Taylormade

Got everything painted today except the transmission. I still have to do a few minor repairs before I paint it. I hooked it up to the bellhousing so it would mask the areas where I didn't want paint. The front motor mount cradle and the valve covers. The lower bellhousing cover. And the transmission mount. A long day, but for a change I feel like I've managed to accomplish something

The other side, now baking in the sun. I'm really glad to have this done, as the frame is now virtually complete. Another month and I should be able to start her up and take a test drive around the block - sitting on an apple crate, of course.

A perfect day for painting today, seventy-three degrees and low humidity. I cleaned the block with wax and grease remover, then washed it with hot soapy water. Blew everything dry with my air hose and primed the motor this morning. No wind and no bugs! About an hour later I shot the gray final coats. Came out to a very close match to what I found on the lower bellhousing cover. It looks a bit shinier than in the photos, with a slightly more greenish tint, but still looks like an originally painted engine and not a glazed donut. This is as close as I can get to what came out of the factory. Can't wait to drop it into the frame.

I agree that the manifolds were painted with the engine and other assorted parts. Not original, but I'd like to keep my manifolds looking good - so they will be coated.

Early in this thread there are many photos of my front fenders being repaired. Ed Thomas, my body guy did a fantastic job on my mangled fronts and rears. This was way beyond my pay scale. I've tried to do as much as possible myself, but some of this stuff is out of my skill set.

I just redid my brake lines using the Eastwood tool and it worked great. This tool is sold under several different names. I even saw Edd using one that looked about twenty years old on Wheeler Dealers. Mine clamped solidly, the flares came out perfect every time and the clamps left virtually no marks on the tube. I used copper-nickle brake line.

Thanks everyone for the bumper bolt suggestions.

I have my motor cleaned and ready for paint. A backbreaking job, but it's finally done. There are more cracks, crevasses and impossible corners in this engine block than I ever imagined. One ten hour day to get it and the bellhousing clean. That's not rust on the back of the block, it's reflections from the brass spacers on the engine stand. Before I cleaned it off I took a shot of the factory paint run on the bellhousing. Both the engine, bellhousing and transmission were painted at the same time at the factory. I really like the way the Dodge Brothers engineers designed the oil pan. These external metal pieces guarantee that the edge of the oil pan stays flat. One quick question - I assume I must mask off the areas where the manifolds attach to the engine block. I don't think a layer of paint would hold up between the block and the exhaust manifold. I was going to put down the masking tape slightly oversize, then put on the gasket and trace around it. Then I'll cut the tape with a sharp E-Xacto to final size. Does this make sense? I want to keep paint on the flat part around the manifolds. Here is a shot of the gaskets in place. I'll only mask the area they cover.

Check these out. http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-TONKA-PRESSED-STEEL-AA-WRECKER-TOW-TRUCK-24-HOUR-SERVICE-ORIGINAL-/191660563134?hash=item2c9fdc1abe http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Buddy-L-Custom-Wrecking-Tow-Truck-W-Electric-Lights-/331629779820?hash=item4d36acdb6c This is a pretty good deal with a Buy-It-Now. http://www.ebay.com/itm/WYANDOTTE-Pressed-Steel-1940-41-HEAVY-DUTY-WRECKER-TOW-TRUCK-1005-22-5-inch-/380976870007?hash=item58b3fdb277 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wyandotte-Pressed-Steel-Tow-Truck-Wrecker-/111745642889?hash=item1a048f3189 This monster is almost 30 inches long. http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-TOY-TRUCK-KEYSTONE-78-PACKARD-EMERGENCY-WRECKER-1928-/231593768347?hash=item35ec10759b http://www.ebay.com/itm/1920s-Keystone-Packard-Wrecker-78-Restored-Press-Steel-Truck-Not-Buddy-L-/171780347689?hash=item27fee81729 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buddy-L-Wrecker-Truck-/121724968328?hash=item1c575f9d88 You get the idea. Good hunting.

Wayne, this is probably more what you're looking for. This is my Schieble truck, but they also had the same truck with a wrecker set-up in the bed. It's about 20 inches long. They show up on eBay occasionally, but they aren't cheap. The Cadillac of pressed steel tow trucks is the Buddy L model. Good luck finding one for less that a grand. Coming back to earth, Wyandotte made a nice art deco wrecker and they can be found in the three to five hundred range. Prices for pressed steel toys have fallen, but they are still pricey. Smith-Miller made a really nice truck and there is a company reproducing these, but I'm not sure if they do the tow truck. Then there is always the dependable and rather inexpensive Tonka tow truck, although it may be a bit small and too moden for your purposes. Hope this helps.

I'm looking for a source of bumper bolts for my 32 Dodge Brothers DL sedan. These are the long bolts at the end of the two piece bumper that holds the bumper pieces to the mounts. They are basically a carriage bolt without the square beneath the round head. Many cars of the period have this type of construction so I assume someone out there sells them. But, then, assuming anything in this hobby can be dangerous. I guess I could grind down the square on a carriage bolt and clean up the markings on the head, but I'm curious to see if anyone sells them chromed or polished. Thanks for any help.

I'm looking for a source of bumper bolts for my 32 Dodge Brothers DL sedan. These are the long bolts at the end of the two piece bumper that holds the bumper pieces to the mounts. They are basically a carriage bolt without the square beneath the round head. Many cars of the period have this type of construction so I assume someone out there sells them. But, then, assuming anything in this hobby can be dangerous. Thanks for any help, and, yes, my front fender looks a lot better than it did in this before photo.

I took the frame down to bare metal. There were no stampings or ID markings that would indicate a specific manufacturer. I wish I could help. I have the build sheet, but it does not mention anything about the frame. My car was built December 21st, 1931, so it is a very early model.

Would it be half of the stamping die for a hubcap?

My 32 Dodge frame is definitely different than the 1931 frame with a large, heavy duty X-frame and boxed front rails. It has the "cradle" front mounting bracket with a single rubber mount, a frame member with a rubber pad just behind the engine oil pan, a spring attaching the bellhousing to the frame, and then a cradle rubber mount that attaches to a mount that is bolted to the X-frame. There are no mounts on the bellhousing to the frame. The gear shift is mounted to the frame to allow the trans to move on the rubber mounts. The engine and trans really do float on these mounts. My car sat in a garage from 1970 to 2013 and I discovered the rubber in the Floating Power mounts had all but liquefied. I had everything re-vulcanized. This is a great system, but once the rubber goes, nothing is really holding the engine in place and you could be in for an unpleasant surprise.

You are trying to save a car that most folks would probably turn into a rat rod and be done with it. I'm going through thr chrome process and as you say, it ain't cheap - even when you have the parts. I like your idea of doing no harm but getting it into drivable shape. And as far as parts go, you may be surprised. I found a unobtainium cowl trim piece I thought I was going to have to have made for thirty bucks in the buy and sell forum on this site. I also found a complete set of front and rear bumpers with all hardware for 200 bucks, so hang in there.

Just my two cents, but the heartwood? (the dark areas - I'm not a wood expert) distracts from the look. The overall effect is too much for my admittedly conservative tastes. Feel free to toss a grenade in my direction at any time.

Having been working restoring my totally complete 32 Dodge Brothers for more than two years, I feel your pain. I certainly don't blame you for wanting to get out and enjoy the wind in your hair. I sounds like you plan to engineer things so that you can bring your car back to a more original appearance if and when you locate the necessary parts, so I say go for it, drive the heck out of it and enjoy the ride. I'm actually amazed that you have gotten the car to it's current state considering what you started with! I have a 100 percent complete car and I'm still not as far along as you are.

You would have to wet sand it first for proper adhesion. It would also depend what the old paint is. I'm not sure an old baked enamel or lacquer paint job could be cleared.

Beautiful.

I've never been a fan of the coffee and cream. I think the original colors would enhance the appearance of your car. Just one man's opinion, it's your car to enjoy - whatever color you choose. i agree that getting it running and then driving it is what it's all about. I've been restoring my 32 Dodge for two years and I can't wait to get it on the road.

I'll bet it looks great once you color sand and buff. Did you paint in a booth, or just in your shop? I'm getting ready to do some spraying and could use any advice based on your experiences.

Beautiful car! Are you going to keep the paint or go back to the original blue and black? I find it interesting the number of cars restored in the seventies that went with the brown fender, beige body color scheme. It seemed to be the choice in so many cases.

Chris, The 32 Dodges have a medium gray paint on the engine, front engine cradle, bellhousing, transmission and rear trans mount. It appears to have a slight green tint to it, but some think this is due to years of engine heat. I found a very good sample on the bellhousing that stayed out of the sun and some of the engine heat. My local paint shop mixed some up for me after getting a color match. I'm going with epoxy primer and Imron. Duplicolor has a gray, but it's a Ford gray and too light. I used Por-15 on my 48 Plymouth (all silver) and was very happy with the result, but they don't offer a gray in their engine color line. Probably painting next week, so I'll post some pics.

I'm beginning to think that $230 quote from Romar is looking better all the time.