MikeC5

I had mine done a couple years ago for $800 so $1,000 isn't surprising. I was also on the fence about nickel vs. chrome.. Since the cost was the same, I finally decided on chrome since I don't relish the idea of polishing nickel, nor is my car going to win any originality contests (too much rust repair for that). I have heard people say that side by side you can tell the difference but I think it comes down to personal preference, finances and primary use for the car... If not chrome/nickel I would paint it black.

A thorough list of things to go over for sure. There is no doubt I need a new core though. I am going over the water pump and will be checking the block too. I've been using water since I only drive it short distances while restoring things (plus it overheats quickly). No thermostat in this vintage. I never leave the water in there for more than a few hours...

The chassis looks great!

I was able to get a good used one from Myers Early Dodge.

Thanks for the info Pete. I did try some heavy duty potassium hydroxide and while it did seem to help as far as clogging it also sprung some leaks at the bottom header tank joint. Without having an original core to dissect I can't be sure these tanks will work. I think it will depend on whatever type of core I go with and what the top/bottom tube header plates (not sure what they're called) look like. The HC core I disassembled had simple folded over flanges (see pic).

Gents, I'm looking into getting my radiator re-cored and would like to get some measurements on an original round tube & fin unit and perhaps a close up photo or two of the header tank to core joints. I need core height, width (near bottom, I know it tapers a bit up near the top curves) and thickness (maybe a tube count front to back?). As I think I mentioned somewhere in this post, mine was re-cored at some point with a diamond cell type and I just want to make sure the header tanks can be re-used.

I'll bet Picasso drove it during his cubist period....

Apologies... it was just too tempting...

Wow the Dodges did pretty well!

It may be some rods are shorter than others... ahem...

Hi Ray, when I changed the oil last month and put 5 quarts in, the rod came up to about 5/8 of the distance between hi/lo marks. After running it a little it's still there. What does yours read when you add the new fill?

Looks pretty spiffy!

I had the head and water pump off soon after I got it and dug a load of upholstery remnants out of the block. I had the head hot tanked and rebuilt the water pump. I also had the radiator check out by a rad shop but not very well apparently... I'm going to try the pressure washer on the block and while I have the radiator off. I think I've made some progress though. I used some nasty potassium hydroxide liquid and left it in there for a day. I poured some how water through the rad tonight and the whole core felt warm, not just the upper portion. The water pump drive gear didn't look very worn when I had it out. I'm going to price a new one and if not too expensive, change it out.

I like it! Lots of character.

With the internet and things like this forum I would at least think he could have at least given fair warning that he was going to scrap it all unless someone stepped up and gave him scrap value for everything and haul it away by some fixed date. If still no takers then he could say "I tried" and walk away with a clear conscience. I don't think anyone forced him to get into the business in the first place. Maybe he did try to sell it all at a deep discount and finally said to hell with it.... On a much smaller scale, I've been sitting on some parts for over a dozen years that I'm about ready to scrap but I have given warning in my local area CL. Fleabay is an alternative for some folks but shipping large and bulky/heavy parts just isn't one of my favorite things to do... So I can see how one might arrive at his conclusion..

Sanity check...

I haven't used Dot 5 but have read that it can be extremely difficult to bleed properly. Maybe worth trying Dot 4 as a san

Hi jacks are welcome Bill as long as DB related... I wish I had paid more attention to the impeller clearance... It has no fore/aft play though so I'm hoping it's working. I brought the radiator to a friend's house who has a mechanic's flexible bore scope and we looked around in there. The bottom of the tubes (long, thin rectangular- honey comb style core) looked clean and open while some of the upper tubes we clogged with what appeared to be fibrous material. I suspect the rad sat for a long time with no caps on the ends and varmints built nests in there. As such, I wasn't surprised the vinegar didn't seem to do much. Next up, sodium hydroxide... I'm also trying to come up with a way to test the pump. I'm thinking disconnect the upper pump hose and rig up a longer hose to dump water overboard, rig up a lower hose to feed water in somehow and run the engine for several seconds. Hopefully it will be obvious....

I don't remember any thrust washer in the water pump drive, if that's what you meant Ray. The belt is not riding against the edge of pulley either. It looks like Romar sell the WP drive gear but is says 'call for price' (gulp)...

I've been doing some more listening and poking on this and am 99% sure the noise is caused by excessive backlash with water pump drive gear. In fact, with engine off I can grab the water pump pulley and turn it back & forth a degree or two (shaft moves with it). When running, the stethoscope picks up the noise loud and clear on the front and rear seal nuts. Perhaps the noise was there all along and I just didn't notice it or maybe I bolted it back on in a slightly different position after doing water pump rebuild... It does seem less noticeable when under load too. No way to adjust it short of using a thinner gasket. At least I'm convinced it isn't a catastrophic failure waiting to happen.

Great! If you get it running, be sure to put the crank hole cover back on. If you don't oil will work its way out and dirt/road debris will get in.

The end with 1/2 inch square is the handle. The shoulder on the other end helps to keep the crank end centered when engaged for cranking. It looks be the correct tool for your car.

I'm thinking you're right and the next step is the sodium hydroxide. Worth a try when alternative is a new core. I'm going to remove it from the (newly chromed) shell first and try to get some baseline measurements on flow rate. On one of the Ford Model A forums the number mentioned was 1 & 1/2 gallons (full rad) in 4 seconds or 0.375 gals/sec, or 22 gpm. I don't see why the DB should be much different. They look similar size.

I did adjust the timing so I get a steady 18 in at idle (full retard). It does seems to run better but the rad, I think, is still a problem.

Also, I checked and adjusted the points and static timing. It appeared to be a little bit off. I also put a vacuum gauge on the vacuum tank T (for wiper) and found that with engine warmed up and the advance lever down (retard) the gauge was reading about 14-15 in. When lever is moved up to advance timing, vacuum goes up to 17-18. According to the "Vacuum timing on DB-4 engine" article I should be reading 18 at full retard... Perhaps timing still needs adjustment.