keithb7
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Posts posted by keithb7
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There probably is a real answer to the original question. For fun, I'll give my opinion.
To me classic cars include the era of lots of chrome and power. When the V8's became mainstream for pretty-well most all manufactures. Wings were there too in my definition of a classic car.
I'm going with 1953 or so right up to and including the muscle car era.
Horseless Carriage. Quadracycle up to about the Model T inception.
Brass era, ending about the mid-19 teens? Gas lights and marker lamps.
Antique for me is about 1916 to 1933.
Vintage 1933 to 1952 Glen Miller Bid band era.
Classic Car 25 years and older, as far back as mid-50's.
This is just my feeling on it. Your milage may vary depending on the era you grew up in of course.
I had fun coming up with my list.
Keith
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Great idea. Well done! Thanks for sharing it.
I have a question about Maxwell cars. As mentioned in the 1960 tour video.
Walter Chrysler took a job at Maxwell to try and turn the company around. Maxwell was in trouble. I believe Walter ended up buying the company. Then he built his first Chrysler branded car. Was his first Chrysler car basically the heart of a Maxwell? Built-up a bit to Walter’s wishes, and branded as a Chrysler? About 1924 or so if I recall.
Did Chrysler continue to build the Maxwell branded car in addition to the Chrysler car? Or did Walter sell off the Maxwell name, then another company started producing the Maxwell? Thx.
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There are many things going on here to make this semi-auto work. They are all simple by design yet to get your brain wrapped around all of it can be challenging. Simple, yet genius really.
I like how the freewheeling control sleeve (lock ring) moves forward with the direct speed drive clutch. You get dynamic braking on hills in low range only. Assisting on down hill slopes. Yet in high range it free wheels.
Its basically a 2 speed with hi/low range. Passing gear (sort of like 3rd) is skipped when you start in low, then allow auto shift to second. Then you manually shift column lever into hi-range. Going into sort of like 4th gear. The one and only way to get into what you may think is 3rd (passing gear) is when you are in high range (4th sort of) under 30 mph or so. You mash the foot throttle. This activates a linkage switch on the Carb. The ignition coil is temporarily sent to ground, killing all spark to all plugs. This briefly takes the load off the tranny input pinion allowing a shift to happen. As soon as your let off the gas again, it shifts back to 4th.
I made this video when I first owned my 53 Chrysler. At that time I thought the car could up shift through all 4 tranny gears. That’s incorrect. It goes; bull low, then auto shift to 2nd, then manual shit to 4th. Sorta. Lol. It’s quite the system.
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You may have the vaccu-matic shift system. The M5 transmission.The next variation, the the M6, if you have it, I go through some it if here:
I was learning as I go. Reading, studying and then taking things apart in the shop. I make some slips-ups here, but the basics and understanding is here.
Shifting happens with a sealed cylinder building oil pressure, forcing a piston to move. Piston is connected to a shift fork. When you slow a switch engages in the tranny,
releasing oil pressure. Spring pressure overcomes oil pressure and the piston goes back the the other direction down shifting.
Lots of things going on in the shifting system. Ground speed, throttle position. A spinning governor switch, 6V large solenoid.
Start with the easy stuff . Make sure you have the proper weight of oil. Check voltage when and when it is supposed to be present at various spots in the car. If you require precise instructions I have them, that I can send you. Send me a personal message if wanted.
Ensure the engine idle speed is set to spec. If idle it too high transmission will delay shift, or not shift at all.
The oil pump turns off the drive shaft, so it builds oil pressure when moving. You need oil pressure, you need a return spring that works, An oil port that is clear and opens when needed. A check ball and a spring that works.
Keith
Here is the governor switch and solenoid system explained:
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The heat starts to rise in low speed applications. Stop and go street lights spaced a city block apart. Once cruising at 20-30 mph temp drops to 170. The steep hill home is my main concern. Its about 2.5 miles up. Steep and winding. I don’t lug the engine. I can’t get a run at, and sling-shot this hill. I do get my speed up briefly then it’s a long climb. Throttle down, the fuel burnt is making plenty of BTU’s. Land speed is down to about a steady 30 mph. Throttle down hard. On warm days, by the time I arrive in my driveway the gauge is just touching 200F. On hot days it’s creeping just over 212F.
I have considered my options. There is no room for an electric engine-side, suck fan only, and adding a shroud. The waterpump shaft is in the way. I agree wasted air is happening as the fan is not super close to the rad. The car utilizes a 14” fan. Trying to move rad and fan closer together, the fan will contact the rad at the bottom upon engine dynamic braking. The motor mounts flex enough to allow fan contact. I found this out the hard way when I installed a 16” spare old Mopar fan that I own. $200 rad repair later…
The block is spotless. Hot-tanked at rebuild. Like new, very clean brass water distribution tube. New waterpump. New re-cored rad. Thermostat removed for testing. New clear pathway rad hoses. 7 psi rad cap. Head super clean. By-pass lines clean as new.
I am pretty sure the rad cooling capacity is the system’s limiting factor here. It’s a newly re-cored rad and provides the best flow it can deliver. Straight, clean new fins are efficient. I’ve thought about custom fabbing a shroud. I am not versed in the sheet metal trade. I’m not skilled to make one. I may try. For a $100 investment the 6V push fan seems like a logical test to try next. Failing that, I’ll try a shroud.
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The rebuilt engine turned over 700 miles on the odometer this morning. The car is fantastic. Running great. Getting a little hot on sweltering summer days though. It seems my upgrade to 237 is a bit more than the current rad can handle. Its not the stock as my rad was moved forward 2-3 inches to accommodate the 25 “ length block upgrade. My cooling system is spotless and in top notch condition. Just the slightly smaller rad the culprit I assume. I going to install a 6V electric pusher fan to assist on the dog days of summer.
Here we are out for a Sunday drive this morning.
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Fatheads are great engines to cut your teeth on. Learn them inside and out. Nothing hard about them. I love them.
Tossing a flat head aside as it won't start is a mistake.
Couple of simple things that many get wrong:
6V positive ground electrical system. Ain't nothing wrong with 6V. Works just dandy if you know how to look after it. If it's slow to crank over, even with a new battery, good chance it has too small diameter battery cables on it. It need single ought at a minimum. Grounds must be clean. Won't crank worth a darn with dirty grounds and 4 gauge cables.
What is the the tested compression recording for each cylinder? Wet and dry. Have you done that? You need to. After the right battery cables are verified, compression results will tell you where you need to go next to get it running.
You can learn all about flatheads here on my YT channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVoBq2i7wl4w0W4JB6cAMjg/videos
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Pretty confident. See my video here.
If your fuel Inlet is not shutting off and you are spewing fuel everywhere there are a few reasons. Needle valve stuck open for some reason. Check for obstruction. Too high fuel pressure from fuel pump. Carb Float has a hole in it and won’t float. A few examples to check.
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Hi folks I have a couple of used spare transmission parts for the semi-auto Mopar cars. These are used in 1946-53 Chrysler Dodge and Desotos too.
I have the 6V solenoid (part #1126633) that works fine as I tested it. $100.
I also have the speed governor kick down switch (part #1370204). Also works as I tested it too. $100.
Both thread into the transmission housing. They are part of the auto shift system.
Will ship anywhere. Thanks.
Keith
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I have s full set of Automobile Engineering books for sale. Very good condition. Published in 1931 in Chicago. A large variety of topics are covered. Nice embossed book covers. Great information on pre-war cars and technology for the period.
Located in Canada. $140 US funds all-in including shipping to USA or Canada. Other locations contact me for shipping costs. Prefer Paypal payment. Thanks.
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Thanks Don. I have a few feelers out up here in Canada as well. I have some prospects lined up. We’ll see if they produce any options. If not I’ll be in touch. Thanks.
keith
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The stock fuel inlet needle valve has a pointy tip. This tip points away from the carb bowl. Tip points in towards fuel line coming from the fuel pump. The other end if it is flat. It contacts the tab on the float inside the carb bowl.
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I’m poking around looking to acquire Floyd Clymer scrap books. Ideally issue #8 to start. Others issues too. What have you got to sell? To be mailed to me in Canada. Thx.
Keith
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I can’t figure it out either. USA and the automobile is synonymous. The history is fascinating. The engineering. Design. The factory workers. The unions. The assembly lines. The thousands of car manufacturers who never survived. American household names like Henry & Edsel Ford. Walter Chrysler. John and Horace Dodge. Durant and so many more. The fortunes. The quirky ways the rich boys in Deteoit acted and how they spent their money. So many great stories. I just keep finding and reading more and more books on the subject. To me the topic is tireless and enthralling.
The Model T. What a story. 15 million plus made. I covet one. Some day maybe I’ll own one. It had such a massive impact on people. Everyone could afford one. Over a hundred years later I can’t seem to find an affordable one. Lol. I’m more of a Mopar guy. I have my feelers out on a ‘23 DB coupe. Yet, I’d take a Model T any day. Slow and probably very unsafe. Accident prone menace on the roads? Who cares! I’ll take my chances.
So many old cars. So little time, space and money. The struggle is real! I can’t quite grasp why these cars are not appealing to so many younger folks.
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Looks like a flathead, positive ground Mopar to me. If you have a fun driver car, order a new 6V coil on Rock Auto for $20 or so. Ditch that old coil. Run the power wire from your key switch to the negative marked terminal on the new coil. The wire currently going to your distributor, hook it to the positive marked terminal on the new 6V coil. Slide the new coil in the hole in the firewall. Bolt it down. Voila! Easy peasy and done.
If you want to maintain the stock coil system get ready to spend $300 for a coil.
My ‘38 6V +ground Mopar with new Rock Auto 6V coil is illustrated. Nobody at the car show noticed it. Yet, I don’t enter Concours D’elegance.
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" I will have to ask my mech. if this is everything he has done?"
This statement raises my eyebrows. Good troubleshooting means understanding what it's supposed to do and why.
I hope he gets it sorted out.
-Test distributor vacuum advance
-Check ignition timing
-Set dwell
-Plugs clean?
-Check carb for air leaks. Float setting.
-Remove air filter, engine turned off. Look down into carb air horn. Cycle throttle by hand. Is a raw stream fuel being shot-in when throttle is opened quickly? It should be.
-With engine running, air filter off. Rev up engine quickly. Have a mustard squirter bottle of fuel ready. When engine stalls out, squirt a little raw fuel in carb yourself by hand. Better? Worse?
-Engine running. Cycle the choke closed a bit to cut off air supply slightly. Not all the way to cause the engine to stall. Quickly rev up engine. Better? Worse?
That'll help you get closer to the problem.
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Networking is always great. Rub shoulders with fellow Mopar owners. Get out to car events. The other mopar owners come out of the woodwork. Join a vintage car club. Be patient. Scour online classified for old flathead era Mopars for sale. Many parts are interchangeable. Buy-up spare used parts when you aren't in need. Store them for later use. Build up your own spare parts inventory. Get a proper factory parts book for your car. Search on E-bay by Mopar part number. Andy Bernbaum is ok. Vintage Power wagons are good for engine rebuild parts. I avoid "Mopar Pro", too many bad stories shared among fellow Mopar owners. Be aware of reproduction low quality junk parts. There's lots of it out there. Find and join a few special focus Mopar flathead era Facebook groups. Join the web site P15-24.com
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I very much like the ‘38 Chryslers. Good top speed with OD. Nice amenities. Great to keep-up with traffic in most all instances except the interstate hiways.
He’s one of mine.
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Compression test first. Next steps to be determined from the test results.
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A quick reminder that the thermostat only controls the engine’s minimum operating temperature. Not maximum temperature. The cooling system’s ability to extract heat is effected by many other items including ambient air temperatures.
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Thank you @Rusty_OToole for posting the link!
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For an interesting look into used car sales business practices during the great depression. Read chapter 7 in the “Grapes Of Wrath”.
A fiction book yet I suspect the account was accurate. Quite a chapter.-
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I sometimes ponder why the same year Plymouth, Dodge, and Chrysler had the split hoods. Yet the Desoto had the alligator mouth hood. From my limited perspective it does seem like an inefficient option. Cool no less. One more car to add to the bucket list.
1947 Chrysler Club Coupe
in Technical
Posted
What about join the send and receive oil lines with a union fitting. By-passing the by-pass filter.