lwebb

Thanks! Now I have to get the gauge out! Any pointers there?

fuel gauge OK I converted to 12 volt neg ground. Didn’t know the fuel gauge wouldn’t work on 12 so I wired it up. All out of whack of course, runs out at a little les than half a tank. Question now is did I ruin it or if I plug in the Runtz 12 Volt to 6 Volt reducer will it still work?

Hey Plymouthy thanks for the reply. Sorry, I’ve posted this on a couple other forums and it was suggested I also post it here. but I forgot the pre-ramble: Some background. I will not be able to do the big work myself, old hands, no shop, lack of knowledge but I found a shop that does restoration and resto mods, beautiful work and can apparently do anything but I was trying to help with the research as they mostly do Chev GM and Ford. He has a 5.7 HEMI with transmission sitting in a 50 Plymouth Wagon. It’s not connected and I found out the wagon belongs to a friend I hadn’t seen in years. My friend has decided he wants to put in a bigger HEMI and will sell me the 5.7 and transmission for $2,500. He knew the owner of the truck it came out of. It has less that 40,000 miles. My friend retired from owning an independent auto parts store for 30 years or more that dealt mostly with shops and dealers and picked the 5.7 up 7 or 8 years ago and it's sat in his garage. So he know cars and motors. The wagon the 5.7 is sitting in has been drastically modified, chopped and lowered so it won’t be exactly the same install in my stock 49. Except for underneath the hood etc. I want to keep the 49 as original as possible. So comments like "one will have to install swing pedals for the brake/clutch" are the kind of things I need to hear. What are swing pedals? Are their kits to do that? From what the shop has told me it will need to have an electric fan for the radiator. Any suggestions on that? Also will need an ele fuel pump which he wants to put in the trunk. He says they run $2-300 and the difference is the noise? Thanks in advance, Lanny

My apologies if there is a post out there dealing with this but I couldn’t find it if there is one. Lots of posts on other engine swaps but couldn’t find the 5.7. I have a 5.7 HEMI with 5 speed transmission I want to put into my 49 p18 4 door. I already have front disk brakes so the fat man conversion for helping with the steering box isn’t an option. Has anyone done this? What all am I looking at for major problems in getting it to fit? Thanks Lanny

James, I have a couple of really heavy beach towels that seem to be working. As far as lacquer thinner goes, I used it on my 98 Avalon to try to get off over spray rom a rattle can. Took off the over spray easily and didn't touch the original paint. I will try a little in an inconspicuous place first. How hard is it to remove the seats? They need re-stuffing.

Just a quick post with Picts

I've really gotten basted in the past when I didn't reply to a post where I was the original"OP." I can't get back on line everyday and if I don't immediately reply please don't take it as a lack of interest or respect for the time you took to reply. I DO REALLY appreciate it. Well I smoked 40 years ago but no more and I will post more interior pictures when I get back home. I've looked at the prices of some of the restoration places and for now , that's a good bit out of my price range. I have marked them though for future. So while I would prefer that the "rusted" look not be prominent, it will suffice to stop the progress for the time being. I'll take a picture of that as well. The trim around the front window has the beginning of rust where I'm guessing condensation dripped down on the defroster vent. I am driving this now as my daily driver when in town though. My wife says I can't stops smiling. Besides that, It’s kicked my Tahoe out of the garage permanently so regularly no sun. A.L.F. I’m sure re-chroming is the preferred fix, but any suggestions for another stop gap measure for chrome? For the most part the chrome is in excellent shape but on some pieces small pin head bubbles have started to appear. I was told to used 2000 grit wet and dry the buff with a wad of aluminum foil and finish with car wax? Any products

Good idea on the garnish moldings. Yes the wood paint has worn away replaced with rust. Are their places thdt can match the wood look with the decal material you sometimes see on the outside of cars?

Well, I love this car, Drove one same color same interior etc when in college and plan on making it my daily driver so I was just looking for ways to make it last longer. Has to be something I can put on it?

My 49 four door Plymouth Deluxe has a remarkable original interior. The only real damage is on the wood grain front windows where I imagine sweat from the passengers and driver caused them to wear away and rust. I’d like to protect what’s left. Should I use regular car wax on the dash and other places where it’s still in pristine shape or is there a special product for this. The headliner and upholstery are also original and in beautiful shape. There are a few small places where moths have removed the nap. Is there something I can do to preserve the martial. Scotchguard? Any suggestions as always would be greatly appreciated. Can you still get the old terry cloth seat covers? Lanny Athens, GA

Well, I am taking every comment to heart and again I really appreciate all the advice. I hope there isn’t a length limit on posts as I want to try to address each concern and see if it changes the advice given. Makes sense I guess to address each comment one at a time. “It’s not safe”. Jeff, you may certainly be right about what I’m attempting, hopefully not. But as a member of two national vintage trailer clubs, my Tahoe would be on the medium to heavy end of what folks are currently towing with. Yes certainly there are some folks with 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks but mostly folks don’t. Folks with vintage tow vehicles are certainly in the minority but for newer vehicles it’s not uncommon to see Jeep CJs and any number of 1/4 ton pickups as well as just standard cars etc. I was invited to a vintage rally last fall in Tampa. Here are just some of the combinations I remember. First amazingly enough there was a 53 Buick 4 door COMPLETELY untouched, rust everywhere that was pulling a 20’ airstream. He’s been at several rallies I’ve attended. There was another stock 55 Chev pick up pulling a 22’ airstream, 54 chev 4 door with a 17 foot Shasta and the one I couldn’t believe, there was a 41 foot Pontiac Chief (that’s a trailer) pulled by a stock 66 Buick sedan all the way from Kentucky. So hopefully if I do this right, with caution I can make it work. As to which kit I use for the bakes. I like what I read on the Rustyhope site. He seems to be extremely knowledgeable and according to an older post has sold over 400 of these kits with minimal problems. Standing behind the brakes. Well the shop I’m using does major work on vintage vehicles. While I was there there was an early model? late 40s early 50s Rolls they had pulled the engine on. There are pictures on their wall of the numerous vintage vehicles of varying age but while they do the everyday car for most of their work, they love working on vintage when they can. That being said. I just have to trust their ability. I know the guy and several other folks just swear by him. As he said, he will have to trust the stability and design of what I get from Rustyhope but he will stand behind his own work. Beyond that I don’t know if I would get anything better for a commitment. All this is a gamble I know. I agree that my stock 49 would probably pull the trailer but I’m in the for the long haul ( well at 68 maybe medium haul). I want to feel confident I’v done everything I can to beef it up where necessary to do the deed. I’m retired and have a business making parts for vintage trailer (CustomVintageTrailerParts.com) so I’ll be going to a number of vintage rallies. Interstates will certainly be part of my travels so I’d rather be closer to over kill than just getting it up to minimum. DJ I’m going to do exactly that. I’m worried I might break my bathroom scale. though. Heck bathroom scales a re cheap. Pflaming, great info, at one time I owned the only two existing Holidays anyone knew about. Just serendipity but I spent a year trying to get information on the, Started with Airstream, they didn’t have anything on it . I’ve collected a lot of info since then and had articles written about my Holidays. Because orf that people started looking and now I know of 12 out there. A lot of the information now on the Airsream site they got from me. My Holiday question is the newest of the ones made, highest serial number and has several differences. one being a rear bumper which brings the length to 15’6” . You are right, I’m thinking my “loaded” weight closer to 1700. I think the 1500 fully equipped is what they all dry weight, all the interior there but closets and cabinets empty. The original also lacked black and grey water tanks. I’ve since added them. at 8.35 pounds pr gal that alone would bring up the weight +- 140 lbs. Again I truly appreciate all your advice. Sorry for the lengthily post.

Well I'm entering into this cautiously. I'm also talking with folks on vintage trailer blogs who use vintage cars and trucks as tow vehicles. But no one has a sweet 49 like mine, mostly fords, chev, buicks etc. My trailer is a 1954 Wally Byam Holiday, made as a prototype by Airstream for only one year, very rare. Don’t know the exact weight but I’ve been told it’s under 2,000. I need to get a reading on tongue weight. You can set the trailer brakes to grab before the Tahoe brakes. I have to be careful not to set them to high. So the Tahoe isn't really trying to stop the trailer, the trailer actually tries to slow down the Tahoe. As you say, the hitch will need to reinforce the frame, not just attach to the frame. It will need to be specially made of course and run well up toward the front. After I get the disk brakes I’ll be back for advice on the hitch. So far my commitment is front disk brakes. I see there are a couple places to order the conversion kits. Any advice on which kit works the best. Any advice on what all I should expect or tell the mechanic up front to expect when doing this. Do the kits come with decent instructions for the untalented or will I need to go back and forth the the internet to figure them out? Again thanks for all the advice. I know there will never be a consensus on what I should do but hearing both sides, change nothing to put in a big HEMI really helps. Lanny

Well I've decided to start with th disk brakes but don't have a clue really as to what to get. I'm mechanicaly minded but haven't worked on a car sincee the mid 60s so I have little to no confidenvce in my ability. That being said, I spoke to a mechanic friend here and he said it shouldn't be a big deal if I bought the parts he would do the work. OK I looked a the Rustyhope kit. Can you answer a couple of questions. He says "NOTE: The standard kits will only fit spindles with a 1.250 or 1.375 OD where the inner bearing fits and a .750 OD where the outer bearing fits. Does my stock 49 Plymouth fit these specifications? For thoes of you who have done this, does the kit come with good instructions or is this something the mechanic should be able to figure out? Were there any surprises or unexpected things I should look for in the conversion? Thanks

OK, On the insurance issue, I haven't gone there yet. As of now It's a stock 49 driven less than 3000 a year. I'll start down that road next week. I have to be out of town Thursday till the following Monday so not much will get done this week till next. I didn't know the hitch was going to be so problematic. I guess I'll tackle that next as well. Neil, you say "Best case, you wouldn't want to do and I wouldn't like to see me do it. The 318, torqueflite, four wheel discs, equalizer hitch and trailer brakes." Trailer brakes are a given, already there. If I can get a receiver installed the equalizer hitch shouldn't be a problem. Is there a kit like the one from Rustyhope for the rear as well? Yeah I looked up the the Chrysler 318 with the torqueflite transmission, what a bear. Would that even be doable? Beyond that what would you advise as a less best case scenario you would’t mind seeing me do? Is there such a set up or am I just in the wrong ball park? What’s your take on the 230, could it be beefed up any? DJ you mentioned “Changing a stock type 218 to a 230 requires the 230 crankshaft and rods to be installed. If the rest of the parts are in Good condition they can be reused to save some $$$, Are “the rest of the parts” you are talking about, parts from my current 218? It has less than 29,00 original miles so I assume they are?

Wow OK guys thanks agina for all the info. Give me a few days to digest. I'm not even sure what some of the things you mention are? and I'm leaving town till Tuesday. Everyone have a great holiday. I'll post again when I get back. Lanny

Really on the wheel base, I wouldn’t have guessed it. Would there be enough of a benefit to go from the 218 (which is what I assume I have) to the 230 or should I be considering an engine even larger than that even if it means modifying to get it to fit? Would either of you be willing to speculate on a best case scenario for what I’m trying to achieve? Lanny

Neil I certainly sympathize and only will modify where I have to but bottom line, I need it to pull travel trailers and be a safe dependable daily driver.
I hate changing it it but I love the car.
Greg, I saw the Red Wagon pulling what could be a shasta. I looked for three years almost daily for a 49 Plymouth Special Deluxe wagon. The longer wheel base would have been a plus and it has a lot more storage space which would take away from what has to be loaded in the trailer. Would the car need to be drastically modified to put in the Plymouth 230? I was looking at a disk brake conversion kit I think was close to a grand. A guy here in a vintage club told me I could put in a newer 90s front end with disk brakes and better steering etc for less that that. I just need to do a lot of research but the answers I had been getting were so varied and my level of expertise and knowledge in this so minimal I'm simply just spinning my wheels.

My apologies I had unexpected minor health issues which put me out of pocket for a couple of days. Thanks for all the responses and the patience. OK The 49 Plymouth I think only came with a flat head six. It's a great engine has plenty of pep and runs like a sewing machine. That's without towing anything though. The trailer weighs between 1900 and 2500 pounds depending on how it's loaded, with a tongue weight of probably 200 lbs. It has excellent electric brakes and I've towed it several thousand miles with my 98 Tahoe. I use an anti sway bar hitch that works exceptionally well. I plan on towing four to five times a year with most trips under 600 miles round trip. Occasionally I'd like to make a long run say a couple thousand miles but that would be an exception. As to tow speed? I need advice on that. I usually tow 70ish with the Tahoe but the Plymouth is a whole nother ball game. Yes I agree a class 3 hitch is necessary and of course I'll need to install a brake controller. I'm concerned about the cars ability to do the deed. I love the 49 and my business deals with making parts for vintage travel trailers so it would be wonderful to pull with the vintage Plymouth. I know trailers but haven't worked under a car hood in over 30 years except to changing plugs, wires, fluids, etc. I want to make this work and am willing to modify the car to make it a sound tow vehicle but will make modifications with my teeth gritted as I really hate to change what is a truly beautifully built car. I’ve read and been told on blogs everything from all I need is a trailer hitch and brake controller to at a minimum it needs front disk brakes. or replacing the front end with a newer set up out of a mustang or something. I was told to do it right I needed to drop in a small hemi and replace both the front and rear ends? The advice has run the gamut but none of the folks were Plymouth people. So now that I’ve actually given you some specs to think about is anybody still willing to give me pointers after I dropped the ball the last few days?

Had a 49 Special Delux in college. . Wish I'd never gotten rid of it. But just bought a beautiful four door and I just go out and sit in it for fun. Runs great looks great, original paint and interior. Just a gem. Now my question, I also have an early 50s 15 foot restored camper. I don't know the weight but thought I'd ask, what the towing capacity of the flat head six was?