Mileage question

[Guest Judd Hooley]

Hello I'm new here but have been using the site for a while finding info I'm wondering how I can tell the mileage of my 1927 graham brothers truck the odometer says 627 but body panels are rough and that seems really low however the paint on the inside of the air cleaner is there and still shiny and It has been in my family since the 80s (either in a field or a box I'm the only one that has touched it more or less) grandpa had a love for it but has passed away he had a large collection and this was one of his favorites any info would really help

[Graham Man]

The real answer is it is anyone's guess. You can tell overall condition, how worn are? pick any component, brushes will be worn, bearing will wear, cylinder bore size (how many times has it been bored out, etc.. Generally speaking any vehicle that has survived this long has been used pretty lightly, or the owners have taken excellent care of it. For the most part almost nobody cares about mileage after this many years. Interesting a new habit I have been seeing is to record miles since restoration.

[Larry Schramm]

On everything that I have that has an odometer, I have a book that I record every tank of gas, every repair, etc. so I can make use of lifetime warranties, etc.

[Guest Judd Hooley]

Sweet that's what I wanted to hear. I really have been enjoying building this truck and am stoked to drive it. but didn't want to be the a$$ hole that drove a rare find or something. I am next to positive it has 627 miles at least as far as I can tell by wear on the axles and air cleaner etc. at one point it was wrecked and yanked backwards by the rear torsion bar bending it pretty bad. So I was pretty set on driving but figured I'd better ask around first thanks for the info

[stakeside]

Sweet that's what I wanted to hear. I really have been enjoying building this truck and am stoked to drive it. but didn't want to be the a$$ hole that drove a rare find or something. I am next to positive it has 627 miles at least as far as I can tell by wear on the axles and air cleaner etc. at one point it was wrecked and yanked backwards by the rear torsion bar bending it pretty bad. So I was pretty set on driving but figured I'd better ask around first thanks for the info

Do you have the frame number? If so what is it? Is this a 4 cly engine?

You may want to post a trend in the Dodge Bros section of this site. These trucks are related to Dodge Bros trucks.

[Graham Man]

My 2 cents... Drive her! What better complement could there be than seeing the Graham on the road again. I might put a few hundred miles a year on my old cars, I do not think I will ever wear them out, and the more you drive them the better they run.

[R W Burgess]

Moved this for more viewing!!!

Posted in wrong forum.

[28 Chrysler]

Check and see if the speedometer is working and hooked up. Some old farm trucks I worked on had low miles but many hours of running time.

I bought a 26 Chrysler that showed around 34,000 miles on it ,but the speedometer cable hung lose with very old cloth medical tape on the end.

[Matt Harwood]

It's not unusual for old trucks to have extremely low mileage, since they weren't used for interstate travel, however, I strongly doubt that 627 is the truck's actual mileage figure. I tell most folks I work with to assume that odometers are incorrect and as several others have pointed out, it's really not relevant after all these years. Anything could happen--disconnected, speedometer broken, speedometer head unit from another truck, etc. There's just no way to know for sure.

What you should do is simply get it running and have fun and don't worry about it! That's the whole point of the hobby. Enjoy!

[Guest prs519]

By the looks of it, I do not doubt that it is low mileage. It sits proud. However, it makes no sense, nor it seems likely, that it has that low of mileage for at least two reasons. 687 miles is virtually a new truck, not even broken in. In 1927, it would have made no economic sense to invest that much for a truck, then use it that little. Also, as good as it does look, it is not as it should look for a virtually new truck. With that small mileage figure, this truck would have been protected agaist any damage at all (such as the headlight lenses). Leastwise it would seem strange that anyone would simply turn a new truck out to pasture! Good luck, it is a nice ride in its way. Is there any wear at all on the brake or clutch pedal? Brake lining should also be a good clue, possibly.

[Guest Judd Hooley]

The frame number is e118820 the motor number c652977 car number is a780097. Grandpa had a love for cars unfortunately he also loved whiskey and cigars, so I was too young to realize what he had before he died. so far I know that a mr f. Robert Bryner owned it till nov/ 1988. I have been trying to contact him to get some more info he purchased it somewhere out of cripple creek Colorado. Before that time and according to the bill of sale was unable to locate the title. the brake pads seemed new however, I just sent them to be re-lined. ($45 seemed too good to say no) I do know at one point it was wrecked maybe that could be a clue to the mileage. It still has the original leather fan belt intact yet the water pump was cracked and the timing gear was in the bottom of the pan all shredded up. however, there was no carbon on the valve springs and the brass bushings on the oil pump have no visible wear. however, there is a plate installed in the bottom of the oil pan with some drain tubes in the front and rear I believe this was an aftermarket/recall deal. There is some sort of stamp on the side of the pan looks like it says dodge brothers but it's faded pretty bad. The leather boots on the driveline are still there and there is some sort of leather collar around the brake equalizers that seem they would wear very fast. Also the rubber wipers on the timing and throttle advance look new. I'm glad that mileage doesn't make a difference value wise. I doubt I would ever sell it especially with the price of a new truck. (it's not like I can walk into a dodge dealership and order a well built bitchin truck anymore) thanks for the help.