The Ressurection of Daphne - a 1932 DL

[Taylormade]

17 hours ago, Ian_Greenlaw said:

I can't find the post where you discussed the washers. What date was this posted so I can have a good look at them.

 

Cheers

Ian

 

It’s on page 41 of this thread.  November 9th, 2018.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

3 hours ago, Taylormade said:

 

It’s on page 41 of this thread.  November 9th, 2018.

Thanks for that....found it. Now all I need is an Australian version I can get here.

Ian

[JACK M]

"Hecho en China"

 

Dont it figure. 

[Taylormade]

4 hours ago, JACK M said:

"Hecho en China"

 

Dont it figure. 

 At least they seem to work, which is not always the case.

[Taylormade]

The floorboards on Daphne have turned out to be a much larger project than I originally expected.  I'm finally up to the last board - the one that but up against the lower toeboard and covers the area in front of the front seat.  The original was in the poorest shape of all the wood boards.  years of water leaking in through the two cowl vents and lots of wet and snow covered feet have caused warping and delamination.  This made it impossible get get accurate dimensions.  On top of that, this area has been worked on in the past and many of the original bolt holes are elongated or just plain missing.  It took several tries to get everything right, but I finally managed to get everything to fit.

 

As you can see. the original floorboard was a mess.  The front edge on the right is cut at an angle to match the angle of the toeboards.  Since this area had disintegrated, I initially had no way to determine the correct angle to cut, but I managed to figure it out by making cardboard patterns.  You can still see remnants of the white asbestos sheeting that was nailed on to protect the wood from scorching from the exhaust and muffler heat.  I'm still trying to source something to replace it and keep the original look.

 

 

This crazy piece has different angles on either side, a cutout for the gearshift, and a rounded recess to clear the emergency brake drum.  It was a lot of work to get thinks right.

 

 

 

Finally!  The triangular shape to the left of the floorboard is the tool box.  It's covered by another piece of plywood and held in place by a metal clip.

 

 

At this point I still need to drill the mounting holes and get it painted.

 

I want to see if I can get Daphne on the road and around the block before the end of October.  My to-do list for the month -

 

Finish the floors.

Install rubber spacer washers on the rear spring hangers.  Steele didn't have any the correct size, so I bought a sheet of 3/16th rubber sheet and plan to make my own.

Adjust the clutch - as soon as the pedal gets back from the machine shop with a new bushing.

Bleed the brakes - installing some new aluminum/rubber crush washers on the fittings got some air into the system.

Polish the dashboard - some overspray got on it during the painting, but the one area I did looks great after a 2000 grit sand and polish.

Install the instrument cluster.  It's totally restored and back together.

Hook up the dash wiring.

Install the coil under the dash with the new mount I made.

Install the gearshift.

Install the steering column - all restored.

Install the drag link.

Install the steering wheel.

 

At that point I should be able to drive the car (sitting on a box) and see how things are working mechanically.  That will give me until Spring to get all the problems worked out - if I'm lucky..

 

[Taylormade]

Finally finished the floors.  I had to order the correct slotted mounting screws - everything has gone Phillips lately at the local hardware store.  Same for the wood screws.  Thank god for the Bolt Depot.  Even they didn't have the larger slotted head screws that hold down the floor section with the battery cutout.  They are 3/8 - 24.  Luckily, I had all four so it wasn't an issue.  I'm still puzzled why Dodge Brothers went with wood floors in 1932.  The body is all steel.  There is no wood in the doors - even for attaching points - yet the entire stretch of the floor is made up of four wood panels.  In the body, there are wooden pieces above the doors that are not structural, but just serve as attachment points for the interior upholstery.  And there is a wooden section around the back window that curves around the back of the car, again not structural, but for attaching interior trim.  Pretty standard stuff for cars of this era, but considering all the steel stampings inside the body, it seems it would have been just as easy to make the floors out of steel and avoid all the fiddly handwork involved in making the wood pieces.

 

 

 

The two toeboards are steel, making things even more puzzling.

 

 

Oh, well, a coat of paint and I'm done.  Now on to the next simple task that will undoubtedly turn into another major problem.

[Taylormade]

That simple task I talked about in the last post - just turned into a major project.  After I assembled the rear end several years ago, I discovered there were supposed to be rubber thrust washers between the front of the rear spring eye and the hanger bracket.  I made the washers from a sheet of 3/16th inch rubber and figured I could just pull the hanger bolt and slip in a washer on each side and replace the bolt.  Wrong!  The washers don’t slip in, they have to be placed on each side of the spring eye and then slid into place.  Long story short, I had to remove the springs from the axle and remove the shackles to accomplish this “simple” task.  Pieces are all over the garage at the moment and I’m too tired (and a bit discouraged) to work anymore this evening.  I’ll post some pictures of how I made the thrust washers and the reassembly tomorrow.  This all dependent on me actually getting everything back together in one day.  At least the temperatures have dropped to reasonable levels for working in the garage.  I remember my comprehensive plan to have this restoration done in a year.  That was back in 2013 if I remember correctly.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

At least its getting there. I've just pulled the rear brake backing plates off the car due to a split bango fitting. Oh well....keep on going....you'll get there in the end.

[Taylormade]

Well, in a moment of sheer desperation (for me at least) and amazing fortitude, I managed to completely disassemble the entire rear end of Daphne.  I disconnected the rear from the springs and then took the springs off the frame - all to install two rubber crush washers.

 

I made the washers from a sheet of 3/16th inch rubber sheet which I bought off EBay for five bucks.  Steele has these for 7 bucks and change apiece, and I'm not sure they are the right size for my car, so making them was the next best thing.

 

I used a hole cutter to cut out the washers.

 

 

Then I made up a simple jig to hold the washer in place so I could place the center hole.

 

 

The jig was clamped together with screws to hold the washer flat and prevent it from distorting during the drilling process.

 

 

Then I used a Forstner bit to drill the hole.

 

 

The final result was probably not up to Steele standards, but it will do the job.

 

 

I placed the thrust washers on each side of the spring eye and bolted the springs back on with the eye bolt.  It was a real job to keep everything lined up as I guided the eye of the spring into the frame bracket and lined up the bolt holes..  My lovely wife Kathy held the other end of the spring to help me out.  Here is the final result.  You can just see the washers on each side of the spring eye.  The center hole grips the bushing extensions on the spring.  The hole is larger than the bolt, but centers on the bushing extensions.

 

 

Then I actually bolted the entire rear end back together and finished the job.  I'm currently feeling every one of my 74 years, but I'm glad I got it done.  It was the one last nagging job I needed to do before tackling the interior.

 

 

You can see the rear window channel going in.  I need to get all the glass in place and install the door handle mechanisms.  And the car needs a good dusting.  The fun continues.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2020 by Taylormade (see edit history)

[F&J]

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2020 at 8:33 PM, Taylormade said:

 I remember my comprehensive plan to have this restoration done in a year.  That was back in 2013 if I remember correctly.

Any time you get bummed out, #1 go back to the first pages to really stare at how the car looked as found in Connecticut....#2 then stare at the old college pic, and bring your mind back to those days.  #3 Have a coffee and get back on it...spring is coming..

[Taylormade]

3 hours ago, F&J said:

Any time you get bummed out, #1 go back to the first pages to really stare at how the car looked as found in Connecticut....#2 then stare at the old college pic, and bring your mind back to those days.  #3 Have a coffee and get back on it...spring is coming..

 

Thanks, I needed that.  I don’t drink coffee, but the rest is great advice.  And you’ll be pleased to know the front bumper and one of the hubcaps  you sold me are on the car.

[Taylormade]

The rubber extrusions I bought from Metro Rubber to seal the space between the windows and the door frames are not going to work.  They are too wide and not really flexible enough, and just bind when I try to roll the window up or down.  Without anything there, water just runs down the window and into the inside of the door.  Restoration Specialties sells what they call belt weatherstrips for this purpose, but they appear to be more of a whisker type material and I'm not sure they would seal out water.  I'm also not sure how I would attach them.  When I took the car apart, there was nothing there, but I can't believe that was the way it was originally.  Back to the drawing board.

 

On a good note, my brake pedal bushing is installed and ready to go.  My machine shop guy had to make the bushing, but at least it's back to specs - despite the cost.  he was more than fair in his pricing, but the extra work doubled the price.

 

I'm still seeking some kind of fireproof material to line the bottom of my wood floorboards to prevent damage from the exhaust and muffler heat.  I'm thinking material from a welding blanket might fill the bill.  The original stuff must have been asbestos sheet, white, and about the thickness of cardboard, nailed to the boards.  A few small pieces remain.  I can't find anything similar, but if I cut up the blanket to the correct sizes and nail it to the boards, it should look about the same.  Not sure if the edges will fray after cutting,, so my wife may have to seam them.

 

Sorry to ramble on, one of those days when you stare at the car and try to figure out how to handle your various problems and hang-ups.

[vintchry]

Check with the Steam Car guys, they use a product called fiberfrax. Looks like asbestos but none of the worries and works welll.

[ply33]

I found no evidence of a seal or weather strip on the door windows on my 33 Plymouth. Nor did I find a listing that looked it might have had them in the parts book. I should go back and read the parts book again to be sure. Between the lack of illustrations and the odd names they sometimes used, it is easy to miss stuff in the parts books of that era.

 

Between using a water resistant board for the interior backing and having drain holes in the bottom of the doors, they may have just figured seals weren’t needed.

[JACK M]

13 hours ago, ply33 said:

having drain holes in the bottom of the doors, they may have just figured seals weren’t needed.

 

This, 

Poke your ice pick or screwdriver up from the bottom often on all cars.

[ply33]

Thinking about this a bit more (after scanning one of the body sections of the parts book): The glass is set into a channel on the window riser. It is possible that they used an extruded rubber that had a channel to hold the glass but also a seal that extended outward to seal  against the body when the window was up. That would explain the lack of a separate listing for a sweep or seal in the door section and, since its primary use would be to hold the glass in the channel the name wouldn't mention that it was designed to seal the gap between the door and window when the window was up.

 

I took a quick look at the Steele Rubber web site to see if they have anything like what I am imagining but did not find an example during a short search.

[Torry Johnson]

6 minutes ago, ply33 said:

Thinking about this a bit more (after scanning one of the body sections of the parts book): The glass is set into a channel on the window riser. It is possible that they used an extruded rubber that had a channel to hold the glass but also a seal that extended outward to seal  against the body when the window was up. That would explain the lack of a separate listing for a sweep or seal in the door section and, since its primary use would be to hold the glass in the channel the name wouldn't mention that it was designed to seal the gap between the door and window when the window was up.

 

I took a quick look at the Steele Rubber web site to see if they have anything like what I am imagining but did not find an example during a short search.

 

13 hours ago, ply33 said:

I found no evidence of a seal or weather strip on the door windows on my 33 Plymouth. Nor did I find a listing that looked it might have had them in the parts book. I should go back and read the parts book again to be sure. Between the lack of illustrations and the odd names they sometimes used, it is easy to miss stuff in the parts books of that era.

 

Between using a water resistant board for the interior backing and having drain holes in the bottom of the doors, they may have just figured seals weren’t needed.

 

[Taylormade]

I need some help.  I remember seeing a post where someone on the site was offering reproductions of a metal part - a four tabbed plate that fits on the door latch mechanism on thirties Mopars.

 

Here is the part I'm talking about.

 

 

And the back side showing the four tabs.

 

 

I've done numerous site searches and have come up with nothing.  Anybody remember this?

[ply33]

I also remember seeing ads for reproduction replacements of that piece of the “remote control” for the door latch. Probably within the last two years. But a quick search of the usual spots is not turning that up at the moment.

[ArticiferTom]

Maybe you mean these by Knobless .

[Taylormade]

Yes!  Thank you.

[Taylormade]

Putting the windows in.  Amazing how much you forget after five years.  Just fitting things up and going through the procedure in my mind and I discovered you have to put the door handle mechanism in before you install the window,  The window channel passes through the door handle mechanism.  Put the channel and window in first and there's no way to install the door mechanism.  I'm glad I thought it through before I did my usual charge ahead with no forethought.  I'd be out in the garage removing the freshly installed windows if I had.  The window channels fit nicely.  I have the rearmost passenger small sedan window installed, and that was easy as the mechanism is a plate that bolts in place.  No fishing down inside the body to try and snap the end of the riser in place.  I'll post some pictures tomorrow as I install the driver's side rear window.

 

I also got a set of the window plates from knobless.  They are very nicely made and fit perfectly.  I'll post some pix when I get to that restoration.

[Taylormade]

Installing the window weatherstripping today.  I have been trying to figure out a way to seal the opening between the outside of the window glass and the body.  From all I can discover, there never was a seal/wiper in there.  I didn't want to redesign the car, but I wanted a little protection from water and debris simply falling through the opening and landing in the bottom of the door.  There are several holes in the bottom of the door that the factor apparently thought would solve the problem.  My solution isn't perfect, but it will offer some protection - I hope.

 

This is the rear door glass, ready to go.

 

 

I found this rubber extrusion from Metro Molded Parts.

 

 

 

I had originally planned to attach it to the body on the inside of the window frame, but realized attaching it to the base of the glass would make more sense.  I used weatherstripping adhesive to secure it in place.

 

 

This stuff, if properly applied, really holds well.  I applied it to both surfaces - the window base and the extruded rubber.

 

 

 

Then the most important part of the process - you have to let it dry until it's tacky, much like contact cement.  Once it had become very tacky, I placed the rubber on the window base.  You only get once chance at this as it sticks immediately and doesn't want to move.

 

 

 

Then I clamped it down.  I let it dry overnight and it's ready to go the next day.

 

[Taylormade]

I'm also putting in the door latch activators and the window cranks inside the doors.  You have to install both before you put the glass back in.  It's a bit tricky fishing them through the holes in the doors, but I managed to get them in place without much of a problem.

 

Window crank in place.

 

 

Door latch mechanism installed.

 

 

 

I have two good door latch mechanisms - both on the drivers side, and two that need to be rebuilt.

 

 

This is the driver front door mechanism.  It obviously still needs cleaning.

 

 

The back quarter windows are a breeze.  Here is the glass installed with the window channels in, but not yet secured.

 

 

Inside the body, the area around the glass is completely open.  Once the channels are secured, you simply snap the crank lever in place and bolt the crank plate in place.  Much easier than fishing down inside the body to get things in place.

 

 

 

This weekend's project is to rebuild the two door latch mechanisms and get them installed.  Then, all the glass will be ready to go back in.

 

 

 

Edited November 6, 2020 by Taylormade (see edit history)

[Taylormade]

Just a quick hint - if you need to put the windows back in your car, be sure to do it before you reach the age of 60.  I waited until I was 74 and am paying the price.  Aside from the fact that I cannot bend over more than 5 degrees after a day in the garage, everything is going fine.  Getting the window lever into the slots in the glass channel is one of the most frustrating jobs I have ever attempted - especially the front windows.  I would have loved to meet the guy at the factory that did this job and ask him how the heck he accomplished it on a moving assembly line.

[Taylormade]

A bit of nostalgia gone forever.  Previous owner Phil Kennedy put these Syracuse decals on after he bought Daphne from me.  They've been on the car over fifty years and I agonized over leaving them on or...  I finally decided to take them off as they are not period correct.  After I did it, I felt like a criminal that had vandalized an ancient relic.  Sorry Syracuse and Phil.

 

 

[knobless]

On 11/17/2020 at 11:00 AM, Taylormade said:

Just a quick hint - if you need to put the windows back in your car, be sure to do it before you reach the age of 60.  I waited until I was 74 and am paying the price.  Aside from the fact that I cannot bend over more than 5 degrees after a day in the garage, everything is going fine.  Getting the window lever into the slots in the glass channel is one of the most frustrating jobs I have ever attempted - especially the front windows.  I would have loved to meet the guy at the factory that did this job and ask him how the heck he accomplished it on a moving assembly line.

Go to YouTube search P9150001 my video of installing 34 Dodge front windows, Hope it helps,,,,

[aron_budapest]

This year I hope you can drive Daphne at least.Even if it is not 100% ready, only with front seat and windshield it could be fine to run with.

[Taylormade]

Yes it’s finally warming up enough to head back into the garage.  We have had very cold weather here for quite awhile, so cold my LED overhead lights would not fire up.

[Crazyred]

I found this thread a couple months back and have been reading as I have time. The entire time thinking how great this story is and how much information and documentation is being provided. I was envisioning that Taylormade was driving off at the end of the thread when I reached it. 

 

Now, I'm in real time and looking forward to the finale this year. Fingers crossed for ya!!!

[Taylormade]

I just wanted to apologize to all the members who have been following this thread for years.  About two months ago I received my second Covid shot.  A few days later I began to experience massive fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches and a general lack of concentration.  I went to the doctor and all tests keep coming back normal, but they can't explain what's going on.  Just getting up in the morning and getting dressed has become a major undertaking.  I have all sorts of projects on Daphne that I need and want to finish, but I just can't get up the energy to go out into the garage and do them.  To top things off, at about the same time I developed a raging case of shingles - "one of the worst he's ever seen" according to my doctor.  So I'm exhausted and in constant pain.  I'm not complaining or looking for sympathy, I'm just trying to explain why this thread has gone dead for so long.  It's very depressing as I'm in the home stretch with the car and a few good weeks would have her on the road and getting the upholstery completed.  As the weather is warming up, I hope my strength returns and I can get back to business.  In the meantime, I'm sorry to disappoint anyone out there who's has been following the progress.  I will get this finished.

[Mattml430]

That’s just horrible news. I hope you can recover quickly and get back into it. I had shingles many years ago and it’s not nice at all. Sending you best wishes and good health. 

[zipdang]

Very sorry to hear.  This should not be part of the struggle of restoring a car! Heal yourself first and we'll await your return with wishes and prayers.

[ply33]

I have heard that shingles is the worst with respect to pain and am sorry to hear you‘ve got it. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

[Johnthistle]

Gosh; so sorry to hear. Wonder if you actually got COVID  Before you got immune from the second shot. Those continuing symptoms sound like the long haulers!Hang in there spring is coming. We have all so enjoyed sharing your restoration project with you!

[Buick 59]

So sorry to hear and hope you're up and around soon. 

For what its worth, you are not the first person who has described such symptoms shortly after the 2nd dose of vaccine.

Wishing you a speedy recovery and hope you'll be back to Daphne soon.

[Ron Lawson]

Gosh Cobber that's terrible news WE from Down Under that have followed your journey of Daphne's restoration wish you a speedy recovery Shingles alone are horrible things to experience So painful I can sympathise with you with the tiredness and lack of get up and go as I have contracted Ross River Virus for the second time The last being in the early 80s It is carried by mosquitos and they have been in plague proportions in our area this year Take care and get well my friend 

[Vintageben]

Ah that really sucks back in 2017 I was only 36 at the time and got a huge dose of shingles I was very limited in what I could do. All the same symptoms as what you have described, a good many times I thought I was going alright and I could go to the shed and tinker only to get there (50metres away) and feel exhausted I would need to sit a while before returning to the house for a good rest. I hate to say it but it could a good while before you are really well, I found it a good while before I could do a lot(3 months) by 12 months I was going pretty well.  I’m going real well now but still need to be careful of over doing things otherwise I’m fatigue for 3-4 days but I have learnt the signs if I’m tired I rest. I really hope you recover quick just watch out for infections etc( I had a few) and rest,  most other things will wait, take care of yourself. Best of luck Ben

[Taylormade]

Thanks everyone.  I really appreciate the support.

[keiser31]

I have experienced the shingles. I was absolutely suicidal, I hurt so bad. So very sorry to hear and I hope your recuperation is swift.