25 Dodge tourer restoration

[Mattml430]

I’ve got some repairs to do on the radiator before it goes up to Bob next week. 
the bottom outlet is a bit worse for wear. I’m going to give it a sand blast in the morning and hopefully I’ll have something left to repair. the top outlet is a bit better but still needs some building up. 

[Mattml430]

I’ve had to pretty much ditch the whole radiator and I found another one I had here that was In much better shape. I’ve pulled it all apart and cleaned it up hopefully to make Bobs job a little easier and not harder, I hope. 😬

It all seemed to clean up nicely so I hope it will be ok for you Bob. 
The outlets on this radiator were great. 

[Mattml430]

I have received all the bearings, pins and bushings for the complete chassis and running gear. 
so I’m looking forward to getting onto rebuilding the chassis gearbox and rear axle. 
complete set of 24 dodge chassis bearings and bushes. 
King pin bushes and washers 

Spring shackle pins and bushes. Front wheel bearings and steering link bushes. Gearbox bearings and lay shaft. Rear axle bearings. 
Differential crown and pinion bearings. 

[Mattml430]

I got the gear box rebuilt today. Replaced the main bearings and lay shaft roller bearings. Also replaced the lay shaft. Dismantling ready for hot wash. 
after degreasing and steam cleaning. 
Completely disassembled. There is a little bit of wear in the gears but that is to be expected after 100 years of service. 
Parts cleaned and new bearings,seals and lay shaft ready for assembly. 
All back together ready for filling with oil. 
First part of the running gear finished. 
The uni joint was in good condition and should be good for many more years of service. It got a good clean and some fresh grease. 

 

[Minibago]

The main wear worry is the intermediate gear internal square spline

 

 

Being a loose fit on the input shaft.

 

 

[Mattml430]

2 minutes ago, Minibago said:

The main wear worry is the intermediate gear internal square spline

 

 

Being a loose fit on the input shaft.

 

 

 Almost no noticeable wear on the shaft there but I will double check it again tomorrow, thanks Nige. 
Everything still felt really nice when reassembling it. 

[Mattml430]

I made a start on straightening the LHS of the chassis this afternoon. It seems to of had a bit of a hit at the front at some stage. I got it halfway there and will give it a bit more tomorrow. 
I have another 24 chassis here so I’ll be able to compare that one to this one to get it right. 
Before straightening it 

 

I think it will need the same treatment again tomorrow. I’ll know a bit better when it has completely cooled. 
I heat the edge of the steel to cherry red about 1/4 of and inch in and then quench it with wet rags. Slowly Pulls it around to where it needs to be. 

[Mattml430]

On 6/5/2023 at 7:39 PM, Minibago said:

The main wear worry is the intermediate gear internal square spline

 

 

Being a loose fit on the input shaft.

 

 

There is a slight bit of wear on the square drive but not as bad as a couple of others I have here so I’m thinking it should be ok. 

[Mattml430]

I spent the best part of today getting this chassis back into line. After measuring it all up this morning it was quite a bit out. The front was about 3/4 of an inch to the left and diagonally it was about 5/8 of an inch pointing forward on the right hand side. 
I had to push this back so it was 14mm at the front cross member. I used 100x50 steel RHS clamped to the straight section of the chassis and the pushed it into shape. 
Eventually got it within a couple of mm side to side and diagonally to within 3mm. 
Diagonally that sounds like a lot but the engine mount cross member is lined up to within 1mm to the front centre mount so I felt that’s more important to have the engine in line. New bolts in the engine mount as the original bolts were worn through by a quarter of their thickness. 

[Mattml430]

onto the front end now and get all the spring shackles, pins and bushes replaced. 
Will also pull the steering box down and rebuild it. I’m imagining the ball joints in the drag link will be very worn. 

[Minibago]

Great job Matt, it will drive really well straight.
May I suggest checking rivet security once straight? These old Dodges are known to loosen up a bit and fret when moving about on rough roads.

 

[Mattml430]

7 hours ago, Minibago said:

Great job Matt, it will drive really well straight.
May I suggest checking rivet security once straight? These old Dodges are known to loosen up a bit and fret when moving about on rough roads.

 

They are all pretty good I’ve been checking them as I’ve been going along.

I have to tighten the running board rivets. A couple of them are loose. 

[Mattml430]

Doing the King pins and bushes today I discovered the bottom thread on the axle fork was non existent. I have loctited some Heli coils in there this afternoon and will fit the new king pin’s tomorrow. There wasn’t a huge amount of wear in the drag link balls which was great. 

[Mattml430]

I got the new brake and clutch shaft finished yesterday. I’ve made it out of stainless steel so it should last another hundred years. 
Now onto removing the front axle and springs so I can replace the bushes and shackles. 

[Mattml430]

Front end is all back together and solid as. 
I won’t lie some of the bushes gave me some grief. Once they were pressed in a couple of them became very tight, but with a nice brand new drill the correct size it seemed to let the new pins slide through nicely. using the ports power was great for pressing the new bushes into the chassis spring mounts. 

All back together  

I have made new bump stop mounts and new rubber bumps. I have made a template for the mounts to cut them out with the plasma cutter if anyone needs any made. I will mount the new bump stops in after the chassis is painted in satin black. 

Disassembled the steering box this afternoon and made a start on rebuilding it. It felt a bit rough turning it. Have ordered new bushes and bearings for it today. Started making a new shaft for it also as the original is quite worn. 

[Mattml430]

Bobs making great progress with the radiator it’s looking great. Can’t believe how quickly you’ve got it done Bob. 
 

[Mattml430]

Finished making the new shaft for the steering box today and got the gear pressed back on. I’m hoping the new bearings and bushes will be in tomorrow, and I can reassemble it. 
For the 24 steering box do you guys recommend grease or the really heavy steering gear oil. I think penrite do one which is what I put in the 29 roadster. 
 

[Minibago]

2 hours ago, Mattml430 said:

Finished making the new shaft for the steering box today and got the gear pressed back on. I’m hoping the new bearings and bushes will be in tomorrow, and I can reassemble it. 
For the 24 steering box do you guys recommend grease or the really heavy steering gear oil. I think penrite do one which is what I put in the 29 roadster. 
 

Semifluid grease for me.

Grease caps to turn regularly to keep the grease up to the rotating faces.

 

[Mattml430]

Steering box is back together and bolted back onto the chassis. 
It all went back together beautifully and feels a lot smoother to turn than it did. I rotated the worm sprocket ⚙️ if that’s what you’d  call it 180 degrees to try and get it to sit in a new spot when travelling straight ahead. getting all ready to go back together with a new shaft, bushes and thrust bearings. 
Setting it up close to what it needs to be on the bench before mounting it back onto the chassis. Bolted back onto the chassis all finished ready to fill with semifluid grease. 

Edited June 21, 2023 by Mattml430 (see edit history)

[Mattml430]

Another beautiful radiator completed by Bob up at sunshine batteries and radiators. 
Thanks heaps for great workmanship Bob. 
 

[30DodgePanel]

8 hours ago, Mattml430 said:

Another beautiful radiator completed by Bob up at sunshine batteries and radiators. 
Thanks heaps for great workmanship Bob. 
 

 

Amazing !

 

And kudos for taking us along for the ride Matt. Beautiful work as always 

 

Edited June 24, 2023 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[nat]

     I'll see what Mattml430 has to offer if ever I get the itch for a new car.

[Mattml430]

I’ll be getting back onto the chassis next week and hopefully get it painted in satin black. 
I received the magneto back yesterday after having it completely rebuilt. 
New bearings, rewound and re magnetised.
 The engine is also underway with its rebuild. 

[MikeC5]

Did you also have a new eccentric bushing made for the steering box?  That's the one used for adjustment of worm-sector mesh.  It would be an expensive one to reproduce and this is where oil leaks on mine.  

[Mattml430]

8 hours ago, MikeC5 said:

Did you also have a new eccentric bushing made for the steering box?  That's the one used for adjustment of worm-sector mesh.  It would be an expensive one to reproduce and this is where oil leaks on mine.  

It seemed to be still ok Mike. I agree it wouldn’t be cheap or easy to reproduce. 

[nat]

11 hours ago, MikeC5 said:

It would be an expensive one to reproduce and this is where oil leaks on mine. 

     Is the wall thick enough to fit with a sleeve?

Edited July 21, 2023 by nat
. (see edit history)

[Mattml430]

Got back onto the 24 rear axle today. One wheel came off easily but the other one is just not being very friendly at all. I’ve had some good pressure on it for a week or more. Tried a bit of heat on the hub today but she just won’t budge. I’m using a hydraulic 3 jaw puller on the hub which isn’t ideal but all my hub puller are to big or to small so I found the correct size today on eBay. It will be here early next week so I’m hoping it gets it off. Can’t remember one being this stubborn before. The left side is all apart and ready to get new linings on it. 
Tapper has been cleaned up on the axle and new bearings and felt seals ready to go back in. They are solid old axles. 
 

[22touring]

Mattml430, when you install the new felt rear axle seals, would you please explain how to do it and post pictures because I am not at all sure that I did it correctly on my '22 tourer.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I did it incorrectly because I was totally clueless, and I would like to re-do it properly before I fill the differential with oil! Thanks very much.

[Mattml430]

The wheel came this morning with a bang. It was a cold morning here this morning so I put a little more pressure on the puller and put some quick heat on the hub. Took about 2 minutes of heat and then it shot of the axle and hit me in the knee. I was to the side of it just in case but it still managed to belt me one. Was well worth the knee pain getting it off. 
So I was able to get all the new bearings into the diff and tail shaft. 
The brake shoes are off getting relined and will be done next week. Wheel finally off. 
brakes before they were removed. Diff out and cleaned up ready for its new bearings. crown wheel teeth are in beautiful condition. Made some dodge’y special tooling to adjust the bearing carriers a bit easier. Tail shaft with its new bearings. Diff housing cleaned up ready for re assembly 

 

Springs have been fitted with new bolts , bushes and shackles. 

[Mattml430]

Chassis is completely rebuilt and in undercoat. 
will get the satin black on Wednesday. 

[nearchoclatetown]

That ring and Pinion look like they've never been used. BTW, who's overseeing this work?

[Minibago]

2 hours ago, nearchoclatetown said:

That ring and Pinion look like they've never been used. BTW, who's overseeing this work?

Based on what I see and the speed and thoroughness with which each step is accomplished, I am certain that no supervision is necessary.

[Mattml430]

3 hours ago, nearchoclatetown said:

That ring and Pinion look like they've never been used. BTW, who's overseeing this work?

Isn’t it amazing at how good this stuff can look after 100 years of use. 
My 2 German Shepards keep a close eye on everything I do. 😂

[Minibago]

1 hour ago, Mattml430 said:

Isn’t it amazing at how good this stuff can look after 100 years of use. 
My 2 German Shepards keep a close eye on everything I do. 😂

See, now I understand why mine comes out like a dogs breakfast.

 

 

[Mattml430]

Chassis is all finished painting and the engine will be ready next week so I’ll get that in and probably just fire it up for the fun of it all. 
The engine will need painting first before installation. 
I made sure the chassis number is clearly visible for when it comes to get the club permit for it. 

[nat]

       Please remind us to put our diapers on before reading your progress reports.

[Mattml430]

5 hours ago, nat said:

       Please remind us to put our diapers on before reading your progress reports.

I don’t understand really. Is that in case you shit yourself or something. 😂

[Minibago]

I think Nat is referring to the level us mere mortals are at compared to 

“Speedy Gonzalez”

You make doing a couple of years work in a couple of days look easy.

🏆

[Mattml430]

Ohh ok I didn’t really understand. Haha. 
Im a bit slow on some things. 
Stupid me. 🤦🏽‍♂️

 

Everyone at their own pace is the best. 

[Minibago]

Slow?

Really?

Nah!

 

However yes, we all need to work at our own pace, in someways, for many of us, the journey is as important as the destination, it does not diminish the enjoyment we all get from watching a restoration take shape in double time.

It is almost like watching in “time lapse”

Thanks for sharing.