Bob Riding

I like your blackwall tire look...looks like the old advertisements

Thanks Jim...any pictures of the wagon as she looks now?

Ah, the relaxing Holidays...catch ya next time Bob

hey Don; What's bringing you out to "Bagdad by the Bay"?

Sounds like front discs for sure, and maybe rears too...good advice!

I'm getting to the brake stage on the '40 wagon. I have decided to at least go disc/drum, or perhaps disc/disc. Someone was saying that by the time you gather up and pay for all the drum parts, you could just about go with discs all around (whether Charlie's kit, Plydo or ECI, ). I have all the old drum parts from the car...Plus the hassle of adjusting the shoes, etc...Any thoughts?

Thanks...I will contact them...that's more than I was expecting to pay, however...what all did you get for that price? Bob

Jerry; that would be great! Thanks

I just read in the paper that Tex Davis, of Fresno, just passed away. He did my engine a couple of years ago for my '40 Dodge business coupe. He was a funny old guy. The obit said he was 78 and had been an auto mechanic for 65 years! I just talked with his boss (Jerry Turner, Turner Auto Wrecking) about two weeks ago and everything seemed fine. I was planning to take a P28 motor in to Tex to rebuld. Now I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to get the engine work done...any of you Bay Area or L.A. guys know of shops that can rebuild these flatheads? I live near Fresno Bob

The lettering is from a Sonoma county mom and pop grocery store called "Baldy's " Pretty funny since most of my hair went south years ago!

OK, Maybe I should say that Mulder is out there...in California, that is. John and his lovely wife stopped by yesterday on their way to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks, which are about a hour from where we live. We looked at my old cars and had a fun discussion about the differences between California and Curacao (pronounced Cure-a sow). They kept saying how friendly everyone is here, and quality of the fresh fruit impressed them. I gave them some grapes to snack on their way to the Parks and the name of a local B&B/winery run by some friends of ours (where they ended up staying Thursday night). http://www.cedarviewwinery.com/visit.html What a great couple.

Greybeard; Thanks, It sounds like full removal is the way to do it, especially if you need to work on the other systems...Bob

Thanks Reg, you just saved me some time! Bob

thanks! very cool...and being in CA, I of course had granola this morning...will that make a difference?...Dude!

I am about ready to pull the motor from my '49 B2B, so I can take it down to the rebuilder (Tex Davis, Fresno, CA) . I had a much easier time when pulling the motor from my '40 Dodge, by pulling off the entire front clip - fenders, grill,etc., all as one piece. Is there a similar technique with the pilothouse trucks or is there enough clearance the way it is?

Don; Where you using an NOS distributor? How long had it been since you had done a tuneup? Bob

I will ask Tex about it next month, when I take in the motor

Could be, I don't remember, but that makes sense. Thanks Bob

When are you comin' out to sunny (and hot) California?

I am just starting the rebuild of a P29 engine for my '40 Plymouth wagon. Don C. had asked in a previous thread about who was going to do the rebuild. When Don visited me a couple of years ago he commented on the quality work that my builder had done. (His name is Tex Davis and he was in his mid-seventies a few years ago when he did my 230 for the '40 Dodge.) I figured that he'd retired by now, but I just spoke with Jerry Turner of Turner's Auto Wrecking http://www.turnersautowrecking.com/ and found out that Tex is now working under Turner's roof. Tex is the real deal. He started working at a Chrysler dealership in Kingsburg, CA the late 1940's and absolutely knows his stuff. He rebuilds all kinds of flatheads, and loves the Ford V-8s too. (As an example, if you look closely in the photo of the previous engine he did for me, you can see where he hardened the exhaust valves.) He will do just about anything you want, except he won't warranty the engine if you want him to install a radical cam, or if you push the tolerances too much i.e., overbore the cylinders or shave too much off the head, etc. Here is my engine from the 2004 rebuild. He quoted me a price of $1,400 to do a complete rebuild on the P29, including all new Egge parts. So...if you are in or near California (Fresno to be specific), and need it done right, Tex Davis is still working hard at keeping the flathead alive. For how much longer is anybody's guess... Bob

I am going to have a friend rebuild a 230 from a '56 Plymouth - he will get most of the replacement parts from Egge, but doesn't have a good source for the tube. It seem to me that I've seen it on various sites, but I can't remember... Bob

A great new word: "farmerized" Thanks

I thought you were going to say that! Thanks for the info on Jasper...I forgotten about them. Bob

I am looking for a good engine candidate for my 40 Plymouth wagon, and wanted to stay with Plymouth and go with a 230, which means trying to find another motor, since the stock block was a 201, and according to George A., weak in the main bearing dept. I bought a parts truck last year for my 49 Dodge, (found in a farmer's field in Sonoma County) and got to thinking about using the truck motor (since I assumed it was a 230). When I checked the engine # this morning, I was surprised to find out it didn't have the Dodge engine # , but a P28! The actual # stamped on the boss is P28I*I394II* Unless I'm wrong, that makes it a 1956 Plymouth engine with 125 hp, which I think will be plenty to move the woodie into traffic, have enough passing power, etc. My question is how can I tell if the engine has already been rebuilt years ago(such as added markings, etc), would still be a good candidate, and what did dealers do to sell a used engine? Thanks Bob

Don; turning the key, energizes the circuit - the starter is a shaft on the firewall, above the accelerator pedal - it is connected directly to the starter motor.