296 - FULL ISSUE - Plymouth Club

PlyTech1933 PC/PDAir Cleaner DecalOval or Square?InDirector, Earl Buton,289, ourillustrious TechnicalInBULLETINand his son, Jeff, wrote a terrificarticle on the correctrestored condition of thePlymouth engine compartmentand included photos of decalsnow available for the air cleaner,oil filter and crankcasebreather.I've never had even a hintof a decal on my ‘33 PC aircleaner. It must have departedmany years before I acquiredthe car. Thus, I proceeded tostrip the air cleaner’s paint tomake it ready for the renewalof the black paint and decal.I decided to use some oven cleanerto clean the copper “Brillo pad” air filterelement in the bottom. I've included aphoto of the result. I never thought thecopper would come up so bright!Perhaps this bright condition of the copperair cleaner element shouldbe included in judging?In any case, I keptstripping the paint offthe air cleaner bonnetand, to my surprise, Ifound a “ghost”imprint of the originaldecal, but it’s notthe oval one(#DD0328); it’s square.I’m now guessing thatmy PC air cleaner had theblue and white ‘32 PB “washthe copper gauze” (#DD0592) decal onit. I've included a photo of the strippedbonnet, and you can quite clearly makeout the square decal imprint.My PC is a very-early-in-1933 production#42, possibly part of the firstday’s run. Although it was assembled inWindsor, Ontario, the air cleaner isstamped with MADE IN USA on the bottomnear the venturi collar, so it’s not aproduction anomaly fromCanada.I'm going to stick myneck out and say thatthe 1932 PB decalwas brought overinto the first part ofthe ‘33 run and atsome undefined pointin the PC/PD production,when Plymouthswitched over to theoval version, they possiblyhad an excess of PB decals andwanted to use them up before movingon to the oval type. As we all know,Plymouth wasted nothing. This wouldn’tbe their first part holdover from aprevious model.Since I found a square outline of theoriginal decal on my PC aircleaner, I put on the PB decalafter repainting the bonnet ingloss black. I've included aphoto of the finished job.So, if you strip your air cleanerand find a square imprint or anoval imprint, I would put on thecorresponding shaped decal aswe will now recognize eitherdecal as being correct for 1933.I would also like to hear fromanybody replacing their aircleaner decal. If you could sendme your car’s serial number(VIN) and indicate whether youfound a square or oval decalimprint, I would appreciate it.And just an added item. Thereis some question as to what theoriginal air cleaner looked likefor a ‘33 PC or PD. The so-called “helmet-shaped”air cleaner in these photosis the only correct air cleaner for a 1933Plymouth regardless of body style. Ifyou don’t believe me, look it up in theside pocket manual. As the Rev.Standley used to say, “It’s in the book!”-- Robert Davis1933 Tech. TAdvisorPS: Your tech advisor has been feeling a littlebit older lately. Last October I wentdown to the mailbox to find a letter from thefederal government which,after I duly filledout the reply, I sent back to Canada Pensionsin Ottawa. In October of this year I willreceive my first Old Age Pension cheque.Holy smokes Batman, where has the timegone! Oh well, those who hear me on thephone say I don’t sound 65; many who meetme in person say I don’t look 65; and mywife Pat says I don’t act it either. Ouch!I’m ahead of you, Bob. I’ve been gettingthose cheques for almost a year now. -- LDK-25-