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Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

Big Man

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,781
Location
Nebo, NC
More pictures of my '48 Plymouth

I had a good telephone conversation with FedoraGent a little while ago. It was great making a connection with a fellow "Lounger" and discussing our new old Plymouth's. So, here are the photos we discussed ...

1948Plymouthfront.jpg


1948Plymouthdash.jpg


1948Plymouthinterior.jpg


1948Plymouthmotor1.jpg


1948Plymouthtrunk.jpg


1948Plymouthrear.jpg
 

FedoraGent

One Too Many
Messages
1,223
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
WOW.

Big Man said:
I had a good telephone conversation with FedoraGent a little while ago. It was great making a connection with a fellow "Lounger" and discussing our new old Plymouth's. So, here are the photos we discussed ...

1948Plymouthfront.jpg


1948Plymouthdash.jpg


1948Plymouthinterior.jpg


1948Plymouthmotor1.jpg


1948Plymouthtrunk.jpg


1948Plymouthrear.jpg

From both MrNewportCustom and myself...WOW!

FG.
 

stillsparkling

New in Town
Messages
21
Location
United States
I absolutely love looking at old cars! There are some great pictures in this thread, and some of you are so lucky to actually own one! My goal is to one day own a vintage car. My dream car is a 1940 Packard, much like this one:

1940-packard-one-twenty-1.jpg
 

David Conwill

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,854
Location
Bennington, VT 05201
Parts Request: 1950s Ford passenger-car hubcaps

I am looking for a set of four center caps from a 1950s Ford passenger car. Driver quality:

attachment.php


I have a set of 1961 Galaxie 14-inch wheel covers to trade.


-Dave
 

Big Man

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,781
Location
Nebo, NC
What do you call this part?

I drove the '48 Plymouth to town the other day and when I was ready to come home it wouldn't start. Nothing. The starter wouldn't spin. No movement at all. I pushed the car off and it started and ran all the way back home. When I got back, I tried to start it again. Still nothing.

After fiddling with things a while, I think I found out what the problem was. This part (photo below) screws on the starter terminal, then the cable from the solenoid fits on top with a nut to hold it on. This part was/is loose where the arrow is pointing. It appears that the screw is pressed into the nut (not threaded). When tightening up the connections, it came apart. I pressed it back together, but do not think it will hold up to use.

DSC03978.jpg


Is this a standard part, or something someone put together? I can't find it listed in the parts book, but then I could be missing something. Where could I find something like this?
 

Larry

New in Town
Messages
13
Location
Texas, USA
It's just amazing to me how crappy modern car design is today. When I compare the beauty of cars of the past to the current crop to choose from, except for a few such as the PT Cruiser, most are unimaginative and boring.

But that's just my opinion. Other here may differ.
~ Larry
 

Silver Dollar

Practically Family
Messages
613
Location
Louisville, Kentucky
Larry said:
It's just amazing to me how crappy modern car design is today. When I compare the beauty of cars of the past to the current crop to choose from, except for a few such as the PT Cruiser, most are unimaginative and boring.

But that's just my opinion. Other here may differ.
~ Larry

I don't differ. That's why I bought a PT Cruizer. Everything else looks the same to me.
 
Messages
10,883
Location
Portage, Wis.
The only passenger car they still make that I like is the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Towncar, but now the Panther Platform's been terminated and they're going bye-bye too. Looks like I'll be driving old cars the rest of my life.
 

David Conwill

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,854
Location
Bennington, VT 05201
AtomicEraTom said:
The only passenger car they still make that I like is the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Towncar, but now the Panther Platform's been terminated and they're going bye-bye too. Looks like I'll be driving old cars the rest of my life.

I agree. The HHR, PT Cruiser, and other attempts at “doing Golden Era” by the auto manufacturers leave me cold. No offense to the folks that like them, but to me they’re just caricatures.

In fact, I feel silly wearing a hat and driving my father-in-law’s lipstick-red HHR: It’s like I’m trying too hard.

The Ford Panther cars are mechanically, and structurally traditional American sedans. The last of the breed. The unit body LX-platform MoPars (Challenger, Charger, 300, and Magnum) and Zeta-platform GMs (G8 and Camaro) are alright, though. I very much hope someone at Ford has the vision to expand the D2C (Mustang) platform to other models (Galaxie anyone?) as was originally called for in the “Way Forward” plan.

To make an analogy more like our usually Fedora Lounge discussions, the HHR is a ‘40s-style suit in a polyester blend with low armholes, and the Panther cars are a modern-style (okay, maybe late ‘90s) suit in pure, heavyweight wool and high armholes.

-Dave
 

kpreed

One of the Regulars
Big Man said:
I drove the '48 Plymouth to town the other day and when I was ready to come home it wouldn't start. Nothing. The starter wouldn't spin. No movement at all. I pushed the car off and it started and ran all the way back home. When I got back, I tried to start it again. Still nothing.

After fiddling with things a while, I think I found out what the problem was. This part (photo below) screws on the starter terminal, then the cable from the solenoid fits on top with a nut to hold it on. This part was/is loose where the arrow is pointing. It appears that the screw is pressed into the nut (not threaded). When tightening up the connections, it came apart. I pressed it back together, but do not think it will hold up to use.

DSC03978.jpg


Is this a standard part, or something someone put together? I can't find it listed in the parts book, but then I could be missing something. Where could I find something like this?
In my many years of owning and working on this type of Plymouth, I can say I have never seen a part like that near any starter or in any of my books, but, none of my cars were 100% like they came from Plymouth too. Good Luck on making it work for you.
 

StraightEight

One of the Regulars
Messages
267
Location
LA, California
Big Man said:
I drove the '48 Plymouth to town the other day and when I was ready to come home it wouldn't start. Nothing. The starter wouldn't spin. No movement at all. I pushed the car off and it started and ran all the way back home. When I got back, I tried to start it again. Still nothing.

After fiddling with things a while, I think I found out what the problem was. This part (photo below) screws on the starter terminal, then the cable from the solenoid fits on top with a nut to hold it on. This part was/is loose where the arrow is pointing. It appears that the screw is pressed into the nut (not threaded). When tightening up the connections, it came apart. I pressed it back together, but do not think it will hold up to use.

DSC03978.jpg


Is this a standard part, or something someone put together? I can't find it listed in the parts book, but then I could be missing something. Where could I find something like this?


Doesn't look correct to me. I've never known a starter to rely on some kind of interference fit of two parts to make the connection. If your car is still 6v and that connection is as bad as it sounds, you could be losing a volt or two across the connection if not the whole six, and that will definitely kill the starter. You can pull off the starter and take the back off and see how it's supposed to go. If you have an old fashioned electrical parts rebuilder near you, you can take the starter there. If not, I can recommend these guys:

http://www.precision-pwr.com/

They did a good job on the DeSoto starter and I'm about to send them the Buick's generator and fritzing voltage regulator. Not quick or cheap, but it's good work.
 

Talbot

One Too Many
Messages
1,855
Location
Melbourne Australia
Big Man said:
I drove the '48 Plymouth to town the other day and when I was ready to come home it wouldn't start. Nothing. The starter wouldn't spin. No movement at all. I pushed the car off and it started and ran all the way back home. When I got back, I tried to start it again. Still nothing.

After fiddling with things a while, I think I found out what the problem was. This part (photo below) screws on the starter terminal, then the cable from the solenoid fits on top with a nut to hold it on. This part was/is loose where the arrow is pointing. It appears that the screw is pressed into the nut (not threaded). When tightening up the connections, it came apart. I pressed it back together, but do not think it will hold up to use.

DSC03978.jpg


Is this a standard part, or something someone put together? I can't find it listed in the parts book, but then I could be missing something. Where could I find something like this?

Agree with the others it's not a stock item, but prolly there for a reason. Interference fit parts on the main current starting circuit are a bad idea. Looks like a quick repair from days gone by. Revert to stock, or perhaps braze it back together till you can sort out what stock was.
T
 

Big Man

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,781
Location
Nebo, NC
Talbot said:
Agree with the others it's not a stock item, but prolly there for a reason. Interference fit parts on the main current starting circuit are a bad idea. Looks like a quick repair from days gone by. Revert to stock, or perhaps braze it back together till you can sort out what stock was.
T

Thanks folks for the advice. I've been running the car for the past couple days without this piece. I just connected the cable directly to the starter, and it appears to be working fine. The only possible "advantage" I could see from this extra part would be to keep the cable from potentially touching the starter anywhere other than the terminal itself.

I'll keep running the car the way it is now and if a problem develops I'll address it then. Again, thanks.
 

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