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Clue me in on thought process on my new ride


Slickster

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I just purchased a 48 p15, zero rust, super straight body, totally complete, refreshed interior, everything works except the radio, most mechanicals and wiring are in 72 yr old condition, operable, very nice paint.... I bought it to pile the grand kids in it and drive it, not worrying if it gets scratched, or dirty etc, I want it as reliable as possible, I don't want a show car and am not concerned with keeping it original, 12v? pertronix? ,disc brakes? tear out wiring?...is this too nice or desirable a car to modify/update it?  

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Show us pictures please.

My opinions:

Leave it 6v, leave the points in it, go with the original brakes (rebuilt), drive it...and often.  Check out my "Me and the Meadowbrook" thread and you'll understand. 

Edited by Worden18
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I say no, it's not to valuable.. Do what you want to make it safe and enjoyable for you and the grand kids.. 12V, rebuild the brakes, new wiring harness, new tires and anything else that's iffy.....

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When I got my 51 it had no seat belts.  One day the ex gives me the fisheye and asks me if that thing had seat belts as I was leaving with my son.  I told her no, they didn't have seatbelts in 1951.  That got me to thinking that I better put seatbelts in if I didn't want to get more grief about it.  Something to think about if you are going to have the grandkids in it.

 

Of course once that snowball starts rolling you'll be thinking those old drums are really not up to dealing with today's version of traffic and the lack of skills and courtesy others show. 

 

Those are probably the only two things that would be on my must do list.  Of course I am still rolling with the drums so I don't even follow my own advice, lol.

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Make it safe, make it reliable, keep off the interstates, and enjoy it for what it is.  A comfortable family car built for 50 mph roads.

Kids equal seatbelts. Julianos Rod shop has them in many colors with mounting hardware.  Welcome!

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I'd keep it 6V. Just get on the entire electrical system. Make it safe and reliable. I'd update it to modern wiring. Making my own harnesses. Good thicker gauge wiring for 6V.  Head light relays. Depending on the condition of the brake drums, I'd be inclined to rebuild the entire stock brake system. All new brake lines, hoses, cylinders, rebuilt master,  shoes...The brakes, when set up right are certainly adequate for speeds aside from the interstate. Install seat belts for the grandkids and Momma. You'll sleep better. You need a working radio. Skip the tube AM radio though. There's little left on AM radio. You can leave it installed. I'd be doing the hidden bluetooth mirco-circuit board thingy. The kids can dial in there favourite music on their cell phones..."Baby shark, do, do, dee do dee doo..."

 

New radial tires. Go through all the various mechanical systems. All wheel bearings, rear diff and axle are important to me.  . Dial in the engine with all new ignition system parts. Rebuild the carb and fuel pump. Add a 6V back up electric pump. Service the fuel tank. Blow out the fuel line at least. Clean out any sludge from the oil pan, valve covers, oil filter canister etc. All new oils and filters. A major engine tune up including a valve set. Dwell. Set idle A/F mixture and set speed. Set timing and advance working? Set your clutch free-play. Grease u-joints. All 150 grease zerks. Steering components check over. Wheel Alignment?

 

Make it reliable and expect years of fun cruising with a car load of family, for ice cream. 

Edited by keithb7
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Safety is important there is no doubt ,however consider that your grandchildren will be much much safer in a new car ,whatever you do to the old one.If you are that concerned and for your peace of mind I would suggest to sell this and buy a new car.Otherwise if you have an accident you will always bear a burden of guilt and blame yourself. These are old cars with no airbags ,no crumple zones, roadholding and steering that is always going to be a problem.However safe you make it ,there is always someone else to cause an accident .

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Thanks for the replies....put front seatbelts in it yesterday, tuned it up, waiting on brake parts, wiring in engine bay has alot of missing insulation...will get pics up, the reason I asked the question is, I restored a 31 Graham for my dad years ago, got blasted at Graham reunion for incorrect interior fabric....we loaded car and left 

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OK, I have the same car.  Id replace the wiring harness from Rhode Island Wiring, Id go to 12 volt, with Alternator from Howard, new points, condensor and wires. (12 volt will start faster and easier. Rebuild brakes, MC/Wheel Cylnders, Flexible Lines, Oil pressure line.  Radial Tires and Seat belts. Ive driven my 47 coast to coast. 

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If it aint broke, don't fix it.  Modify as needed for safety (i.e., seatbelts, obvious wiring issues).  If the car is in as good a shape as you describe, no need to monkey with it...yet.  BUT, things will fade/break/fail or otherwise wear out, then fix what's broke.  Nothing on these cars is prone to failure, keeping in mind they were engineered for conditions 72 years ago, but keep an eye on how it's performing and/or holding up.  You'll see things that will need to be fixed in the future and can decide when and how to address it.  AND, as you go about enjoying it you'll decide what/if you want to upgrade to make a better driver or maybe a more enjoyable experience. 

Edited by Dan Hiebert
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5 hours ago, Slickster said:

Thanks for the replies....put front seatbelts in it yesterday, tuned it up, waiting on brake parts, wiring in engine bay has alot of missing insulation...will get pics up, the reason I asked the question is, I restored a 31 Graham for my dad years ago, got blasted at Graham reunion for incorrect interior fabric....we loaded car and left 

No one here will slam you for anything you decide to do to your car.  That's the biggest thing, it's YOUR car.  We're all going to have our opinions.  Keep us updated; we love this stuff!

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Nitpickers...bless their hearts :rolleyes:

 

If you can address any glaring deficiencies with the car, and feel confident enough to chauffeur loved ones around in it, then that's all that matters...most folks marvel at the oddity of crank windows and metal dashboards and using your upper legs as a cup holder...ppl gripe at me for driving such a plain jane slug of a beat up old Dodge truck on occasion, that I could spend my resources better on something that could spin the tires from stop light to stop light and keep up with I-35 traffic, but I have the QuadCab for that...old cars can be fun just to ride in, let the insecure crybabies nitpick and race each other to the gas station :cool:

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2 hours ago, MarkAubuchon said:

(12 volt will start faster and easier

 

This doesn't always ring true. A well maintained 6V Mopar flathead starts up very fast...An example of my car. It's a stock system, the engine tuned up well. 00 battery cables. Clean connections. Good strong battery. A/F mixture, timing, dwell set to a good state of tune. Rarely does the crank make one full revolution, starter driven, when hot or stone cold, and the engine is running. Can 12 volts improve my example?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by keithb7
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6 hours ago, Slickster said:

I restored a 31 Graham for my dad years ago, got blasted at Graham reunion for incorrect interior fabric...

I have a busted dinning room chair I am salvaging the upholstery for my arm rest and sun visors  :D

 

We all know what opinions are like, everybody has one.

My thought process, A car is like a tool .... the tool has to be up to the job you are going to use it for.

In my case, I will be driving around podunk usa at 35 mph or less. I will be fine with drum brakes, no seat belt ... etc.

If I changed the rear end gearing and started driving freeway speeds, then I will need to adjust my tool accordingly.

 

I say welcome to the forum, we love pics and are patiently tapping our feet waiting to see them, most importantly enjoy your car.

Too many cars today are going to the scrap yard as younger crowd is losing interest in them.

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1 hour ago, keithb7 said:

 

This doesn't always ring true. A well maintained 6V Mopar flathead starts up very fast...An example of my car. It's a stock system, the engine tuned up well. 00 battery cables. Clean connections. Good strong battery. A/F mixture, timing, dwell set to a good state of tune. Rarely does the crank make one full revolution, starter driven, when hot or stone cold, and the engine is running. Can 12 volts improve my example?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curious if you have a video of a cold start after sitting a few weeks?

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35 minutes ago, Adam H P15 D30 said:

Curious if you have a video of a cold start after sitting a few weeks?

No, I don't have a video. It would be fun though to see how that goes. I'll make a quick video. Been parked 2 weeks. I'll be back with a video later.

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I'm probably going to start a purist moaning and wailing doo-doo storm here but replace the front drums with discs and upgrade your rear axle to modern drums...........yes the stockers will stop the car but I wouldn't trust them in a panic stop.

First you have to find slave cylinders and they will be chinese, then you have to pray they don't leak.....If they do leak the only way is to fix them is to have them sleeved. Then you have to arc the pads to perfectly fit your drums.....if the drums are not out of round or to thin to use. 

Then the cherry on top of the sundae......you have to buy a brake tool (either the expensive rare factory tool)or make an iffy homemade one)to properly make the pads contact the drum. After all that all you have are mediocre brakes.

No thank you.

 

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3 hours ago, Adam H P15 D30 said:

Curious if you have a video of a cold start after sitting a few weeks?

 

 

Hopefully not hy-jacking this thread...Sorry if I am.

 

Engine has 20w40 modern detergent oil. Ethanol-free fuel. 6V system. A secondary 6V electric fuel pump was used here to pre-prime the fuel system, then it was shut off. The engine started here using the mechanical fuel pump only.

 

 

 

Edited by keithb7
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16 minutes ago, keithb7 said:

Hopefully not hy-jacking this thread...Sorry if I am.

3 hours ago, Adam H P15 D30 said:

Curious if you have a video of a cold start after sitting a few weeks?

 

I can say my 6 volt system with a new fuel pump from napa, a rebuilt carb from rock auto, let it sit for 3 or 4 weeks and couple pumps on the pedal and a few seconds on the starter ... fire right up. I may do 3 or 4 pumps on pedal then 3 or 4 seconds on starter, then repeat, it starts very easy.

Thats when I had the fuel tank installed.

Today I have the tank removed to do some welding on floor, I have a gas can on the front bumper and it still starts kinda easy. Every time I remove the temp hose from the gas can it drains the fuel pump, have to crank it longer to get the fuel pump to pickup the fuel again. Even with that issue, it starts pretty quick.

 

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Thanks for the great advice and encouragement, didn't mean to start a 6v vs 12v war, got my ride to start just about instantly right now, also, ordered brake parts and they are coming from Argentina of all places....anyone headed to the Turkey Rod Run in Daytona?  I'll be there hopefully in my 48

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6 hours ago, Slickster said:

IMG_20201031_114249.jpg.5908172a4f2053b38e1216479506217c.jpgpic of new ride....nice driver except for the brakes....no brakes...

What a primo car..so keep it real. People that switch over to 12v are always having some sort of problems. Here in are the teachings of the apostles of Chrysler. 

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