Just wanted to say hello, not sure where to do that on the forum here. I just bought my first 50's car. Have owned quite a few cars over the years from the 60's and 70's. This is a whole different thing for me. I bought a 1952 Plymouth 2 door. Straight 6, 3 on the tree. Hope I learn some thing here about it.
Hi & welcome. Back in the day you did not have to do hardly anything to those flathead plymouth engines to beat most cars redlight to redlight. A buddy had one & he would smoke my old 49 Chevy I had then. I have enough changes in the 235 Chevy 6 in my 46 coupe that it fools most from the light now if I cared to challenge some. My 46 looks very innocent everywhere except under the hood with the well modified 235 six. Jimmie
Thanks so much for the welcome guys, I truly appreciate it. I have been wanting a 50's car forever. Now that I am 50 years old, I finally have one. This is going to sound silly, but I don't know if I have a Cranbrook, or a Cambridge? I know thats pretty bad to not understand which model I have. It does run, but I don't want to start it again for now. It has 62,000 on it, unreal. I don't understand how some of these cars have such low mileage. It has a 12 volt battery in it, and possible coil. I don't want to damage anything. I need to decide if I should stay 6 volt, or see how hard it is to switch to 12 volt system. I have all the bumpers, chrome...etc. The previous owner had it all off, getting ready to do paint. I do have to get the brakes working. I think the master is bad. Looks like it is bolted to the frame. This is a whole new learning experience for me. The motor does sound smooth. I even took a video of it running. I know, thats sick....hahaha I learned on a 3 speed on the tree, when I was 16 years old. This is like a flashback seeing a stick on the column. I did some reading on the tranny, it seems different than the 3 speeds I am used to from the 60's and 70's.
Lots of Plymouth guys here on the HAMB, Tony, and a bunch of them are still running the original flathead 6 and running gear. Actually, 62,000 miles was relatively high mileage back then when cars needed constant attention to stay serviceable. But if yours was well taken care of it'll run like a watch for many years to come. If it starts and runs with a 12-volt battery it's probably already been converted. Look for a voltage drop device in the electrical feed to the gauges and check for 12-volt light bulbs. If it's got 'em you're already good to go as long as the wiring is in good condition. If the fabric wiring is deteriorated plan on a complete rewire. You'll want to go through the brakes and replace all the rubber parts with new even if the linings are still good. The good news is that these old Plymouths don't require a rocket scientist to repair, just some general automotive knowledge and a good factory repair manual. Oh, and don't forget that the lug bolts are left-hand thread (lefty-tighty) on the left (driver's) side and right hand thread (righty-tighty) on the right (passenger) side. Don't get the drums mixed up when you do your brake job! Good luck! Edit: Here's a picture of my '48 Plymouth the day we dragged it home. See, there IS hope...!
Oh my, I am glad you said something about the lugs. That would have been bad! Thank you! I am used to working on my own cars, but never this old of a one. I am honestly very excited about owning this. Everyone local to me, told me to do a complete drivetrain swap, I honestly like the stock motor look! Its unique! I will upload the video clip tomorrow, of it running. It sounds like a sewing machine, and very smooth. I just seen a new battery and coil. The generator looks untouched though. So I am honestly not sure. Maybe I will pull some bulbs and see if I can tell. My buddy told me there is a 6 volt voltage regulator on it though. If I put my volt meter on "somewhere", while running, will that tell me. I am good with mechanics, but I hate doing electrical. I did rewire some old Beetles back in the day, but there wasn't much to them. I was looking up the master, wheel cylinders etc. I am surprised that it is not harder to get some of these parts. I did notice the front must have two wheel cylinders. Upper, and Lower, according to rock auto. I am still trying to figure out if its a cranbrook, or cambridge. I can't figure out how to tell.. Nice 48!!!! I have always wanted an older car, after raising 4 kids, and always playing with some cars over the years. I finally got what I wanted. And I only paid 1300 bucks for it. Thanks for all the info.
Here's a video of the engine running, sounds okay to me. I want to change the oil out. I need to figure out what these old motors take, weight, and what brand has the most zinc etc. I think it needs an oil, that caters to these older engines. http://vid1345.photobucket.com/albums/p667/panzer701/Engine/vid_20141108_133749_zps2s0hhl24.mp4 Photo Album I just started on my project below. http://s1345.photobucket.com/user/panzer701/library/1952 Plymouth?sort=6&page=1 .
The Jalopy Journal
