JerseyHarold

There is a company on eBay advertising new master cylinders for our cars for about $130.00 that are made in China. My gut feeling is that the Mopar vendors are also sourcing it from China, hence the lower pricing from Bernbaum and Roberts.

I've seen the turning tools offered by several mail-order tool companies like Harbor Freight or JC Whitney, and they may be available locally at a good auto parts store.

If you can remove the inspection cover under the bell housing there are turning tools that grab the flywheel teeth so you can spin the engine.

I used to subscribe to C&P but gave up several years ago after they ran a multi-part article on installing a sideview mirror. It was on the order of 'and next month we'll mark and drill the second mounting hole.....' at which point I had enough. I've still got a bunch of magazines from my subscription that will be advertised in the near future!

Congrats on the new arrival!

Everything evolves and the POC leadership should realize that the car hobby is doing it, too. An internet region would probably be very successful and draw a wide membership. Not to digress too much, but they should also lighten up on the whole originality thing. If you're a newcomer to the hobby and have a budget to consider, the truth is that these days it is nearly impossible to restore any car to an as-built condition without spending a fortune. Something else to consider is that the 'feeder stock' of original cars is dwindling rapidly, so even non-original preservation is a good thing compared to the crusher.

I'm 56 years old and from Brooklyn. Is detasseling something the stripper does at the end of her act??

Nice idea, but no they don't light up. The plastic letters were only for 1951. The '52's had a solid piece of chromed pot-metal for the hood nameplate. Just one of many ways that the '52 got de-contented compared to the 1951's.

How many hours did it take to get the whole car down to bare metal? What did you use to do the work?

I just saw this ad on Craigslist. It was posted a while ago, but the car may still be available. Worth a call: http://southjersey.craigslist.org/pts/2003298407.html

My first car was a '64 Mercury Comet that my cousin's friend didn't want anymore. It supposedly didn't run, but 15 minutes after pushing it home I drove it down my street. I received two '51 Plymouths at different times, the business coupe I have now and a Cranbrook that I parted out (and now regret). And the only foreign-make vehicle I ever owned was a beat-up Toyota Corolla someone gave me that needed an alternator. That was a fix-n-flip because I didn't have any use for a foreign car. Do you have a freebie story to share?

I don't have a P15, but I can tell you why I have my '51 and '52. My '52 Cambridge is identical to the one my father bought new. I came home from the hospital in it, and have many nice memories associated with the car. We traded it in on a new '65 Dodge Coronet 440. The 1951 business coupe is also a reminder of my childhood. When I was very young, there was a dairy company in the town where we spent our summers that had two of them, one in light gray and the other a black one like mine. So when this car came along, I grabbed it. Being one of those 'tow it out of here and it's yours' deals made the decision to get it that much easier!

There were two styles of factory radio for 1951, 5-buttton and 7-button. I've had both kinds and they add a nice touch to the car. if you find a radio, I'd say go for it. There were also aftermarket radios available that came with the whole face plate for the middle of the dashboard. I don't think they look as nice as the originals. Another thing to consider is that you'd have to drill a hole for the antenna. The proper location is above the nameplate on the left front fender. There may be an official template that you can use to locate it exactly. I've seen lots of cars that don't look right because of the antenna being drilled into the cowl or some other awkward location.

So from the posts above, it looks like the fronts are a relatively easy swap if you have the suspension uprights and backing plates from a post-war car. Is the bolt pattern the same for attaching newer rear backing plates to an early axle?

This one has been in my garage for about 10 years. I did a lot of work to it before then and it was running good when I parked it. My son got interested so that's why we dusted it off and started checking it out.

We finally got back to the Cambridge today and I pulled out the fuel guage sender and took a look inside the tank. There is a quarter-inch deep layer of thin, amber-colored liquid in the bottom of the tank. It smells, believe it or not, kind of cinnamon-y. If you rub it between your fingers, most of it evaporates leaving an oily residue. My plan is to add several gallons of gas with a bottle of dry-gas, and crank away to see what happens.

My '51 and '52 have the L-shaped lifting section, as did our original '52. My father's car slipped off the jack once, so he got a 'hook' style bumper jack and didn't use the original again.

I think the backing plates are stamped to handle a specific type of cylinder and shoe so I don't know whether converting to full-floating shoes would be an easy task. I was wondering if the bolt pattern to attach the backing plates is the same pre- and post-war. If it is, changeover should be fairly easy.

I saw a '37 Plymouth in someone's yard the other day and got to thinking about the differences between pre-war and post-war brakes. As I understand it, the pre-war brakes had stepped wheel cylinders and single cylinders for the front wheels, which are difficult to find and expensive when you do. Would post-war (P15 through 1954) backing plates fit the axles and spindles of the earlier cars? This would make it much easier to get parts. Does this idea have any merit? Harold

No drivetrain but body and chassis appear usable. Looks like a quick-flip deal from the seller: http://forums.aaca.org/f119/1946-48-dodge-d-24-coupe-283386.html

The warranty sounds like a new-style gimmick to lock you into dealer service. Since when does buying a vehicle include relinquishing your right to service it yourself? I'd read the fine print on the warranty and then ask whether the seller can state in writing that whatever additives they use are approved by Chrysler.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I'm sure a replacement manifold will turn up. With all the flathead-six manifold issues, I'm surprised someone hasn't contracted with a foundry in China to make repops. There is probably enough of a market for them.

The flush-mount switches really make a differerence. Much nicer.

John, Great looking door panels! When did you install power windows? Harold

I used a 1000# Harbor Freight engine stand (4-wheel model) and supported the front of the engine with wood because it sagged too much.