ply33

Very true. The 1933 was a total redesign and set the stage for the mechanics of the next 25 years of production. It is a heck of a lot easier to get mechanical parts for a 1933 and up than it is for a early 4 cylinder Plymouth.

I’d agree with you except. . . Back in the late 1970s I went through electro-mechanical cut outs on a regular basis. My theory at the time was that the new cut outs I was getting from places like NAPA used aluminum in the contacts while the vintage ones used tungsten and were just not as good as the ones that were available in the 1920s, 30s, 40s and even 50s. I would have to keep an eye on the ammeter every time I stopped the engine and, if (usually when) it showed a discharge, open the hood, pop the cover off the cut out and pop open the contacts. I would then replace the cut out and wait for it to happen again. My solution in 1978 was to gut a failed cut out and install a rectifier diode in it. That same diode is in there today, over 40 years and many, many thousands of miles later it is still working fine. In my case it was a successful solution to what was at the time a very annoying problem. Maybe the replacement cut outs that are available today are better than those I was buying in the 1970s but since my diode is still working fine I haven’t bothered to investigate.

Why is this written in the past tense? Visit almost any California highway in the mountains when a winter storm is raging and chain control is in effect and you can still experience this.

It isn’t. At least not on my 33 Plymouth as there is a bypass hole in the water pump backing plate. If you are worried about it, a small hole is all that is needed: The idea is to always have just a little flow. It is possible that with no flow in the block there could be a hot spot even though the coolant by the thermostat is still cool so the thermostat is not opening. Probably a 1/8 inch hole would be enough.

My look up tool is on the top right of the page: https://www.ply33.com/Misc/vin

For the full information the build card from Chrysler Historical is what you want. But if you are happy knowing the plant the car was assembled at the serial number can tell you. For some reason I can’t paste the webpage link to my Chrysler product serial number lookup tool using this cellphone. So will have to reply again later from my computer.

The thermostat for my 1933 Plymouth is compatible in size with the one that was in the 1960s Dodge 318 V8 I once had. So if the 1929 Chrysler and other 1930s Mopars use that size then @Gasket might have some luck at his local auto supply store.

My look up tool finds the following for that engine number: Engine Number C-5245 Found in range 1001 to 16440 Serial 4245 of 15440 Year 1930 Make Chrysler Model Model 66 Engineering Code C Type Inline, L-Head Cylinders 6 Bore and Stroke 3-1/8x4-1/2 Cu.In. 195.6 BHP 65@3200 Source Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942 My 1931 Chilton Multi-Guide gives the following ignition specifications for that car: Spark plug gap: 0.030" Breaker point gap: 0.020" Timing: 0.035" before TDC (I have no idea how or where this distance is measured).

I would expect the screws to be on the back side and only visible from under the dash. The photos posted by @JACK M above show the typical setup with the screw holes at the back of the instrument.

Chrysler was pretty conservative about changing things that were working well, so there is a good chance that some of the specifications from later cars are appropriate for yours. The later six cylinder engines had a firing order of 1-5-3-6-2-4, it would surprise me if the earlier ones were different. I suspect that the ignition was statically timed for top dead center as that seemed to be pretty common. Point gap of 0.020" and spark plug gap of 0.025" was pretty common too. If you can’t find the exact specifications for your car you may want to try those as a starting point. Or, maybe better yet, wait for someone with the correct specifications from the original operator’s manual chimes in.

At least on the previous years and, I think, extending through at least 1952 the gauge is “mechanical” with a permanently attached and sealed capillary tube protected by a wire spring around the outside. On the other end from the dash unit there is a bulb filled with ether which functions as a sending unit. The way it works is as the ether is heated it tries to evaporate and in doing so increases pressure in the sealed system. The dash unit is basically just a pressure gauge with a scale to read out temperature based on how much pressure there is in the system. You remove the dash unit by removing some screws, probably two, holding the whole unit in the dash. Do not try to remove the tubing from the dash unit! On the engine side, there is a gland nut on the driver side of the back of the head holding the ether filled bulb in the head. If you have more luck that almost everyone else you can then pull the ether filled bulb out. Usually what happens is the tubing becomes damaged and starts leaking causing the whole unit to fail. Reduce the possibility of this happening by using lots of penetrating fluid. And maybe remove the core/welsh/expansion plug on the top of the head that is over the ether filled bulb. With that plug removed you may be able to insert a screwdriver or other tool and push the bulb out. Once the bulb is out of the head you can carefully feed the capillary tubing and bulb through the firewall into the passenger compartment to remove the whole assembly from the car. If you damage the capillary tubing you can send the whole unit off to a professional for repair. Or, if you are feeling talented, you can replace the bulb and capillary yourself.

Many Chrysler product L-head engines, including the 1941 Plymouth, have a pipe threaded plug directly over the top of the #6 piston specifically for finding/measuring TDC.

I have seen some videos of modern factories where the presses are lined up 90° differently than in this video and a mechanical slider with what looks like a vacuum pickup moves the material out of one press and into the next. See, for example:

It looks like they could be similar. Here is what the 1928-33 Plymouth master parts list has to say: Part 78803 – Gasoline tank assembly – Q, U upto RS-395-C U.S. built and GC-354-S Canadian built, 30-U, PA up to 1670001 and after 1674247, PB (for cars without trunk rack). Part 303176 – Gasoline tank assembly – U after RD-395-C U.S. built and GC-354-S Canadian built, PA from 1670001 to 1674257. Part 380061 – Gasoline tank assembly – PA from 1670001 until 1674247,PB (with truck rack). Part 389310 – Gasoline tank assembly (with side tire carrier) – PD (2-door conv. sedan). Part 396639 – Gasoline tank assembly (pain) (cars with truck rack) – PA, PB

Plymouth Owners Club’s forum is at https://www.plymouthowners.club/talk/index.php Chet’s 28Q and 29U forum is at http://www.1948plymouth.info/28Q29U/ And the page on my website that @Soupiov mentioned is at https://www.ply33.com/Repair/axle_seal/

I will save you the effort of clicking on the link at the beginning of this topic and reading the first paragraph: “and give users the option to change the plate's background color by toggling between a light or dark mode. Motorists can also personalize a banner message on the plate.” I strongly suspect that there is or will shortly be some controls about the words used in a personalized banner. I am not sure why you’d consider duct tape. . . If you spend the huge amount of optional dollars for the ability to have a personalized banner then why would you then duct tape over it? If you don’t want personalized banners then just go with the much cheaper standard plate.

It may be a tool for back flushing a block or radiator: Water flow (looks like valve components missing) and a squeeze valve on the compressed air to agitate things. Back in the late 1970s or early 1980s I bought a more modern version of such a tool from a different manufacturer and have used it to back flush crud out of radiators. Probably not as good as taking it to a radiator shop but it certainly does a lot better job of getting dirt out than just using a hose.

For Plymouth, and I believe Dodge, the 1933 and 1934 water pumps are different than the 1935 and up: The early ones have a square inlet to the block, the later ones have a half-moon inlet. If you bolt the later one up to an early block you will have a massive leak. Another difference, at least for 1933 and maybe 1934: The early ones have a single piece hub and pulley. The later ones have a hub with a bolted on pulley. But the bolt/stud mounting pattern is the same for early versus later. Options: Get a new water pump for a later car from some place like Rock Auto then make a custom backing plate to adapt for the opening in the block. Get a rebuilding kit, still pretty available as the internals are the same for 1933 and up, and rebuild your existing pump. Send the pump to a specialty rebuilder. I have used Arthur Gould Rebuilders and been happy with the results. There are some other rebuilders I have heard of that seem to have a good reputation so you might want to do some searches or ask for other recommendations.

The first footage looks like it could be looking south on the Hollywood Freeway a little north of downtown LA. On some of the later footage I believe I saw some 1960 or 61 model year cars. Given all the mid-1950s cars I am surprised that none were colors like salmon pink, etc. that I think were popular then. Possibly whoever colorized it did not have that in the pallet they provided the software.

I bet you have a minimal tool kit that consisted of at least a cellphone and either a credit card and/or a AAA membership card. I actually have these items with me at all times so regardless of which car I drive I know I am covered for mechanical issues.

As a guess, a 1933 or so Dodge?

The photo @drwatson posted is from my website and is my car. 1933 DeLuxe Plymouth, engineering code PD, used a a Twilight head lamp with a fender mount that looks like the one in your photo. But 1933 Chevrolet also used a Twilight headlamp. The GM version and the Chrysler version had a little different mounting method and the GM version said "Guide" on the lens. Other than the "Guide" writing the lens is identical between Plymouth and Chevrolet. Some GM trucks also used that same lens for a number of years in the 1930s. The writing on the back of my buckets was smashed to bits by the front corner of the hood. A design defect on the Plymouth with respect to the location of the headlamp and how the hood opens. That damage is very, very common on Plymouths. The repair work on mine eliminated the writing so I don't know exactly what the original for Plymouth said. The fact that the bucket in the photo looks pretty good and "Guide" is in the writing would lead me to think it might be a Chevrolet headlamp. I am not familiar enough with the 1933 Chevrolet to say if the mounting stand is correct for it. That stand really does look like the one for a Plymouth fitted with the accessory horns. I guess I am undecided about whether that is a Chevrolet or a Plymouth headlamp. Or maybe a Chevrolet headlamp fitted onto a Plymouth stand.

Manifold gaskets are the same for 1933 through 1959 for cars and into the early 1970s for the equivalent industrial engines. They changed the carburetor mounting slightly over the years and they changed the throttle linkage too, so you might need to get an intake and exhaust set to have them both match. There are two basic variations on the exhaust manifold, one with the dump at the back and the other with it between the #5 and #6 cylinders. Or maybe it is close to the #5 cylinder. The 1937 and earlier have the rear dump, I don't know about the 1938 but suspect it is the same as the 1937 and earlier. I don't know about 1938, but the casting numbers matched between the 1937 exhaust manifold which replaced my original 1933 exhaust manifold. Well, almost matched, the is a dash number after the part number that was a bit higher and the date code was different. Those are not visible when mounted on the car. And the Dodge L-6 cars used basically the same parts, at least in the 1930s. Anyway, there should be a pretty big pool of available exhaust manifolds for you to pick from. To keep your replacement manifold from cracking, don't over tighten the mounting nuts. If the manifold does not seal up with the correct torque then they are probably warped and a machine shop can flatten the surface for you. The early engines just used brass nuts but by the late 1930s they had a special washer and nut combination for the front and rear studs. The correct manifold fasteners are available, I think I got mine through Vintage Power Wagon.

Thank you for being on the team that restored 2472! One of my best birthday gifts ever was an hour at the controls of that engine which I count as "the most unusual vehicle that I have ever driven".

I don’t know about an exact match but I believe a number of cars used spark plugs with a 18mm base. A quick search turns up a number of options but it is not clear to me what reach you need nor the temperature range.