Pete K.

Just want to put my 2 cents in, about 30 years ago, an elderly man had a 1926 Packard sedan in his barn, up on blocks since 1950. He had shown me a little pump that he said would bolt onto the transmission to inflate the tires instead of having to use the hand pump. It was the coolest thing I've ever seen! It looked like a small 4 cylinder engine that would fit in the palm of your hand. The nickel plating was a little bit worn down to the brass frame, but I don't recall it stamped with the Packard logo at all. There was a long, cloth covered air hose with a brass air chuck on the end, long enough to reach all the wheels from the transmission. I had to leave my old hometown and when I returned, the man, his car, the pump, the barn, the house was ALL gone. I've never seen another pump like that since.

Welcome aboard Pappy! I'm so glad you're going to restore your '38 Dodge as stock. Most parts should be fairly easy to obtain. That was a very well built car in it's day. Try to start with a good clean fuel tank... as that's where a lot of trouble begins. We'll be here to try and help with any questions that may arise!---Pete

Ernie, I know what you're talking here. I did a semi-wood replacement in a good original '30 Buick 4-door Series 40 sedan back in the '70's and whatever you do, DON'T bend up the metal. I don't really know how extensive the wood rot is but if you can, save that part and work with it and around it. Buy some of the wood restore fluid they sell these days and try to just save what's there. Cutting and scarfing in new wood under it is the way to go. Surface it all smooth and paint it all black and you'll be happy you did. I'm not trying to convey a fast and sloppy job here, but it sounds like you'll have your hands full for a long time with the whole wood replacement in that body.

Yes, Jason, most all older yards are gone---LONG gone. The first thing that quelled them was the real estate boom, which made the dirt under the cars worth more than the old autos. Next came the "Green People" who said the leaking oil and anti-freeze was polluting the earth.(I can see that happening, but the "earth"??), then came the high price of scrap metal going over to China-or wherever, SO...no more old car junkyards.

Thanks for the thread Jason. This is really kinda tough, with all the local junkyards being gone. As you've probably guessed, a pulley/bracket change is in order here. Advance Auto stores are having a 20% off sale now on their manuals. Usually, up near the front counter is a rack full of repair manuals for specific vehicles. I can't for the life of me remember what name they go by. Not Chilton. If you can latch onto the one for that Ford truck, it will show the parts used for your purpose. Ask the counter man if those parts can be ordered now-a-days. They may be aftermarket, I'm sure, but it may work. Second thought about this pulley problem, You're removing the power steering from truck---Can you keep the pump on the truck to act as an "idler pulley"??? You'd need to weld up the outlet holes and keep oil in it for the pulley bearing, or did I miss something and this would be impossible?

Jason, I'd like to see what you're up to with the truck...sounds very interesting. I think the answer to my problem was right in front of me the whole time but I'm just too blind to see it. Ray also has it right, at least on the right page, it has to do with a double adjustment on the one shaft. (clutch release shaft), having a 1/16" minimum backlash on clutch shaft, then adjust pedal to floorboard! I have not run into this kind of adjustment ever before on any car. Just goes to show, we learn 'till we die. (and this is killing me)...

Thanks Jason, Yup! I've got the same info in my two manuals, the '25 Dodge Book of Information and the Mechanic's Handbook. Setting the clearance between the clutch pedal and toe board is understood here, but what does the toe board have anything to do with the actual pedal adjustment for the pedal and throw out bearing yoke- to- throw out bearing?? I can't find any reference in books for this very important adjustment. I can't believe ALL toe boards are the reference point for ALL Dodges of this era for the adjustment that I need. Body placement would also change the clutch adjustment too. This seems very ODD to me.

Thanks for the input Ray, This '25 Dodge uses the multiple disc clutch and it sounds like the same pedal adjustment as on your car. I'm just a bit confused why there does not seem to be ANY free play when one touches the clutch pedal. This seems to go against all my common sense with past experience on early auto's and their pedal adjustment.

Rich, I see those rim bolts and lugs on E-Bay every so often.

Almost getting to the point of "first ignition" on the '25 touring. I noticed my clutch pedal has barely any free play from the toe board to where I should be able to feel the throw-out bearing beginning to move. I went directly to both the car's manuals but I can't find anywhere to the free play adjustment for the clutch pedal. I can find the internal workings and the actual pedal adjusting assembly parts breakdown, but no measurement for the darn free play at top of the pedal's travel!! How am I missing this??

Richard, I can tell Tony has done this before, probably many times. What he says is all good! I just want to underscore the point of using any kind of tire iron carefully as to protect the bead if you plan to ever use the old tires again. Believe it or not, when I was a bit younger, I would spray a film of water & dish soap solution around the "uncoupled" rim and bead after I deflated the tire to be removed, as Tony states, then I would only use a tire iron on the first bead side, flip the whole thing over and while standing on the TIRE, grab the rim where it has the split with my hands only, and while pulling it out of the tire using a compressed spiral action with the metal rim. It will come right out! I later got hold of one of those three-arm crank type rim spreaders which can be helpful, but not really necessary. The soapy solution helps big-time.

This is one reason I use straight STP in my steering boxes.

I don't have any extras Rich, as a matter of fact, there's one missing from one of my headlight drums too! It won't really hurt anything as long as the rim fits on tightly, as it should. You would think they would reproduce these little buggers???

Yes Ray, What you described with your Dad's carb is happening more frequently than people think. Some carburetors originally used gaskets under some, or all, or none of the jets. The gaskets were of the pressed paper type, usually red in color, which have a tendency to dry out and even fail after many, many years of doing their job. Some rebuild kits for older carb's are now using replacement gaskets made of a Teflon material, which won't dry out and shrink, but one can still have a problem with those type if they over-tighten them, they have a tendency to mushroom out and deform, causing a leaky situation. There's a very fine line on tightening down a jet properly. As you know, the little brass jets are hollow, and folks seem to forget this and over-tighten them, causing a crack immediately or breaking them right off! Many jets used a "interference fit", meaning the threads of the jet were special threads that when mated into it's opening, sealed in tightly, automatically, so no lock washers were needed. Sometimes no gasket either. One needs to know their carburetor. Getting back to the story here, If his electric fuel pump is most likely down-stream of the mechanical one, that electric pump may be doing it's job OK, supplying fuel up to the old pump and that's where it stops. There are small check valves in the mechanical pump that won't let the fuel by-pass to his carb until the old pump actuates. He should by-pass the old pump completely.

A slow leak from the jet will not necessarily flood the engine upon starting. Especially a hot engine whereas the leaking gas evaporates faster than any noticeable clue.One needs to remember, the float is there to set a level in the bowl, that is almost equal to the top opening of the jet! The starter turning the engine creates enough vacuum in the venturi for that instant to atomize the fuel and air,(faster with choke plate closed, of course), for the proper charge of mixture for the cylinders. If the bowl level is too low because of a leak, that initial vacuum won't pull the gas out of the jet, whereas the ether initiates starting and enough vacuum is created to get the bowl/jet to proper level. NOW---Is this clear as MUD??? The 1/2 to 1 ounce of leaked fuel in the manifold is just gunna sit there and evaporate a bit, not enough to vaporize with any air for starting this creature.

Maybe try running engine with air cleaner off to verify proper airflow into carb. As far as I know, the only rebuild carb kit is the gaskets for it. As I don't know the condition of your carb, IF your problem is there, they're not too hard to take it all apart, soak all parts in a gallon can of "Berryman's" carb cleaner overnight, wash it, blow it clean and dry, reassemble with new gaskets and that's about it, since it WAS a running car recently, I doubt you've got any broken parts in carb. Check your Dodge manual for carb drawings and text to help familiarize yourself with the carb too. The strainer under carb may be clogging up. Don't forget the basics of an engine to run: good spark, fuel, air, compression/vacuum, and a clear path for exhaust! I've seen a lot of stalling engines because of a blocked tail pipe/muffler, with anything from mice nests to potatoes!

Bill, Thank you for helping out. I think the mounting bracket orientation is what Mike was probably asking about too, and I omitted mentioning it!!(sorry mike).

As I really see your point about getting at "things" at a later date and having to fight the glue that could be put down to secure the linoleum, I would worry about water getting under the linoleum and never drying out, getting really moldy or even rotting the base in a short time. I've read the back of the can of 3-m spray glue and it does mention the fact how to apply it for temporary bonding, by spraying only ONE surface to be bonded instead of BOTH, for a permanent bond. I suppose it also depends on your decision, whether you've got deep margin edge moulding to hold it securely all the way around and can guarantee it'll never get wet!

You've gotta love that model number---"A NO.1"

Hey Mike, Here's the right side of car's hood latches, doing their thing. I measured the lengths and they are all the same. They use big flat head slotted screws with square nuts under the hood shelf.

Yup, I agree Ray, We won't be able to go any farther until we get to see the carb and his set-up with lines and his pump(s). I think he's got a top feed carb, but who really knows as yet. As you must know, it's extremely difficult to cure a problem with just photo's. An owner must start with the basics, such as known good vacuum, gaskets, clean fresh fuel and tank also. When I hear that the stock design has been circumvented, I cringe at the thought of troubleshooting a problem "over the airways". I'm thinking that someone before him added the electric fuel pump, Why? Did the diaphragm fail in the mechanical pump? If it's an A.C> Delco pump, can it be possible for the gas to drain down, past a faulty check valve inside that pump, and dumping fuel into body of pump, whereas fuel would then drain into his crankcase.

Y'all are welcome, as sometimes I get one right!.

The rim and lens assemblies come off the drum with a tight grasp, sometimes a couple of the rubber lid removers your other half may have in your kitchen, and then turn the rim to the left, counter-clockwise, a couple of inches, to remove them. Once they're off, clean up the rust and dirt that's probably on the mating parts and put a very thin coat of grease on the locking cams. Be careful when you put them back on. Make sure you've got the entire headlight rim on the drum. If you miss one of the locking cams and go to tighten the rim, now turning it clockwise, the rim can warp to the point of cracking your lens. Hope this helps!, Best regards, Pete.

Bill, I was thinking about that too, but if the fuel line at carb is dumping gas into bowl at a higher level than the float allows it to go, the fuel cannot siphon or run back out through fuel line when sitting or any other time. That's even if the fuel could get back through the float valve! I still hold in my opinion that the bowl is leaking is IN the carb, at the base of one of the jets. Either a loose or cracked jet or a bad gasket under one of the jets. The bowl would empty under gravity, given a short time, into the manifold where it goes unseen.---Pete.

A couple of ways to retrieve broken parts from "down under". Place a small magnet, like the heftier ones in the back of some refridgerator magnets, on the flywheel and slowly turn it 360 degrees. It should pick up any ferrous metal parts when she comes back up around. Another way is to clump a handful of axle grease on flywheel, turn that flywheel again, with the crank, and it too, will pick things up. Then remove grease. Just don't let the grease get into anywhere else, and don't use the red stuff, try to find the older brown, thicker type grease. It tends to stay put better. As far as your problem with starter, If you're running 12 volts, it's hard on your Bendix!! If it's the original 6 volts, check the little spring and tooth in the starter drive gear. It's probably bad, letting your Bendix drive gear to float on Bendix spiral, sometimes engaging onto flywheel when you don't want it to. Don't grease the Bendix, spray the parts with silicone lube if anything.