dpollo

I think I will add a condenser to my travel "kit" with an alligator clip do if I have the same problem again, I will cut the condenser wire inside the distributor and clip the replacement on externally. On my Ferguson tractor I had similar troubles and mounted the condenser outside the distributor case, It has run that way for years. I seldom change the condenser if the points have worn away evenly but in this case, the whole distributor was replaced with a "rebuilt" unit. Even has a tag on it. Enough to make even a good natured guy grumpy. Just looking at Don's diagram, I realize that the "rebuilt" unit is also missing the grounding jumper wire from the body to the moveable plate. Guess I will haul that unit outta there again. It is just possible that that was at the root of this problem . I was too flustered yesterday to notice.

I did not think I would be into a distributor so soon. Took my 52 Fargo for another long ride , I have run it 600 miles since restoration and all was well until this morning . It started to miss and cut up like it was out of gas and finally stalled. Fortunately I was able to coax it into a lay by and phoned for a wrecker. I was sure it was a bad fuel pump and was able to get it to run enough to get it up on the roll back truck. At home I changed the fuel pump, checked the filters and hose and even added gas to the tank. It just plain would not run well enough to drive. Remembering this thread, I pulled the distributor, which was a "rebuilt " unit. I replaced the condenser and it runs great again. Cost me $100 for the wrecker and I am certain a number of friends saw the truck coming home in disgrace. Humility, I am told , is a virtue. Pride goeth before a fall. In this case the Fargo Farted and stopped. and the 1/4 inch screw head is rounded off on this so called rebuilt unit. What a day !

1.93 inches would seem to be the way they left the factory. The best way to raise compression is to use a head from a smaller displacement head on the larger engine. Say a 51 Plymouth 217 head on a 230 . If both engines started out with 7 to 1 compression and you compute and compare the volume of the cylinders ( pi x radius squared x height) then you can arrive at a compression ratio , In my 50 , i have an American 230 with .040 overbore and a 52 Plymouth head, resurfaced only. Cranking pressure is 145 lbs. Runs strong. In my 51, I have a 57 Canadian 251 bored .060 with a 51Plymouth 218 (Canadian) head. The compression ratio is 8.5 to 1. It has run 50 000 miles on unleaded gas without any problems. Putting a 230 head on a 217 or a Spitfire (251) head on a Canadian 218 would lower compression as some people have learned the hard way. In any event, these engines can be made to perform, but are used to best advantage when low end torque can be utilized. The 265 is gutsy but not a high revver. A local circle track racer around here was competitive against small block V8 s . His B Modified class racer would pull the left front wheel off the track coming out of turns. One season... in the late 60s he finished 2nd overall. Did those Zoomie headers ever sound GOOD. I never had to nerve to get out on a track but I enjoyed the reliability at low cost of these engines. And still do.

Should take about a second... maybe two to shift seems longer if you are in a hurry. Is it possible someone has substituted a heavier oil than the SAE 10 which is called for ?

I have been dealing with IAT distributors since 1964 and have never had the difficulty that you have described. In the old days when I could see and was flexible I would do them in the car ! Someone along the line has altered something. It is true that the screw holding the end of the points spring is in an awkward position but it does not need to be completely removed and an ignition wrench is required to turn it. If you do them on the bench the points plate can be lifted enough that this screw can be set with a screwdriver.

It will run OK with a regular pulley like Plymouth used.

Great progress ! How many of you noticed the Kilometer scale on the speedometer? Took me more than one view. It suggests that the car was originally intended for sale in Europe. Showing just under what may be 110 000 kms which is roughly 70 000 miles. Lots of life left in the mechanicals.

The carburator used on the Chevrolet six up to about 53 works well on the Plymouth 201. So also does the Zenith as found on the 40s International light trucks.

Turning the engine over with the starter until some oil pressure shows is a good idea. Remove the plugs so you get some speed. Another way is to attach a tank like a modified filter canister to one of the oil ports on the left hand side and give it some elevation so oil runs into the galleries. While we are talking about filter canisters, make sure yours is connected correctly with the pressure line into the side (or the top) and the return from the bottom to the vertical port near the dipstick. This is very important. If it is hooked up backward, material from the filter element may be forced back into the engine.

I think I would follow your machinist's recommendation on oil but here is some logic you may want to ponder. An engine like yours does not filter all the oil unlike the Chrysler six Don Coatney has illustrated. Detergent oils keep particles in suspension so the filter can capture them . Great for engines with full flow filters. Engines without filters, or those with bypass filters like yours may be better off initially with non detergent oil so that particulates can settle to the bottom of the pan. After 500 miles this oil can be drained and a detergent oil used thereafter. Lighter oil is better for break-in. At the time your car was new, this would have been SAE 20.

Now you can consider "breaking in" your new engine. An old-timer once told me ,"Machinery has a long memory for abuse." There is lots of good advice on breaking in a newly rebuilt engine. I have boiled it down to a few simple maxims. ---set the idle speed up a bit and avoid long periods of idling ---- drive normally but avoid higher speeds for sustained periods of time ----vary the throttle position and take advantage of deceleration as this will pull oil up into the cylinders ( a good thing) ----after initial warm up and again after 500 miles, retighten the cylinder head Change oil after about 500 miles and since your engine is as clean as it ever will be, use a good detergent oil I use 15/40 designed for diesels but there is lots of discussion around this. It boils down to "use good oil and keep it clean. Knuckle Harley has it right. It is now YOUR car. enjoy it.

Good one , brings back memories. Glad I never got caught !

With FluidDrive, the parking brake is really important. The shop manual will give you the procedure for setting it up. Also, while the engine is out of the car, check the cable which operates the brake. It can get worn where it comes in contact with the left rear engine mount. If the outer sheath is worn it can "birds nest" and release the brake. Remember Mr Cunningham's Desoto on Happy Days ? It ran away more than once .I think the best look we got of that car ( which was the rare "Traveller") was when its front had become part of Arnold's decor. One of the show's writers must have had this happen.

Thanks for keeping us all posted. You will be incredibly pleased at how well your car will run ! Watching that boring machine reminded me that some boring jobs were done right in the car !! How they got all the residue out of the engine afterwards still puzzles me.

I stand corrected on Amuri Motors and its location. Thank you.

You are right about ND being cold and almost in Canada. The freight rate interests me since cross border shipping has further expenses. To compound my shipping woes I am also on an island so most of the time I don't get involved. Indeed the flathead was last used in 59, at least in the passenger car but I was told this transmission carried through..... no proof though and the only 61 left around here iv a V8 automatic.

A New Zealander came to Victoria BC Canada in 1980 and brought his 38 Dodge with him. I rebuilt the engine, brakes and driveshaft some years ago and learned that this particular car is all American except for the right hand steering . It also has a full leather interior. It carries a serial number suggesting it was built in Detroit. Unlike a Canadian car, it uses the 3 1/4 bore engine , has 11 inch brakes and American drums and wheels. The drums have flat flanges and studs and the wheel centers are flatter . The wheelbase is longer than a Plymouth, the difference found in the rear door opening. It also has Export embossed in the headlight glass and the low beams dip to the left...... a condition rectified by changing the bulbs. Apart from the headlight bulbs this car is all authentic including a dealer's sticker on the dash. Not sure but is possibly Amori Motors Aukland.

You learn something new every day. In all my years of messing with 50 51 and 52s I learned about the dropping fender molding but had never noticed the width difference. The contour of the body between the trunk and the fender looks a little different on the 51 and 2 perhaps making the car a bit wider . Front fenders and front doors do not interchange between 50 and 51

I was called upon to repair the rocker boxes under the doors on a P15. The sill moldings were long gone. Since this was an "economy" repair and knowing that the 42s used a slimline molding, I scavenged a set of box side moldings from an early 70s Ford pickup. A little minor shaping and it looks great. P15 moldings are hard to find and very expensive if undamaged. Ford saved the day. My grand dad bought a car like yours new. A very nice car. Always regretted not being allowed to buy it from his estate. He wanted me to have it but did not put it in writing. Since I was 14 at the time he died, nobody was much interested in what I had to say. His car had logged 55000 miles by the last day he drove it. April 20 1962. Sorry to be so sentimental but a nice P15 does that to me,

Fits 57 to 61 but not the 40 to 56 where the R10 has proven popular. The internals so far as I know are the same. I have one here as you know, so congratulations on finding one closer to home.

I recommend you go ( online) to Mike Hammerberg's collection of Gus Wilson's Model Garage 1925 to1970. There is not much in the way of troubleshooting that is not covered in these very entertaining stories. I have the site on my Favorites List but began reading them in 1960 and was lucky that my dad had kept all his back issues . The very problems you are having have been written about more than once.

Just as KH says on most cars of that era as well as trucks BUT if your 36 is more like the 35s then use your thumbs to unscrew the ring around the button.

The 40 is one of my favourites. I had a sedan when I was a teenager. It was hard to kill. I now have a Deluxe Business coupe, Good luck with yours.

It pays to "Ask the man who owns one." Since you are in Sweden, it may be a challenge to round up the necessary parts. Good luck.

Don's solution is better than the original setup. In your case, the front of the input shaft will need support. For the most part, pilot bushings and crankshafts were compatible and cars with Fluid Drive often had (un needed) pilot bushings in the crankshaft. I have heard of differences with HyDrive but did not find any such problems with a HyDrive 54 Plymouth that I had. I did have trouble locating a block with the necessary oil passages. History now.