dave38fastback

Hi There CP !! Gearbox should be very easy, remove floorboards, disconnect driveshaft, speedo, handbrake, gearstick etc, remove the four bolts that hold the gearbox to the bell housing sit inside the car, with legs either side of the gearbox and slide rearward. I have had my gearbox out 3 times in the last 3 months (don't ask !!!) the gearbox should NOT hang up in the clutch area.

I have made the following adaption to make master cylinder filling easier. Replace the fiber washer on the filler plug and also I drilled a hole right through the top, to which I fitted a brass fitting and rubber hose and plum the other end to a remote brake reservior that I fitted to the firewall. Don't forget to block the little breather hole in the top of the plug that is in the master cylinder or your brake fluid to gravity feed down and out through that hole. Now brake top up is easy as lift the side hood, tip in more and go. You can often pull the plastic remote reserviors off wrecked trucks.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wbower3</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Dave, I still have my 16" wheels with 20 year old Firestone implemant tires on them (and they hold air), but they're 5" wide. Did yours end up 6 & 1/2" wide? They look great. I'm currently using a non-Mopar wheel to be able to use a radial,215x60x16. </div></div> Hi There, I honestly can not remember to orginal rim width, 4 inches I think and now out to 5 1/2 inches. I too had some old bias tyres, but they were hard and had a mind of their own !! The new radials are far better to drive with, but yes you do loose some of the originality of the car.

Hi There I have a brother ('38 Dodge Coupe) who is currently in Reno, but likely to relocate to Eugene, Oregon in the next 2 years. My brother has quite a few contacts and has been involved with these cars for many years. Send me a PM if you want his e-mail I have a '38 Dodge Fastback.

Hi There Knobs...looking for a "wiper" one and if I could find one with "choke" on it I would be happy. I have a manual choke on my car, so don't even know if the "choke" knob was made redundant by the Automatic choke if fitted to some of these. Wheels....widened rims, split them and put another 1 1/2 inches onto the width. Then found a nice set of 16inch radials and she is good to roll. And yes I get to keep the original hubcaps on the car. I have 3 spare wheel rims so can revert to original if I want to.

I ended up with a replica set that are fully vulcanised onto a new running board "bed". This means that when you look at the running board you only see rubber, no metal at all (metal is only visible from underneath). These are not "Dodge" types, but then the body was Plymouth (ex Canada) anyway with a Dodge front clipped on....so the whole car was odd from the day it was made.

Hi CP, trust all is well with you. Good idea, also on the wish list is someone that makes replica knobs for the dash switches, I have most but could use a couple more !! On the "must do" list I recommend that others replace the driveshaft with a new modern one....that takes care of many vibrations that can not be good for the rest of the car !!

My 38 was bit of a mission as front doors were not original. However, here is a few ideas. Remember that they do not have to be perfect like a modern car. The car probably left the factory with doors and other parts a bit gappie. So don't chase the impossible. I decided which gaps were important for looks and which I would allow to be uneven, then concentrate on the gaps you want looking right. Now if door is warped, get it as good as you can, then wrap a block of wood in an old towel, wedge this in the gap between door and car frame and start pushing. Easy at first but I had to brace myself against the wall on one occasion. I also strapped doors hard against the towel and block and left them for several days. I am told panel beaters often do this on chassis straightening jobs, to let the tension ease out of the steel. I spent around 3 hours per door, my back ones are very good, but my front will never be perfect, but they shut and stay shut and do not rattle.

Had a similar problem with my '38, and even harder to find as it is right hand drive. So......I cleaned up the existing as best I could and then fitted/glued a CV boot to the area where the shaft goes through. This filled the gap nicely...however is not authentic.

Hi Tarsha I have a '38 Dodge, which is fairly newly restored and complete. Sills are quite an issue and I ended up buying a set up in the US having them shipped and stitched into the car. I am based in Cambridge, so can help with advice if you want it and are in the area. The rear tail pan is also usually a problem area in these cars.

I have done a similar thing as Elmo, just used a rag to stop the water back flow from the bottom pipe, and had an air gun also feeding into the radiator through the rag. Ran the water and pulsed the compressed air at the same time. It certainly shakes a lot of crud loose, but if your radiator is weak then this method could kill it if you are not careful.

Good on you Dan, you are starting to improvise and just work your way around the problems. That is how it is done on these old cars, they are generally very simple (with a few exceptions) and very robust. Just keep at it you can not be very far off start up now. A few years back I was having engine problems with my 38, a very good and older mechanic said "if you give it fuel and spark at the right time it will go...the engines are that simple". Keep up the posts !!!

Hi Delux. If your fuel line is disconnected from the tank and fuel does not freely run out the outlet no pump will help as you still have a problem. (I assume there is not a goose neck or similar in the thank) I would suggest you drop the tank out, this will take just 10 minutes and give you great access. Onec out the tank can be rolled and tipped until you remove whatever is in there which could be almost like tar. Question to others about the oil pressure issue, should Delux also be checking the oil pressure release valve or is this what you are calling the bypass?

Hi there. There is also an alternative method, a little random but others have done it. Remove the split pin, loosen the axle nut 1/4 turn, replace split pin and if for example doing drivers side take a short drive anticlockwise around the block/parking lot. This is supposed to break them free so that you can return home and pull them by hand. Never done it myself, but if I do I will give it a try. However as I have a 3.23 Ford diff in the rear this method may never be required by me.

Hi Wingwalker. Have you got a workshop manual for your truck? Brakes can be tricky and have to be right for obvious reasons. Roberts Auto Parts may be a good place to start for Master and wheel cylinders. If this is your first time with these brakes then I would suggest you buddy up with a older local mechanic/brake guy (make sure the guy is old, the young guys just don't get this stuff)and see if you can be his unpaid helper whilst he shows you through what needs to be done. This may cost you a few bucks but will save you untold grief. DO NOT scrimp with the brakes, it could kill you.