A sort of technical question

[plymouthcranbrook]

It's probably just the sheltered life I have lead that causes me to ask this. Can someone tell me the purpose of this item for sale on E-Bay? And if it is because I am just Dumb, please don't laugh too loud, we Elderly get our feelings hurt easily.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1936-1941-NOS-PLYMOUTH-PISTON-SKIRT-EXPENDER-POWER-PUNCH-PT-899002-MOPAR-HOTROD-/181241148101?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a32d072c5&vxp=mtr

 

 

Thank you.

Edited January 12, 2014 by plymouthcranbrook

[_shel_ny]

google search says

 

 

 

 

This is a device that is used on pistons with split skirts. It fits inside the piston and spreads the worn skirt to eliminate piston slap

[Old Ray]

................................hummmm, I used something similar (flat spring bar) years ago on a flat head 4 cyl Anglia or Thames and it split the pistons!

[wdoland]

If you have pistons that are too small, they make them larger. Just like those things you put in shoes that are too small, you leave them in for a few days and they stretch them to fit better. Piston stretchers are very common in West Virginia. 

[plymouthcranbrook]

Thank you all.

[greg g]

And to think those thisge were around when a piston with rings wrist pin and retainers was probably around 5 bucks.  You tear into an engine find the pistons slightly worn and stretch them rather than install new ones.  I wonder how much those actually saved in terms of maintenance  dollars? 

Edited January 13, 2014 by greg g

[TodFitch]

And to think those thisge were around when a piston with rings wrist pin and retainers was probably around 5 bucks.  You tear into an engine find the pistons slightly worn and stretch them rather than install new ones.  I wonder how much those actually saved in terms of maintenance  dollars? 

And that $5 might well have been a week's wages.

 

That type of thing was pretty common to use to "freshen up" an engine back before it got to be dogma that the only choice was to fully rebuild the engine to factory specifications. Lots of "ring and valve jobs" back then. Lots of just replacing the one valve or one piston that was totally beyond salvation and leaving the almost worn out parts in the other cylinders alone.

[pflaming]

Most young people today (and that includes a number of forum members, no disrespect intended) do not remember that in 1950 the rural society was only 10 years away from the horse and wagon. Most of the horses were still around during WW II, and countless millions were taken to the back 'forty' and shot once cars and tractors, etc., were readily available.

 

So then every town of any size had an automobile dealership, and the driving public's area of activity was probably about a 25 mile radius. Those towns were six/eight miles apart, the distance a coal burning locomotive could go before it had to refuel. The diesel changed all that. 

 

So then, cars did not drive very far in a straight line and very few miles annually. When I grew up it was commonly thought that 30K and the engine needed rings, maybe more.

 

Sorry for the history lesson, but I grew up without electricity, telephone, radio at night. A very different world.

 

 

 

[mrwrstory]

Thanks Paul,,,,puts it in perspective.  I was fortunate to grow up in the "burbs" of Detroit with electricity and even a telephone where the operator made the connection.  Steam trains and muddy streets 'tho.   

[Don Coatney]

Nice pictures Paul but why do I see power lines and telephone poles in these pictures?

[austinsailor]

I barely recall getting electric in the late 40's. never had a phone till we moved to town.

Driving was on the high parts of the road when it was dry, down in the ruts when wet. You just kept moving and hoped the center didn't drag. We never heard of 4 wheel drive. If you just didn't make it you found a neighbor to bring his team (horses or mules) and pull you out. Far more power than a wrecker.

Water came from a cistern, I pumped the water for the day's cooking and washing before catching the school bus. Which was a 40 something Chevy panel truck with a board bench down each side of the back.

We went and spent the day with some cousins once in St. Louis. They wanted to play house, told me what my house # was, I had no clue what a house # was.

We changed a number of motors using a tree and a chain hoist. When it was beyond repair, you just parked it out back and bought another $50 vehicle.

Later, living in town, an overhaul included only what was absolutely necessary. If the piston wasn't broken it was knearled to fit. I've put bearings in a motor beside the road before.

It was a different time.

Gene

[pflaming]

Don, the pictures were taken circa: 1949. REA (Rural Electrial Association) extended its lines to our rural ranch in 1948. The old wind charger tower is still up.

 

It had a car generator and an airplane propeller on top which charged large glass batteries in the house attic. That gave us a six volt light bulb hanging from the center of the ceiling in each room. We had a string tied to the light and routed to our bed so we could turn it off, sort of a 'luxury' touch.

[james curl]

Ahh the good day, I do not miss them any at all.  Still remember the Mechanics at the Ford house resurfacing one throw on a flat head V8 with a portable crankshaft grinder from under the car and another boring one cylinder in the block with the engine still in the car with a portable boring bar with had only one head was removed because only one cylinder had a problem.  This was in the early 50's which at time so many of us romanticize about calling them the "Good old days."  I am 77 and lived through all of those wonderful times and I will take today anytime for convenience and ease of living.

[Grdpa's 50 Dodge]

In persective tires were changed every 8 to 10 K miles.  Radials changed all that,,,besides the fact of you generally had a flat tire at least once or twice a week.  If you picked up a nail it was flat in a few minutes,,,not a few months like radials.

 

Always can remember a phone being in home,,,long short long ring was our ring tone,,,neighbors listened to everything ever said on phone.

 

Was fortunate to have running water in house cause our house was moved in in 1946 with a new foundation for an old house.  Actually it was recyled,,as it was a school and a church in its former life,very long and skinny.

 

electricity was a bulb hanging down from center of room on that funny twisted wire cord with a turn strange switch on the wall.  IF any thing was plugged in it came from the top side of that ceiling bulb with a little extension cord.  Can recall getting first TV and the day the team of work horses left for good.

 

As said you drove to town, to church, and back home,,,used very little gas cause never went any where.  When got old enough to actually stop at a hamburger place the 19 cent hamburgers were a strange meal with those funny fry things.  3 hamburgers 2 fry and a malt was like about $1.  Talk about the dollar menu.  I still eat the cheapie burgers when I drive thru every 6 months or so

 

Like said a car with 80K and surely before 100K it was considered toast.  Roads were impassable muddy sloppy, or flooded.  County here still abides by old rule of MUST HAVE 3 mudholes per mile.  Where they drive around the mudholes when maintaining roads.  All our highways into our town was gravel except one One major highway was hardly driveable during few months a year.It was raised 3 times that I can remember

[desoto1939]

Yes the good olde days.  Gentleman and I do not use that term kightly.  I am sorry but I did not have the same experiecnes that you did out in the mid west.  You had lived the hard life with very little if no convienceces. Our kids of today would never beable to survive if we just took away their cellphone let alone their laptop Ipad's and link to the internet and TV.  We have become the very soft generation.  We no longer can think, we no longer can go out a play in our neighborhood with our other children in our back yard.  we all need organized sports. When was the last time that you saw a groups of boys and girls go down to the ball field on a summer day and then get a pickup game of baseball.

 

The kids now have to 100 dollar gloves, batting helmets, batting gloves, special sliding pants, the jersey with some orverrated ball players name onthe back.  In your time you made you fun, played with the neightbors, play hide n seek, hirse, kick the can, jacks, kick the can checkers and ran around a got tired at night.  Might not get a bath or shower every night. Clothes were not washed everyday and they were hung out to dry with the wind instead of a dryer that used electricity and gas.

 

Cooked with wood or coal.  You all learned how to survive and counted on each others help because help could not alwyas get there when needed.  Even thought times were harder to live and make a living I still think you had it better then the kids of the current times.  I feel there was more respect for other peoples proverty and rights. Our fron doors were left open and if you got in trouble you got punished by the neighborhoods mothers and then you got it again when you got home for just embassing your mom and dad.

 

In todays world every kid is an ANGEL.  If you repremand a kid this is corporale punisment and the county is called in to investigate and then you have a record as being a bad parent. Just like the kid in Colorado that got kicked off the debate team for threatening his teacher and his parents never did anything to their kid and then he comes back and kilss his classmated becasue he could not cope with punishement because he did not get it his way.

 

Yes the old days were hard but sometimes I which we could go back in time just to let our kids and also some adults understand how great and I say this with tongue in cheek they have it now.

The hard times are what you remember and these times are what got most of you throught life and I applaud all of the people that lived throught that time period because you are what made the USA work and were all proud of being an AMerican and a US citizen.  There was different work ethic that we have lost over the years.

 

I do rememeber some of the things that you talk about becasue of conversations with my grandparents and also my parents that lived throught the great depression.  I am only 62 so close to some your ages but did not experiecne the same things.

 

Rich HArtung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[austinsailor]

Rich, I feel like a youngster at 67 (can't figure out how the hell that happened, I was in high school a couple years ago!) but you're right on the money. I was after the depression, like you, but we were raised as though it was still in the depths. I think I'm better for it, although I wouldn't have minded someone buying me a new car as a teenager like was done for some of my class mates.

The thing on this subject that's relevant to this board, though, is the change in vehicles. Today's vehicles may not have problems as often, but with a minor problem, you're done. Just call a tow truck. And not go the corner garage, you'd best go to a place with the latest computers and tools. Pliers and screwdriver won't do you any good.

A little wire broke in my wife's corvette key circuit recently. A wrecker, 2 days and $500 to the dealer and it would start again.

[desoto1939]

Austin:

 

I have to agree with you. The cars have chnaged and are more soffisticated, BAck yard shade tree mechanic is gone and that is hurting the hobby since dad can no longer work on a car then his son or daughter then has no interest in cars and the hobby is not getting the younger crownd to join the clubs.

 

I remember going with my father inlaw and during a tour with his 1915 Willys Overland the fan belt broken which was a wide leather bealt the hooked together with metal  clasps.

 

Luckly we were a friends house and he went to the front door and they gave him a pair of pantyhose, yes pantyhose and we were able to get enought grip onthe waterpump and the fanblade assembly to get the fan to spin and keep the egine cool.

 

These are the times that I will always remember with my still living father inlaw  not the time when we had to take the modern car to the garage.

 

The old times wer ebetter in some ways and also harder but it all made us a better person and we all came out to be great people.  I like talking to the older set to see what they have experiecned in their lives.

 

When working in a major hospoital i met a gentleman that was born inthe early 1900 and w discussed al lthe things that he had seen and how the USA chnaged with horse/buggy to cars, planes, truck, jest goint to the moon, electric, phones highways and just plain life.  HAd a great time also learning from him.

 

Rich Hartung

[Eneto-55]

I was born in 1955, so I'm pretty much a 'spring chicken' compared to most of you who are contributing to this thread.  But I was just past 9 before we got a telephone that went farther than Grandpa & Grandma's. (My grandpa had rigged a couple of the old crank phones between their place & ours, about 1/4 mile, so my mom could talk to her mom.  Us kids were not allowed to touch it, although if mom was gone with Grandpa & Grandma we boys would see who could hold onto the wire the longest while someone else would crank it.)  We hauled all of our water from town.  There was one place in the house where there was running water, and that was the kitchen sink.  You got water by turning on the pump, which was under the sink.  Baths were every Saturday evening, in a galvanized tub Dad brought into the kitchen. (The rest of the time it hung on the side of the house outside, as I recall.) We got indoor plumbing when I was about 5.  That was 1960, in Oklahoma.

 

But my own kids had similar experiences, because they grew up in the Indian village in the Amazon where my wife & I were Bible translators.  Only there the baths were in the river, and we also had no electricity, or any phone.  In 98 we hand drilled a well about 25 feet from our house.  We installed an old style farm pump, and we had it made.  The thing that makes all of this "the good old days" to me is that families were closer then.  (Our house in the village was 16 x 24, although we later added on another 12 feet to the length.)