New member

[Dsmrossi]

Hey,

 

My name is Nick, I'm 30 and I'm a huge history buff. I just recently came across a complete steal on this barn-find. 1923 GB pickup, Dodge Bro's inline 4.

 

Don't really know too much about them, but she's in INCREDIBLE shape for the age.

 

Looking forward to bringing her back to her former glory

[TerryB]

Welcome Nick!  That is one great looking truck, we will be glad to help in any way possible with questions you might have.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Congratulations on your find, Nick, and welcome to

the forum!  If you'd like to edit your profile to indicate

where you are, that always gives a bit more interest.

 

For a vehicle like this, it's usually a good idea, 

especially for a newcomer to the hobby, not to

undertake too much at once.  Don't take the car

apart into hundreds of pieces and try to work on

everything at once!  It's better to work on one item

at a time--such as the carburetor or the brakes--

as priority dictates.  That way, you'll have a car that

you can use sooner than later!

 

How did you get interested in old cars?

[Mark Shaw]

Welcome Nick,

    You will find lots of help on the forum.  Dodge made some great trucks and still do under the RAM name.

Mine are all Buicks....

[Dsmrossi]

Thanks guys,

 

I have a few car guys in the family. I've been building cars since I was old enough to own one, and did a good amount of work in historic aircraft restoration. I absolutely love American history and this just happened to come my way. Both my uncle and myself have a handful of old Mopars, and I thought it would be pretty wild to have a nice example of what was to become the original Dodge truck.

 

Couple of the old aircraft from the museum right before they closed their doors

 

[FLYER15015]

Welcome Nick,

Is that an SBD your walking under ?

 

You will find a separate forum for Dodge Trucks further down on the list and one for Desoto's and Chrysler's.

Lots of parts interchange now and then so take advantage of them all.

I crossed over to the bright side recently with a '31 Chrysler, but I still peek into the Buick forums just to see what the kids are doing.

 

Like John S said, don't try to restore all the parts right now.

Get your hands on as much literature about your new ride as soon as you can, and the web is a great help.

 

Were she mine, I would drain all the fluids, flush the block and radiator and pull the pan (to scrape out all the "mud") you know is in there.

The shop manuals, and the folks on the forum will tell you what to put back in, since the names and formulas have changed since the '20's.

Marvel Mystery oil in all the cylinders FIRST, just like you would do with an old "shakey jake". to get her going again.

 

Keep us posted with your progress, take your time, and enjoy the journey..........

 

Mike in Colorado

[46 woodie]

Good suggestions from FLYER. There was a post a few weeks back about pulling the pan and finding "oil mud". Remember, the car you now have, probably didn't come with an air cleaner and ran on dirt roads for the early part of it's life. All that dirt went somewhere. If you pull the pan and it's clean, great, but if it's full of gunk, you'll be glad you did. Get it running and have fun with it!

[nickelroadster]

Your truck looks in pretty good shape right now.   I would be careful about trying to do too much to it.

[Dsmrossi]

45 minutes ago, FLYER15015 said:

Welcome Nick,

Is that an SBD your walking under ?

 

You will find a separate forum for Dodge Trucks further down on the list and one for Desoto's and Chrysler's.

Lots of parts interchange now and then so take advantage of them all.

I crossed over to the bright side recently with a '31 Chrysler, but I still peek into the Buick forums just to see what the kids are doing.

 

Like John S said, don't try to restore all the parts right now.

Get your hands on as much literature about your new ride as soon as you can, and the web is a great help.

 

Were she mine, I would drain all the fluids, flush the block and radiator and pull the pan (to scrape out all the "mud") you know is in there.

The shop manuals, and the folks on the forum will tell you what to put back in, since the names and formulas have changed since the '20's.

Marvel Mystery oil in all the cylinders FIRST, just like you would do with an old "shakey jake". to get her going again.

 

Keep us posted with your progress, take your time, and enjoy the journey..........

 

Mike in Colorado

She's a TBM Avenger - now made it all the way to Arizona.

[Dsmrossi]

Cylinders were actually filled about 40 years ago when she was put up in a barn. The motor turns freely by hand. I plan on draining everything and going from there. I'm sure the carb is gunked up, but I'm hesitant about taking it apart as from what I've ready there's a special packing that will leak if not done properly. I ordered a Dodge/Graham reprint and plan on doing some reading over the winter. I have a couple projects I need to finish up before I get into this truck.

 

Only thing I know is missing right off the rip is the starter. Looks like it was taken apart to service it and never put back together. I'll upload more pictures shortly

[Dosmo]

Based on the fact that you've had some experience with vintage aircraft, and, the fact that you're investing in some literature to help you understand some of the inner workings of your old truck, it sounds like you will probably do well with whatever level of restoration you decide to take on.

 

Sometimes, people get on this forum and immediately start throwing out questions of such a nature as to let you know that they are in over their head.  They start taking things apart, until suddenly, they can't figure out how to get a piece off of something.  Many times, the experienced forum members on here advise them to get a shop manual, instead of trying to get someone on here to explain it in detail.  In a lot cases, it seems the new enthusiast never seems to take this advice, apparently considering a shop manual unnecessary.  

 

I am not getting this sort of impression of you, based on your comments.  And, I really like your GB truck.  Good luck with it.  

Edited December 24, 2018 by Dosmo (see edit history)

[FLYER15015]

2 hours ago, Dsmrossi said:

She's a TBM Avenger - now made it all the way to Arizona.

Yup, second picture shows the torpedo bay doors.

I should have known............

 

Mike

[Frank DuVal]

And you already know it is a Graham, sold as a Dodge!😉  

[Dsmrossi]

Thanks guys, I've found local people interested in stuff this old few and far between, so I'm sure I'll be on here fairly often.

 

My wife thinks I'm nuts, but she says that about everything lol

 

 

 

 

[Walt G]

Heed the advice here and take enough time to completely restore the one component-part you are working on . Make sure all wheel bearings are cleaned with solvent and then repacked by hand.

I totally agree with the comments if you can find someone who has worked on something similar then talk to them.

You have a great vehicle there that looks very complete, which is a real plus because if you do have to find a replacement part at least you have one that is original that you can compare the replacement part to.

My sincere best wishes .

Walt G.

[franklinman]

Hi Nick, Congrats on a great GB/DB find.  That truck looks very nice.  I would do some more research on the year though.  Check your serial/motor numbers and I think you'll find that it's a little later than 1923... probably about 1926 or 27.  In '23 they were still using the 12V single unit starter/generator and the radiator and hood were different that what's on your truck too.  Not taking anything away from your truck, it's still a super find.  But knowing the correct year/model will be of importance when you are doing the research into it.  Good luck with it.  Looks like a really fun piece.

[stakeside]

There various locations in this site to get information. I prefer the “Dodge Brothers” category for these earlier trucks. There are a lot of similarities with the early trucks.

Do you have the vin # and the motor number for the truck? Also what is the wheelbase? It should be located on the registration.

This publication is obtained thru the “Dodge Bros Club” at: http://www.dodgebrothersclub.org/

 

[stakeside]

 

 

 

 

This would be a later 20’s truck. The one piece windshield  and the raised bell line moldings appear on the “D” Graham Bros trucks.

Also this may have been canopy or screenside truck.

The Express or closed cab truck “D” series  shown in this photo.

I have a 29 Dodge Bros truck and the history of these trucks is a big part of the process.

 

 

 

Edited December 24, 2018 by stakeside
E (see edit history)

[JACK M]

I have seen pictures of this truck somewhere and recently.

I am always looking thru Craig's List and Ebay and couldn't miss that year on the radiator and that rear seat.

You will have a lot of fun with this one, as long as you are not in a big hurry to get somewhere.

[chistech]

The aircraft in the first picture looks like a scaled down hellcat which I believe I’ve seen before down at Quonset. There is currently a DB truck in the restoration forum I’m sure you’ll find of interest. I’m not far from you just about 40 minutes from Quonset in Dartmouth MA.

[hidden_hunter]

Welcome! Great to see some other young members on the forum - I’m also 30 and have a 1922 Cadillac

[Pomeroy41144]

Welcome.  

 

Good luck with the truck.  

[46 woodie]

Interesting square coil bolted to the firewall in one of the pictures. It looks like it has been replaced with a modern type. I don't know how original you want to keep your car, but there is a gentleman in the V-8 Ford Club that rebuilds original coils.

[Dsmrossi]

Some pictures of the tag

[Dsmrossi]

On 12/27/2018 at 12:31 PM, 46 woodie said:

Interesting square coil bolted to the firewall in one of the pictures. It looks like it has been replaced with a modern type. I don't know how original you want to keep your car, but there is a gentleman in the V-8 Ford Club that rebuilds original coils.

I noticed that as well today as I was moving it. I’ll most likely have it rebuilt

[Dsmrossi]

On 12/25/2018 at 2:39 PM, chistech said:

The aircraft in the first picture looks like a scaled down hellcat which I believe I’ve seen before down at Quonset. There is currently a DB truck in the restoration forum I’m sure you’ll find of interest. I’m not far from you just about 40 minutes from Quonset in Dartmouth MA.

Yessir that was Al Sparling’s plane. It was a 3/4 model with a lycoming radial in it. He flew Hellcat’s in the Pacific, caught a shell through one of his wings and made it back to the carrier. After the war, he built that bird in his garage from actual Grumman prints that he had scaled down at a local printing company at the time. It’s since been sold off after the museum closure, I believe to a guy in Westerly or Block Island

[chistech]

43 minutes ago, Dsmrossi said:

Yessir that was Al Sparling’s plane. It was a 3/4 model with a lycoming radial in it. He flew Hellcat’s in the Pacific, caught a shell through one of his wings and made it back to the carrier. After the war, he built that bird in his garage from actual Grumman prints that he had scaled down at a local printing company at the time. It’s since been sold off after the museum closure, I believe to a guy in Westerly or Block Island

Not to move off your post to far but a good friend of mine that passed a few years ago originally flew kingfisher float planes out of Kodiak AL during WWII. With about 5-6 months left to the war in the pacific, he flew to CA to train in fighters and they put him in all things, the very lacking wildcat. When his orders came and he went to ship out to the carrier, the new squadron he was assigned to were flying hellcats. The Navy air core seemed to do things like this a lot during war time. He was only out to sea for about 2-3 months but managed three kills. There is a story on the internet about some his exploits while stationed in Kodiak that make for some good reading. His name was Fred Tuxworth. They don’t make men like that generation any more.

Edited December 29, 2018 by chistech (see edit history)

[Dsmrossi]

1 hour ago, chistech said:

Not to move off your post to far but a good friend of mine that passed a few years ago originally flew kingfisher float planes out of Kodiak AL during WWII. With about 5-6 months left to the war in the pacific, he flew to CA to train in fighters and they put him in all things, the very lacking wildcat. When his orders came and he went to ship out to the carrier, the new squadron he was assigned to were flying hellcats. The Navy air core seemed to do things like this a lot during war time. He was only out to sea for about 2-3 months but managed three kills. There is a story on the internet about some his exploits while stationed in Kodiak that make for some good reading. His name was Fred Tuxworth. They don’t make men like that generation any more.

 

That's incredible. I'll look it up. I'm a huge aviation buff, actually prepping for my FAA exams now. I had the pleasure of meeting a ton of pilots doing restoration at that museum before they closed down. One of the Tuskegee's came down for a tour one time, a bunch of rotary guys out of Vietnam, and some of the late model guys as well. I used to love hearing the stories.

[chistech]

7 hours ago, Dsmrossi said:

 

That's incredible. I'll look it up. I'm a huge aviation buff, actually prepping for my FAA exams now. I had the pleasure of meeting a ton of pilots doing restoration at that museum before they closed down. One of the Tuskegee's came down for a tour one time, a bunch of rotary guys out of Vietnam, and some of the late model guys as well. I used to love hearing the stories.

Fred’s article is really something to read. He was 97 years old I believe when he passed. Told us some great stories not in his article. One thing I didn’t realize is there were two pilots per plane and one would fly while the other was in their bunk. Not sure if this was a different tactic taken at the end of the war because of the kamikaze threat. Fred told us about leading a squad when he came upon some Japanese planes. He took the lead with the others following and when he opened fire, all guns fired one round then only one gun kept firing. Cleared all, the fired again. Same thing and they he realized he had overtaken the plane he was shooting at and now it was shooting at him. Another hellcat took out the zero. When he got back to the carrier it turns out the other pilot, when out on his sortie, had got into a dog fight and never let off the guns frying all but one of the barrels. All the bad barrels got replaced but they forgot to clean the gas tubes of cosmolene. The guns would not fire automatically! Fred was an avid radio control model airplane builder, designer, and pilot and it was through the hobby I met him. He even built balsa models on his aircraft carrier bunk. He said often thinking about building his models while flying long sorties helped him get through the boredom. Knew Fred for over 30 years. Google the below title to read his story. 

NINE MONTHS WITH CAPTAIN BOB
Fred Tuxworth VS-70