Hounddog Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Hello everyone, I recently purchased (last friday) a 1946 Plymouth Special deluxe 4 door, and I had some questions being a first time old mopar owner. I was wondering if the light on the trunk lid is the brake light or just an extra light? When I purchased this car the owner had just ran wire from the tail lights and head lights to a toggle switch. I would like to run it back up to the original light switch but its not seeming to work... also the fuel pump is bypassed and he had installed an electric fuel pump but the pump is about 2 feet from the carb and someone told me they need to be near the tank....which by the way is a fuel cell since the original isnt there anymore...The same thing with the brake light he had installed power brakes and i have no idea how to hook up the brake lights.. If anyone has any thoughts that could help out it would be very appreciated... I will upload a picture of her she isnt perfect but she grabbed my attention the first time I saw her. Thanks, Micah Quote
steveplym Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Welcome to the forum Micah. Nice looking car. The light on the trunk lid is the brake light. You can rewire them so the taillights are brakelights too. Just need double filament bulb and sockets on the taillights. If you car has turnsignals that should already be the case. There are aftermarket mechanical brake light switches you can buy that work off of the brake pedal. These cars originally had a pressure type switch that was mounted on a brake line block below the left side of the firewall. Not sure about the electric fuel pump as I have a mechanical pump. Does your car have the original flathead or did the owner put a V8 in? Quote
Hounddog Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 Welcome to the forum Micah. Nice looking car. The light on the trunk lid is the brake light. You can rewire them so the taillights are brakelights too. Just need double filament bulb and sockets on the taillights. If you car has turnsignals that should already be the case. There are aftermarket mechanical brake light switches you can buy that work off of the brake pedal. These cars originally had a pressure type switch that was mounted on a brake line block below the left side of the firewall. Not sure about the electric fuel pump as I have a mechanical pump. Does your car have the original flathead or did the owner put a V8 in? Thanks Steve!!! It has the original flathead, that being said I've never worked on one and notice a few new things im not sure about I read about the oil air filter which is still there but i noticed a filter?? coming up that seems to be an oil filter? It also has a 12 volt battery but still has a generator looks original but not sure I was advised to look at the tag and see if its green or red. It starts great and idles great just kinda backfires alittle driving but only sometimes. I really need to break down and by the service manual so I can redo the wiring and all the little things that need adressed. Quote
greg g Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 What do the headlamps say part number useualy reflects the voltage. Couple thing to check for the backfiring, one is to make sure thee are no vacuum leaks between the carb and maifold and the manifold and the block. You can easily check by running an unighted propane torch around the seems. If the idle picks up any where, it would indicate a cvacuum leak sucking in air and lean the mixture. Also there is a wire in the dist that connects the coil wire terminal to the points. These will sometime fray and ground our when the vacuum advance moves the breaker plate, or several strands of the wire may be broken, reducing conectivity through the wire. also factory timing is tdc at idle. Quote
Hounddog Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 Well the headlamps are acually two different ones one says 12 volt on it but the other is a general electric with 2D1 on it. One other question is where can I find a wiring diagram on it? Im sure its in the service manual but I didnt know if anyone had one that they could email to me? Quote
steveplym Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 I think Bob T's got a picture of it. I'll see if I can find it in the archives. Quote
Hounddog Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 Thanks a ton that will save me alot oh hair on my head!! Quote
Captain Neon Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 I can't stress to you just how important it is that you get a service manual for your car, and study it in detail. It will answer a plethora of questions for you, and save you many hours of frustration. They are readily available on eBay. There's always some one hawking a copy on CD, and usu. a copy to be had in hardcopy. Quote
Normspeed Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Most electric fuel pumps are better at pushing fuel than pulling it. Best location is near the tank. I mounted mine on the inside of the left frame rail near the rear axle. But, if it runs ok where it is, you can put that relocation off until you get some of your more immediate repairs out of the way. Quote
brian hood Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 I think I remember him mentionion a 6v fuel pump. Pm him and see if he wouldn't mind sharing his wealth of knowledge. Brian Quote
greg g Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Hey norm is you filter before or after the pump flow wise?? Quote
Don Coatney Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 When I purchased this car the owner had installed power brakes and i have no idea how to hook up the brake lights..Thanks, Micah There has been a lot of interest on this forum about converting to a dual chamber master cylinder and adding a vacuum assist. Can you post pictures of how this was done on your car? Was the toggle switch you mentioned actually used as a brake light switch? Quote
Frank Elder Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Nice car Micah, those power brakes sure do sound good, your gennie is probably a 12V 50's model. Frankie47 Ps your hubcaps look horrible...send them to me..heheheh! Quote
Normspeed Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Hey norm is you filter before or after the pump flow wise?? The filter is before the pump, then I use another filter nearer to the engine. I also retained the mechanical pump as a dummy unit, no actuating arm, and separated from the crankcase by a thin metal plate. Fuel flows through it on the way to the carbs. Gives me the advantage of the stock sediment bowl. Haven't found any crud in any of the filters in 11,000 miles. Quote
Hounddog Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 There has been a lot of interest on this forum about converting to a dual chamber master cylinder and adding a vacuum assist. Can you post pictures of how this was done on your car? Was the toggle switch you mentioned actually used as a brake light switch? Well here is a picture of the master cyclinder the previous owner was quite happy cutting stuff and not making it look nice but I already plan on redoing the electrical....since thats what I mostly do at work is redo wiring..the vacuum hose coming off the master cyclinder goes right into the manifold right below the carb. It seems whoever had it before just liked to leave the old wiring cracked and bare and just bypass it with different wire... Thats my first project I plan on moving the fuel pump back nearer to the tank and also have two filters one right after the pump and one right before the carb... Im pretty sure the spotlights that was on it wasnt original but i think they look pretty nice. Quote
Don Coatney Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 So your car has been converted to swinging pedals. How does your clutch linkage work? Can you post a picture of both the brake and clutch pedals? Quote
greg g Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 The original brake switch was an inline hydraulic unit like used on Motorcycles and ATVs. The simplist way to get a brake light switvh is to get a mechanical switch that works off pedal movement. They are available from street rod suppliers. If you wanted to use the hydraulic type, it would be farily simple to put on a line to the front brakes. What is thas assembly bolted to the inner fender to the right of the MC? If its part of brake system the switch could be put in before or after that assembly. Most folks like to upgrade to the mechanical switch because they activate a bit sooner than the hydraulic. Quote
Hounddog Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 The thing i dont like about this brake setup is its harder to get to the gas pedal I suppose i can cut the pedal and weld it over the clutch and gas is the same old petals.... The brake looks like a homemade setup welded to make it work it seems really solid. That assembly to the right is part of the brake system. What gauge wire is used in the headlight taillight assembly? Quote
Don Coatney Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 Is that the original brake pedel on the floor below the new brake pedal? It almost appears that the gas pedal is below the new brake pedal. I have never seen anyone install a setup with one swing pedal and one below the floor pedal. Does your car have disc brakes on the front? Quote
Hounddog Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 No its still the original brakes in the front Im pretty sure by the time its finished most everything will be updated. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 nothing personal but that swing pedal is a very cheezy set up and I surely hope that this is not the braking system in use on this car today and that this car is anywhere close to being put on the highway much less out there now...there is no bracking and trust me I have seen a many firewall failures even in stock setups where the brakes are concerned...please be careful with this set up..for you and all others that share the road.. Quote
Hounddog Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Posted February 1, 2009 No I dont drive it yet to much wiring and small issues yet I plan on redoing the brakes and taking that out its too much of a hassle and doesnt look safe. The big issues like the motor running and rust arent an issue and the brakes wiring and interior all will be done before it hits the road. Any helpful thoughts about going back original with the brakes would be helpful Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted February 1, 2009 Report Posted February 1, 2009 hey..look about as a number of guys are going updated disc and will be selling their original parts for a decent price...even a few hotrod shops in your area may have record or remembering someone in your local area coverting adn taking their old parts home... Quote
Hounddog Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Posted February 5, 2009 Just a question probably easy answer just the answer is escaping me....On the turn signals I see on the diagram that there are two wires coming off the fender lights but on mine I only have one wire and that goes to the midle post on the lights. It shows the other wire going to the terminal block which i believe i have by the solinoid but not sure as no wires were ran to it. If there is two wires coming off the fender how will i wire that? and does anyone have a picture of what the turn signal looks like on the column? Thanks in advance for anyhelp. Quote
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