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John I’m not sure what gears are in the 38 now. I’ll go out to garage and see if my manuals will tell me. I wonder how hard a 38 OD trans would be to find. I know a lot of parts fit up to 37 then 39 on up. 38 seems to be a forgotten year in a lot of parts dealers catalogs. It will be interesting to figure this all out. I’ve rebuild engines and a couple trans but never touched a differential. May be a new experience worth trying if I can find the right help to show me. dave s

I am 6’1” 225 and I know for a fact those trucks were not built for anyone over 5’ 10” as my knees hit the dash board and it was hard to go from the gas to the brake. That’s why I sold mine after a frame off restore and driving it one time. It was just too damn small and cramped but it did have enough head room I will give it that. dave s

The hill holder is a nice device if you have a lot of hills you need to stop on. It’s a ball that keeps brake fluid from refitting the master cylinder after stepping on the brakes. Basically the car won’t roll backwards when you take your foot off the brake pedal. Allowing you to use one foot on the clutch and one on the gas. It releases when you engage the clutch. Over simplified explanation but it works and not all cars have them. My has one but it’s mostly flat around here. It would not make me buy the car or not but it. dave s

I’ve thought of both changing the rear on gears and looking for an overdrive transmission but just thought I would throw the engine swap out there for discussion. Based on all the information I’ve gotten the 6 is a better choice. I’ll start a new thread on the gears and trans after I do my homework. Thanks for responding I never thought of a pickup rear end fitting the commander. I have a friend in Texas that may even have one as he has had a couple as parts trucks in the past for rebuilding his current truck. dave s

45-53 here today. First Saturday of the month car show at the local Home Depot parking lot. 2-250 cars expected. Come on down to southern South Carolina and get out of the low temp high tax north! I’m from Chicago and I’m just wearing a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up the weather is so nice. Of course I have my pants on too for all the smart guys out there. dave s

AJ 30-40 years ago I could spend 10-12 hours sanding a car four or five days in a row today I’m lucky if I can do it for three hours without taking the next day off! dave s

Terry, I first tried to read your post without my glasses on and thought it said a million five hundred thousand! I thought is he nuts!! I had to put the glasses on just to be sure and realized my error. You do know how to get a guys heart going. dave s

1948 Ford introduced the “Bonus built roomier Cab F Series pickup Trucks” they still were not very roomy ! dave s

Gary, when are you going to make a replica of the 33 model? dave s

I believe Lexol will darken leather. The saddles would get scratched and have a much lighter look to the scratches after cleaning with a good saddle soap using the Lexol would almost eliminate the scratches. Some would even become a little darker if the scratch was deep causing the leather to be ruff. Most of the saddles & tack we have was a deep brown with one set being light brown and one set a very dark almost black color. That being the case on lighter colors I would think lanolin might be your best option. Try it in a very hidden place no matter what you use. dave s

I would let both of you idiot’s come and work on my car anytime you want. AJ if you want to drag that character you know in FL along that would be ok too. I’ll even supply the CR stuff he likes or the good Woodford Reserve if you prefer. I’ll be happy to watch the three of you argue who is right on sorting out my Studebaker. dave s

We’ve used Lexol conditioner on all our leather saddles and tack for years. My daughters first saddle that is 40 years old is still soft and supple. A saddle takes a lot more wear and tear than a car seat does. It is a very good product. We even use it on a brand new saddle or bridal before they ever get put on a horse. dave s

Just melted away is what happened! dave s

Barrington IL is one of the elite suburbs west of Chicago. So that automatically makes the price of this car double what it was purchased for in CT. There are about as many horses as people in that area but more horses a$$es than horses so if interested be wary of what you will have to deal with. dave s

I drove a dump truck with a three two. Taught my daughter to drive a stick when she got her license using a Triumph Spitfire we restored for her. The boys in high school were amazed a girl could drive a stick when they didn’t know how too. While in college she hauled her bosses horses in Freightliner. A 5’4” 110 lb girl driving a semi sized rig was unusual back then.

Well now we know you made it at least to junior high no matter what AJ says. dave s

Go ahead make my day, George. Write me a great big check! dave s

I’m not in the market for one. I saw a P III and was just curious because I like this thread to read. dave s

Simple solution is tighten it a little more and check to see if that fixes it. If it does chalk it up to changes in manufacturing probably saving 1/100th of a cent by making a cheaper thinner gasket. Then they hiked up the price by a buck or two for the new and improved gasket seal! China at is best!’ dave s

Not knowing anything about RR’s or really any car, how would a RR Phantom III 12 cylinder car in comparable condition stack up to any of the I or II is style and value? dave s

Thanks all. It was just a thought and something to play around with in the garage. My 38 6 runs great. I get about 15 mpg, temp is about 160, oil pressure about 25-30 at idle and 50-60 running when warmed up. The idea for the 8 was just to see if possible to fit and get a little more speed. I never thought the parts would be harder to find than a 6. The only part I’ve had a problem finding for the commander was a right front fender and the rear wing window rubber. Never did get a fender so fixed mine after a fender bender. I think I found the last wing window rubber available about seven years ago when I redid all of the rubber on the car. Thanks for all the great responses. Maybe it’s time to look for another complete project. Just have to figure out how to tell the wife her car has lost its garage space! Have fun dave s

Gary that’s funny you mention driving on the track. There was a show at the Indy 500 track a few years back. I took the 38 only because we got to drive the track after the show. I was the only prewar there so waited to be the last car. They had a lead and trail car for safety. I was on the track with muscle cars of every type and exotic foreign cars. After the first lap I was falling behind. By the 10 lap I was more than a half lap behind. As I came out of the third turn a Porsche was stopped in the middle of turn four. I thought I was going to pass a turbo Porsche on the Indy track! I got within 200-300 feet of him the driver stuck his hand out the window and waved bye bye. He was gone in a flash. At the end they gave me an award for being the only car that never lifted. By the last lap they were all behind me even the lead safety car. LOL dave s

Gary, thank you. The exact reason I posted this here as I felt people with a lot more knowledge on these great cars would give me good advice. The small gain does not seem worth the changes to make it run as well as it does now. I guess the best solution is to just smile big and wave to people in car’s passing me on the highway and limit that driving as much as possible. dave s

And put up wet! dave s

RBK, I thought of the engine being longer but there is a lot of room in a President with the longer fenders and some room in the commander. I was hoping it might be a tight fit but was not sure. So are you guessing or do you have actual measurements that would make this discussion dead? Thanks dave s