I didn't see a intro page so I'll start here. 29 Plymouth

[ericmac]

On 11/22/2021 at 10:00 AM, Txsailor said:

From what I have found the brakes are internally expanding and are a Lockheed design. Evidently the wheel cylinders have 2 different size cups and are stepped inside.  They feel about as good as drum brakes ever do so someone has probably rebuilt them. The hand brake is a band that contracts around a drum on the back of the transmission and it works well too.

 

On the rear main. I just assumed it has a seal but I really don't know. On the wheel size I was going off the size molded  on the sidewall.

 

We do like the car in fact my wife has fallen in love with it. We weren't looking for another project or even another old car, we are in the middle of rebuilding a 56BelAir. But heck a car that rare doesn't show up for sale within a mile of my house very often. One good thing is that she is a member of our car club and has a lot going on right now so she isn't going to sell it unless we say we we don't want it. 

Here is my "for whatever it is worth." You like the car and your wife loves the car. You know the idiosyncrasies of this particular car because you have been working on it. If you can afford the car (and it sounds like that's no problem) you are well into the positives. I might tell her what you learned about pricing here and make her an offer.  Because of your friendship with her,  encourage her to think on it. It very well may be she wants it gone and may have already made up her mind that she wants you to have it. If you'll enjoy the car more than a few rounds of golf, what's the harm? Good luck!

[keithb7]

It bothers me a little to see these era car's prices dropping. It is a nice and rare car. I'd have thought mid-teens. $10K, you can barely do squat to a car for $10K these days.  Parts prices and freight keep going up and up. Sell values keep going down in many examples. Most unfortunate for the hobby. But another way to stay positive, is too compare the vintage car hobby to other hobbies. They all cost money. How much do you get back from 10 years of golf membership fees and equipment upgrades?

[ply33]

4 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

A bit about the color. And this really should not affect your decisions about the car much if at all. 

I don't know Plymouths of 1929 very well. So, it may well be possible the color was a factory option? Or not?

Similar colors were used, on some cars, in that era. However, it was not a common color combination IN THAT ERA! Unfortunately, during the 1980s and '90s and well into the 2000s, varying beige/brown/yellowish combinations were used way too often on cars they did not belong on. Also unfortunately, most people doing so chose poorly matching colors, and wound up with cars that look really bad.

This particular car, at least to me, has very pleasing colors. I like it this way, whether it is factory correct, or not. If, by chance, it does turn out to be a factory color? I would brag about it and shout it from the rooftops! If not a factory color? I would happily have it and enjoy it (except that I want something two years earlier at least).

 

Good luck however you go.

If my information is correct, there was only one color combination for the 1929 U touring:

 

Body overall: Desert Sand

Beads & molding: Pyramid Gray

Fenders & Sheet Metal: Black

 

That said, in most of those early years the dealer could order a car in any color scheme that was used on other body styles or even other Chrysler built makes. If you are into marque specific judging you might have to document your colors. For an AACA meet you can probably get away with colors that simply look period correct.

 

For yourself, you just have to like it.  

 

[Walter Jones]

4 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

A bit about the color. And this really should not affect your decisions about the car much if at all. 

I don't know Plymouths of 1929 very well. So, it may well be possible the color was a factory option? Or not?

Similar colors were used, on some cars, in that era. However, it was not a common color combination IN THAT ERA! Unfortunately, during the 1980s and '90s and well into the 2000s, varying beige/brown/yellowish combinations were used way too often on cars they did not belong on. Also unfortunately, most people doing so chose poorly matching colors, and wound up with cars that look really bad.

This particular car, at least to me, has very pleasing colors. I like it this way, whether it is factory correct, or not. If, by chance, it does turn out to be a factory color? I would brag about it and shout it from the rooftops! If not a factory color? I would happily have it and enjoy it (except that I want something two years earlier at least).

 

Good luck however you go.

I really doubt its a factory color but I have learned more about early Plymouths in the last three days than I ever knew so I really have no idea. The paint has been on it or a while so it may have been a 90's or even earlier restoration. It looks like single stage paint to me. I would have never picked those colors for any car.  I don't have that good of a imagination but seeing it I can't think of a combination I would like better on that body style. 

 

Thanks to everyone who has commented you folks rock!

[Graham Man]

If you found an old car your wife loves, I would buy it.  Looks pretty original to me, bumper are good looking, you can always fix the little details.  Open cars are a lot of fun...

 

 

My 14 year old driving our "new" 1931, yes RHD car, it had not ran in the last 40 years, not sure my wife has sat in this one yet.

[Walter Jones]

21 minutes ago, Graham Man said:

If you found an old car your wife loves, I would buy it.  Looks pretty original to me, bumper are good looking, you can always fix the little details.  Open cars are a lot of fun...

 

 

My 14 year old driving our "new" 1931, yes RHD car, it had not ran in the last 40 years, not sure my wife has sat in this one yet.

About the only old cars my wife doesn't like are boat tail Rivieras and lead sleds but she really took to the Plymouth. It may end up ours before its over:)

[wayne sheldon]

4 hours ago, Graham Man said:

not sure my wife has sat in this one yet.

 

My wife would NEVER sit in that!

 

5 hours ago, keithb7 said:

It bothers me a little to see these era car's prices dropping. It is a nice and rare car. I'd have thought mid-teens. $10K, you can barely do squat to a car for $10K these days.  Parts prices and freight keep going up and up. Sell values keep going down in many examples. Most unfortunate for the hobby. But another way to stay positive, is too compare the vintage car hobby to other hobbies. They all cost money. How much do you get back from 10 years of golf membership fees and equipment upgrades?

 

It bothers me a lot also. Unfortunately, I think what is going to happen to our hobby is nothing compared to what is going to happen to civilization as a whole!

Regardless. 

I think we need to continue to enjoy, buy, drive, and let our cars be seen. Show the world that these are also important. Show the world that our history and heritages are important! Continue to archive and preserve the knowledge and the bits and pieces that represent things that made this the greatest civilization that ever existed on this planet! Maybe it won't help? But it can't hurt. And, personally, I don't believe in throwing the dirt over ourselves any sooner than when we have no choice in the matter.

[F&J]

I don't have a Plymouth hinge, but here is a 29 Chevy that is close.

 

Your Plymouth hinge body is made from upper and lower halves and the Chevy is one piece.  I drew black lines where the Plymouth hinge body is split.  I think the 2 halves were spot welded together on the Plymouth.   

 

The part with the X on a Plymouth is a separate flat piece that can get loose, and it has the pivot hole for the door hinge pin on the door.  If that plate broke loose from the bottom half, then the door will flop around. I put the arrow to point to the hinge hole.

 

These hinges are held to the wooden post with 2 tapered wood screws, and 2 flat head machine screws with nuts on the back side.  If the 2 halves have broken into 2 pieces, then it will flop around if the screws get loose.

 

 

that sheet metal flap on Plymouth was attached to one of the 4 screws, and it is a "Stop" to keep the door from being lifted up off of that hinge pin hole.  Swing it away to then be able to lift the door up, then the door comes of the car quickly. 

 

 

 

[Walter Jones]

Are the nuts on those two machine screws captured somehow or are they going to fall off inside the post when the screws are removed? I may go over there later today and see if there is anything I can do.

 

I agree with Wayne we need to keep the old car hobby alive as long as possible. We all have seen it through some rough times like the fuel crunch in the 70's and the 80's where the emission laws killed performance of new cars and took some of the love of cars with it. We have suffered with CARB rules for a long time and now the EPA wants in on the hot rod killing game. I know antique cars people and hot rod folks don't agree on a lot of things but in the grand scheme of things everyone needs to get together and keep the old ones running and show the world there were some great cars before they all turned to plastic and the soon to be golf carts.  

[F&J]

32 minutes ago, Txsailor said:

Are the nuts on those two machine screws captured somehow or are they going to fall off inside the post when the screws are removed? I may go over there later today and see if there is anything I can do.

They are not captured on the roadsters I had decades ago.  Square nuts and lock washers.   (I don't know about the rear doors as I never had a touring.) 

 

Yes, look it over closely and just use common sense when wiggling the looseness that you are trying to fix.  Like I said, the 2 halves were originally solidly attached to each other.  If they are now broken apart, that tends to stress the screws and then they loosen.  

 

The door will come off easy if you remove the sheet metal tab.  Lift the door up off the pins and slide the door out of both hinge pockets.  Then you could see inside the hinge body better.  

 

 

[Walter Jones]

I went back over to where the car is stored today to tinker with it some more. The last time we started it we had trouble getting it to do anything but idle. If you gave it any throttle it would miss, lean backfire and die. Starting from scratch and wanting to see if the plugs were fouled or covered in oil I pulled the them out. They were Champion U 16 and other than a little soot they looked fine. I opened the gap to about .030 cleaned them up and put them back in. There was no improvement of course. Then I looked at the points and they looked fine and were gapped about 19 so I left them alone. I finally took the carb off checked that the floats were still working right and blew compressed air through all the jets. That didn't help it either. I finally just let it idle until it was good and warm and suddenly it seemed happy. It takes full choke to start it cold but after it starts it doesn't seem to want any amount of choke. Once warm you can't bump the key without it starting. I didn't drive it but I think once fully warm it will do ok in the parade. 

 

I looked at the door hinges but didn't disassemble anything. It appears all the slack is between the pin and the hinge. Since its not my car (yet anyway) I didn't want to take anything apart unless asked. 

 

I finally looked at the  number stamped on the block below the head on the drivers side. U-26664. Since the vin is RS3356 I guess the motor has been replaced at some point?  The casting # on the block has 22529 above 301029-2  with H below it. For a motor that is 92 years old it sure sounds good. The only sound is the very even click of the solid lifters and the whirring of the fan.

[ply33]

1 hour ago, Txsailor said:

. . . I finally looked at the  number stamped on the block below the head on the drivers side. U-26664. Since the vin is RS3356 I guess the motor has been replaced at some point?  The casting # on the block has 22529 above 301029-2  with H below it. For a motor that is 92 years old it sure sounds good. The only sound is the very even click of the solid lifters and the whirring of the fan.

Your FedCo serial (VIN) number is for a Model U Plymouth and your engine is for a Model U Plymouth. Both the FedCo number and the engine number are around 1/2 through the production run. So why do you thing the engine has been replaced at some point?

[Walter Jones]

3 minutes ago, ply33 said:

Your FedCo serial (VIN) number is for a Model U Plymouth and your engine is for a Model U Plymouth. Both the FedCo number and the engine number are around 1/2 through the production run. So why do you thing the engine has been replaced at some point?

I was thinking I saw somewhere that the FedCo# and the stamping on the block had some numbers in common. 

[Paul Dobbin]

I think it;s a neat old touring car abd you should be touring somplace with it full of friends an family.     I subscribe to the old saying,

If the top goes down, the price goes up.   So does the enjoyment.

[Walter Jones]

1 hour ago, Paul Dobbin said:

I think it;s a neat old touring car abd you should be touring somplace with it full of friends an family.     I subscribe to the old saying,

If the top goes down, the price goes up.   So does the enjoyment.

Paul your touring is a beauty. I am not a pre war guy (yet) I am more of a tri-five guy so I am going to have to ask is it a 33 or 34 Ford?

[richasco]

The fedco and engine number are only loosely related as stated above. The only place the original engine number is recorded is on the build card. Chrysler Historical likely has a copy but I don’t believe they will send it to you anymore. It does look like a very nice car and it seems like it might work out for you, good luck.

[ply33]

3 hours ago, Txsailor said:

I was thinking I saw somewhere that the FedCo# and the stamping on the block had some numbers in common. 

@richasco beat me to it:

 

1 minute ago, richasco said:

The fedco and engine number are only loosely related as stated above. The only place the original engine number is recorded is on the build card. Chrysler Historical likely has a copy but I don’t believe they will send it to you anymore. It does look like a very nice car and it seems like it might work out for you, good luck.

Engine numbers, car serial numbers, and body numbers are all independent other than the fact that they start low at the beginning of the production run and count up. Serial number ranges were assigned to various assembly plants so you can tell where the car was assembled by the serial number.

 

Engine numbers generally started at 1001 with a prefix of the engineering code for the vehicle it was going to be installed in (that breaks down in the mid-1930s when the prefix was often the model code for the upper trim line). So the first 1929 model U engine was U-1001. I have only ever seen one set of engine numbers for a particular engineering code leading me to think that the engines were built in Detroit regardless of the final assembly plant. So that is one place where the engine number (count) will diverge from the final car serial number (count) based on assembly plant.

 

Body numbers often were specific to the body style and/or body supplier. And Chrysler did not track those so it can be difficult to find the range of numbers for a specific year and body type as you don’t know the highest number assigned.

 

To muddy the waters, many states used the engine number to register cars while others used the serial number. And there have been instances where the body number was used. If you end up buying this car, make sure the numbers on the paperwork match something on the car or you could be facing a long tough road to get the car transferred to you.

 

My rough rule of thumb is that if the car serial number and the engine serial number are from the same approximate percentage way through the production run then it is likely that the engine is original.

 

You may want to clean and look carefully at the frame rails. On my 1933 Plymouth the original engine number is stamped on the outside of the left (driver side) frame rail between the running board support brackets. That location changed over the years so I can’t say if they did it on your car or if they did where it might be located.

 

The “build card” will show the original serial number, engine number, body number, paint & trim codes, as well as options, etc. In the case of my 1933 Plymouth it also shows the dealer the car was shipped to.

 

Chrysler filed away the “build cards” based on car serial number so that is what you’d need specify to get a copy. But I am not certain the current status of that service. It used to be that is was only for US assembled cars newer than 1930 (so your car may not be covered). And with all the ownership changes at Chrysler and COVID shutdowns it is not clear to me they will resume the service anyway.

 

 

[DAVES89]

I think that 5 years from now your only regret is that this is the car you should have bought... but didn't.

Edited November 27, 2021 by DAVES89 (see edit history)

[Walter Jones]

9 minutes ago, ply33 said:

To muddy the waters, many states used the engine number to register cars while others used the serial number. And there have been instances where the body number was used. If you end up buying this car, make sure the numbers on the paperwork match something on the car or you could be facing a long tough road to get the car transferred to you.

I haven't seen the title but the registration and a reprint of the original service manual are in a door pocket. The registration shows when the current owner transferred the title and what they gave for it. The serial # is on that paperwork. I read through the service manual. Its quite fascinating. It says change the oil every 500 miles and every year take the oil sump off and clean the screen. It also says that consumers were demanding 4 wheel brakes and that the new 29 Plymouth had 4 wheel hydraulic powered brakes. I am paraphrasing here since I put the book back in the car.  

 

5 minutes ago, DAVES89 said:

My "oldest" car is a 1988 Buick Reatta so I have no experience with cars like this. But I would look at what you don't have to pay for, paint, interior, tires, wheels, engine runs good, shifts and drives, brakes are good. You know the previous owners and they want you to have a car your wife likes. So you pay a bit more then what some here say it is worth. Buy the car, enjoy it for the time you want to keep it, and sell it for what you can get for it. Vacations cost a lot, golfing fishing, hunting aren't cheap either.

Have fun and remember your only regret years from now is the car you should have bought... but didn't 

A friend and I were talking about it today and he said about the same thing. He said what is the entertainment value if you keep it 10 years, put it in 10 Christmas parades, take it to local car shows and tool around town with the grandkids? Another thing is my sons especially the older one would love to see it passed down. He was all but slobbering on it when my wife took him around the block in it. Both the boys are already both trying to claim my 56 Bel Air. It would not be one of those cars sold in a estate sale because no one wanted it.

The owner isn't actively trying to sell it and is really tied up in a move so my goal right now is to make sure it runs for her in the parade Dec 10th. Another widow in our club is parade grand marshal and they are counting on her and her grandkids riding in it. I am having fun taking a little break from blocking primer to mess with it. If we end up buying it or not my time and the help here isn't wasted. 

[Walter Jones]

On 11/24/2021 at 2:12 AM, wayne sheldon said:

 

My wife would NEVER sit in that!

 

 

Would she do that?

[wayne sheldon]

No. But she did drive the 1925 Pierce Arrow a couple times!

[Fossil]

2 hours ago, Txsailor said:

Would she do that?

If I tried doing that they would have to use the jaws of life to get me out of there. 

[nzcarnerd]

The car would look a lot better with its radiator shell plated.

 

According to The Standard Catalog  the 1929 Plymouth touring was the same price - $695 - as the regular sedan, and the rumble seat coupe. Six wire wheels was a $90 option. No info on numbers built. There was a change from 20" to 19" wheels at car number Y076LE.

 

This is our Canadian-built right hand drive sedan which has just turned over 80,000 miles. It is just beginning to get tired and now needs an engine rebuild. The fender paint is original and the body had a quickie repaint in 1955.

 

 

 

 

[nzcarnerd]

3 hours ago, Txsailor said:

Would she do that?

Much easier if you take the seat cushion out.😉

[Walter Jones]

7 hours ago, nzcarnerd said:

Much easier if you take the seat cushion out.😉

I agree that radiator shell would look a lot better chrome. We have a couple of chrome shops within driving distance They are EXPENSIVE but that still might be something we would do if we buy it. 

Your car looks nice! Do the original leather discs between the driveshaft and rear end last 80,000 miles or do you have to replace them occasionally? 

I said in a earlier post that it has 20" wheels. I don't know where I got that because I thought I saw it on a tire. I looked yesterday and they are 19" or at least a couple of them are. 

I was wondering how hard the seat is to get out yesterday. If I was to get under there it would have to come out. It would be nice if it would even move some, then my wife could push the clutch in without something behind her. I found it quite comfortable to drive once I got my feet in.

Edited November 29, 2021 by Txsailor (see edit history)

[nzcarnerd]

6 hours ago, Txsailor said:

I agree that radiator shell would look a lot better chrome. We have a couple of chrome shops within driving distance They are EXPENSIVE but that still might be something we would do if we buy it. 

Your car looks nice! Do the original leather discs between the driveshaft and rear end last 80,000 miles or do you have to replace them occasionally? 

I said in a earlier post that it has 20" wheels. I don't know where I got that because I thought I saw it on a tire. I looked yesterday and they are 19" or at least a couple of them are. 

I was wondering how hard the seat is to get out yesterday. If I was to get under there it would have to come out. It would be nice if it would even move some, then my wife could push the clutch in without something behind her. I found it quite comfortable to drive once I got my feet in.

In our sedan the seat cushion is just sitting there - not clamped to the seat base/frame in any way. My Studebaker of the same era is the same.

 

Re the drive shaft joints, until a few years ago ours were still the originals. Fine at lower speeds but as the car will cruise up to 50 mph it would get really bad vibration when slowing down from higher speeds. My son made some new ones from some conveyor belt fabric. A, now late, friend - he passed away due to cancer a couple of years ago - was right into his 1929 Plymouths and had several, including a tourer with a much modified engine which would allow the car to do well in excess of 70 mph. He had worked out a system of making up a drive shaft from Valiant parts. I think Plymouths used the same basic driveshaft design from the early 1930s right through until the late 1960s. I didn't ever look closely at one but I understand he made up a driveshaft using two 'front halves'. He had quite a large accumulation of parts, some of which are now in our shed, including five 'core' engines. 

[Walter Jones]

Well the plot thickens....The lady who is the grand marshal called me today and the owner of the Plymouth is not going to be back until after the parade. Its not the 10th like we were told its the 4th which is Saturday. So they are looking for a driver. Guess who stuck her hand up? Yep the same one with her head under the dash. When this is over I am afraid there will be no keeping her checkbook in her purse. 

[pkhammer]

  This car seems to have a lot going for it; it's in good condition with no major issues, it's a seldom seen model, it's an open touring and not a sedan, you know at least some of the car's history, your Wife loves it and it's already at your house. If you could buy it for $15k would that be such a bad thing with all things considered? It can cost a lot of $ and time to go here and there looking at cars and having them shipped. Sometimes then you're buying a bit of a pig in a poke. All of those things need to be considered plus this is a hobby, not necessarily an investment opportunity. For some reason the majority of us old car people look at each purchase as an investment. Nobody wants to overpay for something (me included) but when was the last time any us of saw a '29 Plymouth touring in this condition on the market? People who go out and buy a boat don't lay out the cash thinking "Will I be able to get my money back if I need to sell it?". In 2003 I spent about $12k on a new motorcycle. When I sold it in 2012 for $5k that was all it was worth but I got more than the $7k lost in enjoyment out of it.

  Buy it for the enjoyment it'll bring. Buy it because your Wife loves it. Buy it because it's already sitting in your garage. 

Edited November 30, 2021 by pkhammer
misspelling (see edit history)

[Walter Jones]

There isn't much we can do until the owner gets back. Its sort of a sad story and I really feel for her. They had bought a house in Colorado and had moved a lot of their stuff up there. Then tragedy struck and he passed away suddenly. She has decided to stay here so she is there packing and moving back. We don't even know what all comes with the car. Its not at my house but is in their shop building about a mile away. It does have a lot going for it. It looks nice but not so perfect that we would be afraid to drive it. The motor and brakes must have been rebuilt at some time they seem too good to be untouched for 90+  years.  A lot of it is original and I'm not a purist anyway as long as it looks period correct I don't mind. I haven't jacked it up and looked at the suspension so I don't know if it has been rebuilt, is still in good shape or is worn out. The distributor drive is a bit concerning, I noticed the distributor would move a little sideways before I found out how fragile they are. Now I am afraid to touch it! It had been rewired with modern wiring but doesn't have a fuse block or even any fuses that I have seen so that's a bit sketchy. The speedometer doesn't have a cable and the mileage numbers are so faded that they can't be read. I am guessing the head is locked up. It would be nice to get that working. 

 

Like most people I hate to overpay for things but since there isn't much to compare to I think that goes out the window unless I was looking to flip it. If that was the goal I would probably be better off not buying it. We rarely sell a old car and when we do we usually regret it so that's not in the plan. I have never owned anything that old or hard to get parts for so I am a bit intimated by that but also intrigued by the research and even the hunt. 

 

I think my goal would be to keep it running, get rid of or hide the stuff that looks modern and out of place. It has a aftermarket light relay and a Ford starter solenoid on the firewall that obviously don't belong there. I like the idea of making the generator into a alternator (I already bookmarked the place that does that) and get rid of the GM alternator that is there now.  

 

[keiser31]

10 minutes ago, Txsailor said:

There isn't much we can do until the owner gets back. Its sort of a sad story and I really feel for her. They had bought a house in Colorado and had moved a lot of their stuff up there. Then tragedy struck and he passed away suddenly. She has decided to stay here so she is there packing and moving back. We don't even know what all comes with the car. Its not at my house but is in their shop building about a mile away. It does have a lot going for it. It looks nice but not so perfect that we would be afraid to drive it. The motor and brakes must have been rebuilt at some time they seem too good to be untouched for 90+  years.  A lot of it is original and I'm not a purist anyway as long as it looks period correct I don't mind. I haven't jacked it up and looked at the suspension so I don't know if it has been rebuilt, is still in good shape or is worn out. The distributor drive is a bit concerning, I noticed the distributor would move a little sideways before I found out how fragile they are. Now I am afraid to touch it! It had been rewired with modern wiring but doesn't have a fuse block or even any fuses that I have seen so that's a bit sketchy. The speedometer doesn't have a cable and the mileage numbers are so faded that they can't be read. I am guessing the head is locked up. It would be nice to get that working. 

 

Like most people I hate to overpay for things but since there isn't much to compare to I think that goes out the window unless I was looking to flip it. If that was the goal I would probably be better off not buying it. We rarely sell a old car and when we do we usually regret it so that's not in the plan. I have never owned anything that old or hard to get parts for so I am a bit intimated by that but also intrigued by the research and even the hunt. 

 

I think my goal would be to keep it running, get rid of or hide the stuff that looks modern and out of place. It has a aftermarket light relay and a Ford starter solenoid on the firewall that obviously don't belong there. I like the idea of making the generator into a alternator (I already bookmarked the place that does that) and get rid of the GM alternator that is there now.  

 

There may be a fuse on the back of the amp gauge. Should be 20 amps, I believe.

[bryankazmer]

You're losing the forest for the trees.  You have enough info to decide if you want the car or not.  Make a call and go with it.

[Walter Jones]

On 11/30/2021 at 11:03 AM, bryankazmer said:

You're losing the forest for the trees.  You have enough info to decide if you want the car or not.  Make a call and go with it.

Well today I found another tree or at least a tree stump. The car was really hard to get in gear from neutral and the clutch had a lot of free travel. The pedal didn't return to the top because the spring had broke. There was just a little piece of it hanging on. I adjusted the clutch for about 1" free travel, replaced the spring and removed the dust cover to grease the throw out bearing. The ring gear on the flywheel is really chewed up. I didn't rotate it all the way around but the part I could see was pretty ugly! 

 

Does anyone know if a ring gear or flywheel is available anywhere? This one is starting for now but its days are numbered. I have removed them and flipped them over on Fords but they were a lot newer than this and not as badly damaged. The discs that serve as U-joints are in terrible shape too in fact there are only 2 on the back and none of the hardware is correct. The front one looks old but at least is all there with the bolts castellated nuts and cotter pins.

 

On the good side it now slips into low or reverse without a sound. We didn't drive it but I'll bet it shifts better too. 

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by Txsailor (see edit history)

[Walter Jones]

Tonight she rolls! 

[Walter Jones]

About the parade... We had a 750 W inverter clipped to the battery and when they put the lights on the car it worked fine for a couple of hours non stop. When we took the picture you see above it didn't want to stay on. I attributed it to the battery being a little low and brought it back to a full charge. I tried the lights several times and they worked fine. Fast Forward to the parade. We were staged two hours before it started. We clicked the inverter on a couple of times for pictures and it worked fine. The parade started and boom it shut off within seconds. You could push the button and it would light the car for a few seconds and go off. My wife drove the whole route with a finger on the button turning it back on. She says her finger is raw! No one realized it wasn't supposed to go off and on and it was a success.

The moral of this story is modern technology let us down but 1929 technology worked without a hitch!

Edited December 5, 2021 by Txsailor (see edit history)

[wayne sheldon]

4 hours ago, Txsailor said:

modern technology let us down but 1929 technology worked without a hitch!

 

 

It does seem to work that way sometimes!

 

Wonderful that it worked out and the parade was a success!

 

As for the flywheel ring gear? I am no 1929 Plymouth expert. However, most cars around that vintage, the starter ring gears are not a major problem. It does make a difference whether the gear is cut into the flywheel itself? Or a separate piece sweat or bolted onto the flywheel. Usually, there is a suitable replacement of proper diameter that can be cut in and attached to the flywheel. Sometimes it becomes necessary to replace the starter gear also to match the new ring gear teeth. I did once see a larger gear get a few inches cut out of it and welded to match the circumference required. People that replace starter gears get pretty good at making something work.

I suspect that that particular Plymouth engine was used for a good number of years with only minor changes, and that an appropriate flywheel with a good gear could probably be had without too much trouble. Of course that sort of thing is getter worse every year as more and more people simply send such things out for scrap iron rather than trying to find someone that might need it.

[Walter Jones]

5 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

 

It does seem to work that way sometimes!

 

Wonderful that it worked out and the parade was a success!

 

As for the flywheel ring gear? I am no 1929 Plymouth expert. However, most cars around that vintage, the starter ring gears are not a major problem. It does make a difference whether the gear is cut into the flywheel itself? Or a separate piece sweat or bolted onto the flywheel. Usually, there is a suitable replacement of proper diameter that can be cut in and attached to the flywheel. Sometimes it becomes necessary to replace the starter gear also to match the new ring gear teeth. I did once see a larger gear get a few inches cut out of it and welded to match the circumference required. People that replace starter gears get pretty good at making something work.

I suspect that that particular Plymouth engine was used for a good number of years with only minor changes, and that an appropriate flywheel with a good gear could probably be had without too much trouble. Of course that sort of thing is getter worse every year as more and more people simply send such things out for scrap iron rather than trying to find someone that might need it.

Looking around on the interwebs I found a lot of rings for more obsolete engines than that, stuff like Oliver tractors and Whippets so surely there is something somewhere. It looks like it is a separate ring not one cut into the flywheel but I'm not positive. I was mainly trying to get the throw out bearing greased and the clutch to disengage. I figure someone will pop up and tell me what will interchange. 

 

Now that the parade is over I'm going to take it back to her place and go back to my project 56 Bel Air until she gets back home.  Then we can see what we can work out. She has been through a lot and doesn't need any additional stress right now. I think there may be some probate issues to sort out before she can do anything anyway. 

[Grimy]

https://www.suehring.com/

 

Best place to start

[ply33]

1928-33 Plymouth Master Parts book shows one part number (303039) for the flywheel ring gear for U for engines up to U-89290 (car serial Y-204-PP) and all Canadian built. And it shows a different number (74455) for model U after that. The 74455 part number also fits the 30-U and PA Plymouth.

 

Chrysler used a sequential numbering scheme so that 74455 is a really old number. I think it pre-dates the introduction of Plymouth so it wouldn’t surprise me if that ring gear was used on some other Chrysler product from the 1920s.

 

In any case, the ring gear was available separately from the flywheel.

[Walter Jones]

22 hours ago, Grimy said:

https://www.suehring.com/

 

Best place to start

And it looks like the place to stop. He said no problem on the ring. He wasn't sure on the starter drive. Nice guy who answers his phone! There is no recording saying "our menu has changed please listen carefully to the following options" That's rarer than a 29 Touring! 

[Walter Jones]

Well after nearly a year we have the title in our name! I have been working on the car off and on anyway but its good to have that done. Since my last post I have changed the driveshaft discs, clutch, ring gear on the flywheel and had the starter rebuilt. Last week I scored a very straight grill shell & original radiator. I am going to get the radiator checked and the grill rechromed. I will have more updates as now I feel like I am working on my car.