1934 Dodge Full Body Off Restoration

[Guest 1930]

I have never seen the luggage rack come thru and into the interior like that so interesting and thanks for the pics, also nice job on the wood, are you using a birch Plywood? The wood grain pattern reminds me of that.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi Jason,

Bang on....its a Birch colour ply.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi all,

Dave ( the guy who painted the car ) went over to Simple Simon's place ( the pin striping guy ) and he's half way through finishing my rims. ( wish I could paint like that !! )

Still working on the luggage area timbers and the timber around the rear window opening.

As a side issue I've included a pic of some striker plates that were in a box of stuff I had from a guy who restored a 41 Dodge. Are these 41's or something different.

Cheers

Ian

[Ken_Lincoln]

The rims look FANTASTIC Ian... Must make some time to come over and have a look

[keiser31]

Fabulous looking wheel!!

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Thanks guys.

The rims are still at the painters but I should have them back soon.

Ken, could you have a look at post 353 and have a look at your car to see if they sealed that area.

Thanks

Ian

[countrytravler]

I hope your hubcaps look as good! I have a meeting with a guy in a couple of weeks that he said he can reproduce these caps. Keep our fingers crossed.

[Ken_Lincoln]

Ian... I just removed my back seat, and mine does not have those wooden panels .. My luggage rack mounts the same... however the hole in the centre of the floor pan has a spiggot sticking out with a thread to attach a central support for a rear spare wheel mount

[Ken_Lincoln]

I think it translates into the code from " Close Encounters of the Third Kind"

[Silverdome]

I hope your hubcaps look as good! I have a meeting with a guy in a couple of weeks that he said he can reproduce these caps. Keep our fingers crossed.[ATTACH=CONFIG]195968[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]195969[/ATTACH]

If he can I think there will be a market for them if the price isn't too prohibitive. I know what ones I have aren't very pretty.

[countrytravler]

Talked to a guy that restored a 30-31 Chry Imp in the late 70s, he paid 150.00 per hubcap from a guy in Pa that is retired that had a machine shop. He bought 2 sets because he was going to do another car. With today price, that would be about 600.00. The big cost factor is the tooling.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi Dave,

A guy I know was selling his 5 caps for $800 fully restored. I guess when you add up the time, plating etc comes out even....not sure I haven't tackled mine yet.

Ken,

Where your luggage rack mounts pass through the lower body section, what is used to seal the opening around the mounts ?

Cheers

Ian

[countrytravler]

Hi Dave,

A guy I know was selling his 5 caps for $800 fully restored. I guess when you add up the time, plating etc comes out even....not sure I haven't tackled mine yet.

Ken,

Where your luggage rack mounts pass through the lower body section, what is used to seal the opening around the mounts ?

Cheers

Ian

I would jump on that. I heard of someone paying 700.00 just to have 1 cap restored.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi Dave,

Trouble is his wife convinced him to keep them just in case !

I'll keep nagging him. I've removed all my skins so I have to repair each one then put back on the hubcap backing. Looking forward to that job like a hole in the head !

[countrytravler]

Hi Dave,

Trouble is his wife convinced him to keep them just in case !

I'll keep nagging him. I've removed all my skins so I have to repair each one then put back on the hubcap backing. Looking forward to that job like a hole in the head !

I have a hand full of customers if you want the job!!

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the offer Dave but I'll try and stuff mine up first before I tackle anyone elses. I have a go yesterday to get one dint out and made two more in the process so I went back to woodworking the rear luggage shelf. Got that finished so now I have to give it a good coat of varnish and spray the metal plate that covers the large square hole and material over the hole where you can see the fuel filler neck. I then have to mark and attach screws to the support brackets underneath.

I also pick up my six rims today. Now thats precision and they were all hand painted ! I also started to screw the timbers behind the rear seat support that attach to the rear window timber surround. What looks like bird's poo is my marks where the screws go for the garnish mould. Still looks like birds poo !

Cheers

Ian

[countrytravler]

Boy!! Nice Job:cool: Do you want the parts from the email I sent you?

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi Dave,

My apologies I haven't checked my email for a day or two. I look tonight when I get home. I'll probably say yes as if I asked you for the parts I guess I need them. I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

many thanks

Ian

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Nothing much to post but I dropped a few rims back to Dave the painter for him to look at and he was in the middle of repair spraying a guy's Daytona that is raced all the time. Sitting next to it are these two REALLY long hand beaten mudguard / running boards. The body is just visible at the top of the Daytona photo. This an old Bugatti that a guy courted his wife in it and when kids came along he pulled it apart, shoved it under his house for 30 years now the kids have left home decided to restore it. When finished will be worth over $1m. He also had a Mustang he was working on outside the spray booth.

[Guest 1930]

Id hesitate to try and pick up the runningboards myself

[keiser31]

Love that Cobra Daytona!!

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hey all, gotthe timber finished around the rear window and screwed it in place. Alsocleaned up and attached the headlining attaching trim that runs around the backof the car. I think they attached the timber first then welded in place therear seat support as I couldn't get the lower part of the timber out. I also attached to the top behind the two brackets a rubber pad to stop any potentialvibration against the body. Cheers Ian

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Sorry about that. I couldn't get the photos to load in the last post. Here they are. I've also been a bit distracted lately and I've picked up my new baby !!!!!

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi everyone, Went to start the engine and couldn't get it to fire. Had excellent compression and turned over nicely. No fuel in the fuel bowl. Checked the fuel filter I installed and there was fuel in that and all seemed to be ok but still no fuel in the fuel bowl. Decided I'd pull off the short fuel line between the outside of the chassis and the fuel pump and these was the problem. When they made the fuel line they didn't drill a hole in the end for the fuel. Good one ! Drilled a hole, reinstalled the line and she coughed and spluttered a few times and finally ran like an engine should. Holding good pressure too so at least everything worked. Did a few adjustments and left it as it was so I can start it once a month as suggested by the engine rebuilder. After searching for a few years and pair of original Dodge horns came up on Ebay so I decided to buy these and I'll restore them later. No cheap but well worth the look to have original horns. I took my original running boards to Graeme my body shop guy and he had a good look at them. He said that to repair the rust, blast and replace all the surface metal as well as rerubber them the cost would be quite high as they are labour intensive. I spoke to a few people and was recommended Buckeye Rubber and two other people in Australia also wanted new boards. Graeme, my body shop guy for his 34 Chrysler ( as this has the same pattern as the 34 Dodge and Kevin who has a TJR Body Dodge in Portland Victoria. Graeme suggested I contact a friend of his who imports Mustangs from the States and all I had to do was to get them from where they were made to California. All seemed to work out reasonably well and the order was placed. All I had to do was pay the money, wait and hope they look good when they arrive. Cheers Ian

[Tinkeys]

Hi Ian !

I like them both !!!

[Guest Kelsey]

Hey guys,

Can't do much on that car at the moment as probably a lot of us have family commitments and also the temperature goes through highs and lows. Yesterday it reached 42 degrees in the shade at my place and today is about 22 at the moment !!

I've cut out the fenderwelt that goes between the running board and the front fender ( mudguard ). All I have to do now is the tricky one that attached to the radiator surround and then I can mount the two front fenders

TO ALL OUR FRIENDS IN AUSTRALIA AND OVERSEAS PLEASE HAVE A SAFE CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

Ian

WOW!!, what a beautiful car.. Very nice work! Your attention to detail is inspiring...

I am on the home-stretch of finishing my 37 restoration.. Thinking ahead to the runing board material (that I have) but I would like to ask what is the best adhesive to glue the rubber to the sheet-metal pattern I had made? Do you have any recommendations for doing this?.. Then I need to adhere the sheet-metal (with rubber attached.. hopefully) to the actual running boards... I am changing up the OEM design of those "tabs" that hang thru the boards and collect water and rust... I had a sheet metal piece made to match the running baords and I would like to glue the rubber to the sheetmetal and then glue the sheet-metal to the running board.. Just do not know what glue to use??

Same question on the fender welt.. what adhesive did you use?

Thanks

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi Kelsey,

Thanks for the compliment. This is my first resto and not having the pleasure of pulling it apart as this was done by the previous owner makes it a little hard putting it back together so I pester everyone with a lot of questions.

my running boards were beyond economical repair so I bought new ones where the rubber was vulcanised to the steel. I have known a few other guys rerun beer theirs and a few have used shoe sole glue. that and a lot of clamps to hold in place while drying.

with the fender welt, I ran it along the required area and marked with a pen where the holes are. I punched the holes out then temporarily fitted it to make sure it was the right look. I then used automotive contact adhesive and put on the fender welt and the body and let dry a few minutes. this gives enough hold so when put together I'm able to bolt the rear guard on. Valance panels etc i clamped and let dry overnight. End result I'm pretty happy with but you'll always get one bit the just wont sit right !!

Ian

[Guest 1930]

First resto, I had no idea, what a stand-up job not even considering the basket case you started with, just curious why the Dodge, how did you come across it ect?

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Years ago when I lived with my parents, they guy up the road use to sit in his garage and work on an old car. I'd walk past and sort of look into the garage and see what he was doing. One day he came tearing down the road in this car and drove into the garage and shut the door. When he came out he sat on the fence next to me and we both watched as the police drove by obviously looking for that unregistered vintage car ! He said he took it for a test drive and they saw him up the road but he knew a few short cuts to get home quickly. After a while he opened the garage door and there was this really neat old car....a Whippet. Never heard of it but I was interested. So I'd often walk past and see what he was up to but then he moved. After seeing this old car I always wanted to work on something like this.

I've build a dune buggy, a few old Holdens and a slightly more recent Holden I did up but nothing very old. I always liked going to car shows and I said to myself, one day I'd like to restore an old car. Fast forward 20 years and one day I was attending a car show with Vintage, Veteran, Classics and Hot Rods. I love all sorts of cars and was amazed at the detail that was put into them as well as the beautiful lines of the bodies. I kept going back to the 1934 Ford Tudor 4 door sedan. The rounded back, long running boards and those big mudguards ( fenders ) and that shovel nose grill........sweet !!!!. Unfortunately so did hot rodders and their pockets were a lot deeper than mine and a wreck would often go for $15,000, that was a lot of money back then. I then started to look at other 1934 makes of cars and a friend of mine suggested a Dodge. I wasn't really sure of the look of them and after some searching I found a few pictures. Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler all had that look I liked. Lucky for me the Hot Rodders hadn't progressed in a big way to those makes. I eventually found an add in the paper "Dodge 1934, 6 wheel equipped US Body $3200.

I went to the house and saw the grill surround sitting on the chassis and thought YEP !!! only problem is the guy spent 5 years pulling it apart in an old wooden shed only a little wider than the car and a dirt floor so he could only work on one side . He stripped everything from the car, motor ( which was entirely dismantled ),panels apart from a few he couldn't get access to, diff, complete interior doors, windows and only a few things were labelled. He said it was 95% complete and only a few things needed. Some of these "things" were and are really hard to get. I also had no idea that All Steel Bodies in Australia were fairly rare so I'm privileged to be able to restore this to as original as I can get to the best of my ability ( which is lacking at times !!! )

This resto has survived moving house, building a house, running a 24hour a day business and a stroke so its in for the long haul. When we build our house the garage was designed so that all cars could have their doors open and not touch the doors of the other cars. Its a triple garage so my wifes car, mine and the Dodge. I was also able to put shelving and two large desks in and still have room to work on the car.

Its taken a while with the restoration and a lot of the delay is from waiting to ask people advice, where things go, get photos of certain areas etc... but I hope to get close to finishing this year. Painting and Upholstery are big costs and I only have one to go.

So there ya go a bit of history on the Dodge

Ian

[Guest 1930]

Thanks, great story. Id like to find that whippet

[R.White]

I enjoyed your story, Ian. The Whippet would also be a great car to own. With a wheelbase of only 100" a good Willys Whippet would find a ready home here in the U.K. Introduced in 1926 the 'Overland' part of the name was eventually dropped. At one time the Whippet was the third biggest seller in the States.

A great little car. I like them.

Ray.

Edited June 28, 2013 by R.White (see edit history)

[MikeC5]

A good story for sure. So far I have managed to stay under the local constabulary radar when doing test runs...

[Luv2Wrench]

Well done! This is a great thread, thanks so much for sharing!

[Guest RonB]

An American bodied car in Australia would have been really expensive in 1934. Any idea of it's early history? In New Zealand there were a few about and a guy I met once had a 34 Coupe.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi Ron,

I have the history of the car from about 1936 onwards. Unfortunately ( and not for the lack of trying ) I haven't been able to find out who it was originally sold to. I even applied to have the original build record sent to me and mine was missing. After a bit more probing I found there was a gap of approx 280 vehicles on the microfilm build sheets. One thought was that these 280 were marked for export and sent off around the world. One of the other members of this forum did say that records of exports were not kept, only locally sold ones. I don't know how many landed in Australia but again, only guessing, that a few were used as demonstrating models and when you ordered one you got the Richards Body. I haven't found anything promoting the Richards Body in a 34 Dodge so I wondered if you were thinking you got an all steel body and ended up with a Richards Body ? On the firewall mine does have RH and a number stamped on it so the body maker kept tabs on the body numbers but not the builds.

One thing I've learn't on this forum is the more you dig the more you find. I dug quite a bit but basically there are no records as to exports. Food for thought anyway.....makes interesting reading though.

I do keep searching when I get time and read as much as I can so maybe one day I'll find my answer.

Cheers

Ian

[Guest RonB]

It's quite possible your car was US built version. I have been working on a 1930 Dodge 8 and that has a Richards Body ( roadster ). The chassis for the RHD 1930 cars were canadian built whereas the fully built cars were US products. Also,when I was Restioring a 1923 Palladium about 25 years ago i was talking with the local RTA manager .He showed me a pile of books dating back to the 1900's here a record of every car sold in Australia was listed,along with it's chassis number etc. These books were part of the tools the old time RTA offices could use to verify registration details of a car presented for rego. They were supposed to be destroyed ,but this guy figured they were too valuable to throw out. My palladium was listed !,although it is only one of three in the World left now,Ithought that it was amazing that car delivered new in Western Australia as a one off would be recorded in NSW.

I do not know if the RTA in NSW would still have records such as this,and todays insane FOI legislation has probably locked them up. Such records are still kept for new and used cars imported into Australiav today thanks to the wonders of the Computer. Perhaps a call to your local RTA office might reveal something?

[Ian_Greenlaw]

mine is definitely a US built car as it is an all steel body. I've compared it to its Australian counterparts and there is a huge difference between them both structually and finish wise. the Aussie ones also had 3 hinges on the doors and mine has two.

where was the book you looked at located. interesting to be able to find it. I'd love to be the custodian of that and help other people locate their cars.

[Guest RonB]

i saw the books at the Glen Innes RTA office in 1987 > i am not sure if tere is even a office there now but you should try at the Sydney office Archives. Another guy I am sure who will have them is publisher Eddie Ford in Victoria.

Richards bodies look almost the same as the US cars,and they managed to keep the styling looking good. I cant say the same about Holdens efforts in the same period. We have 1940 Buick in for resto at the moment with a Holden body and it's a shape only a mother could love....ha ha

My very first resto was Morris 8 with a Richards body. Australian bodies were refered to as "composite" bodies because of all the wood in them especailly my little morris. The UK built cars were all steel construction .I've never seen another coupe like the one I had although the Australian restored cars magazine once published a picture of a Morris 8 ute wit the same shape roof,which also had to be a Richards Body.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

I've shot an email off to Eddie Ford and I contacted the RTA in NSW and they in turn rang the RTA in Glen Innes. An older person who works there said they are not there anymore and no one knows what happened to them.

I'll keep digging !!!

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Hi all,

We to the platers to see where my chrome stuff is at and they said its been sitting there a few weeks. They tried getting hold of me but the number was disconnected. Dosn't help when the guy can't read his own writing and was ringing the wrong number ! All good though and they have done a fantastic job again !!! I'm also making up a template for the board that goes around where the rear seat opens. This was lined with material ( sort of like the fender welt ) so I'll try and get that done over the weekend too. We've just finished packing our son up and he and his partner are off to Dubai for 2 years. Google the Atlantis Hotel.....my god thats big !!!

Dropped in to see they guy who did my body work and two thing you may like to see. He's building an entire Dusenberg from scratch for a customer. He has the original bonnet but thats about it. So the guy gave him a model and said here...make this.

He's also working on the rear mudguard for an old Indian Motorcycle. The metal skills these guys have are amazing so I thought I'd post the pic. We love pics don't we !!

Cheers

Ian