DrDoctor

I purchased the screw (phillips head) in the hardware department at the local lumber yard. I also checked a hardware store in the area, and they also had them, but the price at the lumber yard was much cheaper. Agreed – they’re not the most common one in usage today, but they aren’t as rare as chicken teeth, either.

Harvie, It’s your car, your money, and your choice. Using a good oil, and adding a zinc/zddp additive just makes good sense for an older engine. It protects the cam, and the lifters. It doesn’t make any difference whether the engine’s a high-reving/high-performance one, or a more sedate as most of the I-6 flat-heads are. Look at it this way – it certainly won’t hurt anything, and it’s cheap insurance – a lot cheaper than having to go into the engine to replace the camshaft and/or the lifters.

olefre, this is just my own personal opinion, as I have absolutely NO idea what’s the right answer for a Chrysler – I’m of the school of tho’t that, since it’s your car, it’s your call as to the color you want the wheels to be. I’d go with the color of the car, but then again, that’s what “floats my boat” . . . Bottom line is if you like it, and others don’t, just tell them to take a long walk on a short pier, or something to that effect – it works for me, and it makes me feel a lot better, too. Regards . . .

Conn47D24, If I had to offer a guess, and that’s what this is – a guess – I’d say that the flat plate welded into the first sample oil pan is a make-shift windage tray. Why did the individual that did this feel it was necessary??? Well, that’s anyone’s guess. In a high-performance engine, it makes sense, but in an I-6 flathead – I just don’t see the reason for it. Regards . . .

Unless you’re doing a concours restoration, why not just fabricate your own? You could use square tubing as a starting point.

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Bluefoxamazone, I had a Pontiac with a supercharged big-block engine that had the heat-riser removed. I had to run an electric fuel pump, because the supercharger over-powered the mechanical fuel pump, and pushed the fuel back into the fuel tank – not good. I also had to run a manual choke. I couldn’t run dual exhausts, since the fuel pump resided when one of the exhaust pipes passed, so I ran a single 2½” exhaust system vs the original twin 2” system. The point of this is that without the heat-riser, that car was one cold-blooded SOB. In the summer, it’d take a good 15 minutes to get it to the point where it’d move under its own power. And, in the winter – plan on a ½ hour!!! During warm-up, it ran like crap. Warmed up, it ran great. As a young guy – the supercharger was worth it, but now as an old guy – well, that’s why I sent it went down the road . . . So, the moral of this story is – functioning heat-risers are definitely a good idea!!! Lastly, I went to Belgium during post-WWII with my parents (we lived in the American Zone of Germany for almost 5 years) – the country was lovely, and the people were very gracious. And, the pastries – incredible!!! Best regards to you . . . .

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I must agree with both DJ194950, and with chrysler1941 – with DJ194950 regarding the location of the engine’s grounding location, and with chrysler1941 regarding the appearance of the braided straps typically utilized for grounding purposes. Where’s it written that grounds must be specific locations, or that grounds must be braided??? On our car, I used very large/regular battery cables for the grounds, simply because I prefer their appearance. The braided straps look really bad once they’re dirty. Dirty battery cables just wipe clean. I also have fabricated “ground lugs” – 1 under the hood, 1 under the dashboard, and 1 in the trunk – with all of them connected together, and the whole team connected to the same location as the negative cable from the battery (yes, the negative terminal – the car was wired that way when we got it, and when I rewired the car, I saw no really good reason to change it). Regards to both of you . . .

Conn47D24, Anywhere on the block with a good clear connection will work. When considering the head as a connection, be sure not to loosen a head bolt, lest you run the risk of a resultant leaking head gasket, which will most definitely ruin one’s day . . . . Regards to you . . .

Bluefoxamazone, It all depends on just how the heat-riser is defective. If it’s stuck open, it’ll cause the fuel in the manifold to vaporize less, causing the car to take longer to warm up, and run rougher during this heat-up phase. If it’s stuck closed, it’ll cause the fuel in the manifold to vaporize more, which could cause the car to vapor-lock. To test the heat-riser with the engine cool, push the counterweight down as far as it’ll go, then release it. The counterweight, shaft, and valve, should spring back to the closed position. Next, start the engine, and allow it to warm up as you observe the action of the heat-riser. With the engine operating at idle, the counterweight should move slowly downward as the engine warms up. Continue to observe the counter weight until the engine reaches normal operating temperature. At this point, the heat-riser should be fully open. If it isn’t open completely at normal operating temperature, rust is the usual cause. If the heat-riser shaft doesn’t rotate completely each direction, or if it sticks anywhere during rotation in its base in the riser casting, try spraying some carburetor cleaner on the ends of the exposed shaft. After a few minutes, gently try to rotate the shaft with the counterweight, or the shaft lever itself. Continue repeating this until it rotates freely, and completely. If this doesn’t work, the heat-riser may be too far gone, and will require replacement. Good luck. Regards . . . .

Conn47D24, The answer to that’s rather simple – ANY metal-to-metal point of contact vis-à-vis electrical continuity MUST be bare metal to provide that continuity in the electrical system, regardless of whether it’s 6v or 12v, or whether it’s + or - ground. Contemporary cars have a plethora of grounds in their electrical systems, due to the presence of so many electronic components. Cars of the post-WWII era obviously don’t have electronic components, so a more simple method of circuit continuity was utilized, and effectively so. I feel your pain at having to scrape away some of your newly applied shiny paint (believe me – been there/done that), but this is an occasion where form and function supersede pretty. That’s not to say that you’ve got to remove an excessive amount of paint in the area in question. Rather, just a sufficient amount for continuity. TIP – use star-washers at each such contact point – they dig in ever-so-slightly, and help to ensure a good electrical connection. Regards to you . . . .

1941coupe, The procedure I described works just fine for license plates that are flat. It also works for those with a “twist/warp”, which most, if not all, Kansas license plates seem to possess. You just have to exert abit more pressure on the license plate when doing this. Now, if the plate has a dent, that should be worked out as much as possible. I’ve seen dents from the back side worked out, and the remainder of the offending dent knocked towards the back, and the resultant indentation on the front side filled with body filler. Once dressed out, the “coloring process’ for the plate’s performed without issue. I did a 1956 Kansas tag that I got for the front of my ’56 Chevy convertible, and it had issues. I repaired it, and then did the “coloring process” using the floor of the garage as my flat surface. I then finessed the tag by hand, and it looked pretty good, if I do say so myself . . . . Warmest regards . . .

In Kansas, you can have license plates for the model year of the car, provided the car qualifies as an antique. The tag can be restored, but must be in the same color combination as original. I’ve known a couple of incidences where the car owner painted the “background” color to match the color of the car. They got away with it for awhile, but when an astute LEO took notice, then checked with the book to verify the color combination for that year’s tag, and the colors were an obvious mis-match, the tag was confiscated right there and then, and the owner ran the risk of having the privilege of running a year-matching tag on the car revoked, thus leaving the standard antique tag as the only option for driving the car. The process for doing tags isn’t rocket science. Get the 2 colors, and a flat surface to work on. For raised numbers/letters, paint them first, and let it dry completely. Then, the background color, and let it dry thoroughly, as well. Then put the plate face down on the flat surface with 400 wet/dry sandpaper, and gently slide the tag across the sandpaper. Use plenty of water during this process, and check your progress frequently. You’ll eventually get there, and it’ll look original, since the original process is to paint the tag’s background color, and then the tag goes under a paint roller that paints the characters on the tag, much like a modern printing press at newspapers.

The window shades aid in reducing the interior temperature, and also helps to reduce the rate of fading within the interior, particularly the top of the rear seat, and the package tray (if it’s upholstered). As to finding one – good luck with that. If you’re really patient, and know how to scrounge, you may eventually come across one, but when you do – be prepared to pay a pretty penny for it, as by now, they’re like chicken teeth. I once made one for a Cadillac out of aluminum. It was very solid, which made it abit of a chore to install, but it went in OK with a second pair of hands. When the installation, it didn’t rattle, if was rather unobtrusive – you really didn’t notice it from the outside, nor from the inside when looking rearward via the rearview mirror. And, after looking at the photo, enlarging it, studying it, I’m really considering making another one for our ’46 Plymouth club coupe. As for the “traffic light” rear window light, they’re also not easy to find, but those who persevere . . . I installed one (I also had to make the mounting bracket . . .) in another guy’s car a few years ago, and wired it so when he lets off of the gas pedal, the amber bulb illuminates (his idea . . . green at steady speed, or accelerating, amber when slowing, and red when the brake pedal is depressed). I personally don’t care for the light, nor the way it functions – but it was his money, and I got paid to install it, and make it work. No accounting for taste . . . .

In a solid engine, you can run detergent oil safely. We use Amzoil, which also has sufficient ZDDP to protect the cam lobes and lifters. There’s always a lot of debate about the necessity of using oil with ZDDP – some say it’s not necessary – but a little extra “insurance” is much cheaper than replacing the camshaft and/or the lifters!!! Thx . . .

Typically, a speedometer shop doesn’t need any information as to what the speedometer in a car indicates vs its actual speed, from having the car driven, or from a GPS – that’s all just a waste of time. They can put the car on rollers and run them at a pre-determined speed, and look at the speedometer themselves. The difference, ±, determines what they need to do – either a simple change of the gear in the driven head, or a small gear interface installed at either end of the speedometer cable. They can usually get the speedometer’s indicated speed to within 1-3% of the car’s actual speed, and it doesn’t get much closer than that, unless you want to spend a lot of $$$ for a certified speedometer as used in LEO’s vehicles, and that’s just overkill. Thx . . . .

No one hurt, no damage, any you look at it – it’s a great outcome, especially when considering the alternatives . . . Thx.

Dale, For a close approximation of your desire to see a post-war Plymouth with fins – look at the ’51 Ford “shoebox” built by the late Bill Hines, called “The Bat”. It’s got fins. You can judge for yourself how a round post-war car looks with fins . . . . Regards . . . . .

Thebeebe5, It’s incredibly fortunate that you didn’t collide with the other driver. It appears that, at the very worst, you may’ve soiled yourself (which is probably what I would’ve done . . .). And here I tho’t that the east coast had a monopoly on the world’s worst drivers, and I’m convinced Baltimore still retains that title . . . Regards . . . . .

Another issue overlooked is with the preponderance of “front suspension” kits is their being based on the Ford Mustang II. That design was intended for a rather light weight vehicle. Putting such a system on a much heavier car isn’t the wisest choice. Further, the original Mustang II system has usually been modified, the most common of which is the use of an extremely long bolt as the pivot shaft for the lower control arm. The one’s I’ve seen appeared to be grade-5, and on critical applications, and I think a car’s suspension qualifies as a “critical application”, I’d only use grade-8. I’ve heard, and seen failures of that long bolt, and of the welded lower control arm, with predicable results – no deaths, or serious injuries, to individuals (thankfully!!!), but with major damage to the vehicles (in 1 case, the damage was catastrophic). A safer alternative is to “clip” the frame, utilizing diagonal cuts, and fish-plates with rosette openings for strength upon assembly. Lastly, the use of welding equipment, and if need be, an experienced welder, to ensure the task is accomplished with maximum strength and safety. Regards . . . . .

Redmond49, I’ve got 2 fuel filters on our ’46 Plymouth – they’re both AC filters originally intended for a tri-five Chevy. The 1st one’s a canister type mounted between the fuel tank and the fuel pump. The 2nd one’s a glass-bowl type mounted directly to the carburetor, like depicted by desoto1939. I got both of them from my local auto parts store, but Eckler’s sells them both, too. They’re not expensive, either. The “in-line” style will also work, but if you do use such a fuel filter, I wouldn’t recommend using a plastic one, especially under the hood. Under the car, they’re susceptible to “road-rash” damage, but under the hood – if too close to the engine – well, I’ve seen them melt with resultant/predictable results – NOT pretty!!! Regards . . . . .

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Eneto-55, The oil will adhere to the aluminum material just fine, and the material is dense enough to trap the incoming dirt, but not so dense as to restrict air flow, either. When forming the material within the canister, make sure that it’s abit too tall, so when you put on the top, and re-crimp it, the aluminum media will extend from bottom to top, ensuring that no air goes around the media and thus avoid filtration. Check out the filters, and I think you’ll see what I’m referring to. Regards . . . .