keithb7

Thanks for your replies folks. The tranny came out as it had excessive counter shaft thrust washer wear. Symptoms were howling in 1st and 2nd gear. I rebuilt the tranny. The throwout bearing was also worn and is being replaced. From my perspective I am of the mindset that this is a hobby. I am reviewing an old tired mostly stock condition car. It will be a summer cruiser once in a while. Currently I am going over all the mechanical parts of the car. Making it safe and reliable. I enjoy wrenching on it as much as driving it. The clutch disc will be replaced. The pressure plate, maybe at another time. The car might see 300 miles in a year. Maybe. The tranny came out easily in about an hour. I am not concerned about removing it again in the the future if i need to get back into the clutch. I’m wrenching and trying to watch my costs. As you know it’s easy to throw $20K into a 4dr sedan. I’m trying to build a fun driver, rarely seen on the roads today. Without tossing to much money into the wind.

Did they still have wood, covered roofs in ‘36?

Hard to see all these good parts melted down. Hopefully someone will buy it to support their current car. In a recent example I bought a smaller sized lot of Moar parts for about $100. So far it’s saved me about $250 from buying new parts I needed. I’ve only used 3 things! Plenty more potential savings ahead.

Mopar 9 ¼” , 10 spline clutch disc used on L6 engines with manual 3 speed from at least ‘37 to ‘55. Does anyone know what the wear specs are on the friction material thicknesses? Measuring both sides, as installed on a disc, I mic’d up 0.2907”. Wondering if there is a way to tell approx % worn? Or minimum spec? Thx.

Yes! In a parts lot I bought in Oct I found a good looking clutch assembly. I’d like to clean up and use the disc. All springs are sound. Facing material on the removed disc that was in my Plymouth (and seemed to function fine) measured .2896”. Spare found disc measures 0.2907. A difference of 0.0011”. I have not been able to find a wear spec for these clutch discs. Anyone know? Thx.

A good read here with plenty of history about Ball & Ball carbs. Recommend!

I completed the survey. I didn’t see much that would expose any privacy. Car prices stabilizing and in many cases falling? Seems to be so in many examples. What I’m seeing is great deals on earlier restored cars, compared to restoring one yourself. When someone sells a restored car, most often they are not trying to make a living at it. When a local car guy sells his restored car privately, often good deals are out there. NOS or reproduction parts for old cars to fix up and restore yourself? Prices just keep jacking up year after year. These parts sellers are most often making a living at it. So as their cost of living goes up, parts prices too goes up. It always has been this way, always will. It seems so easy to spend $25K restoring an old car. Then have to sell it in 10 years for $10K. I see deals just like this every day. Maybe it’s the guy too old to get under his baby any more. The cool old guy neighbor, selling his home to down size. The guy that is splitting up with his wife. These poor guys selling their cars are not trying to make a living at it. Maybe they restored and got to enjoy their cars and drive them for years. It makes sense to buy one of these run-of-the-mill mass-produced, restored vintage cars. Restoring an old mass produced car from scratch? Ya gotta love the hobby! You may very likely be a gear head. Someone who truly loves grease under their fingernails and in their hair. That’s me. I pour hours and hours into my 1938 4dr sedan. Hardly desirable. Yet I’m happy as a peach.

I owned a 1968 Beetle back in about 1990. I was broke and in trade school. It was in a poor state of repair however it just kept going. It got me back and forth to school everyday. About a 1 hour commute each way. At times I wished I had I kept it. It would have been a fun restoration over the years. But, marriage young family and bills take priority. Today I re-entered the old car hobby with a couple of old Mopars. I am happy and proud to drive them. The Beetle is iconic, however for some reason I don’t get real excited about driving one. Pretty bland but certainly a reliable, proven, people mover car.

2 large bolts & 2 hoses. Power thru a switch. Some ducting if wanted. Thant’s about it.

My 38 Plymouth (Canadian build) heater is seen here.

@neil morseI am pleased you are following along and checking in. It makes it more fun to know there are a few folks reading along. This week the hunt is on for a 9 ¼” clutch disc. Mine has 2 broken springs. The flywheel and pressure plate appear quite good. Strong tension. No hot spots. So the old girl gets a new throw out bearing and a new disc only. Married up with my rebuilt tranny, she’ll be great! Be a while likely before a clutch disc arrives. In the mean time I’ll install new motor mounts. After reassembly and test drive, the next project I’d like to tackle? The diff! I’ve never rebuilt a diff either. Seems to me there’s no better car to learn on than this simple ‘38 Plymouth. Might as well get it done. I will enjoy the confidence on future driving trips. Having gone thru everything, I’ll be headed on longer trips without a care. My bench today as seen here:

Great work @LarryA. Doing it right is the best way. Enjoy driving that car.

New or rebuilt please. Shipped to Canada. Postal code V2E 1L3.

@John_Mereness I have considered this kit John. For various reasons I have moved ahead building my own harnesses. Price. Delivery times. Across border shipping. (I am in Canada) I have also decided to update the wiring with some later improvements such as fuse blocks. I upgraded all wires to minimum 14ga for better performance with the 6V system. I installed dual headlight relays. Upsized other ground and feed cables too. I re-routed some ground locations. Ordering a replacement new stock harness, then cutting it up to do these improvements did not sit really well with me. Additionally I am into this car out of pure enjoyment. I am thoroughly enjoying building the harnesses. Doing as much work as we can ourselves. Being in no hurry, frying other fish is not really on the radar. We'll get to it all. Thanks for the heads-up though. I appreciate any feedback here as we progress through the car. Cheers, Keith.

Meanwhile in the basement upholstery shop my wife continues to move ahead. She’s learning new things. She’s done a very good job for her first attempt at this work. She’s not 100% happy with her work. I assure her its great for the level of revival for this car. Unless she worked at the factory in 1938 in the upholstery shop, with all the tools and techniques mastered, she won’t be 100% content. She trudges on with limited tools and experience here at home. I sure am grateful.

Hi Greg, @1912StaverI have been to the Abbotsford Costal Swap Meet. I hope to go again this year. At this point I am unsure of the date. I am in Kamloops and do try to attend the better swaps. I quite enjoyed the Golden Ears VCC chapter swap meet a couple of years ago. It was in Haney. I grabbed some good literature form there too.

I'll keep my eye our for these books at auto swap meets. I am headed to the massive Oregon swap in the spring. Perhaps I will find a set there. As an alternative, the Dyke's Automobile Encyclopedia is also a very good book that I own and enjoy. A ton of information. I think mine is dated about the mid-40's. I read up and study quite a bit before I tackle a job on my old cars. Reading and learning first, followed by hands on work. It really helps stuff sink in, and understand truly what is going on.

Tranny went back together fairly easily today. ¾" oak dowel pins really helped with holding the counter shaft and reverse idler gear shafts together. All the needle rollers and washers sat nicely on the dowels. Then I punched in the actual shafts. Rear seal was putting up a little resistance. Hitting it hard with a mallet, square-on, on a block of wood over a tube spacer helped convince it to get seated. All gears seem to work and shift easily. Fingers crossed until I get it reinstalled. Before I install it I will remove the bell housing next and inspect the clutch. Also replace motor mounts. It's all tied in, so might as well get it all addressed now.

@Survivor came and went like gas in the wind. Last visit to this site was July 2019. That's unfortunate. I would have liked to see pics of the car.

Some further discussion on my transmission rebuild. Here I talk about bearings, rebuild parts and tools.

I trudge along with my vintage cars at various speeds. I go hard for a while. Other times progress slows down. I backed off over the holidays, spending a lot of time relaxing. I think I’m actually ready to go back to my day job! I can’t remember the last time I ever said that. I’m sort of supplying a steady drip of funds for my old cars. I don’t order all my project parts in large chunks. I try and save money where I can. I am not saving or tallying my receipts on my ‘38 revival. I’m a fool to think if I spend $20K over 10 years, it’s justified. Compared to spending $20K in two years. I can’t/won’t do that! Lol. I am fairly new to the old car hobby. I will admit that I have debated how much to spend restoring an old car compared to a realistic sell price. This thought process is a black hole to disappointment. I have a great time while out in my garage working on my old cars. I get giddy ordering new parts. Upon arrival I really enjoy installing the parts. The satisfaction of a completed well-done job is a good feeling. The resale price has become irrelevant to me. I spend what I am comfortable with. Where I’ll end up I don’t know. I do know for sure that later I’ll enjoy driving the car immensely. I am fortunate that I do have time on my side. I’ll be 49 in 2020. Hopefully I’ll have quite a good run to enjoy the hobby.

See this video I made here. At about the 4:25 mark I start taking about the combustion chamber design and the Ricardo improvements:

That's a fine car! Great project and rarely seen. It has nice lines and look sporty and fun to drive. A great acquisition there.

2019 was a good year. I visited the National Automobile museum in Reno. I saw the original Thomas Flyer. I travelled to Tacoma to attend the Hemmings Great Race finish line event. I participated in and attended several car shows and parades. I maintained an active membership in my local Vintage Car Club, accepting the position of Vice President. I purchased my second vintage car, a 1938 Plymouth. I tore down 2 vintage Mopar flathead engines for learning purposes. Additionally I am currently deep into rebuilding A manual transmission that I pulled from my '38. I put about 1,000 miles on the odometer of my 1953 Chrysler. I spent many, many happy hours in the garage wrenching on my old cars to keep them alive. Folks showed their appreciation when they saw me out in my old car...2019 was better than good. It was fantastic.

Re: 1928 DB. Here is the interior. The round gauge cluster looks the same. The large storage pockets on the door too.