1930 Dodge sedan

[SLODodge1930]

I wanted to start this thread so I won't bother other people as I yabber on about my new car.

I have a 1930 Dodge Brothers 4 door sedan DA six, at least that's what I think it is! I may be corrected.

Mostly original I think, and it seems like it was restored in the 1970's, is not a pristine show room vehicle, but it looks awfully darned good. Has all sorts of nice touches, window shades on back windows, dual side mount spare tires, cool flip down footrest for the back seat passengers, trunk and trunk rack.

And, the INCREDIBLE new innovation, hydraulic brakes! The original manual I have proudly goes on a bit about the amazing ability of hydraulics to apply the pressure evenly to all 4 wheels, cuz that's how hydraulics work, can't do otherwise etc.

They even have a home recipe for hydraulic brake fluid in case you can't find any, "equal parts medicinal castor oil and No. 5 denatured alcohol free from acid" wow.

Perhaps this thread can collect info on these amazing automobiles.

Did you know the Lindberg Kidnapping was solved because someone wrote the license plate number of the mans 1930 Dodge Sedan when he bought gas with one of the marked bills 2 years later?

Harry Reding is "the man", and has already helped me a lot.

Off to rebuild the carburetor.

Enjoy and educate me if you can.

Dane Howalt

dansk@howalt.com

SLODude.com

[SLODodge1930]

In going through my paperwork, I come up with several names of people who may have owned this car:

Ronald Deady Lancaster PA

William Dodd Paso Robles

who I think bought it from J.C. Taylor in Upper Darby PA

The car has an AACA sticker on it.

Anyone know these people or how I might contact them?

Dane

[Jim Anselmo]

J.C. Taylor is a collector car insurance agency....

[nearchoclatetown]

If you are saying an AACA badge, it has won an award. Nat'l HQ should be able to tell who won with it.

[SLODodge1930]

Well, I found out William Dodd was the last owner, and I spoke to him for a while about the car. Extremely nice man!

He got it with another fellow and eventually came to own it alone.

A Mr Harold Edward King was who he got it from, who unfortunately is deceased.

And Ronald Deady was an owner in Pennsylvania who it appears insured it with J. C. Taylor.

Mr Dodd and I feel the AACA sticker (not badge) was on the car previous to Mr King. Therefore I bet Mr Ronald Deady was an AACA member. How might I find out about this? Maybe I'll send a query to the membership people.

Thanks for the help!

I rebuilt the downdraft Carter BBR-1 carb that it's been switched to, and I have a tune up kit for the Autolite IGS distributor it has been converted to.

I understand the original updraft carb was made of such poor material they tended not to last?

And the original distributor was a Northeast which are actually rare and expensive.

I'm unsure of the correct spark plugs, I have some and will see if they match the old.

I also hear there's a grease fitting I haven't found yet for the water pump? Inside a hole? I'll look this weekend.

I'm told hydraulic jack oil for the shock absorbers?

I'll also send some of these questions to Mr Reding, but perhaps if we post stuff here it will help other poor lost souls like me on day!

Dane

[todge]

Just a short note,You say your 30 DA has hydralic brakes ,well my 29 DA also has hydralic which was the first yyear for 4wheel hydralics,also a buss body(inner metal panels0 not wood also a first . Todd

[Jim Anselmo]

Do you mean a Budd body? My 28 Fast Four has a Budd body, which is also all steel. The only wood that was used was for upholstery and on the floor boards. There is no structural wood. I'm not sure of the year, but I know that all steel bodies were in production before '28.

Jim

[RickBrinker]

My 25 is all steel body

[nearchoclatetown]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jim Anselmo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Do you mean a Budd body? I'm not sure of the year, but I know that all steel bodies were in production before '28.

Jim </div></div>I think that would be '15. To the best of my knowledge the only non-100% steel bodies were the Fisher bodied cars.

[todge]

yes I do mean Budd Body, fat fingers, sorry, I thought or was told 29 was the first year for all steel.Interesting that your 28 is also all steel,just shows all those ford and chevy guys dodge ruled then and still does.(Just an opinion.) Todd F

[todge]

All steel inner panels in 1925!Wow dodge was way ahead,who knows the first year for steel inner panels? Todd F AKA Dodgerod.

[SLODodge1930]

I think I read that the "Budd Body" refers to the side mount spares? I have ones on each side, did any of them come with just on one side?

Dane

[Guest 1930]

Budd body refers to the manufacturer that made the steel bodies that carried the nameplate of Dodge and many other auto manufacturers, you have dual sidemounts, many cars such as mine had a single sidemount usually mounted on passenger side of vehicle supposedly for safety in taking off tire out of harms way of traffic. look on your firewall in the center toward the top and you should see the Budd Body nameplate. Budd also made steel wheels for many types of vehicles and I am sure other things as well

[Guest imported_Bill-W]

Dodge Brothers introduced an all-steel touring car (Budd body) in 1915. All-steel closed bodies came later, The 1928 Dodge Brothers Victory Six was the first true all-steel body, with inner and outer panels of steel as well as a steel floor. Prior to the Victory Six, bodies used a frame (wood usually) with exterior steel panels attached, The Victory Six was the first to dump the internal frame for panels, a construction method in use to this day.

The steel floor, attached to the chassis and not the body by the way, did not last long. It was replaced by wood due to the drumming of the steel shell. Steel does not make a sound deadening material, although wood does.

Hupmobile also used Budd all-steel bodies around that time. The inner-outer panel construction was important for Budd in developing unibody construction, first used on the 1934 Citroen and later on the 1941 Nash 600.

In the late 1920's all other body makers used wood frames with steel panels. The list included Briggs, Central, Fisher, Hayes, Heintz Mullin, Limousine, Murray, Ohio, and Stewart. At this time Chrysler, Lincoln, Packard, Pierce-Arrow, and Studebaker all built bodies as well.

By 1935, only Fisher still built bodies with wooden frames and sheet steel panels. Fisher finally switched for the 1937 model year for their A and B bodies. It was not until 1940 that all GM bodies dumped the wood.

The first successful hydraulic brakes appeared on the 1924 Chalmers and Chrysler. Dodge Brothers adopted them for 1928. The big car makers of the day, Ford, GM, Hudson, Nash, Studebaker and Willys were the last to switch.

The list of makes using hydraulics (although not in all models) in 1928 included Auburn, Diana, Elcar, Franklin, Gardner, Graham-Paige, Jordan, Kissel, McFarlan, Moon, Peerless, Reo, Stutz, and Velie. Considering mosy of these makes were on their last legs, it is no wonder the big boys shunned them. Only Auburn, Chrysler, Dodge Brothers and Graham would survive to see 1935, and Auburn would come to an end in 1936.

Bill

Vancouver, BC

[Guest elmo39]

Bill -W is right Dodge started using hydraulic brakes in 1928 when Chrysler bought them . Chrysler had been using hydraulic brakes since there start in 1925 . HENRY resisted them for years , i'm not sure what year ford changed over but there 1937 model was still cable brakes ,and this in a car with a V8 that was capable of 80-90 mph

[wenthur]

I sure wish I had known about the all steel bodies a few years ago. I love my "24 touring and the solid construction, but I have a "36 Mercedes 200 Cab B sitting in my shop that needs wood coach rebuilt and it is a project that I am not looking forward to. I'd get rid of it,but afraid I would be kicking myself in years to come. They are so rare. But would trade for something real cool, that was complete.

[SLODodge1930]

Guess I was wrong about what year the hydraulic brakes showed up. Thank for clearing that up for me!

d