51 Cambridge build

[Sniper1]

Building a 51 Plymouth Cambridge, fairly original type condition when I got it. Got a few upgrades done, undid a bunch of PO hacks and have some goodies coming.

 

[Sniper1]

I upgraded the 6v positive ground system to 12v negative ground. Several reasons for it. I wanted modern headlights, easier parts availability as I do drive it regularly, I plan to run AC at some point and probably a few other reasons I am forgetting right now.

So I put in a 78A Mopar alternator

Build link

 

[Sniper1]

Of course, when you start things like this you find things that need taken care of. In this case the entire wiring harness was a mess. Someone had installed a hot rod style wiring harness and used an axe to do it apparently. Very lazy and poorly done.

Bought a 22 circuit harness from Speedway, the drawings sucked, but it looks like it's made for Speedway by American Autowire and their drawings are excellent. So I made it work.

Some of the wiring and 12v upgrades

Of course the blower motor needed replaced, primarily because the wiring was hacked. Found a 12v motor that pretty much bolted in as well as anything does these days. Now if only I could find a 12v wiper motor that bolted in place of the 6v one.

Blower motor upgrade

 

[Sniper1]

Now with 12V running things and new wiring I needed to update the gauges to bring it all together. Being an oddball model I really didn't figure anyone had anything to help in that and I would have to figure out how to mount the gauges. I was wrong.

Gauge upgrade

 

[Sniper1]

You may have noticed in the alternator swap build that the plug wires were all wild. The PO or more likely the PO's mechanic used overly long wires and routed them poorly. Occasionally they would hang up the throttle linkage causing the engine to speed up. So I put in new wires and properly routed them.

Almost routine maintenance here, but attention to detail is important. I don't want to be redoing my own work because I got lazy. Not to mention this is partly a father son project and I want to teach my son good work habits.

Plug wire install

 

[Sniper1]

By now I got the hot rod itch and wanted to do something unnecessary to making the Plymouth a good runner. So I fitted up some meats I had from a prior project.

Fitting the meats

 

[Sniper1]

As is typical of this vehicle's prior maintenance I found some issues when fitting up the meats. The brakes were always soft, took two pumps of the pedal to get any brakes upon first application. I assumed (I know) it was a bad master cylinder or maybe air in the lines. I was wrong. Whomever worked on this vehicle before I bought it was an idiot.

Brake fix

This are the rear brake shoe lower pivot bolts, as found.

 

[Sniper1]

I have plans to old school hot rod the flathead 6 in the Plymouth. You may have noticed in the some of the other pics that the engine is fairly grungy looking. That will change.

To start with a bit of engine bling. Not really needed for anything go fast, but it's pretty and I can tell myself it'll likely seal better than the stock stamped covers (not that they leak). A set of Thickstun cast aluminum tappet covers.

 

[Sniper1]

Now an engine needs to breathe. A 4bbl intake, if anyone actually made that, would be out of place for the look I am going for.

A Thickstun dual 1bbl intake, haven't decided on the fuel mixer yet. A pair of 1bbl carbs? A pair of progressive Weber 2bbl carbs on adapters? Dual 1bbl TBI setup? We shall see.

 

[Sniper1]

Breathing out is as important as breathing in, for your consideration a set of split exhaust manifolds.

 

[Sniper1]

More to come as I get around to it. I have just about everything I need to convert from points ignition to a modern electronic ignition using a slant six distributor, GM hei module and a Ford TFI coil, I must be channeling AMC here.

 

[Burgerman]

Like the original 6 banger. Keep those photos coming.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

"ANCIENT CHINESE SECRET"


"By the way, it is voilà not walla, some people are heathens."


We might be related. [cl

.

 

[Skip]

Welcome aboard!

Will you be so kind as to share a pic of three of your Plymouth? I have a '51 Cranbrook Sport Coupe tucked away.

 

[Sniper1]

Hope this helps, it's a 51 Club Coupe

 

[Skip]

Nice. Looks prettier than mine.

 

[MercuryMac]

Snipe, I'm a way slower learner than you are. In about 1966 I put a six volt heater motor in my '56 [12 volt] car. Boy oh boy that motor howled and lasted quite well, but the car was always cold inside. I lost a perfectly good girlfriend that winter because I couldn't warm her up. I blame the heater motor. If I'd have switched the coloured wires early on -------well,---- history would be different.
Anyhow, I'm glad you checked the direction of rotation of your heater motor, earlier than I did.

 

[Old Iron]

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[Sniper1]

The things we learn the hard way, lol. I ended up taking the heater plenum under the dash completely apart to sort out how it worked, so now I have heat and defrost, sort of. With the blower just behind the grille and the heater core just behind the radiator core support it's got a long way to go before heat hits the passengers. I do plan to take apart, clean out and reseal the under hood sections, who knows what's inside there.

I added seat belts last weekend. That was labor intensive, but not hard. I ended up taking the back seat out completely, which was a real wrasslin' match. the rear side window trim and the rear interior side panels. Took about 5 hours to do the job, most of it figuring out what needed to come out and where to put the mounts.

 

[Toad]

Wow, those seats look sharp! [cl

Toad