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Both 12 V and 6 V motors can be designed to produce the same torque, speed and horsepower. Power equals to voltage multiplied by current. When cranking, 6V Mopar starter will draw about 400 A at 4 V. Equivalent 12 V starter will draw about 200 A at 8 V. In both cases, power will be the same. 1,600 W (400x4=200x8). If 6V starter is powered by 12 V battery, the power will be 4 times of that at 6 V, according to Ohm's and Joule's laws.

Is your new pressure plate modern diaphragm style, or original style with coil springs and three levers?

39 steering wheel Another One more Yet another Business Convertible Looks like Business were no ring, Deluxe either full ring or half-ring.

One can work safely with diethyl ether - with understanding of properties of this substance, caution and common sense. If tube broke off right at the bulb, this damage must be repaired BEFORE ether is added to the bulb. Tube should be then cut close to gauge end, and bulb filled with right amount of ether using long capillary and syringe. The second cut is then fixed while keeping bulb in ice to prevent ether evaporation. This way heat from soldering iron is kept away from ether. The amount of ether involved (~5 ml) rules out any health issues - unless one deliberately inhales the whole batch. Whiskey and electricity are more dangerous than ether, but is doesn't stop us from using them.

Interesting, thanks for the link. It looks like they are indeed a small manufacturer catering to antique car enthusiasts and have never been an OEM supplier to any major brand. The principle of Hall effect sensor coupled with a module hidden under distributor cap has been widely used in 80-90s by many manufacturers (Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Suzuki), so it is not their idea. BTW, ignition in those Japanese engines was very reliable.

It is a generic problem with boutique, non-OEM parts. Nobody ever tests reliability of these parts. OEM quality is thoroughly established through careful selection of suppliers and cultivating successful partnerships through many years. Parts quality is tested through field service of hundreds of thousands of cars. Pertronix is a garage operation with none of the above.

Both 3/16 and 1/4 should be fine.

A very simple solution is keeping the points, but adding transistor module to trigger the coil and take electric load off the points. In battery ignition (Kettering system), points carry relatively high current (3-5 A) when closed. At opening, there is reverse voltage spike of 200-300 V, which ignites arc between points. Arc erodes points, so regular cleaning and adjusting of points is necessary. Condenser absorbs some of the energy of reverse spike, thus weakening the arc. But it does not eliminate the arc completely. With transistor module, points carry only a few milliamps of triggering current. High voltage reverse spike and points burnout is completely eliminated. Additional advantage is the module allowing better energizing of coil and longer spark duration. Most modern cars employ transistor ignition modules. These modules are triggered by ECU, but triggering by points is basically the same. Any of the modern ignition modules can be used. To take full advantage of transistorized ignition, a transistor type coil should be used.

Should be measured in compressed state after torquing to specs, otherwise meaningless.

By means of average household and per capita income: Average income by state

There is a reason for that. A lot of folks there driving marginally safe old cars.

Likely a distributor problem. Tension of points spring (17-20 oz) should be tested with dynamometer. Shaft bushing wear is also a likely cause of erratic performance at higher rpm. Shaft free play measured at shaft's end should not be more than 0.008". In most old distributors, it is way more than that.

Positive cable is short, so it can be of lower gauge compared to negative one. The important issue is voltage drop in the cable, which increases with cable length and decreases with cable diameter. Making your own cables to your own taste out of scrap copper wire is a very easy task - all you need is propane burner, solder, and electric flux. Home Depot sells 0 and 00 gauges multi-strand by the foot at very reasonable prices. Lead battery clamps are also inexpensive.

I couldn't care less about brands of oil. Since 80s, all oils are exceptionally good. I took apart a number of 80s-90s engines with over 200K miles. All still had honing marks in cylinder bores and main crank bearing clearances within specs. In 20s-60s, motor oils were poor quality (without friction modifying additives). Poor oils, poor air/oil filters, and poor crankcase ventilation all contributed to rapid engine wear during those times.

Especially because clearances are very small (0.006 heel and 0.012 toe). I would be surprised if the accuracy of that drum caliper is better than 0.01.

That's true. There was no ZDDP in 30s-50s, and cams/tappets were just fine. BTW, all modern API SN oils contain zinc, just a little less than previous API service ratings (~800 ppm vs. ~1,200 ppm). Other additives compensate for lower zinc. This is a concern for drag racing, not for vintage cars.

Here's one on eBay: 52 Coronet temperature gauge

What is rough - vibration damper or hub? Damper itself has inner and outer steel rims bonded together by a layer of vulcanized rubber. If rubber is rotting away and rims are separating, then either you have the damper rebuilt or find one in a better shape. AFAIK, Andy Bernbaum offers rebuilding service. With temperature gauge, you will have to find a new one. I've read about people fixing them by filling sender bulb with ether and re-soldering the connection tube. This may fix the gauge, but reading may not be very accurate.

In the original setup, starter rod passes through a grommet on the firewall. It seems like the hole in your firewall was enlarged. You can weld on a patch with proper size hole for OEM grommet. or improvise a leather boot, as you suggested. You can see the OEM grommet in this eBay listing: starter grommet

Contemporary Dodge used basically same hubs, but with studs instead of bolts. With your mods, you will be using modern hubs and rear axle anyway, so why bother?

All additives in modern motor oils are carefully balanced for optimal performance in laboratory tests. Adding anything to oil screws up this balance and is not recommended.

Electronic conversion is not a completely new distributor - it just substitutes points for Hall effect sensor, and still relies on properly functioning centrifugal and vacuum advance mechanisms of the original distributor. Distributor is the same for years 36-38. 39 and 40 distributors will also work, but have different settings. 36-38 distributor has initial setting of 4 degrees ATDC, which allows starting engine with hand crank. From 39 on, they dispensed with hand cranking, and those distributors start at TDC exactly. Bushings can be bought on eBay: Distributor bushings

Brake gauge can be improvised, people have done it successfully. Arching machines aren't so. They were a common fixture in every village's garage, but were all scrapped once the dangers of asbestos became known.

I would emphasize the importance of checking distributor shaft free play, and, if it exceeds the specs, replacing shaft bushings. I have rebuilt three distributors - all had badly worn bushings. With a lot of shaft free play, ignition cannot be set correctly!

As it was said many times over, original Wagner-Lockheed design is quite efficient WRT stopping power. It easily locks all four wheels when brake is applied hard. The caveat is that brakes must be adjusted and maintained properly, which is difficult to do nowadays because brake shoe arching is a long forgotten art, and old time brake gauges are hard to come by. One addition to original setup that can be recommended is adjustable proportioning valve to fine-tune front/rear braking. It is especially useful with non-original tires.