Hello everyone -- so glad to have found this forum.
My old green 71 Plymouth Scamp (originally my mother's car, from new) is now 45 years old. It's a 225 slant 6, 2-door, with about 75,000 miles on it. I have managed to keep it going, but it has recently developed two problems that Im not sure I can solve. I do not do major repairs myself.
The drivers door striker pin (a metal stud mounted on the door frame to engage the door-mounted latch) is loose because the metal surrounding it is fatigued and has broken away. The pin is still attached to a stronger metal plate located behind the relatively thin metal skin of the door frame, but this plate is free floating, designed to allow adjustment of the pin. The result is a door that does not shut firmly, and the pin rattles. I have read that the solution is to weld the small circle of broken metal back onto the surrounding door frame metal from which it has separated, grind off the welding joints, and repaint the area. Does anyone have experience with this? Is there another solution?
The second problem made itself known by a smell of gasoline in the garage. The gas odour is strongest after putting the car in the garage following an outing, but the fumes gradually disappear over 3 or 4 days as the car sits. I could not find the source, so I took it to a local garage where they diagnosed a leak at the carburettor. Now that I know where to look, I can see it for myself (see circled wet area on photo). Gas drips slowly onto the engine exhaust manifold. When the manifold is hot, there is a definite fire hazard, so I cannot drive the car very far. It continues to drip for a time after the car is shut down, hence the odour in the garage. I was told Id need to search for a new carburettor online, and that Id likely find one in the US. But so far, no luck. I hope to find one over the winter. I was told that repairing the existing carburettor would have uncertain results. I have garaged the car for the winter. All suggestions welcome!!
The car is in good shape and definitely warrants getting these problems fixed, if possible.
My old green 71 Plymouth Scamp (originally my mother's car, from new) is now 45 years old. It's a 225 slant 6, 2-door, with about 75,000 miles on it. I have managed to keep it going, but it has recently developed two problems that Im not sure I can solve. I do not do major repairs myself.
The drivers door striker pin (a metal stud mounted on the door frame to engage the door-mounted latch) is loose because the metal surrounding it is fatigued and has broken away. The pin is still attached to a stronger metal plate located behind the relatively thin metal skin of the door frame, but this plate is free floating, designed to allow adjustment of the pin. The result is a door that does not shut firmly, and the pin rattles. I have read that the solution is to weld the small circle of broken metal back onto the surrounding door frame metal from which it has separated, grind off the welding joints, and repaint the area. Does anyone have experience with this? Is there another solution?
The second problem made itself known by a smell of gasoline in the garage. The gas odour is strongest after putting the car in the garage following an outing, but the fumes gradually disappear over 3 or 4 days as the car sits. I could not find the source, so I took it to a local garage where they diagnosed a leak at the carburettor. Now that I know where to look, I can see it for myself (see circled wet area on photo). Gas drips slowly onto the engine exhaust manifold. When the manifold is hot, there is a definite fire hazard, so I cannot drive the car very far. It continues to drip for a time after the car is shut down, hence the odour in the garage. I was told Id need to search for a new carburettor online, and that Id likely find one in the US. But so far, no luck. I hope to find one over the winter. I was told that repairing the existing carburettor would have uncertain results. I have garaged the car for the winter. All suggestions welcome!!
The car is in good shape and definitely warrants getting these problems fixed, if possible.
