my new 53 hard top

[austinsailor]

Got a few minuted to look the car over this afternoon.

Found the second fender skirt, I love it!

I have no rust through that needs dealing with. There are a few pinholes at the top rear of the right wheel opening, I'll probably replace a short strip, but I could most likely get away without it.

EVERYTHING fits perfectly, opens and closes nice.

All stainless is there and is perfect, except for two small dings I can easily repair.

I'll attach a picture of the tail lights, which are not the same as any I've found on ebay. I do have the sockets and wiring for backup lights.

Vehicle # is 25571520.

It has a strange setup for the heater. I didn't get to investigate it yet, but there is a big box up by the front, and another with a fan on the firewall, then another fan under the dash. What have I got here?

I love this thing!

[Young Ed]

I think someone messed with the heater. Typically there is a cardboard duct between that box(which has the heater core) and the firewall. The fan on the interior is for the defroster.

[austinsailor]

There is a place on the back of the box for a round tube/duct, and a hole in the bottom of the firewall fan for a round duct. I assume there should be a flexible duct that goes between them.

Oh, it's full of antifreeze, and oil that looks proper.

[Young Ed]

Is that a model 104 or 505 heater? My shop manual does show the fan in that location and a duct from the back of the heater core to the underside of the fan unit.

[austinsailor]

I thought it was 9 something, I couldn't read it well. I'll have to clean up the label a little. Probably tomorrow.

I'm really going to have to figure out the early./late stuff and what lights fit, etc. I guess not right now, but before I start buying stuff.

[54Illinois]

The heater duct is missing...very common as they rot out. This guy sells them on ebay all the time.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Duct-Heater-Air-1953-1954-Plymouth-Dodge-6cyl-READY-INSTALL-Orig-style-/270910668590?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item3f1388bf2e

Here is a good info link: http://www.allpar.com/old/plymouth/plymouth-1953-54.html

Here is a pic of mine.

Edited February 15, 2012 by 54Illinois

[BobT-47P15]

There is a tail light like that currently on ebay.....fairly pricey perhaps at

$75. It has certain letters on the lense that the seller lists.....PLYAV.

Don't know if the other style has different letters. Something to check

anyway.

There are some other lenses plus a chrome frame on there now.

Might be a bit of an education for this item. And it's free.

Link to the section of lenses on ebay......http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p3984.m570.l1313&_nkw=1953+plymouth+tail&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Not that all things are there at all times.....but the parts and/or cars for sale section of this forum sometimes

yields needed goodies.

Edited February 15, 2012 by BobT-47P15

[austinsailor]

I'm trying to locate a new windshield.

A place in Minnesota tells me they have a new one coming, no more questions.

A place 20 miles away is trying to find me one, no sense in driving 400+ miles for it if I don't need to. Their supplier says they need to know if it's P21 or P24, and if it's an F or G series. says there are at least 2 choices of what will fit.

How do I figure out what I have?

[Young Ed]

Well p21 is the wrong year and would be flat glass. Was there more than one P model series for 53? I think they are all P24s. F or G could be a reference to the tint? Some of the cars had tinted glass by 53.

[austinsailor]

Mine is tinted. All the way around.

Were all 53's P24? Where on the car would I find it, or would I?

[Young Ed]

I don't think the model codes are found on the car other than the engine # and even that doesn't always match. All 51-52s had p23 engines but they had p22 and p23 models. I don't know that there ever was a p21. 1950 was p19-p20 and then they went to p22 and p23.

[54Illinois]

Your glass could come from a 53-54 model. The 53 is a P-24.

My 54 Savoy parts car.

The number will be on the engine block, driver side, toward front.

[Rusty O'Toole]

There were different windshields for sedans, convertibles and hardtops. I think sedans used one windshield and the convertibles and hardtops used another. Something like that. Check with the seller and find out.

Edited February 23, 2012 by Rusty O'Toole

[austinsailor]

problem is, I've talked to several and each has different ideas.

[54Illinois]

...I will be at the shop tomorrow. I could try some measurements trim to trim and maybe give you an idea. I have a 54 sedan.

[JerseyHarold]

The windshields for 1953-54 are pretty tricky. All 1953's are the same (1432404 clear, 1496500 Solex), except for the convertible. In 1954, the waters got murkier. They used '53 windshields to a certain point, and then changed to another number. My parts book has a whole chart of model-by-model body number changeover points for 1954. I also checked windshield gasket numbers and they had the same change points as the glass itself. It definitely looks like something was modified along the way.

My suggestion: Contact Steele Rubber and see how they list the gaskets in their catalog. You'll probably need another gasket anyway, and their listing may help solve the mystery of what you need.

[54Illinois]

Well my 54 Savoy is the early model having a 218 motor. I bet if anything the windshield is from a 53. I will check tomorrow.

[B-Watson]

F and G refer to the Engineering Department model year code. F was model year 1953 and G was 1954. So, 1953 is F and P24 while 1954 is G and P25.

Should also point out that the 1953 windshield, NAGS W277, also fits the 1953 D43 (Canada), D47 (Coronet 6 2-dr wagon) and D48 (Coronet V8 hardtop and wagon) as well as the early 1954 models D49, D52 and D53.

The 1953-54 Plymouth convertible windshield fits the 1953-54 Dodge convertible, NAGS W278, while the 1953-54 Dodge club coupes and sedans (D44, D46, D50, D51) used a different glass, NAGS W283.

The Engineering Department model year letters used were -

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, P, R, S, T and V.

"A" years were 1924-25, 1942, 1965, and 1982.

Combined years were 1924-25 (A), 1946-48 ( and 1951-52 (E).

The odd ball was the 1960 Valiant - model year Q.

[austinsailor]

OK, now I'm confused.

I need new lenses for the car, no surprise. Mine is the late model, both the serial number (25571520) and the backup lights in the bottom of the tail lights tell me so. I got a set of late tail lights and they are exactly what I have.

The parking lights also change with early/late. I ordered some from taillightking.com.

http://www.taillightking.com/50-60Plymouth.htm

What I got is what I now see his picture shows for late, which has screws through the front, and mine has the lenses held in by the bezel with no scres showing, which his site shows as early.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Have my front ones been changed, does taillightking have his backwards?

I got the stuck front brake drums off, linings stayed on the drums. They are salvageable if they haven't been turned too much, I'll find out tomorrow.

Tried to cross the Wizard (Western Auto) oil filter yesterday, it'll take a day or two to get the replacement.

Pan is going back on today, filter housing will be closed with out an element and I'll fire it up this afternoon. Do I sound confident? haven't found one yet that won't run.

But, the parking light deal has me baffled.

(added) OK, I did another ebay search and found item 260905713718, a late lens from another seller. So at least 2 sellers think my parking light lenses are early, but my car should be late. What the heck?

Edited February 26, 2012 by austinsailor

[Plymouthy Adams]

the front parking lens that have the bezel built into the lens as one assembly are a bit hard to come by and especially in good condition...I got so tired of trying to find a set that I instead lucked upon a set of new metal chrome plated bezels and opted for the replacement clear lens only....

[austinsailor]

Tim I'm even more confused. Aren't both made as separate lens and bezels? Just different mounting methods? I find plenty of lenses of both types. I guess I should just get early lenses, which mine clearly takes, and quit worrying about it.

[Plymouthy Adams]

probably not more confused than I...I looked at the brown car..its a 54..and I know for certain the different lenses for the 54..so I guess the posting of cars different that the one mentioned is my error AGAIN...contaminated thread..

[austinsailor]

Well, everything can't go right.

Tried to start it the other night, got backfires and an uneven turning over. Good oil pressure, but I figured I had a stuck valve or two.

Pulled the plugs to check compression, seemed like 5 cylinders had no compression. Pulled the valve covers, 5 stuck valves. I could push some down through the spark plug holes, but they'd go right back up and stay.

Figured I'd just pull the head and deal with it. Went to take out the drain plug in the block, it fell apart. But no water came out. probing around with a small screwdriver, I can get a bunch of crap, but still no water. Air pressure doesn't break through either.

May be time to check out that '57 dodge panel motor I got, it might just go in for now.

[austinsailor]

Started working on the stuck valve problem. Got one free, still had 4 stuck. Put in those 2 plugs, got it to run barely on 2 cylinders. That led nowhere, though.

I put a feeler gauge in, about .020, to see if they'd move up while I cranked it.. They would, but squeeked and were real stuck. I soon realized I didn't have the patience to wait weeks to see if anything would happen, so I popped the head.

Lots of pb blaster and working on them got a couple loose, but the problem is, they'd move at the bottom of the travel, but stick at the top. As they'd get to the point they moved, they'd bang to the seat. Long story shortened, 2 broke as they hit the seats.

Got one stem out, will get the other tomorrow, along with another valve that just doesn't seem right.

No ring grove, it looks like it has a good chance of being a good motor. Just the darn valves sat too long.

[54Illinois]

That sounds good. Let me know if you need any used, but good shape pistons. I pulled mine from a 218.