new to MOPAR

[1949windsor]

My daily driver car died and needed to be replaced. I looked around for a new car and did not see anything that I was interested in. Decided to go old school.

I live in SoCal and work about 5 miles from home. Was looking for a Chevy deluxe styline because I liked the look. I could not find anything that wasn't too expensive or needed a lot of work. I came across an ad on craigslist from some one a few miles away for a 1949 Chrysler Windsor, so I went to look. Pictures just don't do these cars justice. It had not been registered or driven since 1981. All original car with no rot $1200.

All trim, interior and engine are original! Took a brillow pad to the surface rust and there is paint under there! The keys are long gone so I brought a battery and jumped it at the starter. Turned over fine and the oil looked new. The water pump was frozen, but decided to buy it and bring home. My wife was actally excited.

When I got home I removed the water pump and oh what a mess! Replaced the spark plugs, wires, condensor, cap and rotor and removed and cleaned out the carburator. Reinstalled the carb and spayed a little engine starter in the top.(the gas line was still disconnected) Jumped it again and it starterd the first try. A little side note..make sure you put back on the carburator spring and that it is not in gear as the car will move. hey I was excited so shoot me.

Put the spring on and had my wife push in the clutch to be sure and tried again. It ran for about 5 to 10 seconds as if it just came off the line.

Now for the help part. I read on this board how to use some aircraft cable and a drill to clean out the cooling system......It really works. I spent 3 hours cleaning it out and everytime I would send the wire in junk just kept coming out. My problem is that I want to replace the cooling tube that directs the water torwards the valves and cannot get it out. I tried pulling on it, swearing at it and giving it my meanest stare, but alas no success.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get that thing out?

Any help will be greatly appreciated

thanks

Brandon

[oldmopar]

At the link scroll down about 1/2 way but there is a good stuff to read on your way down

http://www40.addr.com/~merc583/mopar/framesets/techtipframeset.html

[BobT-47P15]

I believe the ever popular slide hammer with a hook on the end is the ticket.

Stay tuned, I'm sure there will be other comments.

Welcome. Looks like a car with potential.

[mackster]

welcome aboard! I like your car. it will be a driver in no time. glad your other half enjoys it as much as you do. that is a big help!

[1949windsor]

thanks I will try tonight. I wasn't sure how much force I could get away with and not break something. On second thought I think I will put some liquid wrench in there and let it sit over night and try in the morning. Great site! lots of really helpful people......What did we do before the intenet

[Young Ed]

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=695

check that one too

[greg g]

Nice solid car. Can't tell from the picture but what transmission does it have??? If it is the semi auto matic, a visit to the impierial club website's section on transmissions is in order. Remember that it imperative to use the parking brake, as most chryslers had some kind of fluid drive and no mechanical connection between the engine and the transmission with the engine off. Don't let her roll away on you.

Welcome aboard and good luck.

[Jim Yergin]

I had good luck using the contraption described by dodgepu1946 in the thread he posted above.

Good luck.

Jim Yergin

[1949windsor]

I like the picture that came in the manual of a guy pulling it out with something that looked like a bent coat hanger.. LOL After reading all the help I now know that I can take my frustration out on the tube and not the neighbors ears.

[PatS....]

Looks nice, but then I'm partial to 49 Chryslers I have a similar Windsor parts car for my coupe:

The fact you got yours running right away is a real bonus!!

And welcome to the forum, the best one on the 'net.

[1949windsor]

IT WORKED!

I wanted to share my happy ending.

I got some great advice from eveyone here and combined it for success.

Here's what I did:

1. Removed the water pump and radiator per the shop manual

2. Tried to pull out the tube per the manual with a wire bent in the shape they recommended. Yeah right, after 2 large cuts from it slipping off and banging my elbows on the grill I resorted to vice grips.....2 more cuts and a lot of swearing.

3. Read lots of information and help here to discover that this never really had a chance. One piece of advice suggested driving a 1/2" steel flatbar down each side as far as you can and trying to pull it out with a modified dent puller. Another person suggested using a come-to-me with a similar hook. HMMM what if I did both:cool:

4. The steel bar I had was 48" long so that it would go through the grill and into the hole where the tube was. I sprayed a little bit of liquid wrench.....ok a lot of it, in and around the tube and let it sit over night. I made a hook out the end of the end of the steel bar (see picture) make sure you grind down after the hook because it has to go in at an angle and the end of the rod will get in the way.

5. I drilled a hole in the other end of the flat bar and made a loop out of some braided steel line.

6. Inserted the steel rod down the center of the tube and hooked it on the second hole in the top. I did this because the end of the tube was pretty rotted and I knew it would hold if I went farther back. The rod was now sticking out the from front of the car about 9 inches.

7. Pushed the car up to a nearby tree. (yes I know ghetto but h*ll it worked)

7. Attatched the come-to-me to the tree and the loop I made in the end of the rod which fit perfectly through the grill, and started to winch it up.

It came right out the first time:D No swearin' or nothin'. I checked twice it did, it did, it came right out! This thing was rotted through in 2 places but held together because I pulled it out very slowly. The flat bar had no rounded or sharp egdes on it to slip off the tube or cause any damage to it, and by not pounding on it, it did not tear or deform any of the metal.

Thanks everyone you have no idea how great it felt to get that d*mn thing out of there.

Brandon

[Normspeed]

Brandon, good deal. Glad the ghost of Walter P. chrysler smiled upon you.

[Andydodge]

Brandon...........I have been trying on & off over the past few mths to get a water tube outa a 230 engine thats on an engine stand.........have used various methods.........without success.........have you ever given any thought to visiting Australia?.........lol........tho' I must admit I haven't tried sticking a piece of flat bar down the centre of the tube...........will give it a whirl this weekend......thanks, andyd

[1949windsor]

Here is a drawing of what I did. I used a 48" length of 3/16" X 1/2" flatbar because there would be no rounded edges to slip off, and it would go farther into the tube easier. I don't know if the block being on a stand will make it harder to hold the block still or not, I think it actually helped me with the block still in the car so it would not move.

Make sure that you leave about 1/2" behind the hook for strength and taper it down so it does not get in the way. (at first I had trouble hooking it in the hole until I grinded off a little off the back)

Hook it on the 2nd hole on the tube so that there is more metal between the hole and the end of the tube for stregnth, and slowly just pull it out. LOL I am sure I got a little lucky. Hope this helps.

BTY isn't it great that I can get help from someone 8,000 miles away and vice versa in just a few minutes.

[PatS....]

BTY isn't it great that I can get help from someone 8,000 miles away and vice versa in just a few minutes.

Thats the great thing about this forum!

[Normspeed]

The tool you made is a lot like the one I ended up making too. My first attempt was with a heavy steel rod, bent into a shepherd's hook at the end. All it did was kept pulling itself straight. The flat bar tool eventually did it. I clamped a big vice grips to the bar and slugged it with a 3 lb sledge. Mine came out in two sections. I do think driving a flat bar down both sides of the tube helped break it loose to some degree. I ground a chisel shape on the end to help with that.

[1949windsor]

I think this makes a big difference in the results. All the force is going in the right direction in the right place:D

[RobertKB]

Virtually all water distribution tubes in Canada were made from brass and are usually very easy to pull out. They are also all for the longer 25 1/2" engine. I just pulled one from a parts car I am taking apart that had sat for over 30 years and it looks pretty much like it just went in except for some discolouration. I used a thick wire bent to fit, held the wire with a pair of pliers, and hit the pliers with a hammer. It budged on the first light tap and came out on the next. Brass does not corrode like steel and as we all know when steel corrodes it expands making for a tough removal. If you can get hold of a brass one I would definitely use that rather than a steel one. I do see them occasionally on ebay but they are usually for the shorter23 1/2" engine.

[1949windsor]

I just had to buy a new one from Atlas and they would not even sell me a brass one! Dissimlar metals create electricity and that's what causes corrision. They refused to sell them because brass is a more noble metal than iron and although the brass tube will not corode like the steel one... your block WILL, much worse.

I remembered back to when I had a boat that I kept in a slip in Dana Point Harbor (salt water). All the running gear on the boat had to be grounded and attached to zinc plates. The zinc would quickly deteriorate but kept all the rest of the metal in pretty good condition. Checked it out and they are right the iron will suffer at the expense of the brass.

Their point was that although it may make it harder to remove later a steel tube is a lot less trouble to replace than replacing the block and a lot less expensive as well.

PS just remembered a water leak I had in a laundry room few years ago....30 year old home with copper plumbing. I got a pinhole leak that I could not trace. I finally found it in the concrete slab about half an inch below the surface The copper pipe was resting next to a piece of 5/8 inch rebar. The copper pipe ended up having just a pinhole from the corrosion and the rebar had rotted to nothing for about 6 inches in either direction from where they were touching....ouch! Fixed the pipe in about 10 minutes, the rebar took a jackhammer and 1 day to fix. I could not believe the damage done to the steel from the metals touching, I guess that is why today's codes require the copper to be wrapped in rubber tape anywhere it even comes close to any steel or iron.

[RobertKB]

I run three old mopar flatheads all with brass water distribution tubes. All engines are good and no problem with corrosion. Maybe the antifreeze helps prevent corrosion building up. I am sure that Chrysler would have known about any electolisis problem and would not have used the brass if it caused problems.