soth122003

My 12v jump pack had the on/off switch. I would connect red cable to a pos ground and the black to the starter,. turn the key on and hit the switch. When the engine started, turn the switch off, disconnect the cables. I never had any ill effects on the VR or other electrical components. Connecting it that way usually sent the 12v only to the starter. IMHO. Joe Lee

I think some have modified their original oil breathers by completely gutting it and using a paper filter inside so it can be mounted to the carb. It looks like the original on the outside but inside is different. Others have switched the carb horn out to a later type without the ring ridge clamp so they can use a newer type air filter. Considering how much you will drive the car, just a couple thousand miles per year, the old oil bath filter works just fine. If you don't have the old oil bath filter you might pick up one on ebay at a decent price. Just checked and they range from $60-$120. I'm sure others will chime in on how to or what to use to make yours work. Joe Lee

I don't think the 20 mile trip will ruin the engine, but with that #2 pulling the lower compression, it may be a little carboned up. Your next step would be to pull the head and check the valves and seats, and check the pistons while your in there. You might try a little seafoam in the engine oil and gas tank (directions on the bottle). Drive conservatively (about 40 to 50 miles over a few days) and listen and see if the tick gets better. If it gets better it might have been some carbon build up that got loose. My guess is the valves, since you said the vacuum gage reacted to ticks. Either way, with what you have done so far, I'd say to pull the head next. Joe Lee

Congrats brother! Nice to see our old girls out and about, getting some recognition. You do have a sweet looking car. Makes me a little jealous. Joe Lee

If you are positive that it is a fuel starvation issue, I would look at the fuel pump. lines and the in tank fuel filter. If the fuel pump is good, blow air into the line from the pump input line back to the tank. Look for pinhole leaks while doing this. Should be evident by a spot of fuel at or near the leak if a hole is present. If there are no leaks present this will also blow any crud that may have clogged up the tank filter. If you pull the sending unit you may see cloudy gas after blowing air into the tank that may indicate the filter was part of the problem. I also would advise using a low pressure about 15-20 psi so as not to damage anything in the fuel system. Pay special attention to the rubber line from the steel line to the fuel pump. It can look great on the outside, but the inside could be toast. The most common failure symptom of that line is it idles great but at speed the engine stalls. If you run ethanol gas in your car, check the carb for a greenish powdery residue in the float bowl. If present, clean the carb. The residue is a result of the ethanol gas evaporating away, leaving this corn residue that can clog up small ports in the carb. These are about the only problems I can think of that would cause a fuel starvation issue in these cars. I hope this helps in you trouble shooting endeavors. Joe Lee

I bought this one in 2018 for the Plymouth as a primer/backup pump. It has been working great and the mechanical fuel pump has no problem drawing through it. It puts out approx 6 psi and I use a spring loaded off switch to activate it. I haven't had to use it for a primary to get me home, so I can't verify its worthiness on that aspect of it, but as a primer it's been great. https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Electric-Installation-Inline-Carbureted/dp/B07DNJWHCC/ref=sr_1_8?sr=8-8 Joe Lee

Since I'm in Florida and it doesn't really freeze here I use straight distilled water. When the low temps approach I'll add about a gallon of straight anti-freeze. This also helps to keep the rust down in the block. It's cheaper than the 50/50 mix as you have to buy 3 to fill the system. Also why pay that much for premix and water when it's about a $1.00 a gallon for distilled at the store. Joe Lee

There should be a little oil port wick on the top of the speedometer. A lite 10w weight oil should do the trick. Here are some pics of what it might look like. They are also a bite in the a** to see and lube with out making a small mess. A mirror and a small applicator bottle will help a lot. Also note that the port is on the top as to let the oil gradually drip in the pinion workings of the speedometer. Joe Lee

While most folks put the sealant on the bolts to make sure they don't leak, it can also be used as an anti corrosion measure so the bolts don't corrode to the block. This will make for easier removal of the head later in life. Joe Lee

I use the Mk 1 eyeball as well. Most times on still or objects that aren't moving fast, it works well enough. The lifters at 500-600 rpm move pretty quick. The Mk 1 eyeball also has a drift factor that looks at other moving objects, because it just can't help itself and can cause a little confusion. When you rolled the engine by hand and slowed everything down, it was easier to focus on the suspected fault and compare it to the others. I'm glad it worked out for you and you were able to verify the condition of the engine. The best method of working on these old cars is the K.I.S.S approach. Keep it Simple Stup**. In other words Start with the easy stuff first. Next time I'll use the Grinch approach. "Yep sonny boy it's the cam for sure. Why back in my day these cams just wore out on one lobe after 30K." LOL Joe Lee

If I had to guess (and I do that a lot, with mixed results) I would say it was not to stop leaks, but to stop corrosion from the mated surfaces. The slot on the bottom of the gasket is for the guessed purpose of letting oil drain out to keep it from building up and getting onto or into the clutch area. The rest of the gasket IMHO is to keep moisture out of the area that if it got in there could cause rust that would stick the parts together or corrode the mating surfaces. Think about how the rear axles look when you pull the drums off. There is always rusty areas that have to be cleaned up. Joe Lee

I just finished a quick read on the valve adjustment and checks of the 35-53 Plym's in the Motors Manual. Here's another thought for you The valve spring is weak and compressed and as such the tappet adjustment will be higher to make up the difference of a short spring. With out the engine running, rotate the engine to TDC on each cylinder and look at the spring lengths. Compare the other cylinders intake springs with the #5. Does #5 look shorter than the others? Or it might be the valve itself being worn down. Thinking about it, these might not be your problems, but jumping straight to the cam or tappet is a bit like jumping the gun. It might be the tappet or cam, but to pull that whole thing apart when you don't need to can be frustrating and leaving you feeling a little foolish for a simple fix. I'm just listing the easy things before pulling the front engine components to pull the cam to check it. Basically rule out the easy stuff before jumping to the hard or maintenance intensive stuff. On the old Plm's and Dodges the tappets rarely wear out, the cams even less so. Since the Springs, valves and guides are list in a maintenance manual to check during routine maintenance and the tappets and cams aren't, check those first. Might just be a weak/broke spring or a valve. Joe Lee

Pull the head and check the valve travel. It might be stuck partway up and not seating all the way down. If true, you're not using all the cylinders and the loss of power in one, will run ok, but not a full power at higher speed. So about 60-62k total miles. 2 summers worth of driving should not cause that much wear or even the 58K before then unless no one changed the oil or ran it low all the time. Sludge build up is highly probable. Maybe the sludge is causing a sticky situation. As Los said it is not something we really hear about on the flatheads. I would look for a stuck tappet, gummed up spring or valve. That IMO is the more likely factor. You might try an engine oil flush for about 50 miles and look at what comes out of the pan. Joe Lee

Something else to consider about the grabbing brake. It was likely that the shoe had brake fluid on it and the leaky cylinder was fixed or replaced, but the shoe was just leaned off. If so, the shoe has absorbed the fluid and while it may look good, it will always be a problem. The seeped in fluid will rise to the top and create a grabby brake. If the leak went un-noticed for any amount of time, couple of days to a couple of months, no amount of cleaning the shoe will restore it to optimum condition. IMHO. Best bet if this is the case, replace the shoes. They're fairly cheap and they come as a set so you'll have new shoes on both sides no worries about uneven wear. Joe Lee

Something else you can try with the puller is a constant pressure approach. If you keep cranking on the puller until the drum pops, this puts a lot of stain on the lugs threads. If instead you tighten the puller to about 30-40 ft lbs and wait about 10-15 minutes and tighten again, you'll find that the torque loosens as the drum starts to pull away from the axle. A couple of taps with a hammer will send vibrations thru the mating surfaces to help loosen the bond. You might also use a heat gun on the drum when the torque is tight to help it loosen as well. I did this on my car and the passenger drum came off after about 30 minutes, but the drivers side took about 4 hours and it let go with a loud bang that scared the begesus out of me and I was 30 feet away when it let go. Also to note make sure the castle nut is still on while doing this, otherwise the drum can fly with out wings and hurt someone. Once the drums are off and fixed, prior to reinstalling them, clean the mating surfaces with a scotch brite pad to remove the surface crud and then coat the mated surfaces with grease and then wipe off with a rag. This will fill the micro pores with grease and keep corrosion to a minimum and make removal next time an easier process. (hopefully) As far as the grease goes, some will claim that the drum and axle are mated surfaces and not to apply grease. They are right, but after 70-80 years the surfaces no longer mate true IMHO, hence why I use a grease to keep corrosion down. Joe Lee

Sorry GT, from your other post I made an assumption. You posted the following: "Starter quit working today, the carshows are everywhere but the ole Gal will not work anymore ... It's a 6V pos. ground Car, 6V works fine but the starter. Everything worked perfectly until yesterday." From that I assumed you had been driving or starting the car on a regular basis. That's what threw me. Something just does not stop working due to a wrong part or "starter" in this case, after working for a good while. The other thing that was throwing me off was the comment of a starter for a D-19 with a P-18 engine. The P-18 doesn't use a foot starter. Then I had to remember that the starter doesn't bolt to the engine it bolts to the bell housing. My brain misfires like that from time to time, so that's on me. LoL. Now back to your problem. The D-19 (forget about the P-18 unless it is engine related) has 2 starters listed for it. The starter models are MZ-4089 and the MZ-4089A.(From the 1935-1953 Motors Manual). What the difference is I don't know, Some one with a parts manual may be able to say. If you heard a clunk and the starter stopped engaging, then I would guess that either something broke in the pinion, or a couple of teeth may have broken on the ring. (Had that happen to me before on a 69 Tornado, I had to roll the engine by the crankshaft nut to get it engage on good teeth.) You might want to give the ring gear a good look see to make sure all the teeth are good. You said you heard a clunk and that might have been a tooth or a couple of teeth breaking off. If your starter looks good and no visiable signs of damage I would check the ring gear. Joe Lee

Doubtful. You stated in different post the starter worked fine and then quit working. Inside the drive housing (pinion housing) you should have an over running clutch assy. This consists of yoke clevis attachment part, a spring, a bearing and the gear. If the spring is broken or missing it will limit the travel of the assy. The only other thing I can think of is the switch assy. If the contact button is adjustable, screw it in a little to let the arm engage it later adding more travel to the over running clutch assy. By the way, you don't have to start a new thread for the same problem. It makes it harder for people reading to have a clear idea of what's going on by have to switch back and forth between threads. Joe Lee

Newer model cars. The 49 has tapered rear axles and a key to keep the drum from spinning on the axle. In other words the drum and axle are like a mated fit. You'll need the proper drum puller to remove the rear drums. The fronts have bearings that the drum rides on and come off easy. Joe Lee

Easy to do since the spark plug hole is right above the valves. Just look and make sure both valve are closed when you get a puff of air on #1. Joe Lee

Glad to hear it. As far as the oil pump goes it can be a 2 man job, but only to make it easy. One man has to go back and forth to each side of the engine, but only a few times. (I can see why you don't want to do it. It runs fine now an if it ain't broke don't mess with it LOL). As far as the wheel bearings go, I would order them by the old wheel bearing part numbers and not the car they are attached to. Ask me how I know. Lol Joe Lee

I am not a foot starter expert, but looking at the pics in the Motors Manual and reading your problem, it sounds mechanical. If the yoke became disconnected from the starter then it (according to the pics) will engage the starter but not engage the drive to the ring gear. Same if the spring on the shaft broke. You'll have to pull the starter and see. until then everything we say is just a guess. Joe Lee

Sounds like the PO tried to get it running by memory and offset the timing. Try what Keithb said and static time it. It should start/run with little to no adjustment on the dizzy. Yes and no. If the pulley has a harmonic balancer on it, it is possible for it to have slipped and moved, meaning the timing marks are no longer aligned. If there isn't one the normally yes the timing marks can be trusted. The little plug above the number 6 cylinder is a pipe plug with tapered pipe threads and can be removed with some penetrating oil and a pipe wrench. Just take it slow and steady and maybe some heat and it should come out fairly easy. Joe Lee

Best guess from the pics posted is a rubber mallet to the ring gear. Light to moderate thumps while rotating the drive and using a wooden 2x2 to apply light pressure other side of the drive. If no else post something to help. You might try an air hammer to the flange in light trigger taps as you rotate the drive. This vibration through the metal from the hammer might help loosen the bond. Needless to say this is probably a last resort thing. Joe Lee

You're also right Doug, the Stromberg was also used on Dodge, 35-52 used the BVX-3 and the BVXD-3. I guess the D was for dashpot. I don't know if the Carter BB had a dashpot model or not though. The Stromberg listing was about 35 pages past the Carter listings in the Motors Manual (and I forgot about them to tell the truth). Joe Lee

Cooper check out this vid from Keithb7. You can probably rent a load leveler from an auto parts store for free. Most auto parts stores have a loan a tool program, they charge the tool cost to rent and then when you bring the tool back they refund your money. Or just buy one. https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-capacity-load-leveler-60659.html?_br_psugg_q=load+leveler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy3RFIwMomo Joe Lee