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keithb7

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Posts posted by keithb7

  1. You may hear many suggestions on how to troubleshoot for no spark. Folks often jump to make suggestions, assuming the basics are all working. 
     

    Best to strip things right down to basics. Remove distributor Cap. Is there a rotor in there? Leave the distributor cap off. While the battery and starter are cranking the engine over, is the rotor turning? If not, look into the placement of the distributor.

    Is the distributor assembly snug and in place? Bolted down to the block with the timing lock down bolt? Yes, but rotor still not turning? Likely distributor needs to come out of block for further investigation. 
     

    If the rotor is turning when engine is cranking over, remove the rotor. Now you can easily view the points. Are the points opening and closing while the engine is cranking over?

     

    If you are working alone, you may want to loosen/remove all spark plugs. No compression will be generated. You can then easily turn the engine over by hand. By simply turning the fan at the front. Fan is bolted to the water pump.  Lean over the fender. Driver side. Then you can watch the rotor and points moving (or not) while you turn the engine over by hand. 
     

    If movement of points and rotor is confirmed and appears good, next steps likely involve a digital multimeter. To check for voltage and ground continuity at various connections. 

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  2. We’ll fall is here. I am back at it. 
    I hope to have a nice new running 237ci in my ‘38 Ply sedan by spring. 

    Tappets and cam are in. I dropped the crank in tonight. Feeling good about it too. Very satisfying. 
     

    I Mic’d mains and rods. Seem perfect. Ring gap well within spec. Measured bore, taper and out of round. Good. 1  valve guide was too high. 1 valve would not lap-in. Dropped down the one  guide. Hand lapped all valves.  Oil gallery port parts sealed up. Oil Pressure valve and spring in. 
     

    Off to grab some plasti-gage now to check main bearing clearances.  
     

     

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  3. I’m 50. Things have changed so much. They keep on changing. I think about what this world has evolved into in my lifetime, so far. I can’t image it’ll improve any within the next 50 years. Sometimes I think about oil and gas. Will there be gas readily available in 25 years.? I don’t know. If I cannot get gas for my ‘38 Mopar, I’d have to consider whatever options are available at that time. I’m not saying a firm no to a possible conversion. I’m just not sure it’ll be electric. 
     

    Today. No. I will not entertain an electric conversion in my ‘38 car. How will I feel in another 15 years from now? We’ll see. Things evolve. I too must. Or be left behind. 

  4. Nice car. Great to read about it being driven again. Does it have the straight 8? These 8’s interest me. I’ve yet to see, hear or drive one. I hope to some day. It may mean a long trip for me, to maybe drive a friend’s 8 NY’r  @Jeff Perkins / Mn lol. 

    Is that an oil pressure gauge mounted near the left side of the steering column? 20 psi at idle seems pretty darn good to me. 
     

    Be sure to go through the brakes thoroughly. They love to rust up pretty bad at the wheel cylinders. Proper concentric adjustment of the shoes is paramount to get good brake performance. These are big heavy cars. You’ll want good brakes to reign-in Newton’s law.  Things in motion want to stay in a straight line of motion!  Or something like that. 😃

     

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  5. Hard to watch part 2 which was also uploaded to YT. I hope someone with the cash and the means will intervene.  This car needs a good new owner. Quickly!
     

    It is an interesting time we live in. Car culture is rapidly changing. I sometimes wonder: Will we even be able to get gasoline for our old cars in another 20 years? If it gets that bad, I suppose maybe there will be options to convert to electric. 

  6. This story reminds me of the great race from NY to Paris back in 1908. 
     

    One of the driving teams was arrested. Their car drove into a small USA town. The car’s exhaust noise was claimed to have scared horses. The team were in jail overnight if I recall. Was it the Italians?

     

    People don’t like change. Never did. Still don’t. Yet eventually society adapts. 

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  7. This past week I spent whatever free time I could muster up, tearing down spare Mopar parts. Someone locally tore down a ‘37 Desoto Sedan, and a ‘37 Dodge sedan. He’s building a hot-rod. From engine back to drums. From steering wheel forward to drums.  All points in between. Parts were offered to me. 
     

    I tore everything down to scavenge what I thought I could use. Lots of little giblets. Big stuff too. 2 3rd members. Leaf springs. Steering gear box. & shaft.  Tranny. What I decided not to store will go to the scrap steel recycler this week.  
     

    I’m starting to worry about the  trusses in my attic. Plenty of parts up there!

     

     

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  8. My '38 Chrysler 6V has a cab heater. Built in Canada, an option. Due to amp draw, the fan output is lower at idle. As I speed up, the generator puts out more amps. Then the fan speeds up and I get very good heat. Grounds, switch and wire contacts need to be clean and tight of course. I think in my 6V '38 Plymouth I worked up to  about a 7-10 amp fuse inline, to keep it running.

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  9. Some of those lessons at 17 we never forget. I too have similar memories in auto shop class back in high school.  Many, many years later those early  lessons still guide me today. 
     

    Your theory about bearing knock is a good one. Knock the engine power way back. Inefficient combustion. No hard, firm torque on the crank.  Sure I bet that would indeed cut down on the bearings knocking. 

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    • Haha 1
  10. Yes, In theory too much fuel pressure would force the float down and sink it. Fuel spewing out any orifice it can. 
     

    A great tool, a Mity-Vac vacuum & fuel pressure gauge. Awesome tool that will allow you to test many things. You can hook it up to your fuel pump and measure the pump’s output pressure. Indeed your fuel pressure seems high to me, as I mentioned above.  You can get a Holly low pressure regulator. Pain in the butt really. You are better off to address your fuel pressure issue properly in my opinion.  
     

    This same vacuum/pressure gauge tool can  be used to set your air fuel mixture screw. Also set your ignition timing. Then you can also see a multitude of other things that could be going on in your engine. 
     

    Here I am troubleshooting fuel pressure problems. Also dealing with a regulator that was added to my car’s fuel system. All gone now. I addressed the source of the problem. No more band-aides. 

     

    https://youtu.be/W66Z6uYLcik

     

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  11. Ignore the suggestion of 0 degrees timing. That was old low octane  fuel. Modern fuel has a different burn rate. Set the timing that works for your engine, using today’s fuel offerings. 
     

    All you are doing is setting the ignition time in relation to the piston and valve positions. Do what works for your engine. Listen for pinging under load. Back off a little on the retarding if pinging too much. 
     

    My understanding is can also set up your timing using a vacuum gauge. I’ve not done that yet. Achieve maximum vacuum at idle by turning distributor timing? 

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