Redmond49

Bob, thanks for the pictures of the NOS style ones. That explains A LOT of the problems I've had with those connections. I think I'll go ahead and pony up for the NOS ones after looking at your pictures instead of settling for the thin ones. And, thank for updating the tech article. It's a very useful article, and adding this should help.

Hi all, Is there a way to update the brake overhaul technical topic (http://p15-d24.com/page/p15d24/tech/brakes.html)? I've been overhauling my brakes, and I had a hard time getting all the fittings to seal up so they don't leak. I think at least one of my problems was failing to use a thin copper washer at the point where the flexible brake hoses screw into the front upper wheel cylinder - both front wheels leaked from there regardless of how much I tightened the hoses. Since I bought new cylinders for the front, I had only disassembled one front upper cylinder and it didn't have the washer. As part of troubleshooting my leaks, I disassembled the other one and found a thin copper washer between the hose and the cylinder. I looked at the parts list and there is an entry: GASKET, Wheel cylinder hose (Copper, 29/64" ID x 13/16" OD, .091 thk)In the tech topic, I'd like to add this to the list of stuff you need to buy and to the instructions for reassembling the parts. Hopefully adding the copper gaskets will stop my last leaky points in the hardware so I can get the bleeding done! T

I bought a little paper air cleaner to go on top of the stock carburetor. The screw for tightening the cleaner seems to be pretty high for the lip of the carburetor, plus it's not air tight. I looked around the parts store for an adapter or something that might work but didn't see anything. Do most people just screw them on and leave it at that or is there another way. And, do I need to make any adjustments to the carb when changing the mechanism?

I did this recently for the first time and I let the puller sit for three days on the first drum, hammering away each night to no avail. The fourth day I had someone else hammer and it came right off. More force required. Once I understood what "hammer harder" really looked like, I got the other drum off in less than a minute. I also put a crowbar through the legs of the puller down to the floor to keep it from spinnining as I hit it.

It sounds like you want parts sourced from the UK, but just in case: Bernbaum's (www.oldmoparts.com) has replacements; I just installed my new ones after I knocked them off their bases doing my brake job. The replacement rubber is an exact match; the base is just a threaded post, though - it does not have the square base. They worked fine.

The dab of welding seems like it makes sense, that would affix the end of the bolt to the cam again. Thanks for the idea!

The minor adjustors on two of my brake backing plates no longer work - somewhere along the way while I was removing the brakes, cleaning the plates, and painting them, the ajustment bolts stopped being able to turn the cams. I used a pair of pliers to ensure the cams are free to rotate, but the bolts on the back of the plates no longer move the cams. Can this be fixed? It sort of looks like that if I drill out the rivets on the brake shoe clips to remove them, there might be an allen wrench socket in the end of the nut holding the cam, but I can't tell for sure.

I appreciate the responses, thanks.

I've successfully gotten the brake assemblies off the front and rear of the car. The thin metal seals (shims?) on the rear passenger side are all rusty and the bearing appears to have no grease on it and even some traces of rust. I think the shims were at one time put back without the outer oil seal. I have never done this before, so I'm looking to see if I am understanding the service manual correctly. To change the bearing, I have to: 1. Get a tool for pulling axles, attach it, and pull the axle out. 2. Once I have the axle pulled, I use another tool for pulling bearings off axles to pull it off. 3. Then I need another tool to press the new bearing onto the axle. 4. Push the axle back in by hand, replace the shims and seals. Do I need to worry about the axle endplay mentioned in the service manual. There seems to be yet another special tool for measuring that. Thanks for any help. Tyson

I put it up with the main jackstands on either side of the doors, and put a pair under the front bumper brackets as back up. She seems pretty stable, I can't get her to wobble at all.

I'm trying to take all the wheels off like in don's pics, but I'm not sure what he's got those from stands connected to underneath. If I put the front jack stands behind the front wheels and the back jack stands in front of the rear wheels, that seems to leave the nose kind of unsupported.

I'm trying to put my car on stands this evening - the jackstands have the half cut out circle shape to them - they fit perfectly against the triangular brackets the come down off the front of the frame - (front swaybar brackets). Then, it looks like the only other place they would fit easily is against the bumper brackets coming off the frame. Are these the spots people normally put the jackstands at, at the front?

I have another question on this...my exhaust manifold has been modified to dual exhaust, so there is an exhaust port brazed on in front of the heat riser valve and then the original exhaust port is behind the heat riser valve. The point of the heat riser is to direct heat up to the carburetor, but the amount of heat going there once I fix the valve will probably be quite a bit less than designed since there is a the second exhaust port in front of the valve. The exhaust output is noticeably uneven, so I'm guessing that the valve is still in there, but I guess I will find out when I pull it apart. The little axle is definitely still there and rattles.

Andy Bernbaum's in Massachusetts seems to have reasonable prices and they usually ship the same day you call them. They have complete master cylinders or rebuild kits: http://www.oldmoparts.com/parts-service-brakes.aspx I've ordered quite a few parts from them. They can be a bit taciturn when you first call, but they seem to warm up a bit once you've started the order.

The plan described at the top of the thread sounds essentially like an informal consolidation of the POC with the WPC club - having DeSoto clubs and Plymouth clubs seems sort of redundant when the vehicles share so much in their construction. I'm not sure if younger generations are "joiners" the way folks of previous generations were. And the internet provides a more informal way of creating a community that flows, rather than a community tied to set meetings on set days in set places. I also wonder if the car hobby hasn't just moved on...nowadays, if you have some money to burn and you want to relive your youth or have that car you wanted as a kid, it's more likely to be an old BMW 3-series or that cool European car you couldn't have as a kid but that you can import now that its more than 25 years old and you can actually afford it. I work at a large company that has it's own car show each fall to raise money for charity, and at this year's car show there were probably 140 cars. One "classic" that was a standout was the early 80's Renault 5 with the V8 in the back seat. There were lots of tricked out modern cars with computer systems in the trunk and lights under the rocker panels. I found a kindred spirit though, at the show - a guy younger than me was there with his fedora and his 41 LaSalle that he had bought from the widow of a car collector who had passed. He told me how he took the car last summer to a car show where the previous owners family was also in attendance, and they practically made him part of the family. He adopted the car and in doing so forged a new connection with the family who had the car before. The guy I bought my car from in October invited me to keep in touch; the car I bought was his dad's and had a lot of sentimental value. It seems like there are a lot of opportunities there to create new connections. That's also why I joined my local Chrysler club. At 43, I'm by far the youngest member. The group is actively seeking out new members by leaving cards on old Mopars and talking to old Mopar drivers they meet at the supermarket or on the state ferries. At my first meeting, an older gentleman told me that if I needed a new block, he'd be happy to give me one from his collection of four. They gave me a free club hat to make me feel welcome. They are a great source of local contacts too - the president owns a body shop, they know the local experts and the good shops, and they have a lifetime of information to share. The local group seems happy to have you, whatever condition your car is in. For me, it's also a good way to get out of the bubble of people I usually interact with, most of whom I know through work and all of them involved in high tech. This forum is great, but it's also fun to have some face to face time with other car folks

This is all very helpful. Shel, thanks for posting the procedures. Which service manual are those instructions from?

I was reading through the tech topics this week and started reading the heat riser article. I didn't recall seeing that particular contraption in my engine compartment, so I went looking and discovered all the bits are simply missing from the manifold- the stop stud is there, and the valve is still inside the manifold rattling about, but the pin is broken off where it exits the manifold and the counterbalance and spring are gone. So I've ordered a heat riser repair kit from Bernbaum's. The instructions in the Resources say the shop manual has procedures for installing/removing the manifold, but I can't find any such procedures in mine (the 46-54 Service Manual). Page 130 and 131 briefly cover the heat riser and manifolds. If there is any additional wisdom to supplement the tech article, please share! I expect I will start pulling things apart at some point this weekend. At the least I'll be soaking nuts and bolts in liquid wrench.

Thanks for the comments, all. I do have the shop manual. I took the car out with my dad today for a listen and although it was knocking slightly when I started it, by the time we came back from our drive, it had stopped knocking completely. We got out out a couple times on the road and the knocking sound seems to be gone. It sounds sort of like a sewing machine now. Perhaps it was a stuck valve that came unstuck?

The gauge work, it seems to hold steady right about 40 on the gauge.

He said it has good oil pressure.

The engine in my '49 plymouth has a knocking sound; I had my rose colored glasses on when I bought it and let the seller convince me it was a valve or lifter. My mechanic rules out the rods, and tells me he thinks the knocking is due to a piston skirt, and that fixing this is going to require pulling the engine and rebuilding it. That would also provide the opportunity to deal with oil leaks and a freeze plug that has a small coolant leak. He told me that if I'd like to enjoy the car a while and save up my pennies, he thinks it would be OK to drive it through the next summer and then tackle the rebuild next winter. I'm wondering if this is "piston slap" and whether you all think with a knock-in-the-block it would be ok to postpone and enjoy.

Thanks for the info, Tom.

I packed the car off to the classic car shop for a few things so it doesn't turn into an immobile project in my garage, so hopefully it will come back with four blinkers that work reliably. But I tried first Thanks, all.

Interesting. There's no insulation between the spring and the horn cup on my car. The spring is directly in contact with both the cup and the contact plate. When you press the horn ring, the spring is pushed away from the contact plate and that seems to be what activates the horn, I think.

The flasher can is relatively new, there was an old one in the glovebox. Between yesterday and when I first posted this question, one of the front parking lamps burned out. The lamps that were in the front were dual-filament 1158s with pins that were at the same place on each side. The parts store didn't have them, so I thought I would give the offset pin ones a try - 1154 - which are the lights in the taillights. At first, one front light was lighting up both filaments at the same time, but I put the correct side up finally and got them to match and run one filament each in the front. So, now, all the parking lights work, but when I use the turn signal, only the FRONT lights blink. Before I changed the front bulbs, only the BACK lights blinked. It sort of seems like the bulb combination is wrong, perhaps, more than anything. I thought I would try two things: Would reverting the front parking lights to single filament bulbs work? Go find or order replacement 1158s. Thoughts?