TonyAus

I had similar problems. The cause was the length of the terminal screws fouling the contact plate. These were made for the original thick terminals. Modern terminals are thinner - hence the fouling. Cure is to shorten the screws or fit washers under the terminals - easy.

The headlights should have single filament bulbs. Rather than dipping they dim. The dash switch directs current through a resistance coil on its back.

What you have to understand is that with hydraulic brakes the braking force is applied via direct pressure on the pedal. With mechanical brakes it is applied via a lever attached to the pedal. Therefore the pedal has to move proportionately further. The Dodge book of information indicates that when the brakes are properly adjusted they should be fully engaged when the pedal is 1/4'" above the floorboard. This amount of movement may seem counter intuitive to someone used to hydraulic brakes which have minimal pedal movement.

The first rule of electrics is to check that you have a good earth - then then go on to the rest. I took me years to learn this the hard way.

The port connections are not your problem - only the three nuts on the locating studs and the flange nut. And when replacing the manifold you will need a set of four copper crush rings which seat it to the block.

Ok, some specific answers to your problem. Yes, the exhaust manifold will have to come off. If you don't wish to disturb the flange (or can't get the nut undone) undo the muffler brackets and pull the whole assembly toward to - after removing the three nuts from the locating studs. The offending plug is (from memory) of the bucket type and about 1/2". Before rushing out to buy a replacement from your friendly corner parts store, check the plug seating in the block for corrosion. In my case the seating was so badly corroded that a bucket plug would not seal - yours may also be bad if a leak has occurred. To get over the problem I used a lens (dish) type plug in the recess machined around the hole. You may or may not be able to buy a standard lens type plug to fit. I couldn't get the right size so I turned one down - holding the plug against a convex piece of steel in the lathe chuck with another drilled for the tailstock centre. A bit of folded emery cloth helps the convex bit drive the plug. The new plug is fitted by applying an appropriate sealer and expanding it into the recess by hitting the convex side in the middle with a flat punch or piece of round steel, preferably nearly as big as the plug. Hope this helps.

Actually they are Westinghouse air springs - beloved of Locomobile and the like.

Not a good idea to run without the lock or a plug in its place. When you get the lock out you will see how it works - the flat extension of the lock barrel turns between the selector rods. There is also a felt seal under the lock to prevent transmission oil working its way up. I think that running without the lock and seal might result in a spray of oil up the right and left legs of the driver and passenger respectively. Not good for your Gucci loafers and domestic harmony - particularly if your passenger is of the distaff variety.

Check out the Dodge Brothers Club Australasia website links page. I can recommend Meyers in the US but the falling $A is a problem at the moment.

I used a rubber U section suitable for 1/4 inch glass - available from Spectrum Rubber and possibly Clarke Rubber who sell Spectrum products. This is NOT the glass setting uncured rubber which they also sell in flat strips. The U section has a bead at the top of the U which overhangs the frame in the same way as the original brass section does. To my knowledge the cork lined plated brass used originally is no longer available.

The central accelerator is a necessity in RHD cars because there is no room for it to the right of the brake pedal. The central location is not a problem as it sits forward of the clutch and brake. A quick retraining of the right foot and all is well - except for the totally inept who would probably also struggle with the unsynchronised gearbox.

Thanks for the info. Sixteen miles! Looks like I'll have to engage some form of transport. Is a rickshaw service available?

After consulting my bucket list I have decided that a trip to Hershey needed to be brought forward before I am too old to walk the distance required. A tour of the US, including Carlisle and Hershey, has been organised by the Australian Historic Motoring Federation for 2016 and we will be on it. My question is what day of the Hershey swap does the DBC normally hold its dinner? Also, as members of the Australian DBC would we be welcome to attend? Just planning ahead. Tony

A competent locksmith should be able to pick a transmission lock and cut a key to suit as it uses a standard Yale broach. A Clum ignition switch is another matter. If you have a Clum key with a DB number (up to 99) the switch can be adjusted to suit. These are wafer locks and it is only a matter of rearranging the wafers. In short, you need a Clum and a locksmith will not have one. They come up regularly on Ebay or Myers may be able to help. If your luck is in you may be able to get one to match the number on the front of the lock barrel. If all fails I have a spare (DB65 from memory). Send me a PM if you want it. Tony

The lock only operates in neutral. It works by turning a flat ended rod within a slot in the selectors. Great idea! The car can't be driven under its own steam but the thieves can still roll it onto their waiting trailer and make a quick exit. The ignition key performs a similarly useful security function (at least on my magneto fired version). All it does is ground the ignition. Sparks can be restored by simply snipping the grounding wire. The only problem then faced by a thief is how to stop the engine when required (a quick stall perhaps). Those paranoid individuals amongst us who choose to park their Dodge in doubtful areas might like to consider a length of anchor chain which could be fastened between the car and a suitably immovable object. A large, savage and rabid dog chained to the car might provide a further degree of personal reassurance. All this is predicated by the assumptions that either: 1. the car is worth stealing, or 2.anyone would actually want it. With tongue firmly embedded in cheek. Tony

Hi Jay This an easy one. The transmission in the foreground is from a pre-1924 series Dodge. The changed stick layout was to accommodate the wheelbase increase from 114 to 116 inches and the body being moved back on the chassis. As (I think) the case was changed from aluminium to cast iron for 1917 the age range would be from July 1917 to June 1923. To my knowledge there was no difference between Dodge passenger and commercial transmissions. Tony

Jay, I can confirm that the front springs have nine leaves. Photos of both rear and front springs attached to prove that I tell the truth!

Hi Jay My 1925 series roadster (A283946) has seven leaves in the rear springs. And these are definitely the original springs. I have no reason to believe that the 1924 series roadster would be any different as the weights would be the same. Hope this helps. Tony

A word of caution. Oilite bushes should not be reamed to size. The reamer will smear over the pores in the bush preventing the oil reaching the shaft. Not sure if Wikipedia is right about Chrysler being the original developer of oilite bushes in 1930. My 1925 DB roadster has one at the top of the steering column as an original fitting.

Hi again Ray Please disregard the last advice - it was based on the way I did mine (and probably the hard way). I just went downstairs and tried a quick experiment on a very rusty old incomplete gauge assembly. The pointer is just pressed onto the top of the shaft. Hold the assembly in a vice with a bit of support under the face. You will see the end of the steel shaft in the middle of the brass ferrule in the pointer. Take a 1/16" punch and give it a careful whack. The shaft should drive out easily (mine did). The pointer will be supported by the old face. I measured the reduced section of the shaft as 1/16'' so you might be better to use a punch just slightly smaller so not as to spread the ferrule - say 1.5 mm. That said, I would suggest that you be very careful when pressing the pointer back onto the shaft. Avoid any impact on the gear - maybe hold the shaft up with a pair of vice grips (mole grips?) under the face so the gear is not sitting on anything and receiving the blow on the pointer. Sorry about that - oldtimers seems to have hit Tony

Mike Most of the Dodges sold in Australia were assembled from knocked down kits and fitted with Australian coach built bodies. This was to avoid the high tariff placed on imported bodies. For this reason the choice of colour was up to the individual body builder or State-based importer/assembler. That being said, there was only a limited range of colours available in the coach paints of the time. Most favoured were greys and dark blues. There was also variation in colour of running gear. For instance, the guards (fenders) and valances on cars assembled by Standardised Motors in New South Wales using Holden's bodies (made in South Australia) were painted body colour. Those assembled by Canada Cycle in Victoria, again mainly using Holden's bodies, utilised black running gear - most probably the baked black enamel supplied by the Dodge Bros factory. I think that the variation seen in these photos is a reflection of the current owners' individual taste. Tony

Hi Ray There are two ways of doing this. The first is to pull the gear from the bottom of the shaft. This is fraught with danger as the gear is made from die cast zinc alloy. With age the zinc expands and grips the shaft. The force necessary to punch the shaft out of the gear may shatter it. In any event the gear should be very well supported before attempting this method. Careful application of heat, alternated with WD40 or similar and a few exploratory taps may get you there. The second is to remove the pointer from the top. The pointer is held onto the shaft by a brass collar riveted at the top and can be driven off the shaft with a very fine punch. Again, the pointer needs to be well supported. I would suggest, in both cases using two pieces of steel butted together with a hole the same size as the shaft drilled between them. If you choose the first method and break the gear you might try Myers for a replacement. They sell a complete assembly and may be able to supply individual gears. Hope this helps Tony

The lock is relatively easy to remove. Take off the transmission cover and turn over. The lock is secured by a parallel pin next to it (fitting into a half circular notch in the lock body). Drive out the pin from the bottom and the lock should fall out. The number is stamped on the bottom of the lock. A very sloppy lever may be the result of the inner spring not being engaged. This spring surrounds the bottom of the lever which sits below the level of the transmission lid and is tensioned via a washer and pin. The pin goes through the lever and the washer has a rectangular hole. As there is an art in replacing this assembly it often gets left out. The trick is to drive the washer hard down on the lever (cupped side up) so it holds the spring in compression. The pin can then be inserted and the washer released by giving it a sharp tap on the side. The pin is then retained by the cupped side of the washer and the compression of the spring.

To clear this one up I can say that the transmission lock was introduced with the 1924 series (commencing serial number 929894). As the wheelbase was increased from 114" to 166" from this number the gear lever design was changed to place it further back. The earlier lever was essentially upright with the top quarter bent backwards toward the driver. The later type is vertical from the bottom quarter and bent back thereafter. The transmission top was also changed from an arrangement where the gear lever was retained by a screwed ring to reliance on a set screw for this purpose. I am not sure if the earlier top will fit the later transmission but if it does there could have been some interchange of bits back in the dim dark past.

Thanks - all is now revealed. An excellent and simple idea. I tend to think about using complicated methods. Ah work - yes I remember that. Something to be avoided as it takes up too much of your valuable time. BTW, where in Australia are you? Cheers Tony