R.White Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 At last I have my car at home. She starts straight off now that I have replaced the skinny battery cables with proper 6 volt ones.You guys will remember how I rebuilt the Stewart vacuum tank so imagine my frustration when it failed to pump fuel! Eventually it dawned on me why. The original springs had long since perished so I had replaced them with ones that looked like the same weight but they must have been too strong. The float needs to rise with the incoming fuel; trip the valve mechanism then fall back by it's own weight (gravity) but the springs were holding it up. I found another pair of springs which were just a little longer and so although they worked the valves, were not so strong as to prevent the float from dropping back down again when the atmospheric valve opened and released the vacuum. The tank now works like it should.The Dodge drives well apart from not being able to go from 1st to 2nd gear. Fortunately, there is so much torque that she pulls away in 2nd. This is something I can investigate. I have yet to change the oil in the transmission which I would think is probably the same as the rear axle, i.e. 600wt.(or heavier). I expect STP would help slow things down a bit but it's something I can experiment with. I still have a long list of jobs to do including reducing the height of the front bench seat because my head touches the top! I also want to fit a windshield wiper and stop the leaks. There is still much more to do!I would like to take this opportunity to thank again all those who have helped me get this far. Just driving the old girl down the lane has renewed my enthusiasm.Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted March 1, 2013 Share Posted March 1, 2013 Glad to see it's working out for you, Ray. Nothing like actually driving them! I can't wait to get a new wiring harness so I can enjoy my car again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Lawson Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 He Ray That is great news Now all you have to do is buy the '29 Senior and you can have a summer car and one for the colder months. Easy isnt it Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30DodgePanel Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Congrats Ray ! Ray ? RAY ? ......I think he's out driving and havin fun without us.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Lawson Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Bet he has taken the cheque book and gone to have some retail therapy in te form of the '29 sedan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 Hi Guys, it just got late so I turned in for the night. (time differential)The '29 Senior is just a pipe dream. I don't have the space and the local authority planners won't permit another garage here. Sore point!I am happy with my '26 tourer now it's home and running well.Cheers!Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Sounds good Ray. Glad to hear you have the vacuum tank functioning properly. Have you pulled the ocver onth etrans to see why you can't do the 1-2 shift? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 No Mike, not yet. If the selectors are worn or the sliding gears and shaft is where the trouble lies (and not just a shortage of, or the wrong type of oil) what are the chances of finding replacement parts?. It's quite noisy (although straight cut gears always are) but just replacing the tranny bearings alone could well make matters worse.What have you done with yours?Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 I agree. 600wt oil - as I said in my original post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I guess I'm lucky that mine is able to up-shift if one doesn't try to rush it.. Downshifting is something I haven't been successful with. I tried straight STP in the gearbox which is very thick but still no luck (just grinding). I've tried double clutching and rev matching but it may still very well be lack of skill on my part... I was surprised at how good the gears looked when pulled the top cover. They must be some really tough gears because I'm sure I'm not the only one who's ground them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 I removed the small inspection plate today and as expected there is a fair degree of wear in the sliding gears and their shaft but hopefully not enough to cause a problem. I think the oil has been changed (before my time) with what looks to me like E.P.90. Tomorrow I will get some 600w. As you know it's sold as steam cylinder oil so I will call into my local steam stockist where I should be able to buy a reasonable quantity for a much lower price than from the specialist oil suppliers. I may also add some STP to help slow things down.My biggest problem with the car (and one which I don't have any experience of let alone sure what to do about it) is that the top sinks down and touches my head. I am not sure that the middle bow is high enough. At first I thought the problem was with the restored seat, so today I removed it and the platform on which it sits then replaced the seat directly onto the floor. The driving position was impossible so the only thing left is the top. The top is a replacement and for all I know is not even the right one for the car. Obviously, being an Australian body, it lacks the quality features of a Budd. In fact the top looks like it was made down to a price; a low one!Perhaps I was over optomistic with the heading for this post!On a more positive note perhaps some kind person will post a few photos of what a correct top should look like above the driver's head.? I am out of my depth with this problem so any help would be welcome..Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyAus Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Ray, I think that your hood problems are manifold. From memory, a photo of your windsceeen which you posted some time ago showed that it was two piece and had rounded bottom corners. I am nearly sure that this model should have a one piece screen with sharper corners. If so the one fitted may be too short.Your avatar looks like the back of the hood slopes forward. It should actually slope slightly to the rear. If the screen was higher the position of the rear bow may be corrected but of course there would be too much material where it meets the tub. Something else to check is the protrusion of the front bow (which attaches to the top of the screen) from the ends of the irons. This should be about eight inches to form a peak in front of the screen.Another thought, a tourer hood should have four bows - are they all present? The first bow is as described above, the second should be above your head and face forward, The third faces forward also and is articulated from the irons which carry the last (and wider) bow.The attached photo shows the bows of my roadster before covering. Of course it lacks the extra (third) bow of a tourer which extends over the rear passengers. Not sure if any of this waffle helps.CheersTony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 3, 2013 Author Share Posted March 3, 2013 http://forums.aaca.org/f143/dodge-brothers-cars-uk-342300.htmlYou are right, Tony. My car is fitted with the wrong screen but as far as I know it should be a two piece. I think it is about the right height but as you can see from the photos the top is all wrong. I have managed to improve it a bit by strapping up the collapsed frame so it doesn't look quite so bad as in these old photos; nevertheless it will need major work. I would undertake the job myself if I knew what I was doing but it looks quite difficult. I probably will have a go when I have looked into the job. I am not sure if the frame is even right? Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Lawson Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Hello Ray, Just a long shot have you googled Dodge brothers car club of aust? Click on the photos window and view the cars There are some '26 Tourers in the pics If I can be an in-between man for you I will see if I can contact the owners for information for you The problem that you are having, we are having too with the top on our '27 Chev and we have straps around the irons to help hold it up am from the short brigade @ 5'7" so I dont have a problem I hope I can help Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 Hi Ron, I am only 5'8 but still having problems with my head touching the top. The funny thing is that the seat is made from foam rubber so if I sit in it long enough, I sink down a bit! That's the answer..... I will just have to do longer journeys !I have looked at the Australian Club website, thanks. I would be pleased to find out from someone who has fixed this problem by themselves. The cost of having it done professionally would be prohibitive and as my business is not doing so well in these days of austerity, I want to keep the costs down if I can and do it myself. Those straps you mention are called something (but I cant remember). My car doesn't have any - I said it was a cheap job! I am thinking perhaps I could raise the top to the front (above the screen) by letting in a fillet and fit straps somehow to pull the bow backwards and make it taught. I would need to fit some footman loops to secure and tighten them onto the frame above the rear seat and hope for the best. Thinking about it, I would probably have to re-fix the stud fasteners because they would be moved to a lower position at the back. Also, the rear quarter side screens might not fit. As it happens, the side screens which are supposed to fit onto the top of the doors were made for the previous owner and they never have fitted properly, so you see the whole thing is a ******mess! Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 I have some good photos of the top on a (Budd body) touring car if you think they might be iof any help Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyAus Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 RayFor what it is worth, the one piece windscreen was fitted from 1 July 1926 (car number A702243 of the 1927 series). I take it yours is a 1926 series. If so, I can help you with a correct upper sash. Gettting a good lower sash may be a problem however as they retain water and have mostly rusted out. Let me know if you are interested and I can keep an eye out.With regard to hood tension, mine has the original system where webbing with attached leather straps and adjusting buckles pulls the back bow down. The webbing is attached to the bow and the leather straps go through footman loops on the parcel shelf. On a tourer these are screwed to the tack strip on the top of the tub. The tension on the front part of the hood is maintained by the second bow which is pushed up by flat bars attached to the hood frame in front of its hinge. These bars may be seen (just) in the photo I posted this morning. If you are missing these they could be easily fabricated - I can send you a plan and some detaied photos.Bear in mind that all offers involve a small charge. In Irish Euros it will be nuttin, sod all in Sterling and zilch in US dollars. However, I am not sure what that is in Yen or Iranian Dinars.CheersTony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 My car is #A791-370 therefore a '27 series and should have a one piece screen.Any help with photos and/or drawings would be much appreciated. As to shipping something like a windshield into the U.K. - I imagine the cost with import duties would be high but I will be happy to look at any help if it comes my way. Thankyou guys.Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 4, 2013 Author Share Posted March 4, 2013 I have taken another look at the top on my car. I am pretty sure the frame is from a different car; the incorrect forward slope at the rear has been determined by the bow whose side irons are much too short. Any alteration here would mean that the fairly new rear quarter side screens would not fit. I have managed to get a straight line along the bottom edge to both sides but the peak is not supported by a wooden bow but by a metal frame. There is a gap over the windshield which needs to be filled in but my original idea of raising the front of the top is a non starter; even if I could fit a taller windshield and solve the fixing problems it would not look right because the dip would be even more pronounced. So I am stuck with it. I could possibly lower the seat but to make it usable would mean altering the rake of the steering column but that would involve all sorts of re-engineering problems which I don't want to get into.I don't quite know what to do with it yet - but I am open to suggestions.Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 I took this photo of a Packard top frame made using flat iron and longer wood bows at Hershey a couple of years ago. I was thinking it could be a way to fabricate a top frame using commonly found wrought iron. It would be hard to salvage your canvas though. Would it be possible to have one or two of the bows re-made with longer extension legs to prop the top up higher? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete K. Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Hi Ray, If it's any help, as MikeC5 offered too, I can post a few pictures tomorrow of the top and bows on my '25 tourer. It is a Budd bodied car, (A388850, 1926 build date), but I would have to believe the top would be the same used on your '26. Different body makers would have to be held to specific dimensions so that other Dodge factory designed parts would fit, like the width of seat springs, carpet sets, splash aprons, THE TOP, and so on. I don't see why you can't keep using your one piece windscreen. Don't forget, as we get older, our bones shrink and you'll eventually fit just right by the time you and I finally replace the top fabric on our tourers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 It would seem that the two piece windshield and the top are likely to come from a different car. This would not surprise me because my car had not been well restored. I have spent a lot of time and money correcting the mistakes of the past. The canvas is in fact leather grained vinyl with a white fabric lining. There are no reinforcing pads or straps and for all I know it could leak. Perhaps the answer is to only drive the car in fine weather with the top down. Yeah.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Ray, remember the title of this post, Happy Days, try and take comfort in knowing that you and I and everyone on this forum is at least able to own an antique car no matter what the state of our vehicles and have the privilege to be a part of their history. Many people never have the opportunity. So your car has issues, what 80 plus year old car dosent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Point Taken.Happy days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete K. Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Very well put Jason! I was wondering Ray, Do you have the top saddles for your car so as the top can be put down? Without them, one risks serious injury to the whole top. Original top saddles are next to impossible to obtain for a specific car. There were "left & right" too. I've been working for a long time to make "re-pro" Dodge top saddles that would work for roadsters also. I have a working model here for my '25 and ready to find a friendly machine shop to make some of the parts. These don't look like the originals, but they would work and be very inexpensive!! I know some owners have the original saddles and NEVER put the top down! This is like the girl at the beach who never gets her bathing suit wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Jason, I count my blessings every day and regard myself as privilaged to be able to put food on the table and a roof over my head considering the plight of so many poor people in the world. On the other hand I have worked for what I have and know it can all be turned to dust if I take my eye off the ball - which has meant no holidays for the past 15 years; but I wouldn't have it any other way.Pete, I do have a pair of Dodge top saddles for my car which I intend to fit; although it seems doubtful, or at least there is no visible evidence, that there were ever any fitted by the Australian builder. You can see where the top frame has damaged the paintwork as it has no saddles to rest in.Best of luck with your repros. - judging by the prices that these things fetch, you should be able to sell quite a few.Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest occrj Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Only just seen the thread, bet it feels good to have it home at last. :-) I'll have a look and see if any of my photos show the frame clearly.RJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest occrj Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Hi again, I've not got any photos of the roof internally, but I can try and take some (it's in the air in the garage so may be a little dark but they may come out). Here are some external shots which may help - or not!??? I don't know if my hood is correct either, but it fits and seems to sit ok.rgds, RJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Thanks for that Richard, your car looks really smart. Your's has the split windscreen; so does mine but it would have originally had a one piece screen.(27 series) which I think may have been taller. I also see that your frame is drooping down like mine. I have improved things a little by strapping mine up with a couple of cable ties but it would be easy enough to remove these to put the top down. I also notice that your canvas (if that is what it is) covers the bows in one piece where mine looks as if it has been made in sections and nailed onto the bows with lengths of hidem banding covering the joins. It may not be water tight - only time will tell. There are special bolts to clasp the front of the top to the windshield stanchions and there are spherical lobes to prevent the top from accidentally lifting in the wind. I have today gained another 1/2" of height by making sure the clamping bolts are pushed right up to the lobes. Perhaps if I can lower the seat by 1/2" I will have resolved the problem; at least in the short term. Lowering the seat is not ideal; the lower it is the worse the driving position becomes. There is also the problem of detaching the upholstery at the base of the seat back and packing it out to fill in the gap left by the lowering of the squab.All good fun!I also went over to Bolsover today and bought 20 litres of 680 steam cylinder oil for the transmission and rear axle. Enough to do my other car as well, at £40 from Aztec oils I think it was cheaper than Penrite and more convenient.Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest occrj Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Good luck pouring the steam oil/600w into the back axle - I tried pouring (it didn't, even when I strapped a container of oil to the top of the diff, pointing downwards and left it for a couple of days). In the end I used a grease gun to get it in, that took a looooooooong time! Doing the 'box was child's play by comparison, and transformed the shifting.RJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 Put the oil on the stovetop and heat it a bit, it will flow much easier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Will it be o.k.to explain to my wife that it was your idea, Jason? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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