Dodgy6

So what I need is pics of DA bodies from the back side of the "B" pillar with the rear door open where the front seat joins. This will let me know what that part of my tub is going to look like if I keep it this way. Many thanks

The front seat forms the rear of the tub but you will notice there is a gap between the outer skin on the "B" pillar. The gap is where the wooden frame on the "B" pillar is supposed to be. Disregard the Bracket in the foreground. That is the side support bracket on the bed.

The rear side of the "B" pillar wooden frame also has one half of two hinges in it that makes me think my body has been adapted from a four door model. "Touring" maybe? This is a pic of the back side of my "B" pillar. I'm sorry I had to take this picture with the panel lying down because the timber frame is so far gone that it is in pieces. The top of the panel is to the left and the wide "L" shaped bracket on the right fixes the panel at the bottom to the wooden "Frame rail". Note the two hinge pieces on the rear edge. The holes for the "door" half of the hinge have been filled. That is the white blobs you can see in the centre of the hinges. There is also original(?) paint there that makes me think this rear edge of the frame was exposed.

I did a mock up of my panels today before I remove the cowl off the chassis, and I gotta say I'm a little confused. My truck for those unsure, is a DA with an Australian wood framed body with a wooden tray or bed on the back. Steel framed guys may not be able to help but I welcome all input because I don't think there are too many wood framed guys on here. Notice the "B" pillar on my truck is 7 3/4" wide. None of the pics of DA body styles I have seen show a "B" pillar that wide. :confused: I'll put up a few pics first then get to some details after:

Mmmmm......and I'm guessing thats not the 14 acre shed!!!

Page 9. Titled: "PAST EVENTS - Return to Tonslet Cruise"

TJ RICHARDS And this pic here: http://www.chrysler-restorers-sa.org.au/crcmag128.pdf "old photo of the T.J.Richards workshop"

TJ RICHARDS I just stumbled across this info here: http://www.chrysler-restorers-sa.org.au/crcmag146.pdf . I'm not sure if this has been covered in this thread. "Chrysler Australia plants around Adelaide. From 1913 the LeCornu site was the home of T.J. Richards & Sons (established in 1884), the plant occupying about 14 acres under one roof. Initially a horsedrawn carriage builder, Richards had built their first car body as early as 1905 in previous premises at H i n d m a r s h Square, Adelaide, and their first Chrysler bodies appeared in 1928. In 1941 the name was changed to Richards Industries Ltd - Motor Body Builders and Metal Stampings. In 1947 a commitment to Chrysler Corporation was made which resulted in a takeover by Chrysler-Dodge-DeSoto Distributors and the formation of Chrysler Australia Ltd in 1951. Within six months Plymouth, Dodge and DeSoto cars were flowing from the production lines, together with assembly of Morris, Standard, Nash and Studebaker cars and International Trucks, followed by Dodge and Fargo trucks. Australian Chrysler Royals were built at Keswick, and the trim and wiring looms for Valiants were fitted there. .....the industrial area of Mile End, just west of Adelaide city. The 4.45 hectare Scotland Road, Mile End, plant housed Richards’ second motor body operation, having been acquired close to railway yards in 1927. Bodies for Plymouths, Dodges, R and S Series Valiants were assembled at Mile End, as were Simca Arondes - a consequence of the French manufacturer having been bought from Ford in 1959. .....Finsbury where a yellow and white building at the corner of Audley and Ninth Streets - which had been a Lincoln bomber aircraft assembly plant during World War II - was retained as a motor body factory from 1946. Fuse-lages for pilotless Jindivik target drones and turbine blades for Canberra bomber jet engines were also made there until 1958. Dodge and Commer trucks continued to be assembled at Finsbury until the plant closed in the late 1970s. .....Lonsdale, within sight of the 1,150,000 square feet Lonsdale engine plant - home of the “hemi”. Opened in 1967 to meet Commonwealth government local content requirements, Chrysler signage can still be discerned on the building’s walls - even although it is today a Mitsubishi facility. By that year Chrysler had gained control of Rootes Group, acquiring its Port Melbourne plant, and was producing Hillman Minx, Gazelle and Imp cars, soon followed by the Hunter and (how many remember?) the Hustler - not to mention the Humber Super Snipe..... "

It tugs at my heart strings too to see parts like that separated from their parent vehicle. They are in waaaaay better shape than any panel or part on my vehicle that I am attempting to breath new life into. I guess there could be a meriad of reasons why they are being sold seperately. Best case it could be a good thing, and the owner has had them sitting around for 25 years and hopes someone else can put them to good use. Worse case, someone is destroying a restorable vehicle for profit. Its not a perfect world, and we can only do what we can in our little part of it but its also kinda nice that people feel passionate enough about it to put their opinions out there.

I'm thinking that's what I'll probably end up using. I'm a plumber by trade.

You are 100% correct on your interpretation of pic! That is the grease line - clever little set up. I only have it on one side, but I presume there is supposed to be one on either side. I very much doubt any new cars would go to that sort of build expense just to make maintenance of your vehicle a bit easier for the owner/mechanic! Ahhh, the good old days eh!

Thanks Jason My knowledge of the DA's fuel system is now at least 200% better than it was before! Next Questions: So does the vacuum tank do the work of a fuel pump then? Does the fuel line run down the inside of the right hand chassis rail? There are a series of double clips there that also hold some wiring remnants. (See pics).

Great stuff Terry So I have to ask some questions: - Did the DA's have a fuel filter at all? And if so, where? - What was the fuel line made from? Excuse my ignorance, but I havn't got much of a car to figure stuff out from....

Sorry Jason. That is full size. If I blow it up, it looses clarity.

Cutt'n 'n' Paste'n.... "Flynn got right into radio, and soon became a proficient amateur himself. In mid-1925, he stashed his old Dodge buckboard with wireless gear, as shown in Figure 1, and headed north from Adelaide with a retired army officer named George Towns. For their 500-mile exploratory jaunt, they carried a 100-watt transmitter and a demountable tube-section aerial mast. Also aboard the Dodge was a 600-volt generator, driven off a pulley specially mounted on the rear wheel." "Figure 1. John Flynn (right) and George Towns leave Adelaide in the laden Dodge buckboard, June 1925. Note the pulley built into the rear wheel hub to drive Traeger's generator."

I found another pic and a bit more info on that. I'm just on lunch break right now so I'll post them up later.

Interesting: "George Towns was a wireless expert who helped Flynn carry out his first radio tests in the outback in 1925. The Dodge automobile was bought on 19 May 1925 in Adelaide and modified to Flynn's specifications, so that a pulley could be attached to the rear wheel to generate power for radio transmission"

John Flynn OBE (25 November 1880 – 5 May 1951) was an Australian Presbyterian minister who founded the ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR service, the world's first air ambulance. This bloke used to get around the outback in pioneering days in a series of different Dodge vehicles. His Portrait is on our $20 note. Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Flynn_(minister)

There is also a Pittsburgh seam machine. It's about as big as a chest freezer. I've used one a couple of times and is a pretty clever bit of kit, but it's not something your backyard bloke tends to have in his shed! Because of the round nature of the tank and being made of one piece that joins end to end, I don't think a machine would be able to do it. It would be very awkward. The old fashioned way that Terry did it by folding and locking it in with the dolly might be the only way.

While I was contemplating which way I would go, I knew I could do a partial repair but not build a whole new tank. It was the ends that had me stumped too! Looks awesome. :cool:

Perfect, thank-you

I'm liking this and it would seem an easier method than what I was contemplating. From your description and what is in my head now, I can see how to do it without any trace of repair unless put under a magnifying glass.

Lucky shot with the camera - through the rust hole and out the float hole! I'm backing my skills to do it myself. Been thinking about the best way to tackle it and I think it will come up well. The Fuel tank cover on the chassis should go someway to cover any seam marks but I'm hoping I will do a good enough job that it will be hardly noticeable. Chassis will be my first priority though. I'm just thinking ahead.

Pulled my fuel tank out. I had thought it was sound, (no holes) and apart from the bottom half having been pushed in a bit, I thought I might have gotten lucky. No such luck. Rusted through on the bottom side where the the retaining strap runs under. The top side of the tank is in relatively good nic. I'm thinking I could kill two birds with one stone and replace the bottom half (lengthways) and get a nice undented finish but I would have a couple of extra seam marks on the finished product. Or should I be cutting my losses and trying to source another one, or just have a new one built $$$? Thoughts anyone?? BTW. Does anyone have a pic of what the drain plug shopuld look like? Is it supposed to be a nut of some description? Mine is just a rusty blob.

Might be right on the money there. Just did a quick google image search for Model A Rear end and looks like that may be it. Garden ornaments or shed decoration then if I can't flog them off!