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Do any of you '36 Dodge guys have an extra intake manifold drain fttg. available? I just broke mine; thought I had an extra but can't find it. Thanks

Back in the late 1970's there was a company that was reproducing steel 1932 Chevy roadster bodies and fenders. They seemed to dissappear. Did GM shut them down or are they still in business? Just curious,I was impressed by the parts.

Amigo , I think I have an extra set . Give me your address and I'll send them to you. They are applied like any other decal, dampen the gauge face and the decal with warm soapy water then peel off the paper backing. Carefully position the decal and press out the air bubbles. The soapy water allows the decal to slide a bit. Be careful around the stop pins. The holes for the stop pins have to be made prior to installing the decals. Can be tricky! Cut the decal a little larger than the gauge face for full coverage and trim when dry. On the speedo,make a slot with a sharp knife in the odometer recess after applying the decal and work it in to the recess before it dries. I think you'll be very satisfied! Jim

Ian, The firewall pad is a heavy colored cardboard over a thick stranded mat. The cardboard is still available , it's called cowlboard and comes in a variety of colors. Dodge used a lot of dark gray with their trim schemes. The kick panels,parcel shelves, trunk dividers and rear seat kick panels were made from the same material. The back is a kind of hvy. pressed mat made from fibers similar to a bulding material we know as Celotex ( used for exterior sheathing on buldings). If your backing is good you good probably reuse it. If not,like mine, I was going to glue several pieces of Celotex together to get the proper thickness and then glue the cowlboard on. Usually these insulators had a rubber flap or seal sewn on the bottom to help seal the toeboard. A good upholster can probably supply the board and sew the seal on. If you can't find the board,it is available from Restoration Specialties here in the U.S. They do ship internationally but it will probably cost an arm and a leg to get it home. Their ph. 814-467 - 9842 or @restorationspecialties.com. Hrs. are 9:00 am -5:00 pm EST. US. Hope this helps. Jim Ps. The pads were pinned to the firewall with several long two pronged buttons. Some variations of these are still available ,some are not. Save anything you have! Resto. Spesc. might have some in stock.

Looks like you have your work cut out for you! Seems somebody tried a little"street rod magic" and gave up. Does it have all the original drivetrain? I have a '36 steering column you could have if it fits. Don't get dicouraged,it might seem overwelming to bring something back to life,but in the end it's well worth it! I agree with 1930,stock is best in my opinion. You don't see many of these! Good luck Jim

I'm not so sure that I would dip anything that's case hardened,Like gears,for fear of the material eating away the case hardened layer. Many of these rust removers actually etch into the metal. I use to use ZEP industrial rust remover,worked great on steel but destroyed cast iron and would ruin gears. Just a thought.

Try Robert's Motor Parts(978-363-5407) also. I think they carry some truck parts. You probably will not find any repro body parts,with the exception of a bed from Macks Products.I understand that Chrysler used the same bed from the 50's through the 70's. To bad you can't keep it all stock as there are not many of these trucks left but it looks like somebody already worked their "magic" on it. Good luck

Nice set of skirts on Ebay and looks like no reserve maybe a chance to get a good deal. Not sure of what year they are but they look complete. Paint looks like it may have bee Avon Green. The set I bought cost me $500.00 and I was glad to get them! That was 10 yrs ago! Ebay item 290665628701

Which Carpenter's are you referring to? If you mean Dennis Carpenter they only handle Ford. What kind of rubber are you looking for I might be able to help?

I have several years of the Antique Automobile magazine available 1 or all for only the price of shipping. Vol. 51(No. 6) 1987 Vol. 52(1-6)1988 Vol.53(1-6)1989 Vol.54(1,3,4,5,6)1990 Vol.55(1-6)1991 Vol.56(1-6)1992 Vol.57(1,2,4,5,6)1993 Vol.58(1-6)1994 Vol.59(1,2,3,5)1995 Vol.60(1)1996 Vol.62(5,6)998 Vol.63(1,2,3,4)1999 Vol.64(1-6)2000 Vol.65(1-6)2001 Vol.66(1,2,3,5,6)2002 Vol.67(1-6) 2003 Vol.68(1-6)2004 E-mail is jamesopage@aol.com or ph. 814-322-4481

Here's a good example of the kinds of vehicles that are being sold as "professionally restored". Check out E-bay auction no. 180808502533. If this is professional somebody got screwed. Look closely at the paintwork and details(engine,drivetrain). Also the owner didn't seem to care about it at all! Check the high price too! Neat truck,just too bad it wasn't done right..maybe he could justify the 22 grand!

There is a really nice '36 canopy express currently on E-bay (270903643315). I know this truck and it's a great opportunity to get a rare truck if anyone is interested. This truck is licensed and is roadable. I have never seen this body style before;it has an open back cab so the driver can go from the seat to the bed without leaving the truck! Worth a look!

My hat is off to the Dodge Bros. Club and the A.A.C.A. for establishing and hosting this forum. We now have almost instant access to a group of people with an endless supply of knowledge and experience we must not let it go unappreciated. This forum has been a great help to me personally and I'm sure to countless others. For me though,it's a kind of "brotherhood" as we share a common interest. We can talk with those who have the same type of vehicle, who have experienced the same problems and who will help with the acquisition of parts without taken us over the coals! I derive a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction in trying to help with a question or problem. I don't consider myself an expert(by no means) but I do try to learn as much as I can about the vehicles I'm working on. I hope that my 2 cents worth can help! I don't know any of you personally, but I am impressed by your knowledge and insight and we do need sometimes to air our concerns and joys but we must always remember ,even if we don't agree with one another ,we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable. Keep up the good work!

While we're talking about prices and selling cars here's another beef that I have. It's about the word "restored". It's a term that means different things to different people. I've seen ads for hot rods listed as "restored", I've seen "50 footers" listed as restored ,not of which matched the definition. While working the car shows we would venture down to the car corrals in the evenings,especially at Hershey, to see the offings. There are many nice cars for sale but few really well restored cars although even the bad cars had high price tags. I've seen cars listed at 50 or 60,000 dollars with bad chrome or bad paint or mismated parts. It's also been a long time scince I saw a well restored Model a Ford. In my opinion,when there is ample info. available it's not any harder or more expensive to use the right parts and right colors and DO IT RIGHT. Many of the cars for sale on Ebay by "Dealers" are just lower quality cars at high prices misrepresented to an unwitting customer base. Almost a fraud in my estimation. Also when buying one of these cars you never know what you're going to find. Too many people try to improve on the original(seems especially in the case of Model A's) with "safety features" that are really not needed. Heck, most of these cars never leave the driveway! I prefer to do my own cars so that I know what I have. When I did my A,it was all stock. No alt. no hyd. brakes no sealed beams and no battery switches. I drove that truck for 16 yrs.it never failed to start on the first try and I was not afraid to drive it anywhere and all I ever did was replace one battery! When you do a cheap job you will end up with a cheap job and it's my attitude with cars that are not very valueable that the mosr effort you put in the better return you get out! Maybe more money but greater satisfaction.

Please don't think that I'm trying to put down any generation or am saying that youth today are inherently lazy. All generations exibit the same traits,but in different ways. I also agree that each generation has a tendency to "drop the ball" in it's efforts to train and discipline the next generation. Each person has his or hers abilities and interest and some of that is directed by the times we live in. My dad was a carpenter and he passed his trade to me and I to my son, but he hated to work on cars. I gained my interest in old cars from building model cars in the '60's. I learned the nomenclature,how to identify years and dexterity skills through that hobby. When I was 17 I got my old car(a Model A ford) and was determined to restore it. My father's opinion was "get it the H out of the yard". It took 10yrs. to build that car and when my son was older I thought that he might have an interest. Boy was I wrong!I also learned body work and mechanics by hands on work. i had a friend in the 1960's whose family cars all came from a junk yard. We would work to get them on the road and when they were shot,they'ed drag home another. Times were different and now there seems to be less of a need to be mechanical. You can't work on your own car because of technology;I don't even change my own oil anymore! Technology has made us all a little lazier if you will,but I see a new intelligence in kids today,a new understanding of that technology that I will never possess and I respect that. Who know ,one day future generations might be restoring robots!

I believe that the screw is a 10-24x1 cone point. The screw is also recessed in the door so the top is flush. Try soaking the screw in a rust penetrant and with a "left handed " drill bit (1/8 dia.) CAREFULLY drill out the screw. With the left handed bit it should catch and actually back the screw out without having to drill the whole length. The trick is to keep the hole centered. You may have to buy several bits in smaller increments and work your way up to the 1/8. Left handed bits can be purchased at a good industrial tool supply or good hardware. Good luck!

Bill-- Funny you should say that about the wagons. There is an antique shop about 1 hr. from me that had 4 buckboard type wagons in his yard. One day a gentleman from Texas stopped and asked if they were for sale. The owner said yes and after the Texan laid out a nice chunk of change he was on his way. Within a week a truck stopped and picked up all four wagons. Those wagons had sat there for years;ya never know! Different strokes they say!

I agree with Bleach that there seems to be no drop in prices here in PA. Examples . A neighbor of mine bought a 1932 Desoto fordor and a 1925 Chandler fordor for $10,000. He now has them for sale at $10,000. each. Talk about making a killing! In my estimation they should be priced around $3,000-$4,000 each as both need restored. Add another $30,000 or $40,000 for a REAL restoration and you're underwater on each car! You can even find a junk car around here for under $3,000. Then you have the foreign investors. My old boss bought a run of the mill 1974 Caddy executive limo for $4,000 and took it to the Carlisle PA spring PA meet. He sold it to a man overseas for $ 17,000. Then he bought a 1965 Ponitac GTO convert.for around $6,000. . It was pretty rough but he sold it to a guy at Carlisle Fall meet foe $17,000 and this guy was prepared to spend $100,000 on it. I think he had big hopes for a big return! We had overseas customers that would come here, fill 4 or 5 large shipping containers full of cars and parts at any price ,to resale overseas. How are most folks like us going to compete with people who have endless supplies of cash? I also know several collectors locally who buy up anything at again any price only to squirrel them away never to be seen again. Some have no idea how many cars they actually have. This takes alot of good restorable cars of the market and helps keep prices high. It keeps getting harder for me to stay in the hobby: I have more than $20,000 invested in restoring my 1936 Dodge and don't even have the body on yet! All this for a car that only lists on the price guide for around $15,000. Now that's love!

I have been in the hobby for 40 years and have actively work in the antique auto parts business for 7 yrs. and I'm afraid that within 20yrs. the antique car hobby is going to see a severe decline. I see several reasons. Just as 1930 said demographics are changing. The youth today seem to no longer have an interest in the past and since technology has changed to the point where there are fewer "hands on "type jobs they have no experience or skill to do anything. Everything is done for them. Most can't even change a tire let alone restore a car. When we were young ,we had to work on our cars. Body work,mechanical work and the like just to keep them running. Today very few people fool with there everyday cars. Professional young people have more money and seem to be more willing to pay to play than actually exert any effort. Another is government and special interest. Too much legislation on zoning,types of paint ,noise and effects of pollution are driving up prices for materials and limiting what people can do,even on their own property. I know towns where it is unlawful to work on your car INSIDE your own garage. You can't spray paint or dispose of solvents. Soon you'll have to have a permit to fart! The third reason ,and probably the greatest in my opinion, is good old American GREED. Years ago , it seemed, people were in the hobby to enjoy restoring and driving the cars that they loved. But as it grew,more and more money was to be made. When was the last time you tried to actually swap something at a parts meet. No Way! I blame some of the TV antique shows and auto auctions for this. The public watches as too many "enthusiasts" with to much money ,pay exorbitant prices for almost everything that comes across the block. Now people seem to have this notion that anything with the "antique" moniker is worth it's weight in gold! Just look at E-bay. When it first started rpices were reasonable and you could get a good deal. Now almost every seller has a "Buy Now"price. What happened to the auction? And the prices are out of this world! $79.00 for a windshield crank handle , $ 2000.00 for a 1936 Dodge grille,$30.00 for a $4.00 rad.cap. Come on --get real! Whe is too much too much. I once ask my employer why they charged so much and his reply" because I can!" . Greed is going to put us all under ,and we won't even know that it's happening!

I bought a harness from Rhode Island Wiring for my '36 Dodge and was very pleased. There was an error on the length of the choke wire so I called and they sent me everything I needed at no charge. I would recommend them.

I just picked up an old 10 ga. Ellisco round fluted fuel transfer can that is marked "AMOCO". Does anyone know what color or colors this can would have been. It's pretty rusty but does show traces of a dark green paint. Would the letters be highlighted in a contrasting color? Any info, even period( circa.) is greatly appreciated. This is the first one of these I have seen.

Check out the thread on the Dodge and Dodge Bros. forum under '36 dodge gauge colors. I have posted a photo of a gauge panel with new decals I had made for my 36 Dodge. Not quite exact but they look good. I had them made at a graphics shop.You miht be able to find a refletive paper closer to original color

The part on the panel that looks dark is old raw steel with no paint. The part still has some grease and dirt on it and it was hard to photograph such a small sample for good color . We tried outside ,but today was cold and windy with bright sun. The sun just glared on the paint. This is an odd color and looks different in different light. You an't see but there are several factory paint runs on this panel ,a real no-no for restored cars. New cars were not perfect.

I noticed that too but I was really happy with them. The printer had to draw each number and it took several tries for them to get each number and letter right. They show up really well under the dash lights.The decals were a lot cheaper than silk screen!

Irv, Make sure that they are triple plating your parts and not just chroming them. Many platers skip the copper coat to save time and money. Als some will not take the time to really smooth the parts before plating. I'm not saying they won't but just make sure.