The D.C. P15 Update

[greg g]

Airtex just presses the pins n relying on an interference fit to retain them.  Many folks have experienced the walking out either stopping fuelflow or in some cases aowing thecam lever to drop into the crankcase.

Inspection t your pin if it hasn't been properly staaked in it could back out. Some folks like Donreplaced the pin with a longer on with c clips and groves.  I made a sheet metal retainer tht slides over both ends of the pinto hold it in place Some have done the staking with a pin punch.  The interference fit doesn't work as well as as airtex claimed it does

[Don Coatney]

McMaster. Carr.

 

[HotRodTractor]

Are you #$&@#*$#&ing kidding me?

 

Brand new Airtex pump sprays right out the side of the casting in the flat area above and behind the outlet. Probably a porous casting..... I just shut the car off and walked away for the day.

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

With all due respect for a car that is modified to begin with, why not a simple electric fuel and in the process of this a hidden switch to act as a further deterrence to theft.   Mentally if nothing else you be way ahead of the game.  Unfortunately it seems that one must rebuild  their old unit compared with the re-pops of today's market.  

[HotRodTractor]

38 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

With all due respect for a car that is modified to begin with, why not a simple electric fuel and in the process of this a hidden switch to act as a further deterrence to theft.   Mentally if nothing else you be way ahead of the game.  Unfortunately it seems that one must rebuild  their old unit compared with the re-pops of today's market.  

 

No disrespect taken. I am going to add an electric pusher pump, but my plan has always been to keep the mechanical pump.... starting to think my plan is flawed. lol

 

Maybe I have just had a good run of parts up until now. I've had really good luck with aftermarket parts - even in the world where nearly all of it is built on the other side of the globe.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I agree, for the most part when having to buy components and when you buy name brands like Raybestos, Wagoner etc and find the individual package marked product of China or other offshore location, you don't have a warm fuzzy but so far I also have been fortunate that they have performed as intended.   I dropped by the local flea market yesterday and a man had several tables of NOS car parts....I purchased a few of these.  A couple for myself I knew I could use, a few items to put on my swap meet table this coming weekend.  I would  have liked to have had a means to identify some parts numbers on the spot.  Grabbed 6 very nice blueberry bushes while there and have already got them in the ground.   These are for mums..not much on blueberries myself.

[greg g]

Birds like blueberries, so they can make purple deposits on your cars...

[Plymouthy Adams]

for sure, but birds do not need blue berries to make messes.....they need only to eat anything and be in the area.....poke berries...now that's your stain followed next by elderberry....right now the pollen it our polluter of air and surfaces...it will get worse when the pecans bloom.....I have about 40 pecans on the place...can you say mess....right now it is oak and I have 8 large oaks also.  

[greg g]

Mulberry trees here.

[Los_Control]

for what is worth, I put a fuel pump on mine a couple weeks ago, bought it from napa. Not sure of the brand but probably made over seas.

It works as advertised. For how long is another question.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I forgot mulberries...to my knowledge there are only two in the wild down here that I have come across.  Up north, these are prolific trees.  That and the catbird....the ultimate mulberry squirt machine..we also do not have catbirds here.

[HotRodTractor]

I spent the weekend cutting up every mulberry tree withing 100 yards of the house.

 

I also dropped the old fuel tank and attempted to install the 1948 Plymouth tank. Having them side by side really showed me that there are significant differences..... enough so that a "factory" tank doesn't fit on this car without reworking the exhaust and the brackets that hold the tank on. After looking at the tank and seeing an old repair around the filler neck that  was obviously not working as intended - I stripped all the old repair (looks maybe like 2 part putty???), sanded the area down around the filler neck and on the tank and cleaned it really well, and proceeded to apply some JB Weld to it. Not ideal, but if it holds, then I'm good. If not, then I need to figure out if I want to redo the exhaust on the car, or find a different tank.

 

I removed the mechanical pump off the engine - it has a nice big hole right in the side of the casting that looks like it might have been caused by a casting inclusion. In any case - it is being covered under warranty for the pump and a new one is already in shipment.

 

I also have the electric pump mounted, just need to get a new filter, hook up some lines and run some wires and a switch and I will be ready to go.

 

[Don Coatney]

Where did you find the new tank that did not work?

[HotRodTractor]

14 minutes ago, Don Coatney said:

Where did you find the new tank that did not work?

 

I believe the tank I bought is correct for the car, but the tank that was in the car was not. The new tank is "flatter" and "wider" with a welded elbow on the fuel filler neck. Even the filler neck is in the "wrong" location (either location can work, but originally it looks like the filler neck should be at the back of the tank and not the front). The tank is wide enough that it doesn't fit between the dual exhaust - and in reality the driver's side exhaust is what is really in the way. I'll snap some pictures of the tanks side by side and it will be obvious.

 

I never even gave it a thought that the tank in the car might not have been an original tank. My bad. I shouldn't have assumed. I'll get it figured out though.

[Don Coatney]

The tank in the car was in it when I bought the car.

[HotRodTractor]

7 minutes ago, Don Coatney said:

The tank in the car was in it when I bought the car.

 

I don't doubt that. In fact I just found a thread this morning where you weren't happy with the previous owner's positioning of clamps on the fuel filler neck. lol

 

This is a thing that happens with modified vehicles. No big deal. Just a fork in the road.

[HotRodTractor]

Here is the crux of the issue.

 

 

The new "1948 P15 tank" is just a couple of inches longer than the tank that is in the car.  In fact the tank is 33" wide. There is only 31-1/2" between the dual exhaust - plus it appears that the tank should mount slightly more to the driver's side to get the filler neck where it needs to go (also notice the filler neck locations between the two tanks).

 

My epoxy repair looks pretty decent and appears to be bonded quite well. I'm going to let it sit for another day and make sure it is good and cured, and then go over it looking for any thin spot or holes I might have missed and address them before putting the tank back into the car. Still not sure if this will be the long term solution, but its the today solution so I can finish the gas supply and start driving the old girl and enjoying her a bit in this nice weather.

 

The last thing that I HAVE to do before driving it too much is get the turn signals up front. Everything else is a want and not a need.

[Don Coatney]

Where did you buy the tank that does not fit?

[HotRodTractor]

30 minutes ago, Don Coatney said:

Where did you buy the tank that does not fit?

 

It came from your friend Michael Warshaw. It looks like a good piece and should fit a stock car quite nicely.

[mrwrstory]

You have discovered that the stock Pi5 tank does not  gracefully accommodate dual exhaust pipes.  If you retain the "dual" feature, you might succeed by stacking the pipes vertically between the tank and spring, then a turn down or dog leg just prior to the bumper.  Either way not an elegant solution but functional.

[John Reddie]

I have had great long term results with SEAL-ALL that is resistant to oil and gasoline. I have never used JB WELD on fuel leaks and it may work fine. The SEAL-ALL is meant to seal fuel leaks. It is relatively inexpensive and is offered at WalMart, Home Depot and most auto stores. As with any sealant of this type, the area of application should be as clean as possible.

John R

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Seal-All-1-fl-oz-Adhesive-and-Sealant-6-Pack-380011/205812210?cm_mmc=Shopping|B|Base|D25

[HotRodTractor]

Electric fuel is all hooked up and functional with a mechanical pump still on the engine. I'm using a HEP-02A 12 volt pump, which looks like its good for right about 180hp depending what online specs you find for the pump, so there isn't a whole lot extra overhead. I have a much larger Carter pump sitting in the shop if I need more, but I need to find a good place to mount it.

 

I took the car out with the GF for quick trip and everything seemed to work just fine. I still need turn signals up front.

[MackTheFinger]

I never had any luck with JB Weld on gas tanks. I suspect that the expansion and contraction rates differ for the tank and the JB Weld and sooner than you'd like it's leaking again. Never tried Seal All. A buddy just put a Boyd tank in a pickup he redid and it's a thing of beauty. It cost about a third of what my P-15's worth. ?

[HotRodTractor]

1 hour ago, MackTheFinger said:

I never had any luck with JB Weld on gas tanks. I suspect that the expansion and contraction rates differ for the tank and the JB Weld and sooner than you'd like it's leaking again. Never tried Seal All. A buddy just put a Boyd tank in a pickup he redid and it's a thing of beauty. It cost about a third of what my P-15's worth. ?

 

I had a 53 Pilothouse in high school (graduated in 2000) - being a poor broke high school farm kid - I repaired the swiss cheese bottom of that tank with JB Weld circa 1997. I sold that truck in 2011 and the patch was still holding. Like most things - I've found the secret to using it being good clean metal and a bit of a scratched up surface to the epoxy to latch onto.

 

I can't say that I will have that kind of luck with this repair - but if it lasts me until next winter, I'll be content. I simply want to drive and enjoy the car as much as possible now that better weather is upon us.

[MackTheFinger]

11 hours ago, HotRodTractor said:

 

I had a 53 Pilothouse in high school (graduated in 2000) - being a poor broke high school farm kid - I repaired the swiss cheese bottom of that tank with JB Weld circa 1997. I sold that truck in 2011 and the patch was still holding. Like most things - I've found the secret to using it being good clean metal and a bit of a scratched up surface to the epoxy to latch onto.

 

I can't say that I will have that kind of luck with this repair - but if it lasts me until next winter, I'll be content. I simply want to drive and enjoy the car as much as possible now that better weather is upon us.

 

I took a leaky tank off one of my cars a couple of years ago, sanded it down, washed it with lacquer thinner, lathered it up with JB Weld, let is set for about a week before putting gas in it, and it lasted a couple of months. It may have started leaking in another spot but I wasn't really interested in looking.

 

If money's short, by all means do whatever it takes but the only sure way to fix a rusted out, leaky gas tank is to replace it. If it's rusted through in one place it'll rust through in another before you know it. And don't sell it to someone else without letting them know what you've done. That's bad karma.?