Hudsy Wudsy

I don't know if this is relevant, but Chevrolet went to insert bearings in '49(?), or thereabouts.

I wouldn't want anybody who didn't know better to think that there was anything passive about what is sometimes called "splash" oiling. Even at idle speed, those dippers on the rod caps slam into the oil in the windage tray with remarkable force, driving the oil up through small grooves in the bearing surface thoroughly and effectively. Oil has other duties besides lubricating, cooling for instance. I think that the issue with the Chevrolets might have been that at high rpms the oil wasn't able to keep the bearing surface cool enough. I wish now that I had never brought up the subject - soon someone will write that Ford flatheads should only be driven on even number days and not faster than 20 mph.

Aaron65, when you say it doesn't like it, are specifically talking about the engine winding too high, or does the very heavy/soft suspension and steering make you feel uneasy?

I was afraid that my thoughts might provoke just such a response. That's simply a ridiculous thing to say! Just try to keep a Hudson, Buick or Packard under 50 mph. I can only assume that your father owned some very high miles Hudsons!

Guys, if you don't mind, I'll throw in a small caveat to owners of vintage Chevrolets. I remember that it was often said of Chevrolet babbitt bearing sixes that you could drive them all day at 60 mph, but drive for any length of time at 65 mph and you would burn out the bearings. Of course that wasn't an absolute, and most likely it was an exaggeration, but it wouldn't have been often said if it wasn't at least sometimes true. I don't wish to pick on Chevrolets or their fans for no particular reason here. I just mention it so that their owners should be aware that their specific make, in particular, may suffer from too many rpms over too long a period of time. I've heard it speculated that the rods, and consequently, their bearing surfaces could have been wider to help dissipate the heat better, but I'm not really sure if that's true or not. I can also recall someone once saying that the weight of their cast iron pistons played a role, but, again, I'm not knowledgeable enough to begin to have a guess. I don't want to imply for a moment that Chevrolets of this era were defective when driven at the predominant speeds of the day, or occasionally pressed for additional speed. Engine wear and oil weight, temperature and quality would all play a critical role in this type of bearing failure. I also don't wish to imply that there is any inherent weakness in babbitt bearings or splash fed oiling in general. There are far too many examples of powerful, long life engines for that to be true. I only politely encourage Chevrolet owners to consider inquiring of other knowledgeable Chevrolet owners (perhaps on Chevrolet club sites) what they feel are the limitations, if any, of their otherwise dependable, and well respected engines.

These nice folks will sell individuals, I'm sure. http://www.northwesternautosupply.com/

If I owned it, I would gladly drive this Desoto around with reasonabley cheap Dodge tail lights on it until the Desoto one's showed up one day.

Well, Dave, I guess that I did mean that it was a Plymouth in the sense that Plymouth passenger car wheels came on Dodge trucks from the factory. I suppose that they could technically be called Ply car, and Dodge and Ply truck wheels. I'd be curious to know if any early production Dodge trucks came from the factory with the "no where sturdy enough" Dodge passenger car wheels. I'm sure that the factory found out early on that the Dodge wheels weren't even satisfactory for car, much less light trucks.

I apologize for having to ask you this, but, No,what?

I want to add to my last post that I don't mean to state that the Dodge wheels were made of inferior materials. Their tendency to bend easily was just about the nearly flat mounting surface, where it mated with the hub. They weren't any more likely to bend at the bead than any other wheel offered on Chrysler products. I knew an older gentleman who made a jig out of a jack and an extra front hub just so that he could straighten his '36 Dodge wheels annually. To broaden the discussion a little further, apparently Dodge trucks of this era may have come with seventeen inch wheels originally. That was news to me at the time of this other thread: http://forums.aaca.org/showthread.php?t=346188&p=1138799#post1138799

This beautiful wheel is Dodge only. It doesn't have hole for a positioning pin, as it uses lug studs (in the hub) and lug nuts (not bolts). I can recall seeing these on Plymouths years ago, but to mount them on a Plymouth required breaking off the positioning pin on the hub with a sledge hammer. I've stated before in other posts that Dodge wheels lack the substantial reinforcing gussets between the lug holes that the Plymouth wheels came with and as a result they are very easily bent. I'm sure that is why Dodge trucks always came with Ply passenger cars wheels. I've known some people to refer to these as fourteen spoke and the Plymouth wheels as ten spoke.

This is a correct Plymouth wheel mounted on a Plymouth hub with correct Plymouth lug bolts. You'll note the wheel has holes for the positioning pin (look closely) that only Plymouth used.

I'll add my two cents here and say that there a some of us who truly enjoy original cars, flaws and all. This doesn't look like a car that ever needed restoring. What a beautiful original interior! I would strive to get as close a paint match as I could for the fenders, get it running and enjoy it pretty much the way it is. My point being that, in the eyes of some of us, this isn't just a pile of parts that needs "complete restoring" and the interior doesn't necessarily "of course needs redone". Advertise it as for $3,200 and see what those who inquire about it have to say. Does the engine rotate, or is it stuck? Are the broken parts of the grille still there? There are skilled welders that can do wonders.

They seem to always expect us few penny-conscious restorers to finance their ill conceived dreams of hot rod glory.

I might suggest Windy Hill Auto Parts or French Lake Auto Parts. Both are massive yards in MN which send parts all over the world. http://www.windyhillautoparts.com/ http://www.frenchlakeautoparts.com/

Funny deal. The listing says it was posted 12 days ago, yet when I click on "reply" nothing happens. Sorry to wasted anyone's time.

First of all, I know nothing about this Craigslist offering. It's just something that I stumbled across. I thought I'd post it here to see if it's anything that one of you might have an interest in checking out. http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/pts/4879510803.html

Hupp36, I'm sorry that was my fault. I responded without paying enough attention to who I was responding to.

Contact them again. They're nice folks, but like anyone, capable of making mistakes.

These very nice folks have a very large supply of vintage auto parts. They might be worth a try. http://www.northwesternautosupply.com/

Someone is selling a book on Ebay titled "Keeping Up With Your Motor Car". It dates to 1917. That, alone, isn't very important, but I thought that a couple of you might get a chuckle out of one page in particular that the seller highlighted in his listing. It's about tire repairs on the road and it shows some available devices to get you moving again: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-Book-KEEPING-UP-WITH-YOUR-MOTOR-CAR-1917-A-Frederick-Collins-RARE-/171657081478?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27f78f3286

Someone is selling a 17" artillery on ebay that they indicate is for a Dodge. I'm familiar with the 17" Ply wheels and the different 16" wheels for Chrysler products, but I've wondered what Dodge 17'' wheels looked like. Is this correctly described as a Dodge wheel? If so, would this be for '33 and '34? http://www.ebay.com/itm/1930s-17-Dodge-Mopar-Artillery-Wheel-Hot-Street-Rat-Rods-/351293394029?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Wheels&hash=item51cab7cc6d&vxp=mtr

In regards to importing a car like this, is there any complication in that it doesn't have a title?

I'm sure that you're 100% right about slow. Even though the Dodges had six cylinder engines, rather than Divco's four, they probably both had rear ends geared for creeping down alleys. The Divcos are cute, too, but the Dodge grill on the snub nose front end is delightful, isn't it?