Bob Zetnick

Hi, I've got the rebuilt generator in on my 29 DA 6 and have mounted the cut-out. I've got 2 wires from the generator on the cab side of the cut-out. I believe one is a ground to the mounting cut-out screw and one attaches to the cut-out, but can't figure out which is which. Does it matter? I know one side of the cut-out attaches to a wire in the loom, but these other 2 wires I can't figure out. I took a photo before dissassembly, but it is unclear. Can anyone help? Thanks

Thanks, Jason......any info on those tie rod ends is helpful. I didn't know what might be available on those...did look at Myers Early Dodge and the Romar sites yesterday and nothing available as you said. Interesting I can you shock strap material for those. I am printing out any posts that have to do with my car, yours included, for future reference in a file just so I can do whatever task correctly. Well, back to the car this a.m....have a good one!

Jason, thanks for the info as I'm sure I'll get around to the tie rods soon. I was just afraid if I banged it too hard I might break the ball joint.....I think that's what it is.....also didn't know about any seals, etc.....and didn't know about replacements available...I'll have to do some research. Thanks again and have a great hiliday weekend!

That's cool that you're related to a "signer" I'm more related to the "newcomers"! Well, time for a cold beer....it's 101 in Fort Worth today...back at it tomorrow!

Thanks, John. I thought I had them turned, but maybe not far enough. I got the pan on w/ a friends help. I saw that the frame curved inward ( for a little extra space)while the front engine mount remained straight. I got the front of the pan into the curved part then slid the pan back to where the rear was into the transmission housing then the pan went right up into place. My friend helped by using a pry bar to lift the engine and the front mounting plate up just a little so the front of pan could go over the tie rod.....it all worked great, but there has got to be an easier way! Maybe turning the wheels tightly in one direction would have done it...I'll definitely remember that easy trick if the time comes again! Thanks for the advice and have a great 4th!

This wannabe-mechanic has removed the oil pan; not sure exactly how I got it out. I am now trying to reinstall a clean, freshly painted and gasketed oil pan. It looks like the back end needs to go in first as a little of it goes into the transmission housing, but then I can't get in the front end over the tie rod. I loosened the nuts on the tie rod ends hoping it would be easy to remove for the oil pan installation. The tie rod does not simply get removed. Looking through my owner's manual it looks as though tie rod removal is a "job" that this novice is afraid to undertake at this point. Any ideas on how to get this oil pan up so it can be bolted in place. I appreciate any help.

I agree. A piece of 80+ year history is basically lost and it had survived for so long until someone with more money and less sense came along.

When I get a little freaked out by the work in my undertaking I come to this site and see what others are doing; I read Chilton't Auto Restoration Guide, Skinned Knuckles, an old owners manual and other books / periodicals; sometimes people at swap meets have advice too and all the info gets me going.....little by little I hope to have a fine car. Don't get discouraged; I have seen other people do a lot with far less. You must have seen something in this car to acquire it; just start somewhere!

I am amazed when I see talent like this! Thanks for sharing as viewing something like this is a highlight after hearing too many times "it can't be done" when trying to replicate a piece.

Thanks John! A better photo than I could have taken! My bolts have the logo in the center; it's still weird to me that they stamped their bolts though!

Joe, mine is your top photo.

I had the same problem as you with my '29. I think back in the day there was something called a wheel puller which you would thread onto the axle, tighten and the wheel would pop off (don't know why). I didn't have a tool like that; I put a rag on the end of the axle, then a pice of wood and tapped at it with a hammer; the wheel then came off. I'm sure on this board there are others with better methods as I'm no real mechanic.

That is great! Wonderful shots and an honor to our WW1 vets!

Yeah, not all the bolts I've found are marked....these are the first I've discovered; the oil pan bolts and the bolts that seal a plate from oil pan to transmission housing.

You're right, not sure there is that much pride in today's American car manufacture. I'm sure many on the line are proud of what they create, but that little logo would have meant nothing to the higher-ups that want to maintain a dollar "bottom line".

Thanks, John, that is wild to me to think about some manufacturer going to the trouble to stamps the bolts! Have a great day!

This may seem like a weird little question, but I have dropped the oil pan on my 29 DA and was cleaning off the bolts that held it in place. As I claened them there was what looked like a little interlocked DB in a circle on the bolt heads. I tryed to photograph, but is too blurry. Did Dodge have their bolts stamped with their logo?

Rob, I think your wiper motor is correct with the "bowl" side down as that is the way mine is, but I've never seen a dual vacuum setup like yours. I've only seen a dual setup with one wiper on the motor, one wiper on just a pivot and then a connecting rod in between; so both wipers are controlled by one motor. Interesting.

That's what I call the toolbox....I had a vintage set of tools under there, the hand crank and what looks like a 1920's tin of car wax. I wouldn't be surprised if during prohibition some did store their drinks in there!

Jason, yeah that wierd stuff on my firewall seems in good shape so I'm not going to touch it....not sure what it is or even where you could get replacement. The side panels are what I'm talking about. There are wood nailers around the cowl vents, so it seems it would be the same cardboard as the door panels with some kind of black vinyl per your pics. I don't know if I need a photo (but others may) as much as I need a confirmation of what those panels are made of...like I said I think I may use the same material as my roof insert, but maybe the grain of the roof vinyl is too coarse for the interior at the cowl. hope all that makes sense.

Rob, thanks for all the great detail photos of your car. Mine is a 1929 DA 4-door so some aren't relevant to mine, but a lot are...it's also interesting to learn about other body styles within the model type!

Jason, if you're keeping track of the steering wheels design, my 29 DA has your top photo design. Thanks for the clum switch photos at the bottom of the steering column too. On your interior cowl panels is that just what they used to call leatherette? Mine are missing and I thought I'd just get the heavy cardboard and use the vinyl that I'm using for the roof insert topping....don't know if that's appropriate.

Thanks , Jason, I did upend the oil pan and a lot of the crud seemed to flow out onto newspaper and rags which I need to dispose of... I'll try the kerosene and maybe somehow spray it to work the rest of the crud out....no pinholes I can see...a very stout pan. Yeah, that seal isn't the outermost seal that screws to the transmission housing and protects from the elements. It it an inner seal that probably protects the oil in the pan from going into the transmission / flywheel area...it's like the inner vertical part of the oil pan (like a ships bulkhead)seals against this and divides the rear main bearing....I do think after looking at my manual I can press this seal back in without disturbing the main bearings. Yes, I've seen many lower and side window channels....it's just that there are so many out there for later model cars and mine are pretty deteriorated that I'm not sure what would fit.

Hi, I have 2 new questions for my 1929 Dodge DA6 1) I have just dropped the oil pan. I know the bearings were rebabbitted 30 years ago and the car has had less than 1000 miles since. First, how do I remove the sludge in the pan....I saw a few sites on newer vehicles, but nothing on an antique vehicle....I thought I could just wipe it out, but there is 2 levels to the oil pan and I can't get to much of the lower level. Second, there is some kind of gasket centered on the rear main bearing and half of it is dislodged. It may have happened when I pulled down the oil pan...I think I can wedge it in with a screwdriver. It looks like a vertical inner rear part of the pan supports it. I hate to torque down the rear bearing there as I would have to torque down all the bearings.....do you think just shoving it back in place will work and let the oil pan continue to support it?...hope all this makes sense. 2) I am looking at the rubber on the doors,; very brittle. There is a rubber "flap" at the top and bottom of the doors that seals the door to the body. There is a continuous rubber glass stop at the top of the window that can be removed by unscrewing a metal panel at the top of the door. I think there is rubber holding the glass to the rising bottom window channel. Lastly, there is the fuzzy window channel on both sides of the window. Does anyone know where I can get this rubber? I have looked at many sites. Many are confusing as some of the rubber on their sites look like mine, but made for cars of the 40's or 50's.....just not sure what to get or if anything made for these cars. Any help is much appreciated.

I'm posting this as a source. Last year my horn didn't work and I sent it off and it came back from one place in pieces and no one could work on it as the commutator / armature was bad. I tried small motor shops (Skinned Knuckles magazine recommended this in last months issue), but no one in this area would work on a motor this small. I found Bill Randall under a Mack truck site. He owns The Horn Shop in Rome, N.Y. I got the horn back in 3 weeks in working order and the price was very reasonable. His number is 315.336.8841. I highly recommend him if your horn is having problems.