Locked up Flathead 6 in 1949 Plymouth

[Young Ed]

I've done a few of these. 2 were the valves and one was a stuck piston/rings. Yours looks pretty clean so I'm guessing valves. I would hose them down with your favorite penetrating oil or try the brake fluid mentioned above. Heck of you've got some laying around dump ATF on them. Then try rocking the car. 

[soth122003]

Hey Cooper, The 2 sheets of plywood will cover the work area just fine. If you want you can add a 3rd one for extra space/piece of mind. Just make sure they are at least 3/4 of an inch thick and lay them lengthwise to each other to make a 8x8 foot or 8x12 foot (3 pieces) work area . Sniper has a valid thought that the jack stand will cut thru the plywood, hence the 3/4 inch thickness, plus if you put a scrap piece of wood under the jack stand, it will take the initial gouging.  Jack stands? Harbor Freight 3 ton work just fine. Jack? Pittsburg 3 ton Harbor Freight.  NOW a lot of people dismiss HB as cheap tools. They are, If you are a professional mechanic.  If you just use the tools for a few projects they work just fine. HB has a lifetime replacement for the hand tools (wrenches, screwdrivers and the like) For power tools it's usually a year or two warranty. Still Craigslist, yard sales, flea markets and the like can be a good source for older specialty tools. 

 

A lot of the tools you will buy, will based off your occupation and monetary funds available. Myself, I was an aircraft mech for over 30 years, so I needed good tools that would last the use and beatings I gave them. If I was a shoe salesman I would not spend thousands of dollars on tools I would only use a few times. (Unless I had more money than sense) These cars were built so the average guy or girl, with a set of wrenches and sockets and a screwdriver, could do most of the maintenance on them in the driveway or garage. They are not that complicated as long as you have a basic understanding of mechanics (fire, air and fuel are the three things needed to run on of these cars).

 

16 hours ago, Ivan_B said:

What's the point of getting the engine unstuck, in this case? If it got stuck from age/sitting, it will likely need to be rebuilt, anyway. There is visible rust inside. Trying to get it moving will likely only cause mode damage, if anything. Or am I wrong? ?

If done carefully, getting it unstuck will likely not cause any more damage. These cars engines were built like tanks. They can take a lot of abuse before failure. Looking at the top end with the head off I'd say the rings are stuck. Some MMO or acetone/hydro fluid should loosen it up and come unstuck with time and patience. Getting it unstuck and cleaned up can get it running and driveable for a while so he can save up for the more heavy maintenance at a later date. I don't know Coopers' particulars and it's not my business, but when I was 23, I was always broke and had to do a lot on a shoe string budget, saving up for the bigger things I wanted. Now if he is swimming in money, my advice is just that, advice. If he is shy of funds my advice can be seen as pearls of wisdom, learned over a lifetime of just getting by. Either way that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

But the best advice I can give is take your time, be safe, have fun with this and learn from doing things yourself.

Joe Lee

Edited July 6, 2023 by soth122003

[Ivan_B]

46 minutes ago, soth122003 said:

I don't know Coopers' particulars and it's not my business . . .

Well, I've gathered the following points from this thread:

1) no garage

2) no paved surface to work on

3) no enclosure from elements

4) no jack stands, etc.

5) not much knowledge about working on cars, in general

 

I do not mean to offend anyone, but let's be realistic here. Who is going to do the engine repair and everything else this car likely needs? I am all in favor of being safe and having fun, but this car is rather unlikely to be moving any time in the nearest future (if ever). Many of us have been in a situation like this, haven't we? This is why I asked what the general plan is, before offering any technical advice. We all wish the best to Cooper. It is better to learn from others' mistakes than make your own

 

46 minutes ago, soth122003 said:

But the best advice I can give is take your time, be safe, have fun with this and learn from doing things yourself.

 

And Cooper will be able to do all this (and more), but without enduring the unnecessary extreme hardship, with a running and driving car ?

Edited July 6, 2023 by Ivan_B

[Kilgore47]

I'm sure there are people on this site that learned how to work on old cars the way I did.  In the back yard on the grass.  Mostly dirt - the grass didn't grow in that area.  We used logs that we hadn't split yet to support the car and make sure it wouldn't fall on us.  Always make sure the car CAN NOT fall on you.  We did most of our work with a hammer a screw driver and a pair of pliers.  We did have a few sockets - the ones we hadn't lost yet.  Dad wasn't too happy with us about loosing his tools.  But we always got the job done.  Sometimes it took more than once to get it correct.   It took longer and it was a little frustrating at times not having all the tools we needed.  

 

The point is - keep working on the car when you can and keep asking questions.  Your questions will always be answered here.  

[keithb7]

I’m in the coveralls. Dad and my brother yanking the hoist. I borrowed the hoist. Note the plywood. I was 16. My first car. I learned a lot of lessons on the grass, no cover, with few tools and no experience. Look how I turned out! Lol. 
 

I don’t have a photo but I remember replacing a clutch on the same grass. No jack stands. Chunks of wood. It rained a lot. Grass turned to mud. I figured, I’ll stay dry anyways ‘cause I’ll be under the car.  I got it done. Had to. I had no other options. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by keithb7

[Dodgeb4ya]

Great pic Keith!

Same way I remember back in my automotive MoPar beginnings.

I even used the same Blue Bird "KayDee" knock down rental hoist!

This all back in 1971.

Cooper is on a beginning mission in his old car quest. He's learning and having fun with this 49 Plymouth.

Not many if any of us had many tools in our beginning either.

We learn what's needed as we go.

Cooper will too.

Guess Ivan has never laid on the wet, cold slimey ground.

Doing this under a car held up with blocks of wood. .. rain dripping on his crotch trying to remove that stubborn heavy "Load-A-Matic transmission or what ever it may be.

Transmission  fluid dribbling out all over you and on the ground.

Only tools ....his "Handy Man" tool kit and a screw jack.

But the great satisfaction of just  doing it when young and dumb is over whelming at a young age!?

Go Cooper!

[soth122003]

NOW NOW no dissin Ivan. All of us have differing backgrounds and ways of doing things. I saw the job he did on his car with the carpet and siding. It was really nice looking. That being said, A lot of us on the forum started with nothing more than a junker we had to fix up and drive for few years then either fix it for the better or scrap them and buy another junker. Couldn't afford the good running ones, but that is how we learned by trial and error. Looking back on it, most of us wouldn't trade those memories for nothing. (Walking to school 6 miles, uphill, both ways in the snow) The nice thing about leaning by doing it this way is if it breaks down on the road, you can repair it enough to get you home, then fix it better. As my dad would say "It builds character". or "Don't worry son It will make a man out of you".

 

Like Keith's photo, that brought back a lot of memories working in the dirt, rain, cold just to get a car that wasn't worth squat to work because.... Merica. (or Canada) 

 

Joe Lee

[soth122003]

This thread got me to reminising about another young mopar fan. Nickpicktoo. For the newer members check out this thread of Nick's journey with his mopar. His family helped support him with the financing, but made him do all the work. 

My First Car -- P15 1947 Plymouth Deluxe

I think he was 16 when he started and didn't even have his drivers permit yet, but damn if he didn't do a great job on his car, learning as he went.

 

Joe Lee

 

[Ivan_B]

2 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

Guess Ivan has never laid on the wet, cold slimy ground.

 

I sure did... Also had some exciting time laying in snow, and having to drive the car I was fixing to work the next day. Great learning experience, by the way ?

Would I do it again? Certainly not, unless absolutely necessary. Learning to "be a man", etc., is good and can be a lot of fun, but we need to mind the delicate balance between manliness and plane "unreasonableness", I suppose.

 

Here is an image of an auto transmission hydraulics I fixed, on a kitchen table in a small apartment, in 2007.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by Ivan_B

[Los_Control]

On 7/5/2023 at 10:04 AM, Cooper40 said:

My brother and i are working on it and this is our first project car ever.

Nice you have someone to work with, will help.

I too started young out of necessity. No tools or decent place to work ...... Somethings never change 

 

Using the plywood a easy way would be the wood cribs. Not ideal as they are usually used like they are in the photo.

Just not ideal for removing the wheels to work on the brakes ..... I suppose they could be used under the frame also if room.

They would work well on plywood.

 

I actually like the 6 ton Jack stands from tractor supply, they wont break the bank. If you put 2, 2"X6" side by side on the plywood for a base for the stand to sit on would be fine. I have the 3 ton jack stands from Tractor supply .... I would not buy them again.

 

I have also done the same in a dirt driveway, a driveway the ground is packed pretty hard .... not like a soft yard.

 

[Cooper40]

Thank you for all of the feedback and encouragement!

We took one of the valve cover plates off and discovered that cylinder #2 valves are pretty rusted and also #3 (closest to the camera). (The pic is looking down the block, the front of the engine is at the end of the picture on the right). One of the valve stems on the #2 cylinder looks really rusted. I'll take the other cover off and look at those too, it was just hard to get to. How should I proceed? Spray them all down with pb blaster? 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Cooper40

[Rodney_Hamon]

PB blaster is awesome. It’s great there are 2 of you. Company is good to bounce ideas off of. 

[Young Ed]

Am I seeing things or is the 2nd from the left in the pic not even touching the lifter?

[Sniper]

PB Blaster will do nothing for a stuck valve. Brake fluid well get a rubber face Mallet and some brake fluid squirt it on the stem from the valve head side tap the valve closed and once you get the engine spinning over using the lift it back up one or two cycles and they'll be free as a bird.

[Cooper40]

@Young Ed I believe it is touching. The pic on my phone is higher quality and I can see that they are touching. 

 

@Sniper Ok, even if the springs and valve stems are rusty? I would think that the PB blaster would help with the rust. I'll get brake fluid as well. 

[Sniper]

Rusty Springs aren't going to keep it from working but the valve stems might mine weren't Rusty just bound up with carbon and I tried a whole bunch of different stuff including PB Blaster finally I talked to some old timers they suggested brake fluid and boy did that work

[Cooper40]

@Sniper Ok, ill definitely try brake fluid. They are both stuck closed though. Should I just squirt some onto the stem and from the inside?

[vintage6t]

Another good concoction is a mix of diesel, atf and a shot of acetone. The main idea of the acetone besides being a powerful solvent is that it will thin the liquid for improved penetration and then quickly evaporate.

 

 

[Sniper]

10 hours ago, Cooper40 said:

@Sniper Ok, ill definitely try brake fluid. They are both stuck closed though. Should I just squirt some onto the stem and from the inside?

 

You could try that.