Aussie 8
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Thanks David. I thought I had deleted this post when I reposted it with further additions.
On the cars first major shakedown run from Brisbane to Federal we had problems with overheating but this has been solved I think. The water pump was leaking but the main problem was water being forced out the overflow. This has been resolved with a different thermostat which slows the flow rate of the water through the block.
It has a new radiator of the correct honeycombe type . When I pulled down the original engine the water jacket around the two rear cylinders was absolutely choked up with what looked like cement and as a result water flow was almost non existant. The original block needed replacing as corrosion had eaten away from the inside right through the block to the outside.
I have found our car very nice to drive, and as you said it has plenty of torque but I feel that it is undergeared. What did you find a comfortable cruising speed to be?
I am still running the car in but the engine has freed up considerably since it's first run. To date we have not driven over about 45 to 50 MPH. I don't know what diff ratio is in the car but I do know that several ratios were available when new. Mine does not have the original diff as several teeth were missing off the crown wheel.
I do have most of the parts, or have had them remade or recast however I was unable to locate the correct side lights and brackets and have installed a set of Graham Paige side lights. Same maker and same glasses but slightly different in the construction and width of the support brackets.
I am also missing the entire controls from the centre of the steering wheel...Horn, throttle, light switch and the pipes that go through the steering column. Do you happen to have any of these parts? Cheers and thanks. Jim. mini1132@yahoo.com.au
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Latest news on the Dodge.
We had it running and ready for it's first Dodge Brothers Australasia rally to Federal in NSW. It was going to be a good shakedown run, a round trip of 600 or so Km.
The car was running beautifully. Smooth, torquey, comfortable, except for the rain in an open car not yet fitted with a hood, but we did have problems. The water pump was leaking and we had occasional fuel starvation but the final problem was when the distributor rotor disintegrated after about 150 Km. Wolf and I were driving the car and Lee and Barb were following in our daily driver.
We phoned a friend of Wolf's who had a 6 cylinder rotor which he was able to modify. This got us back to his workshop on the Gold Coast but we decided not to risk going any further. It was also raining very heavilly by this time so the weekend was called off.
Since then we have a new rotor and distributor cap, a new seal has been put into the water pump plus a new thermostat and the fuel pump dismantled and checked. It had been rekitted previously. It is still starving for fuel and it isn't the non original carburettor causing the problem. A new pump is being looked into or possibly an electric pump to feed into the mechanical fuel pump.
On the positive side I now have a Fedco plate for the car. Needless to say it isn't the original one but it will look the part.
Jim
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Hi Ian.
You have been doing a really great job on your car. Hope to see it at the Dodge Brothers Centenary in Forbes next year.
I'm planning to get down there with the DC8.
Keep up the good work!
Cheers
Jim.
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G'day Stewart. G'day to all the others who have emailed me or posted positive comments on the Dodge DC8. Thanks for the comments. They are really appreciated and make the effort (and expense) worthwhile.
Last week I had a great achievement! I was able to get a radiator badge/emblem for the car after many years of searching. At some stage it was stolen, together with the Fedco plate from the dash. A badge collector, and Dodge Brothers owner, from South Australia thought it would look better on a car than in his collection! I agreed with him. Prior to this the only other one I saw was at a Toowoomba swap meet. The seller was asking $800. I passed up on this offer.
Jim
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Almost there. Still needs some more work and a hood to be sorted then registration and on the road!
Cheers.
Jim
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And here are a few more of the car advancing along to completion.
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And now for the pictures.
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Continuation of my original posting which is probably still running around in cyberspace.
We decided to have Wolf Grodd and his men at Sleeping Beauties in Brisbane continue with the restoration.
The car and all the pieces were picked up and taken to the workshop at Moorooka in Brisbane then work began in earnest.
Not everything went smoothly but the results to date are amazing and far better than I could have done. The body was taken off the chassis again, cleaned up and resurfaced and the bare chassis was repainted. The initial idea was to paint the car as it was first delivered. Black with a hideous peacock green moulding and gold pin striping. Many people suggested that it could be painted in brighter art deco colours more suited to an open roadster of the period. We trolled the internet looking for similar styles of cars and eventually decided on 1931 Cadillac colours.
Some purists may not agree with this but everyone seems to like the two green scheme we chose. Australian bodied cars could be ordered in colours chosen by the customer as production of these cars was minimal compared with US and Canadian production.
Some time ago I had new wheels made up in spotted gum. These had been varnished but once again we sucumbed to others ideas and had the wheels painted in the body colour. We have no regrets and think it looks great. The standard black tyres were also replaced with new white walls.
A new radiator was made, an electrical wiper motor replaced the original vacuum unit in the interests of safety, and the spare tyre became rear mounted. When new the car was equipped with two side mounted spares. When the car was uted during the war the tyre wells were welded up, and the entire vehicle painted in light grey.
I did try a Dodge carby from the period to replace the Holden fitted when I bought the Dodge but it was even more asthmatic. It now has a 35mm Zenith from a Commer truck and runs very sweetly. As a side, the car, now a ute, (pick up or bakkie) ran throughout the war with a charcoal burner as petrol was unobtainable.
We discovered that the engine was badly corroded from the inside of the block to the exterior and was past reliable salvage. It also had .019" taper in the bores. As a result another block was sourced, new pistons made, new bearings poured and so it should be as good as new again.
I know the history of the car from new. That is quite a story in itself. Essentially it has had a hard working life and saw 40 years of service on the road before becoming a farm truck and then a paddock basher. It's metamorposis is now almost complete. Mr Ashburn, the second ownwer said that it had done about 400,000 miles.(650,000 Km.)
I did take some photos of the car on a box Brownie when I first bought it but the images have completely faded over time. The attached photos show a little more of the restoration process and the results to date.
The car is drivable but not yet registered. Wolf and I took it to a concours in June where it was runner up in peoples' choice. We were really chuffed! It also indicates the quality of the work done at Sleeping Beauties. While our car will never be there some of Sleeping Beauties have been on the podium at Pebble Beach. Their web site gives a lot of information and shows cars, including the Dodge, throughout the restoration process.
I will post more pictures when the project is complete.
Jim
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[ATTACH=CONFIG]211570[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]211571[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]211572[/ATTACH]In 2010 I started a thread on my old Dodge in The new "Current Projects" forum which now seems to have fallen out of use so I will continue on this forum.
About 40 years ago my late dad, a stock and station agent came across a very sorry looking uted Dodge Brothers DC 8 on a farm not far from where I lived at the time.
The ute body had been partly burnt, the remains of the hood were in tatters and broken bows, the upholstery consisted of a banana case for the driver.
It was missing rear mud guards, petrol tank, side lights and brackets. The wooden artilery wheels were in poor condition and had a crow bar jammed through one to stop it running away. It was also fitted with a pair of chains. More on this later. It looked a sorry sight but it did run in a sort of a way but it was an 8 cylinder vehicle so I bought it for a nominal amount and hoped to find the necessary parts to restore it.
The fuel tank consisted of a one gallon oil drum wired to the firewall which fed the petrol by gravity to a late 40's to early 50's Holden carburettor. Although the motor ran it wasn't drivable. The gear box and bell housing was split wide open. This had happened on it's final journey which was taking a tank of water up a hill to feed livestock during a drought. The owner's kids were driving it in second gear up a steep hill when the chains hit an area of smooth rock. The wheels started to spin, under full load in second, with a big weight on board until the chains once again gripped the earth and resulted in the total destruction of the gearbox and bell housing.
I pulled the engine down, fitted new multi segment rings to a seriously tapered bore after repairing a broken piston. I fitted the now welded up bell housing to a DeSoto K gearbox and was able to drive it again.
Over the years I was able to get most of the parts I needed through friends and contacts as well as regular forays to swap meets. The biggest sucess was getting a T J Richards roadster for it. The remains of a car had been left in the open on a farm since the war. I don't know what make it was as the front section was missing, but it had a Richards body that could be repaired and modified to fit. I did eventually get an original type gear box and another gearbox.
Over the following years work progressed slowly, marriage, a young family, transfers away with work, building a house, initially and later followed by our aging parents needs, and sorting out my dad's farm all took toll on my time. The car had also been stolen and retrieved in this period. At last I was starting to make headway with the project when out of the blue I became seriously ill and spent two years in and out of hospital and recovering. I was told that I may not be able to drive or walk up stairs
again. This news was the catalyst for my wife and I to get the car finished professionaly.
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In 2010 I started a thread on my old Dodge in The new "Current Projects" forum which now seems to have fallen out of use so I will continue on this forum.About 40 years ago my late dad, a stock and station agent came across a very sorry looking uted Dodge Brothers DC 8 on a farm not far from where I lived at the time.
The ute body had been partly burnt, the remains of the hood were in tatters and broken bows, the upholstery consisted of a banana case for the driver.
It was missing rear mud guards, petrol tank, side lights and brackets. The wooden artilery wheels were in poor condition and had a crow bar jammed through one to stop it running away. It was also fitted with a pair of chains. More on this later. It looked a sorry sight but it did run in a sort of a way but it was an 8 cylinder vehicle so I bought it for a nominal amount and hoped to find the necessary parts to restore it.
The fuel tank consisted of a one gallon oil drum wired to the firewall which fed the petrol by gravity to a late 40's to early 50's Holden carburettor. Although the motor ran it wasn't drivable. The gear box and bell housing was split wide open. This had happened on it's final journey which was taking a tank of water up a hill to feed livestock during a drought. The owner's kids were driving it in second gear up a steep hill when the chains hit an area of smooth rock. The wheels started to spin, under full load in second, with a big weight on board until the chains once again gripped the earth and resulted in the total destruction of the gearbox and bell housing.
I pulled the engine down, fitted new multi segment rings to a seriously tapered bore after repairing a broken piston. I fitted the now welded up bell housing to a DeSoto K gearbox and was able to drive it again.
Over the years I was able to get most of the parts I needed through friends and contacts as well as regular forays to swap meets. The biggest sucess was getting a T J Richards roadster for it. The remains of a car had been left in the open on a farm since the war. I don't know what make it was as the front section was missing, but it had a Richards body that could be repaired and modified to fit. I did eventually get an original type gear box and another gearbox.
Over the following years work progressed slowly, marriage, a young family, transfers away with work, building a house, initially and later followed by our aging parents needs, and sorting out my dad's farm all took toll on my time. The car had also been stolen and retrieved in this period. At last I was starting to make headway with the project when out of the blue I became seriously ill and spent two years in and out of hospital and recovering. I was told that I may not be able to drive or walk up stairs
again. This news was the catalyst for my wife and I to get the car finished professionaly.
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I am very impressed with the work you did on your Dodge's emblem.
I have a DC8 roadster which is almost finished after about 40 years and many setbacks along the way.. At some time in it's life the DC8 emblem was stolen, and also the Fedco plate so at least you had a start on me. Believe me they are thin on the ground but I have one on the way now.
What condition and body style is your Dodge DC8?
I'm hoping to get a few pictures up on the site soon.
Cheers.
Jim
1930 Dodge DC8 Richards roadster.
1961/2 Morris Mini 850
1974 Landrover ex military 6 cylinder (farm work horse)
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G'day from Australia.
About 1954 my grandmother and I were going in to the city (Brisbane Qld.) when she saw an old car on a car sales lot in Logan Road.. It was being used as an attention getter by Handasydes Holden dealership.
We got off the tram and went over to the car. My grandmother said it was the same as my great grandfather had in the early 1900's.
She asked if the salesman would take me for a short drive in it. He said he couldn't drive it but said that if grandma wanted to she could take me for a drive, which she did.
From that moment I was smitten by old cars. I can't recall what model it was but it made a lasting impression on me. I remember especially the wooden front axle, it's height and sound.
I have had several old cars in my time and have just about finished a very long and complete restoration of a 1930 Dodge Brothers 8 cylinder roadster from an absolute basket case.
I often wonder what happened to that little Brush that made such an impression on me as a 9 or 10 year old boy.
I'm pleased to see people out in their old cars, and suggest that we should encourage the young people of today by taking time to show our cars to them and talk to them about our cars. They are the future custodians of our cars and the future of our passion.
Cheers.
Jim
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Carlos.
A source for parts in Australia is <www.vintageandclassicreproductions.com> I believe they also have distributors in the United States.
They definitely have radiator caps.
Jim
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G'day Carlos.
Good luck with your restoration.
I have a 1930 Dodge Bros. DC8. It was a real basket case but is now back on the road but not completed. It has an Australian made roadster body built by T J Richards in Adelaide.
I do have a Dodge master parts list from 1929 to 1939. It has a lot of illustrations which was a great help to me during the renovations. If you need details of any particular parts or assemblies I could scan and send on to you.
Jim
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Ben.
I have a 1930 Dodge Brothers DC 8, now almost completely restored.
When I first bought the vehicle I stripped and cleaned the engine, repaired a piston, gave in a valve grind and re ringed it.
The rear part of the engine block was totally blocked up....Almost as if it had been filled with cement. The cylinder head was also badly rusted internally with the water galleries from the block to the head blocked up.
After removing the Welch plugs I cleaned this out using screwdrivers, welding rods, etc. then using a high pressure water blaster and compressed air to blast out the residue. I also used a hammer to tap the head to loosen heavy flakes of rust.
On reassembly and running there was a slight seepage from the block from the area of the casting seam above the rear two cylinder barrels. Above the starter motor. Initially I thought it could be repaired by welding, plating, or drilling and plugging. (metal stitching). On close observation and test drilling it was discovered that about 200mm (8") of the block wall was little more than paper thin. The block was beyond salvage.
I was lucky. I was able to source another block. They are very scarce!
The radiator core was also leaking and badly blocked so I had it recored using a new core from New Zealand.
There is no water distribution tube in the DC's block. This was a modification and an alteration to the castings in later series. A tube can not be fitted.
Last weekend, 15/6/2013 the car was driven to a car show. It completed the 20 Km round trip without any problems.
I hope this information assists you. Good luck with it.
Jim
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Hi All. I am back on line.
Not long after my last post above I became seriously ill and ended up spending a long time in hospital and even more time recovering.
At one stage I was told that I probably wouldn't be able to drive again. This didn't occur but my wife and I decided to bite the bullet and have the car finished by the professionals.
As it turned out I am now quite OK and could continue the restoration but the job being done by Wolf Grood and his workers is far superior to anything I could achieve. Also after a two year absence from my farm there is a lot of catching up to do.
The restoration has gone quite smoothly overall and the workmanship is absolutely great. Progress pictures can be seen at the Sleeping Beauties, Brisbane web site under "current restorations".
The major hold up was with the engine. Even though I had it running there was what appeared to be a slight crack on the left hand side of the block above the starter motor. Alas the slight crack was far worse than it first appeared. The block was badly corroded internally and the metal thickness was less than a millimetre for most of the block's length. Another engine was needed.
I was able to source a block about 3 hours drive away. I was very lucky as Dodge 8 cylinder engines are very rare in Australia. The block was bored and 2 cylinders sleeved, new pistons made all new bearings poured and crankshaft ground so it should now be as good as new.
My original intention was to paint the car black with green inserts and mouldings as original. Perhaps i would have modified the green. The original was a bilious looking colour. Nearly everyone thought I should have a period art deco colour scheme. In the end my wife and I plus Wolf and his men decided on two tone green as used on a 1931 Cadillac. The upholstery will be tan.
Unable to locate a roadster seat we traveled to Bendigo and bought a seat from a 1930 DD sedan that was being hot rodded. They aren't the same but can be modified to be the same. Definitely an improvement on the banana case that was there when I took it on nearly 40 years ago.
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Some 30 plus years ago my late dad, a stock and station agent, told me about a car he saw on a farm. It was a 1930 Dodge Brothers DC. 8 cylinder. It had been uted and was in a terrible state having been used as a paddock basher by the original owners grandchildren.
The ute body was partly burnt. A wooden spoked artillery wheel was partly collapsed, the gearbox was split open and in the process had smashed the bell housing. The upholstery consisted of a banana case. Petrol tank was a one gallon oil drum sending fuel via gravity to the early model Holden carburettor. No fuel tank. A lot of rust. Left front guard badly mangled. No rear guards. No side lights. It was a sorry sight sitting on the side of a hill with rusted chains on the back wheels and a crow bar jammed through the spokes of one wheel to prevent it from rolling away.
I made enquiries at the local antique car club and was told initially that Dodge never made an 8 cylinder car at that time so I knew it was rare. They said it must have had another engine put into it. I knew this wasn't the case as Dodge Brothers Eight was cast into the manifold and it had a Dodge 8 badge across the radiator.
I bought it for a minimal amount and trailered it out to my dad's farm together with part of a roadster body. I tried to start the engine. It did run but on 7 and half cylinders.
I took it then to a friends house and started working on it. I pulled the engine down and found one of the pistons had a lump out of it, had the piston rebuilt, ground the valves, and had it running. I I did meet the son in law of the first owner who said the engine should be OK. "Elizabeth" he said. "I was doing up the engine and listening to the queen's coronation at the same time." That was in 1954.
He said it done about 400,000 miles and had been a good car. It had been uted in 1939 when fuel for private cars was difficult to get, and later still was run on a charcoal burner.
I was now married and transferred interstate with my work. I took it out to my dad's farm and left it in the shed.
It was then stolen from the farm but I was able to relocate it and get it back. No further work had been done on it. I only found it as a friend recognised a part from it left at the gate of the farm where it had been taken which was only about 5 miles away.
I was determined to restore it again one day. On a trip back to my parents I heard of a wreck out in the bush that had been sitting in the open since the war and it had a T.J.Richards body like the original. It wasn't a Dodge but the body was almost the same and could be modified to fit. I don't know what make the donor car was. It had an Essex 4 cylinder engine bolted in with lots of angle iron forming a frame. The radiator and bonnet had gone. The guards were different and the rear wheels had been wires. It had also been vandalised and was of course very rusty. I took it out to the farm.
Many years later I returned back to Brisbane, brought the car from the farm and started work again. I adapted a 6 cylinder gearbox and bell housing to fit, and took it for a short drive down the street.
I am now working on it again in earnest. I have now retired and have a bit more time.
The donor body has been straightened and the lower section replaced all round. I have managed to get a proper bell housing and gearbox. A new radiator has been made. At a swap meet I bought some tourer guards. I have modified them to fit.
I now have most of the parts to finish the restoration. It is looking pretty good with the body sitting on top of the chassis at last. Wheels have been remade and new tyres fitted. I can now see light at the end of the tunnel!
When finished I will have a nice drivable car, and quite a rare car too. It will have been a challenge but will be worthwhile.
To those out there that feel like giving up on a restoration. Don't. With access to the Internet and so many clubs and helpful people out there almost anything can be done. 30 to 40 years ago it couldn't.
Jim Haydon <mini1132@yahoo.com.au>
1930 Dodge Brothers DC 8. Richards bodied roadster
1961 Morris Mini.
</mini1132@yahoo.com.au>
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I have a T J Richards bodied 1930 roadster. I have never been able to find a chassis number or a body number on the vehicle. The Fedco plate (and radiator badge) had been removed prior to me getting the car remains.
The car did have DR 13 stamped (Burnt) into the main lengthwise piece of timber running the length of the body on the passenger (left) hand side. This was just under the seat.
Can anyone throw any light on this number please. Someone suggested this would possibly be a Richards reference number. ..... Dodge roadster no. 13.
Many thanks. Jim
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G'day Ted.
I had a similar problem with my Dodge (1930 DC 8 Cylinder). The amount of scale in an engine block is incredible. In my case the scale in the cylinder head had clogged most of the waterways and the radiator.
My suggestion is to remove the Welch plugs and continue like you are doing with the wire. Taking out the plugs gives better access. Also tap the block with a light hammer while completely dry. This will free up additional scale. Clean out with a vacuum cleaner and/or compressed air. The final step is cleaning out the block with a heavy duty water pressure cleaner. It will be more successful doing this while the cylinder head is off. Take care to seal around the valves so water doesn't get into valve guides and valve chambers but spray with WD40 or similar on completion.
On reassembly install a filter in the radiator hose. Suggest replacing plugs with steel and not brass. Galvanic reaction between different metals can lead to further corrosion and scaling
Cheers.
Jim
1930 Dodge Bros DC8
1961 Morris 850
1973 Land Rover 6 Cylinder Series 3 ex military LWB
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Hi K9rick.
Peter Jackson in Sydney, Australia, makes this panel up. I don't have his address with me as I am in England. If I find it iI will post it on.
I was thinking of getting one for my Dodge Brothers DC (Eight Cyl.1930). Sorry I can't remember the price he quoted.
Jim
1930 Dodge DC8
1961 Morris Mini
1975 Landrover 6 cyl Military.
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Not on a Buick but on a Dodge Brothers 1930 DC 8
Having just had a new radiator made I decided to clean out the block and head.
Firstly removed welch plugs. (core plugs,freeze plugs.) Removed cylinder head. (in my case a side valve). Loosen all the scale and rust I could with a thick wire and blow out with compressed air. I then used a power washer and blasted all the muck I could.
After it had dried out a lot of scale was still visible.
I then carefully tapped the head (in particular) with a hammer and was suprised just how much rust came out. At least a dustpan full!
If this was left in it would have surely compromised the effectiveness of the new radiator.
Good Luck.
Jim
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G'day Sam.
I can't help you much with your parts, but may be able to help with any queries you have as I am into the restoration of a 1930 Dodge Brothers DC 8.
I do have a mate who has a DeSoto 8 about the same vintage. His is a sedan.
My car was an absolute basket case and it has taken me years to source parts I needed but now have most of what I need.
My Dodge and your DeSoto are essentially the same car. Minor differences only.
Mine has a roadster body made in Australia by T.Richards of Adelaide. It has a wooden framework whereas yours, I presume, is American or Canadian and would have a steel framed body made by Budd.
My email is < mini1132@yahoo.com.au >
Both Dodges and DeSoto 8 cylinder cars are scarce.
All the best with your restoration.
Cheers.
Jim.
P.S. I presume you are in the U.S.
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vintageandclssicreproductions.com in Brisbane (Australia) have cowl light brackets listed which may suit.
The cowl strips are scarce but can be made up from sill moulding strips from 1970's Toyota Corollas or Datsun 1000s. They are scarce here now bur may be available in wrecker yards in Canada.
Jim Haydon
1930 DC 8 Dodge Bros Roadster (Richards Body)
1961 Morris Mini
1977 Land Rover Ex Military 6 cylinder.
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Re DC 8 electrical.
All DC 8 cars were 6 volt when new. Delco systems fitted.
My DC 8 was partly set up with a 12 volt system when I bought it but I doubt if it ever worked.
I am fitting a 12 volt generator and regulator from a 1950's International bulldozer as part of my restoration as 6 volt batteries are almost unobtainable now. I know it's not original but the generator is externally identical to the original.
The voltage regulator/cutout is entirely different.
I have been told that the starter will be the weakest link in the system, but as starting would be a lot easier it should not present a problem, and the strain on the starter will be a lot less. A suggestion the auto electrician made was to increase the resistance in the starter lead by replacing it with a longer lead.
I did try using an 8 volt battery borrowed from an early VW Beetle but it could not even turn over the motor after new rings were fitted.
Jim Haydon
1930 Dodge Bros. DC 8 Roadster with Richards body
1961 Morris Mini
1977 Land Rover Ex Military (6 cylinder.)
1930 Dodge DC8 steering shaft bearing
in Technical
Posted
In Australia at least the bearings you need are not available. There are no listings.
This was overcome by turning the steering shaft down and fitting current available bearings. I do not have the bearing number but should be able to find it if you require it.
Good luck.
Jim.
1930 Dodge Brothers DC8 Richards bodied Roadster