John Dunn

AWESOME looking truck! Transmission (3 speed) in my 38 has never been touched. It works good but needs double clutching and will still grind a bit if I try to shift quickly. I'm getting good at 3-2 downshift when slowing to make corners-- clutch in and shift into neutral while braking, rev engine just right with clutch out, clutch in, and it will slip into 2nd perfectly as I make corner. Couple questions-- I was just reading & talking running boards on the Facebook group. Are your running boards bare steel repo parts (with pattern like original rubber covering) painted / coated black? Looks great whatever they are! Seems like there is NO way to replace the original 1/4" thick original rubber covering? What is considered a "proper restoration"? The original steel running boards are plain. All the pattern / ribs are in the rubber and just covering originals with universal ribbed belting would not show the borders along edges and front /back. The originals as far as I can tell had to be made by injecting hot liquid rubber into a mold with the steel running board acting as the bottom of mold. The rubber bonded to steel running board surface (which is full of small holes) and they kept pumping rubber in until it squished out all these holes and formed little nubs to help locate and secure covering once cool? Also-- are your interior door panels original? I see they have the "3 line" horizontal trim markings like originals. I was under the impression that the repo liners were just plain flat stock without the lines? THANKS!

I recently got my 38 humpback Dodge panel on the road. Been in the family since near new and never been abandoned or restored. Brush paint job in the fifties and mechanical repairs but original and I'm the only one who has touched it since 1970. I've been to a few small local "car club" gatherings and find I don't have much in common with current collectors. It's pretty much all "as bought" street rods, customs, and muscle cars. Everybody asks---- what are you going to do with the old truck? When I say it's finished and all I'm going to do is drive it they don't get it. Finally found one old 30s Buick in original but restored condition and tried to talk "shop" with the guy. He didn't know much about the car, and nothing about the mechanical aspects. He bought it that way! Would like to find some similar vintage originals to hang out with!

Needed for 1938 humpback Dodge panel, but I think many late 30s Mopar trucks may be same----- I mostly need the mount / bracket, that bolts to firewall with 2 bolts, that the starter pedal goes through. (Piece in the round red circle) A complete assembly with mount, pedal, and spring would be even better! Also-- I'm using / driving with a good working starter but incorrect arm and jury rigged pedal from a donor pass car. Would buy a complete starter core to get correct arm like the one in picture. However, I only need the correct arm / bendix yoke to match clevis / pin on starter pedal as pictured. Thanks to Surf City for pic!

Great! Thanks. I looked at more Google pics for each year and 36-37-38 all seem to have it, a few 35s also maybe.

I've scrolled google images and can't find this for sure. About 7-1/2" long 2-1/2" tall. NOT diecast, non magnetic so---I think plated brass? Can someone tell me what year / application / location? Will be selling if something worthwhile. Thanks!

It's fixed! Compensating port was plugged. Can't believe I missed that when I had it apart a couple months ago. It's a stepped hole just in front of main rubber cup. Used .020" tip cleaner. The large part was ok but the orifice into cylinder bore was plugged with rusty crud. I think the reason it was affecting just the rear brakes is maybe because I replaced the front return springs A long time ago and they are marginally stronger than rear return springs? I'm a little concerned the NOS (but rock hard) check valve I used is not holding minimal pressure in lines as required to keep wheel cylinders cups sealed? When I bench primed master cylinder I turned it vertical and filled outlet port with brake fluid. Within a few seconds it leaks down and back into cylinder. Drove it 60 miles over the weekend and all seems good for now, maybe it seated better and is working. I'll keep my eyes on fluid level & signs of leakage at wheels. Thanks Rusty!

One thing to watch if you are swapping distributors-- check length of shaft where it drives off oil pump. There are 2 different lengths about 3/8" different. Might be the difference between the 23" & 25" engines??? Mine was missing but I had accumulated half a dozen thinking they are all the same. When I started putting things together only 2 of the ones I had would work.

Rusty OToole--- after pondering this for a few days I was seriously thinking the same thing that a potential ruptured hose lining "flap" must be the problem. Problem seems to be the rear brakes and I suspected the rubber hose from frame to axle so I cracked the fitting on the "upstream" side of that line. I got a little gush of fluid and brakes then released. I was driving today on the gravel road testing brakes hard and found I can skid rear tires but not the front. Front end of truck seems to dive a bit under braking and it really does seem to stop quick for 80 years old so I do believe front brakes are working OK. I've been baffled why it seems to affect / overheat just rear brakes and it has me thinking way WAY back. It's been decades but I think I might have had a broken shoe return spring back in the 70s and replaced a PAIR of springs. When I redid brakes a month ago it seemed I really had to struggle stretching a couple of those return springs back into position on shoes. I'm now thinking maybe I have new stronger return springs on the front? or maybe new incorrect or weaker springs on the rear? and that for whatever reason I'm retaining some pressure in lines it's affecting the rear only? Front drums do NOT seem to heat up or stick. I don't know if I understand completely the function of that check valve at front of master cylinder? I assumed it just holds fluid in lines at little or no pressure while one pumps brakes if needed to get stopped. IF------ it's holding a bit of pressure it might over power those weaker return springs for a while? Once a shoe starts dragging and things get hot, I agree, the fluid expands and compounds the problem. I'll double check the pedal rod to master cylinder but I'm pretty sure I have some free play there. I've obtained a master cylinder kit from eBay since getting this thing on the road again. Will pull master cylinder and install kit tomorrow.

It sat for 35 years and I had to lightly hammer the wheel cylinder pistons to get them out but it was all redone a month ago when I got it running again and I've been driving it daily, including today. I thought at first I maybe had shoes adjusted out a bit too far and they were dragging and heating up drums so I just backed off adjusters a bit, made sure nothing's dragging, tried again and still same problem.

Don't know where your at? I'm in North Minnesota. I bought, (and pulled it myself) the entire drivetrain except rear axle from an interior gutted 41 Plymouth 4 door that was destined for a street rod project. I potentially needed engine and / or accessories for my 38 Dodge Humpback that was missing parts. My engine is the 25" and was made good! I ended up using starter, generator, throttle linkage, possibly the distributer and water pump from the 41 Plymouth. I have the 23" 41 Plymouth block sitting in shop with head off. I had tried to start it before pulling it from body, got a few cylinders to fire, but no go. It was NOT stuck and has very little ring ridge, valves all look intact and no signs of water sitting inside engine. Would make you a deal on the 41 Plymouth parts I have.

I put new brakes in my 38 Dodge RC 35 years ago ( but not many miles) and recently redid them with new lines and hoses. Honed master & wheel cylinders, cleaned, flushed, and bled everything, good pedal, adjusted both adjusters on all shoes, and brakes seem to work good. Shoes are NOT dragging! I can roll it back and forth on level concrete with just a light one handed push. HOWEVER--- After a few miles and several brake applications I can feel a little drag and rear drums especially are HOT to the touch. Pedal seems to loose its normal free play and when I stop I can NOT roll truck by hand. Cracking a line at the "T" on rear axle gives a squirt of fluid and then it will roll again easily. Also sitting overnight it rolls easily again. I'm thinking that "old" check valve in the master cylinder has to be the culprit holding too much pressure in the lines? Anyone ever dealt with anything similar? Any suggestions?

If there were such a chart I wouldn't trust it! Fitting bushings is not rocket science. All you need is the bushings pressed into place and the shaft that needs to fit. Best done with Sunnen honing equipment. The fit on piston pin bushings is something like .0003" to .0005" and is easy to hit. Model A king pin bushings are a good example, at one time you could buy a reamer specifically marked for that job. It's long and has a pilot section to slip through the far bushing for alignment. If you were to simply buy a plain reamer of correct size it would not pilot on the other bushing and the job would be no good even if you reamed bushings to correct size individually. Expansion Reamers can work ok in some cases but don't think you can just set them to size and go at it. They will bind, stick, catch, cut oversize, break blades, and plug up. It takes some practice and feel to achieve anything useful with them. Most experienced machinists will avoid them if at all possible. There are "adjustable" Reamers with a wedge screw in the end that allow a thousandth or two blade flex to customize fit and they do work better than the blade type.

I found reference in one of my old books for cold setting spec, believe I went with .010" and .014". It runs great, I've put 150 miles on it. maybe just a bit of clack from one valve when just off idle that seems to go away once warmed up.

The jack in the original 1937 ad, and the 3 offered, look identical to a couple 70s-80s vintage Ford pickup jacks I have laying around. Junkyards maybe crushed a lot of them with vehicles but if they saved some I would take a look at what they have. Or look at jacks on eBay, sort by "lowest price including shipping". I bet you can have one at your door for $20. The crank handles that stored behind the seat didn't fold up so are an expensive pain to ship, the car handles did fold for trunk storage.

Yes, that's it exactly. The one I'm using is a triangular 3 bolt mounting that I have sort of 2 bolted in a position to function. Looks all wrong but I've not modified firewall so if I can find this piece I can make things right. Guess I need the starter arm too! I see your # and may give a call to swap notes.