46CoupeSD

After previously having trouble myself on a '46, I would make sure that your battery is installed with the proper ground. I had mine installed backwards, and the only real noticeable problem (other than an unreliable engine) was a radio that didn't work. Changed the direction of the battery, and the radio works like a charm!

Hey everyone! While driving through Manassas on my way back from a site visit the other day, I had to put my car in reverse (with the obnoxious construction site reverse beeper on the work truck) due to what I saw. This 1940 Plymouth 4-passenger coupe was sitting all alone in someone's driveway! I knocked on the door, let the person know I had a '46, and that I would love to have a look at their car and talk to them a bit about it. She came out, and we spent about 10 minutes discussing our own unique Plymouth stories. The current owner of this Plymouth inherited it from her father-in-law, and she isn't very knowledgeable about its provenance. It's got a big beefy engine, and very nice leather upholstery (sorry for the lack of photos, I didn't want to be too intrusive). Apparently, this car was a labor of love for her husband's father, and it shows. The paint, although a little dirty, appeared to be absolutely spotless. According to the owner, her husband is quite the tinkerer, and does a lot of his own work on the car. I told her about the forum here - maybe we'll see them around!

I'm an environmental scientist for a civil engineering firm. I get paid to hike through woods and farmland, mapping streams and wetlands along the way. I write reports and permits when developers inevitably want to disturb/impact said streams and wetlands. Additionally, I conduct surveys for threatened and endangered plants and animals, in addition to a variety of other tasks. From what I've gathered, it's one of the few viable careers available for folks with a BS in environmental science. Life is good when your office is the great outdoors!

Took the '46 Business Coupe for a cruise down the George Washington Memorial Parkway to Mount Vernon the day after Thanksgiving. Such a lovely drive! Quick question: Is there any definitive proof that shows the correct orientation of the windshield wiper knob? Is mine backwards?

Joe, if you ever see a blue '46 business coupe driving around Old Town, go ahead and give me a wave! I drive around out there not infrequently while visiting my parents, although will probably be hitting the road less frequently now that there will be salt in abundance. Jim, the old girl starts up with the first push of the button almost every time nowadays. Only problem I had was late on Thanksgiving when it was in the lower-mid 30s. But I was still able to get it going after about 30 minutes!

An hour away sounds like it just might be local enough! I wouldn't mind hearing more about the potential shoot - I'll use anything as an excuse to cruise the mountains during the autumn months.

Jim made it out my way today, and we immediately set to work tuning up the '46. Although the rotor, points, and condenser installed in the car were relatively new, it looked like there was some corrosion/wear on the points. Jim noticed that the battery had been installed with a negative ground, and thinks that might have been the root of some of my problems. After installing the new points, rotor, and condenser; adjusting the timing; and fixing the battery orientation; the car started up and drove like a dream. She was a little shaky in first gear, but after driving for a few minutes that symptom seemed to go away. Again, big thanks to Jim Yergin for helping me out today! Couldn't have done it without him.

Thanks for the photos and specs, Don! Jim Yergin was gracious enough to offer me assistance in this task - we'll be trying to take care of business this Saturday. Big thanks to Jim! I'll keep everyone updated on how everything goes.

Plymouthy and Greg, Thanks so much for your detailed write-ups! I plan to tackle this either this weekend or sometime in the near future. I will document and keep everyone up to date with my progress (or lack there-of).

Plymouthy, For the tune up, is this the process that you are recommending? What does it mean to set the Resistor Plugs at 0.035 Gap?

Sometimes, the simplest explanation is the best! Thanks, I never noticed that was the case.

Some brief background information: I’ve been driving my ’46 Plymouth once a week for the past two months or so without any problems (approximately 200 miles). I was scheduled to bring her to a fundraising car show this past Sunday, but was unable to get the engine started; I blamed the early morning cold weather (47°). The starter would crank, but the engine itself would never catch. I followed the advice linked here for cold starts to no avail. On Sunday afternoon, after coming home from the car show, I tried to jump start the car using my 12 volt daily driver (the Plymouth still runs on a 6 volt system). This, too, proved to be unsuccessful. Ambient air temperature was 61°, if that matters. Cut to yesterday afternoon/evening: I picked up some starter fluid to see if that might help me get it started. I tried to start the car without using any… and surprise surprise, the car starts right up on the second push of the button. I let the engine warm up to 160°, and drove it around the block for about 15 minutes. Everything sounded great! I thought the problem on Sunday must have been due to cold weather. I parked the car after my short 15 minute drive, let it sit for about 15 minutes, and then tried to start her again – no problems, the car started immediately. I drove to my friend’s apartment about 10 minutes away and parked for another 20 minutes. After sitting for that amount of time, we got back in the car and she started up with no problems yet again – I was confident that whatever problems the car previously exhibited were only temporary. We took the car on a drive through one of the local “small towns”, which consists of relatively tight turns, hills, and narrow roads. After about 20 minutes on the road, the engine started to misfire while going up-hill. As the drive progressed, the misfiring became worse and worse. For about 15 minutes, the car would absolutely not reach a speed above 25 miles per hour. While idling, no misfires were apparent. The misfires did not appear to coincide with driving up and/or down grades – it occurred while we on flat terrain as well. Additionally, I noticed that while idling at a stop sign/red light, the speedometer light would go out- all of the other lights on the instrument panel remained fully lit (amps, oil, fuel, and temp). When the car was moving again, the speedometer light would turn back on. Approximately 1/8 mile from my apartment, the car died at a red light as I waited to turn right. Here is a quick and dirty list of symptoms: Car misfires in every gear (1 through 3) Car would not go above 25-30 mph Hills/grade did not seem to effect frequency of misfiring No engine knocking sound was noticed Speedometer light would go out at idle No misfires were noted while car was idling/in neutral Car died while idling at a stop light, would not restart Now, I know next to nothing about cars. I do not have access to a garage. I have limited access to tools, which I will be fixing. I’ve searched the forum for “misfire”, and found some promising threads. Sadly, nearly all of them recommend a course of action for maintenance/repair that I am not currently capable of undertaking. Given that, I’d still like to get my hands dirty and see what I can do myself before resigning to a mechanic. I will do what I can with advice previously given to me on this thread (check battery cable connections, solenoid, etc). My first plan of action will be to check/replace the spark plugs. I am not sure how old they are. Do you have any other advice on what course of action I should take? Thank you so much for reading and offering any advice you might have! I’ll try my best to keep everyone up-to-date on my progress.

It was great to meet you and Jim; looking forward to the next meetup! The cars sure did look great in the sunlight. I think the crowd definitely enjoyed checking them out.

While it's not quite "my other ride," it is within the family! Here's my parent's 1967 Mercedez-Benz 250SL "California Coupe." These pictures show it with the hardtop installed. It has a factory 3rd seat that folds down in the back, which prevents a soft-top from being used. The 250SL was my Grandfather's dream car, and he finally purchased it after retiring from the navy.

Those are my Mom's hands - she hadn't driven that car in over 10 years, and it had a history of bad breaks. It was an exhilarating ride in the rain to say the least.

Here are some pictures of the first time I ever drove my P15C Business Coupe, plus one from my first car tour through the countryside.

Quick update: I recently showed my car at the Edgar Rohr Memorial Car Meet in Manassas, Virginia. Awards were decided via participant voting, and the '46 Business Coupe earned second place in the 1940-1949 group! Everyone really seemed to love the Plymouth, and so many people had fond memories ("My mom used to drive me to school in this car" or "I learned how to drive in this car, looks exactly like I remember it"). Additionally, many of the meet organizers mentioned to me how happy they were to see something that wasn't a Chevy or a Ford. It was so great to see the car bring out so many emotions in people stopping by the show! One problem I've been having, however, is with the battery. Every once in a while I'll stall out at slow speeds (my fault entirely), but then the starter button won't work. I've determined that sometimes there is a weak connection in the battery knife switch, causing a lack of power. Someone suggested I tighten up the prongs with pliers and apply some dielectric grease. Does that sound like it might solve the problem I've been having? Thanks! P.S. Cars also shown in my group were a 1947(?) Chevy Fleetmaster, a 1949 MG T-Type, and a 1943 Willy's Jeep.

Thanks everyone for all of your help describing the wood-graining process. Is there any way to determine what the original wood-graining would have been from the factory, short of ordering a build card from Chrysler? Speaking of which, has anyone ever used that service? (link: http://www.chryslergroupllc.com/company/Heritage/Pages/Build-Records.aspx) I think it'd be interesting to see exactly how this car came from the factory. I gave the old girl a good wash and wax today, she looks great! I was worried that the car soap I had used was leaving weird marks on the paint - but they disappeared after it had been dried and waxed.

Jim, I would love to come to the air/car show in Leesburg! The last photo shown was taken this past weekend just south of Lucketts at the Brossman Farm Stand. I'll be at the Rohr Memorial Car Meet being run by the Bull Run AACA chapter - maybe I'll see some of the forum folks there as well. Thanks for the information regarding the HPOF, although sadly I don't think I'd qualify. Long story-short, a woman tried to shoot her husband at the hospital my mother was working at nearly 40 years ago. The husband (wisely) decided to hide the largest piece of metal he could find in the parking lot, my Plymouth. After it was shot, it had bodywork done, in addition to being reupholstered and repainted. Additionally, my grandfather installed an aftermarket 4-note vacuum horn (that I believe might be period correct, but not factory). As far as I know, this car won a Junior Award a long time ago. I'm still waiting to hear back from the AACA to see if they have any records of when that occurred. Also, thanks for letting me know that simple green might do the trick, I'll have to try it out! I'll post some more pictures once I have it good and clean!

Hello everyone, As stated in my previous thread regarding the 602 radio, I just recently inherited a 1946 Special Deluxe Business Coupe from my mother. I have very limited car knowledge, and think it's great that a resource such as this forum exists - I plan on coming here for all of my P15 questions! I was planning on showing the car in a few weeks at a local AACA meet, and want to make sure I do as much as is reasonably possible within a short period of time to prepare. This car was my mothers daily driver for many years in San Diego during the 1970s, and it shows in certain places. The wood graining on the driver and passenger side doors are in disrepair (see photos). Is there anything I can do, as someone totally new to the hobby, to better the condition without fear of messing it up more? The only thread I found that mentioned this problem is here. I plan to give the car a total wash, polish, and waxing soon. It was last repainted in the early '70s, and as far as I know, it was painted using "period correct" paint (my grandfather is a stickler for keeping antique cars original). Are there any products I should avoid so as not to damage the paint? Are there any products that you are familiar with that are specially formulated for cars of this age?Do you have any advice for a newbie like me that doesn't know much about antique cars?In the long run, I plan restoring the car to how it was when my mother first received it in 1970, or possibly even nicer. Thank you so much for your help, I'm sure I'll be back with more questions!

Thanks for the information on key search terms! I'm wondering if you (or anyone else) might know where I can find a usage manual similar to the one I've been able to track down for the 802 radio (e.g. http://vintagemoparts.com/product.php?id_product=18) The 802 instructions detail how to set the push buttons and operate the tone controls (which is what I am mostly interested in), in addition to how to install the radio, etc.

Hey everyone, I just recently inherited my Mother's 1946 Plymouth P15 Special Deluxe Business Coupe, which she received as a high school graduation gift from her father in 1970. I was wondering if anyone has any information/instruction manuals for the Mopar 602 radio. There seems to be a plethora of information regarding the 802 radio (I have a pdf of the instructions for that model), but I cannot for the life of me find anything relating to the 5-button 602 radio. I have exhaustively searched this forum and google for information - all I've been able to find are technical drawings and schematics. So, a few questions: Is the radio picture the Mopar 602 Radio? Is it period correct for a 1946 Special Deluxe Business Coupe? Where can I find usage instructions for this model radio? Thanks for your help! I'm just learning to drive the P15, but so far she runs like a dream.