Rata Road

Thats very helpful. I'll keep an eye out at swap meets. Thanks again.

Thanks Joe. That makes sense as the speedo has those pointers. Thanks

I would like to find a correct clock for my 39 Dodge, maybe at a swap meet etc but it would help if I had a photo. Looks like it fits in the square hole in the glovebox door. Thanks

This tool is a must for setting up brakes of this era. I've found they need to adjusted top and bottom to achieve a frim high pedal. Ammco 1750

I purchased a 39 Dodge last year from an old fella who owned it for 45 years. I had trouble adjusting the pedal until the old fella's mate sold me his Ammco 1750 tool. Like you say what an amazing piece of kit, I couldn't get a full pedal until the rear wheels were set up using this tool. I havent used it on the front wheels yet but lately I notice there is a screeching sound coming from the front wheels under light braking so I will need to inspect. Please explain the arc process using sandpaper?

We don't have anything put on our roads in the winter over here that will rot your car, not cold enough I guess so all they get is wet. Great driving at the moment as its the middle of summer.

If you have no luck a friend was having trouble finding dash knobs for his Vanguard so he got his friend to copy his old one using a 3d printer. Look ideal once they were painted.

Goes in fine when not moving and every now and then it goes back down into 2nd with no crunch (like it should) but mostly it does so I'm now just double clutching. Sometimes I get it right lol.

What year/model car is the carby off John?

I'm not shy of driving any of my oldies in the snow either.

m-mman - Great info thanks

Budd28, try reading this post it may help you which is near the bottom of this page Story of a Dodge soft top

I went to the street car drags at Adelaide International Raceway on a sunny Sunday in 1976. What a great day, only time in my life I drank a dozen cans of beer. Cars went in a time bracket and if you broke from going faster you were out otherwise the winner went on. There was a stock 64 Chev, 283 power glide and the guy held one arm over the back of the seat and drove one handed, just left it in drive and floored it. Pretty slow but he always set the same time which was at the top of his time bracket. He won all his match ups and made it the final because he was so consistent. The other finalist was a early 60's VW Beetle with a worked Porsche engine that left a huge smoke trail but was extremely fast. In the final the Chev was about a quarter of the way gone when the "Cabbage Cutter" got his green light, what a laugh. That was a great day!

This has turned into a really interesting thread. I've enjoyed reading all the posts.

28 - That is interesting. I guess spraying it on is more permanent option.

I was visiting a small town a few hours from me yesterday, checking out some old cars for sale, being restored and the local Vintage car club. The following yarn come up. Story goes - When a young couple went on their Honeymoon in the Dodge the top leaked in a rain storm. A few days later they come across some workers Tar sealing a road. They asked if they would spray some bitumen over the soft top. They did and it kept them dry from then on. Many decades later the car is still driven from time to time complete with a great talking point, the bitumen covered roof.

That picture tells such a story and highlights what poverty really looks like. Thanks for posting

Sorry for the delay in responding Bloo I have just found your response. Thanks for your feedback. I have replaced with new oil with an additive with no benefit. Next time I will use plain gear oil and see how that goes. I am just living with it in the meantime, double clutch gets it smooth most the time.

Great video

Is this the one

Two days on and the Dodge is still starting great and running sweet. Went for a 45 min run around all the streets plus along the canal road, lovely warm summer evening and it purred along. Running beautifully. Looks like a carby rebuild would have been an expensive experiment. Thanks again for advice guys

Update - I checked each spark plug using my inline visual tester. I had to do this 6 times I noticed the engine could be started from standing outside the drivers door window by one push of the dash mounted starter button and no touching of the accelerator. That was pleasing although I hadn't changed anything yet. All sparks were good. I then removed Distributor cap, cleaned everything up in there but it wasn't bad as I had done this 6 months ago BUT I discovered the vacuum dish shaped thing on the bottom of the distributor was loose. I tightened the outside screw but cant get to the inside screw. However this unit is know firmly attached. I tried starting it off and on for next hour or so and one push & no pedal! Road test, was very hot yesterday for us (92 deg F), 15 mins along I turned it off and waiting 10 seconds then it started first push & no pedal. Drove for 30 minutes and stopped at the top of a steep hill and turned it off, bonnet left shut to get things cooking in there and walked away for 10 minutes. When I returned I turned key on and temp gauge was over 3/4 way across (hottest I have ever seen it), key on, no pedal and it started after 3 or 4 winds. Happy with that! Drove home, in the garage and turned it off and it started great again. Maybe that vacuum thing being loose was the culprit? Fingers crossed, proof will be over the next week or so. Thanks again for all your ideas and experience

Rusty its 8.20am Friday here and you are way behind at 2.20pm Thursday. The previous owner installed the wrapping I think to stop fuel evaporation when parked up hot as he had friends with similar cars that done this to rectify problems. I also get the feeling its an intermittent fault as you never know how it will start, there is no pattern to learn. Exactly how would you check for good spark at each plug? Just to the eye when winding over? I do have a inline spark display gadget I've never used so I will try that. Ben what I could do is make a temporary fuel line, fit the pump from a can of fuel and compare. However I don't feel its a supply issue as it always has plenty in the Carby (hot or cold) if I remove the air cleaner and watch while activating the linkage plus when I use the squeeze bulb it gets rock hard after a few pumps which implies the mechanical pump and Carby should be fill. When doing this it doesn't eliminate the potential of a difficult start. However I'll try anything, should be an interesting process. Thanks for your help guys, I'll post any progress.....

Thanks for the great feedback guys. Some more background. Everything on the car is stock standard, 6v, mechanical fuel pump etc. It does have a boat tote tank squeeze bulb located halfway along the car which works well (previous owner). Only takes a few pumps until its hard if its been parked up for a week or so. - Yes it gets hot here but not like your desert states however the problem is the same in winter and summer so its not that. - When starting from cold it can take a good 15 secs of winding or more. If I pull the choke, depress the pedal once and have the hand throttle set to fast idle half the time It will start after 3 or 4 winds. The other half of the time it takes a heap more winding and there is no logic which result you will get when you start. This is the same winter or summer. Also these two results are the same if I pump the bulb first or ignore it. - When starting hot. Who knows what will happen. Some times first flick of the starter, some times 10 secs of winding and every now and again it wont start at all. Walk away and try later. I was getting a safety check the other day and the old mechanic told me to hold the pedal down and wind until it starts. That seemed to work when it was stubborn. I cant see a shield above the fuel pump and there isn't one below the Carby. These might help the hot start but wont effect the cold ones. When cold if I don't hand pump the fuel up, remove the air cleaner and activate the throttle there is a good squirt of fuel. It never starts then die a few seconds later, it is just getting it to start. I have a 6v fuel pump on hand which i could try but not convinced that will help, I thought a carby rebuild might be a safer bet although that's expensive but if it gave me a consistent starter I will do it.

My 39 Dodge is an excellent runner but I'm never sure how it will start. When hot does your car start instantly? Do you pump the pedal at all or just hit the button? Sometimes mine is stubborn when hot. Cold, it seems to behave different each time so I can't get a pattern on it. The reason I ask is I am considering getting the Carby rebuilt if I think that will give me consistent quick starts. I'm sure years ago when I had these motors they were great starters.