Bullfrog_eng

From my DA manual:

Not that long ago, the local car club that I am in wanted to purchase some hat badges. We did so through a local (Australian) company that we use for our trophies and stuff. You guessed it, supplied from and made in India. Good quality and much cheaper than badges produced in Australia. Just email the file of what you want to India and get the badges returned to you very quickly. I suppose they can produce the the DB signs in a similar fashion. Seems to be the way of the world theses days. Not saying I agree with it, but I do tire swimming against the tide!!

Trying to loose weight over Christmas. Now there is a challenge! hope you have better luck (willpower?) than me. Good luck and Seasons Greetings anyway.

Ron, I agree with you, but I am sitting here drinking a LIGHT beer (it's all I had in the fridge), so I probably can't be trusted either.

Keiser is absolutely right there. Very impressed but now I am feeling REALLY inadequate. Haven't touched mine for weeks now (but then I have been on holidays for a couple of those weeks). You certainly get things done and very well I must say.

These are my thoughts only and what you do with them is entirely up to you. It is also your car, so what you do with IT is also entirely up to you. We live in different countries (Australia), although I am not sure that is relevant either. Many, many years ago (like 46), I thought I wanted to build a Hot Rod. I hunted around for some time for something suitable to start with and eventually bought my DA Dodge. When I got it home and had a good look at it, I decided then and there that it would be restored, not rodded. I made that decision because I recognised that the Dodge was a “better” class of car (being a Budd body) than other locally built cars, including the Richards DA’s, with better upholstery, nicer door handles, etc. I also recognised that if I built a rod, it would never be as good a road car as the NEW car that I had recently bought (351 Ford Fairmont) and nothing has changed in those 46 years, except that new cars have got better and safer. I have had a few “historic” vehicles over the years of varying ages and enjoy them for what they are, not what I could make them. For example, I currently have on the road, a 1976 Ford Fairmont. It has a horrible thin rimed steering wheel and vague power steering, both these things I could fix. But I don’t want to. When I go for a drive, it is like the (new) car I had all those years ago that prompted me to get the Dodge and THAT is what I want to remember and experience again. A few years ago I had a historic pommy sporting car (1972 Reliant Scimitar) that went and handled very well. I really enjoyed driving it, particularly on winding hilly roads. Then the powers that be kept lowering the speed limits on those roads until I thought it only a matter of time before I got caught going quicker than THEY thought I should. So I sold it to remove the temptation. So now if I want to drive something historic, I want to do so in something that represents what that car was all about when new. If I want to drive safely, comfortably, quietly and a quickly as I am allowed to (more or less!), I drive my wife’s current model Subaru. Anyway, that’s what I think. Best wishes and good luck with whatever you decide.

Gee, you don't mess around, do you? I won't tell you how long I have been working on mine, not sure I can even remember!! Going on holidays for a couple of weeks and I can see a heap of household jobs to do when I get back, but hope to get back into mine then, I have a number of things organised to start on and looking forward to it. Yours is looking great and an inspiration to me.

Glenn Smith has them (http://www.vintageandclassicreproductions.com), or through Myers, probably.

So sorry to hear that Matt. I know it could have been worse, but then it should not have happened at all. Hope the rest of the rally is a lot better.

Looking great. Even your dog looks impressed, and so he/she should.

Keiser to my rescue again. Thanks Mate.

Thanks for the offer, but I think it would be noticeably different without the "wheat" pattern. Your replacements look great, a good match for what you had. Appreciate the offer though.

Unfortunately I still need one, but thanks for trying 30DodgePanel.

Thanks Mate.

I have followed up a few leads, but have been unsuccessful so far. I am looking for a DA window crank handle, as the one I bought (see above) is wrong. I know that I can get a reproduction from Glenn Smith, but I only need one to complete my set and I think his reproduction would look out of place. There is also a complete set of handles and cranks on ebay, but again, I only need one crank, not a whole set. Any help or leads much appreciated. John