Rusty_OToole

Westinghouse made the shocks as well as railroad air brakes, electrical equipment etc. They were a popular accessory on luxury cars of the period. Many large cars in those days, were custom built to suit the taste of the original owner. He could specify certain shock absorbers, gauges, upholstery material, radiator mascot etc etc. All accessories made by outside suppliers but installed by the factory or the dealer. So chances are, they were installed at the factory or at least they could have been. But funny things can happen to a car in nearly 100 years. It is also possible they were added when the car was a late model, or even during a restoration 50 years later. Can you find a serial number, model number, or take some photos? If they can be proven to have been made in 1915 it would tend to confirm they were on the car from new.

If you get ahold of any car magazines from the fifties you will see them in the ads. Motor Trend, Sports Car Graphic etc. used to carry full page ads from accessory companies, they used to sell them. This is where the fad took off, some manufacturer revived a bell from the early days. I suppose auto parts stores carried them too.

You should not need to add any Panhard bar or sway bar. The axle is located by the springs. If the springs are properly bolted on, not loose, and the bushings are not worn, or springs broken you do not need anything else. First move should be to inspect the rear suspension and replace worn or broken parts. Also check you have enough clearance to the fenders and fender skirts. The wheels and tires move around when you go over bumps, around corners etc. and if you put on non stock size tires you may not have enough clearance. This is a common problem when putting radial tires on old cars that came with bias ply. The new tires are a lot wider. The solution is to buy the skinniest tires you can find, usually the cheapest. I know Walmart Marshal 791 tires are a good 2" narrower than name brand tires of the same size. The other solution is to buy bias ply tires from one of the antique tire suppliers.

Tractor oil, TDH type, ISO32 or ISO22 grade. Good for your PS, Fluid Drive and M6 transmission. Can be found at Walmart, farm stores and auto parts stores. TDH stands for Transmission, Differential and Hydraulic oil.

It's a long time ago but I seem to recall the TNT or heavy duty engines began in 1968 or 69. I also don't remember exactly what parts were different from the standard. I do recall the heavy duty engines were optional in performance models like Road Runner, Charger and GTX. But the same basic engine was standard in Town and Country station wagons and Imperials with 4 barrel carbs and dual exhaust. This was useful to know if you were scrounging the junk yards for hot rod motors in the seventies and eighties. You could pay big $$$$$ bucks for a Road Runner motor, or get basically the same thing out of an old Imperial or New Yorker station wagon. Later.............................. From the Alpar web site: "The 440 engine was introduced in 1966, the same year the 426 engine was replaced by the same-displacement, legendary 426 Hemi "elephant engine." It was used not only for performance, but also for luxury yachts such as the Imperial. The high performance 440 was introduced in the 1967 GTX and R/T models (see Super Commando photo below). In 1968 the 383 Road Runner and Super Bee models were introduced, starting the biggest performance surge since the early 1960s. In 1969, the first 440-6 barrel engine package was produced with special rods, crankshaft, timing chain, camshaft, valve springs and intake system. This package was continued in 1970 and 1971. It is worth noting that early 1969 440s had the same connecting rods and crankshaft as in 1968, but heavier connecting rods were introduced around three months into 1969 model-year production; to offset the added weight, a new crankshaft and rebalanced vibration damper and flywheel were used. Mixing and matching these parts results in nasty vibration problems." The high performance engine was called "TNT" when installed in Chryslers, "Super Commando" in Plymouths, and "Magnum" in Dodges, all the same engine. There was a heavy duty 440 that had the heavy duty internal parts but not the 6 barrel carburetor package. It was standard in Imperials and Town and Country (New Yorker) station wagons and optional in other models. Basically the 6 barrel motor with a single 4 barrel and dual exhausts.

I use the term timer rather than distributor. Being a single cylinder, it does not need to distribute sparks, just time them. But if you look inside a points distributor you will see the same kind of apparatus arranged a little differently.

Looks to me like an interesting variation on the gas turbine. I don't see where it can be as fuel efficient as a piston engine and I don't see where shock waves come into it. It might work as a constant speed engine, optimized for one RPM. That must be why he talks of using it to drive an alternator to charge batteries on an electric hybrid. I'd buy one if it works. An engine with 1 moving part running on ball bearings, with nothing to wear out, no vibration, in a powerful silent infinitely flexible electric car? What's not to like?

You should also know that on old Chrysler products, the left side wheels have left hand threads on the wheel bolts. Sometimes the hubs get changed over the years and you get left hand threads on the right side too. Or right hand threads on the left side. So the first time you take the wheels off be careful. If the bolts are hard to turn try them the other way. The nuts or bolts are supposed to be marked if you can find the marks.

He was talking about someone who bought a good complete restorable scooter on Ebay then tore it apart and sold the parts separately on Ebay to make a profit.

The DeDion Bouton had a new type of ignition, at least new for that time. It would be familiar in later years as the typical coil ignition. If you have a car with points and coil ignition, it works on the same principle DeDion pioneered in the 1890s. They used dry cell batteries (flashlight batteries) so they had to design an ignition that did not use much power. So the cam did not hold the points closed for long. The movable point did not have a pivot. It was made of a springy metal and was fastened solid at the end. You could adjust the tension of the spring, when it was set right the points would vibrate at low speeds giving a multiple spark for easier starting, when it sped up you got a single spark for longer battery life. When set right the spring made a distinct *twang* when plucked. Previous engines had hot tube ignitions or electrical ignition made for low speeds. Typical engine speed, 600 RPM max. DeDion, 1800 RPM. The secret of the DeDion motor was in its small size and light moving parts. The first one was made for driving machinery in the DeDion shops. They were surprised that it ran so fast and made so much power without flying apart. Only later did they think of putting it in a vehicle. I'm not sure what the Benz had. It may have had a vibrator and timer like a Model T. But the Model T was good for 1800 RPM like the DeDion. I think the DeDion ignition was designed because they needed something especially simple, light weight and of low current consumption for their tricycles. There were other electric ignition systems such as the ones used on stationary engines that had a make and break set of points inside the cylinder. Here is the DeDion timer. You can see the points cam, the round black thing at the bottom. Notice that as it turns the points close for a short time. The points are in the middle of the flat spring, and the spring is held fast at the far end. As the cam turns the points close for a split second. This allows current to flow through the coil, saturating it with electricity. When the points open the current is cut off and the electrical field in the coil collapses. At this instant, the electricity from the coil grounds through the spark plug, creating a spark. PS I use the word "points" in the modern sense. The timer shown does not actually have points. Just an adjustable screw that touches the spring when the timer is closed. "Points" were a later refinement to extend the life of timer. This timer is arranged differently but works the same as that used on millions of small engines, motorcycles, cars, trucks etc from the 1890s to the 1970s.

You can make your own die by cutting a piece of MDF with a router then use a heavy duty hydraulic press to press a sheet of metal. You could press the name right into the tailgate if you can buy a blank aftermarket tailgate or press a piece of metal then weld it in. Have seen magazine articles on doing this. There may be something online at some hot rod site.

Have him come over after school and work on the car. Start by cleaning it out, save anything that resembles a car part. Move on to dismantling the front end so you can pull the frame. Keep him working as long as he shows up. Let him work on your stuff too, to "earn" his way. See how long he takes to get sick of it. Could be soon at his age, that is not a bad thing. He needs to learn many things before he finds out who he is. If he sticks with it maybe he will figure out why you said the car was not worth fixing but if he is like me he will have to fix up a few cars before he clues in.

The HP or high performance motor had certain heavy duty parts not found in the basic 440. The HP engine was the 4 barrel dual exhaust motor used in New Yorkers, full size station wagons and Imperials as well as high perf Road Runners Chargers and GTXs.

I hear molasses will dissolve steel if left long enough.

Yes it was. They could afford an old Hudson. "Don't buy a Chrysler. High compression's got lots of snap for a while but the metal ain't made that will stand it" Okie wisdom from the dirty thirties.

The wiring diagram shows power going to the bulb, controlled by 2 switches on the ground side. There should be a switch on the door post or on the light itself (you say this isn't there on your model) the other switch is on the door post. So, the problem seems to be a short or ground between the bulb and the switch. I suspect the wire has fallen off the back of the switch and hit the body or, the insulation has worn through on the wire at some point. Or, a defective switch.

They didn't start adding zinc until the advent of OHV V8s in the early 50s. Some of the first ones had a rash of cam and lifter failures. Then they added zinc to the oil and the manufacturers improved their materials and solved the problem. Your Plymouth is one of the "old school" designs before zinc. The zinc can't hurt but is not strictly necessary. I would be more concerned about upper cylinder and valve wear. The long stroke engines have more friction in that area. A shot of marvel mystery oil, redex, bardahl or your favorite upper cylinder lube can help, but again, not strictly necessary.

My neck did snap back and my head did bounce off the back window, hard. I went to the hospital and had my head Xrayed but they didn't find anything.

Are you sure those are circuit breakers? It looks more like the generator cutout and voltage regulator. It would help if we could see the rest of the diagram.

The purpose of the residual pressure valve was to keep 2 pounds of pressure in the system. This was not enough to hold the brake shoes out but it was enough to keep the seals pressed tight to the cylinders and prevent leaks. It had nothing to do with maintaining pedal adjustment, that still has to be done by adjusting the brakes. By hand or by self adjusters depending on the design of the brakes. Around 1975 they changed the design of the cups or seals to eliminate the residual pressure valve. The new type cups have a spring that goes around the lip of the seal to hold it tight. This is in addition to the spring that pushes them apart.

For those who doubt the strength of the old Chryslers, again I invite you to inspect the bumper off a 52 model. They resemble a hiway guard rail and it takes a strong man to lift one. A 59 Chev bumper can be lifted easily by a ruptured 12 year old. There is no comparison between the strength of a Chev and the strength of a Chrysler. Not only the bumper but the frame, body, suspension, engine, transmission, everything. If the crash test had been between a new Chev and a 52 Chrysler the Chrysler would have crushed the Chev. I was involved in an accident once where a 1985 Pontiac (the small front drive model) spun out on a rain slick road, and hit my 1970 Dodge pickup from behind, while going backwards at 50 MPH. The back of the Pontiac was crushed in so bad the back bumper was under the rear window. They towed it straight to the junk yard with a tow truck. My Dodge had a dented rear fender and a broken tail light. I drove it home, replaced the tail light and drove it for 4 more years. The rear bumper wasn't even bent.

How about cars named after women? We can start off the list with Diana, Electra and Mercedes.

Preston Tucker, K T Keller,Earl "Madman" Muntz, and Stanley "Wacky" Arnolt were real men although we aren't too sure if their car companies were real. In the case of the Delorean, Davis and Dale the cars may have been real but the men were phonies.

Le Seur de la Mothe Cadillac founded Detroit. LaSalle explored the Mississippi River. Pontiac was an indian chief. Rockne was a football coach before he was a sedan. Erskine was head of the Studebaker company. William C. Durant was head of GM, twice, before he started the Durant company. Joseph Frazer worked for some of the giants of the auto industry before he went on his own.He's the one who suggested the name Plymouth to Walter Chrysler. Henry J Kaiser was an industrialist famous for building liberty ships before he turned to Kaiser and Henry J autos.

There was an Abraham Lincoln. Henry Leland who started the Lincoln company was a Lincoln fan. The first presidential election he ever voted in, he voted for Lincoln. There was a Mr. Hudson, he ran a department store. Like Buick, he got his name on the radiator because he was the company's financial backer. There was a John North Willys. A Childe Harold Wills who built the Wills St. Clair. A Harry Stutz. A Ned Jordan. Even a Howard Marmon and a Herbert H Franklin. And of course, James Ward Packard.