Pete K.

I stand corrected Ray, as you did state earlier your car body was Aussie made and saddle holes were filled in. Your saddles appear tall enough to keep top off my spare in rear but I still need to fix the angle of mounting pin as yours are straight, as I need about a 15 degree angle pin. At least I would have "real" saddles instead of my Frankenstein saddles I'm making from scratch. I'll send off an Email to you soon Ray.

Tony, That is one nice Dodge Brothers roadster! I've worked with phosphor bronze before and it is tough. You shed a multitude of info here, explaining to my thoughts why Ray White's saddles are "straight" mount (see picture WAY back on page 1) relating to his English bodied Dodge. The corner mount type, (as my car), have a cast-in angle mounting ON the saddle as I believe I once saw which is why there is a left and a right saddle.

Well those are interesting. The top saddle drawing shows the saddle must have slid into a keyed type mount on the car. I never saw one like that, nor have I seen a coil spring incorporated with a saddle like the bottom picture.

I want to thank you all for your input on this 8 year thread! I can't agree with you more Ray! Mike, That's a funky saddle. Still too low though but OK if you ditch the spare! (I thought that car looked familiar). ---30DodgePanel, I don't think that's a Dodge, but those old saddles look high enough. I believe it is a 1924 REO. ThreePedals, Thanks, I couldn't get this picture of my Dodge the way you have done to show the angle I've been harping about. The listing is also invaluable for the part numbers even though they don't jive with Mike's listing (here we go again!) Reproducing them would be a phenomenal undertaking! Cast would be risky, need to be forged iron since there's a "ton" of force put upon the T handle to lock down the bail and the point of mounting takes a ton of weight from that blumin' top, especially when one hits a "bump" in the road! Best of luck, I shall pray for you and your efforts.

Hey JayG, Thank you very much for those images. I have to admit, they appear to be at a slight angle, but the bottom image shows the "lowest" bow sitting at a right angle to the saddle. Hmmm... I found an old set of '22(?) Roadster saddles (305R &305L) Are they even Dodge? Maybe, The lower bow doesn't seem to want to sit at the slightest angle in them. The images that ThreePedals posted shows what appears to be right angles saddle -to-body. The saddles Ray W. has were never on his Dodge and the car is gone now. He also related his Dodge body was a custom job and had no body sockets installed. Is there ANYONE on this site that has a 1925 touring with the correct saddles??????? Meaning have you used them and do saddles keep your top off the spare?? I'm still working with Ray, but England has the highest postal rates in the WORLD. It would bring my total cost over $400. Anyone got a really sturdy BOAT?

That is a great idea Franklinman. I was also thinking of the stained glass folks, where do they get their panels, since many stained glass designs have clear beveled panels surrounding them. I've also seen clear beveled glass rectangular panels about the same size as that window in front doors in inexpensive cabinets in places like Walmart, target, etc...

Ray, click on the blue envelope icon up top, you may see what you need for private messages. Thanks ThreePedals for your pictures. Ray may be right about an artist's rendition or maybe a retouched picture going on here. The saddle bottom mount on Ray's picture, (post #11, 1st page) is different than the pictures of the saddle mounting point in your Eighteenth Edition, 1924. I have the Book Of Info, "Seventeenth Edition", dated March, 1925, not showing those photo's. What a Gyp. ThreePedals, are you sure about your Edition number? Wouldn't the 1924 edition be the Sixteenth? Why would the Seventeenth come AFTER the Eighteenth? Am I going loony?

Thanks for your reply Ray. Take your time on the deal, it's only been 8 years I've searched for a set, I certainly can wait longer! I still have to do work on the rear brakes and some carb adjustments on the old beast here. Lord knows when I'll get to it. Several years ago, I sold an old Zippo lighter to the winning bidder on Ebay. He was in Japan! I thought the worst! Boy was I wrong. I took package (taped up cardboard box) with his address on front and was told to fill out this tiny little form which contained just our addresses and value of item if insured. That was it! The post clerk stuck it on the package, took the very reasonable cost from me and said "Good Day". Since that, I've never squirmed again when I sold an item overseas. Hope things go as smooth. Best regards Ray, Pete.

Hey Ray, It's a bit past noon here, just got to computer after a busy morning packing up Granddaughter's summer visit here in New England and back to Virginia she goes to start her first year in high school. I weighed the factors about your saddles compared to my years of my aftermarket saddles I'm making, well they're still not done after 8 years! (Hoping to fall over a proper set!)--no luck. I think I would have a much better game plan starting with your set. They would only need an offset by 15 degree or so AND yours will support the bows most securely I think. So, Let me know what the "whole ball of wax" will be to get them To 42 Cherry Street, Danvers, Massachusetts, "Zip code" 01923. Cost of saddles, boxing, postage/fees, YOUR TIME also! Thank you 10 times over Ray, Very best regards, Pete Kesting, Sr.

I never even knew the rear window was a glass one! Thought it may have been Isinglass like curtains were, like mine.

Hey Ray! Didn't know you sold the Dodge. Hope everything is OK. It is quite generous of your fine offer for the top saddles. Question; Did you have them on the Dodge and did the top fold down properly into them? Reason I ask, Not really knowing how the originals presented on the car, the body "hole" is on the curve of body and the picture I see in your posting the saddle is a "straight" rod made to go right straight into a mounting "hole". Wouldn't the saddles be canted backward about 15 degrees if they were put in the '25 Dodge body "holes"? Will the top bows lay into the canted saddles? Did they originally? I think only you would know this if the saddles were actually used on your old Dodge. If these work, I'd be grateful to purchase them since they DO have a bottom rod mount to keep the Blumin' top off the rear spare! Anxious to hear from you Ray!

Thanks for posting this Mike. Now we have more numbers other than #314 that Three Pedals posted earlier. Ray White posted a picture of a bottom mount clamp on a saddle with no offset angle to keep saddle in line with body since our mounting holes in body are on the rounded corner of the tub. Could the mounting rod be of some funny angle? Anyway, I measured the clearance of the top of the spare and the body hole with only 3/4" inch between them. Simple physics shows the bows need to be high enough to not interfere with the spare tire!

Wow, a lot of great replies. Hey Mike, nice photo's! But, I'm the last person to ever question a judge of autos at Hershey...but I believe those top saddles are WRONG for that car. The owner can never insert his top bows into those saddles, as the bows will not BEND several INCHES at that, to bed them into the saddles and pull the bail down to lock them in. It is quite obvious the spare is in the way. I know for a fact the '25 (and probably others) have the saddle mounting boss hole near the very bottom of the saddle, where the ones shown are bolted to the car in the middle of saddle, not having enough vertical height to load the top bows in and miss the spare tire. I don't know how that judging show is set up, the Model A guys go on a 500 point system I believe and to win all 500 points, I think they need 1930 air in the original tires! I'm sure the Dodge owner fully deserves first place, as I see his Dodge looks to be an extensive restoration, God love him. I can only wish mine was as nice.

Wow, I never even thought about the restricted rear mirror view with top folded down. I don't think the previous owner ever had the top down at all, since there were no trace of him having the top saddles. I searched everywhere in every shed he had. I DID find the tool kit which I'm thinking it is the original "large" array of tools, all wrapped up in the canvas roll bag. Enough tools to take the whole blumin' car apart.

Mike, My 1960's "restored" top had a plastic widow installed! (now yellowed a bit), not worth changing since my top is a patchwork of non-original fabric also but it'll have to do for now.

Thanks again for your efforts with this topic Mike. From what I can see from the drawing, it seems the "new" bracket is to mate an original top saddle and to "raise" that saddle to accommodate a 4 door touring top bow assembly. I believe the artist has a set of some other saddles, since a '25 touring saddle needs to have the cast-in mounting hole very close to the bottom, to get proper height to load the bows in it and stay above the spare tire at rear! There are photo's on Google Images of the proper saddles to show what I'm talking about. You'll also see a couple of images of wrong saddles on restored touring's, not offset either, so their saddles are at a funny angle, not perpendicular to the side of the car! I'd like to see the bows get tucked into those. I wish my budget would allow me to buy a real set of originals, so I'll keep working on my Frankenstein saddles I guess.

Very interesting Mike! Please tell me, are the split angle bushings you are using, (the ones we can buy today), "keyed" to fit into the key-way body socket? I assume your '25 has the same riveted-in body sockets as mine, which are keyed, refer to my wood model in previous post, 180 degree shallow key ways on the top & bottom of the socket. How are you mating your new piece to the split bushings? Are you planning on any straps to hold the bows when folded down to your brackets? Your time with this "questionnaire" is greatly appreciated Mike!

Hey Mike, Sorry for the slow response, been away from my computer. Yes! those are the same type Ford repro saddles I have, but the leather straps I got are like the ones shown in these photo's here. These black straps are longer since they need to go around quite a circumference, and I suppose I can cut them down if I really need to, haven't got that far yet, still working on brakes. If this works, I'll certainly post it. Still searching for an affordable machine shop.

Thanks for your wonderful offer Ed, but I've been working on an "aftermarket" set that I've dreamed up myself. I've built a working model and just need the machine shop, which I cannot find one yet that is affordable to me, to fabricate the two right and left stanchions. I will try to post the photo's of what i have so far. I bought the "saddles" and leather straps from Snyder's Antique Auto parts. They are Ford Model T saddles. I should be able to safely secure my top for short money, since money is a great issue right now for me, and many Americans in the near future I believe. Shown is the wooden prototype, full scale, keyed for the body socket and shaft is offset a few degrees where the repro Ford top saddles and straps will be fastened with a simple set screw, keeping a parallel plane to the body of the Dodge. The shafts are to be secured in the body sockets with a simple hex bolt and washer as seen in photo.

You adjusted the carb I see in post, but did you tear down carb to clean it out? Problem may be in float bowl or restriction in a jet. Sure sure sounds like fuel starvation.

Hey Mike, I gotta check my tourer's tank tomorrow. I cleaned mine out 6 or 7 years ago, seems OK, but I have no inline filter! Haven't checked it lately. I sealed a '27 Packard tank years ago using Bill Hirsch's tank sealer with much success. As I recall, the old amber colored sealer is not alcohol proof, as the sealer I used in the Packard IS alcohol proof, as it was a thinner, white color. Ran it for years with absolutely no problems. Bill has passed on but his company is still going strong. See internet; "Bill Hirsch Auto", A pint of his sealer is $22. He's sold thousands by now I imagine. --best regards, Pete K.

Good question, All I can add is many years ago I had a 1930 Buick that had a similar problem as yours. I took the gauge out of the panel and pried the back of the gauge off, the whole time trying to be very careful not to over work the capillary line. There was a "bellows" inside that was geared to the needle. I took mt fingers and slightly bent the bellows back into the original half-moon shape, noting the needle would now point to cold, when cold. Put the whole thing back together and low and behold, it worked for the next 19 years I owned the car. You need a lot of finger dexterity and no shaky hands for this operation as I recall. I did this 47 years ago.

Positive ground on this U.S. '25 DB.

I just checked; Bratton's Antique auto parts sells the newer Zerk fittings SEPARATELY, whereas Snyder's sells them by the set for the Model A. They're around 50 cents each.

I used to contend with those old style nipples. Not anymore. I buy the new type from Snyder's antique Ford parts in Ohio. They're not clogged with old rock hard grease, no broken or missing springs or balls inside, and the shape is the type that my modern grease gun snaps onto, I can buy the sleeves of chassis lube to fill the gun, and pump away. Buying the fittings are possibly cheaper than finding the type of gun for the cone type fittings. Unless you plan on a national fine point judging meet, nobody cares about the newer nipples.