22touring

With the old, non-standard shift transmission like your uncle has (but without the abnormal wear), you can either get used to the second-gear noise or do a complete rebuild to try to get rid of it. I got used to it. LUB164 is a good oil to use. When the transmission was re-designed in 1927 to adopt the standard shift pattern, it was built much beefier and had no noise problems.

Thanks, boys! That was very helpful.

I certainly would appreciate receiving any advice or suggestions that my fellow Dodge brothers might have about the correct way to repair rust-outs at the bottom of the cowl, where it meets the bottom of the body. Thank you kindly.

I find it strange that the body of the Porsche 356 that I am also restoring is also made from 18 gauge sheet metal because I have found that it is much harder to move the sheet metal on the DB than on the Porsche. Is that perhaps because the Bros. used chrome vanadium steel in their body?

Oops, thanks, JayG. I was using inches rather than mm.

About 12 gauge, then, Matt. Thanks a lot.

Would anybody know from what gauge of sheet metal the tub of my 4-cylinder touring car was originally made? My only means of measurement is a digital caliper, which isn't really too accurate. Thanks. retroguy

Art, I thought that the pinion gear and rack on the Stewart carburetor, which you seem to be referring to as an idle adjustment, actually lifts the air valve and thereby controls not only the idle mixture, but also the main mixture. If anyone disagrees, please correct me. Is your air valve not lifting enough, or too much, for some reason? Has it perhaps become detached from the rack, making proper adjustment impossible? I think that originally the air valve was only swaged onto the rack, and it will come loose after many years. I had to solder mine back onto the rack. At first glance to the uninitiated, who may not be clear on the carb's theory of operation, when the air valve and rack become separated it is not obvious that they need to be firmly attached to each other.

Not to disagree with any of the foregoing because the guys who've already replied to you are entirely correct, but I believe the correct green engine color for a '23 is DuPont DuLux 83503 - 1958 Peugeot green. Check out this thread: https://forums.aaca.org/topic/44755-engine-color/

I'm not worthy! I'm not worthy!

nearchoc, your post made me realize that I need to re-join the national DB club. For some reason I let my membership lapse some time ago (probably because my restoration stalled). That was a mistake. Now that I'm back into that resto, I need to read those articles you're referring to!

nearchoc said: "The body shop I had do my work said to always use a self etch primer." I do recognize nearchoc's expertise, but don't the product data sheets say you shouldn't spray self-etch over freshly-blasted or prepared steel? Doesn't self-etch need some rust to react with, or else it doesn't adhere properly? The body shop I go to says you should spray epoxy primer over freshly-prepared steel because it prevents rusting better in that situation than self-etch does, FWIW.

Borough Essex, I also have a 1922 model. There are two series of 1922 DBs: early and late. The model changeover occurred in July of 1922. The late series '22 is quite recognizable because it has a taller radiator and cowl than the early series had. Here are some references you might want to obtain: "Book of Information - Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicles" - the factory instruction manual. Lots of theory of operation and repair information. I am not aware of any reprints, but it is available on eBay. Try to get one for, or close to, your model year. "Mechanics' Instruction Manual - Dodge Brothers Motor Cars and Graham Brothers Trucks" - factory publication, reprints available. "The Brothers Dodge" - Automobile Quarterly, First Quarter, 1979. "Dodge Brothers - 'Good Enough' is Not Acceptable" - series by Don Butler in three installments in Cars and Parts magazine during the Spring and Summer of 1979. Charles K. Hyde, "The Dodge Brothers: The Men, The Motor Cars and The Legacy", Chapter 6: "Dodge Brothers under Frederick J. Haynes, 1920-1925"

I have had good luck brazing cracked exhaust manifolds, although I know some people say you shouldn't.

Rodger, of course I do recognize you as a DB expert of renown, but may I suggest that the top saddles became optional equipment earlier than '24. Jim Mallars (RIP) said his dad told him it happened in late '21 or '22, as a result of the 1921 recession. As with many things DB, apparently changes were phased in over a period of time. My '22 touring (manufactured in late November of 1922), which seemed to be rather original, had no saddles and had the factory cover plates and bolts installed instead. Edit: I looked it up in the 1928 Master Parts List. The top rests were standard equipment until November 21, 1921 on touring cars and until January 5, 1922 on roadsters. I was very lucky to have DB forum member, gentleman and scholar Warren Seeley of Phoenix, AZ sell me the correct saddles for my car at a very reasonable price. Thank you so much, Warren.

I don't believe that anyone has mentioned LUB 164 1500W oil, which is also sold by the same restoration supply companies. I have had good results with it: much less grinding and clashing of gears than with the 180W I had been using.

Yes, that would be easier than building a fixture to hold it, I must admit. It is probably just that I am emotionally invested in the idea of building such a fixture because I recently obtained the tools and materials necessary to make one and to attach it to the concrete floor. I'd like to hear any other suggestions, though.

I'm trying to straighten the passenger-side front fender on my 1922 touring car. The front of it got pushed back, and I need to pull it forward. That chrome vanadium steel requires a lot of force to pull it, so I need to bolt the fender securely to a fixture in order to do it successfully. I would very much appreciate hearing about fixtures that you have made or used, or that you think would serve, to hold a DB front fender for body work. I'm just not at all clear about what kind of fixture to construct. Thank you.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the Screen Side would have used the same license plate support, going across the spare tire mount, as the rest of the DB lineup used. In the attached picture of the rear of my pretty original and correct '22 touring, the stop light (that the state of California first required in 1924, and which the original owner added at that time) is the red one below the yellow running light in the official Dodge Bros. accessory rear light enclosure. Another accessory, aftermarket "stop" light is mounted below the factory stop light because it better grabbed your attention. The red-dot reflector is another period accessory item. Oops, forgot about the Screen Side's side-mounted spares.

Mark, I think the rear axle ratio was 4.166:1. It looks from the Master Parts List like the so-called "2nd series Kelsey rims" were the first to have all-steel felloes, and that DB stopped using wood felloes in January of 1920, beginning at car no. 434412, until they switched over to the 2nd series Kelsey rims completely at car no. 436468. I could be wrong about this because I am going strictly based on the pictures of the cross-sections of the felloes in the Master Parts List, but if I am then I'm sure that somebody will chime in and correct me. Wood spoke wheels were always standard equipment until about 1933, with disc and wire-spoke wheels being optional equipment. So any of the three kinds of wheels would be correct for your car.

knobless, I don't think there are any holes to run the rod through. I would have to destroy some pretty nice paint work if I were to weld in braces or drill holes for rods. How about this: install the doors and hold them closed with large, soft-jawed pipe clamps. Wouldn't the doors brace the body OK while I lift it off the frame?

So I've got to weld the braces into my nice bodywork?

I was hoping that you folks would be willing to tell me the best way to brace the door openings on my '22 touring car when I remove the body from the frame. I would appreciate any advice you might have for, hopefully, a simple and elegant way to do it. Thanks very much

Good points, nearchoc. I had forgotten about the '24 four-passenger. Was that body built by DB or by Fisher?

The all-steel body was a major selling point for the DB car and was heavily advertised. Therefore DB stalwarts and loyalists of the time were somewhat dismayed when, in January of 1925 (after the Brothers' deaths but a few months before the purchase by Dillon, Read & Co.) DB introduced the Coach and Special models, which had bodies built by Fisher that were made from steel and wood composite.