My official 1936 D2 sedan resurrection thread

[jpage]

Looks like it's equipped with the 'auxiliary'  right hand diver accessory with automatic remote control! Nice pic.

[Pete in PA]

After weeks of unusually cold spring weather we've had a few very nice days here in SE PA.  I hear things will cool down again soon and stay that way for awhile so my son and I decided that we had better act quick and we headed to the  Dodge Garage.

First order of business was to drain the block of the cleaning vinegar that has been in there for a few weeks.  Actually 2 batches of the stuff over the past few weeks.  The first batch went into the block clear and was drained as very gritty black coffee-colored stuff.  The block was then immediately refilled with fresh cleaning vinegar.  So yesterday we moved all the crap  blocking the garage opening and we rolled out the D2.  We drained that second batch of yuck and it was pretty bad but not nearly as gritty as the first.  Then followed some flushing with clean water from a drain blasting slender tube and that pushed out a bunch of grit.  Then we broke the drain blaster and had to switch to a regular hose nozzle shot down the coolant distribution tube opening.  Then a long bottle brush down the same hole.  Soon we'll haul the pressure washer to the garage and use that to see what it dislodges.  At that point I'll have to decide whether more aggressive measures are needed.  I know there black powdery deposits from the vinegar and they must be rubbed to remove them.  No way to do that without pulling the cylinder head and I'm not going there.  Not right now anyway.

Then we moved to the interior because I wanted to remove the front seat to evaluate the floor.  The capscrews holding the seat tracks to the floor will clearly need some serious persuasion before they move.  In fact the heads may have to be ground off.  With that obstacle I looked over the situation and saw the nuts and washers holding the seat pan to the tracks.  "I wonder what happens if I loosen them?"  Well that was clearly a good move on my part because removing those 6 nuts/lock washers/flat washers allow me and junior to lift the seat off the tracks and remove it from the cabin, probably for the first time in 84 years.  

My seat tracks aren't in as bad condition as I feared.  Some vacuuming and oiling revealed that they slide effortlessly fore/aft.  The rust at the bottom mounting surface isn't pretty but I don't think it's bad enough to seriously weaken them.  I think I'll hold off on replacing them and direct those funds toward headlamp parts.

The floor rot is bad.  Very bad.  But not as bad as I feared.  And, I hesitate to even say it, but the rockers look fantastic.  No sign of rot at all, at least from the outside.  

The front floor is worse and, as jpage says, the driver's side is the worst.  I could probably get by replacing only the front portion of the floor on both sides but I'll see 1) how good the panels from the Plymouth Doctor are and 2) whether it's easier to replace whole sides vs. patching.

With the sun setting and the wind picking up we put the seat back inside the car, rolled it back inside, and packed all the tools and parts in front of it again.  Here's a pic of the driver's side floor.

[ArticiferTom]

Your getting there . Better put a nylon stocking in  or filter on top radaitor pipe before starting . Do not want a block their  . Also will clean a lot when it starts running .

Edited May 5, 2020 by ArticiferTom
there (see edit history)

[Pete in PA]

The weather here in SE PA has been spectacular for the past few days.  Sunny in the high 70s/mid 80s during the day and drops down to the high 50s/mid 60s at night for good sleeping without A/C.  Low humidity too. Time for some quality D2 time!

My son and i went to the garage on Friday and got right to work replacing all 3 engine mounts.  I thought it would be easy and boy was I wrong!  Those back mounts are a SERIOUS PITA to remove/install.  Removing the lower fasteners is easy but the top ones...  Ugh!  And then when you have all the fasteners removed you can't jack the engine high enough to slide out the mount.  Plus add 80+ years of leaking oil combined with the grit stuck in it.  Some of the mounting nuts had to excavated using a screwdriver before you could get a wrench on them.  I was reminded that a lot of roads weren't paved when this car was new and tarring/chipping them was commonplace.  And it seems like this car was driven over its fair share of sand as well..  Nooks an crannies of the frame were packed with sand and dirt so any movement produced a rain of crap into your face and hair.  LOL

We did get the mounts replaced but it took a lot longer and required a lot more effort than I had anticipated.  

Next up we'll be getting the whole cooling system together so we can run the engine as long as we want to.  I did eventually spring for a cooling system deruster made by Evaporust.  This stuff comes in quart containers and you simply add it to a water-filled system that is in operation.  Testimonialls rave about it and I'm looking forward to seeing what it loosens up.

[Pete in PA]

Oh, here's the new front mount installed:

[jpage]

Where did you find the new front mount? I should probably replace mine as I noticed the engine is sagging in front.

[Pete in PA]

I got the front mount, a Mopar NOS part, from forum member Jim (36 D2 coupe) who lives in Canada.  He had a spare one and also a spare coolant distribution tube.  Shipping took forever but the parts were well worth the wait.

I have seen front mounts for sale on ebay but can't remember the details anymore.  IIRC a lot of later mounts are incorrectly listed as being 36 mounts so you have to watch out for that.

[R.Dan Herrera]

Is this the end product of your project or a picture of another finished restoration? I would love to know all or some of your suppliers etc. since I am trying to restore (give new life ) to a 36 dodge

[Pete in PA]

Robert (Dan), If you're talking about my non-touring sedan project, well, it's still a project and proceeding very slowly.  I haven't done squat for almost a year.  Life has been tumultuous with the loss of a couple of storage spaces, changing jobs, and the complexities of daily life during Covid.  For almost 2 years I've been essentially a mobile mechanic carrying whatever tools I think I'll need in my van.  I'm also in the process of buying my own 3-bay repair shop and that is proceeding about as well as everything else in my life.
Parts for the D2 are out there but you have to be persistent and follow all the leads you get.  Many are dead ends but a couple will pan out.
My next step forward will be to install the NOS fuel tank I got last year followed immediately thereafter by the radiator and hoses.  I just have so much other stuff going on that I can't find the time to take that on.

[R.Dan Herrera]

Hi thanks for responding I am not aware of which car you are on now I found your threads and was quite interested since I too have the 36 D2 sedan that I purchased about 3 yrs ago and am just trying to keep up with its needs.i have found out quite a bit from these forums. Do you have pictures of the car or cars your working on or completed ? Do you have spare parts nothing specific right now but I’m sure down the line.

[Pete in PA]

I have only one 1936 Dodge, a 4 door non-touring sedan.  The story of how I obtained it appears in one of my threads but, basically, it fell into my lap several years ago.  I am more of a mid-1960s Mopar guy with a few land barges in my fleet.  65 Polara convertible, 66 Fury convertible, 66 NYer 4DHT, and then a 72 Duster Twister, 70 Imperial LeBaron, and 75 Imperial LeBaron.  I've had most of these for decades and it will soon be time to thin the herd.
I was sitting on my deck having morning coffee and a neighbor started waving his arms and trying to strike up a conversation with me.  As it turns out he wanted the 36 Dodge in his garage to be gone.  He had married a woman, moved into her house, and the car belonged to t he woman's ex-husband.  It was a long, long, long stalled project.
I had never before been involved with such an old car but believed the car was in good enough condition to make it mechanically sound and drive it just for fun.  It has been much more of a project than I expected and that project is kind of stalled at the moment but I still intend to get the car driveable and reliable.  After that?  Not sure because I have a 61 Continental convertible project I'd really like to get started on and I'm not getting any younger.

[Ron Lawson]

Hey Pete Didn't you know that all of us old car guys are gunna live to 187 just so we can finisn our projects

[VW4X4]

On 5/25/2021 at 1:33 AM, Ron Lawson said:

Hey Pete Didn't you know that all of us old car guys are gunna live to 187 just so we can finisn our projects

Well,  since at this stage, these projects will not get finished by us, at least we could be good caretakers.

Eric's   caretaker tips

1-  Keep the car as dry as possible

2- Keep it free from rodents 

3- Keep it out of the scorching heat

4- Keep it as complete as possible

 

A lot can be said for each of these, but most of the time you can make improvements on some of these ideas very easily. Things as simple as, if you take it apart, put it back together, even if its not fixed. This way the parts don't get lost.

Edited June 20, 2021 by VW4X4 (see edit history)

[Pete in PA]

19 hours ago, Ron Lawson said:

Hey Pete Didn't you know that all of us old car guys are gunna live to 187 just so we can finisn our projects

I truly used to believe that was true if only subconsciously.  However in the last 10 years or so I have come face to face with hard evidence that it simply isn't so.  It's hard to accept it but it's undeniable.

[nearchoclatetown]

Well, I'm taking all my stuff with me so I have something to work on later. 

[Alan Cutler]

32 minutes ago, nearchoclatetown said:

Well, I'm taking all my stuff with me so I have something to work on later. 

 

Just keep contributing to the DBC news too..(nice one on the DB Military Truck, excellent work.)

[Weirdbeard]

Keep up the good work Pete in PA! I recently purchased a 1936 touring sedan that was stored from 1978-2016. Someone got it running and on the road. Looks 99% original. It did quit running on me but I started a thread and these guys are more than helpful! This is also my first “old” car as my others are 60’s and 70’s Mopars.

 

I enjoy watching you and your son work on the car. He’ll have memories of this forever! Happy Father’s Day!

Edited June 20, 2021 by Weirdbeard
Father’s day (see edit history)

[Pete in PA]

Weirdbeard,

Thanks for the good wishes.  It looks like you have acquired an excellent original starting point for however far you want to go with it.  A much better starting point than I had.  MUCH better.  The interior looks especially good.  I see that you car did get teh sealed beam headlights conversion which is too bad.  As far as I'm concerned it totally changes the look of the front end and finding the parts to undo that conversion is difficult and expensive.  I wonder how much better lighting was with sealed beams?
I see from looking at a map that you are about as far from me as is possible while staying in the same State so a meet up isn't too likely.  However my son and I did make a road trip a couple of years ago to visit Jim Page in Mineral Point/Johnstown which isn't too far from you.
I'd like to see a shot of the rear end of your touring sedan to compare to my regular sedan.
My D2 project is kind of stalled right now.  Too many other things going on in my life to spend much time on it.

[Weirdbeard]

Not planning on doing much since it’s so original besides most of the wiring. The headlights work great as long as you don’t drive at night! Seriously.

If I come across any parts you may need I’ll let you know. The tri state Mopar show we have was cancelled again this year so that was disappointing. Oh well. Take care.

[jpage]

Car looks good there WB. Interesting note. The spare tire clamp on your car is centrally located, on my car it's much further to the left.

Edited June 21, 2021 by jpage (see edit history)

[Weirdbeard]

Pete in Pa has a more original car than mine. Working on a starting issue I glanced at the block and noticed a 53. What??? The block is out of a 1953 Plymouth and the head is from a 1955. Ha ha! The mysteries of an old car!

[vette-kid]

I would do the wiring for sure.   Should have been the first thing I did on mine, but at least it's done.   Rhode island wiring makes a great harness that looks Original.   

[R.Dan Herrera]

Just actually read and looked at this ,what a nice find and basically complete ,I’m still working on my 36 that was also quite complete considering its vintage,so just for general information what price range was your dodge acquired for ?

[Draconarmy]

Just found this and glad for it. Had the car pictured below gifted to me and it's my first time with anything older than 83 and first restoration

Edited December 30, 2021 by Draconarmy
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