skyler

good luck on the project. it can be done but not many would try. you really need to love this car to take this on. you might want to look for another one to put two together. could be less costly in the end and maybe some better parts. skyler

marty, if you don't mind spending the money buy a new master cylinder and try that, or get a used one that was working properly and try it. sounds to me like your master is the problem. skyler

streak, i am not in kansas anymore. you need to give a better idea of where this car is as in a town or city. also, are you willing to pay for the exam, or perhaps just pay any expense incurred such as gas? do you want professional or just a fellow hobbyist opinion? let the kansas people know a little more and you will get help easier. they are nice people in that state and will help if they can. i am in wilmington, NC, so if you find one around here let me know. i already have 2 1954 chryslers so am not looking for anything else, but of all the post war olds, the 1950 is my personal favorite, with the 55 and 56 next. skyler

" i told him not to put that last tire on, but nooooooo".

last show i went to they had a category for original. i have a 1954 chrysler, and other than a seat cover replacement is unrestored. the car looks it too as the paint is faded with primer in some places, engine is a little crusty, and the rest of the interior is nice but shows age and some wear. rugs have some mice damage. however, it runs and drives well and we use it often. the winner at the show was a 1969 camaro that had been beautifully restored to original, so their idea of original is to just look it but not be unrestored. our original cars are starting to get recognition, but we all agree that the terminology is being mixed up and confusing. we use the term survivor at my club's show and it is any mostly unrestored car. we want people to bring them out so we are not too fussy about who gets a certificate. skyler

dei, i saw the nash from the superman show about 5 years ago at a show on long island, ny. i think lois lane drove it in the tv series. it had that top that slid off down the side frames on top of the car. you would need to see one to know how it looks. it was green and in nice shape, but i am not sure if completely original. other than that one, i have not seen any at a show except for one that was radically rodded. i own 2 1954 chryslers that are original. i would restore the convertible if i had the money, but leave the sedan alone. i drive both of them. skyler

this is a very interesting topic as original cars are now starting to get recognition as important to the hobby and getting some more value. i have a 1954 chrysler convertible that is an original unrestored car, even the top is original. i do not have the money to restore it or i would do it because the car deserves it. i must admit that it does attract attention the way it is and many people say leave it alone. it would be a tough decision if all of a sudden i had the money. the car club i belong to has added a survivor class to our car show. i am the judge. i started out trying to use the bloomington gold standards but they are too demanding for the average guy. i now judge a car to be a survivor if it is mostly original, not restored to original. a complete repaint takes it out of the survivor class in my judging. it can be a tough call at times, but we just give a certificate of apprciation for these cars so i end up giving out more certificates than i should to make people happy. however, they cannot be judged for trophies if they choose to be in the survivor class. it has turned out to be a great experience for me and makes alot of people glad they brought out a car they thought nobody cared about except them. Skyler

i used steel wool once on bumpers and it scratced them and they rusted bad after that. i am not sure about the real fine stuff but i would not use it. try bon ami or the stuff that polishes the plastic headlite lenses. really not too much you can do with old chrome like that except enjoy how good it really looks for it's age. skyler

you can jump off a 12 volt car to get it started, then let the car charge its own battery. do not charge the 8 volt with a 12 volt charger. when jumping with 12 volts have all electrical items such as headlites, radio, heater in the off position. your car can easily handle this as long as you don't crank for excessively long times. keep polarity the same. usually an 8 volt battery is put in a car to make up for other problems that make the car hard to start. if those other problems are addressed then the original 6 volt system is more than adequate. this issue has been well addressed on this forum so do a search and you will get alot of help. skyler

do not let the markings on the coil fool you. they do not always correspond to battery polarity. if memory is still there i believe the + pole is to the ign. switch and the - pole is to the distributor on a positve ground system. someone ont this thread can hopefully clear this up. capt den

a fair offer will get a return just like the cadillac guy. i always remain polite in negotiations and that seems to always be worth something. if you know of other cars the same and priced well and in better condition then you have the advantage. perhaps [ just this one time] your wife is right and you should get something to enjoy now and perhaps fix up slowly as you use it. i once bought a car that i paid $6000 too much for and i knew it when i bought it. however, it was a car of which only 500 were ever produced, it was in driver condition and it was the same model car i used to drive when i was 17 and i was looking for that car and the chances of finding another were slim to none. the seller had it stored for the last 22 years and he was a wealthy man with no great motivation to sell. i still have that car and drive it often. however, any other car purchase i have made involved negotiation and i absolutely am able to and have walked away when price was too high. when you walk away you feel as if you have lost something you will never see again, but then something else does come along, often better. do not hesitate to negotiate well, but walk away when necessary and you will either find another or he will be calling you wanting to deal in the not too distant future. tha advice you got here is sound. take it and use it well. do not throw money away on an emotional purchase when you can spend it on a sensible purchase. capt den

in the discussions that i have heard the 64 GTO gets credit as the first muscle car. however, by purist definition the 1957 rambler was the first. in 1957 only the corvette was faster than the rambler[ i think 0 to 60 was the measure]. we are talking american production cars. capt den

find out when and where your local car clubs meet, go there, show them, and take resonable offers to help out the guys in the hobby who already get ripped off elsewhere. nothing wrong with capitalism, but help the guys out too. just my humble opinion. capt den

i taught a defensive driver class for many years. the attitude is that whatever the speed limit is add 10 mph and evrybody else better do that too or get out of MY way. speeding is a problem, but add a lack of patience and no common sense and that is a formula for fatal accidents. i drive 55 to 60 with my old car, and even on a road with a 55 mph speed limit i get passed all the time. then they turn off a mile down the road. no common sense. the person following always has the duty to not hit the car in front. 100% liability if they do. doing 45 on a 65 mph interstae is perfectly legal and others need to wait until it is safe to pass. in the meantime, enjoy the old car and remember you will not be behind it forever. i could give quite a lecture on this topic as it is one that bothers me alot. however, i do realize that we should understand the attitudes out there and drive accordingly when possible. but bear in mind that the roads were built with taxpayer money for all to use in whatever legal way they choose. ok, i will stop now and go drive my 54 chrysler in a slow lesiurely manner down the road. capt den

i replaced the rear wheel cylinders on my 54 windsor and not long after that the right rear brake shoes kept hanging up. i took it apart and found the wheel cylinders all rusty inside. i cleaned them and bled thoroughly, and within a few weeks same thing. repeated the cleaning and bleeding, and again within a few weeks the same thing. i finally spent some real money and bought raybestos wheel cylinders to replace the ones i think were from china, and to date no problem and great working brakes. get better more expensive and you do the job once. chinese parts can be good but they must be built to quality standards set by a company that cares and has a quality control division. capt den

650 cca is plenty and more is not harmful. i, too, am against going to 8 volt for the same reasons as others. my first collector car about ten years ago was a 1951 windsor and they did the 8 volt thing because it was hard to start. i took that out, put in the 6 volt, tuned it up, rebuilt the carb, set the timing, new wires and plugs, new battery with proper clean cables, and it always started like a good flathead should. they crank slow and people who are not used to that think something is wrong. best advice is stay 6 volt and put everything in good order and it will be just fine. capt den

rsd, the 54 chrysler's all had the shift lever on the steering column. you may have really had a 55 chrysler as they may have moved the shifter to the dash. in 55 they were 6 volt but i think they went to 12 volt later in the production year. in 56 all were 12 volt. my first 54 chrysler was a windsor convertible i bought for $13 at a used car lot. he wanted $15 but i got $2 off because it had a flat tire. that was 1966. today i own another 1954 windsor convertible which cost alot more. should have kept the first one. denis

in 1953 the imperials were 6 volt and fluid drive up until i think june of the production year when they went to the powerflite automatic. i had one about 5 years ago and it was 6 volt but had the powerflite. they must have went to 12 volt a little later in the production year. the car rode great but floated a little in the turns. very heavy car.nicer than the cadillacs of that year. dennis

you need to rresearch the inspection laws of each state as lighting requirements will vary. in new york, electric turn signals were mandatory after 1951 1/2. i know this because my 1951 buick did not have them and when i got the car inspected the mechanic had to check the book to see if the car was legal. i would not have to add them if it was legal in 1951, but if the car was a 1952 it would not pass without turnsignals. why they made the lighting requirement for a 1/2 year is beyond me as who would know when the car was built without the build sheet. anyway, he passed my car at that time. i am not sure about the taillights or plate light, but each state is different. dennis

dauph., when i lived on long island i put my car in the garage for the winter. i put stabil and marvel mystery oil and some techron in the fuel tank and gave the car a last run to move the treated fuel through the system. of course make sure your antifreeze is good to minus 25. i always left the battery in as i would always start the car about every 3 weeks for a short time of running but not driving. it is a good idea to change the oil before laying up. the battery can be disconnected and trickle charged, be sure the water level is good. my boat batteries i would store in my basement and fully charge them once a month. some people will jack the car up to get it off the ground, even removing the tires. that is a good idea, but i always wanted the car moveable in case of an emargency like a fire. a battery will not freeze if it is charged. you can use mothballs around and in the car to keep critters away. a car cover is a good thing too, and it does not need to be an expensive one if used indoors. when my car was stored i left it alone, just starting it occasionally. if your storage building becomes inaccessible because of snow, then removing the battery and storing it in a warmer place is better. do that before it snows.hope this helps and welcome to the hobby. alot of nice people always willing to help you along. capt den

national auto inspection services. this took me all of 10 minutes to find online. i put in 'auto examination classic car 'on google. lets face it, if you can't find someone to look at this car then you will either get lucky if you buy it and it is a good car or you will lose alot of money buying a junker, or maybe you shouldn't buy it at all if you can't take 10 minutes to find an inspection service. there are others, you pick one. capt den

check with restoration shops in the area, car clubs, maybe even your insurance company as they have people doing all kinds of estimates. auto transporters know others in this hobby, and usually someone who does an estimate for you is not interested in buying the car. what kind of car are you looking at anyway? capt den

i have 2 1954 chrysler windsor deluxes. i have been driving the sedan lately because it is so hot that the convertible runs too hot. well, we had a little cooling so i had to put a little gas down the carb in the convertible, started it up and drove around town with the top down and filled the gas tank. i will address my temp problems in the conv. as soon as the weather stays a little cooler. i am in wilmington, NC. i hate to ignore my classics and i drive them fairly often even if i have no place in particular to go. capt den

if this is an expensive car use a professional. they advertise in hemmings. just be sure that you tell the guy any specific areas you want examined. a freind had a 65 mustang looked at by a service and after he bought the car it was discovered it had such extensive frame rot underneath that the car was unsafe to drive and of course not worth what he paid for it. the guy never examined under the car , and since it was a convertible that was really important to look there. anyone can look at a car and say it is nice. a proper exam is something else. capt den

fix the cigarette lighter. it is easy and any auto parts store has them. then you will have 12 volts for the smoke. capt den