jeffsunzeri

Actually, the first limousine bodies likely had open driver compartments because of the activity level of the driver. Cars then (1902 - ) had some external levers, and it was not uncommon for the driver to be a bit more active than the passengers thus requiring easier entrance and exit than that afforded the driven folk. The lack of a compartment lid also permitted better line of sight for the driver as well. Technically, the removable cover that this 1937 Imperial had made it a limousine de-ville. Photos in the article showing the car with the roof installed show it to be much more attractive in that form. IMHO, Imperials represent the finest automobile line of American cars, ever.

What are the specs on the wheels and tires on your truck?

I'd rate the windshield replacement about a 4 on the difficulty meter. Take a look at this youtube: although it covers back glass, the windwhield is the same.

The turn signal 'flashes' the brake filament. When the brake is applied, and the flasher is on, the flasher unit actually interrupts power to the appropriate brake filament. That's why the brake power is routed through the flasher unit. If you've got bright brake lights on both sides, but the RR won't flash, there is likely a fault inside the flasher unit itself. This assumes that the unit was installed correctly and was working well up until some recent point in time. All was working well before some event?

Your 6 volt bulbs should not be weak unless you have a problem with your wiring or the age of the bulb itself. Clean your ground connections. You would have to do this anyway if you installed LED lamps. Actually I think your wife would remain intact and the car would be perfectly safe running Halogen headlamps rather than fussing with LED lamps.

Short answer is "no". You could switch the electrical system to 3 volt, or 18 volt, or 32 volt, or 24 volt and it would not make any difference vis-à-vis air conditioning. There are only 2 components on an AC system that require system voltage: the blower motor and optionally the compressor clutch. Blower motors are commonly available in a variety of voltages, so are not an issue. The electric clutch on many AC compressors doesn't really care about voltage and can operate with 6 volts, and the amperage required is small, so a converter works well in this case. Many AC systems don't even need or use an electric compressor clutch, so the whole voltage thing is a non-issue. In as-new condition, the 218 makes about 100 HP. The air conditioning compressor is going to use about 3 HP during normal operation, and up to 7 HP or so when initially kicking in. Additionally, the cooling system on the 218 is not designed to accommodate air conditioning operation and the fitment of the condenser. Now add in the condition of the motor, type of transmission, condition of the cooling system, plumbing requirements and you'll likely agree with the factory that the flathead 6 will not support AC. There is a reason the factory didn't offer AC as an option to the flat-6 powered vehicles, as it was on option on v-8 cars from the early '50s.

A good reason to NOT convert to 12 volts is if the engine is not turning over fast enough on 6 volts. Slow turning is NOT a characteristic of a well maintained 6 volt system. As for air conditioning, you can have that too with a 6 volt system. You would be looking at much more than voltage issues if you wanted AC though.

Don't convert from 6 to 12 volts. In this day of modern, plentiful and effective voltage and polarity converters for any additional components, there is simply no need to molest your vehicle in such a manner. I've added extra circuits for a couple of older vehicles and used a fuse blocks easily available on eBay for very low cost. These use the modern blade fuses, but there are many blocks available which use the glass fuses. I mounted the new block on the interior firewall. I found the block to be easier to access and maintain than inline fuses. The circuits I protected are for the added spotlight, heater blower, turn signals and after-market dash fan. The original wiring scheme protects everything else just fine.

You got yourself in a pickle. PPG DX520/579 is a metal etch, and would go on before POR15. Best thing to do is to get an epoxy primer, compatible with your planned top-coats on as soon as possible. PPG DX520/579 is problematic, especially for the DIY'er. Do not use a metal etch product under epoxy primer.

Don's right, if you get an elevated pedal by pumping, there is air being introduced. Two immediate suspects come to mind: 1. Master cylinder is worn, and should be replaced. 2. On the MoPar double-leading-shoe front brake, the cylinders can harbor a small air bubble due to the position of the wheel cylinder despite repeated bleeding. Two easier things can help remove that last little bubble; pressure bleeding and vacuum bleeding. On my own front brakes I have removed the front cylinders and bench bled them to make sure no bubbles exist, capped them off and re-installed wet to an already bled line. That seems to get rid of 100% of any micro-bubbles hiding out. On your car, I think I'd attack the master cylinder first. In order to bring the pedal up as high as possible, you may be confronted with installing new drums or fitting shoes with extra thickness. Use a good drum caliper to measure your drums against factory specs. I've had to deal with that on several old MoPars. Good spec drums are getting scarce for some vehicles, but some are being reproduced, so you may be in luck. As for the 251, I call it the "long block" flathead six, as opposed to the 202,218,230 "short block". The "long block" is about 25" long while the other is about 23".

There are only 2 instances where non-detergent oils are called for: 1. 2 stroke engines pre-mixing oil with the fuel 2. Newly overhauled engines during a specified break-in period only. In the second instance, there is not 100% agreement that non-detergent 'mineral oil' is required for break-in, but some engine manufacturers still recommend it. In no case is non-detergent oil good for any MoPar engine compared to any oil meeting modern API/SAE detergent-containing specs.

Yes, it's been done to death. But, quite frankly most of the answers given regarding 'what oil to use' are not so good. There are objective facts to be considered, and what the heck does it mean to say 'use what makes you feel good'? Hopefully folks are not drinking the oil or sitting on it to make themselves 'comfortable'. Some objective facts about the oil you use and the MoPar flathead motor: - Modern oils are better in all regards than old specification non-detergent oils. - Viscosity requirements are the same for MoPar flatheads as for all other non-turbo/super charged engines. - There is nothing in the flathead motor construction that requires a special oil or additive. It is a plain bearing engine, just like the millions of non-turbo charged engines in modern cars. - Oil doesn't eat seals. - You must monitor your oil pressure and it must be maintained within factory specs. - You must have a functioning oil pressure gauge. - You must change your oil regularly. In MoPar flathead motors without full-flow filters, 2,000 - 3,000 mile intervals is good. - An oil analysis is an objective way to measure the viscosity breakdown pattern, and overall engine health. It is the best way to determine whether your oil is doing its job and to monitor engine wear. - If you run your engine on an irregular basis, there are some things you should do with regard to oil changes and additives that can be used.

Your 49 4 speed should bolt right up to any later 3-speed bellhousing fitted to the flat 6. As you are discovering, the V-8 trucks have different stuff from the 6 cylinder animals in the C series trucks. If it were me, I'd source a V-8 and later trans for the '57.

You could part it out and make the $600 back if you're just looking for value. With a little work, that would make a great service truck.

I have modified my cowl lights to work as turn signals. As originally fitted, they (left and right lamps) were wired in series and operated at parking lights. I just fitted new pigtails as others have indicated and isolated each lamp to work with the 7-wire turn signal assembly. They work fine. I had fitted an amber bulb at one time, but I've gone back to a white one thinking they are easier for the semi-blind, myopic Nissota operators to see.

Engines make lots of interesting by-products as a result of normal wear. Newly rebuilt engines make more metallic by-products than well bedded in engines. If you have concerns about the contents of the oil, do a series of oil analyses. You can buy kits for around $15 which get sent to a lab for analysis, at most automotive stores or online at Amazon, etc. I suggest the kits that require you to send the sample for analysis, not the DIY product. It's important to NOT just do one analysis, but to do several and establish trends. Change your oil and send a sample for analysis every 500 miles or so. Extend the mileage between analyses as your paranoia recedes.

It was the "Indian Motocycle Company" until bankruptcy in 1953.

I have a 3.23 ring/pinion in my '47. It came from a Plymouth car and I understand all the Plymouth, Dodge and (most) Desoto diffs are the same. I did a search of junkyards and found several in a day of phone calls. Admittedly, this was a few months ago, but they were not hard to find at all. Check your Hollander interchange manual.

Mike at Midwest Military offers a really nice muffler that preserves a great sound for the flathead six.

When I see autos such as this at shows, they get nary a second glance. Ho hum, another "art" project - new running gear, old body. Just go buy a Toyota.

Unless yours is a convertible, the interior would have been cloth, not vinyl or leather. The paint on the Plymouth was not cellulose originally, but enamel, probably supplied by DuPont. Inexpensive re-sprays would have used the lacquer type paints, and show the cracking you describe after a few years. It's always a good idea to remain as close as practical to original with respect to materials on your old car. It is going to outlive you by a wide margin and should remain a messenger of the past.

I did not think it was possible to buy leaded fuel here in the states but it appears it is popular in the racing circles. I don't think anyone outside of the racing circles would have a need for it. You can buy leaded fuel at any airport in the U.S. It is marked "100LL" and the LL stands for Low Lead, but only in comparison to leaded fuels previously available which had much more lead. Most all pilots of piston engine aircraft have a need for leaded fuel, unless their aircraft has a supplemental certificate permitting auto fuel to be used. Generally, the price is about $6/gallon across the U.S.

The many and varied responses to this thread are good indicators of just exactly my point when I recommended not blasting your car. If there are "secrets" and learning curves, and numerous opinions on media, pressure, etc. then it's not a good process for an amateur. The main thing is that we are caretakers who will not live longer than our MoPars. Most in the hobby/business for an extended period of time have had to deal with the effects of a bad, but well intentioned, blasting job. Blasting gone bad erodes the metal unevenly, and may also warp panels. Neither of these effects can be brought back to new condition, thus potentially relegating the part to the scrap heap. For every amateur success story, there are an equal number of horror stories. Those horror stories result in good parts being turned to useless trash. Professionally done under the right circumstances on the appropriate panel, blasting is a great solution. Those are a lot of qualifications. There are many alternative paint, rust and scale removal methods that are much less aggressive and more appropriate for the backyard mechanic that carry much less risk than blasting. DPO = Dreaded Previous Owner

I have towed several Dodge pickups using a tow bar, just as you explained. Front bumper removed and the tow bar bolted to the frame/bumper mounts, and with a tow bar that clamped to the bumper. On neither did I secure the shifter, nor remove the drive shaft. Do not tie the steering wheel to prevent it from moving either. Just go slow, and avoid cops. Did I mention go slow? Also, don't put anyone in the towed vehicle. I have used my 3/4 ton Dodge B200 van to tow, and have towed 1 ton and 1/2 ton Dodge pickups. Go slow and avoid cops. Good advice even if you're not towing.