likaleica

Thanks for the interior info Jeff - and the historical context is important. The vinyl seat re-trim was the only thing I didn't like about the car when I bought it a year and a half ago - but here in the UK re-upholstery costs the equivalent of at least $5,000. I don't suppose anyone in the US makes tailored cloth coverings for these seats that could go over the vinyl ?

Just got back on the forum after a few busy working days - and hope you guys all stay friends in spite of some robust exchanges ! Some extremely useful contributions - notably the effect of two-tone on the shape of the 39 Plymouth, and especially the link to the original paint colors! Thanks also to Plymouthy Adams for teh advice on re-coloring the vinyl. Lots to chew over. I'm hoping to see my respray guy in a few days to discuss things with him. It may be that the extra effort (i.e. cost) of two tone paint will outweigh any advantages. I'll keep you posted!

Hi guys, we have similar gas issues here in the UK. Most people reckon our fuel is good for only between 4-6 months. A fellow Mustang owner advised using Super Unleaded (98 Octane) fuel rather than the standard 95 Octane Unleaded. We still have a very few filling stations that stock good old fashioned Four Star Leaded fuel - but last time I checked it was over 50% more expensive than Unleaded which is very costly itself. Is this the same Stateside?

Interesting information about the factory two tone paint options - thanks very much for that! I agree that proper cut lines are essential if you want to accentuate a car's shape - otherwise the two tone paint just doesn't work. There are at least 5 different ways of dividing the two colors that I've found on the internet. Can I throw another spanner in the forum's cogs?! My car's interior was professionally retrimmed a while ago to a high standard - but in rather looking drab brown Naugahide (vinyl). I believe the original trim was cord fabric - though mine is an export right hand drive car and I seem to recall that Buick export cars for example had leather seats - was it the same with Plymouth? Rather than retrimming it again - has anyone any suggestions? Years ago I successfully painted an old Mini's blue seats black using vinyl paint - perhaps I could paint the Plymouth's a nicer colour - perhaps dark grey ? Or maybe original type fabric coverings that could go over the vinyl are available somewhere ? Once again, all advice gratefully received!

This is great news guys and frankly not quite what I was expecting - thanks indeed! Owning my '39 is now even more affordable I don't need to spend out on expensive additive As my car is pre-1960 I don't need an annual safety test (MOT) certificate As it is pre-1973 I do not have to pay Road Tax (saving over $330 a year) Classic car insurance (limited to 1,500 miles a year) is about $220 a year

This is one for the technical fuel junkies: Being new to my 1939 Plymouth sedan I'm not sure if it needs a lead replacement fuel additive such as Redline or Wynns. I've been using Redline - but I've just seen an original Plymouth sales brochure highlighting the fact that the '39 models had hardened exhaust valve seats as standard. So I'm wondering if I need any additive at all to protect the engine ? There is also a choice of gas. Here in the UK our unleaded fuel is 97 octane but to achieve that is full of Ethanol. We do have a slightly higher 98 octane Super Unleaded with lower Ethanol content. Is Ethanol bad for these cars so I should use the Super fuel? All advice gratefully received as ever, guys!

Thanks guys - some very informative replies to chew over. One thing I HAVE decided - to doit in modern two-pack paint (rather than cellulose solvent based) to give a more durable finish. Classic car folk over here often cut the two-pack finish back with 1500 or 2000 grade wet n dry paper then apply cutting polish - to make the finish look less "plasticky" and more like the original cellulose appearance. I'm hoping to get the job done within a month - so I'll post some photos of the car after that. Thanks again guys

Hi Fellas I'm in a dilemma over what paint color and scheme to repaint my lovely 39 Plymouth Touring Sedan here in England to preserve its authenticity and would welcome some opinions. She's in very nice lightly restored/original condition but the black cellulose paint is cracked and micro-blistered in places and it's not the original color - I think it was a mid blue originally. It needs a re-paint. I'm tempted have her repainted two-tone - off-white up to the waist suage line on doors, bonnet sides and radiator cowl, with everything else black - fenders, hood tops, trunk and roof. But this is such an original car I'm worried about damaging its value and appeal if I do this. Was two-tone paint an original option ? Would I be better advised to go for an original color and scheme ? Does a color card for the 39 Plymouth exist? All posts gratefully received.

This is all terrific guidance guys - thanks very much indeed! I'm going to pull the drums and clamp the shoes first off, and try bleeding again. And also chase up the home made tool! Only problem here is the showery cold weather - I'm working in the open so it slows the job immensely......

Thanks again fellas - looks like the consensus is to "bite the bullet" as andyd aptly puts it and strip those wheel cylinders down. Oh well, so be it! Being in the UK, goodness knows where I will get a spare brake drum........but if anyone has a picture of where the window is cut in it, that would be extremely useful! So it's overalls on again - and I'll keep you all posted on how I get on !

Though I have bled the system and the pedal is now firm with no sponginess, only one of the drums is being braked properly (the one nearest the MC.) The other three show no braking effort at all (the car is jacked off the ground all round and I can turn them with ease when an assistant operates the brake pedal). I carried out the "minor" adjustment on the drums detailed in the Plymouth manual and from experience with other old cars they appeared to be OK. I've read what Roadkingcoupe said about brake shoe alignment - but I am wondering if the problem in this case is seized wheel cylinders from lack of use. The car had been in storage for some years after a very thorough and good restoration when I bought it 10 months ago. Unfortunately the owner had died so details of what was done on the brakes was lost too. All the brake lines had been renewed and by the look of the bleed nipples, the wheel cylinders were either new or reconditioned. There was no braking effort at all, but the master cylinder was leaking buckets - so I had it reconditioned and hoped that was the cause. I'd be grateful for thoughts on this...and also to hear from anyone who's made their own tool for centering the brake shoes as I'll have to do this anyway whether or not I strip out all the wheel cylinders.......

Well, it is sorted. I took the MC off and repositioned it so the unit's flange was on the left hand side of the mounting flange on the frame (so the unit is nearest the clutch bellhousing) - and both pedals now clear. I can't work out why the clutch pedal fouled the first time I did this.......anyway thanks once again for all the help, guys! Now I'm going to bleed the system and hopefully I'll have brakes for the first time since I bought the car!

Thanks for the replies and pix guys......it is the original MC and I did not remove the mounting flange that bolts to the frame, only the bolts holding the MC to that. In Chris's pix of the LHD set-up the MC is mounted nearest the brake pedal lever.......and if mine mirrors that it would be mounted on the right hand side of the mounting flange - the position in which it fouls the brake pedal! I'm now wondering if I need to back off the brake pedal stop bolt and increase the length of the MC piston rod - so that the brake pedal in the off position is nearer the driver and further from the MC unit. That way the brake pedal may not foul ??? Going to give it a try anyway.....and let you know

Update: I've tried most of the advice on freeing the clutch without stripping it down - without success. The car has no brakes until I manage to re-fit the brake master cylinder and I daren't do any more moving back and forth in gear until I've done that.........and what I thought was a simple job to re-fit that cylinder has also turned into a nightmare which I've had to make a separate posting about ! Well if these cars were easy, everyone would have them and it would be no fun I suppose !

I'm hoping someone can de-mystify a strange problem I've encountered trying to re-fit my reconditioned brake master cylinder. This is a RIGHT HAND DRIVE CAR. Whichever way I fit the unit, either the clutch pedal fouls it or the brake pedal does. When I position the master cylinder's mounting flange to the transmission side of the mounting plate on the frame (nearest the centre of the car) , the clutch pedal lever fouls the reservoir part of the master cylinder. When I reposition it so the mounting flange is on the door side of the frame mounting plate (nearest the outside of the car), then the brake pedal lever fouls it. I haven't disturbed the positions of the brake pedal or clutch pedal. Which side of the mounting flange SHOULD the master cylinder be mounted - and why is mine fouling in whichever position ? All guidance gratefully received! PS I have not been able to fathom how to post a photo of the master cylinder on here so I have posted one in the Gallery Technical Mechanical area

Thanks Fellas - a few good ideas here well worth a try. You've jogged my memory - my old timer car enthusiast father (sadly no longer with us) used to talk about clutch pressure plate springs becoming "coil bound" in storage - he always said a laid-up car ought to have a block of wood wedged between the frame/chassis and the clutch operating lever to compress the clutch pressure plate, keeping the springs compressed. Anyway I'll have a go with the techniques you suggest, see what happens and report back !

Hi fellas - once again I'm throwing myself on your charity for some urgent advice please on my '39 Plymouth P7. After winter storage in my dry garage, I find I can't disengage the clutch to put the car into gear. There is plenty of action on the clutch pedal. I have the floor out of the car to overhaul the brake master cylinder. A few weeks ago when the car was moved briefly I did notice that the gears graunched when I depressed the clutch pedal - but found I was pressing the pedal too far down as the floor was out. This puzzled me though - should it be possible for the clutch to disengage at one point in the pedal travel, then engage again ? Is this a clue to what the problem is ? As background, the car was in long term storage before I bought it last year and I have used it only to move in and out of my garage these past 6 months. Lack of use is a car's biggest enemy - has something seized up? All advice gratefully received as I am supposed to be showing the car at a fair on March 1 ! Thank you

I've now fitted the new 6 volt switch with 30 amp onboard fuse but while the side and tail lamps now work, the headlamps still don't. I'm beginning to suspect the headlamp relay is at fault..... With the old switch, I got the headlamps working fine - but after operating the switch a few times, the headlamps stayed on even with the switch in the "off" position. Assuming the switch had failed, I sourced the new one - and it was a good idea to replace a 70 year old switch in any event. Now with the new switch, the headlamps will come on only when I manually press the relay contacts under the bonnet. So I clearly have power through the switch to the relay - is the relay itself faulty ? Can I fit a modern relay to replace it while retaining the side lights relay? All advice will be gratefully received as you will have gathered that electrics are not my strong point!

Thanks Plymouthy. I did the internet search and I found this really useful wire calculator that allows you to input voltage from 6v upwards, length of cable run and the amp load - to give you the recommended wire sizes. For my 30 amp fused headlamp light switch it calculates a minimum No12 wire. So my electrical retailer was WRONG in suggesting No 16 ! http://www.gtsparkplugs.com/WireSizeCalc.html

Thanks Don - a very useful diagram and a lot clearer than the one in my Plymouth service manual. Am I correct in thinking No 16 means 16 AWG wire and No14 means 14 AWG wire ? 16 AWG appears to be rated at 21 amps @ 12 volts for example....

Hi again guys - at risk of sounding a total klutz....... on my 39 Plymouth I'm still confused about what amperage rated 12v wire I need for the live feed from the ignition switch to my 6v headlamp switch (with a 30 amp onboard fuse). And ditto the feed from the headlamp switch to the panel light switch. My electrical supplier says 12v wire rated at 17.5 amp is correct for the headlamp switch and 5 amp is sufficient for the panel lighting. Is he right?! Thanks again fellas

Adrian's 55 dodge is a real beauty - and I don't know if he would agree, could almost look a bit Gallic with that front end treatment that reminds me a little of Simcas and other French cars of the era. Would be great to see more pix of the Dodge! On the practical front, thanks to Adrian and others for yet more useful info. On balance I've decided to stay with the 6V system. Still waiting for my new headlamp switch to arrive from the US. Meanwhile if business commitments allow I'll fit the remanufactured brake master cylinder and bleed the hydraulics as advised on the forum. With luck, "The Beast" as I call her will be on the road by the end of the month so I'll keep you posted!

Just to update everyone: After quite a long online search I located a new 6v three position switch with an on-board 30 amp fuse in the US and I'm now just waiting for it to be shipped. The operating knob is not dissimilar to the original. Thanks to the advice on here I'll also source some correct gauge cable to hook it up.

I'm amazed at the depth of knowledge among members of this site - and very grateful for it. In answer to some of the questions - I believe the car was rewired with the correct gauge cables. Having only experienced 12 volt systems in the past, I've noticed how hefty most of the cabling appears. The advice to check the amp rating for a replacement switch sounds good. There are 12v switches here in England classed as "heavy duty" so I'll check those out. One piece of advice to throw into the ring: I read today on a British forum that fitting 12v type battery terminals can cause increased resistance and for example slow down starter motor cranking. My Plymouth cranks rather slowly so this is another area I will examine. Thanks again for all the very helpful advice, fellas