New Car Day! 1938 P6 Plymouth Deluxe

[keithb7]

2 hours ago, 1949 Wraith said:

Keith, you have the match to my '38 D10. My go to vintage ride.

 

It looks fantastic. Did you restore it yourself? I’m hoping to build up a support group. Finding people who own these Mopars is great. I hope you’ll check back and follow my future posts about by 1938. The experience and tips from others will be very much appreciated. 

[keithb7]

Well we made it to pick up point. The rain let up. We got it running and up on the trailer...Almost. Died on the ramp with front wheels on the trailer. We were well equipped with a 12V winch mounted to the front. So we yanked it up and strapped it down. 

 

This is my first vintage car rescue with my Ram truck. I’m impressed. The Cummins gets the job done quite well. 

 

Waiting now at the ferry to get back to continental North America.  We just may get back to Kamloops by mid-nite pacific time.  So far so good!

[keithb7]

Anyone know anything about this aftermarket bolt-in Firestone AM radio? I have never seen one before. 

[T120]

...The old Plymouth is headed for sunnier climes.? The radio is an aftermarket  under dash car radio from the 40's. It appears to be a Firestone radio model 4-B-31..

[T120]

More on the radio -This link should provide you with more info on the radio, http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/209/M0006209.htm

[dpollo]

Probably this is the first time off the island since it arrived in '38.  My 37 Plymouth which I owned from '68 to '98 was an island car.  It sold new in Victoria for $1173 at Begg Motors.

Just before I got it, it had completed a trip to Trail BC and back.  A leaky head gasket and bad water distribution tube caused piston failure in # 4 cylinder . Surprisingly, no ring failure but it could not have run very well. An overbore of .050 was needed to clean things up.  ( at 54000 miles)

Before BC Ferries started operation in the mid 50s, it was not so very easy to come and go by car to the mainland. As a result there were a lot of older low mileage cars available in the Victoria area.

[keithb7]

2:30 am. Just outside my home town. Hiway closure.  Serious accident. So we wait.  Hopefully no major injuries. 

 

Pretty uneventful drive home. The tow truck performed exceptionally well. 15.8 mpg while towing. I’m happy with that. 

 

Several new people were met today as they continue to approach. Asking questions. What is it? What year is it? Etc. I look forward to the future with this car. 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2019 by keithb7

[John Reddie]

4 hours ago, keithb7 said:

2:30 am. Just outside my home town. Hiway closure.  Serious accident. So we wait.  Hopefully no major injuries. 

 

Pretty uneventful drive home. The tow truck performed exceptionally well. 15.8 mpg while towing. I’m happy with that. 

 

Several new people were met today as they continue to approach. Asking questions. What is it? What year is it? Etc. I look forward to the future with this car. 

 

 

Really cool photo. Thanks for posting it.

John R

[Mike36]

Nice looking original Keith. The sedans are nice because you can take friends or family with you on a cruise.

[keithb7]

Part of the struggle on a purchase decision was giving up garage space. Today I am quite pleased. I can work with this.  The Plymouth is considerably smaller than my Windsor. Those wheel dollies are so handy. Pushing it around, the Plymouth is also much easier as it weighs considerably less too.

 

Today I am satisfied and relieved that I can work with with the garage space I have. All year round I can work on it. 

 

The motorcycle seen in the pic is on its way to a new owner. Out of the way soon. Good days ahead... 

[dpollo]

glad you got home safely.   dp

[RobertKB]

Glad trip was successful and safe! Looking forward to updates on the '38. I had a '38 Chrysler touring sedan and it was a great car. Sold it about three years ago so I could quickly finish the '51 Dodge business coupe I am working on.

 

 

[keithb7]

Spent the afternoon cleaning it up a bit and tinkering. Cleaned up the starter system contacts and grounds. The starter will be pulled, tested and rebuilt if possible. It was not turning very fast, even with a fully charged 6V battery. I was able to get it spinning quick with a 12V boost. Then the car would start.  After a couple of those 12V shots , the momentary switch on the starter no longer turns the starter. Even with the starter clutch disengaged.  I'll pull it and take it to to a local starter rebuild shop.

 

If anyone is interested, I did a walk-around video this afternoon.

 

https://youtu.be/O2L402Xe-6o

[Reg Evans]

With the 6 volt system make sure you have heavy battery cables.  12 volt cables can't deliver enough voltage to the starter.

The D24 engine is a 48 Dodge 230 engine and rated at 20 more hp !!!  than the original 38 201.

[keithb7]

You are right Reg. 12V cables. Thanks for the reminder. They gotta go ASAP.  20 more HP! I like that. Suppose it can stay for a while. 

Edited May 27, 2019 by keithb7

[1949 Wraith]

There is a 1938 Plymouth Deluxe about 50 miles from here, she is in rough shape but it does have the original radio in her.  The radio is huge and sits on top of the stearing column with the controls mounted in dash above the ash tray.

If your D24 engine is a Canadian model it could be the long block Plymouth engine.

[Worden18]

11 hours ago, keithb7 said:

Spent the afternoon cleaning it up a bit and tinkering. Cleaned up the starter system contacts and grounds. The starter will be pulled, tested and rebuilt if possible. It was not turning very fast, even with a fully charged 6V battery. I was able to get it spinning quick with a 12V boost. Then the car would start.  After a couple of those 12V shots , the momentary switch on the starter no longer turns the starter. Even with the starter clutch disengaged.  I'll pull it and take it to to a local starter rebuild shop.

 

If anyone is interested, I did a walk-around video this afternoon.

 

https://youtu.be/O2L402Xe-6o

Thanks for sharing the video.  I like the dual glove boxes, split rear window, that funky steering wheel knob, and the trunk emblem.  Well, I like everything else about it too!  Congrats on getting it home?

[Mike36]

Hi Keith, enjoyed your video. The first thing I would do with this car is pull both side covers off the engine and do a thorough clean out. Make sure the oil drain holes to the pan are open. A rattle can of carb cleaner helps with final cleanup. Leave the pan on until this is done and the mess is better contained. Then pull the pan and give it and the oil pump pick up screen a good cleaning. It is best to disassemble the screen assembly. After doing this, you can use detergent oil. On reassembly, do not cut off the end seals that stick up a little above the pan sealing surface. These will crush and give a better seal. Love your Plymouth, it’s much like my ‘39 Dodge more door.

 

[John Rogers]

Congratulations on your new car. It is a beauty !

                        John

[keithb7]

When the driver wants to start the engine, he pushed the starter foot rod. Ok I got that. Neat...This evening I go in there to pull the starter. I see that the gas pedal linkage is also automatically activated by the foot starter rod! Cool! More neat Mopar engineering I learned about today. I was a little stumped wondering how a person could crank the engine while working the throttle.  Ya’ll knew this already probably. The foot starter rod is right above the gas pedal. Pretty awkward to try and work both at the same time. Now I know, there’s no need! 

 

81 years old, this car. Its all new to me... Very cool stuff. 

[1949 Wraith]

9 hours ago, keithb7 said:

When the driver wants to start the engine, he pushed the starter foot rod. Ok I got that. Neat...This evening I go in there to pull the starter. I see that the gas pedal linkage is also automatically activated by the foot starter rod! Cool! More neat Mopar engineering I learned about today. I was a little stumped wondering how a person could crank the engine while working the throttle.  Ya’ll knew this already probably. The foot starter rod is right above the gas pedal. Pretty awkward to try and work both at the same time. Now I know, there’s no need! 

 

81 years old, this car. Its all new to me... Very cool stuff. 

Are there not  choke and throttle control knobs on the dash? On my '38 a couple of pumps on the throttle and pull out the dash throttle cable before engaging the starter and she fires right up. I only need a bit of the choke cable in the winter

[dpollo]

most of these cars had a link which opened the throttle about 1/3 way when the starter pedal was pushed.

 

Trucks still used foot starters well into the 50s.  Ford trucks, had a button on the dash. ( advanced design.... not really, the location of the starting motor  made it

impossible to use a foot starter unless it was just a switch )

[keithb7]

My original P6 shop manual arrived today. Quite good. I like it. I was studying the wiring diagram. It shows a turn signal indicator in the circuit. I don’t see a mechanism for manually engaging the left or right signals. What am I looking for there? Its old, I’m not sure what they used back then. A signal arm on the  steering column? Maybe it’s missing? Thx. 

Edited May 30, 2019 by keithb7

[Worden18]

12 minutes ago, keithb7 said:

My original P6 shop manual arrived today. Quite good. I like it. I was studying the wiring diagram. It shows a turn signal indicator in the circuit. I don’t see a mechanism for manually engaging the left or right signals. What am I looking for there. Its old, not sure what they used then. A signal arm on the  steering column? Maybe it’s missing? Thx. 

Maybe it was optional?

[dpollo]

directional signals first made their appearance on the 39 Buick