The Ressurection of Daphne - a 1932 DL

[Alan Cutler]

1 hour ago, Taylormade said:

I’m sure Bob’s stands by their work.  I did the boiling water test when they first sent it back and it was dead on.  Thanks, it’s a good tip and an easy way to test the gauge.

 

1 hour ago, zeke01 said:

If I may offer a suggestion, test the temperature gauge in a pot of boiling water before installing. Stand over the bulb and see if you smell any chemical smell. Those bulbs don’t always seal up completely.  Knowledge gained the hard way. Zeke

 

 

100% correct on both points, I tested, came back dead, both fuel sending and temp, sent back and Bruce at Bob's made it good, and super fast.

Edited May 5, 2020 by Surf City '38 (see edit history)

[Taylormade]

Sometimes you get lucky, but what happened today was downright ridiculous.  I went to the local parts store, where we are still welcome as long as we wear a mask, and bought some gasket material.  I couldn't find anything that was quite as thin as I wanted, so I settled for something a little thicker - 3/64th of an inch.  More about that later.  Well, the sun was out and I've been inside for the last two weeks, so I decided to take a short ride out in the country and get some fresh air.  We live in a tiny town in Central Illinois, so it takes about four minutes to get into the woods and cornfields.  I took a narrow country road I'd never noticed before and was cruising along when I went over a rickety old bridge spanning a little creek.  Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a rusty something or other buried in the creek bed.   It appeared to be automotive.   I pulled over and walked back to see what was up.  Sure enough there was the battered cowl of an early thirties car down there.  i started to go back and get my phone so I could take a picture of it and realized I'd left it at home.  i wasn't happy about that, but I went back and half walked, half slide down the creek bank to the wreckage.  It turned out to be what was left of a Chrysler, barely identifiable by the firewall tag.  There wasn't much left, the bottom having been submerged for years and totally rusted away.  Nothing was salvageable - or so I thought.  Then I took a closer look at the firewall and noticed something familiar poking through from inside.  It was the ends of the firewall clips I had been searching for - these things...

 

 

I couldn't believe it!  How they had survived all this time is beyond me.  I got the cowl turned over and managed to get six of the little buggers out, more than I needed.  I'm going to go back and get a picture of the cowl when I get a chance - it still bugs me that I forgot my phone.  Here are the little beauties - lots of surface rust, but they are still solid and perfectly usable once I clean them up.

 

 

On a more mundane note, I was curious to see if my C and C machine would cut clean gaskets from the thicker material I brought home.  No problem.

 

[keiser31]

WOW! Talk about the planets aligning! What an odd, but wonderful score. I have found some odd stuff. One time while in Death Valley I found two radiator shells up in the hills around Panamint City. I had a 1926 Chrysler 58 and my 1931 Dodge at the time. The shells were for a Chrysler and a 1931 Dodge....nothing else from those cars were there.

[Taylormade]

Taking a poll.  I’m ready to put the gaskets on the u-joints and put the drivetrain together.  The gaskets are 3/64 of an inch thick and rather soft and crushable.  They are there to contain the grease in the u-joint, which is thick, but can weep fairly thin liquid if left standing for a period of time.  Do I need to apply  gasket cement to the gaskets, or do I just put them on dry?  The cement always seems to make a total mess no matter how carefully I try to apply it, but safety is probably the best policy.  What do you think?

[ezdusit]

I'd put them on dry.

[Taylormade]

That was my thought, but if I have to take this u-joint off one more time I may run screaming down the street in frustration.

[keiser31]

I would add a very thin coat of 30wt oil to the gasket to seal it.

[JACK M]

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/PTW7651210

 

This stuff helps a gasket seal and is relatively easy to clean off.

I use it on threads and gaskets.

[RichBad]

If you want to be confident of having no leak then some sealant is the best bet (regardless of technicalities).  I’ve always used hylomar, if you want it to be an even coating they do a spray on version.  If it works for Rolls-Royce on jet engines I’m sure it can work for Dodge:)

[Taylormade]

I liked the sound of the spray on Hylomar until I saw the price - sixty bucks for an aerosol can.  I bought some Permatex Aviation Sealer for four bucks.  The Hylomar overspray would have cost me that.

[RichBad]

Crikey, that’s nuts - you can get it for ~20 here.  Still expensive but it is good stuff:) permatex is good too.

[Taylormade]

And I’m sure you’re correct, I was ready to buy a can as soon as I saw your post.  Why it’s four times as much here makes no sense.  Thanks for the suggestion, though, I wasn’t brushing you off, I’m just too broke to try it!  😀

[Fossil]

Just spent many hours going through this project. Your doing an incredible job and it's turning out beautiful. I commend you for your persistence.  Thanks for taking the time to post the excellent photos. 

Now for the bad part, there is no way in heck this is going to turn out original if it doesn't leak oil or grease. ☺️

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Fossil (see edit history)

[Taylormade]

Don’t worry, the transmission still weeps a bit of oil and I’m just going to live with it.  And thanks for your kind comments.  I hope my trials and tribulations have helped you and others with their cars.  Lord knows folks on this forum have helped me immensely.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

It’s a great forum isn’t it. I have had so much help from people......even just a photo sent to me has helped more than some people could ever imagine. Doesn’t sound much, but when your not sure, these things can make all the difference.

Keep up the great work.

Ian

[Ron Lawson]

I can vouch for that Ian. Anthony Bryant aka Gundog has been of immense help to me with my 2249 Touring. As you said a photo or some measurements are just the ants pants especially when there was so much of the rear part of my car that was missing  These forums get a big thumbs up from me 

 

[Taylormade]

This part of the restoration is about as interesting as watching paint dry - which is about all I did this morning.  I'm getting ready to put the windows back in and the exciting job of cleaning up the metal glass channels fell to me.  They were actually in pretty good shape, just some surface rust that came off with a wire brush and a little elbow grease.

 

A close shot of the channel.  Still some factory black paint left on the surface.

 

 

About halfway through.  The channel is cleaning up nicely.  notice the Syracuse decal applied by PO Phil Kennedy back in the sixties.

 

 

Fresh coat of black paint and they are ready to install.  Pretty hard to get a decent picture of this - clear glass and black paint.

 

 

The winding mechanisms are in really good shape.  They just need a bit of cleaning.  What would you use as light lubrication for these?  White lithium grease?

 

 

[keiser31]

Yes, in my opinion. White lithium grease.

Edited May 30, 2020 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[JACK M]

That's what I use.

Its even available in a spray can.

[Taylormade]

I made a large commitment yesterday and bought a ton of stuff from Restoration Specialties and Supply.  Supposedly arriving Friday are new smooth grain top material, top padding, firewall panel board, door panel board, jute underpayment, and an assortment of rubber grommets.  I’m also getting new door glass for the driver and passenger front side windows which were cracked.  So now I can get my firewall pad finished and finally install my restored dash gauge cluster and all three cables (throttle, choke and free-wheeling) and get the under dash wiring hooked up.  I have also cleaned and painted the window channels and hope to get all the side windows in this week.  My outer door handles have been back from Paul’s Chrome for a bit and they will go on once the windows are in.  June should be an interesting month.

[JACK M]

Kinda never ending aint it.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Sounds like your progressing well

[Taylormade]

Question.  I'm in the process of installing the windows and have come across a problem.  The lower area between the window glass and the body is open maybe a 1/8th of an inch.  Any water that gets on the glass will run down the window and into the door with nothing to stop it.  When I took the car apart there was nothing there, but I assume a strip should be installed in there to prevent water from getting in.  Restoration Supply has what they call Belt Weatherstrip  which appears to be what I'm looking for, but I can see no way of installing it short of gluing it in place.  They also have nothing specific for 1932, only going back to 1935. The back door windows have two rivets just hanging there that appear to have mounted something, but there is no sign of any mounting on the front window or the small back windows.  i want to keep Daphne looking authentic, but also want to keep water from getting inside my doors.  Has anyone solved this problem or can someone give me a clue as to what is installed in their cars?

[Mattml430]

I had a similar issue on my 27 sedan and had exactly the same thoughts. What I did is found a rubber mould that I fixed to the bottom of the window before I put it in. So basically when you roll the window up it came up and jammed in between the glass and the inside of the window frame. It’s not perfect but I’m sure it stops a bit of water getting down there and you can’t even see it unless you’re looking for it. 
mill take some pictures this morning when I go out into the garage. It might help explain a bit better what I mean. 
The only problem with doing it this way was when the window is down even a little it doesn’t seal at all. But I couldn’t see any other options. 

Edited June 5, 2020 by Mattml430 (see edit history)

[Mattml430]

[Taylormade]

I found this at Metro Rubber and it looks perfect for what I need.  The gap between the window and the body is a little less than 3/8th of an inch, so this should fit the bill.

 

[Kevin bc]

Taylormade

Kevin BC here from downunder,

I had serious doubts about keeping water out of my windows especially the rear quarter vents, on my 30 Australian  DC Dodge8, as any water that got in had no where to run except to the wooden door pillar or into the back corner of the car. the doors at least had a couple of slots cut in the wood that the water could escape through. My Car was actually rusted out in the corners at the rear of the guard from water running to that area, and sitting in years of dust , mixed with timber. The cars when made weren't meant to be still in use 90 years later

I pondered this problem for several months, and came up with an idea, that worked for me, I got some black pond liner, fixed it to the window sill, dropped it down under the window  glass(Lowered to its lowest position of course), and then came back up the window glass  on the inside, and fastened it to the pillars with hot glue making a bag around the window. In the bottom of the bag I glued a faucet nut and tail, and to the tail I glued some plastic tube into the end of the tube & ran it out through the timber at the door pillarto below the chassis. It was a lot of mucking around but I know there will never be another rust problem in that area. The door windows could be done the same as any water could be dumped out the bottom of the door.

I know we are not talking large quantnities of water, but be able to disperse  any moisture out of the doors & bodies  is a big positive in my view. Will find the photos and give you a look at them

regards

Kevin

[Kevin bc]

Kevin BC here again with some photos.

In the 2nd photo the threaded part in the bottom of the bag I ground the sides of the fitting, the ends of the bag are glued together , and then glued to the vertical pillars under in my case the wooden plinth holding the arm rest and window winder mech. The window actually winds down into the bag, which you can see is approx 2" wide.

Sorry I don't have more photos of the window area

Regards

Kevin

[Taylormade]

My Restoration Supply order will be delivered tomorrow.  Now I can finally get the firewall pad done and finish wiring the car.  Another bit of good news - I located a water-jet cutting facility less than thirty miles form my home.  Considering i live in the middle of nowhere, this was an amazing find - especially when I talked to the owner and he said he did small jobs.  So, today I drove over and showed him the window rollers I had discussed in an earlier post.  Here's a shot of them in Phil Kennedy's 32DL.

 

 

 

And what they look like laid flat.

 

 

The owner said there was no problem cutting them out and offered to do the tech drawings since it was so simple.  We discussed the problem of rolling the metal extensions around the shaft and determining the length of the extensions before rolling them.  I think I can manage this with some heat and careful massaging.  He suggested we cut ten in case there was a learning curve on assembling them.  I need three, so I asked for the price and held my breath.  Ten bucks.  Well, scrape me off the floor!  Hopefully, I'll have some spares if anyone needs any.  Easily worth a ten spot considering I was going to try and cut them out with a grinding wheel.  Now I can guarantee I'll have all ten fingers for another few weeks.

 

 

Edited June 10, 2020 by Taylormade (see edit history)

[Taylormade]

I picked up my window roller blanks from the water-jet cutter.  The best ten bucks I've spent in a long time.  He made me twenty - I only need three, so plenty to practice on.  Looks like a little heat to bend them around a steel rod and chamfering of the holes and I'll be ready to go.

 

[Taylormade]

I've been trying to work on the car early mornings and evenings to avoid the mid-day heat.  Summer has arrived here with a vengeance. Not all that easy as I got into the firewall pad today and ended up working well into the afternoon.  The thermometer read 95 when I came in from the garage, but I got a lot accomplished today.  I was lucky that my original firewall pad survived relatively intact, so I had a good pattern to work with.  it's not very pretty, and I taped over the unnecessary holes, but there was enough left to make a pattern.  The solid section, about 1/2 inch thick, is still glued to the jute backing, but the front cover has fallen off - but I still have it.

Here it is in all its glory.

 

 

I got started by tackling the solid center which appears to be made of homasote.  The new homasote that I bought at a nearby big box seems to be nearly identical to the worn, warped stuff on the original.  Even the thickness and faint pattern on the surface is the same.  I made a pattern and cut the homasote with my jigsaw.  it made nice, clean cuts with no problems.

 

 

I did a bit of edge sanding to make sure the final shape was accurate.

 

 

Then I cut out all the small shapes around the edges and the openings for the wires and cables.

 

 

I was happy to find that when I laid the new homasote over the old piece, the fit was exact and all the pins that hold it to the firewall matched with no problem.

 

 

 

I have jute padding and firewall card from Restoration Specialties, so I'll be cutting those out and gluing everything together tomorrow.

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Looking good.

Not sure about your wiring when running it along the car but I started at the fuel tank and ran it all the way back to the firewall only to find that the thick part on the inside under the dashboard wouldn't fit through the firewall. Had to remove it and start running it from inside the car, through the firewall and then around to the fuel tank. Had to also remember to feed the grommet surrounds along the wiring ....after a second try !......as once you run the wiring, its too late.

[Taylormade]

I think my car has a slightly different setup.  The wires to the dash run up the firewall and through a single hole in the firewall.  There are only a couple of wires in that part of the loom.  Three wires run from the rear of the car (the fuel sending wire and the brake and stoplight wires) in a loom that runs along the inside of the frame on the drivers’s side.  These wires come out from the frame ahead of the body and into the engine compartment, never touching or going through the firewall.  So, in my case, I think I’m okay.  I’ve had all the wiring in place for two or three years and I just went out in the garage and checked things over.  The firewall pad will go in place and I only need to feed the dash wires into the car - and there is plenty of room to get them through.  Thanks for the tip, though, I could have been caught with my pants down!

[Alan Cutler]

4 hours ago, Ian_Greenlaw said:

Had to also remember to feed the grommet surrounds along the wiring ....after a second try !......as once you run the wiring, its too late.

 

Raise your hand if this has happened to you!!!! 🖐️

[Ian_Greenlaw]

Ok, I confess !!!!

[Torry Johnson]

Taylormade, 7/1/20

Wow and thanks for sharing. I think I communicated with Phil quite some time ago?  I may have send him a picture of my DL6?  He shared that some folks put the bumpers on wrong.  I may have to get back to him when I get to the bumpers on my Dodge.

Way interesting story.  What is your progress to date and how long ago was your story written? 

I took my 32 DL-6 apart 40 years ago and have started to put her back together.  I can not recommend waiting 40 years ta put a car back together!  We moved 300 miles in the mean time and the parts kinda got mixed up.  I did have a parts car which is still available as needed.  It's new job is a piece of yard art.  Being the old guy I am I have trouble doing this Forum stuff???  I will be most surprised if this note ever gets to you.

I'd be more than interested in seeing your progress.  I might be able to send pictures of my project if I get smarter.  Not many of the old DL-6s around.

Torry Johnson

torryjohnson32@hotmail.com

[Taylormade]

Well, there are currently 74 pages of “progress” to wade through on this thread.  You can go back to page one and see it all if you can stand it.  Currently the frame, springs, axles, brakes, engine, transmission, body, fenders, fuel system and chrome are all restored.  I’m currently putting in the window glass and door mechanisms.  The interior is the last hurdle and will be installed as soon as I’m done putting in the new floorboards.  I hope to take it out for a first drive late this summer.  I bought the car in 1965, sold it in 1967, bought it back in 2013 and have been restoring it ever since.

[Phil 32DL6]

On 7/1/2020 at 1:59 PM, Torry Johnson said:

Taylormade, 7/1/20

Wow and thanks for sharing. I think I communicated with Phil quite some time ago?  I may have send him a picture of my DL6?  He shared that some folks put the bumpers on wrong.  I may have to get back to him when I get to the bumpers on my Dodge.

Way interesting story.  What is your progress to date and how long ago was your story written? 

I took my 32 DL-6 apart 40 years ago and have started to put her back together.  I can not recommend waiting 40 years ta put a car back together!  We moved 300 miles in the mean time and the parts kinda got mixed up.  I did have a parts car which is still available as needed.  It's new job is a piece of yard art.  Being the old guy I am I have trouble doing this Forum stuff???  I will be most surprised if this note ever gets to you.

I'd be more than interested in seeing your progress.  I might be able to send pictures of my project if I get smarter.  Not many of the old DL-6s around.

Torry Johnson

torryjohnson32@hotmail.com

Hey Tory...Here's a photo of the two ways I've seen the front bumper elements mounted. I consider the right side the correct way for two reasons: the most important being that it matches the illustrations that were done for the ads at the time. Those ads would have been prepared before the cars were manufactured and sold to meet the magazine production deadlines, so the illustrations would have been drawn by artists who had access to the original design drawings. The second reason is, as a designer/illustrator myself, the way the bumper looks in the right photo matches the lines of the rest of the front of the car better than in the left photo. The fact that you see a bunch of DLs with the bumpers like on the left suggests to me that workers at the factory may not have always put the components together correctly and the inspectors didn't catch it..or care.

[Taylormade]

As usual, the "simple" restoration of my firewall pad turned into a mini-epic.  It really isn't a restoration as such, rather a total reconstruction using new materials.  I managed to get the homasote piece cut as mentioned in an earlier thread, then got waylaid by a brake job I ended up having to do on another car.  I got back to work today on Daphne.  The hardest part of this job was making the patterns to cut out the firewall material.  Luckily, I did have the originals, but the holes were so distorted and ripped out it took a long time to get the pattern correct for the many, many fasteners that go through the pad and into the firewall.  This job was not made easy by the 95 degree temperatures in my garage and the fact that I don't have floorboards in yet, so I was lying on my back on the frame rails under the dashboard trying to see if everything was lining up.

 

The firewall board from Restoration Specialties and Supply was of nice quality.  It cut relatively easily with a utility knife and I used punches and hole-saws to cut the holes for the fasteners and the wiring and cables.  I touched up the edges with a black paint stick and it came out looking pretty good.  The dowels sticking up locate the different pieces so I can glue them together in perfect register.

 

 

I sprayed the Homasote with some black paint in case any of the edges peeked through after gluing.

 

 

The Homasote is smaller than the actual board as you can see by this shot of the Homasote pattern laid over the firewall board.

 

Then I used 3M 77 Super Adhesive to glue the board to the Homasote, and weighted it down with some old car magazines I haven't thrown away for some unknown reason.

 

 

 

The dowels really made lining everything up a breeze.  All I have left is to cut out the jute backing and punch the holes using my patterns and glue it to the Homasote.  Then the job will be finished and I can finally run my wiring and cables into the interior and hook up the dash wiring.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Taylormade (see edit history)

[Taylormade]

Finally finished the firewall pad.  Cutting the jute material was not fun, but I managed to get it into reasonable shape with a bit of patience (which is in short supply where I'm concerned) and a pair of sharp scissors.  It's all hidden anyway, so I wasn't that worried.  With temperatures reaching near 100 degrees today, I was very happy that I could do this work inside.

 

 

I lined it up on my dowel post jig and glued everything to the previously finished board and Homasote backing.

 

 

I used the 3M 77 adhesive again and it worked great.

 

The final result.  Maybe not ready for Pebble Beach, but I'm happy with it.  It matches the original in size and thickness perfectly.