MercMontMars

As I’m sure most folks have already seen, I picked up a free roached 1950 Nash Ambassador. I was able to get the hood open today and found a very complete decent looking inline-6. It probably ran when parked, the plugs are fresh and the oil was very clean which was surprising. I’m betting it’s solid, will need some TLC to be perfect of course but it looks good and well taken care of. It’s a bit soon to be asking as I haven’t fully looked the car over to see if it’s worth saving as a whole, and I haven’t fully decided if I want to start parting.. but should I decide to pull it what can I do with it? Whatever I put it in, I don’t want the hydramatic behind it. Nothing personal against it, I’d just prefer a simpler 3-speed or so but I’m not sure what bolts up to it yet. Any help appreciated, thank you!

Got the hood open and it is a nice looking inline-6. I found the original radio for the car in the backseat, and with it I found a receipt saying that someone had it recapped/redone in 2000. Crazy what 24 years will do to a car..

For anyone interested in parts I have listed some highlights in the main post, including a 100% rust free front drivers side fender that came with the car.

@EmTee That’s one thing that kills me about this one, every Nash I’ve seen is usually a 4-door. I’ve always been a sedan guy, but 2 doors look really good on this car and they’re not common by any means.

@Buick35 Sarasota FL, 34243.

@Restorer32 Haha, have to grovel at Jay Leno’s front door to have a chance of that happening. Even with his money he’d probably say she’s done. 😆

@31nash880 I’ll let you know as soon as I find out, the car is currently in Florida.

@Rusty_OToole Really? That is good to know, never knew about that. I’m leaning that way too, I don’t see this car ever hitting the road ever again but I’d love to see it get another one going again.

I got this car from a mechanic that was closing up shop, I have bought a few cars from him before and he just gave this 49 Nash to me. I really like the car, always had a soft spot for Nash styling and it’s a coupe which seems a little uncommon. Now the bad.. IT’S RUSTY…. I think this thing was parked in Atlantis for a few decades.. it’s bad. I’m not even sure of the frame, but I haven’t had a chance to look it over closely yet. Haven’t been able to open the hood yet but according to the door tag and what I can see underneath it has a Straight-8 w/ hydramatic trans. It would break my heart to see it crushed for scrap value, and I know these aren’t super common cars. What should I do from here? Does anyone out there need parts or have one in better shape so I can build a solid Nash? The drivetrain is probably OK, but I haven’t seen it yet. What should I do with her? Thanks for any help! —Parts available All glass, perfect and unbroken All badging except for passenger fender Headlights & bezels Grille Bumpers (will need rechroming) Interior is pretty good, will get photos Front driver side fender (not on car, fully rust free) Drivetrain is there, but condition is currently unknown as I can’t get the hood open Etc interior parts such as radio, steering wheel, knobs, metal dashboard has one rusted area. Chrome trim Anything else not listed that you need let me know and I’ll see if it’s there. Message me and we can negotiate a price we’re both happy with.

Almost ready to blow the cobwebs out of this project, after working away at the little things I pulled the head and found stuck valves. Explains why I wasn’t able to start it. Since then I have freed them all up and am getting ready to put the head back on. Gave the head a quick paint job because why not, it’s not a factory colour and it’ll look a little funny surrounded by rusty parts but it’ll preserve it and look nicer until I can do a proper restoration on the motor. (Planned in the far future.)

@R Walling Gorgeous! Looks like she was loved in a past life, I love to see survivors like that. One of my favorite mopar front ends. I always thought that was crazy too, even compared to my 52 Pontiac straight-8 the starters are SLOW. I don’t know how they do it. Curious to see how many miles my odometer says, I haven’t been able to read it because something inside collapsed and is blocking it, but I’m gonna guess no more than 50,000.

@R Walling Nice, did it start right up for you after freeing up the valves? If you still have it, how’s it running? After finishing this motor 100% I definitely want a mopar inline-8 to tinker with.

@DFeeney Wholeheartedly agree, I bought this car with the self-agreement that I will do it all myself. One day I can step back from it and say “I did that.”

@Larry Schramm You might be right, I’ll take a closer look at that next time I work on it. Luckily a new gasket kit is in the mail so if it’s bad no big deal.

@Rusty_OToole Thanks, I’ll definitely try that aluminum paint trick. Old head gasket seems to be in great shape, at least good enough to reuse for testing.

@arcticbuicks Very helpful, thank you. What I’ve done so far is douse them in penetrating oil and motor oil, that freed up two of them but one is really persistent. I got it free enough to snap back down with the spring but when it comes back up it likes to stay there. Gonna take the inspection plates off tomorrow or so and see what’s going on down below.

@Larry Schramm Much better! have no idea why it likes to flip images like that on me.

Well some good news.. and some even better news. Pulled the head today and everything exceeded my expectations. I found 3-4 stuck valves which explains why I couldn’t start the motor. Got all but 1 valve completely free. Besides that, the cylinder walls look excellent and I don’t see any cracks or reasons for concern. Hopefully once they’re all free I can start her up for the first time in many years.

Hi there, I’ve got a rather random question and want to see if anyone’s done this.. but is there something I can put in my engines to clean them out while they sit? For a little context, my 1939 Chrysler will not be running for a while but the oil in it has turned to black sludge and I want that as broken up as possible so I can dump it when the time comes to start the car (after fresh oil of course.) I also have a project 59’ Buick Invicta sitting around and that motor is in similar shape, won’t be started for quite a while. I did a bit of research on using diesel but many sources say that’s a big no no. Any suggestions?

I’ll definitely be careful with the head gasket, I’ll use it to test compression after freeing everything up but I’m ordering this kit that has a head gasket and other gaskets. Will definitely be helpful and I don’t have to worry about breaking something irreplaceable. https://www.partsgeek.com/cjfnzqt-chrysler-royal-engine-gasket-set.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ff&utm_content=TS&utm_campaign=PartsGeek+Google+Base&utm_term=1937-1942%2C+1950+Chrysler+Royal+Engine+Gasket+Set+Victor+Reinz+37-42%2C+50+Chrysler+Engine+Gasket+Set+1938&gad_source=1&cid=18313611776&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwvKtBhDrARIsAJj-kTgGNjY3NUq-f8lxca9iKkFAZZwcFgx3wRFdy-ANY4ih71iabmVt9-gaApueEALw_wcB

Hi there, I’ve been tinkering with my 1939 Chrysler Windsor for a while now whenever I have the time but haven’t gotten to start it yet. When the starter was in I tried firing it up with good spark and fuel but all I got was a crank/ no start and a couple huge backfires out of the carburetor. I don’t know why it took me so long to think of doing this but I just did a compression check and almost all cylinders are no compression. The strongest one was no.1 (counting from the water pump back) giving 30 psi on my gauge. 5-6 gave a tiny bit, just enough to move the gauge a little. I’m not surprised as this car has been sitting for at least 20+ years not driven. I’m going to be pulling the cylinder head then the intake and exhaust manifold to clean it out and see what’s inside and to get easier access to the valve inspection cover. Just looking for some advice and pointers as I go along. I have a shop manual that provides the head bolt patterns and torque specs thankfully. Thanks for any help!

My 1968 Mercury Montego MX Convertible. I bought it and drove it home all the way from Miami FL to Sarasota FL. Didn’t know anything about cars at the time.. when I got home the alternator had worked itself almost completely loose and the carburetor was all out of wack. Had to find that perfect “spot” in the pedal to maintain 60-65~ mph and if I tried to go any faster she’d backfire like an antique musket and threaten to stall out. Got her home and learned a thing or two, put probably 5,000 miles on her before pulling the engine to do some major improvements. Gonna be getting her motor back from the machine shop by the end of this month. The neighborhood is going to cry seeing that big red monster in my driveway again.. but I don't mind. Never getting rid of this one. This is a car that I love and she has loved me back. Decided her name should be Sherry after hearing the 4 Seasons “Sherry” on the radio.

Hi there, I'm posting to see what's out there in regards to a classic hearse/ambulance. I've been searching for one for a while now, but it seems like every one I find around me is either 80s/90s or irreparably rusted out. I'm not super picky, I just want something pre-1980 in fair condition to fix up and enjoy. Preferably a combination model with the flip up staff seats. Colour or livery doesn't matter. I'm in Florida, zip code 34243. Anything shown will be considered, show me what you've got!

Hi there, I'm selling my 1952 Pontiac Chieftain DeLuxe. Just seeing if anyone out there is looking for one, I had big plans for it but I just don't have the time to finish. I'm going to paste what I wrote for a local ad. If you are in Florida and interested I'd love to show it and I can transport it for a small fee. More photos available if interested. ----------- Hi there, I am offering my 1952 Pontiac Chieftain DeLuxe. It has the Pontiac Straight-8 under the hood paired with a hydramatic transmission. It is 100% complete, no chrome trim or parts missing. Interior is in excellent shape with no rips or tears. Body is fairly solid, there is rust in the driver side floor board and body filler in the rear wheelwells. Frame is perfect. I bought this car expecting that I could fix it up and drive it, but I have run out of time to work on it and need to see it go. Will you be this car's savior? List of parts & things I've done to the car: Rebuilt carburetor Rebuilt Distributor Rebuilt Starter Rebuilt fuel pump New spark plugs New ignition coil New engine belt New fuel lines New 6-volt Battery And more. After all this I still couldn't get the car reliable enough to drive around very far. The straight-8 has to be one of the pickiest and needy motors I've ever worked on. Just so you know this car will need to be trailered. I have transport available for a small fee if needed. I was going to swap to a 350 or better but I just don't have the time or the money for it at the moment. You can either rebuilt the old straight-8 or pull it and sell it, either way it comes with a lot of great and valuable parts. I've already sourced some hard to find parts that you will get upon purchase. Things such as the sun visor that goes over the windshield. (VERY hard to find these days.) I also have a book filled with parts that are readily available to order from California Pontiac Restoration. I try to be as open as I can when selling a car. Come have a look at it, kick the tires, ask any questions you have. It's not perfect by any means and will take a fair bit of work to get it 100% reliable again but it's all possible. Thanks for looking.

Hi there, I’m located in FL and am looking for a carbureted small block Chevy motor or an older GM Flathead V8. I’m planning on putting it in my 52’ Pontiac, if I could find an era correct Flathead V8 that’d be great. Anything considered, thank you!