dlrides

I'd take that heap !

Hard to cut the elbow off when it doesn't exist. 49-52 should be straight. EDIT: Plymouth that is, I have no idea about Dodge !

???? I don't know why one would have to. I drilled two 1/4" holes and trimmed the top hose, that's all.

Stock wheels painted Rio Maroon, Coker 3 1/4" whites, Hollywood Flipper covers.

Those wheels look really great !

This thread was very informative ! My radiator core needed replacing which was double the cost of an aluminum one. No Champion radiators were available, and every vendor I checked, stated they were on backorder un late September. I found another brand that fit perfect, American Eagle AE52PLY. I had to drill two holes for the lower mounts and trim the top radiator hose. The top mount holes are placed correctly, but the lower holes were 2" lower than my '49. The inlet (top) was centered on the tank, the OEM was offset 4" to driver's side. Trimmed the bend from the top hose............... fit perfectly !

I have looked at this car in person, and in great detail. It is an amazing customization, on the wrong platform. 80k probably spent on the car, worth 20k. I told the sales rep that if they done a nice top chop, they might get 25k. He laughed, but it's still sitting there !

Robert's Motor Parts have them, I just bought a set. If you are rubbing heavy on one side, and light on the other, after changing the shackle bushings it will rub more evenly. Change tire size or use some .25" spacers on the rear wheels.

The service manual has a fairly simple test process for the generator and regulator. Once their operation have been checked, start looking for a short to ground. The ammeter bouncing around seems to indicate regulator. I recently had the exact issue, and it was a grounding problem. Check all your grounding cables/wires.

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Since the only condition you changed was the distributor, all related items with such is the first place to look. Don't create multiple conditions to analyze.

You should sign off the computer now, your mom has Hot Pockets and Kool-Aid ready.

Clean, paint, install, etc. .........................................

I've been wanting to take off the oil bath type breather, and replace it with a modern type filter, but more unique than the cheesy aftermarket pieces. This is easy to do in your garage with a few hand tools and some old parts. Find the bottom section of an oil bath breather and a dog dish type hubcap of choice .................. that's it ! Cut the old breather housing about .75" to 1.00" above base. The design may vary, but leave nothing but the bottom plate with the clamp and velocity tube. Pry apart. There are a few tack welds that can be tricky ! Smooth your cut. Now you must get a filter for your housing, so you can measure for the center bracket. I used a 8.5" x 2.5". Place you hubcap on the filter and measure for your center bracket. I used .125" x .750" cold rolled, because that's what I had in the garage. Bend your bracket in the vise with a little heat and a hammer to get nice bends. Allow approx. .250" from top of bracket to hubcap. Remember to NOT make bracket top too wide, because the hubcap is curved ! Attach bracket, with center stud for hubcap. I bolted mine for now, in case I want to change something. I'll weld it later. Center drill your hubcap and test mount. You might have to adjust the center bracket, pending accuracy of your measurements.

A friend of mine recently bought a '51 Plymouth, and the engine was rebuilt approximately 5k ago. The car runs perfect ! The problem is when you drive it for an extended time in hot weather is starts to lose more oil pressure than it should. At max RPM when hot, 20 PSI is all the pressure there is, and at 2k RPM barely 10 PSI. Installed a new oil pump, exact same results. I recently drove it on a hot day, and I noticed when I barely loaded the engine, like up a hill, I heard a faint knocking in the bottom. He couldn't hear it, but I could, so it is faint, and disappears when the engine RPM's increase. 70 PSI oil pressure when cold. Compression is excellent 103-105 all cylinders. Pulled a valve cover, all looks perfect. Pulled the pan, to check rod bearings, problem found. Two rod bearings have .0031, and .0032, should be .0015 max. VERY slight grooves on these two rod journals. Mains seem perfect. Looks as if when the engine was rebuilt they skipped having the crank turned, and just replaced the bearings. Questions : ) Is it feasible to pull crank, have rod journals turned, polish only mains. Install proper sized rod bearings, and install new mains the same as they are now ? ) Can the crank be pulled without pulling engine ? The engine seems too perfect to go through the expense of a total rebuild. Any other options/opinions greatly appreciated. Thanks, Don C

Bernbaum has the complete assembly for a reasonable price.

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Be aware of the set screw on the back of the speedometer ! it tightens against the flats of the cable, and I found out about it the hard way. Springs are easy to remove. Jack up the front, place two jack stands under the frame on the flat part behind firewall, lower onto jack stands. Remove the sway bar brackets on lower control arm, and pull out the ends. Place floor jack under lower control arm near the spindle side, and lift enough to relieve spring pressure. Remove lower pin, which is threaded with a nut. Lower jack, and remove spring. 1.5 to 2 hour job tops. I recently changed springs and used Ford Aerostar springs, after reading several members' success with them. I too highly recommend them ! Informative thread here: http://p15-d24.com/topic/36360-aerostar-springs-my-review/

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Cloudy, no light reflection. Shows the actual maroon color better, instead of looking red.

Steel wheels painted red with flipper hubcaps.

Change wheels and tired first ! 15" wheels with a 28" diameter tire should be close to the result you want.

What a Difference ! Changed the springs yesterday evening, but couldn't finish it until today. One side didn't have any spring insulators, and the other side were so brittle they fell apart. Sifted through some at the parts store, pair of uppers from 80 something Ford, lowers from I don't know what, but the diameters were right. Moog CC850 like Conroe suggested, cut 1 round, dropped 2". About a 2 hour job if you have everything ready, probably 1 1/2 next time. Impact, air ratchet, 2 sockets, 1 wrench, 2 jack stands, floor jack, small pry bar,.....................easy. Went for a ride this evening, and it transformed the car ! No wallowing, semi-firm but great ride, flat around curves (in comparison to before), no bottoming. I would highly recommend this mod !!! Very informative thread, many thanks ! Before: After: Before After

Nice build ! I've had knuckles before, and the UL is way more dependable and have the same HP as a 61in knuckle.

Making some signs that say "STUPID KIDS STAY OFF MY LAWN" seems to cure most vintage auto issues.