New Member: 1953 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe

[keithb7]

Hi folks, 

New member today from Western Canada. I just found this site. It looks pretty active. I am happy to contribute to this group. I own a 1953 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe. Flat head 6. Fluid torque drive. It's new to me, I bought it about a month ago. Still learning about the car. I am very happy to have found another resource here. Looking forward to getting to know you a little.

Here is the car.

 

 

 

The car is down for a week or two. Waiting for parts to arrive for some valve work. 

I am pretty comfortable working on cars/motorcycles/boats etc. However this old car is new to me. I have learned a ton already. I enjoy working on it. It is as fun and rewarding to work on for me, as it is to drive. - Keith 

[keithb7]

Here's how it looks under the hood tonight. The engine could use a full rebuild soon. I am hoping to nurse it along until this winter, when I'll pull it and get to work.

 

[casper50]

Welcome Keith.  Very nice looking car.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Looks like the manifolds were off not too long ago....

[rb1949]

Nice car, great start. Driving is the most fun.

[Mortimer452]

Very nice car.  Lots of great help here on the forums.  Intake valve on the #5 cylinder totally looks like the stem is broken or bent but maybe it's just a trick of the lighting.

[Plymouthy Adams]

#5 intake appears to have suffered a collision with either the wrong plug or compression tester adapter.....that is my take on the crime scene...

[Worden18]

Welcome!  You'll find the members here very knowledgable and helpful; this is a great site.  Nice Chrysler!

[keithb7]

Thanks for the warm welcome folks. I can see already that I'll like it here. I sense some good knowledge and experience in the forum. I find these forums extremely valuable in enabling me to service and maintain the  car. Using my own to hands, my experience, along with some guidance from others. I have yet to meet another owner of the same car, so the internet with these groups, put in contact with you folks from all over the world.

As @Plymouthy Adams mentioned, #5 intake valve suffered a collision. It is bent and stuck open. The story on the valve goes like this:

Last Saturday, 1 week ago, I wanted to go to a local car show. The car has only been in my possession for 1 month so far. I have been working a little on it almost everyday. Checking things over. Fixing little things. Finding problems and improving them. The previous owner had missed some simple things that I found like, 1 missing exhaust flange nut at pipe to manifold. 2 missing manifold nuts at head. The 2 carb mounting nuts were coming loose. Little stuff, no big deal.

I have put about 400 miles on the car so far, but still had more work to do, to earn its trust. I had yet to pull and inspect the spark plugs or do a compression test.

I pulled the spark plugs one at a time. I inspected, cleaned, gapped them and re-installed them. After that the car ran like crap. I was struggling to understand what I had done. I have pulled and installed plugs many many times over my life. Such a simple task. There was nothing complicated here to cause a problem. I began thinking about what I had done, racking my brain with no solution. So I began throwing parts at it.  I installed new spark plugs, new coil wires, new points, new condenser, all with no improvement. I checked TDC against the distributor. All good. The primary and secondary ignition systems all seemed to be in good shape. 

I had to take a few breaks as the frustration mounted. I took my time and tried to stay calm, but still things were not adding up. Time for a compression test. I found that the spark plug holes in the head are recessed quite a bit. A bought some adaptors for my compression gage so I could safely seal up the hole and not plunge to deep into the cylinder with the adaptors. I pulled all plugs on Wed night and took a compression test. All were fairly low, with 5 and 6 holes dead, at 0 psi. I proceeded to pull the head, and what you see above is what I found. a bent valve on #5. Also #6 valves are coated pretty good with carbon and not sealing great either. In fact all the valves need dressing up. Which I believe is why I measured low compression readings. The car did not burn any oil that was visible.

I racked my brain further to figure out what caused a bent valve. After pulling the head, I removed all the built up carbon with a brass wire wheel in a drill. I found slight bruises in the combustion chamber of the head/ Something went into the cylinder and took a merry go round ride. The cylinder walls are fine. no scoring. I am lucky there. I can only assume what happened. I suspect the previous owner dropped a small nut or washer and could not find it. It landed right down in the dish beside a spark plug. It sat there for some time. Until I changed he plus. Leaning over the fenders to pull plugs, I did not see it on the back side of a plug. I proceed to pull the plug, and it drops in, unknown to me. It sits on the intake valve, which is directly under the plug hole.

As soon as I attempted to fire up the engine, contact is made as the valve rises to open. The small fastener gets bounced around a  few times and the bruises the combustion chamber.

I have ordered parts to replace all valves at #5 and #6. I will pull all valves, de-carbon them, and deck area of block. I hope to lap in the new valves and re-seal all the others. The parts won't be here for about another week. Today, I will proceed to hopefully pull all valves and start cleaning. I have not found the culprit fastener yet that went through the spark plug hole. I am hoping to find it in a manifold today.

I heard someone in another form, mention that the water distribution tube may also be suspect. If you look, you'll see #5 and #6 valve are carbon'd up more than any other cylinder. If they are not getting the cooling, this may be a contributing factor. I suspect 5 and 6 were in need of service, then this valve collision happened and was the final nail in the coffin. 

Here you can see the build up on 5 & 6 valves. That light scuff mark in#5 cylinder is of concern. It appears to be up into the top ridge area. I am not sure what would cause that. It does not feel excessive. The walls are still smooth to the hand. The top ridge does not appear excessive. Hoping I can patch it, and run as is for a while. Oil pressure is good. No smoke.

 

[Dodgeb4ya]

The #6 cylinder wall finish is srange too.

[Don Coatney]

I suggest you drop the oil pan and remove all pistons for inspection. I have seen piston ring failure as pictured below in high mileage engines especially if they overheat. This might also account for the bent valve.

[keithb7]

 The perpetrator has been located, hiding down in the intake manifold. At #5 intake. A small screw. I can only suspect the previous owner, or a helper dropped this down in the spark plug recessed area in the head. Could not find where it ended up and moved on. A new step is now burned into my brain, compressed air will be blown around all spark plug holes before any plugs are removed.

 

Edited June 10, 2017 by keithb7

[Jerry Roberts]

Good detective work . 

[Young Ed]

2 hours ago, keithb7 said:

 The perpetrator has been located, hiding down in the intake manifold. At #5 intake. A small screw. I can only suspect the previous owner, or a helper dropped this down in the spark plug recessed area in the head. Could not find where it ended up and moved on. A new step is now burned into my brain, compressed air will be blown around all spark plug holes before any plugs are removed.

Yes that is a good step. The plugs always collect gunk. 

[DLK]

20 hours ago, keithb7 said:

Hi folks, 

New member today from Western Canada. I just found this site. It looks pretty active. I am happy to contribute to this group. I own a 1953 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe. Flat head 6. Fluid torque drive. It's new to me, I bought it about a month ago. Still learning about the car. I am very happy to have found another resource here. Looking forward to getting to know you a little.

Here is the car.

 

 

This looks just like a 1953 Windsor Deluxe (even the same color minus the nice wide whites) my Dad debated purchasing in 1958. Instead he bought a 1953 Buick Special (it had a V-8 and much more pep) and put in two rebuilt Dynaflow transmissions in 4 years.  He made a bad decision.  At the time even as a 9 year old I lobbied for the Chrysler since he was selling a 1949 New Yorker with the scotch plaid interior us kids loved. But he wasn't listening to a little kid.    I love your car!

The car is down for a week or two. Waiting for parts to arrive for some valve work. 

I am pretty comfortable working on cars/motorcycles/boats etc. However this old car is new to me. I have learned a ton already. I enjoy working on it. It is as fun and rewarding to work on for me, as it is to drive. - Keith 

 

[keithb7]

Digging around in my '53 tonight I found a piece of paper under the rear bench seat. It is a Vehicle Registration for state of Massachusetts. Dated 1969. 

A 1953 Chrysler Sedan.  Owner was Bert H. Webster of Bulkeley Road, Littleton Mass.01460.  Registration fee was $6.

I googled Bert to find his obituary, date 2009. He was born in 1929 and seems he lived most of his life in Littleton. He served 4 years in the Airforce during the  Korean conflict. After his service, he worked as a truck driver his whole life.

Pretty cool to find this...

Edited December 16, 2017 by keithb7