MikeC5

Along with the fuel tank, you will probably need to remove and clean up the vacuum tank and carb. Nothing complex there. The carb float is brass and have a tendency to crack over time so you'll want to take a close look at that. The ignition is your basic breaker points deal. It will probably need nothing more than clean points with some emery paper and new plug wires. I bought a complete wiring loom from Rhode Island wiring that I'm very happy with (plug & play). You can test run the motor by simply running ignition circuit on battery (12v) and starting with the crank.

Just last week I installed a new tire on a Dodge 2 piece disc rim and it wasn't bad at all. I used talcum powder inside the tire and smeared on the tube. Installing the split ring was best accomplished with a medium sized flat blade screw driver, work it around with the assembly lying on the floor. As mentioned in one of the threads on this subject, I filled it slowly with the wheel vertical, from behind and reaching through the middle. The only hard part is avoiding scratching the paint on wheel/ring when installing ring..

If you can find someone locally with an strobe light 'on the car' balancer (such as Alemite) that would work.

Some great shots. I think this was taken in Branchville, CT.

My vote is also the Aztec....

Certainly looks like Dodge Brothers stuff. At that price it's probably worth spending extra bucks on shipping.

Shot peening is still used on certain jet engine parts for resistance to fatigue crack initiation. The peening actually deforms or 'cold works' the metal at the surface producing compressive residual stress. This makes it less likely for a crack to start (high tensile residual stresses produce the opposite effect).

Thanks so much for the detailed information on these! It is very timely for me since I am getting ready to mount a new spare tire on a Dodge disc wheel. It did not occur to me that this could be a dangerous operation. Is there any benefit to using a soapy water solution to help the tire bead slide over against the ring (instead of popping over)?

Thanks guys. I don't know why I was having a hard time finding it. The only thing I can think of is the 600 is missing the decimal point (it says 6.00 on my current tires) so I missed it in the search. I went to the Rhinebeck, NY car show/flea market this weekend and the Universal tire guy had the BF Goodrich in stock. I got the car registered on Saturday too (with YOM plates). It was all very straightforward at the Norwich, CT, DMV.

I'm looking to buy a spare tire for my '25 Dodge Brothers which is equipped with 20" diameter disk wheels (a popular option back in the day). The tires on it are size 6.00 - 20 and the outer diameter measures about 32". The tires are Firestone Deluxe Champions. I cannot seem to find this tire size listed on the Coker, Lucas or Universal web sites. This is the closest I can find http://www.lucasclassictires.com/525-550-20-Lester-BW-75400L.htm but what does the 525/550 mean? Is that 5 & 1/4 to 5 & 1/2 ? I would have preferred to have a matching tire but no luck in that size. You guys with similar era cars using a 20" wheel, what tire size are you using?

Now that is unusual!

DodgeKCL, I've been looking but no luck finding a source for the capacitor you pictured, (B32231 022M630). If I understand correctly, the B32231 is the type of capacitor and the value is 0.22 uF, 630 VDC ? I'm not sure if I'm reading the values correctly. Also, if you do know of a vendor who has this I would much appreciate the link.I found this but am not sure if it is close enough: http://www.newark.com/panasonic-electronic-components/ecq-e6224kf/capacitor-polyester-film-0-22uf/dp/49W1803?aa=true&min=810097477&max=810056300&categoryId=800000005277 Thanks.

Looks to be pretty complete and body in decent shape (except for the wood). Cars have been brought back from far worse. Good luck with it!

It does remind me of some of the flamboyant coach work on some Delahayes from that period (which I don't think is a bad thing). It certainly is eye catching and took some real skill to fabricate. I do like the shifter...

Thanks. I know that 'modern' engines, with pressurized cooling systems run at 195+ but I thought pre-emissions reg engines typically ran with 180 F thermostats. I'm going to try out the 160 F and see how it goes when summer temperatures get here. Without anything in there and these spring temperatures I'm never seeing the red on the meter so 160 should be a lot better for the engine...

I couldn't find anything that showed specific temperatures for the Motometer so I did a little experiment today. I used my (reproduction) Motometer to get an idea what temperatures show up at what marks on the gauge. Here's a little cartoon of what I found. I used a hot plate to heat a coffee can full of water and used a thermocouple on my Fluke meter to read the water temperature. The Motometer is mounted in a dog bone which I rested across the top of the can with the sensing bulb immersed about 1/2 inch in the water. I know it doesn't sit in the water when in the radiator but I don't think there is much difference between water temperature and water vapor temperature inside the small volume of the neck. I find it interesting that on the gauge face it says "Operate in circle for high efficiency" (or something close to that) but the bottom of that circle is right about the 200 F mark. At the center of the small circle it will probably be boiling (I didn't test that high). Am I mistaken that we wouldn't want these 4 cylinder Dodge engines to run that close to boiling?

They were a little looser than press fit. I used a little red RTV to make sure the edges didn't leak.

Did you try opening the fuel valve while the line was disconnected from the carb? I'm beginning to suspect crud in the tank... Also, I can't imagine it's hard to source a crank for a Model A. Even if you have to go the Fleabay way... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Model-A-Ford-Engine-Crank-Starter-L-k-NICE-5-/131471855831?hash=item1e9c5550d7&vxp=mtr

Here are two different brands/part number for the seal you want. I think I found the SKF on fleabay and was able to order the other ones from Advance Auto Parts. SKF 6120,[TABLE=class: table-prod-info-block] <tbody>[TR=class: topTD] [TD=colspan: 3][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]National Oil Seal, Part No. 340849 [/TD] [TD=class: warranty-prod-info-block] [/TD] [/TR] </tbody>[/TABLE]

That Bentley recreation is something! And if no historical objects were harmed in its fabrication, who could complain? I suppose Bentley purists could but taking inspiration from a fabulous historical machine and creating a tasteful interpretation is far preferable than sacrificing a rare original. I suppose there could be trademark/copyright issues though....

If you are convinced you have spark, after trying to start it pull one or more of the plugs. Are they wet with gasoline? If so, there is a good chance it is flooding which could be caused by debris in the fluel system prevent the carburetor float valve to work properly. Does the car have a fuel filter or sediment bowl? If not, this scenario is more likely and some carb dissassembly may be needed to fix. If plugs are dry, fuel probably isn't getting into the intake air. To confirm this you can spritz a little gasoline at the air inlet for carb (or you can use starting fliud). If it then starts and runs (briefly), chances are some debris in the carb is clogging a critical passage. If this last test doesn't change the "it wants to start but won't" behavior then you may have a timing issue. If so, I would get some reference material that showed how to set timing on a Model A engine. A friend has a Model A and over the course of a 1/2 hour drive it began to run poorly and finally would run no more. It was popping and back firing before it finally quit. Turned out the points rub block was worn down to the point that points were not opening... My '25 Dodge runs fine on the 10% ethanol gas so I doubt this is your problem. Let us know what you find.

Thanks Ken. I think I'm going to give it a try. Any idea where 160 shows up on the Motometer?

Hi Jay, I don't remember the covers being especially difficult to remove but it was I while ago (the gray matter ain't what it used to be). Sorry.

I have one of those but I always forget that I have it... You do need to be careful about what you buy at HF, that's for sure.

Some people are never happy... So I had my radiator re-cored late last year and I took the car ('25 touring) out for a brisk ride this afternoon. The Motometer didn't even register and the core was warm at the top but not so you couldn't keep your hand on it. Even the head was not too hot for the hand test. I think it was maybe 55 F ambient. Should I worry that it's running to cold? Resto Supply sells in-line T-stats that fit inside upper radiator hose (160 F). Anyone have experience using one of these? I know there were (period) aftermarket radiator louvers available for cool weather operation but I really wouldn't want to go that route...