Guest 1935du Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) Well Im glad to have found this site. We have been restoring muscle cars for about 30 years. Our shop burned down last year and all was lost. Built a new building and decided to start working on something older, I have allways wanted to. Late last year a 1935 2dr Dodge DU touring sedan showed up on Ebay. It was a pretty nice original car with all original tan interior and factory green paint. So we bought it. I have added to its 44,000 miles since then. But taking a car from a barn and putting it on the road has been full of little problems. 80 year old hoses needed changed, along with water pump, tires were dry rotted, you know the kind of stuff. So we work on it and drive it. I believe in keeping cars as original as possible. But this thing has 80 year old paint and along with it a few small dents and dings. Im having a tuff time deciding weather to repaint it. and repair some of these bad areas. Or just leave it as an original 80 year old car? I have some good pics of it but they are to large for uploading. I will get it out when the snow clears and get some new pics that can be uploaded to site. ( i do not have a program on computor to alter my pic size ) Mark from Missouri Edited April 26, 2014 by 1935du (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Welcome to the site. Sounds like a very nice car. If you would like to send me the photos, I can re-size them and post them here for you. Johnkeiser31@charter.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1935du Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Keiser31 Thank you for your offer. Pics are on the way. I live in the country and still have dial up so it is slow going. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) Yes....it IS a very nice car! Edited February 8, 2014 by keiser31 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1935du Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I decided to pull it out today and warm it up, i had just changed some hoses and water pump and wanted to run it and get the anifreeze full. It started right up even though it been sitting in my cold garage. But I have a new antifreeze leak. It is leaking from around the edge of the bellhousing. There seems to be holes on the lip of the bellhousing. It is not leaking down from the head. Are there freeze plugs on the rear of the block? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airy Cat Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Welcome to our forum. I like my cars original, unrestored and unmodified. That's a great looking Dodge you have and rare too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Yes, there is a freeze plug on the back of the block and that is probably what is leaking.<quickprintreadystate style="display: none;"></quickprintreadystate> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_Greenlaw Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Welcome to the forum. There is a huge knowledge base here and people are always willing to help or offer an opinion.great looking car.heersIan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1935du Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Taylormade, Thanks for the information. I was really hoping to not have to tear this car apart. But looks like the best thing to do would be to pull the motor and change all gaskets, seals, freeze plugs and water tube. My problem has allways been ( well it is tore this far apart might as well keep going ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearchoclatetown Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 If that's original paint it sure would be nice to leave it. Car looks pretty good, and as you say if you start taking it apart one thing leads to another. Why not pull the transmission, easier then the engine. You could access all the rear plugs from there, maybe look at the clutch, and be driving pretty soon. Besides if you paint it the interior will look worse. Then the chrome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) I ran into the same problem with a 48 Plymouth I had. I finally ended up having to take the entire front clip off. I'm not an expert on 35s, but from you pictures, you might have enough room to work on that plug - looks like there is some working room between the engine and the firewall. If not, you'll have to take off the hood, remove the radiator and grill surround, disconnect the driveshaft and take the motor and transmission out as one unit.On the 48, I removed all the old freeze plugs, then used a power washer through the holes to blast out all the rust and gunk. There was a ton of it! I think your engine may have a water distribution tube also (not sure when Dodge went to that, my 32 doesn't have one), so see if that has rusted out and replace it if necessary. With the engine out, you can clean and repaint as necessary. I had my generator, water pump and starter rebuilt at the same time. This way you can avoid taking apart anything else as the fenders, headlights and such will all stay in place.That is a very cool car, I'd keep as much of it original as possible!<quickprintreadystate style="display: none;"></quickprintreadystate> Edited February 8, 2014 by Taylormade (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol swede Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 Great looking car Mark. I agree with your choice to keep it as original as possible. You'll find a world of information here, also help if needed. Glad you found your way here. good luck Daleanother Missourin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 There is a new appreciation for all original cars now. Your car looks like an " as found car" from the late 40's. You've got my vote for leaving the cosmetics " as is". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete K. Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Mark, That is a really cool original car you've got. If you can't decide what to do about the restoration at this stage of the game, I would just get the mechanicals re-done at your pace and drive it for a while. You may be very surprised what everyone may say about the "only car here" at whatever show you're at, "is a real survivor". In time you may decide to go for a new paint job, or a full blown restoration. I'm really sorry to hear your shop was lost in a fire. That's a devastating loss. Glad to hear you're up and running again. Best of luck!!, Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1935du Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Thanks for the warm welcome. I had spent some time at another site, but when someone found a nice restorable car they all wanted to chop it, channel it, butcher it. I did not belong there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billstewart Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Hi guy,where are you located ? I'm from Clinton mo. live in in Arkansas now.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DodgeKCL Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Just my 2 cents. Guys ,does not the toe board come up and off this car? I don't have a '35 car but my '35 truck has a removable toe board. It may be easier ,for the time being, to just remove the toe baord and pop the Welsh plug and bang in a new one and use the car some more before making any big decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DodgeKCL Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Just my 2 cents. Guys,does not the toe board come up and off over the gear shift lever? If so he could just pop out the Welsh plug and bang in a new one and use the car some more before making a big decision about rebuild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Just my 2 cents. Guys ,does not the toe board come up and off this car? I don't have a '35 car but my '35 truck has a removable toe board. It may be easier ,for the time being, to just remove the toe baord and pop the Welsh plug and bang in a new one and use the car some more before making any big decisions.That is fine unless the plug is inside the bellhousing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1935du Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 It appears the plug is behind the bellhousing. iam thinking of pulling the front clip off and removing the motor and tranny as a whole. Then just clean things up and reseal the motor with all new freeze plugs and put a new clutch in it. Then try to get the front clip back on without messing up the original paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 You don't have to pull the hole front end (clip) off. Leave the fenders on and just take the hood and radiator off. Then the engine/tranny comes out as one unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1936 D2 Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Oh My! What a nice "Survivor"!!! In this current age, I would do my best on a car in that shape to clean it up as bestas possible and keep it as original as you can. I think you will be surprised at how well it will look with the proper cleaning and maintenance, and yet still be original!I tend to lean with the thoughts of "nearchoclatetown" and "DodgeKCL". Yes, the front floor heel and toe boards come out rather easily, the side splash pans and lower inner fender panels also can be removed from underneath. That really opens up the area around the engine. Again, a good cleaning up will improve the looks a lot and will make diagnosing and fixing issues that much easier and more pleasant. I would guess that you guys have a lift in your new shop. That makes transmission and clutch work much easier and more accessible. That may be the way to go.Yes, there is a water channel in the block behind the water pump. The radiator and grille must be removed if you are thinking about replacing this item. Again, my vote is to keep the car looking as much original as possible and just cleaning up the finish etc. Many people are looking to see "what is original" on these cars so when an unmolested one shows up that can be a major blessing! Besides, this one is so nice! Just keep it mechanically fit and have fun with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrytravler Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Picture of engine with clutch housing and flywheel removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Could be one of the plugs has a hole and the crankshaft is slinging the antifreeze up through the separation between the block and bellhousing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1935du Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Could be one of the plugs has a hole and the crankshaft is slinging the antifreeze up through the separation between the block and bellhousing.Yes, that is what i was thinking also. I guess for a car close to 80 years old it should be expected to have things like this. But im suffering from a severe lack of motivation, since our shop burned last year. We lost 3 cars in that fire it really is tuff to mentally recover. Plus we lost 30 years worth of tools and just have a minimum of stuff replaced. But it needs to be fixed.Keiser31: Thank you for posting the pictures.1936 D2: You and I think along the same lines. I really like our cars to be ( as born ) That was one reason I bought this. I did not even have the new shop built yet. We had a friend store it for us till it's new home was built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve9 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 God bless you, 1935du, and good luck in your recovery efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdW13 Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 That is a very nice car. So glad you plan to keep it original. Hope its just what you need for therapy from your fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1935du Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks for the moral support. I hope to start pulling the motor this weekend. My plan is to get it pulled, clean up everything. Change the water tube and all freeze plugs put all new gaskets and seals in. Im not going to repaint anything. I think it would look better that way in an original car.There are a few things that I will replace that are missing from under the hood. 1) passenger side inner fender or side cover not sure what to call it. 2) fuel pump shield. 3) like to find some original style vacuum hose for the wiper motor. this one is broke off the firewall. I will take lots of pics before I start to pull it apart. I will post some engine pics and would like you folks to look at them and let me know what is not correct on it, so I can get it back together as original as possible. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks for the moral support. I hope to start pulling the motor this weekend. My plan is to get it pulled, clean up everything. Change the water tube and all freeze plugs put all new gaskets and seals in. Im not going to repaint anything. I think it would look better that way in an original car.There are a few things that I will replace that are missing from under the hood. 1) passenger side inner fender or side cover not sure what to call it. 2) fuel pump shield. 3) like to find some original style vacuum hose for the wiper motor. this one is broke off the firewall. I will take lots of pics before I start to pull it apart. I will post some engine pics and would like you folks to look at them and let me know what is not correct on it, so I can get it back together as original as possible. MarkI commend your efforts, do you have any literature for the car which might include parts manuals or salesmans info. If not I am sure I can help if you need something in particular. A model specific ( as apposed to a Masters ) parts manual would do you a world of good.I may even have 2-3 of them for the 35 and if so might consider parting with one or at the very least getting you a copy of one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 I would suggest picking up a copy of the Dodge "Master Maintenance Manual" which covers '34, '35, and '36. Has lots of breakdown drawings and how to info along with all specifications. It should have a pink cover (at least mine did). Also very helpful is the "Motor's" "Auto Repair Manual' which covers all makes from '35-'49. The '35's and '36's are very similar and you should be able to get help with most of your questions on this forum. I might have a right inner fender shield that would fit and maybe a fuel pump shield. I think they would be the same as the '36. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Never seen a pink cover?? I have them in blue, would you mind snapping a photo of front cover and posting it here. Pink cover makes me think Canadian. I have seen some of their manuals a redish orange tone.Good suggestion BTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I bought mine from a local publisher "Crank'en Hope Publications "in Blairsville Pa. about 25 yrs. ago. I don't know if I could get a good photo as the cover has faded quite a bit and the printing wasn't very dark. It is a U.S. version as there is nothing about Canada noted in it. Might be that the printer just picked that color for the cover to designate that it was a reprint. The cover reads 1934-1936 Dodge Passenger Car Master Maintenance Manual then it shows 3 drawings of the hood ornaments along with the year an series numbers. I believe I paid about $35.00 for it then. I'll try to get a photo soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I bought mine from a local publisher "Crank'en Hope Publications "in Blairsville Pa. about 25 yrs. ago. I don't know if I could get a good photo as the cover has faded quite a bit and the printing wasn't very dark. It is a U.S. version as there is nothing about Canada noted in it. Might be that the printer just picked that color for the cover to designate that it was a reprint. The cover reads 1934-1936 Dodge Passenger Car Master Maintenance Manual then it shows 3 drawings of the hood ornaments along with the year an series numbers. I believe I paid about $35.00 for it then. I'll try to get a photo soon.No problem, no need to spend the time, for some reason I was under the impression that it was not a re-print and I was curious to see what version it was. Thanks though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1935du Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Well I did not start tearing it down to change core plugs. My heart just is not into old cars anymore. Im considering putting the car up for sale. It is a very nice original with new Coker WWW tires. Runs great except for bad core plug. I paid more than I should have, but that is ok. Do you think it would be worth $ 8000.00 I would be taking a loss but at this point I could live with it. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylormade Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Sorry to hear that, but if it doesn't give you any enjoyment then I would sell it, too. A two door sedan is a bit more desirable than a four-door because it's a bit harder to find, but sedans are always going to be on the low end of the price list. If that was a coupe, it would go for 8 grand in a heartbeat, but I think that is probably top end for your car, even though it is a nice original. Mid-Missouri has a lot of car lovers, but most of them are pretty cagey when it comes time to lay the money down. They'll drive a hard bargin. Please try to find someone who will appreciate the fact that this a straight, original car - I'd hate to see it cut up. If I didn't have my 32, I'd be on the phone with you today - you're only 120 miles away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1936 D2 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Well I did not start tearing it down to change core plugs. My heart just is not into old cars anymore. Im considering putting the car up for sale. ... Mark OH NOOOO!!! Wish I could talk you out of that decision. OK. I'm gonna say something that I will probably take some flak for but here are my thoughts. Don't sell it just yet. Even the idea that you came this far is a big plus in my humble opinion. I think if you got it in a running condition and spruced up the paint a bit you would start to build a long lasting interest in this great car. Back in the day, owners did not do all the "correct" repairs either, like in this case remove the engine to replace the rear freeze plugs. They used "treatments" all the way from chicken eggs to professional products to stop coolant leaks. Why not try some of those "from the day" ideas first so that you can start to drive the car around and enjoy it for a while. Once you can do that you will start to hear the raves of people congratulating you on a "great old car" and you will get spurred on to do more with it! I think you will be surprised at how many people will be giving you the "thumbs up" and asking questions while you gas up. It sometimes almost gets annoying - NOT! But do baby steps here. You will thank yourself later.Try this... (OK. Here comes the flak.) There are chemical preparations out there that can be used in engines to stop leaks. "Bar's Leak" ( http://barsproducts.com/catalog/brand/all/component/cooling ) has some good products out there and have for close to 120 years. Check out products like that and do some internet research on comments about them. This may be the way to start on the leak issue. That way you can be driving. It will get your "old car" juices" flowing without a lot of time, expense and effort now. Then once you are hooked (you will know when that happens) you can make plans for doing some of these repairs "the right way" for long term reliability. Another idea would be to clean up the paint, just like any old time owner would have done, by using a rubbing compound to clean off the surface of the original paint and get some of the original shine back. Maybe you could have a "Polishing Party" and have your friends over so each can take a space of the car and shine it up. Along with having a nice get together, you personally will not get overwhelmed with work and can enjoy the process. Plus all your friends can take a small stake in the project and may take an interest in helping out as time passes. I had a professional "dry chemical upholstery cleaner" (very little water is used) do the interior of my car's original upholstery and it came out nice. All the mouse smell is gone and now it just has that "old car smell" that is very unique to these older cars - but the way it was!All that for not a lot of cash and two things should happen. You will get the car looking nice - and original, and it will be able to move like a car so you can get the feel of it and have some fun. In the mean time you can take in all the comments about "keeping it original" or "do a frame off restoration" and see where it leads you. Your car as it is will allow you to jump either way. But like I said earlier, it is so nice now and a bit more rare that this may be a good one to keep original! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1935du Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Very good advice, I have been at this car hobby for 30 years. My wife tells me it is an addiction and I will never be able to get away from it. She is most likely correct. She is against me getting ride of the old car. We have restored about 75 cars in the past 30 years, none as old as this. Mainly 60's and 70's muscle cars. I know if I let it go it would be impossible to replace. So Im going to take the good advice given here and get this old car back on the road where it belongs. Thanks for the moral support......It helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_Greenlaw Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Good advice and a great outcome. No flak from here.....you saved another one !!! well done ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol swede Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Very good advice, I have been at this car hobby for 30 years. My wife tells me it is an addiction and I will never be able to get away from it. She is most likely correct. She is against me getting ride of the old car. We have restored about 75 cars in the past 30 years, none as old as this. Mainly 60's and 70's muscle cars. I know if I let it go it would be impossible to replace. So Im going to take the good advice given here and get this old car back on the road where it belongs. Thanks for the moral support......It helpsGlad you're going to hang in there. Neat old ride best of luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted February 25, 2014 Share Posted February 25, 2014 These cars beat the musclecars hands down on simplicity alone. Restoration process is much less time consuming and because of the original manufacturing process a much more thorough job can be accomplished. I was also a musclecar guy but will never go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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