Doug;
Through the process of going through my engine rebuild I have found out
that there is almost nothing that you cannot get for a 392 hemi, its just a
question of where and how much. The whole idea behind putting a G.M water
pump on an early hemi, according to the hot rod crowd, is to save on weight.
How this is accomplished, when you need to add an adapter plate to use it,
is unknown and I figure that its a waste of time when there are aluminum
after market ones available that will bolt right on.
The true beauty of these older cars is that just about everything on them
can be rebuilt and rebuild parts are available. Before I joined this list I
didn't have a clue that you could rebuild the factory brake boosters and yet
the parts are available along with services to do the job for you.
One of the things that I have found easiest to get are electrical parts.
Why? Because Chrysler, at least on the earlier cars, bought them from an
outside supplier called "Autolite". Autolite supplied parts for just about
every auto manufacturer outside of G.M and Ford so there lots of after
market replacements out there. The same goes with their carburettors. In the
case of my car the Carter WCFB carburetor was also used by Oldsmobile,
Buick, and Cadillac as far back as 1952 and at least until the AFB came out.
If you are talking buying a complete NOS working carb you may have a problem
but as long as you have a core it can be rebuilt.
There are people that have an enthusiesm for restoring early Chrysler
products and there are more repro parts available all the time, you would
just need to join a club to find out about them Quite often it happens out
of something as simple as needing a part for his project and having one made
when he can't find one, this is what Mr. Pittinaro did with the cornering
lenses on his 67'. If there are guys making reproduction parts for
Studebakers and Kaisers there will also be ones doing so for Chrysler
products, you can bet on it.
Best Regards
Arran Foster
1954 Imperial Newport
Needing A Left Side Taillight Bezel and other trim parts.
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