"Looks like its as easy to instal as of those old FM converters from back in the '70s,"

I have one of those in my 66 catalina. The audiovox is the best brand, and they go from 50-100 dollars or more now. Nothing sounds so great as music i want coming through the vintage am radio!

I have a redirad too for the packard, as i don't want to mount an fm converter in it (maybe i would, but i already bought the redirad 6v pos ground), and i hope it sounds as good as the cat! I know it will be even more vintage sounding considering that the packard is a tube radio. I highly recommend these solutions vs all the work of a new radio because the feel of the music still fits the car, if that makes sense.

If your speaker is old and brittle (they all are) then get it out, and find a vintage audio repair place to get the right speakers so you don't burn the radio up.

Finally, places like this below can put an FM unit inside your am, keeping your am completely factory, so that you can have the best of both worlds. Usually, you push the first station preset twice or something like that and a little red led that was hidden comes on and you know you're in fm mode.


http://dandmrestoration.com/radio-repair

90 degrees is for sure correct.

That car has just the right amount of flash AND patina...i love it! I'd trade my bathtub 50 for that anyday, and i like the bathtubs!

Also, don't quote me, but i THINK there was a difference between the 48-50 gen brackets and the 51 and up gen brackets. I remember having to mess with things because the bracket that came with my 53 motor wasn't lining up, and the 50 bracket was long gone.

I thought there was two holes on the bracket bolting it to the block? If there is on the block but not on the bracket, then likely that bracket is from another application, OR someone homemade one (i've done it, and you can do it again.) Make one like that with a vice and some flat stock, drill both holes but slightly back of that bracket's holes so you can move it forward, and slot it and use lock washers and adjust as needed then done. I did the same when the alignment was questionable, and added a spacer up top (think it was there already) where the top bracket mounts to the block, between the block and bracket, and everything lined up great.

I used the tiny tach to do rpm tune ups, set idle, etc. Could easily run into the cabin to watch while driving, and it's installation is just wrapping around a spark plug wire and grounding the other wire...after that, it's one wire into the cabin. Good investment to see exactly what rpm you're at.

Also, you could just connect an average dwell meter, most have rpm settings, if you wanted to just see temporarily what rpm each, say, 5 mph above 50 is.

http://www.tinytach.com/tinytach/gasoline.php

Need to keep at it, and some grease around the bleeder where the hose goes on helps, and even tefloning the threads of the bleeders has been recommended for mity vac so you're just not sucking air around the threads.

I've been having the same issue with a 71 pontiac i'm working on using a mity vac with new master, booster, all new lines hard and soft, new calipers and new wheel cylinders, and new prop valve. Everything i have is top notch quality, but the bleeding has been a real PITA. I really think the mity vac is just loosing it's charm, and i may get some of those bleeders with check valves where you just pump the crap out of the brakes with them loose until they spit only fluid...no opening and closing bleeders.



Bleeders

I didn't see an issue with trying it, and again it was working for a bit, but i just had this rough idle i couldn't chase down, and hard starting, it was driving me crazy. Before that, with regular napa v8 generic wire set, it ran for a few years like a fine watch, perfect and smooth. It wasn't til my whole motor transplant and rebuild that i got into the rough idle and issues. I didn't think it was the pertronix, but new points, etc solved it.

I've read that many electronic ignition brands do not recommend solid core wires either. I liked the wires more than the hidden pertronix, so i left it.

Don't know how i missed this topic, as we had a lively one related to pertronix/coils last year or so.

1) use the OHM coil they recommend (1.5 for 8 cylinders)(the flamethrower is a decent coil, use it if you can spend the $) Some say ohm doesn't matter, but pertronix seems to think it does.

2) wire as they say, no resistors, no resistor wires. If it's a 6v setup they want it to get 6v, if it's a 12v setup they want it to get 12v. The coil is much less picky about voltage than the unit is.

3) do NOT use solid core wires. They say not to, and they're right. My pertronix was awesome until i put solid wires on...it was ok for a bit then i got weak starting spark and rough idle and then i swapped wires and it was a little better, but was already messed up. I wanted the look of the solid wires, so i just switched back to points.

Good luck and i hope it's an improvement for you!

FWIW, i bypassed the internal radiator cooler on my 50 after getting the radiator cleaned out. I routed out of the ultra into a long (24"ish,1st one below) aluminum finned tube cooler that's mounted against the frame rail (so the frame rail should act as a heatsink) and then up front and into two (in series) plate/tube type (second below) and back to the tranny. Both of the plate and fin are mounted side by side on the bottom of the radiator. I had plenty of pressure for lock up firmly at the right speed, but then again i JUST had the trans totally rebuilt too so everything was perfect. I figured this way i was getting the frame heatsink cooling effect, separating the radiator heat from the tranny heat (i really felt that the engine had a better chance of running everything hot together), and with all that hose and coolers, i think it took an extra quart or two of fluid, which helps keep things cooler and cleaner longer.

my 2cents, take it for what it's worth, i'm not a tranny expert or anything