keithb7

Speaking of ground straps. Saw this one at work today!

When the engine is running, car is sitting & not rolling, with the clutch-in gears are stationary too. When you attempt to slide a gear into first or reverse the gears may not be aligned quite enough to easily slide together and mesh. This is not abnormal. If you let the clutch out while the transmission is in neutral, you can get the transmission countershaft spinning. The car won't move as it is in neutral. Push the clutch back in, the countershaft will slowdown now and within a few seconds it will stop turning again. Good chance when it stops the two gears will align and you can slide 1/st or reverse into place. After doing this multiple times you will develop a good feel for it. You'll know how long the countershaft needs before it comes to a stop. The grinding noise is when the sliding gear attached to the shift lever is being shoved in to the spinning countershaft. Allow a little more time, so parts can align.

My 1948 stock 6V postive ground, generator based electrical system works just fine. Stock brakes too. Totally adequate for vintage car cruising. Flathead engine and remainder of the the powertrain is just fine too. Its when you decide you want to take a prewar car on the interstate and keep up, the rabbit hole begins. Upgraded brakes. Rear axle swap. LS engine swap. 12V conversion. Rack and pinion steering. More modern transmission. Radial tires. Lowered. Oversized rims. Dual exhaust. Not sure what the point is, but to each their own. That ground cable to the firewall is a bell-ringer for me. Gotta get a double ought sized ground to the block or tranny. Electricity needs the path of least resistance to work well. The entire starting motor circuit surely can’t go through the firewall and be expected to perform well.

I run a You Tube channel. Its focused on vintage Mopars however it is relevant to all old flatheads from about ‘53 back. I try to explain things simply for beginners. Here are a couple examples. There are many videos covering various topics.

I ordered this one about 2 months ago. Century. 12V up to 55A or down to 2A. 6V manual only at 15A. I like to have control so the manual option is my preference. Sometimes a battery needs a good 15A jolt to wake it up. I’d take this over any new digital charger any day. Old school transformer system is not a bad thing for battery chargers. In my experience especially stock 6V systems. My ‘38 6V generator puts out 15A. This is a nice pair up.

I am in Kamloops but I am a working stiff still. Looks like you will be passing through on a week day. If it were a weekend I could likely meet you there. Be sure to hit the Mexican taco stand on the Hi-way, on the Northern end of Cache Creek. Best tacos I have ever had outside of Mexico. Fresh ingredients. Made as ordered. The entire place is run my Mexican workers. They bring authentic Mexican flavours and cooking to their little spot in Cache Creek. We drive out there a few times a year just for the tacos. As the date approaches, keep in contact if your travel date through Cache Creek changes. My 38's love the drive to C Creek. Keith

Great to clear all this up thank you. I knew about the Model A with the fuel tank in the cowl. I did not know earlier T cars had the fuel tank under the seat. I gotta get in a T some day. I have thought about acquiring one yet have reservations. I live just on the outer fringe of my town. A fairly long, pretty steep hill, by today's standards. 11% at one point and several turns. I think I'd be 10 MPH probably in a T coming up the hill. Brakes on the way down could be an issue? My understanding is these lower compression engines did not offer much in the way of engine braking on the way down. Some comments above reminded me of the vacuum tank back in the day. I understand Stewart Warner locked in a pretty tight partnership with the inventor of the fuel vacuum tank. Lawsuits kept things locked down. They charged auto manufacturers quite a premium. Such high prices inspired many to try and compete in the market. Stubborn Henry Ford probably refused to use the vacuum tank. Part of his desire to drive Model T prices ever lower. Instead he likely moved the fuel tank up in the cowl to solve the known issue on steep hills. Then there was the concern with fires in the event of an accident in a Ford. I read about this topic in my Chrysler Engineering book.

I’ve of heard this tactic. Necessary for some cars I believe. What cars? Why? Model A gravity fed carbs? Modet-T planetary transmissions? I’ve heard stories that drivers would pick a gear for a steep hill, traveling as fast as safely possible. To have momentum to aide the car up the hill. If the hill was long and steep, enough eventually you’d stall out? Engine die? Why? Vacuum fuel pump drained? Couldn’t down shift quick enough? No synchros on first gear? Could not drop a model T planetary drive into low range without stopping? Then it could power out and stop in high range? Then coast backwards. Turn the car around coasting. Get it pointing downhill. Flash the engine up again. The navigate the remainder of the hill in reverse. Why? I’ve never driven a model T. I would like to some day to better understand what millions and millions of early drivers experienced. I’m guessing other car manufacturers besides the Fords mentioned also had similar issues? Fill me in. Please! Thanks.

Thought I would share my latest video here. You may enjoy the old Dodge that I had fun, going over.

Some valid different opinions. Perhaps the thought of being a better driver requires further explanation. I am very much aware of the lack of safely features in my ‘38 car. I’m very vulnerable without seat belts. No Crumple zones. Air bags? A collision would likely have grave consequences. Add to that my ‘38 is endeared to me. I could care less about my 2006 car. So I indeed feel extra cautious, driving it. Protecting my life and my car from damages.

I keep my 38 Plymouth pretty dial'd-in. Brakes set up to work as best as I can. The brake system is original. They are pretty good actually. Just yesterday a little old lady sunk in her seat, looking up through the steering wheel made an appearance. She was driving towards me, on-coming lane. All of a sudden she turned to her left right in front of me. I had to hammer on the brakes. I gave her a good long shot of the aaoogah horn. It was too close. I was minding my own business, going about 30 mph. Would have made a fine mess of my 38 Plymouth if we made contact. My Plym has no turn signals. The brake lights are pretty small . I drive accordingly. I tried to order one of those 6V LED light bar 3'rd brake lights for my back window. They won't ship to Canada. I am in a town of about 100,000 here in Canada. Drivers are pretty civilized most of the time. I do not feel threatened. With the price of gas, I feel like I'm seeing far less cars on the roads when I cruise around town. Over the easter weekend we drove to San Francisco. I was appalled at some of the driving we witnessed. Terrible and deadly risks were being taken to get somewhere in a hurry. Shocking. I can't imagine living in a city that big and driving a pre-war car. I am happy here in my area. I feel no real constant danger cruising about town. I do watch my rear view mirror a lot. I gotta try again and get one of those LED 3rd brake lights. Yes I do believe we are better drivers in old cars.

@Frank WilkieFrank I am in Canada. I am certainly interested in purchasing this carb. Please email me to transact. I’m not set up with long distance calling to the USA. Thanks. Keith

I don't think I've ever heard a person engulfed into the car hobby, use the word "Hindrance" in a topic related to car ownership. It just comes with the hobby. They all need effort to keep them driving. Time & money. Which do you have more to give to the hobby? What one person may consider a hindrance, another might be excited about rolling their sleeves up to dive into and solve. Many of us have countless hours in our old cars. We love it and we'd be happy to tell you all about it.

I am innterested in seeing photos as well.

Chevy touted OHV design, yet didn't they use a non-pressurized main and rod oil lubrication system into the 50's? I watched a 1953 Dodge truck sales training video recently on you tube. They were pointing out that the Chevy still had a splash oil system. Seems like splash lube was pretty stale dated for that time. No? Sorry about my ignorance on Chevrolet products. I have zero experience with them. I am pretty in tune with old Mopars, my marquee of choice.

I like older things. I seem to feel that the old objects are tied to a simpler life. No cell phones. No social media. No internet. No video games. No TV. No microchips or computers. I see vintage objects and I am drawn to them. Maybe the old items Make me reminisce about my grandfather and my father who are gone. Perhaps I romanticize about listening to Willy Mays hit a home run on the old rube radio. Or family Sunday drives and picnics in the grass somewhere outside of town. Simpler times when a Dad could pay the mortgage, feed the family, pay all the bills Clothe everyone. He could afford a car too. Maybe it was just a Plymouth but darn it he was proud of it. Mom kept the house and raised the kids. Everyone dressed up wherever they went. A man needed a car that he and his wife could sit in with their hats on. Just picking up and feeling these vintage things bring me memories of my simple life as a child. Imagine stepping inside an old car. Sitting down. Immersing yourself in it. Smelling it. Seeing it. Touching it. Starting it up. Hearing that old flathead 6 purr. Driving it. Viewing the world around you at 25 mph through the windshield. It’s a pretty powerful feeling. I knew I loved old cars. I just needed to figure out when I was ready to bring one into my life. I matured. I cared little about how others would like my old cars of choice. I had the time to devote. The money to fund them. The will and the passion. The shop space and a few tools. I’ve always been fond of cars. I was about 45 when I was attuned to them. I realized It was time.

No spark at all? Or no spark when #1 is at TDC? Many people don't take the time to set the oil pump timing, so that the the keyway at the end of the oil pump shaft is set for #1 TDC. When #1 is at TDC the distributor rotor should at 7 o'clock approximately when looking down at it, in the distributor housing. Many are set 180 degrees out. So The rotor is pointing to about 2 o'clock. Confirm you have 6V at ignition key in. Then 6V out when key is on. Ensure wires to the coil and from coil are correct. Tight. Not frayed. No exposed wires. Ensure wire where it enters distributor is not able to touch ground. It is supposed to be insulated from ground here. Ensure small wires inside distributor are all in tact and not frayed, loose, or somehow grounding. Ensure dwell is set so points are fully closing as rotor turns.

I just went and checked on my old Mopar flathead 6. No power at coil, referenced to ground when key switch is on, unless points are closed. My understanding is when the points close the voltage runs through the coil to ground. Exciting the coil primary windings. When the points open, 6V from the key switch stops flowing through. The Primary coil collapses. Induction excites secondary coil. Maybe I am confused. 🙁

I have a wiring diagram here for a 1949 C45 or C46 if that helps. Should be pretty close to your '47. Pretty basic. Positive ground. Negative wire from battery goes to field connection at voltage regulator mounted on the firewall. Then a 10 gauge wire (live 6v) leaves battery connection at the regulator and travels to the ammeter. At same junction on ammeter, another wire (live 6V, 12 gauge) is connected to the ammeter and travels to the ignition switch. It is the input wire feeding the ignition switch. Multiple wires come off the ignition switch. Some are un-switched by the key switch, some are. 1 to headlight switch (brown), 1 to horn relay (Red), 1 to fuel gauge (blue) . 1 goes to back up lamp circuit and wiper circuit (blue). 1 to the ignition coil. This wire to ignition coil is 16 gauge black wire. This is the one to focus on for now. Find it. Set your meter to continuity check. Set one wire to a good known ground. Ensure points in the distributor are open. Test black wire at ignition switch with reference to ground. There should be no beep indicating it's somehow touching ground. It should not be, unless the points in the distributor are closed. When points are closed, indeed it is supposed to be connected to ground. Is the wire connection at the coil clean, and tight. You could measure ohms from the end of the wire at the coil, to the other end of the wire at the key switch. Should be some ohms, but not infinity. Meaning wire is broken. Is 6V present at the hot connection at the ammeter. Check wire from ammeter connection that feeds to the key switch for continuity and ohm reading. If good, there should be 6V at the wire now at the key switch too. Turn on the key switch. Is there now 6V at a blue wire going to the switched accessories? Fuel gauge, wiper motor for example? With key switch on, and points closed, engine not running, you should measure 6V at the coil. If points are open you will not get 6V at the coil, even with the key switch turned on. You will see millivolts showing on your multimeter when the points are open. This is residual magnetic field voltage. Also, be sure your multimeter is set to DC volts, not AC volts. If you are not getting 6V at the coil input feed wire from the ignition switch, when the points are closed its either: Bad wire or connection feeding 6V to the ammeter Bad wire or connection from ammeter to input at key switch Bad key switch. When key'd on no 6V heading out of key switch to coil (when points are closed) Bad wire/connection from key switch to coil. Bad wire/ connection at other side of coil to the distributor Bad connection where wire from coil that mounts to breaker plate Bad teeny wire or connection inside distributor cap from points to breaker plate Points are not closing, gap set too wide. Circuit from ignition switch cannot get to ground through the points. A circuit it is a circle. Electrons must be able to move from one battery post, do its job, then return to the other batter post (called ground). Completing the loop. You cannot measure 6V at the coil, if the voltage cannot get back to the battery. It is able to do so, when the points close. It cannot when the points are open.

I have a couple of vintage Mopars. My 1938 Plymouth sedan currently has 25" long 237 ci engine in it. About a 1953 year engine. It currently has a pressure plate in it labeled "Borg & Beck Model 937" It has orange springs. I have a used spare Borg & Beck pressure plate labeled "Borg & Beck Model 926". Springs appear un-coloured. I have located what looks like a good used & rebuilt pressure plate labeled "Model 918". These appear to be the stock sized used in a 1938 Plymouth. The stock engine was 201 ci. My 237 makes a fair bit more torque than the original 201 engine. I am interested in learning the differences in these clutches. They all appear to have the same 9 1/4" diameter clutch disc. I assume the main difference is clutch pressure plate spring tension? In general is the higher the model number, the higher spring tension? I don't know. My 237 ci engine is starting to slip the clutch with the Model 937 pressure plate in there now. Unsure if it's worn out. If the disc is worn beyond spec. Or if the increased torque of my 237, with the 937 pressure plate in there now, is not enough. Allowing it to slip under heavy torque. Does anyone have an old catalogue with listing details? I'd like to learn more, and consider my options to buy a new pressure plate. Lastly is Borg & Beck, the same as Borg Warner? Did the two companies merge at some point? Thanks. Keith

Today I spent time dealing with a stubborn coolant leak at the thermostat housing.

I have my own You Tube channel dedicated to old Mopars. This one might help you.

All this talk about points and dwell. My ‘38 Chrysler, I can set the timing to the point where the engine pings under load. I back it off. Then no pinging. 251 ci 25” engine. My ‘38 Plymouth, I just rebuilt the engine this past winter. I can play with the timing. All over the map. It will certainly buck a bit and feel poor if timing if off, but It doesn’t seem ever ping under load. 237 ci 25” engine. Wondering why the difference? Same octane gas. Maybe the older, not freshly rebuilt engine has carbon build up? Would that make a difference?

I bought an older Snap-on tach/dwell meter from the ‘70s. Works very well on 6V and 12V systems.

Oh boy! I have to wait all year for this event. I own 2 green 1938 Mopars!