rodneybeauchamp Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) On 11/15/2020 at 8:03 AM, RichBad said: Hi Rodney, that’s really interesting. Unfortunately I know nothing about the history of the car - I purchased from a guy in Werribee but I don’t think he’d had it long and didn’t have any paperwork except the permit registration. I’d love to find out some more history of the car. It had sort of been restored in the past and clearly they did a lot but it looked like it was done on a tight budget. The woodwork was all over the place and whilst the chassis and running gear had been painted most moving parts were stuck and just painted over. The trim was the nicest bit of it (I’m hoping I can reuse that). Does your friend remember any details? cheers It is the trim that really stood out in your photo as it looked identical to what this car had. He had it trimmed professionally by an “old school” motor trimmer working from his home in the country. When we picked it up it was early evening and we ran out of fuel coming home. I sat with the car in the dark and would put the park lights on if a car approached. Photos are my nieces wedding and a family outing in Victor Harbor. 40 Pontiac was mine. If I remember he did not need to do any mechanical work as the Fast Four ran fine. I did drive it once or twice, had Armstrong steering and rear wheel mechanical brakes. May possibly be the same 1927 / 1928 Dodge, First photo 1st August 1987 second was possibly same year a few months later. Edited November 17, 2020 by rodneybeauchamp Accuracy in dates (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 Thanks Rodney, sure looks similar and that ones lovely. I think mine could be a different one though because it wasn’t half as nice as the one in your pics:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 All the body panels have been removed, blast and primed. I can start hanging the body back together for the final time:) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted December 28, 2020 Author Share Posted December 28, 2020 (edited) Starting to put the body back together. I gave all the wood work a coat or two of epoxy resin - I think it should last for ever with that. The metal work has been given a coat of etch primer and satin black top coat on the inside. All the wood body brackets painted and ready to go. I zinc plated all the hinges. I know they get painted but I figured if I plate them before fitting to the body & doors then they will never rust again and if the paint ever chips (which it always seems to on hinges) it won’t look so bad. Finishing the main plinths with epoxy resin. The front uprights need to be fitted to the main plinths first before fitting the cowl. Brackets and hinges attached to the front pillars. Fitting the front cowl. I glued and screwed the wood joints and wanted to get the cowl on and in place before the glue set just to ensure it was perfectly aligned. Fitting the dash rear panel - this is quite an important part as it sets the distance for the front pillars and also joins to the pillars and the windscreen mounting bracket. There’s one long 5/16” countersunk screw that goes through all three and makes it very solid - it’s a real pain to get the nut on (and even harder to tighten it). Rear tub going on and the first nail (a big milestone:) B pillar bracket and rear door hinges fitted. Front seat base and support brackets. Front seat rear brace - also pretty important as it gives a lot of strength to the B pillars. I’ve glued and screwed all joints so I don’t think they will ever move again (god help me if I need to adjust anything). Rear tub in place with all support brackets attached. Edited December 28, 2020 by RichBad (see edit history) 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) It's been a while (although plenty of updates on the DB forum) and lots of progress since the start of the year so time for a few updates. Going to be fitting the doors soon but they had quite a bit of wear so decided to pull them apart to restore them. While they were apart Matt nickled them for me and they cam up great. Tip: Heat up the tabs before trying to straighten them, they will crack otherwise (found that the hard way and had to make a few new parts). Had to repair the lever as well as the catch and they are now nice and tight and smooth. Edited August 29, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) Door catches done, time for the doors. OS Door parts ready to go together. Doors glued and dowelled. Hinges fitted. Just fitted with a couple of small screws to start with to allow for some adjustment and movement before the final fit. Note, they originally had two 1/4"screws all the way through (fitted diagonally) with a clearance hole (to allow for some fine adjustment) and two 14g screws in the other two holes (fitted when the position is finalised). A good sand and a coat of epoxy Fitted on the car. Note, I haven't nailed on the door skins yet, I'll do that after the body is painted and bolted down on the chassis (so I can make any small adjustments to the door gaps). Edited August 29, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) That's everything fitted and lined up, now time to pull it off for painting. Pulling the body off again, hopefully the last time. Made a frame to move it around on and help keep it straight. Had a bit of a panic as when I pulled it off the chassis the door gaps moved around quite a bit (~3/4") so put it back on the chassis and they all came good so put a few spacers on the frame and that helped get it all lined up. Edited August 29, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) Time to finish off the floor boards If you don't have a pattern, it's important to fit the pedal, switch and clutch greaser whilst still on the car as there isn't much clearance on the car and if you're out by ~1/2" they will clash with the engine. Edited August 29, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) Finished,well almost, ready for paint now:) Edited August 29, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 And the legend Matt has even offered to paint her for me, and has picked her up:) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) With the body off, time to finish off a few bits on the chassis. Made up a new exhaust from stainless (thanks for welding Matt) - Flex joint added at the front to reduce the stress on the exhaust manifold with all the chassis movement (lots of them seem to crack the rear flange). Didn't have name plates when I restored the starter and dynamo but now I do so have fitted them to complete the job. Edited August 29, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 Time to fix up the gauges. Had a complete speedo but the pot metal was shot so needed to rebuild it. Manged to fine a oil pressure gauge but still trying to find an ammeter (white faced and needle pointing down). This is what the North East speedo looks like when fully disassembled And all back together Managed to find a local company that could make a speedo cable from scratch. All i knew was that it was 52"outer and 53" Inner, gave them the old speedo housing and the gearbox drive fitting and they made a new one. Looks beautiful and very original. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) Matt doesn't hang around and has been flying through the paint prep. He also helped out by making the sill/kick plates that go around the wood at the bottom of the doors - these were a real pain as they are a "U" shape that wraps around the main plinth but they curve front to back (match the door profile) and have a small ridge in the top side that matches the lower edge of the door (I think to stop rain drips running through). The rear ones need a hole cut in them for the lower door stop rubbers - luckily I remembered them before we painted it! Edited August 29, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) Lots of priming, filling, rubbing, priming, rubbing..... I'd hoped to help Matt a bit but due to the various lockdowns in Melbourne all I managed to do was the bonnet/hood sides (And they took me almost as long as Matt took to do the rest;)). Masked up and ready for primer First coat of filler - wasn't as bad as I thought it would be given the ammount of work I'd done on it. Rubbed down and ready for some high build. Ready for another rub down Almost ready for top coat Edited August 29, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 Big milestone - top coat going on and she's come up fantastic - I love the green, looks almost black in the dark then comes alive in the sun. Added a gold pinstripe - I wanted to do one but I'm useless with colours - I thought gold would be good but didn't want to say (for fear of sounding silly) - Matt asked if I wanted a pin stripe and I said I did but didn't know what colour. Mat said gold would look good so perfect, great minds think alike - gold it was! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 I couldn't be happier with how it came up - a huge milestone! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 Matt offered to help out with getting the body back on the car (didn't want to risk damaging it doing it myself with an engine hoist) - he even came and picked up the chassis - he's a true gent! Lowering the body on with the hoist was a lot easier and less stressful! And she's back on And heading home the same day - thanks Matt Couldn't resist a drive by photo - she's looking so good! Back home and ready for the final fit 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 Starting to go back together. Getting the doors done first. Haven't nailed the skins on as I wanted to do that with the body on the chassis and bolted down (to make sure I get good gaps with no movement. Lots of masking tape around the doors, fitted the hinges good and tight then fitted the skins. Added a few nails to start and nailed them in leaving a few mm (in case I needed to remove and re-fit). Added them one at a time, fitting the door inbetween and checking the alignment to the body. After nailing the skins, I did a final fit of the door catches (will leave the anti rattler slides until they are painted). I thought this would be quite hard - but with some blue tack, it worked really well. Then used some small screws to test the catches and when happy I put in the correct screws. Testing the catch position. Drivers side front Door catch and door stop strip Rear drivers side door Passenger side front Passenger side rear Rear door stop strip and catch Rear door bottom stop rubber All 4 doors fitted, they came up perfect. Now they can go for painting while I carry on fitting parts 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 (edited) Rear guards going back on Spare wheel carrier and spare wheel Dash board going back in Steering going back in (needed to go back after the dash) - don't forget to loosen the steering box bolts when mounting the column to the dash so it cal line up correctly (without any stresses). Dashboard light:) Fitting the speedo cable Edited August 29, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tate Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 What a fun update! It looks great 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 A top notch restoration! Beautiful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 Doors painted so time for the final fit. I decided to leave the final fitting of the door stops and anti rattle strikes to last to make sure they line up perfectly. Fitting the rubbers and strikes for the anti rattle slides. Fitted to the frames Strike fitted to the door (blue tack helped get it positioned before screwing in place). Doors now line up and close perfectly, can swing them shut and they catch nicely with no banging of the paint. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) Fitting the front guards and headlights. Took a little while to get these lined up right - in the end, I fitted them loosely, tightened the front and rear guards to the running board, tightened the running board and rear guard then tightened the front guard. Fitting the headlight mount - I used a strip of uncured rubber between the mount and guard as it conforms very easily and can be trimmed without a knife. She winks Had to make up some connectors to join the headlight bulbs to the connectors on the back of the lights. Still need to get the mounting sorted for adjusting the focus but waiting for a few parts. Connected up the lights with a quick connect thimble. Needs some covering for the wires but will add that later. And the lights work again Edited August 30, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 Bonnet (hood) fitted - still a bit more work needed to get it fitting neatly around the radiator. Rear lights fitted - I found a US one on E-Bay and decided to fit a second one (I know it's not original but having 2 lights at the back is going to help people see me). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 Getting close to firing her up and I remembered I wanted to mount the ignition coil properly (I just had one mounted to the firewall before but I've fixed up all the wrong holes now). I haven't been able to find a correct one (that mounts to the back of the dash) so I decided to make a mount to hold a modern coil to the original mounts. Not as nice as an original but will get me going until I can find one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 Big milestone on the weekend, not finished yet but fired her up and drove her out into the sun. Still a little work to do on the bonnet (and fit the bonnet catches which I forgot to paint) but so happy with how she looks. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted November 7, 2021 Author Share Posted November 7, 2021 (edited) Still a few jobs to do before she's finished. Bob supplied me with a correct ammeter in need of restoration (this model has white faced gauges with the needle pointing down which are quite rare). The parts were pretty rusty but will clean up OK. The coil & needle assembly - unfortunately the needle broke while cleaning it. The face was in poor shape and needed to be re-done. I got some white paint and a decal kit from fleabay and will attempt to make a replacement. First attempt at a decal - seems to have come up pretty good. Putting the decals on the re-painted face Finished fitting the decals - the cut lines still show but after a coat of clear and behind the glass you can't notice them (they look worse in the photo too). All the pieces laid out in order of assembly - just missing the bezel (Matt’s plating it for me) and the glass retaining ring didn’t make it through plating (too much rust and just a few pieces came back). Attached the coil and posts first. Gave it a coat of insulating varnish to stop any shorts if the needle or face contact the coil. Rear of the inner support with coil/post assembly re-fitted. Insulating washers are important to position the posts centrally and prevent any shorts. attached the needle assembly. Gave the needle a tiny drop of clock oil and it moves nicely. Gave it a quick test and it was working perfectly but needle was moving in the wrong direction - was thinking I’d have to redo the face but luckily the magnet can be removed and rotated which swaps the direction. I could also swap the cables but they were quite tight and may not have stretched. Attached the face - needed a slight adjustment of the needle to stop it rubbing and make sure it was “zeroed”. Fitted back in the case with the mounting bracket - just needs the insulating washers added. Had to make a new mounting bracket - fairly straightforward and I've turned up some insulating washers to fit it and prevent shorts. Edited November 7, 2021 by RichBad (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chistech Posted November 8, 2021 Share Posted November 8, 2021 I noticed the “charge/discharge” were opposite on the decal from the original so figured you were going to have to do some electrical swapping to get it to work. Nice fix. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted November 9, 2021 Share Posted November 9, 2021 Just a fantastic restoration!! I'm not sure how I missed this project but I'm sure glad I found it now! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted November 9, 2021 Author Share Posted November 9, 2021 12 hours ago, chistech said: I noticed the “charge/discharge” were opposite on the decal from the original so figured you were going to have to do some electrical swapping to get it to work. Nice fix. Yea, I’d switched to positive earth and not a lot of play in the wires so changed the face whilst at it. Later found a much easier way- you can swap the magnet around. Also read that you can re-polarise them by shorting to ground when running but not brave enough to try that:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 Finished off the ammeter and fitted today as well as the correct ignition switch and choke (thanks to Bob for the parts) and the dash is now looking far more respectable and correct. Still have to restore the oil pressure gauge face and add decals to the Speedo but that can wait till winter:) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeW Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 On 9/29/2017 at 3:51 PM, RichBad said: Thanks. It's the first time I've come across this type of UJ and haven't been able to find much info on them. One of them is worn quite a lot and I wanted to find some parts but think I may have to make replacement parts or repair with some bushes and replacement shaft. Are you on Facebook sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted November 30, 2021 Author Share Posted November 30, 2021 9 hours ago, JoeW said: Are you on Facebook sir. Sure am, can pm you details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dariomotors Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 Looking great so far. And nice work on those gauges. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luv2Wrench Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 Outstanding! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian R Zartman Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 Rich Just seen this post of you DB 26 restoration. I now understand how you converted to the modern seal as well as setting up the rear end. Thank you very must for your details. V/r, Brian 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichBad Posted April 2 Author Share Posted April 2 Finally decided I was ready to cover up the woodwork…. 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmhowe Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 A beautiful job on the entire car! The upholstery really turned out well. I especially like the embossed "DB" on the door pocket flaps. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike "Hubbie" Stearns Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 I believe you hit it out of the ballpark! Mike 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 Absolutely GORGEOUS car! Well done! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now