'59 Plymouth Forum

One post on the solenlid has a wire to the nutral safety switch.
Dick

*Doh*! And that's how it finds its way to ground!

Thanks DIck - I'll fish around for that wire in the morning.

Ah, the mysteries unravel!

There was the wire, fallen down along the steering column, right where I dropped it - and, even as I labeled it for the left solenoid post. And now I know why I went searching for a nut for the post, thinking I had lost one - because there wasn't one! It has a push-on connector (which I cleaned up real well with tuner spray):

And, another mystery solved. Regarding the breaker screwed to the inner fender, which Dick informed me was likely to protect the ignition switch circuit that energizes the solenoid - I said:

I can see that the terminals are actually labeled "BAT"(tery) and "AUX"(iliary), and indeed, I put tags on the wires with those labels. But one of the wires is in the bundle, the other is a single wire home run through a different grommet in the firewall. What circuit is this protecting? And why put the breaker way out in the engine compartment, when both wires originate from under the dash?

What had happened, was that they cut the ignition switch wire in the bundle that derives power from the battery side of the solenoid, to interrupt the circuit by inserting the breaker. The wire remaining in the bundle went to "AUX" side to feed the ignition switch, and I had removed the wire between the battery side of the solenoid and the "BAT" terminal of the breaker. I reinstalled it yesterday.

That other wire that's a "single wire home run", and goes to the "BAT" side of the breaker? That feeds the radio! It's already protected by a fuse. My guess, is that the Sterling girls left the radio blasting John Runkle Jr.'s Rock n' Roll Show on Boise KGEM when they shut off the car and flew open the doors. The next person to try and start the car had to wait for the breaker to reset because the combined current draw of the radio and the solenoid coil tripped the breaker, and in frustration Nick ran a wire directly from the radio to the battery.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

Classic..."the Sterling girls left the radio blasting John Runkle Jr.'s Rock n' Roll Show on Boise KGEM"

The Belvy's AM tuner undoubtedly bit the dust channeled to Detroit's WKNR "Keener 13."

Gary, I have it on good authority that "Great Balls of Fire" was spewing when the breaker tripped.

Feeling a little fuelish today...

The new straps are the same length as the originals. No one wanted the old tank, and I got tired of tripping over it - so I fuelishly tossed it, when I could have used it for comparison. But, it can only be that the newer tank is slightly larger than the old. The bends in the straps are not quite where they should be.

It looks like I'm going to have to put my own bends in, and use bolt extenders... (*sigh*).

Dan; is that A 20 gal. tank ? MARK

Mark, if this thread is to be believed, the Vans reproduction tanks are 22 gallons, not 20. And on the Vans website they say they are actually 23! But, if they planned to make them bigger, why didn't they supply longer straps?

Or, is it possible these bolts are longer?

I dunno. I'm confused now. I guess I'll call them Monday before I do anything else with the gas tank.

Dan, just in case, l have a couple of nice straps I'll never use. When l get home l will measure them an let you know.
Dick.

Thanks Dick! Is there a chance they came from a 23 gallon tank? According to the "Accessories and Extra Equipment" pamphlet I copied from the Keijs, a 23 gallon tank was an option on police cars and taxis:

One thing for sure - the Vans J-bolts are longer, if the TPI is the same, and it looks to be. I count 34 threads on my originals, 2.125" long (at 16 TPI). From the Vans picture - which has a nut on the end - they are at least 56 threads, easily over an inch longer. I guess I was supposed to buy J-bolts when I bought the straps.

But, I'll wait to see what you measure, and work on other things today. The Vans straps match my original in length - I'll measure from the top of the slot, to the base of the platform where the bolt goes through.

I get somewhere between 39.5” - 39.75” to the top of the slot where it rests on the mount, to the base of the square with the bolt hole in it.

A bit of a frustrating day in the hot garage today...

I put back the metal fuel line between the filter and the carb. Then, I went to replace the fuel line to the fuel pump, using wire type hose clamps I got from Gary Goers. But they just weren't tight enough; I could slide the hose on the tube. (*sigh*...) So, I resorted to using the worm gear hose clamps I had on there before. I did use the Goers wire type for the bypass hose, we'll see if it leaks (I did a few wraps of teflon on the corroded - but, wire-brushed and painted - tubing). Then I went to put the P/S return hose on, and realized I ordered the wrong size, so I ordered the right size tonight. I'm thinking, I'll use a worm gear clamp on the steering column where it can hardly be seen, 'cause I don't want that guy popping off way down there - I'll use a wire clamp on the pump end and see if it holds.

And I realize the heater return pipe in the manifold really needs a molded 90 in it, for air cleaner clearance. Had I thought before I put the thermostat housing on, I would have turned tubing with a 90 in it into the manifold, because the one that's in there is straight up. Unless I piece hoses together, I need a piece of 5/8" heater hose that's at least 26" long, with a molded 90 in it - but dang, if I can find it. Any leads?

And finally, because I'm not sure I'll have all my heater actuators and heater control in place before Carlisle, I'd like to put in an inline shutoff valve that's inconspicuous - lest the heat be on when we're barreling down the Pennsy Turnpike in the dead of summer. Any ideas here?

Not a great day. To support the illusion of progress, however, I did stand the radiator core in place before I wiped my brow and headed to the house for a cold one.

Faulkner wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:47 pm And I realize the heater return pipe in the manifold really needs a molded 90 in it, for air cleaner clearance. Had I thought before I put the thermostat housing on, I would have turned tubing with a 90 in it into the manifold, because the one that's in there is straight up. Unless I piece hoses together, I need a piece of 5/8" heater hose that's at least 26" long, with a molded 90 in it - but dang, if I can find it. Any leads?

I guess not. (*sigh*...) I'm going to have to remove the thermostat housing, aren't I...

Faulkner wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:47 pmI'd like to put in an inline shutoff valve that's inconspicuous - lest the heat be on when we're barreling down the Pennsy Turnpike in the dead of summer. Any ideas here?

Hmmm?

Dick Koch wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 7:57 am Dan, just in case, l have a couple of nice straps I'll never use. When l get home l will measure them an let you know.

When are you expected home, Dick? I hope Hurricane Michael doesn't affect your travels.