New Car Day! 1938 P6 Plymouth Deluxe

[keithb7]

Local Napa ordered the 6V 1158 bulbs in for me.  $1 each. Came in a 4 pack. 

 

Have a look at Ebay...Vintage Mopar 1158 bulbs at prices that would make you believe the bulbs are made out of “unobtanium”.  Maybe  its the postwar trapped oxygen inside the bulbs.  

 

Sylvania. Part number seen below. 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2019 by keithb7

[keithb7]

My lovely, talented wife has indicated she’s ready to try her hand at the upholstery. When she says she’s ready to start, I stop whatever I had planned next and pull apart whatever she needs.  She wants start on a door panel. Experiment,  and sacrifice some trial materials to develop some skills. She’s no stranger to working with material and sewing machines. She very picky and pays close attention to detail. I look forward to seeing what she can do. 

 

Meanwhile the window cranking system is stiff and the lube mostly all dried up. I’m scratching my head a little here taking the glass and linkage apart. Wondering if it’ll ever go back together again. Lol. 

I’ve got 4 doors, so 4 tries to get good at it. 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2019 by keithb7

[pflaming]

On 5/22/2019 at 5:13 PM, dpollo said:

Grad year about 1962

he is still a young man. I can’t remember 1962, maybe because I was married in 1961!   A significant change in one life temporarily short circuits the memory! LOL  yet wasn’t bad at all, still married to that young lady.

 

[dpollo]

keith, if you need the  clips that hold the panel to the door , contact me via email

[keithb7]

@dpolloyou made me smile. You know very well, as I do indeed need some type of clip. All appear gone from the one removed panel.

 

I found one clip down inside the bottom of the door.  Shown on its side side here. Does this look like what would have held the panel on originally? 

 

I’ll be in touch when we get to that stage. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2019 by keithb7

[keithb7]

I flashed the Plymouth up tonight and took it out of the garage. I tried a used mechanical fuel pump that a friend gave me. Nope. No good. I quickly hooked up the electric pump and the car ran great again. I warmed everything up good and hot tonight.

 

My 21 year old son was here tonight. He came out and poked his head in the garage. The Carbon Monoxide detector was going nuts even though both garage doors were open. He heard the car running. He loves old and new cars alike. He didn't need to say, but I could tell, he was hoping there might be a need to test drive the Plymouth. "Get some shoes on", I said. "And come out here. I need your help". I made up some story about needing help. I didn't, but I knew he wanted in the car. I said I needed to check out the new head and tail lights in the dark. I needed a driver, and to get the engine revs up.  "I'll stand back and watch the lights in the dark tonight, while you drive", I said. LOL.

 

Kinda like when he was 5 years old and I could get him jacked up over anything. He was always good to go if a car ride was involved. Not much has changed.  I grinned, happy and content to see the '38 purring so smoothly. It was dark. The engine purring. The lights glowing. The smells the sounds. It could have easily been 1940.

 

The seat is out of the car. My Misses has it in her possession now. Low-rider time. My son sitting on the battery, test driving the car tonight.

 

 

Edited November 17, 2019 by keithb7

[dpollo]

13 hours ago, keithb7 said:

@dpolloyou made me smile. You know very well, as I do indeed need some type of clip. All appear gone from the one removed panel.

 

I found one clip down inside the bottom of the door.  Shown on its side side here. Does this look like what would have held the panel on originally? 

 

I’ll be in touch when we get to that stage. 

 

  Those be the ones,  I finally figured out that to remove or install the panel, you bend it towards ypurself then push it downward, engaging the clips with the door flange.  If you pry the panel off, the clips break or tear the cardboard

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2019 by dpollo
more info

[keithb7]

I’m feeling like the luckiest man in the old car hobby tonight. My wife has began her contribution. The front seat!  So grateful for her assistance. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2019 by keithb7

[Tim Larson]

9 hours ago, keithb7 said:

I’m feeling like the luckiest man in the old car hobby tonight. My wife has began her contribution. The front seat!  So grateful for her assistance. 

 

 

 

 

 

You are fortunate indeed!

[keithb7]

Progress is being made on trial 1 with scrap material. Learning the techniques in an attempt to reproduce the original. 

 

This is not the material we are using for the final re-cover. Heather said to me “I don’t want to wreck our nice new material to learn how to do this”.

 

 Ok, Good idea. I hadn’t really thought about that. 

 

 

[maxime]

Nice job ! For my Ply39, I’ll do it this summer !

do you have the color’s code of the body’s green ?

 

[keithb7]

A few teaks here and there today. I swapped out the older electric fuel pump in the car. It seems temperamental and works when it wants to. Today I noticed that one headlight is not making good solid ground contact. They are grounded to the inside of the headlight housing. Then those housings bolt to the car. I was thinking it might lead to a problem. It quickly did. So I will remove the pod and ground off any paint and rust on any mount contact points to get a better path right back to the frame.

 

With the new fuel pump in, today I worked the powertrain the hardest yet since I bought it. The snow is due to arrive and stay any day. I keep threatening to pull the tranny, but keep wanting to drive the car a little here and there before the snow comes.  Today we burned some fuel around the neighbourhood again. Seems to be getting pretty reliable and running well. We are sitting on a milk crate as the seat is out.

 

 Time to get serious and pull the tranny. How do you folks get anything down south where it stays warm all winter?

 

A little video from today here: 

 

Edited November 25, 2019 by keithb7

[keithb7]

Error post.

Edited November 24, 2019 by keithb7

[Plymouthy Adams]

22 minutes ago, keithb7 said:

A few teaks here and there today. I swapped out the older electric fuel pump in the car. It seems temperamental and works when it wants to. Today I noticed that one headlight is not making good solid ground contact. They are grounded to the inside of the headlight housing. Then those housings bolt to the car. I was thinking it might lead to a problem. It quickly did. So I will remove the pod and ground off any paint and rust on any mount contact points to get a better path right back to the frame.

 

With the new fuel pump in, today I worked the powertrain the hardest yet since I bought it. The snow is due to arrive and stay any day. I keep threatening to pull the tranny, but keep wanting to drive the car a little here and there before the snow comes.  Today we burned some fuel around the neighbourhood again. Seems to be getting pretty reliable and running well. We are sitting on a milk crate as the seat is out.

 

 Time to get serious and pull the tranny. How do you folks get anything down south where it stays warm all winter?

 

https://youtu.be/C_-QqApT5PU

 

temperature is about as relative as is the humidity......and believe you me that humidity in the south in winter will feel as bitter cold as some of your northern temperatures.  As long as it is not raining and the wind is not blowing badly, it is for the most part a good workday for us....today I got rained out on the outdoor project...temps are fantastic however and just moved indoors and fired up the lathe and worked out some bronze bushings and rebuilt my lower trunions….always fun to be had in Elko.....my outdoor burner has been in bank mode for about 48 hours now....no call for heat in the  house....nice weather....but it will change once this rain passes through the area....

Edited November 24, 2019 by Plymouthy Adams

[Bobb Horn]

On ‎11‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 6:31 PM, keithb7 said:

Progress is being made on trial 1 with scrap material. Learning the techniques in an attempt to reproduce the original. 

 

This is not the material we are using for the final re-cover. Heather said to me “I don’t want to wreck our nice new material to learn how to do this”.

 

 Ok, Good idea. I hadn’t really thought about that. 

 

 

 

 

With my Coupe, I used Dodge Van door panel backing, and covered with blanket material.      The headliner, I did with blanket material also....

[keithb7]

Pleased so much with the available access in these old cars. Remove a few panels and voila! There it all is.  So nice. What happened to cause all this awesome access to be engineered out? Can you image a modern car with access like this?  Maybe there is one, I’ve never worked on?

 

 

 

 

[keithb7]

An hour later its out. I can’t believe how easy that was. I found the source of the powertrain noise...Throw out bearing.  Sloppy and sounding/feeling like it’s full of sand. 

 

Is there an easier car to work on? I’m not sure....Very pleased. 

 

Edited November 24, 2019 by keithb7

[maxime]

1 hour ago, keithb7 said:

An hour later its out. I can’t believe how easy that was. I found the source of the powertrain noise...Throw out bearing.  Sloppy and sounding/feeling like it’s full of sand. 

 

Is there an easier car to work on? I’m not sure....Very pleased. 

 

Great Job Keithb7!!

[keithb7]

Question about the rear end pinion seal situation. 

 

See pic here. Red arrow points to drive shaft mounting flange. When I removed the driveshaft some some oil came pouring out. Maybe 1/8 of a cup. 

 

Green arrow points to pinion seal. It seems dry and doing its job. It looks like a newer-ish seal to me. I’m looking at the service manual breakdown drawing. I’m scratching my head wondering how oil is getting out to the pinion lock nut (#36)  on the dry side of the drive shaft flange? (#38). 

 

Thanks. 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2019 by keithb7

[Dodgeb4ya]

Gear oil can work up the splines and leak around the nut and washer.

It does look like a replacement seal. I think the pinion flange is missing the dust/rock deflector that protects that seal. 

[keithb7]

Thanks @Dodgeb4ya. Perhaps if the diff housing is overfilled, I suppose that could encourage the problem.

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

2 hours ago, keithb7 said:

An hour later its out. I can’t believe how easy that was. I found the source of the powertrain noise...Throw out bearing.  Sloppy and sounding/feeling like it’s full of sand. 

 

Is there an easier car to work on? I’m not sure....Very pleased. 

 

 

 

 

yeah way back when design engineers worked on their own cars.....not sure if it is any simpler or easier, but I can say there are many on par with a real plus being parts availability at much lesser cost than our old mopars...just pinned the front suspension back onto this little truck I am working, about a C note rebuilding the suspension, shocks, new poly bushings, (12 total) new bushing pins and wear plates and seals.  Cheap at twice the price......

[keithb7]

On 11/23/2019 at 5:45 AM, maxime said:

Do you have the color’s code of the body’s green ?

 

 

Pic of my Id plate is here. It reads:

Model P6 4DR TRG

Body 1442

Paint Code 636

Trim Code AKH

 

 

[Tim Larson]

4 hours ago, keithb7 said:

An hour later its out. I can’t believe how easy that was. I found the source of the powertrain noise...Throw out bearing.  Sloppy and sounding/feeling like it’s full of sand. 

 

Is there an easier car to work on? I’m not sure....Very pleased. 

 

 

It's so small/short! I wouldn't mind having a Plymouth of this era someday. 

[keithb7]

11 minutes ago, tjlarson88 said:

I wouldn't mind having a Plymouth of this era someday. 

 

I recommend! However, I may be a little biased as I am still in the "Honeymoon Stage" with my '38.

I suspect the tranny is so small as it is only a 3 speed with reverse. Not much to it.