st63

Sorry to hear it Don, I'd hate to think that we won't see you cruising around anymore in that beautiful old Plymouth! If it makes you feel any better, one of the shift linkage rods on my '50 literally cracked in two the other day...suddenly had no first or reverse! Sigh....back to work on it....kinda comes with the territory, but when you've got it fixed, there's no better feeling. Hang in there!

Stock yes....but I was going to have it rebuilt with, among other work, a new "Hi-rise" intake and new 4 bl carb from "Hot Heads" in NC.... good for another 20 or so horses. Again, that's a "some day" project...I'm enjoying driving it as is for now. Heres' an interesting link to a build on one of those early Desoto 276's...they got about 250 hp out of it....though I don't want to imagine the cost! https://www.classiccarrestorationclub.com/article/new-life-old-hemi/

Definitely not compared to newer V-8s....but at about 180 horses (with a new intake and 4bl carb) it's basically double the flathead 6!

Drive my '50 P-20 sedan at least twice a week...even though the flathead 6 is a bit tired, it still runs well enough to drive regularly. With the overdrive R-10 (from a '52) it keeps up with modern traffic just fine. Very tempted to swap in a '53 Desoto Hemi that I found, but am procrastinating...I'd rather drive it as is than relegate it to a "work in progress"!

Luckily, Wheelsmith is local, so I was able to stray on top of things in person....I've had the re-worked rims on my car for several months now and they ride great!

As far as OD transmissions to pair with the SBC, the 200-4r or 700-r4 are the most compact....smaller than the Chrysler A518 or similar units. I want to stay with a Mopar engine (a 318) for my '50 P-20, but found that using a Mopar OD trans would require making floorpan modifications. I found that I could avoid that by adapting the 200 or 700 GM units. Adaptors are readily available (though you won't need one with your SBC). They're essentially the NON computer controlled version of the modern GM 4l60E, which is an excellent OD transmission. Art Carr in Huntington Beach has a lot of experience with these trannys. http://cpttransmission.com

Curious if anyone has ever used the Art Morrison IFS setup? Spendy for sure....but their engineering seems top notch, and components can be welded in rather than replacing the entire front clip.( though they do also offer an entire front clip set-up) http://www.artmorrison.com/2006cat/48.pdf

I'd like to piggyback onto this thread, as I'm interested in doing something similar to my '50 P-20....putting in a mid 50's Red Ram, and wondering if the '52 3 speed with R10 I have will hold up to the increased HP and torque. Been looking up any and all info I can find for the trannies used for the early hemis, but can't find much info in the tech archives here or elsewhere.

A 270 Hemi would have the ultimate "cool factor", but not cheap. On the other hand, having access to a free core is a huge plus. The best advice I think would come from member "Wayfarer on this forum. He runs this business: http://www.qualityengineeredcomponents.com/

Out of curiosity, what size tires are you running? My '50 Plymouth had modern 215 size radials on it when I bought it, and it was a real workout to steer....when I switched to narrower 7.10R15's, it was like night and day! These old steering boxes were designed for, and work best with, narrower tires.

What year Cherokee rear axle did you use to get that 3:55 ratio?

I had Michelin 215/75R15's on stock 15x4 1/2" rims on my '50 P20. They were put on by the previous owner. They were ok with fender clearance, but they were pushing the limit of the stock rim width...had premature sidewall cracking, and they made it really difficult to steer at slow speeds. 235's would be far too wide I think. Like Andydodge says, 195 would be about as wide as I'd go on stock rims.

Nothing fancy...the original un-restored dash of my '41 P-12. 38k original miles, with very minimal wear to the upholstery, steering wheel etc.

Thanks! Always looking at good tire options.

Love original cars! Out of curiosity, are you running radials on it? If so, what size?

Used to have this done to my bias truck tires at a small (but old school) tire shop when decent quality heavy duty bias truck tires became harder and harder to find. The machinery was pretty ancient though, so I guess some of the old truck tires always needed it!

Yes, the ones I purchased are the American Classic Bias Look Radial...in my case, the 7.10R15. I was hesitant to try Coker tires again...I've had bad luck with them in the past in terms of being out of round straight from the factory, but I decided to give these a chance. So far, so good. My tire shop had no problem getting them mounted and balanced properly, and they ride very nicely. I still like the Yokohama tires on my truck, but these seem better suited to my sedan. By they way, I ordered mine through Summit Racing, and got free shipping. They're expensive enough without the added shipping costs.

In my parts manual for my P-20, it's referenced as a "Spring Clip". Sorry, don't have an image handy.

I've used the RY-215's on various old trucks over the years...primarily late 40's through early 50's International Harvesters...and never had a problem. I ran them on rural highways routinely. A couple of caveats though are that those trucks were heavier 3/4 to 1 ton models and were limited by their gear ratios to a top speed of about 55-60 mph. Also, the tires were stock Yokohama and had not been modified by Diamondback to add whitewalls. When replacing the worn (and much too wide) radials installed on my '50 Plymouth P-20 by a previous owner, I considered using the RY-215, but ultimately decided against it. While the contact area is right, they have an awfully stiff sidewalI that is better suited to the heavier trucks they were designed for. I bit the bullet and gave the Coker Bias look radials a try, even though I haven't had the best luck with Coker in the past. After running them for several months now, I have to say I'm really happy with them. They balanced up beautifully, and the car handles much better than it did with the traditional wider (215 series) radials it used to have. I have the 7.10R15, which have the correct diameter and contact patch, and mounted them on 15 x 5 rims...my stock rims that I had re-shelled from 4 1/2 to 5 inch width. I run them at 32 PSI. Like you James, I drive my car regularly in city traffic and on the highways (in Los Angeles) and need more than just "looks" in a tire.

Thanks for the tip...I'll look into Pertronix.

I'm looking at replacing my coil also, but how do you tell whether or not it has an epoxy core vs. an oil filled core? Some of the ones I've seen on the Summit Racing site indicate oil filled cores, but I haven't seen any indicating epoxy.

I had the exact same problem with a new condenser screw included with a new condenser...luckily I still had the original. I've learned the hard way to keep everything.

Definitely a "hit or miss" with those....best luck I've had (other than NOS) are with Standard Motor Products. Most of it still made in the USA...for now anyway.

Just as you said, this normally could have been done by just loosening the breaker spring screw...I wound up pulling the dizzy out altogether to replace that screw...found that the screw was rounded off. Normally could have been loosened by my 1/4 inch wrench. Photo of the little bugger below. And you're right, this job is a lot easier when done with the unit out of the car altogether....I'm not as flexible as I used to be. Thanks for the tip!

Glad I stumbled onto this thread....replaced the spark plug wires on my '50, and after attaching them according to the wiring diagram it wouldn't fire properly. Didn't mark the locations on the cap because I "knew" where the wires should go! Sure enough, a previous owner had installed the dizzy 180 degrees off! I Put it back to original by aligning the shaft where it's supposed to be.