PT81PlymouthPickup

Mine starts easy enough with the electric starter. Just seems like even a half revolution would be a tough go by hand with that little crank. But watching Brent, he made that 1/2 turn look easy as pie. Ahhhh! His engine must be worn out. Lols! ?

I'm having dreams about that video. (good indication of how screwed up I am) I still can't believe how easy it started. Now, I suppose you're going to tell us it was stone cold too when you started it? ?

I agree! There were some disc / drum vehicles from the factory that did not have proportioning valves, although only a few. My worry, is that vintage auto brake systems often get tampered with by amateur mechanics and are supposedly upgraded with kits and mismatched components and sometimes will seem OK for the most part, Until a panic stop! I'm just being a voice of reason and suggest that anyone making changes to braking systems to really test them thoroughly hard somewhere you won't hurt or kill anyone before thinking you're good to go. I'm an advocate of split masters as well. I once slammed on my original brakes when a deer jumped in my path. The master cylinder failed (No brakes at all) and I almost flipped my old truck narrowly missing a head on collision. She now has a disc / drum, 2lb residual frt, 10lb residual rear, adjustable prop. valve which was needed to get the bias correct. The brakes seemed fine until I really pushed the limits.

More likely Mitsubishi had the air conditioners manufactured by Chinese workers using recycled U.S. metals that were processed in China. Lols! Yeah, we gotta laugh about this stuff. But seems pretty sad where things have gone? My recent disc brake project on my truck has a Bendix master cylinder and AC Delco discs and calipers, Raybestos rear drums, and a bunch of other parts all of which were manufactured in China. I actually tried to buy stuff made in the U.S. but was impossible to find. Did I mention I don't like China! Lols! I could go on, but the moderators might through me off the site.

Thanks Pete! I'm leaning towards non resistors. The AC45 plugs I have are non resistors. I might try a set of Autolite 295 plugs just because it's more Moparish under the hood. I like and have always heard good things about NGKs too, but something about Jap plugs in a WW2 era vehicle doesn't sit well with me now. My Dad, who fought during that war would get irritated with me buying Jap cars and when I visited Germany in 2001 he said: "What do you want to go there for? They were trying to kill us" Lols! I didn't used to pay much attention to him, but now I'm telling my kids to stop buying Chinese stuff. I guess what goes around, comes around?

Well Ed, you better get that nut on there if you want to be a manly man and hand crank start that engine like these other fellas on here. Lols! ?

Yeah! That's better. Slow but strong as hell. Lols!

Hey! I take issue about referring to our engines as "Sloth's! ? Lols! My truck goes down the road at a respectable pace. It's all relative anyhow. Compared to my lawnmower, it's got warp drive.

I agree with you both times Jeff. ? My goal also is reliability. I read on some of your earlier posts you have been using Autolite 306 plugs. My truck has had AC45 non resistor plugs which have worked well with my 12v and points. Do you think just staying with those is OK with the pertronix installed? 50mech suggested it shouldn't matter resistor or non resistor and that was confirmed by Pertronix technical rep. I'm uncertain if there is any reason to change plugs?

Doug&Deb Like Plymouthy, I learned there is a lot of misinformation concerning brake conversions and other products from both retailers and forum members. Also some good information, sometimes a bit difficult to tell which is which. Lots of good opinions that you can pick through and learn from. My advice would be read a lot and be diligent on understanding details before making changes in brake systems. I will say one thing that may raise some eyebrows concerning proportioning valves. Many on here and other forums state their vehicle is just fine without one. Well, from my research that's usually not the case. Proportioning valves are important for panic stops on vehicles with front disc / rear drum setups.. If you get rear brake lockup at higher speeds you could loose control. Many of these vehicles without a prop valve will stop just fine until that rare emergency panic stop. Knowledgeable street rod builders install adjustable prop. valves in the rear circuit on custom disc / drum to correctly adjust the bias by actually testing it. Car companies use combination valves which are designed and rigorously tested for specific vehicles to set the bias considering factors such as weight, center of gravity, hydraulic pressure capabilities of components, friction surfaces, etc. For this reason combination valves are usually not used on custom brake systems by professional car builders. Just sayin; Stay safe!

DJ, 50mech is a wealth of information. He has given me some great advice concerning my Pertronix install. I will add my 2 cents which is "dont mess with success" or "Leave well enough alone" Things my dad used to tell me and I never listened. If it's running well and the plugs look like they're burning well at the .035 perhaps just stick with it? Just about every time I start changing things, I get in trouble. ? Anyhow, If I'm reading you correctly your concern is tif you go with a wider gap with your existing plugs the electrode face and ground tab would not be parallel to each other? Interesting question! I'm not sure that would make any difference? But it seems like the spark might jump from the closest points and wear the electrode on one corner? I just put the first set of plugs in my 2008 Ford Ranger which I bought new now having 120,000 miles on it. The plug ground straps were conical in design (came to a point) Amazing with the computer controlled high energy ignitions, those plugs looked like brand new with all those miles. I almost hesitated to replace them. I remember seeing plugs shot at 10,000 miles in the old days.

OK, here's another thought I just had. After installing the Pertronix module, does the distributor need to be clocked (rotated differently) than when the points were installed? I'm hoping my vacuum advance unit will be in roughly the same position? If not I'll have to mess with the steel vacuum line which I painstakingly bent to look factory. Did I mention I'm afflicted with O.C.D. ?

I wish I could remember the thread size, I do remember it giving me some grief. Lols! ? If you measure the O.D. of the threads that will be very close (usually a few thousands under a nominal size) For example; 3/8 would measure a little under but close to .375. If you have or can borrow a pitch gauge you can determine the pitch (threads per inch). It may have an odd pitch. Best to do that under some magnification especially if you're as old as I am. You would need a new ferrule and possibly bend up a new line if you didn't want to splice a used one in. I got one somewhere, but just didn't record where. Would be nice to know if you determine what that fitting is.

Thanks! Now that problem is solved, Any suggestions on plugs? I've been running AC45 spark plugs which have been working well, but they're not resistors. I'm installing resistor wires which Pertronix insists on with their modules. Should not the plugs be resistors too?

I've had the pedals out a couple of times on my 39 which is same as your 41. Like dcotant says; floor boards have to be out.

Yeah! The more I'm thinking about this and remembering my dad. He probably was trying to protect me from braking my arm and having to take me to the emergency room. Did I mention I did lots of stupid stuff to endanger myself and aggravate him in the old days? Lols!

Jeff, If your vehicle has been sitting for many years, especially if in an unheated or UN-air conditioned garage and it had DOT3 (hygroscopic) fluid in the system there's a high probability water has entered the system. DOT 3 absorbs water and that will corrode things. I used to watch my dad (professional mechanic) check drum brake systems. He would remove a drum and first peal back the wheel cylinder dust seals to take a peek to look for excessive corrosion, then he would take a couple of pry bars or large screwdrivers on each side of the shoes with the end of screwdrivers inside the lip of the backing plate. He would rock the pry bars back and forth slightly to see if the pistons were moving freely in both directions. On cars that had been sitting for lengthy periods it was common to find stuck pistons. You might want to try that first? DOT 5 which repels water is good for vehicles that sit for long periods, but it has disadvantages as well, most notably expands with heat more than DOT3 and can give a spongy inconsistent pedal. As far as flushing, it's not a good practice to flush the system with alcohol or other solvents. It can damage rubber components. Alchohol is good for individually flushing lines and washing metal parts before assembly. DOT 3 and DOT5 don't mix and if that should accidentally happen you'll have to do a complete disassembly to clean it all out. If you can get any fluid from your system you can add a few drops of water to it in a jar. DOT 5 will not mix with water, but DOT 3 will. New DOT 5 does have a purple color, but over time it can change to yellowish, so not a reliable way to check. I had DOT5 in my truck for thirty some years and just recently switched back to DOT 3 due to stated shortcomings. I will say that the system was like new after all that time. It has it's merits for vehicles that sit for long periods. I'm much happier with my braking performance with DOT3 but I will need to be more diligent about routinely replacing the fluid. Most car manufactures recommend changing brake fluids at prescribed intervals, but almost no one does it. If you're cylinders are all free and in like new appearance you may have had DOT5 in there. If you see some minimal corrosion but pistons are still free your probably safe with DOT 3. Make sure to bleed thoroughly and in your case look for leaks. Sounds like you likely had one.

It must have been tuned pretty well, but I didn't hear a no on the ether? Lols! Amazing video!

Sorry to keep asking dumb questions 50mech! You seem like you are experienced with this stuff.? All I know about the coil that's in my truck is it's 12v and 1.5 ohm. I have no idea how many thousands of volts it puts out. I believe it was an old stock unit made in the early 1970s. Are you saying that running my 1.5 ohm coil, I should open the spark plug gap to .045? Or just if I purchase the Pertronix flamethrower II 45,000 .6 ohm coil?

Yeah mine either! I wonder if Brent 3B3 had a Pertronix ignition with ether in the carb? lols!

Thanks guys! Reliability is what I'm after. Just got a confirmation from Pertronix tech support and they concur with your advice. Below is quote from them: "Using the stock 1.5 ohm coil will be fine. The Ignitor II will control the coil and the extra voltage will not harm the coil at all. We also feel the same way about the resistor. We prefer for them to not be installed for performance and one less part to fail. The reason we show the alternative wiring, is many customer do not want to remove the resistor. They want to keep the resistor so it's has the original "look"." So, my plan is to finish they directed. If my coil ever fails I'll then replace with the .6 ohm flamethrower coil. Why are electrons so confusing? Or! Why am I so stupid? Lols!

I believe ya! I've never tried it, but you would think it would be difficult? I guess if Ignition and battery and fuel is setup right, just a quick crank will obviously do it. I don't think I'll try it though. I don't want to scratch my re-chromed grill molding. Lols!

Perhaps our dads were pulling our legs. This video makes it look easy. I still think I'll rely on my electric starter.

Jim, My father was a professional mechanic too dating back to the 40s. He told me the same thing. They might use those cranks to find top dead center usually with the spark plugs out. I've used a 3/4 drive wrench and socket to rotate my engine a bit and even with that large a wrench it's difficult to turn with the plugs in. I doubt it would be possible to actually start one of our engines with that crank. Perhaps if you're the Incredible Hulk? Lols! For sure it could not be safe? I have seen at car shows some real early Ford model Ts started with a crank. They only had 4 cylinders and about 20hp. And, I think people got injured with those things too.

Thanks 50mech! I had too many beers last night and read the chart wrong. I apologize to everyone for confusing things more than they already are. Yes, I have the Ignitor-II module. So, according to the chart maok posted I should probably have their .45 or .6 ohm coil which gives me a hotter spark? Their .45 ohm coil however is not a round stock looking coil, so it looks like #s 45001 or 45011 flamethrower 2 coils would be the best choice for my truck. Only difference being one is chrome and one is black Summit Racing lists them having a 2.125" diameter. If that's correct, I should be able to make it fit in my oem coil bracket. Agreed? From what I'm deciphering, my 1.5 ohm coil would probably work OK without the ballast resistor, but spark would be not as hot? Am I on track here? I'll see if Pertronix confirms this.