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27 Dodge Brothers Touring


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I am looking a purchasing a 27 Dodge Brother's touring, but I do not know how to diferentiate on wheather the vehicle is a "Sports Touring" or the standard touring. My father had one it was Blue on the engine cowl top, with a black band and then yellow sides, with red steel wheels I was lead to belive this was an original paint scheme but could find no mention of it in my research. Also the distributor is located on top of the head in the middle, two spark plugs on each side, where as the one I am looking at has the distributor on the pasanger side, and the carborator is located on the drivers side where as in my father car it was located on the pasanger side. The dash on my fathers had the instruments (white with black printing) all enclosed in one large triangle, where as the other has white dials in a triangle center location but not all enclosed. Both have one piece windshields. Both have flat back head lights, (not bullet in shape). The Car I am looking at has small lights close to the windshield, where as my father's car did not have this feature. Can any one educate me on the diferences, are both cars 27 models despite the diferences? I know that in the 27 model year they changed to five bearings on the crankshaft from three but do both engines have this feature, despite their diferences?<P>I think I have asked enought for my first time! Look forward to a response.<P>Best Regards,<BR>Brian D. LeBlanc<BR>Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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Guest leadfoot

Brian -<BR>Answering your private message, I have no idea what car your father had. What you describe in terms of paint scheme and engine configuration doesn't fit with any DBs of the mid to late 20s that I've seen. But, your father's car may have had paint origins in some commercial car use and possibly had a replacement engine.<P>The DB touring that you are looking to buy seems to have the general characteristics of the 1927s. However, for what is considered "1927", DB had three model introductions - July 1926, Series 126 in Jan. 1927, and Series 124 in March 1927. Within each of these introductions, DB had the Standard, Special, DeLuxe model lines and the Sport open cars. The five main bearing engine looks to have been introduced in July 1926.<P>Compounding this confusing series and model mix is the fact that cars tended to be dubbed with a year when they were first registered as new in a particular state. <P>The Sport open car models had the nickel plated radiator shell and interesting body colors like Pheasant Green with the usual black fenders and splash aprons. The tops were some type of Hartz cloth material that was tan rather than the usual black water repellent flexible topping. <P>To put your search for a DB comparable to what you knew as a kid into modern automotive marketing parlance - "This is NOT your father's Old......." (oops) Dodge. And probably never will be.

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looked at a neighbor's 27 coupe today. his motor has distributer on top, carb on passenger side, a real starter on driver's side. engine looks very simaler to regular 4 cylinder except for these things. his engine number starts with D. his gauges, light switch, and ignition switchare allin the center of the dash on a raised oval about 4X8 inches. hope this helps your confusion.

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Guest leadfoot

OK - looking at the Mechanics' Instruction Manual, supposedly covers DBs through serial number A-900,000, or late April, early May 1927. None of the pictures of 4 cyl. DBs is like what you are describing. So this could be a later C (5 mains) engine version. I know that later in 1927 DB introduced a 4 cyl. with four engine mounts (supports). But I doubt that they changed the location of the carb and distributor, since they dumped the four shortly afterward.<P>However, the C engines pictured (called two unit engines = starter & generator) have the carb and vacuum tank on the driver's side. Plus the starter motor is mounted behind the carb attached to the flywheel housing.<P>The intake manifold with air cleaner is on the passenger side. But there's an air tube between clys. 2 and 3 leading to the updraft carb on the other side of the engine. The generator is mounted under the intake manifold and the distributor is just behind the fan belt mounted on a casting in front of the water pump. So the water punp and generator run on an auxillary shaft from the distributor casting. What is on top of the engine head at the front is the ignition coil.<P>So, it could be that you are looking at the air cleaner as the carb and the coil as the distributor.<P>My DB (late '22) has the traditional "single unit" engine (starter/generator combo) with an upgraded C engine intake manifold and air cleaner. I did this to get the DB air cleaner on the car. This apparently happened quite a bit back in the mid 20s, because I've seen a factory service bulletin that addresses changing carb needle valves when adding the air cleaner and later manifold to earlier cars.

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The engine in the 27 coupe happens to be a fast 4 as they had the carb on the passenger side distribator on top. This engine had the 4 mount system. <BR>The fathers touring was probably a fast four with a custom paint, the dash described would match the fast 4. <P> shocked.gif" border="0

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Thanks for all the input, I do have pictures of both engines, if you would like to see them just e-mail me directly at bdlcma@telusplanet.net and I will send you dash and engine pictures.<P>Thanks again,<BR>BDL.<BR>Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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According to my research, the change in the engine didn't make it a fast four, it was more of a change in the rear end. Dodge was known for releasing engineering changes as they happened instead of waiting for a model year (just ask anyone who has a 1931 Dodge, there were 6 different transmission changes issued that year. Kind of makes it hard to find parts). In the 1928 models (built in late 1927) a taller rear end was put in a redesigned body for the 4 cylinder to get 60 mph out of it. The 1928 model 128, usually called the "fast four", used the updated, and still labeled model 124 motor. This late (and final) release of the model 124 motor did have the distributor onto of the cylinder block, plus the carb on the lower left side, along with a few other changes, but you could find this motor on 1927 models not known as the the "fast four". These changes are mentioned in the Dodge Brothers Mechanics' Instruction Manual printed around January or so, 1927. The "fast four" didn't come out until June, 1927 and was called a 1928. If your car has the distributor on the top but the top speed is still only around 50 mph, you probably do not have the <BR>"fast four". The mechanics manual lists the months in which each car number range was produced. If you do not have the manual, post your car number (found on the plate on the toe board) and I will let you know what the manual states.

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Jeez, I re-read my comments and my typing and directions are horrible this morning.<P>My corrections are:<P>The distributor is on top of the head.<BR>The carb is on the RIGHT side, just above the water pump shaft.<P>By the way, the mechanics manual states the distributor and carb changes occuring after car number A875-380. After A875-380 Dodge started mixing many of the features between the Graham Brothers trucks and the Dodge Brothers cars, such as steering gear, transmission, etc.

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