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What progress did you make on your car?


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Just wondering what you folks have been doing as far as progress on your car(s) today. Maybe you can take a moment to tell/show us. As for me, I finally fixed the windshield frame mounting on my '31 coupe. The previous owner thought that smaller wood screws would do the trick better than the correct fine threaded, larger screws.....go figure. So, for all this time, the windshield sagged on the passenger side and scraped the paint from the windshield sill. I removed the windshield with the help of my wife and found 9 correct screws to re-mount it. Now the gap around the frame is perfect.

Then I tackled another thing that has been bugging me. When I got the car, the passenger side headlamp reflector was bright, but had an extra hole for a parking lamp bulb and had no cork gasket. The reflector would spin around in the bucket once in a while and that extra hole would change positions. Kinda reminded me of Barney Google. I looked under my dresser in my bedroom and found two matching, fairly bright reflectors, so I changed those out, too. Now they match, look great and there is no extra floating parking lamp socket hole.

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Edited by keiser31 (see edit history)
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Had trouble with a cracked exhaust manifold last year. Went through conniptions getting the manifolds resurfaced to close the gap. Got that done good enough to get me to the show I was committed to. The NOS replacement manifold (which I heard of so nicely from a member here on the Forum!) arrived the night before the show but was covered in Cosmoline. I am still trying to find out the best way of removing that stuff, then I will be able to replace the still cracked intake/exhaust manifold setup with the NOS one.

I also have to replace the distributor ignition points base plate (which I already have a replacement part for) so I can make a decent adjustment of the points. Should ease the starting and idling issues. That's about it for me right now. Just gotta "do it"! ;)

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Ohhh. Now THAT's an idea! I was wondering where I would be able to find the conical shaped brass washers that are used on the manifold. Two of mine were split. I got some "donated" from a vendor after buying some other stuff I needed. But I was wondering where I would find more if necessary.

On this same idea, I was wondering why they used brass and I couldn't come up with a good reason on my own other than rust prevention.

Thanks for the idea!

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I'm in the throws of making the two new timber floor panels. I took them to a mates place and he routed the edges where the felt sits. Also remade the two wood lengths that go between the body and chassis. Apart from that I'm also in the process of landscaping my front yard. Had 14 truckloads of dirt taken out, 50 cubic metres of rocks put in and 120 tonnes of crushed rock put down as a base. Having a bluestone wall built at the moment the brick edging and asphalt to finish off.

Just waiting for July to come around when the Dodge is booked in to be painted....can't wait for that one !

I received my master parts list book which to my surprise details the accessories for my car. Has things like a Hat Box and Umbrella etc.. When I get time I'll go through it and post the accessories as a separate thread.

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Ohhh. Now THAT's an idea! I was wondering where I would be able to find the conical shaped brass washers that are used on the manifold. Two of mine were split. I got some "donated" from a vendor after buying some other stuff I needed. But I was wondering where I would find more if necessary.

On this same idea, I was wondering why they used brass and I couldn't come up with a good reason on my own other than rust prevention.

Thanks for the idea!

Brass on a manifold is common as they are soft enough that they will self destruct when disassembling things rather than have more expensive parts break.

It is my understanding that Vintage Power Wagons has those conical brass washers for the exhaust manifold.

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I looked under my dresser in my bedroom and found two matching, fairly bright reflectors, so I changed those out, too. Now they match, look great and there is no extra floating parking lamp socket hole.

John - Can you explain this further please? There is NO WAY my wife would allow that! She doesn't leave dust bunnies under there let alone car parts! :D

Not much going on with the cars. Yard work and Honey Do's. Next Month the house gets a new roof. Can't wait..... :(

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O.K....let's see....how do I put this? My wife supports my every whim when it comes to my old cars (except mortgaging the house to buy another old car). She knows how happy my cars make me. My garage is not yet weatherproof. Some things for my cars just need to be stored in the house until they go on the car or I finish weatherproofing my garage. I sleep next to a new old stock 1931 radiator shell in our bedroom. I have a pile of parts in the corner of our living room which I will sell on ebay. "As long as those parts bring in the money that I have seen them do in the past or make you happy, I don't care if the whole house is full of parts" is her attitude about them. She would rather see me happy than not, so she goes along....plus she helps me clean the parts for sale. No.....you guys CANNOT have her! She's all mine!

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Edited by keiser31 (see edit history)
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We've made progress in our restoration so far. Frame, axles, springs are all painted. Wheels are waiting for me to finish sanding down the wood then they will be sent off to be painted. We are waiting to get some parts back from a machinist and then we should be able to get things put back together. Hoping to have a rolling chassis in the next month or so. Then it will be on to the motor & tranny. Progress.....slowly but surely! Fishing for my husband & yard work for me have slowed things down a little bit. But she sure is starting to look good!

Shannon

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I can only say "thanks" to you guys for all the help in getting my tourer to the point where I have been able to drive it around the yard - she really pulls well; for some reason much better than I had been expecting. I have managed to sort the electrics which really meant starting again as there were so many mistakes it was actually quite dangerous! One thing; the generator was not earthed; that wire was live! I replaced the burned out generator with a nice rebuilt unit courtessy of Tom Myers. You will remember the hassle over the starter, well that is all behind me now. The water pump which had a rusted out flange now has a home made aluminium flange sandwiched between the two halves of the pump and sealed with two home made rubber gaskets; it also now has a repaired impeller and rubber seals to compensate for the missing internals - yes, I know there are all the parts available new but as a temporary fix it no longer leaks - you remember it had previously been been by-passed - and I can always rebuild it to spec. another day.

Then there are all the other jobs like sorting the distributor drive - the woodruff key was a sloppy fit in that worn shaft so I silver soldered it in place so now the backlash has been greatly reduced. The timing was completely out but it is a doddle to set on these engines. There are dozens of other jobs like sorting the sagging top - another temporary fix as the top had been made wrong previously - this will be an expensive item to get fixed.

My next job will be to make the windshield water tight - it is believed to be the wrong one, and make some side screens for the front. I will replace the two rubber discs that make up the generator coupling and a crank hole plug to stem the small oil leak.

The list is a long one and you guys are well aware of what that means in terms of hard cash but for me it is much worse because of the import duties and postage charges to the U.K. But who cares - it's only money; you either have it or you don't! I can always earn some more - but keeping hold of it; well that's far more difficult! Easy come, easy go. It's just as well my wife is an accountant....:)

Will keep you posted.

Ray

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Guest Jen_

found hood and side panels and a windshield crank assembly over the past week , now i wait and hope everything is as described. still trying to find the rest of the hidden treasures although i found a complete 1934 plymouth sedan that has alot of parts i could use but its way on the east coast just no way of bringing it to me that is affordable

Jen

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Guest stephen48
Ohhh. Now THAT's an idea! I was wondering where I would be able to find the conical shaped brass washers that are used on the manifold. Two of mine were split. I got some "donated" from a vendor after buying some other stuff I needed. But I was wondering where I would find more if necessary.

On this same idea, I was wondering why they used brass and I couldn't come up with a good reason on my own other than rust prevention.

Thanks for the idea!

I bought a complete set of new manifold studs, washers and nuts for sidevalve 34 Plymouth from Andy Bernbaum about 5 years ago.They were the correct type and fitted perfectly.

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I had family staying for the weekend, so I didn't get a chance to do any car work. I did manage to sneak out to the shed a few times and look longingly though. This however, mean't that I could not keep an eye on my 7yr old nephews who seemed to have a knack of destroying something every time I was not watching them. :mad:

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I had family staying for the weekend, so I didn't get a chance to do any car work. I did manage to sneak out to the shed a few times and look longingly though. This however, mean't that I could not keep an eye on my 7yr old nephews who seemed to have a knack of destroying something every time I was not watching them. :mad:

DON'T LET THEM NEAR THAT CAR!!

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DON'T LET THEM NEAR THAT CAR!!

Right now, I'm not sure they could do any more damage!:D

Little buggers. Twin boys. On the first night, one of them jumped on a lawn chair till he went through it. Second night, I caught the other one taking a wizz on the same chair! What the....:confused:

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I've been trying to find time for the old car hobby here in the barn. On the '25 Dodge to be exact. I still have the fuel system off, waiting on some new gaskets. I posted this picture of my carburetor, I don't know if I should put it back on the Dodge or my fireplace mantle. I painted the iron mixing chamber semi-gloss black, heat resistant paint that the Rust-oleum people just came out with. I think that section may have been engine color though. It sure looks "purdy" though. This is the only variation from original I'll be making on the Dodge. Also, my soon to be fabricated top saddles! I used a gallon can of carb cleaner I picked up at the local "Autozone". Made by "Berryman" co. of Arlington Tx. "since 1918", on the label. This is the really good stuff which "boils" when parts are in it. This will not damage the bronze or brass castings of an old carb.

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Hello again I havn't been chatting on the forum since Feb Its not that I have been to busy working on the Senior 6 Quite the opersite actually I have cleared an area aprox 50 by 30 metres so I could errect my new workshop which is 20m by 16m Most of this work was done in 90 to 100deg temp The Concrete slab was started on Jan 20 and was done in 4 sections over 6 days It was Mayhem trying to keep the slab damp so it wouldnt crack it all came together ok in the end Then came the assembling of the frames which took 3 days I was able to borrow an old 1957 Fowler Tractor crane which was made in Geelong Victoria Spent several hours in getting the old girl to go as it had been out in the weather fof 2 years It was the ants pants for lifting up the 5.2 m High frames It took 8 days to errect the frames again in 100+degs With this and going away to the Pilbara in the roadtrain [have to earn a living] Progress has been steadyand I have only the ridge capping and barges to fit then the p/a door and windows It has been a huge challenge but I saved us about 10 to 12 Thousand dollars by doing it myself When I learn to I will post some pictures

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Ron, I have sent you emails. That is going to be a great workshop. Will it be business or recreational? You should get one of those pillar lifts - I wish my workshop had the height for one.

When we moved to this place in the country, I kind of imagined doing what you are - only to discover that local building restrictions prevented anything much more than a dog kennell! A bit of an exageration but it might explain why the place was affordable!

Ray

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  • 2 weeks later...

That is a pretty carburetor there Pete. Are you making up top saddles from scratch or modifying existing ones. Here are a few pix of body test fit to chassis for my touring car (note: no tourin' shroud). I hope to get in a test drive by next weekend (this will be the first time it will move under its own power since (probably) 1947.

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Hey Mike, You're WAY ahead of me now, and my '25 is not in pieces! I'm aiming at the mid summer for first start up. I'm still using lacquer thinner to soak insides of my gas tank since I believe it had an old sealer in there that's been compromised. I checked my other "good" spare Dodge tank I picked up from the huge parts load I got with the Dodge and found it has an off-set filler-to-gauge orientation - not like the '25! where they are right next to each other. That tank also has a heavy, threaded gas cap, unlike the '25 that uses a bayonette type cap. I haven't made too much progress on making my top saddle parts, although I've been still in the "engineering mode" for them. The original saddles I have are for a '22 Dodge roadster. I won't be using them.I'd like to see them go to an owner of that car that needs them. The '25 touring saddle post hole in body has a 45 degree angle towards the rear, as you know. The original saddles had a cast-in, off-set to match that angle, so that the saddle was oriented straight to body sides when bolted onto the "arm". I was hoping to procure some repro arms from Snyder's Ford parts in Ohio, whether being Model T, or Model A arms, and modifying them, but the "new" arms need to have the notches to mate up in the Dodge body holes so they don't rotate when installed. I need to call and ask Don Snyder if his Ford arms are bendable and weldable. Cast arms will not work for this modification. The arms need to be 1/2" diameter at the end where his top saddles bolt onto them. These will be using the leather belt straps to hold top bows down on saddles rather than original big, cast iron clamp type saddles Dodge used. Anyway, that's my thoughts on them! Mike, do you still need pictures of your choke cable assembly under hood? I found two orig. Dodge choke assemblies here. The one on my '25 is OK. The only thing that can go wrong with them is the inner wire breaking, usually at carb.-- I'll just replace that wire--no big deal there.

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Hi Pete, I also browse through Snyders to see what might be adaptable. I'm thinking I might try their gas gauge. Please let us know what you end up doing for the top rests. And a close up photo of how the choke cable casing is held on the carb would be great. Also, on your spare, is the cable casing attached to the cast iron piece that bolts up to the dash? On mine they are not.

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Mike, Here's a picture of the two different Dodge choke cables I have. The '25 has a steel ferrule that threads onto the end which secures the spiral cable end to the body. the other, probably a '22 or '23, shows the assembly pulled apart, showing how the spiral cable is inserted first, in body, then knob with inner wire. Each spiral end of cable is carefully enlarged to act as a flared end to secure it in choke knob bodies. The last picture shows the "special clip" to hold the choke cable to the carburetor. I plan to post my original gas gauge sending unit soon for anyone wanting to try and copy it in their home workshop.

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Thanks Pete. It appears I'll have to do a little improvising (unless you would consider selling the spare 25 cable). My car didn't come with the cable and the one I'm trying to use is probably not correct. There is no obvious way to attach the cable to body (maybe silver solder?)

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Mike, I don't think silver solder would stand up against time. A few little tack welds with a wire feed welder would work, but I'm unclear exactly what you do have and don't have as far as anything original to the entire choke assembly. Yes, I'm willing to sell either choke assembly pictured in my post above. they're rusty, but OK, they slide in & out, I first have to measure the complete one on my Dodge, to verify I've got the right length remaining of these cables. The worst scenario is having to replace the inner wire--not a big deal to do.

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Guest DodgeKCL

Still slugging away. I'm bound and determined I'm going to finish it. At least I'll have a one only when I finish it and that should make it all worth while. But I'm still jealous of you guys with a production vehicle and the help and photos you can exchange. I have nobody to talk to except myself and I do that a lot, stand in a corner of my shop and mumble incoherently about the insanity of taking on such a project.

I finished the rear and sides before I started to take my Summer hiatus. The doors are 'mine' as the originals were garbage and good only for patterns. I did reuse the door hardware.The left side upper cove moulding was too high to allow me to start the round roof sides. (These 2 mouldings were about the only metal I didn't have to replace.) The right one was OK. The left one was about 1/4" too high and since I've restored this thing to 1/8" or better tolerances I was in trouble. They must of made concessions for the 1/4" difference back in Oct. 1935 at the custom body shop but I don't have those skills. So after taking a deep breath and a long scotch, I cut a 1/4" horizontal slice out of the moulding just above the top left door hinge. That dropped the moulding down onto the roof and solved the problem. I poured hot metal into a hard wood die I made to reproduce the 2 rear door window mouldings. The rear bumper is in the Eaton blue color that the whole truck will be in eventually. The brass plate is a repro I had made up that the truck would have had in that position when the T. Eaton Co. had it on the roads of Toronto. A second plate will sit opposite the front licence plate on the front bumper. (The licence plate is one of a restored original set for Ontario 1935 . The 'C' stands for 'commercial'.) That's all the company had for signage on their vehicles. Except for a silver 'Diamond E' logo on each side panel. Very subdued. There is no chrome on the vehicle except handles and headlight doors. No telephone number,no address was on their trucks.

I finished the left front sliding door and I'm half way through the right one. I had to move the window regulator away from the door latch to keep from skinning your knuckles when cranking the window up or down. The handles were missing and I never was able to get antique handles to fit where they had the regulator shaft. I made three new metal coverings for around the window on my brake. The 'arm rests' on the bottom of the window opening are original. The center panel around the window regulator is new but the bottom panel is original. I was able to keep the original 1935 window glass in both front doors. It is safety glass. I hope to have the fenders and front hood etc. painted this Summer.

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Edited by DodgeKCL (see edit history)
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Wow! Lookin' good there KCL!

Boy, window crank knuckle buster is right! Is it possible that the door window cranks were not a typical lever type swing handle but more of a "T" shaped wing nut style handle? I remember seeing that style crank handle on "something" but I can't for the life of me pull the image out of the mush right now. Maybe mentioning it here may throw out enough ideas that it may help. :(

Have fun! That will be quite an accomplishment - in not the too distant future!

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That's typical for the small rear windows next to the passenger seats in closed sedans...like my 32 DL...and I think maybe some rear windows, too?

Yes....for the rumble seat window.

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Guest 1930
That's typical for the small rear windows next to the passenger seats in closed sedans...like my 32 DL...and I think maybe some rear windows, too?

Hello Phil, is than an ashtray or vanity case? Do you have both or just the one?

Edited by 1930 (see edit history)
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Guest DodgeKCL

Yes I considered all options for those window cranks including rear sedan and rear coupe window cranks as in your photo. But I found your fingers didn't have enough uumph to comfortably move the glass with those butterfly handles. Both handles were missing and since this thing was custom made I'm wondering if the handles were something special that got lifted by some light fingered thief many years ago. I wondered if they were folding handles where you flipped out a portion of the handle to move the window and then flipped it back. Because one problem I didn't mention was also to be able to slide the doors back into their boxes. These front doors latch both closed and open. Like a milk truck or bread truck of the 50s. However it seems I may have stumbled on to something in my 'design' because when the door glass is all the way down or all the way up, my window crank handle faces the front. This allows the door to slide back and latch home. Just the knob of the handle is left protruding out of the box. This may of been the way it was originally. I'll never know. But it works for me. You have no idea how much head scratching I've done.

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Guest 1930

Quote...........But I found your fingers didn't have enough uumph to comfortably move the glass with those butterfly handles............I have had mine apart, cleaned and lubed and they are still difficult to manipulate.

Seems to be a common problem/poor design originally

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