Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[John in Covina]

The Capone's Caddy i have seen a Capone owned car at the auto museum at the Imperial Palace. That was a great dieversion for Las Vegas. You could find discounts or sometime free tickets to the auto museum. Wonder if it is still there?

 

[jamespowers]

There were some auto radio guys that made modern raiod that had the old style grillso they looked right in the dashboard -don't know if it would work right in a 6v car but they were supposed to be quite nice sounding. I wish i could recall the name.

I think you mean Custom Autosound

 

[LizzieMaine]

There's also a company that makes a 6-volt AM radio oscillator that puts out a signal at 1000 kc -- you plug in your sound gizmo and tune in the sound on your radio just as you would any other station.

http://www.rediscoveradio.com/

This is probably the way I'll go when I figure out the whole radio situation.

The Plodge, by the way, is in the shop today getting the engine seen to, the tank flushed, etc. Tires will have to be ordered, but I expect that'll get dealt with fairly soon as well.

 

[Rathdown]

I'd suggest you go with radial tires. The ones fitted to the car in my avatar are 6.50x16 radials, and not only transformed the handling, they lessened the steering effort as well.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I have something similar, but for FM in my car. I love it!

There's also a company that makes a 6-volt AM radio oscillator that puts out a signal at 1000 kc -- you plug in your sound gizmo and tune in the sound on your radio just as you would any other station.

http://www.rediscoveradio.com/

This is probably the way I'll go when I figure out the whole radio situation.

The Plodge, by the way, is in the shop today getting the engine seen to, the tank flushed, etc. Tires will have to be ordered, but I expect that'll get dealt with fairly soon as well.

 

[David Conwill]

Capone's Caddy

That would be a neat thing to see displayed somewhere in Chicago.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Bit of an update on the Plodge -- the brakes are fine, no leaks, master cylinder is in excellent condition, and wheel assemblies just needed bleeding and adjustment. The tires will be here and installed on Monday. There's a bit of an issue with the engine though -- even after a full flushing of the fuel lines and replacement of filters and plugs it's still missing on one cylinder, and when they pulled the plugs, there seemed to be something loose in that cylinder. A broken piston ring or valve spring? A bit of carbon? They don't know yet.

Their guy who knows older engines wasn't working today so I couldn't pump him for more details, but hopefully he can look at it on Monday and let me know what's going on.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Re your tires. I went through the same thing a few years ago getting tires for my 51 DeSoto. It turns out what you want are either the cheapest tires on the market or the most expensive, nothing in between.

Let me explain. I ended up buying the cheap tires, Marshal 791 from Walmart, 215/75R15 size. They are a good 2 1/2" narrower than name brand tires of the same nominal size and the closest I could find to the original bias ply. Using "good" tires is not a good idea, they are too wide for the old narrow rims and can foul on the steering and fenders of some old cars. There is a problem with some rims splitting when used with radials, I believe this comes from too wide tires putting outward stress on the old narrow wheels. The wider tires also look out of place.

The alternative is to buy bias ply wide whitewalls from Coker Tire and other specialists. These tires do not have a good name, many of them are extremely lumpy, out of round, and impossible to balance. They seem to be made for museum display and slow parades. There may be some good brands, I could ask around if you like.

But I would use the cheap tires, turned blackwall out. They are still a much better tire than anything available in 1947.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I hate to say it but the old Dodge and Plymouth flatheads are prone to breaking pistons. It is possible the loose material is broken piston rings and broken piston top.

Do a compression test first. If compression is low or non existent squirt some oil in the plug hole. This will temporarily seal worn rings, if compression is still low it must be a burned valve. UNLESS the piston is broken, then it will still have low compression.

The head will have to come off for inspection to be sure what is the matter. Not a very difficult or expensive job on a flathead 6. If the piston is broken all is not lost, a total rebuild may not be necessary, there are easier fixes the average mechanic today never heard of.

One important question, how was the oil pressure? How much pressure cold on first starting, how much when fully warmed up idling, and at 30 or 40 MPH? This is important to know how worn the bearings are and whether you need a full motor rebuild.

 

[John in Covina]

http://www.lucasclassictires.com/

 

[Big Man]

Took the grandchildren out for a drive today in the '48 Plymouth. We stopped off at a little roadside dairy bar ("Dot's Dario", what a name) for a hot dog and a milkshake. The grandchildren all enjoy riding in the old car, but were probably more excited about the milkshakes and hot dogs than anything else about the trip if the truth be known.

The '48 runs like a dream, with the exception that it is getting a little difficult to shift from second to third. This happened once before and I adjusted the linkage and it shifted like a knife through hot butter. The only trouble was it took me a long, long, long time of trial and error to get the right combination of adjustment so everything worked like it should (at one point I had it going in reverse when I shifted into what should have been second).

My question to the group: Does anyone have any experience in adjusting the shifting linkage (it's a "three on a tree")? Is there some fool-proof way of making things line up correctly, or am I going to have to go through that long process of trial and error again?

At any rate, we had a great afternoon drive. It is really enjoyable taking a trip with the family in the old car.

 

[LizzieMaine]

That's a gorgeous Plymouth -- if it's the same height as my Plodge, you really *are* a Big Man.

Stanley -- my oil pressure has been right around 35-40 at full operating temperature. I've only done short hops around town, and haven't driven above 35mph, but I haven't noticed any fluctuation in oil pressure, and it hasn't been burning any oil either. It has, however, been putting out some unburned fuel in the exhaust -- there's spatters of it in my driveway, and some weeds near where I park have been effectively defoliated.

 

[Stanley Doble]

"My question to the group: Does anyone have any experience in adjusting the shifting linkage (it's a "three on a tree")? Is there some fool-proof way of making things line up correctly, or am I going to have to go through that long process of trial and error again?"

From a 1949 Plymouth factory repair manual, I think they used the same trans as your car:

Gear Shifter Control Rod

Adjustment of the gear shifter control rod between the steering column and transmission is made as follows:

1) Loosen stud nut on the upper lever on the lower end of the steering column.

2) Make certain that transmission gears are in neutral position and that gearshift lever is set at horizontal position. Then tighten lock bolt

Gear Selector Rod - adjustment is made as follows

1) Make certain that the gears in the transmission are in the neutral position.

2) Loosen lock nut on selector rod at bottom of steering column, then tighten nut until all play is removed from rod, and back nut off 1/2 turn for clearance.

3)Tighten lock nut

Note. There is an illustration with the instructions. It appears the control rod is the 2 piece rod with a bell crank in the middle. The front rod attaches to the column shift lever on the right and to the transmission lever at the lower rear.
The selector rod is the single long rod that attaches to the left of the column and to the long bent lever that goes to the top of the transmission.

For the transmission to shift perfectly all the joints must be reasonably tight. This means replacing worn bushings and bearings, in cases where there are no bushings it is sometimes necessary to braze up the hole and redrill to get it round, and to build up the worn rod with weld and file round. Check the levers are not loose where they bolt on the trans, they have a squared off hole, if it gets loose and worn it needs to be brazed and refitted as well. Owner's manual says to lubricate the top shifter rod joint with water pump grease every 10000 miles.

Look for a little hole on the top of the steering column, under the hood. If there is one give it a shot of light oil, to lubricate the shifter mechanism. You can also clean, inspect and oil the mechanism under the hood. But those parts are a lot harder to take off and repair, if they are not too worn it is better to leave them.

You say your shifter works slick when well adjusted, so it can't be too worn. Probably a little oil and adjustment and it will be like new.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Lizzie - if you have good oil pressure, and it seems you do, then there is probably not much wrong with your motor. Even if it has a broken piston it can be repaired without taking the engine out.

Of course if money is no object you may chose to have it rebuilt. But when those cars were in service it was common to do a ring and valve job, even rebore cylinders without taking the engine out.

Only an old timer would know this. The modern "don't repair, replace" mentality can't even conceive of such a thing.

The gas and possibly black smoke could indicate the choke or the carburetor is out of adjustment or in need of an overhaul, or maybe the engine is not running its best and needs a tuneup. Then again, a carburetor is not as efficient as fuel injection and it could be more or less normal behavior when cold.

Does your car have the automatic choke? They were available then but often the lower priced models had manual choke. I have a factory owners manual with instructions for using the manual choke if you need them. In warm weather you should not need much choke once the engine starts, not at all if it is warm.

Let's wait and see what the mechanic says on Monday.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Manual choke, which I only need to use for the first start of the day. No black smoke, but quite a bit of white -- but what's spitting out the tailpipe definitely isn't water.

 

[Big Man]

... You say your shifter works slick when well adjusted, so it can't be too worn. Probably a little oil and adjustment and it will be like new.

Thanks for the instructions. The key is "a little adjustment". You'd be surprised just how "little" little can be. Just a slight move of that lever where it connects with the shifter rod changes an awful lot. I guess it's back to the trial and error to get it just the way I would like. There is a worn bushing that I need to replace, but finding one may be an issue.

 

[Big Man]

That's a gorgeous Plymouth -- if it's the same height as my Plodge, you really *are* a Big Man.

Thanks. My '48 Plymouth is a full-size, four-door Special Deluxe, so I imagine it's just about the same size as your car. I've been told that my shadow weighs three pounds, so draw your own conclusions from that.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Thanks for the instructions. The key is "a little adjustment". You'd be surprised just how "little" little can be. Just a slight move of that lever where it connects with the shifter rod changes an awful lot. I guess it's back to the trial and error to get it just the way I would like. There is a worn bushing that I need to replace, but finding one may be an issue.

The secret seems to be, to set the shifter and transmission in the neutral position then adjust the rods to fit, so they are free, and not pushing the levers one way or the other.

For bushings you could try Andy Bernbaum or Roberts Motor Parts, both specialize in parts for your car.

 

[Stanley Doble]

White smoke is water - gas turns into water when it burns. Could also contain some unburned gas and who knows how old the old gas was in the tank. Once you get everything squared away and take it for a few longer drives (like 50 - 100 miles) it will smooth out.

If it is not burning oil that is a sign you do not have a broken piston. If that is the case, and no compression in one cylinder, it could simply be a stuck valve.

In that case no need to take the head off. You can get at the valves through the valve cover which is behind the exhaust manifold on your engine. There is an access plate in the inner fender, you have to take the wheel off too, then you can get at the valves. If you turn the engine over you will quickly see if one valve is not moving, you can give it a shot of oil (and some through the spark plug hole) and pry it down. Try turning the engine over, once it starts moving it will be OK.

 

[LizzieMaine]

One of the Neighborhood Codgers suggested a shot of Marvel Mystery Oil mixed in with the fuel might loosen a stuck valve? I've got a can of that stuff sitting in the garage, but it's probably as old as the car, and I hesitate to try it...

Incidentally, there's nothing like having an Old Car in your driveway to attract the attention of Neighborhood Codgers.