I got a 49 Plymouth on trade and it needed everything. I learned how to rebuild nearly everything on it and drove it to a car show. I can still hear that old flathead go. Thank you for the memories ❤️
I always like watching you getting old engines to run. Just need to have a spark and fuel and a decent battery and you always seem to get a so called impossible engine to start. Thanks for sharing
Peter Bloggs You ain’t wrong but you’d be surprised at how resilient old parts are. By the way he did say he found a government surplus crate motor for this car for $250 so why not fire up this old boat anchor?
I love those old Chrysler flathead engines, really enjoyed seeing your come back to life. You put a lot of good common sense in your videos. I've owned a 1948 Dodge Sedan Suicide doors since 1964, my Dad bought it from the original owner. It's always been garaged and has 39,000 miles on it now. I'd not had it started since 1993 but my 50th High School Reunion is this year so I want to drive it to the reunion. A new six volt battery, cleaning the points and some fresh gas and she's running again as of last week. Got to rebuild the brakes and put on a new muffler and tires and we're close to heading out again. I'm keeping it totally stock as much as I can.
Anyone old enough to even know what a flathead engine is will at least know the basics in starting an engine that has sat for years and have their own way of doing things. I think he did a good job and I feel certain he did a lot BEFORE he started filming. And yes, the old Chrysler products and some other 6 volts (Packard, Hudson) systems were negative ground, but you don't negative ground 12 volts. I am 77 years old and still working on the old iron and have my way also. I like to blow the engine off with compressed air, check the oil, pull the plugs, squirt a little 10w motor oil in the cylinders and then attempt to rotate the engine back and forth and then see if she turns complete 360 degrees. If all looks good, pop the distributor cap, check for spark at the points, replace the plugs, rig up a temporary gas supply, and start the engine and let her idle, and speed her up gradually and check the oil pressure. And yes, these old engines will run for SHORT periods without water. The man does know what he's doing. As one reply stated, all of these old makes and models had fairly low compression, 6.5 to 7.5 and and if the engine cranks, and has at least minimum compression, fuel and spark, she will run. To be honest, I look under the hood of any late model and new vehicle, I don't have a clue as to what the hell I am even looking at. And I will NOT ride in any vehicle where the doors lock when you drive off. I'm always glad to see other folks save the old iron and keep these vintage cars/trucks from the crusher. Good video.
I had a 50 model Dodge in 65 it was bought at a service station for $25. It was wrecked on front end only had 32k miles on it. It had three speed with a fluid drive clutch. I drove it all over place!
The ground polarity matters little with old cars with no electronics, in theory the primary of the ignition coil should be reversed but it does not make a huge difference. As for not riding in a vehicle where the doors lock when you move, it depends where you live, on my own car it is an option they call "anti-hijack" I prefer to have the doors locked when I am driving slowly in the city. It also arguably makes the doors less likely to pop open in a roll-over. I love old cars but one thing they are universally lacking in is safety.
@@waltersmart1824 I had a '50 Dodge Wayfarer, "Fluid Drive" myself. Gor it in '64 from my brother-in-law for "get it running and its yours" deal. All it needed was a 6 volt battery and some fresh gas. Like yours, it had been wrecked, missing the right half of the grill, lower half of the right fender around to the passenger door. My fried called it the "black bomb". She would hold 70 MPH all day long. I kept her on the road until it was burning as much oil as it was gas. That fliud clutch was great on dates, since I din't _have_ to start off on low gear. Even started in third many times with no problems. It wasn't much on the drag strip :D !
@@g0fvt Any magnetic gages would be reversed, as would heater fan motors. We used to joke that the light bulbs would work backwards and if you turned them on with reversed polarity, they'd make everything darker.
My old man used to own a '49 Dodge Tudor. It threw a rod while we were on vacation in '58 and he had a new engine put in. What a fun trip, or maybe not.
The piston-strokes on many Dodges, Chrysler, and (later) Plymouth flathead sixes were VERY long. Great for hacking around town, but a big strain on a long highway trip. Not the least bit surprising you would throw a rod. Keep highway speeds down, or get overdrive.
I’m reminded how simple cars used to be. A few tools and a couple of parts and you can make them run. Try doing that with today’s complicated cars. I miss the old days.
Had a '46 Plymouth 4-door sedan I got started this way. Bought it in '74 for $50! Like this car, it sat for several years. after getting it started my buddies and I drove it all summer long. Good times indeed!
gotta love it. That's the first car I can remember ever being in. My dad had one when I was just a small fry. no back seat, I could play with my toys back there. It got turned into a race car, and my mom ran it in a powder puff derby. She won, too, not that the car was so great, but she could really drive.
Man I love your videos. I have 83 Silverado that I had a rebuilt engine put in 5 years ago then coming home the other day I noticed it was starting to get hot right when I got home let cool off it didn't over heat check the water it was empty just was thinking I was a idiot for not checking the radiator then something in the back of my head said go pull the dip stick my hart sank I had a milkshake I have never done a head gasket job before it seems so intimidating but I came across your videos it made me feel better and more confident thanks
My Father in law had a Wayfarer and it was really clean just needed an engine overhaul. They use to put those old 3 1/4 Bores in everything. I worked on a lot of them that were in forklifts and such. Unfortunately he ended up with some health issues and decided to get rid of it. I really wish I could have helped him fix it up but was having trouble with his eyes and didn't think he would ever be able to drive it. These are cool old cars!
Dang! Been searching old Dodge videos to help with my 52 Business Coupe. This one definitely did Watched this video a dozen times and just realized at the beginning of the video you had your battery hooked up backwards. Wish you would have mentioned that, it might have saved me hours. I never even thought of a positive ground system.
The 49 Dodge is cool. Would make a great daily cruiser. Sand it down, paint it battleship gray with red pin striping. Red wheels,chrome moon caps and chrome beauty rings. Hell, it might win a trophy.
Love the "Marvels Magic Mystery oil"( upper cylinder lube)! I usually put it in spark plug holes several days prior. It us one of the few treatments approved by FAA for aircraft storage. They recommend fogging engine down t kill it. This is also an excellent way to store your onboard boat engines.
Still have one of those in daily service. It is in a WW II Clark aircraft tug. It tows boats up to forty feet (and over, sometimes) around a marina shop. Wish I could find a rebuilt Plymouth six for a couple hundred bucks!
I had a '42 pickup and just loved the Art Deco styling with the Ram's head out front and pointed front end, even the fenders had deco stampings in them. I've been looking for a business coupe for a long time, nice find.
as often as you end up jumping the solenoids on old ones you pick up, get a heavy duty push button used as a starter button and run wires with strong clips on the wires to connect to the solenoid. its easier and better than using screwdrivers
Hey Jonathan , hey from Canada! Really enjoying your videos, can't wait to see more. I gotta say you are truly creative , you are building true down to earth Rat Rods. I know when you are referring to " junk" you really mean treasures . Where I am , just trying to find anything like a Chevy six cylinder is like finding hens teeth. I realize trying to work and to do videos at the same time is difficult, but keep it up . I hope one day to be able to come on down and help with a build for BACA . Ok, look forward to watching more , Cheers !!!
Thank you for your bother in making this video, as I enjoyed it very much. I suggest keeping this car original, as then you will have an authentic driving piece of history rather than creating another boring resto rod. If you want to go fast there are a number of inexpensive modern cars.
I spray p.B. or anything oily, actually down through the spark plug holes IN THE DIRECTION OF THE VALVES in case whichever ones are open happen to have taken on moisture,at least with flatheads,they can't hit a piston.Some of those in Dodge form were called Wayfarers.Good looking body.Good find.
I think it's one of my favorite things in the world to hear an old motor run that hasn't ran in decades it's more fun than here in a brand-new one fire up
Jonathan you are one of the luckiest men alive!!! I wish we could find cars and trucks worth working on around here in michigan. By the time someone like me finds a old car its either rotted out sitting on the oil pan or people want 15k for them. Wanna adopt a son :-p Im a lic mechanic with a eltric and mechanical engineering degree LOL
thats cool my dad had a 51 plymoth business coupe. looked just like this he restored it with the original flat head 6 that was in it, but it had the old 3 on the tree
i bought a old 50 dodge flathead pickup for junk. the guy said clutch was bad and now engine was stuck seats was rotted. body was pretty good. i thought i got it out of gear all tires held air. pick it up with my wrecker. thinking i would pull it out go about 1/2 mile down the road and drop it and pick it up from the rear. was told the truck hasn't been touched in over 30 years. pulled out to the stop sign and i almost couldn't get it to stop. went to the large parking lot when i turned it it almost put me in the ditch. when i did get it to stop and got out the tires on that dodge was just slowly spinning. that damn thing started up and was running. got it out of gear hit the gas and it ran pretty good. picked it up from the rear and almost made it home and the damn thing broke in half. LOL
Looks like the same carb on my 56 dodge truck motor I just rebuilt and got started last week. Purrs away at 400-500 rpm idle. Actually it all looks like my motor. Except I upgraded to a modern spin on oil filter.
Those old MOPAR flathead 6 motors are pretty much bullet proof. I used one on my log splitter I built years ago. Of course the worst thing for an old motor is to let it sit for years neglected. I've also had a 1939 Dodge truck and a 1951 Chrysler (both flat 6 motors). Chrysler built them for years (even after 1959) as an industrial motor. I also had a portable welder with an industrial MOPAR flat 6.
Love this vid! I used to jump the solenoid on my "52 Plymouth (same mechanics as your Dodge). A surplus crate engine @ $250 would be a bargain. I would clean my fuel tank, blow out the fuel lines and give her a carb kit and a tune-up. You should be good to go, engine-wise anyhow. By the way, I LOVE those old MoPar coupes.
I remember a line from Toy Story when one of the toys said they didn't want to go back into the dark...I can almost hear an old car like this pleading the same thing.
Hey that was cool ! I found myself pushing down with my right foot to get it to run for ya ! LOL ! Any way with that other motor that could be one cool ol car ! Is it true that the business coupe's had longer doors and no back seat as well as the top being shorter. Did the outer quarter panels bold on like the old mercury's ? Its just cool !
To pull start a vehicle with no brakes you can run a tow rope or chain through a length of pipe to keep the towed vehicle from ramming the front one. Off road of course and with appropriate bumpers (tires work). You don't need to pull it fast anyway.
After sitting so long them cylinder walls is dry! We tend to dump marvel mystery oil in the spark plugs holes a day before trying to run something old and dry. Hope you can keep that $250 in your pocket...
: marvel m. oil is great stuff. I use it a lot. I've un-stuck a few engines with it. As you say put it on top of the pistons and let it set a couple days. It will burn out a lot better than oil when it does start too.
