ledfootslim

It was ninety five yesterday..................and 60 today- go figger.

Ooh man, I feel for you- a nightmare that I hope never happens to me! Hope the conversion ends up going well!

I have not done that test, so thank you for providing it! I have a manual on the way, so that should help. I do not know if I am getting to fourth gear, as she isn't driving well enough to really test her out. And I have wondered about the battery- it is a industrial and farm one, one of the few I could find. What kinda batteries are you guys using? My grandad says that he had a golf cart battery in his '49 Ford p-up, and it would start everyday, freezing or summer. And I tried opening up the throttle pretty good and taking the lead off, and it dies within seconds regardless.

That may be, but I know that she should run with the battery unplugged, and should keep a charge, so Im gonna solve this problem, and then start on the next one. And I believe there was recently some discussion about the same problem I have, and the general consensus was that if the car was having to run off the battery's power, that at higher rpms, it would lose power and sputter and cut out like mine is- so maybe I'll kill several birds with one stone!

Ok, I talked with my grandad, the master wood-grainer, and he said the secret is really getting the second layer of paint mixed right. First, of course, prepare the piece to be painted, sand and clean it well, then hit it with a layer or two of spray paint. Our choice was Krylon Brown Boots. After letting that dry fully, mix up your "graining" paint. We used burnt umber and plain black oil paints, if I remember correctly. DO NOT mix it thoroughly, as the swirls and streaks of the varying colors make up the wood-grain effect. I would suggest getting some practice in on a piece of scrap wood or metal. After dabbing a medium-small fine brush in the mixture, you just drag it lightly across the base coat, making sure you are going lightly enough to skip spots, and not covering the whole thing. Of course, you should try to drag in the same direction, with the occasional swirl to simulate knots or imperfections. It takes a lot of practice to get it looking nice, which is why you want to practice on some scrap first. Afterwards, we used several coats of polyeurethane to seal it. . I see now that Mr. Skinner already supplied a fine answer, so hopefully between the two of us, you guys can get your dashes, trim, garnishes etc. looking like they were carved from mahogany in no time!

Oh, well I was meaning the fellow who participated in the nursing home car show, but glad you had a good afternoon as well!

Good for you man! A great way to spend the evening!

Well, that sounds like a good idea, but I can barely make 35 mph, and the shop is half an hour away. I tick people off just driving slowly down the dirt roads, they might draw guns if I crept down the highway at that speed! :-) And, I will pick up a multi-meter the next time I hit Fayettville- should prove useful!

And if you would consider dual exhaust rather than headers, it is simple to do it yourself. I just used a two inch whole saw on my original manifold, had my machinist weld a neck on, and voile! Works flawlessly, sounds great and cost me thirty bucks!

Well, headers and dual carb manifolds are not the easiest parts to come by, but they pop up on E-Bay occasionally. Here is a pretty decently priced two one-barrel manifold. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Offy-Offenhauser-38-56-Dodge-37-56-Plymouth-230-218-two-dual-carb-intake-/151393865475?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accesso This guy in Florida does some cool hop-up parts and brake kits, but I haven't done any business with him. http://rustyhope.com/site/ Good luck with the build!

No prob- I'll try to put it up after work tomorrow.

I went ahead and ordered a paper copy of the manual- the digital one I had was a pain in the seat-meat. I dug through previous posts for about an hour, and didn't feel like I got any smarter- I don't have a multi-meter or voltage meter, so I'm not sure about testing it. The electrical system is my weakest point......................

Yep- we went whole-hog!

Here are a few samples of the new wood-graining on Lady Grey- if you like them, I'll post the full instructions on how to do it yourself!

Well,first off, I know this has been discussed before, but I couldn't find where anyone explained the solution to my problem: My 1948 Desoto S-11, six volt positive ground, 236.7 CI engine, is not re-charging the battery. It sputters and loses power at high rpms, generally at about 35-40 miles an hour, which made me think of the vacuum advance, but when I pulled the cable off of the battery post, the engine always dies, so the car must be running off the battery power rather the electrical system. I have to charge the battery before starting, especially after a drive. Using a test light, I have no power going to either post on the generator- should one of the wires be hot, and if so, which one? Could this problem be the voltage regulator? I had the generator re-built professionally a few months ago, but I may take it back. As soon as I turn my key on, the ammeter drops below negative, and remains there, dropping even lower with the lights or anything on. I hope somebody can offer some advice, cause I'm stumped! Thanks!

Howdy neighbor! That was one of Dodge's prettiest years, in my opionion-

Sweet truck! And kudos for keeping the original rust and crust!

His house in Vienna? Thats a long drive in the old Plymouth! :-)

Oh yes it is! Check JD. Mcpherson, Imelda May, Heavy Trash or The Flat Duo Jets- The perfect music for cruisin in the old Mopars! :-)

Hey, judging by our usernames, we'd make a pretty cool rockabilly band- Death Bound and Ledfoot Slim..............nice ring to that! :-)

Mine was cracked pretty badly as well- I just found a nice vintage wrap for the outer part of the wheel, filled the cracks in the middle and wood-grained it like the rest of the interior.

Awesome! I'd do it in a second.............anyone game? :-)

Very cool build! Very creative and resourceful-

So sorry- praying for you and yours!

Mine doesnt have any of that......