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Hi Larry. I do not think nuts and bolts should be left out. Motor engineers spent millions to research and improve the motor car et al . I wonder do these modifiers think of installing an 8 cylinder engine into a frame that was designed for a 4 cylinder. It must affect the whole balance including the braking and steering system. I am subject to correction. Cheers. Harry.

Hi Rogillio, this Senior thing is sort of special in some ways. The black stuff is a fabric about 3/16 thick, smooth on one side and furry on the other. It is glued onto the sheet metal inside. It has remained on 3 doors but fell off one door and the rear inside of the tub. It is even on the kick panels. Knock on the door with the missing one and the sound is tinnie. Knock on the door that has it and sound is a thud. Thank you for your suggestion. I may have to go that way. Cheers. Harry.

I have a Dodge Brothers speedometer for sale. I do not know what year or Dodge it came from. I saw one similar on Ebay selling for a hundred and fifty dollars. Mine is in good working condition. 35000 miles on the face. Number at the back is 176574, Type 3860. I am asking $60. plush shipping. For pictures email hsahu@tcn.net or phone Harry 905 889 0621.

I draw my conclusion from experience with a 28 Chevrolet national 2 door coup and a 28 D.B. Senior. Use buttresses on joints where possible. Glue and screw as tight as possible. Paint the wood with a good clear sealer or boiled linseed oil, 2 coats better. NOW HERE IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO AVOID SQUEEKS. INSTALL A THICK MATERIAL (LIKE THE STUFF INSTALLED BENEATH HOUSE SHINGLES OR SIMILAR) between the tin and wood and then nail. That will take care of the squeaks. By the time the wood is ready to squeak in the future the glue will be all deteriorated anyway. All joints must be tight even without screws. Harry.

I have dismantled timbers from my 28 D.B. senior. I found few screws came off with rust on threads to the point where it was difficult to turn. Most came off loaded with crud almost like there was no thread. I think screws went through glued joints taking some glue with it. Some had to be drilled out. Stainless screws are good enough if the holes are predrilled and screws dipped in molly grease. The big question is, with modern materials and knowing the car will not be exposed as it was for the last 80 years there is the probability that one may never have to change the timber for the next hundred years or more. I am fortunate that I am able to reuse most of the timbers and had the samples of the bad ones. The rear door hinge post with the curved piece around the fender well is a challenge. That post assembly is extremely critical. If not done right the door will never fit or close properly . The inside of the door panels and the inside of the rear body was covered with a black material as a sound barrier. WHERE CAN I GET REPLACEMENT ?. Any leads ?. Cheers and have a nice day. Harry.

The company in Texas is TIE@TexasIndustrialElectric .com. Give them a try.Or if you did not get through email me hsahu@tcn.net Harry in Toronto.

Hi guys, there is a website , the company is in Texas I think that made my inner cable . This fellow really knows his job. He told me the exact length and fitted the ends. Fits like a glove He has all type of reduction gears and straight gears and cable ends. 90 degrees bends too. I think it is called Antique supplies. I will have to go into my archives and get back. Cheers and have day Harry

In 1986 I bought a Pontiac (Chevette) new from a G.M. dealer. The salesperson belonged to a Christian sect that take pride in being honest and he was about to retire at the time. We started chatting and discussed extended warranty which was popular at the time. He said every manufacturer has its pull. For example G.M recommended certain oil only and to maintain the 6 months warranty the oil change had to be done in house. He was upfront. The only extended warranty, he said, is a good quality oil change regularly . Do it yourself at home. Radiator stop leak works but temporarily. Common sense dictates if it can stop leaks by plugging holes it will also plug other unwanted areas. It is not snake oil from my experience but it is good to get you home in an emergency. About 20 years ago an inventor in Toronto invented a gadget he claimed could save more than 15 percent fuel. The city tried it for a year on a couple buses. The saving was zero. That is what I call snake oil. The inventor disappeared into thin air. Have a nice day, folks Do it right the first time. Shortcuts leads to pitfalls

Hi Ian , the wood I am speaking about is roughly 3/8 inches square and are attached inside the door frame all around with countersink wood screws . those pieces are for nailing the door trim panels with steel nails. Cheers. Harry.

Unit bodies are difficult at best to restore unless you have one of those rotary mechanism to roll the body in any position. Buying a project with primer is buying some one else trouble. You do not know what is underneath the primer. This business has lots of fixer uppers for a quick buck. I recommend you buy a driver in original condition . Enjoy driving while you fix. Free advice is just that , worth nothing. The advice you get in this column is priceless. If you want to pay for the advice go ahead and buy a rusty ride. By the way the Mopars of the 70's were prone to excessive rust.

The only snake oil that really works on any engine is a complete rebuild. To maintain it use a good quality oil at regular intervals, even when parked for long periods. Harry.

I need advice on swapping a 1928 senior engine for a 1930 Dodge 6. The 1930 Dodge 6 has a downdraft carburetor and a Delco belt driven generator. One belt drives the water pump and the generator. The chain driven generator is too expensive to rebuild. Will cost over 1000 dollars to rebuild. It has to be hand wound Thank you for the feedback. Harry (hsahu@tcn.net)

I think you are missing a long ( about 3 inches) conical shaped return spring in the kit Check with other D.B. fellows and if I am correct let me know. I may have one. Harry, hsahu@tcn.net

I had the same problem with a rebuilt engine. I used a 4 feet pipe on the wrench to turn the engine to double check the timing. I used a fully charged battery and it started after groaning for a minute and it started, ran for a few minutes and since then it is fine . The battery cables must be the correct size. Minimum 20.

I cannot tell you what it is but I can tell you what it is not. It is not a 28 Senior. The emblem on the 28 Senior 4 door has 5 short sides and one long lower side. More like a large hex head bolt. It is blue enamel with the letters DB partly overwritten on each other. The lower writings says Senior. Overall size about 1 and a half inches. Harry

Hi Ian, does the inside of the door around has pieces of wood attached by screws to nail the upholstery (door panels)?. I so you will have to remove the top one for sure in order to get some space to maneuver the glass. Cheers Harry.

Hi members, I am looking to buy a generator amateur for a (chain driven) 1928 D.B. Senior. Any condition. Please contact Harry at 905 889 0621 or hsahu@tcn.net Thank you all. Harry

Thank you Matt, it is going to the rebuilder aerrebuild .com. The amateur windings are fried and so is the field coil. The drive end bearing is shot . The end plate has cracks but may still be usable. The bushing over the driven end of the shaft has to be removed in order to get the bearing out, may be machined down and remake a new one. Lots of work.

I explored the possibility of replacing the generator with an alternator. I will have to make a pulley to fit the existing crankshaft pulley, block the generator opening with a plate and rig up brackets to mount the alternator. After all that work and cost the alternator will prevent the bonnet from closing unless the alternator is tiny. I am between a rock and a hard place. I have no choice but to go the rebuild route. Harry

Thank you Jason , this generator is run by the timing chain. It is not impossible to replace with an alternator but there must be some sort of adapter between the alternator and the timing case and also have to consider the drive attachment. At present I am involved in other aspects of the restoration so I cannot spare the resources. By the end of October I will contact you. This unit still has the 85 years old wiring. Cheers and have a nice day. Harry

Thank you Jack .I bought this car with a rebuilt engine, starter and generator . The engine runs beautiful but the B.B.1 stills needs a bit of tweaking which is not a problem. The engine has less than 1 hour running time. regardless of speed the generator output was 20 amps until it died. Another fuse did not help. That is a sign of a ground in the field . I took the generator out and realised the wire to the back of the cut out was taped and still grounding on the frame. Also the inside tab of the fuse spring was grounding to the frame. There supposed to be sort of special insulator for the screw . The purpose is to sand witch insulate the fuse tab gadget with the screw passing through without grounding the tab. How ever there is evidence the incorrect and ill fitting insulator assembly was used. The fuse tab was still grounding. That was the work of a professional rebuilder. The thumb screw section supposed to ground. The 5 amp fuse is the safety valve. If you want to check the output of your generator while the engine is running just ground the field. WHO SELLS THESE SPECIAL INSULATORS ? It appears the complete generator is fried. 6 volt alternators are available from the Filling Station

Hi D.B. members, Has any one done a conversion from a generator to an alternator On a 28 D.B. Senior. The generator seems too expensive to repair. Thank you all for the feedback. Harry.

Correct me if I am wrong. I thought Petronics or Igniter was to eliminate the frequent adjustment and replacements of points. At what point the idea of hot sparks came into being I do not know. I see frequent adds and pictures of HOT COILS in magazines. A COIL IS A COIL, another name for a TRANSFORMER. The operation is simple in A.C. Operations are a little different in D.C. The constant breaking of the points cause the ignition coil to operate ( in A.C. the 60 cycle operates the coil, or transformer) A high output coil will produce the voltage it was designed for but it has to be accompanied by the correct size of condenser in order to minimize the wear on points. So replace the points with the igniter and there may be something going . I liked the G.M. H.E.I.. I replaced a few modules and found the dielectric grease dried out. I now do believe if the grease was renewed on time the module will still be in operation. As everything else regular service is the key. FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER MANUAL. The reluctor gap seldom goes out. I never came across any. Harry

Now you may want to try this while the engine is running at about 900 R.P.M. spray some automatic transmission oil into the carb with the air filter off. There will be lots of smoke but burn about 6 to 8 ounces. It helps to decarbonise the internal of the engine , loosen sticky rings and valve guides . Harry

I checked the manual and confirmed the ground is positive so your wiring is correct. However, battery grounds on frame and engine most times seems to be good but being there for many years there could be corrosion . It is prudent to remove all grounds and clean. Battery terminals are a common source of problem, like undercharging. There is a type of battery terminal used by just peeling the end of the cable and clamping with 2 1/4 bolts Remove the clamp and check the cable. You will be surprised. The point is you never know what the previous owner did. I am not saying yours are incorrect in any way . It is just pointers in general. I think you are doing fine. If after running the engine for a few hours and the compression does not improve you may want to check the valve clearance and take it from there .Cheers and have a nice day.