New member from New York.

[Ciscorc]

Good evening Everyone,

 

I am new to the site and wanted to say hello. I just picked up a 1950 coronet that I will be attempting to resurrect this winter and I am sure I will look to you guys for some guidance. My father-in-law acquired this car A couple years ago before realizing that this project was more than he wanted to take on. The body seems solid and the frame looks good too, with the exception of the supports that go from the frame to what looks like the body, under the front floor pans. The front floor pans are also rough but I would imagine are available. The motor is the stock six and currently setup so I filled the cylinders up with marvel until I can get it home.

 

My plans for the car are pretty simple. 
1) get it running 

2) new floor pans and supports (if available)

3) new tires, brakes, gas tank etc.

4) conversion to 12v

5) cruise.

The car sat for many years in a barn and the previous owner started pulling off the chrome and replaced the brake lines. All the parts were bagged and placed in the trunk and the only thing missing is the tank. I am looking forward to getting it setup and taking the kids for a ride. I typically stick with bikes but I couldn’t let this go to the scrap yard without giving it a shot. Sorry for the long winded post.

 
Ray

[keithb7]

Welcome to this group. You came to the right place. Tons of helpful folks here. I have learned a tremendous amount about my old Mopars cars from the members here.

Good luck with your plan. It sounds like you know what you want. Cruising in these old cars is a lot of fun.

[Ciscorc]

Thank you. Keeping it basic with this one.

[Worden18]

Welcome!  Love your car.  Take your time and do things right, and have fun along the way.  Lotta good folks here on these forums.

[Conn47D24]

Welcome !

[Doug&Deb]

Welcome. Some advice. If your car has the gyromatic trans conversion to 12 volt can be problematic. I believe it can be done successfully but research this forum for the particulars. I have a 52 coronet and these are great driving cars. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Ciscorc]

Thanks everyone

[NickPickToo]

Below is my thread on fixing the floor braces.  There is additional detail on the whole project on my main thread (My First Car...).  Its still an active post till I'm completely finished.   Most of the floor pans are available through Plymouth Doctor (or his supplier in the U.P. MI, but my experience is that the price we pay to the PD is slightly lower than direct).  There are also universal pans and braces available from EMS.  I ended up going with a combination of universal and made for P-15 pans.  If I could do it all over, I would have saved much more of the original floor and just focused on the section than really needed to be patched (It was my Dad's call to pull the whole floor out.  As it relates to the very front pans, where the removable cover will eventually bolt on to, going with the pans that are made to fit is worth the extra cost. 

 

Important Note:  No one makes the support cross braces that are attached to the floor any more so treat those like gold.  Try to save the tunnel if possible too as it will make the fit much better.  There will be rust inside the braces that would be best to treat, but if you can avoid removing them from the floor like I did, you may be better off.  If I could do it again, I would have slit the floor in the middle of each brace just enough to get a tube in for painting rust insulator then sealed the slit.  Regardless, I'm excited about how my floor is turning out.

 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2020 by NickPickToo

[Ciscorc]

NickPickToo, that is some great info and thank you so much for the detail. The overall frame seems to be very solid except for the braces from the frame to the body under the front floor pans, unfortunately.

[RobertKB]

Nice car and welcome to the forum. No need to convert to 12V as the 6V is perfectly adequate if maintained properly with good clean connections. Battery cables need to be thicker than with 12V and from the engine bay picture not sure what cables you have. As stated above, take your time and enjoy the journey.

[Booger]

Im in total agreement with RKB, really no reason to go to 12v

theres page after page in here of people trying to figure out what went wrong with their conversions, electronic ignitions, etc

[Ciscorc]

Thanks again for the info. I have been reading up on the conversion and have to agree. It seems like sticking with the 6 volt system is an easier option. I still have some work on my bike to get done before starting the car but I am getting anxious.

[DJK]

Check out Bill Howard Enterprises for a simple 6v pos ground alternator. Where you located in NY?

Edited September 8, 2020 by DJK
update

[knuckleharley]

1:  When you rebuild the brakes,make sure you use the new nickel-copper brake lines. You can bend them with your hands without kinking them,and they will never rust,inside or out.

 

2a: Make sure you also buy new brake hoses and clips

 2b: Make sure you also replace the hose from the gas tank to the filler tube,and make sure you tighten the                     clamps well. If not,you are likely to lose gas mileage and start to smell gas.

 

3: Try to look for a polyurethane (plastic) gas tank. They never rust.

 

4: Use the correct size copper-nickel brake lines to plumb the gas tank to the fuel pump.

 

5a: If you plan on leaving it 6 volt,but a 6 volt electric fuel pump to put near the gas tank,and put a toggle           switch on or under your dash to turn it on or off at will. This way you are trying to start it with a full float             bowl. Turn the switch off as soon as it starts and let the engine run using the fuel pump.

        This will save a lot of money in the long run. Look up the price of a rebuilt starter and see what I mean.

 

      5b: These old 6 volt cars crank very slowly,and the carbs tend to drain down if you don't start them  every              couple of days.  The slow cranking and the dry carb put a lot of strain on your electrics.