Ulu

Wow! I finally found the time to read through this whole thread, and you guys have some strange, old, and wonderful tools that I've never laid eyes on. I won't post pics of my pedestrian Craftsman ratchets and wrenches, but I do have a few strange bits. The cobblers last, from Sears: Dad's vise from circa 1961, also from Sears: Strange aluminum clamp with handle. Probably for moving boxes of fruit. No-name 1960's bushing driver set, from J.C.Whitney: K-D tubing bender & old tire chain pliers.

I have a pretty nice old crusty one, that I believe is from Dad's '53 Pontiac. The tip is brass & the shaft & head are chrome plated. The sticker reads, 115 v 650 watt Engine Heater Phillips Mfg Co. Minneapolis, Minn There is a sleeve & coupling-nut adjuster with it, presumably because it's a "universal" length, with adapters included. This looks like it would fit in an OHV head too. It stuck up well above the flathead 6.

The dent knocker attachment I welded up for my slide hammer:

Changing the tire with home made oak tire "irons" so I don't scratch the mag wheel.

LOL...amazingly enough I still own one of these, with 3 sizes of last, which my father bought in the 50's. I've used it more than once to fix my motorcycle boots, which now sport some impressive hob nails.

That's how I do mine too. Rolling jack under the a-frame pivot bar, & remove the 4 nuts. As I'm taking the bolts out, I stick a long tapered punch or screwdriver in the holes to keep them aligned until all 4 bolts are out. then it comes right down. I recently took my suspension off that way, & it worked even with the engine & front end stripped off as you see it here; but I stood on the front cross member for ballast as I was working the jack. LOL

Oh, Germany, huh? I missed that fact. That does put a whole different perspective on the issue.

I've seen a number of P-15s with Olds style grilles and I didn't like any of them. IMO it always looks totally odd, where the Plymouth "nose" hits the top of the Olds grille surround "lip"

The Special Deluxe Club Coupe was by far the most popular P-15, as I recall. They are very roomy inside for a 2-door car, easily taking 6 adults. I love mine & I've had it 30+ years. Since they are less rare than the Business Coupe, and since the Business Coupes are somewhat sought after for building retro gassers, you should be able to find someone to trade straight across for one in similar condition. Personally I don't much like the 2-door or 4-door sedan bodies on the P-15. All that body makes the nose look too small IMO. Edith d' Plymouth getting stripped:

All the rubber stuff I bought from Bernbaum fit OK but except for the driveshaft boots, didn't seem to last too long. My car was a daily driver though. And I bought the stuff 30+ years ago, so perhaps they've improved. Pedal pads, draft stops, grommets, boots, wing seals, brake seals, 6 wheel cylinders, windshield gasket, suspension bushings, tie rod ends, trans parts kit, wheel bearings, brake shoes, and more...I spent a bundle at Andy's.

My engine hoist & first major welding project. I built this for my dad when I was about 17 (1972). Everything but welding rods, jack & wheels was USAF surplus stuff we got free at the Hill AFB Auto Hobby Shop. This is a torch set I bought cheap at auction ($80) Here it is all cleaned up, with new hoses & my custom-built hose rack attachment.

Look at the tires first. Make sure none of them are starting to split, delaminate, or bulge. When any of these start, the car will begin to wobble or handle funny. second, I would certainly jack up the front and see if the kingpins are loose. Just 0.010" slop in one kingpin will make your Plymouth handle like a shopping cart with a bent caster: all over the road. Of course all the front end joints warrant inspection whenever the car wanders, but just from my experience, the kingpin clearances are very easy to damage.

Eh? Well we had fun anyhow. I would think about changing the title but I hate to open a can of worms. Since the number it's titled to is the frame number too, I don't see any issues myself.

OK I had a good time sanding the frame but I did indeed find frame numbers on the frame, in the same spot as shown on the Chrysler above. The frame reads: P15 433184 and that's the only number shown on my title except the document number. The Briggs body number is 502-LA A-8621 It's embossed on a brite-dipped tin tag on the cowl, right above the steering column. & that's also the number I found chalked on the body, under the paint, on a hidden area of the cowl. But there is also a flat, un-embossed, plain galvanized tin tag on the driver's A-post, which occupies the same spot as the courtesy light switch on the passenger's side, being directly below the top hinge pocket. It was flat, unadorned, and unmarked except for the number 25023808. I assume that's the Plymouth assembly sheet number.

Aw Phooie! I posted that from an account I've never used & I just need to delete it. <edit...Thanks to whomever did delete the post. > I think I actually have another very old account here (caddmannq) that I need to track down & delete as well. Here's the text: OK I gotta go look at my P-15 because it was built & titled in California by the Briggs body number I believe. That's the number on the metal tag screwed to the firewall. I don't think my car has a tag on the door post. I didn't know the frame had a number at all. I'll have to go wash mine & look. But I know for a fact that the Briggs body number on the tin tag is the correct one for my car, as the same number was found chalked on the original maroon paint, under the current green paint, on the cowl, under the left front fender. When I bought my car I didn't know that the engine had "bad" numbers. There's a cast in "knurl" pattern on the block where the numbers are stamped, and if you try to grind off the numbers and change them the knurl pattern is ruined which makes the crime obvious. Well my numbers were simply obliterated with a chisel. Clearly the engine was once "hot", so I eventually got rid of that block. But now I need to go look at my title too. With those effaced numbers on the block, there's a slim possibility that none of my current numbers match the title! I believe they do, because I believe this car was resurrected in the 70's and a new title was issued from the body number.

Check for bondo & rust below the tail lights,down at the bottom of the panel. Look inside the trunk right there for hidden rot. Look under the floor at that bodymount area right by the front door posts (the "A" pillars) particularly if the front doors look low at the rear. Aluminum bumpers are probably Brizo aftermarket bumpers. Stock was chromed steel. I drove a flathead 6 as my daily driver for years and was pretty pleased, except that the 6v electrics take some care to maintain, and the fuel system leaked a bit. The brakes are NOT self-adjusting and they require some fine tuning to work really well. If there's fluid on the shoes or it's out of adjustment, it'll take a LOT of pedal pressure to stop. That being said, if you want an old car from this era, you've chosen the one that's easiest to fix, easiest to find (most) parts for, and really about the most reliable and economical family car of its day. It's all about value. they were a good value then and they are a good value in a collector car, now. But remember that they made a million of these cars. Only time has made them rare or desireable. They were as common as flies in the late 40's & early 50's and priced accordingly then as now.

I agree to change it, but if the car starts well, I doubt that the condenser's bad. Every time I had a bad condenser, the car simply would not start.

First, the term "bolt" isn't always used in the same way. A bolt need not have threads. If you changed the kingpin, the new wedge (or bolt or pin, as you will) may not seat as deep, as the flat on the kingpin is slightly different. If the land is machined .003" less, and the wedged pin or bolt has a 20 to 1 taper, the pin could stick up an additional 1/16" from previous. If you're using an old pin which has been hit in previously, It may have swelled on the fat end. This means the pin goes tight, but the kingpin is still slightly loose. BUT, if the kingpin isn't aligned just right, that pin doesn't go in right. The kingpin has to rotate a tiny bit for exact alignment. If it didn't for some reason, the pin will stick out.

Kickdown linkage could be worn then.