adam_knox

Glad to hear they caught it. So are you planning on picking up any new hobbies with the down time? Is that painting guy with the big fro still on PBS? Get yourself some water colors and paint by numbers! =) Otherwise perhaps a warm blanket and catch up on all the holiday classic movies (just try not to bust any stitches laughing if you watch Nat'l Lampoon's Xmas Vacation!). =)

You know how there's Human Societies for Pets...I'd like to start one for old cars...

Yeah, I'm just a little confused, as when I check the coolant from the top of the radiator, 3 balls float (so no change after 3 hours in the garage and 36 bucks of coolant). However, when I drain from the radiator, its like a party in the tester, all five balls are floating and having a blast! All the hoses were hot, so I'm hoping the gel theory is correct. I would have drained from the plug by the distrubuter, but I couldn't get back there. Can you guys make sure to remind me in spring to get that piece of cardboard out that's stuck behind the grill? Now I just have to hope my halogen lights have dried my backseat. They had a nice dusting of snow on them by the time I got the car back into the garage. You Southern folks have no idea how lucky you are! Thanks for clearing up about the air bubbles. Makes sense!

Thanks James! Yeah, it was the thermostat wasn't open, so I put some cardboard in front to get the temp up. Got it circulating right now. Hopefully when I turn it off it'll be good. I thought about draining the radiator completely first, but I was afraid I would get an air bubble or something stuck... The first time I replaced a water pump in the Mercury Topaz I had an air gap that overheated the car. I sometimes seem to learn the hard way, rather than the smart way.. Thanks for the tip!

Hey gang! Local town idiot here, during the spring I swapped out my exhaust manifold, which, suprisingly, to me, dumped out some of my coolant. So I added water thinking, hey, I flush the radiator in July, haven't done it in two years to the car. July came and went, and now a mess of snow is on its way in about an hour! So here's what I'm doing, draining from the bottom radiator spout my diluted coolant, waiting a few minutes (car is running with the radiator cap off), and then pouring in straight concentrate. Well, it seems like I'm getting now where, because after a bottle and a half with the car idling at its normal 180 degrees its still about the same concentration (three floating balls). If I test the concentrate straight from the jug, 5 balls float. I totally get molarity and mixing concetrations.. My question is, when I'm draining the fluid from the bottom of the radiator, its cold. At the top, its warm. Is my coolant that good that it literally turns the water I'm draining cold or is the water not circulating. It's getting dark out and the car is sticking halfway out the garage, any tips or pointers would be gladly appreciated! BTW, I have the heater on, the tube from the heater is warm, the tube from the water pump to the heater is not warm... Okay, I'll be waiting for someone to point out something obvious I've overlooked:o, thanks!

Hey gang, just skimming the paper this morning and saw this article. http://www.jsonline.com/business/78657157.html According to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tire prices are expected to increase during the beginning of next year. So if you wanna burn some rubber at the stop and go lights, just make sure you got the extra cash to replace the tread! I personally am not too worried, as I plan on getting a hover conversion done to save on tire wear. Saw one done on a Delorean once, thought it looked pretty sweet!

Here's the info on the carb rebuild co. Benchwick Carburetor Company, Inc. Youngstown, OH (330)782-3767 The bill was $135. Good luck with whatever route you go! P.S. The cheapest source I know of is Santa Clause. You should ask him if he has one. You don't even have to pay for shipping! Although sometimes the deliveries never make it...

Hey mate, sorry to hear about the messed up carb. Have the same problem with an old moped of mine. At home I have the addy and # of a place that rebuilt my 49 carb before I purchased it. I think the cost for the rebuild was around 120-ish. Anyways, i can prolly get that number for you on Tuesday night if you'd like. In the meantime you can at least look at your truck and think about how pretty it is! I used to just sit in my Plymouth behind the steering wheel for like 15 minutes when it was out of commission. Pretend driving can be fun, plus its alot safer!

I was just thinking about a starter. I would think mine should work with a little alignment tinkering. I sometimes forget to turn my headlights off. Could I just pop the clutch with this engine?

I'm surprised your carb kit didn't come with the metal ball. Seems like the carb kits I've used had those, but were always missing something else. Somewhere there is the perfect carb kit made from all the missing pieces our carb kits lack... Perhaps you can go to a part store and poke around their kits. I would think some other similar era carb, esp. by carter would have the same size bearing ball. The Napa by me is great, they let you handle parts and whatnot, even if its in a sealed package. Hope ya' get the carb done without too much trouble!

My 49 Chrysler has (had) those. They were original to the car. It was from Cali, trying to remember what plant it came from, but I do know it wasn't Canadian. Perhaps that bit of info will help solve the mystery of wrapped springs... Always wondered if after 60 years those springs fared better than unwrapped springs.

Hey mate! Congrats on the new car! Not sure about your year...If it's a 49, the following link may help,if its a 40, not so sure. http://imperialclub.com/Part/Lit/4655Numbers/index.htm CLick on the part you need and it'll tell ya' what it fits (not nearly as good as an actually Dodge Part Manual though). As for Andy, have never had a problem with him trust wise. But I do understand the concern for the car being out of service for the wait. Hopefully someone else can chime in with other sources...Good luck!

All you need is cousin Eddie... =) That is hilarious!

That is really something! Thinking I oughta see if I can convince my mum to fire up the sewing machine. If its thick enough I wouldn't even need to put a top on the car! Just bundle up with a classy quilt! Tell Millie she did a wonderful job! Looks great!

I'm totally backing Norm up on this one. :)As long as the its the same blueprints/specifications its it "original." Did Chrysler stop making Chrysler cars when Walter P. Chrysler left? A McDonald's burger is a burger whether its cooked by a 15 year old or a 50 year old...Wait, that's a bad analogy, McDonald's burger's aren't really cooked...and they really don't taste like a real hamburger if you stop and think about it...

Yeah, ditto on what they all said. Spend the time driving it. Nothing worse in my opinion than an out of commission car due to restoration that wasn't needed. Spend the money and time on something else.* As long as it gets ya' from point A to B with a smile on your face that's all that matters. Congrats on getting Katherine running! *For the record, I do appreciate restorations. I just know for most of us it isn't practical or necessary to get the full enjoyment from our cars.

Dandy Dave over on the AACA forums posted this link. My imagination is running wild. Finally, and engine with no hard to reach places. And I thought Merle worked on big stuff! http://people.bath.ac.uk/ccsshb/12cyl/ Any one wanna come over at help me lowed it in?

That's why I use sandpaper

Saw this, thought you guys might find this interesting. Look familiar? It's Daffy Duck! Photo and observation from: http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/04/dodge-viper-logo-is.html

I had the same issue about the engine # on my title. California in the 40's and 50's used the engine # for the vin on the title. Here in Wisconsin I didn't have a problem transfering the title over. Explained to the DMV employee and they switched the numbers (I had an appraisal done as well which showed the body # and engine # on the car). Believe it or not, it was the insurance company that caught the number difference. So when I was at the DMV they put the body number down for the VIN instead of the engine #. So just use a smile and hopefully tranfering the title won't be too bad. As for the Fury listing, I haven't a clue. Is the car an 8 cylinder? :confused:There's got to be some logic in there somewhere, but Sherlock Holmes I am not! Congrats on the Cranbrook ownership, hope all goes smoothly!

Wow, looks like you're making progress! Hopefully you're garage is heated so you can have it done by spring

You know, I gotta take it back, Lee was the first guy I met from the forum, super nice guy...Drove all the way to Minnesota...Was spring really that long ago?! Hopefully my driving isn't that bad...I always thought the reason my friends and family always offered to drive was so I wouldn't have to worry about gas... In all honesty the only problem I really have with shifting is that I keep putting the darn thing in 2nd from a dead stop. Used to the Chrysler where 1st gear doesn't exist in the shifting pattern! For the record, I am a fan of automatics. My feet are too big for all those pedals down there!

Hate to say it, but you guys were waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off. No catalytic converter problems, no fuel problems, no sensor problems. What is it you ask? ...Just my poor driving technique! (I've never been so glad to be the cause of a problem before!) I got to say today was really neat, got to meet Merle for the first time. He was kind enough to let me swing over and have him and his buddy Ken look it over. After a few pokes and prods Ken took it on the road and figured out the the large tires were mounted with a stock rear end. Since I'm used to the Chrysler, I drive the thing like a granny, and when the little light tells me to shift I shift. So on the freeway just need to keep it in third and fourth longer to get up to speed...Which explains why on the night I test drove the Jeep it was fine (because test driving it I drove it harder). So if you need any mysteries solved, these are the kinds of detectives ya' want! Didn't solve the intermittent starting issue...but considering the last diagnosis, I think the only thing that needs repairing is the driver! *On a side note, this was my first time meeting a forum member in person, and it was awesome. Merle and Ken are really swell guys, couldn't find anyone nicer if you tried. So just wanna say thanks to Merle and Ken, as well as the rest of you guys. Hopefully I'll get to meet most of ya' someday! Btw, love the pic of the Jeep in the snow. Those Rubicons are nice...

Thanks Merle, I'll probably take you up on the offer. If I was more familiar with Jeeps and on not so tight on budget and time I wouldn't mind so much, but just feel like I'm in over my head. Darn thing won't even fit in the garage if I pull the Chrysler out! Norm, picked up a fuel filter, but then realized if that's it, should probably get the whole assembly set up for like 50 bucks more. Just need to head to Napa and see if they got it, store across the street has one five days shipping away... Luckily the thing is holding out for the week so far, but don't want to push my luck (which lately only comes in one flavor: bad).