Jump to content

Ron’s 1928 DB Senior Phaeton


Mattml430

Recommended Posts

You guys down under have too much time on your hands. Must not have any grass to mow or weeds to kill. I still have not gotten much time in my shop this summer. Nice colors Ron. You are doing a bangup job. I think I know of only one Senior roadster in the USA, not saying there aren't more.

Edited by nearchoclatetown (see edit history)
  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks very much Matt for posting the photos  This car has been a labor of love since 1980 Being a long distance owner driver there was not  lot of time spent at home to work on the old girl I did manage to have a running chassis that I could drive around the yard in 1992 From then until 2012 there was work done in dribs and drabs ,mostly wood fame work We moved house in 2009 and I started to build my workshop in January 2012  and finished it in July of that year I was still trucking at this time as well I decided to sell my Road Train set up and retire and concentrate on the cars I advertised the gear and it went as a complete Road Train rig  which I was very pleased about No mucking around selling off the bits and pieces. 

The car was purchase off a cockey  (farmer) and the poor old girl had been (modified) a fair bit It had the wrong diff center and torque tube fitted and mounted on the front left side where a passenger would sit was a Lincoln welder She was the mobile welding plant for the farm These moderfications were done by an engineering company in Perth 

I had no windscreen  posts, no drivers side door the dash had been cut away to accommodate  the welder and the rear of the body tub section had been hacked out with an axe  It was not a pretty sight. In the mid 1990s a purchase another DB Senior that was more of a basket case than mine It only had an engine and transmission battered fenders and cowl and WINDSCREEN POSTS. Wow at least I now had a much better cowl than the original and a Dash panel too Then the guy says that he had more bits back at his house My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I seen the rear tub section and 4 doors Without this doner car god only knows  how I would have gone The doner car panels were very rusty around the bottoms yet the right side drivers door was almost perfect except fro one small rust patch about 1/2 inch diameter The rear was a much different story That took over 6 weeks to repair 

I am very greatful to Dick Perry for buying the Dash Gauge Cluster that the Ebay seller would not ship to Oz and the NOS original North East coil and switch I made a new frame for the coil and it works great The originals were pot metal and broke very easily The most help that I have received is from Gundog  Anthony if you read this without your help with photos and measurements and the odd phone call this project would have stalled  There are many other people that have inspired me and without there help I would have given up and the person that is on the top of that list is my late Father in Law Peter Longworth He taught me patience which I never had years ago  

All I have to do to complete the car now is the right front fender the upholstery in leather and the top  Well the sun is now up I am off to the shed Thanks Ron

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

From Ron. 
Photo taken just after I dragged it home and took the body off You can see the housing between the engine and transmission Pic 2 shows the governor set-up Pic 3&4 are of the doner wreck

02CB5316-D264-461D-862C-BA135317B700.jpeg

BC54FD87-1348-46A3-B338-5C1A07551EB6.jpeg

608475E7-FD88-4946-A7E1-457B8CF4D736.jpeg

710B3915-2C8D-4CC1-B2E7-1D19C3078530.jpeg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Ron Lawson said:

  Well the sun is now up I am off to the shed Thanks Ron

 

If you guys call this a shed I'd love to see what you consider a garage....

 

Incredible job! What a beautiful shot this is...

Can't imagine how  proud you must be after all these years.

Congrats, Ron.

 

Dave

 

 

338016AC-7173-4B00-A45B-338E19749BBD.jpeg.9ffcdd02e86c0067fb079c1e3fd53a8a.jpeg

Edited by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, 30DodgePanel said:

 

If you guys call this a shed I'd love to see what you consider a garage....

 

Incredible job! What a beautiful shot this is...

Can't imagine how  proud you must be after all these years.

Congrats, Ron.

 

Dave

 

 

338016AC-7173-4B00-A45B-338E19749BBD.jpeg.9ffcdd02e86c0067fb079c1e3fd53a8a.jpeg

 

9 minutes ago, dc-8dave said:

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK RON!!!!

Thank you Dave , Spoke to John Post a couple of weeks back. He has been very busy. 

I made the two bars for the bumper bar The originals were too pitted with rust to do anything with

I call this my shed or my play pen If we come home from somewhere and there is still some hours left in the day my girl says "Go.on get your Happy Clothes on and off you go" Have got her trained real well after 45 years  

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Ron Lawson said:

 

Thank you Dave , Spoke to John Post a couple of weeks back. He has been very busy. 

I made the two bars for the bumper bar The originals were too pitted with rust to do anything with

I call this my shed or my play pen If we come home from somewhere and there is still some hours left in the day my girl says "Go.on get your Happy Clothes on and off you go" Have got her trained real well after 45 years  

Dave A garage is where we park our old or modern cars Usually a 20 X 20  The shed is where they are reborn 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Se of the repairs that I had to do on the rear tub from The donor car.  
This is all I had of the rear Both sides of course  
 

 

Absolutely incredible you’ve got it to we’re you have Ron with what you had to work with. 

AD1B23F4-9230-4125-9E13-38D6507984A8.jpeg

668DA965-956B-492D-B7D9-F8F955A2CE5E.jpeg

CAFF43C0-D28D-4F59-86E7-42633E67982C.jpeg

7A1222C1-F565-43EB-9A0D-8E0F4139D5D9.jpeg

261302C6-557F-48D6-B85E-E9FCFF9C37B5.jpeg

9B56EFD4-545B-4EE4-B5DD-BD3D635EB011.jpeg

C5CE955E-BE29-49EB-AC95-038EBDD95AD8.jpeg

09F86187-1344-4F42-8F6C-F702811231FA.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ron

This makes me think my Senior was too easy since it came with almost all of the parts. Great job and it will look fantastic when done. We just might have to take a trip to Australia to see it (and you guys of course). Our Senior had a rod bearing go bad since you rode with us in Detroit but is all better now and running great. They are great cars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, RWPerry said:

Ron

This makes me think my Senior was too easy since it came with almost all of the parts. Great job and it will look fantastic when done. We just might have to take a trip to Australia to see it (and you guys of course). Our Senior had a rod bearing go bad since you rode with us in Detroit but is all better now and running great. They are great cars.

Thank you for your kind comments Dick Both you and Sandie are most welcome to visit and stay  I have very fond memories of your hospitality in Detroit  You are so right, these old Dodges are almost bullet proof and so simple to work on  Did you find the front Watson Stabilator strap for the overall measurement ? Please pass on our regards to Sandie 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, gundog99 said:

You have done a wonderful job restoring Your Senior, it looks very smart.

Thank you Anthony You have been most helpful when I have had a request for a photo so that I know what goes where If it wasn't for you I would have had no idea on how the rear seat was constructed I am totally in debt to you for all of your help 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The front and rear seat frames made and springs fitted My late father in law supervising the construction Miss him a lot The backrest of the front seat is original with two metal tags still attached one tag has a number and the other has Dodge 6 stamped on it

18A4D352-44CD-4C1D-979E-96CF8DEC550C.jpeg

DB646DB6-79C4-41D7-B7E2-D1A78740F9B9.jpeg

9A5BB031-0486-4D46-A30D-DCF74FA67423.jpeg

6817F676-E123-4B9F-ACE6-807B70D0A0C2.jpeg

EC2CD2DA-93EF-4B04-BBFD-E87CA777411A.jpeg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The original NorthEast Coil and ignition switch combination courtesy of Dick Perry had a broken frame This was a NOS unit so I made a new frame out of steel and reassembled it Looks and works like new

DFDD5292-BFB3-44AD-868C-19C6D904776B.jpeg

5A07F7B1-F0C7-4861-83C5-E42D6CF69334.jpeg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matt, it is amazing that Ron has done so much on his Senior including parts that he has reproduced for it!  Because every time I talk with Ron he is doing somethings else like repainting the house interior wood work or working on other people cars. It doesn't give him much Senior time.

But there is one thing for certain he has done a great job !  Can't wait to see it finish, which won't be long now.  I'm looking forward to go for a tour around the block with him plus a couple of beers when  I'm next over there!  But there is one thing for sure!

 I will definitely pick up a few tips for my Senior from him!

Terry

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, aunty norm said:

Matt, it is amazing that Ron has done so much on his Senior including parts that he has reproduced for it!  Because every time I talk with Ron he is doing somethings else like repainting the house interior wood work or working on other people cars. It doesn't give him much Senior time.

But there is one thing for certain he has done a great job !  Can't wait to see it finish, which won't be long now.  I'm looking forward to go for a tour around the block with him plus a couple of beers when  I'm next over there!  But there is one thing for sure!

 I will definitely pick up a few tips for my Senior from him!

Terry

 

Your so right about that Terry he’s always fixing something for someone else’s car. I know he was loving painting all his interior doors. Haha He used a few adjectives to describe how much he was enjoying that. 
Jude and I want to try and get the Roadster over there for the national rally. I will probably tow it over there and then we want to spend a couple of weeks in WA after the rally. We have a bit of time up our sleeves to get the cars finished now. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For any D B restorer out there I have the jigs and facilities to reproduce the steel frame like the one that I made for the coil of my DB Senior If you have a good coil with a broken pot metal frame and you would like to go original I have the solution Cost would be US$60 plus postage 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...