Hiya!
I have a 59 Dodge that I've been working on for a while. The rbakes have
been a problem, though I think that is mostly straightened out now. I looked
over your questions, and will provide opinions on a couple for you.
1) Of course, anybody have any leads on a good quality Mopar friendly shop in
the Austin, TX area? (Sorry - live in Virginia)
1) Can I put hazards/back up lights in the car without too much trouble?
Backup lights were optional - the transmission has the setup, you just need a
switch (ebay has one currently). So you can go with original setup there.
Hazards are just an added switch and flasher - though you really don't need
them for anything.
2) Has anyone ever put in any kind of aftermarket air conditioning in that
flathead six? I am really just looking to have the edge taken off of the
Texas
summers, it doesn t have to be a bone chilling monster system. Can I keep
the
generating system intact if I add something like this, or should I find an
alternator? If not possible, any other suggestions for keeping my weary
bones
cool?
29 and you have weary bones? ::grin:: Anyway, the flathead six was not a
strong engine, and would be slow enough without the added strain of AC see my
note on engine choice. One suggestion - check the local boneyards for one of
the underdash AC units that were popular in the late fifties and sixties.
They contain all of the AC elements you nfor inside the car, lare original,
and need only hookup to the compressor and condesor.
3) If I do an engine swap (not at all likely), what is easy and keeps the push
button transmission intact?
I'd suggest a wide-block 318 V-8, available from a long series of MOPAR
products. It's the same block that I have in my 59 Dodge with Powerflight,
so tranny boltup should be the same. Plus, the 318 may have been available
in the 59 Plymouth, so you could actually maintain originality while making
the car much more drivable. This would also simplify the AC qustion. You
could find a later MOPAR with the appropriate running gear and AC, and simply
swap the assemblies over. You'd get the engine, alternator,, etc. in one
fell swoop, and probably for cheap. More experienced MOPAR guys can tell you
what years are compatible.
4) Safety: Brake system redone with dual chamber master cylinder. Anything
else
on brakes that shouldn t be stock? As long as you keep a check on the
system, the original brakes are fine as they are. Even the master cylinder
is no problem - I have a 1950 Chevy pickup that I've driven for 8 years
without adding a drop of brake fluid. And even when I have had an old car
run out of brake fluid (blown rear wheel cylinder), I had enough brakes to
stop the car. Modifying the master cylinder is more than just on something
from a newer car. You have plumbing, linkage, and most importantly, pressure
equalization problems.
5) What kind of money can get you a decent, driveable car nowadays? I look
around in the auto trader, etc. and see really obnoxious amounts spent on
various vehicles. Of course you can spend as much as you like and all, but
am
I realistic in thinking I can get a good quality driver for the amount of
money
I have to spend? BTW, I did already upholster the seats and they are ready
to
go.
To be honest, you are gonna spend a LOT more money building up this Plymouth.
A decent (not show-winning) paint job with minimal body work can run $2K
easily, and that will buy a nice daily driver, at least in Virginia. And I
can guarantee that you won't get that money back out of a car that is
modified. As long as this will be a car you want to keep for the long haul,
and aren't in it as an investment, that won't matter. As a case in point,
my car (http://hometown.aol.com/posti/59dodge.htm) was a terrific choice for
restoration. It was complete, had only 39K miles original, had a perfect
original interior, and only one area of serious rust. I paid $800 for the
car. The engine had to have a top-end rebuild, the brake system had to be
replaced, lots of sanding and tinkering elsewhere. I did everything but the
paint and rust repair myself. The paint shop gave me a great price ($2K)
because the guy was a Mopar freak and I had done a lot of the prep stripping
and sanding. All in all, I would guess that I have about $5K in the car
total. NOT COUNTING two years of my own labor!
6) Are there any really known weak spots safety-wise that I should go over
extremely carefully?? My three children will be riding in this car and I
really want it as safe as possible.
Seat belts, obviously. If you are going to drive this car regularly, you may
consider wide-white radials instead of bias-ply tires. Some tire places can
actually take a bargain set of standard whitewalls and shave the facing out
to create a wide whitewall. (Locally, it's about $15 per tire for the
service). Considering that you can get Pep Boys tires at 4 for $100 and get
the tires shaved for $60, the $120 per tire cost of the wide white radials in
Hemmings seems a bit out of reach.
7) Bottom line, I will have a ton of questions and you guys have always helped
immensely. I trust you and will undoubtedly have even more questions as time
goes on.
Good luck! I'm a former mechanic who is learning old Mopar tricks as I go.
I'll be happy to share info, data, and mistakes! And I am posting this to
the group so that if I have made any glaring errors in my suggestions, I can
be soundly thrashed by the membership! ::grin::
Bob Stein
59 Dodge Coronet
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