MikeC5

No experience with this particular problem but there are people out there who can weld on cast iron. An alternative until you find someone who can weld build it up might be to clean it up with a burr and then apply some high temp RTV silicone liberally and bolt the fitting back on. Since there's so little pressure it should hold.

I missed that in the ad. Was it a popular period thing to do I wonder? And with 96,000 miles, this car was someone's daily driver for many years...

That's interesting Ray. These were high end machines in the early days. I mis-spelled Crosley relative to the one I meant (definitely not a high end machine)... http://www.crosleycars.com/52_ss_page1.htm

Initially I thought $15K+ was a little high but time capsule cars such as this do seem to command high prices. Consider; if you paid say $14K and just drove it as is I suspect you would have a lot less invested than people (like me) who bought something needing full restoration for much less initial cost. I don't mean to sound like a nit picker but does the carburetor look right? I sure hope it went to a good home.

That is interesting Ray. It reminds me of the little engines in Crossley cars that were built over here. Did you mean 18 in-pounds torque above? Or maybe 18 ft-lbs? It's hard to imagine a head being torqued to only 18 in-pounds. I figured at the cost of a new HG (~$100) it was worth trying to re-use the not very old one on there.

D2, yes the horn was out of the car when tested direct to battery. I'll check and see if either terminal is shorted to case. I have had the collector ring out for cleaning before but it looks like I need to take another peek at it.

I did re-use the HG. I hadn't hear of using silver paint though. I used a small amount of permatex around each coolant passage opening on top and bottom of gasket. Still have to re-torque..

I'm trying to trouble shoot why my horn isn't working... I verified that the horn itself is not the problem by bypassing everything direct to battery. I do measure 12 volts at one of the two horn wires and the other wire does complete the circuit to ground when the horn button is pushed (I get around 1.6 ohms). When I testing it directly on the battery it worked independent of polarity. I tried grounding the horn case with a separate wire... Any other things I should check?

Update: Pulled the head, pressure washed the block cooling passages (there was still a lot of crud in there) and installed re-cored radiator. Overheating problem solved! In addition, to try and decrease the water pump drive gear backlash, I removed the drive gear housing-to-block gasket and used some permatex gasket maker instead in an effort to decrease the distance between gears. This appears to have eliminated the noise even though some backlash still exists....

Enjoying this thread immensely. An interesting article on the Avanti: http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1964-studebaker-avanti-fall-forward-onto-the-sword-rise-like-the-phoenix/#comment-237699

No I didn't spring for the original McCord-stle round tube & fin or the honeycomb. Either would have run over $2,000 Also, from what I've read it is doubtful that honeycomb-type was ever original equipment. I would have like to go with the round tube & fin but it was about $1,000 more than the 'V-core' type I went with. It does have a vintage look to it though.

I received a note back from Tom & Cindy saying they are checking on the problem with their web site developer.

And thanks Ray. My wallet enforces a disciplined approach, ha ha... Picked up the re-cored radiator today so I will get to test it out this weekend.

Thanks Bill. I hope you rehab quickly so you can get back to the fun stuff!

I sent them a note Ray.

Been a while since I've updated. Clogged radiator prevent enjoying doing much driving this summer. It was a honeycomb style core and so could not be rodded. I did manage to get the front fenders primed and installed. Also took the opportunity to refinish the gas tank. I recently returned from a business trip to Derby, U.K. where I was able to meet up with Dodge Brother Ray. He picked me up at the hotel with his '26 touring car and we chatted DBs over a few fine ales. We had a great time and it was great to see some of the country side from the vantage point of the Dodge. Thanks again Ray!

I'm pretty sure the Tuckers were quite valuable even before the movie...

Mind boggling....

Ash trays?

The early Dodges (pre-27?) didn't have an oil filter and the oil pump is a very small volume/pressure device that probably wouldn't work well with an add-on filter (filters cause a pressure drop). As such, using a detergent oil that is designed to keep contaminants in suspension for filtration may not be such a great idea for a non-filtered engine. The idea of non-detergent oil is to let contaminants settle into the sump.

I really don't think there is one....

Welcome Al! Looks like a good start. I believe the wood content may depend on who made the body. The Budd bodies (built in U.S.) were all steel with exception of floor boards. In some export markets (Australia) the bodies were made locally and so construction was different. I found this link: http://forums.aaca.org/f143/australian-dodges-history-268816.html

I agree with Ray... The only thing I might worry about is the ethanol present in most fuel available (in U.S.). Ethanol can cause issues in fuel systems not designed for it, mostly rubber o-rings and such. Unless you are using an electric fuel pump I doubt the Dodge has any of these materials in it. I would use 87 octane without added ethanol if I could find it. Using a fuel that is lower octane than recommended may cause knocking, true, but I'm sure the reverse is not true (higher than required octane). http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2014/04/11/tech-101-octane-the-facts-and-the-fiction-behind-those-higher-priced-fuels/

Welcome Al! This is a great place to get started. Sheet metal can be difficult since very little of it is reproduced and it's bulky to ship. Hopefully someone can give you some leads on (relatively) local sources.