hchris

Back to basics - just in case you are now totally bamboozled by the positve/negative thing; which by the way will work whether you have either setup ( as described above one is more efficient than the other). Putting that aside for a moment; for the purposes of trouble shooting the ignition circuit, power from the ignition switch flows through the primary winding of the coil to the contact breaker points in the distributor to earth. The job of the contact breakers is to open and close this circuit as the distributor driven cam rotates, if the contacts are closed you should have power on both sides of the contact breakers. So to establish this criteria have the distributor cap removed and rotate the engine to a position where the contacts are closed; now turn the ignition switch on, with a small screwdriver or better still an ice cream stick, push the contacts open, as you do there should be a small spark occur at the contacts (ice cream stick reduces the risk of earthing the circuit which is possible with the screwdriver blade). This has proven the electrical continuity of the low voltage primary circuit, if you dont observe a spark at the breaker points you need to backtrack the electrics all the way back to the ignition switch. Having proofed this we can move on to the secondary or high voltage circuit via the coil to the spark plugs, but lets first clarify the low voltage circuit.

I resorted to welding a small piece of flat bar across the race and used a slide puller to remove it. Messy, delicate operation but workable; I think the heat may also have helped the process.

With the distributor cap off, position the engine so that the breaker points are closed when you turn the ignition key on. Now with a thin screwdriver lever the breaker points open, being careful that the screwdriver doesnt earth on the distributor housing; as you do this a small spark should be visible at the points. This proves the electrical continuity of the primary (low voltage) side of the ignition circuit, no spark here means you need to look at: 1. bad condensor 2. faulty earthing of the contact breakers 3. a break in the wiring between the ignition switch and coil 4. bad internal coil winding

Ian, you dont say whether its front or rear; in any case my memory is that a gasket is fitted between the joint faces of the bell housing at front and extension housing at rear to keep the oil inside the box, are these in place ??

Agree with the above hot fluid will cause loss of pedal as fluid expands and in extreme cases boils, we are talking race car brake loads now. Also agree with the problem being in the mc; can you possibly beg / borrow / steal another mc and swap it out to prove this one way or the other.

We have one here in our club, been restored 6 or 7 years, goes everywhere without fault. Agree with the well engineered comment (perhaps even over engineered), mechanical parts are shared with many other Chrycos of the era; quirky grille and other jewellery items make it a little unique. Only issue our member has encountered was finding replacement ball & trunnion universal joints for the tailshaft, finished up doing a fairly simple tailsahft conversion to conventional uni joints.

OK sounds like a full engine strip down, particularly with stray bits of metal floating around. You might well be better off looking for another engine, not all that hard to find. Are you a member of the Plymouth owners club, there`s a good place to start.

Watching this saga with interest and experiencing your frustration, but cant help feeling that the root cause has all the hallmarks of master cylinder secondary / compensating ports not being uncovered as brake pedal is released. Are you able to view these ports with cap removed whilst mc is installed; at the risk of teaching how to suck eggs, you should be able to run a fine wire through the compensating port with brakes relaxed. Next apply and release brakes and observe fluid returning into mc through secondary port as brake pedal travels back to rest, followed by fluid transfer into mc through compensating port as wheel cylinders retract. Not knowing the precise details of your mc kit seal construction, it is also possible that a check valve is incorrectly installed or a misplaced washer is blocking holes in the primary piston head. As to your collapsed line theory, I would expect that this only affects the one wheel not all four. Please dont be offended if I am overstating the obvious.

As ply33 says, you are looking at the drain holes cast in the block to let oil return to sump from the valve gear. But I`m confused by your thread - you say a piston and rod failure occurred, but you are talking of changing gaskets and not being able to get the sump off. Has the piston issue been fixed ?

Just another snippet, an SE engine number is for Desoto which shares a lot of common components with C6/7 Chrysler engines 34 - 36

You know I might be missing something here, but I wonder why you want to go to the trouble of removing the dent. If you are worried about losing fuel capacity, you might be talking about a 1/2 gallon (2-3 litres) perhaps; if you are concerned with the aesthetics then maybe use a dent puller. The last thing I would do is pressurise the tank, as you are just as likely to weaken the solder around the tank ends, or fittings, and finish up with a leak.

Unfortunately no Maxwell had mechanical brakes, however any of the early Chrysler vehicles thru to about 1932, or even Plymouth, should be suitable

OK I see what you mean. Doesnt look like anything Maxwell Ive ever seen (owner of 25 Tourer these past 15 years) Looks like a conglomeration of various cars put together by someone.

Bit hard to tell from here, got any photos ?? Maxwell did use wire wheels, are you confusing these with A Ford ?

When cleaning up ignition points the emphasis should be more on getting a nice flat surface on both contact surfaces rather than "polishing" the surfaces; a good clean electrical break as the contacts open enhances the sparking properties. To that end a small flat file is best, although a little awkward to use in situ, emery cloth is good, I would shy away from scotch pads as they are likely to leave small fibres in place. Any good tool shop should have "points files" over the counter.

Look also for Chrysler Series 50 / 52 / 58 from 1926 thru 1928, basically the same engine even the Plymouth Q and U series of 1928 / 1929 will do the job

Top of right rear chassis rail, about where number/tail light bracket would mount if it were right hand drive

Yes its true that there is a solitary fuse behind the main lighting switch and it protects the lighting circuit only. There is obviously another problem however which caused the flash, connecting the battery wrong way round would not cause the fuse to blow, quite possibly the generator cutout is stuck closed or similar. The starter will turn because its connected direct to the battery via the start switch, you really need someone with electrical skills to have a look before you start smoking some wires.

Whatever you do whilst clearing out the muck, put a filter in the upper radiator hose to catch the inevitable loose crud floating around the cooling system, otherwise you will just finished up with a clogged radiator. Even a leg from her nylon stockings will do the trick.

Whilst not an expert on the 77 I can tell you that other 6 cylinder Chrysler/Desoto and possibly Dodge models of that era share similar if not the same engine parts; so dont just limit your search to the 77 and look at younger cars up to 1934 at least.

Have you considered removing the plugs, leaving them connected to the plug leads and turning the engine over with the starter, making sure the plugs are in contact with the block as an earth and see if you have any spark ?

Addendum to the above - export engines may have been smaller particularly for UK market so correct engine number will be essential

Not sure where you are getting the engine number from but it doesnt look right, for the CO series the engine numbers ran from CO1001 to CO18608. Number is found on a machined pad upper forward left side of block just below the head; the CO engine had a displacement of 224 cu.in. bore and stroke were 3 1/4" x 4 1/2".

Start here - Chrysler Restorers Club of Australia, SA Inc Home Page You will also find a link to the Vic. branch

Probably done here in Adelaide by either TJ Richards or Holden Motor Body Co. at Woodville, Google either and you will find quite a bit of information. Roadster body work is very scarce; Plymouth Chrysler and Desoto panels were very similar so dont limit your search to just Plymouth, have you contacted any of the local Chrysler Restorer clubs?