at our annual club show, but most shows charge $25 US in the Seattle area and are meant to raise money for charity. I was at the Edmonds, WA show last weekend and was happy to pay - it's true that without the cars there is no show, but without the planning and venue, there is no show either. They actually mailed the window cards and info to you after online registration, it was well run. They had the entire downtown cordoned off, speakers on roofs and on lifts throughout the show area, vendors, judging and awards. It seemed like a fair fee for a great day spent with other car nuts.

He makes it look so easy with all those beautifully finished clean parts!

@Andydodge - I was amazed at the water tube, the forward end looks brand new. @55 Fargo Spitfire - This is a Deluxe model, it came from the factory with the stubby water outlet elbow instead of the larger elbow that connected to the water pump, which came standard on the Special Deluxe model. I have the external pump removed right now, but a new one will go back on in it's place. They had it connected to a Ford heater, but I am going to cap the heater outlet and remove the heater as it looks like it has leaked a lot in the past, and I'll never drive this in very cold weather. @dpollo - I like this car because it is all there - all the little (and in some cases big) pieces that were missing from my other P-15 are present and accounted for on this car. The original owner drove it for 20 years and seems to have maintained it regularly judging from all the doorjamb service stickers, then parked it in a barn where it stayed until ~2005. The second owners just kept it as is, down to the pre-1964 tires.

@Old Doll - Joe, please check your private messages for info about the club meeting this Tuesday!

I'm cleaning up in the engine compartment of my newer project ('46 P15 2-door sedan) while I have the radiator and water pump out. There is a LOT of caked oil and dirt on the front of the timing chain cover. Is this an indication that the front oil seal is leaking and throwing oil around? The original oil pump had a lot of grease around it, and the top of the front engine support was also deep with caked oil and dirt, in the pic that has already been cleaned up. I haven't driven it much, so I don't know how much it leaks after use, there are a few drops of oil from just sitting.

Actually, I did win the special award for P-15s.

The Chrysler was a very pretty car at the LeMay Family Collection.

Here's some pics of the meet.

Thanks for the ideas and discussion! I'll post a link to some pictures of the meet in the thread about it.

I was at the WPC Club national meet this week. Next year's event is in Chattanooga, TN, which is all the way across the country. Someone made a bold proposal that some of us should caravan from the Pacific NW to Tennesee. What sort of spares would you bring with you? In a club coupe, the trunk can get full pretty quickly!

No longer a zero-emission vehicle!