Los_Control

I like the idea of using what is available. I'm sure you could make a 302 engine fit fine .... think about the transmission also. Most of the modern Ford transmissions seem to be large for whatever reason. I have never stuck the Ford engine in any other car before, going from experience working on my neighbors 53 Ford with a 302/A0D trans. The car would originally have a Y block V8 with a automatic trans. Whoever did the engine swap made it work, but it is a real hack job. The transmission bell housing is so large they had to lower the rear of the transmission to clear the floor. The proper way would have been to cut the floor & tunnel out and level the engine/transmission, then rebuild the floor/tunnel ... possibly modify the firewall. I changed the oil in the car and put in the required 5 quarts. The angle is so bad the dipstick reads 4 quarts ... you know the drive line u-joints are at a bad angle also. I talked online with another forum member who owns a few Hot Rods including a 53 Ford. He installed a sbc 350/700R in his Ford because it fit so much better then the Ford engines and did not need to modify the floor. There was a conversation about this. Many say it is better to put a Ford engine in a Ford car. Then those who have done it, know it can be a lot of extra work to make it fit right. I realize you are asking about a mopar not a Ford .... just pointing out you need to measure your clearances for bell housing & floor areas also when searching for a engine to install. ..... A lot of the old 40's-50's cars shared the same size motors/trans ..... modern cars and engines often share nothing including size and they are different.

I do not believe you can if I understand the question correctly. This is a 1951 Ford clutch, I assume it is very close to our mopar clutches ..... I have not yet had the pleasure to look at mine. The clutch disk has geared teeth that rides on the transmission shaft .... The disk spins with the transmission while the vehicle is in motion. The pressure plate forces pressure to the disk forcing pressure on the flywheel .... When you use the clutch that removes the pressure and allows the disk to spin freely. The only real adjustments here is the springs, They are color coded .... red ones like mine are considered a dump truck clutch because the springs are very stiff .... blue springs are softer and for a car. Then the arms are shimmed from the factory to adjust where the throw out bearing contacts them ..... basically all you get to play with on a pressure plate. Basically like @Dave72dt suggest, the only adjustment we get to play with is on the end of the clutch pedal.

Looks to me like they should have a speed nut with them. I have heard good things about AB, never dealt with them myself ..... your part looks incomplete to me. I feel AB should have provided the fasteners with the part if they want to sell it. I feel it will cost you another $4 to get them from the local hardware store with the screws to go with it. Same time I feel the size of the part is deceiving in a photo .... It may not be as easy to find correct size that will fit. Or it may be simple. I still feel AB should be told about the issue, it is their reputation on the line .... might be just easier to go get the stuff needed locally. That switch is not complete in my book with no way to fasten the wires to it.

I experienced water in the gas one time, it is not easy to diagnose imho. Many years ago it was a off topic plymouth mini van. .... It ran ok .... just fine. Then for a example going to pass a semi truck and get in the left lane of freeway and pick up speed. Get up to about the doors on the semi then it would fall on it's face. Would end up slowing down and getting back in the right lane behind the semi. Kind of dangerous in my opinion. The water is heavier then the gasoline, so it just kinda hangs out at the bottom of your tank ..... When you really start to burn some fuel passing another vehicle then the water gets picked up and spoils the fun. I fought this issue for a long time and could not figure it out. I sent it to a shop and paid for the deluxe tune up ... told them my issue. .... I had to wait my turn of 2 weeks just to get in line as it was a very expensive well known shop .... I ended up with gold plated spark plug wires ? ..... still had the same problem. I got so mad at it I just parked it for 6 months and never drove it. Then I thought about water in the gas, I had like 3/4 a tank of gas in it and added a bottle of heet to it and took it for a long drive to burn out the fuel. .... I did not see the problem again. Seems the chemicals in heet allow the heavier water to mix with the gasoline and it all gets burned together. I noticed the performance was not as good as normal ..... like the mixed water/fuel lowered the octane rating. The next tank of fuel performance was right where it should be. It was a $1 fix at the local gas station. I suppose it depends how much water you have in your tank as to how it runs .... A bottle of heet is pretty cheap insurance. I started adding it to my tank in all my vehicles once a year .... been several years though as I have forgot to do it ?

I have the feeling your car has been rewired over the years, not still the original cloth wiring the car was born with. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking that there was some creative wiring done when it was rewired ..... If it was intentional or not, I have no idea. Just using a modern ignition switch as a example. You turn the key on and it powers up the vehicle .... you twist the spring loaded switch further and it sends power to the solenoid using the "trigger wire" ..... Once started, the trigger wire never gets power again until you once again twist the key to start it. The push button that activates the trigger wire on our old vehicles works the same way. ...... For whatever reason, when your headlight switch is turned on, the power is removed from the solenoid. ..... I would have to look at a wiring diagram to see where the power to the solenoid comes from ..... then look at your wiring to see where it is coming from. It should not in anyway be connected with your headlight switch .... I think headlights and solenoid should be on different circuits not related to each other.

Not something we hear about today, At one time is was a popular sport to race greyhounds. Seems like there is still 2 tracks in USA that races them .... closely governed of course. They had the mechanical rabbit on the inside fence and the dogs would chase it around the track. The rabbit was invented in 1914 .... that helped the sport gain traction and popularity. Previously starting in 1876 they were racing them on a straight track with mixed results. ... I only imagine the results were mixed. So when the rabbit came along, by the 30's the greyhounds would be thought of as something fast and sleek. One of those things that does not make sense today, at the time it did.

Looks like it was original on 34 .... I dunno about 35. A google image search shows it on mostly 34 cars while others have used it on different years ..... Which came first? The Greyhound hood ornament or the Greyhound bus. Google search shows 1914 for Greyhound bus company.

Is there a #5 ? ...... Those that may or may not know how to do it ..... but insist on doing it anyways to learn? Sometimes this attitude has cost me money .... with the mistakes ..... It is a lot of fun learning though.

Getting pretty brave there buddy, considering 3 days ago it was 33 degrees and rained all day long

It is very common for these old engines to have stuck rings when they have been sitting for long periods. The rings are made of cast iron, the pistons a combination of different metals. The dissimilar metals cause corrosion and the rings stick to the pistons. A healthy engine, the rings will freely move around in the ring landings of the piston. The rings also act like a spring and apply pressure to the cylinder walls. When they get corrosion from sitting, the rings no longer move in the landings or apply pressure to the walls .... because they are stuck to the pistons. The valve guides on these old engines will have small amounts of oil left in them. When a engine sits long enough, the oil turns to sludge. When the engine is turned over, the cam will push the valve open. Sometimes the valve spring is just to weak to pull the valve closed through the hardened sludge. If you remove the head, you often can just use your thumb and push the valve closed .... repeat the process a few times and the valve will start closing on it's own. You have no stuck valves because you have compression on all cylinders iirc. But because of possible sludge build up, your valves could be sluggish in closing .... causing it to run rough. For both the rings and valves, it can only help to soak them in a light oil. It will not produce miracles, yet it wont hurt a thing. Fogging the cylinders will not hurt either, really would do nothing for the rings though. Marvel mystery oil and atf can be added straight to the oil if you desire ..... it will help you more adding it to the cylinders though ..... later to the oil for a further cleaning if you wish.

I wonder how much alike the steering boxes are between the cars and trucks? I only know for the trucks, a 1948-52 Ford F1 steering box worm gear will interchange with the Dodge truck steering worm gear. What I mean is they are both made by the same company .... is it Saganaw? .... The boxes will not physically interchange, but the guts inside are made from the same manufacturer. You would again need fab skills to cut the arm off and weld it in place on your steering arm, I'm thinking you should be able to get the rest of the parts needed to rebuild your existing box. ...... Just a idea to ponder, I have no clue if the truck & car boxes are even remotely similar ..... Maybe someone else here does? I only suggest this as it is what I will probably do if needed ..... I saw in your other thread that you have had yours apart and I think you could rebuild yours if you have the parts. ....... Does this gear look like yours? Again just thinking of another idea to fix your issue. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2332490.m570.l1313&_nkw=1951+ford++steering+box+worm+gear&_sacat=0

Now is a good time to add oil to the cylinders. A mixture of ATF & acetone is good, or plain old Marvel mystery oil ..... add it a few times over the winter, will slowly drain down into the pan then add some more. Good chance you have some sticky valves since you said it was running rough like not all cylinders were firing .... will be good to loosen up the rings on the pistons. A good soaking does not happen in a week ..... most of us do not have the time or patience for it ..... now is the perfect time to take advantage of the winter months and soak it. Will not hurt a thing. In the spring time when you are ready .... make sure it will hold water anyways, then I would fill it with straight vinegar and let it soak while you run the engine.

It is tough this time of the year to deal with cooling systems. Best just to keep water away from it if outside temps are near freezing. I have ran my truck several times with no coolant in it. ....... Meaning I cleaned my coolant system well to be sure it was ok, but the radiator was leaking badly and I removed it. I still started my truck and moved it around the driveway. If one of my other vehicles needed work, I would start my truck up and move it to the side of the garage. When the grass needed mowing I would move the truck around so could get the mower behind the garage ..... This went on for a couple of years while I worked on the truck. I just never let it run long enough to overheat. I can add, after running the engine with coolant in it for the first start and letting it run at operating temps it improved and smoke disappeared, valves started seating and was running good enough to be a driver. Then with no radiator for a couple years and running it several times without getting up to operating temps, it was smoking badly, running rough etc.... I was thinking I can not drive it this way. Now with a good radiator installed, let it run at operating temps, it has cleared up and runs better again ..... What I'm saying is, you can run it for short periods with no coolant ..... it will tell you something about the condition of the engine ..... if it is worth going forward with it. You really want to get coolant in it at some point and let it run for awhile to really know what condition the engine is in.

Batteries can fail in different ways .... what you describe is a common way. Sounds like your charging system is working fine. I've had batteries fail before, jump start them in the morning and will be fine all day to go to work and run around ..... Let it sit overnight and just wont hold a charge that long.

Glad you said it, I did not have the heart to tell them everything done on top .... needs to be done on the bottom also. It really is not a pleasant job. ....Last area on my truck that needs to be painted. .... been waiting til I got the new floor welded in and finished on top. Just get it high enough on blocks so you can lay on your creeper and scoot around .... wear eye protection ... always ..... Dirty job but only needs done once. Some cars have undercoating on them .... what a mess that can be if it needs removed.

I have had good results with ospho. I remove as much rust as I can, Using a wire cup wheel on a grinder. I also have 36 grit sandpaper for my orbital sander. Sometimes it is a hand held wire brush or sandpaper. Then I have disposable plastic butter bowls ... I always keep a few in the garage. I like to pour a little ospho in the bowl and then use a brush to apply it. I get the cheap $1 nylon paint brushes from the dollar stores. You can get a nice even coat this way. They have ospho in a spray bottle, I find it wasteful and streaky .... brush is better. I had to weld in some patches also, when done welding I then used seam sealer around the welds to take care of any missed pin holes in the welds. Most of my original seam sealer around the floor edges was missing or in poor condition .... I dug it out and replaced it. This also would work on the rusty pin holes. I had a few where the metal was strong, the holes were too small to bother welding. For paint, I used Rustoleum paint, applied with the same nylon brush I applied the ospho with. Ospho will not hurt the brush, the paint will melt the brush after a hour or so of use .... just throw it away when finished with it. The Rustoleum paint is DTM (direct to metal) Primer is not necessary here. IMHO. .... I would rather just apply 2 heavy coats of paint with the brush ... It also claims to be rust preventative ..... you already took care of the rust with ospho. I treated my whole truck with ospho during paint. The frame, suspension, axles, floor all using DTM. The body panels were also treated with ospho while bare and waiting for paint, then they got a few coats of rusty metal primer before paint.

Sadly I have not. With all the helpful info in this thread from others .... I had it all together like I think it should be .... I just needed to pull the trigger and smoosh it all down & close it up. Like a squirrel chasing nuts I get easily distracted and started working on welding & body work. ..... Although I did install the headlight buckets yesterday. Sometime in the near future I will need the dimmer switch to complete the wiring. ..... Now I want to do some needed maintenance on the motor while have easy access. I will need to install the fenders before headlight wiring harness .... I will try to put it back together or buy the Kenworth switch to replace it.

Sounds like you have enough compression to run. Nothing wrong with adding oil to the cylinders, it will be good for the engine ...... but bad for the plugs. The wet plugs you pulled out need to be cleaned & dry really well for them to work again ..... If any oil left around the electrodes, they will not fire properly. So it makes sense, it ran once but the plugs got so oiled fouled it did not run again. Cranking speed will always help it start, just need to work with what you have.

Lets be honest ..... days of catalogs are long gone. Kids coming up through todays school system use the internet for searching. ..... It takes skill & talent to go to a long row of catalogs sitting on the counter ..... Know which book to go to for the part in question. ....... Thats the way it use to be done, not done the same way today. I could go on and talk about how my wife use to do things 35 years ago ..... sadly time changes things. Sometimes better, sometimes worse.

The cheapest way is to fill it with water and see if it leaks. Then drain the water before it freezes of course.

I agree with this statement ..... the plan is to move the ball down the field .... get it over the goal. I know many would never be satisfied with this level of a paint job. I got the major dents out, I repaired the rust. I'm on my way to having my first paint job under my belt and learned a lot from it. Having gone through all the maintenance to make it a decent DD .... It will look respectable from 30' and run ok. I'm glad I stayed with a single stage enamel paint. I'm thinking as a running driving truck I can continue to work on the body over the years and spot paint the repairs as I go. ..... For me I think the enamel was a good choice .... although summit racing has some single stage urethane at a reasonable price. Either way, thanks to my wife I did get it 90% painted. My goal was to get it painted by the end of the month before the weather changes. Then a tropical storm popped up on radar .... yesterday was my last good day to paint. Suppose to rain & thunderstorm for 6 out of the next 8 days, is raining now. So when I ruined the 1rst gallon of paint I had, I was bummed out and ready to toss in the towel, just accept to wait til spring for paint. ..... The next day my wife convinced me to go get another gallon and keep going All the pieces are safely stored away drying. I need a week to recuperate .... get back at it soon. I think the truck spoke to me while I was painting it. ??? I fixed a few dents on the back of the cab & roof. Then when I applied paint I saw just how many dents there is on the roof. This created a image in my mind. Along with all the other interesting body damage. I only know the owner was a gate guard at a cement plant. I now believe the truck started out as a company truck. And started its life out on heavy construction sites carrying equipment for the job sites. I'm sure they would have a garage and mechanics to maintain equipment .... explains why mechanically it is in really good condition, the body is just trashed. The gate guard simply got a cheap beat up truck from his employer when they were ready to replace it.

As a retired carpenter, I just took a hammer & nail and cleared the carbon out. ....... BAD IDEA! Just use a small pilot drill and drill through it .... then go up a step and remove more .... clean the carbon out of the hole. Drilling it out will turn it into a powder that gets sucked out of the exhaust valve .... punching it out with a hammer & nail will produce a hard chunk of carbon that will get stuck in the exhaust valve when you start it. The hole is there for you to use, over years of use it fills up with carbon. .... Just be cautious how you remove it.

@Fernando Mendes If you really are concerned and you want to change it. If you remove the distributor hold down bolt, then lift the distributor up about 2", rotate the rotor/shaft 180 degrees and then set the distributor back down. Then it will be what you want. As @Sam Buchanan says, it will not run any better, it will just be for your peace of mind. Just remember if you move the distributor 180, you also must move the plug wires with it.

Sadly I have a small house with a small garage and a small shop refrigerator. I simply have no room for paint products. On the other hand, I'm really happy I switched to the low gloss paint .... still not dry yet, but it is going to the color sheen I hoped for. I have never painted a vehicle before ..... I can tell you paint is not my buddy ..... every little ding shows up. I may or may not fix some dings in it over the years, I need some mud on the tires ..... But today, yeah I'll drive that and smile.

My only experience is with old fords .... my Dodge has a stomp starter and no solenoid. With the old Fords there were always 2 small post on top, one is vacant and for some accessory .... it is the other small post you want ..... You wont hurt anything jumping across the solenoid .... try all configurations til you find the one that works.