carnoob Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 Hi All, I'm hoping to fix up an old paddock bomb of a 4 door 1947 D24 Dodge. It needs major work but most of all I am worried about the "A" pillar/posts. I could put my head through where the floor should meet the posts on both sides of the car. I've been trying to find replacement pillars but can't seem to find anything. I am in Australia but don't really expect to get anything here. Does anyone know if you can purchase reproductions or is the only way to replace this via a donor car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 (edited) Gidday.............not another Aussie.......lol.............seriously tho' Welcome Aboard........from the sounds of it you may have more work than its worth however have you got any pics?.............as for reproductions.......there are repo rocker available in the USA but are to suit the US bodies which are a different animal than the Oz assembled/made cars...........an easy way to determine weather yours is an Oz body is does it have TJR or TJRichards on the firewall or a plate with that on it?.......does it have external door hinges?..........what length is the cylinder head, ie, 23 or 25 inches in length?.....is it a 3 speed manual with a normal clutch or does it have Fluid Drive/ 3 speed ?..................what indicates that its a D24?..............pictures would be nice....and where are you?.....I'm in sunny South Grafton, north coast of NSW...............BTW........I replaced both rockers, lower centre pillars, bits of the floor, rear dog legs and bottom of both cowl sides as well as the rear beaver panel and a few other bits here & there when I built my car, I was young & silly and had to learn somehow....this was 45 yrs or so ago.......still holding up tho'........lol.....it depends on how bad they are, how much you want to do it and what your skills are or your desire to obtain the skills...........lol.........Andy Douglas Edited September 1, 2019 by Andydodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnoob Posted September 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 Gidday! I thought I would be the only one for sure! 20 years ago I helped someone rebuilt an engine and I've always wanted to do up a car since then. That's about my extent of car knowledge. I'm an electrician by trade so I can use a set of pliers as a hammer but in all seriousness I bought this thing for a challenge and it is looking like more of a challenge every day. I'm hoping to learn different skills as I go along. I just assumed they were all imported. I thought it was a D24 because I looked up the serial number (9840665) and the internet told me it was a Canadian built 1947 - D24. I've pulled the body off the frame now and I thought I could answer your questions by looking at the photos I took of it when I first got it. Just realised my backup of my old phone hasn't worked and I've lost most of the photos. ArghhHh! I've only got one of the offending area (below) and I think it was external hinges. I just went out and measured the head and it was just over 25 inches. I can't see anything about TJR or TJ Richards. Not sure how to tell the transmission? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 (edited) That head size indicates a 25" engine which is the DeSoto/Chrysler based engine that all Canadian built cars used and were commonly known as "KEW" engines here in Oz........most if not all had the letters "KEW" stamped into the start of the engine number boss above the generator bracket just below the cylinder head gasket........the 25" engines came in 218, 228, 250/251 and 265 capacities tho the 265 is extremely rare in Oz........your car is probably 218.........BTW do your cars front fenders continue into the front doors? or stop at the leading edge of the front door...........the Fluid drive was an hydraulic coupling between the engine and the normal 3 speed transmission and appears to be tapered rather than more short and stocky like the standard clutch arrangement and short bellhousing..........another trick in deciding whether the car is a TJ Richards made & assembled or fully imported car is to check where the 1/4 vent windows in the front doors pivot.......if their lower pivot is right in the corner of the window opening and the vent window pivots at an angle then its an Oz assembled car...see the attached pic of some old bastard driving my car and note the 1/4 window pivot angle......my car is a TJ Richards body, albeit 1940 but used up to 1948...........the US assembled or fully imported bodies front vent window pivots lie directly one above the other and the window pivots differently to that shown in my pic............got any more pics?............lol...........there are/have been anywhere up to a dozen or more Oz guys on here over the past 10yrs or more.........BTW.......where are you?............andyd Edited September 1, 2019 by Andydodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnoob Posted September 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 Hmmm can't seem to find the engine number. The fenders continue into the doors which leads me to think the hinges are actually internal. Really getting annoyed with losing all those photos of it in one piece now. I've got the doors stored up high on shelving so I climbed up this morning to have a look at them and of course both the 1/4 windows are missing as well as the hinges so I can't tell what they were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reg Evans Posted September 1, 2019 Report Share Posted September 1, 2019 The engine number is suppose to be on the raised rectangle just above the freeze plug in your photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnoob Posted September 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 Thanks Reg, I can see a couple of very faint lines but I think that might be lost forever. Andy - Sorry I forgot to say I am down in South Gippsland in Victoria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 It would be unusual to say the least in having no engine number as here in Oz the engine number was generally included on the registration papers as well as the chassis or sometimes body number....as Reg indicated that boss above the freeze plug should have the numbers..........also the alloy plate on the generator and a similar one on the starter should/may have numbers that could also indicate the date of the engine or its parentage at least...........andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnoob Posted September 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 Where the engine number should be is pretty much completely worn out. I have found a plate loosely attached above the dizzy which reads SM1 854. Not sure if that means anything? There is also a plate on the dizzy but the only thing I can make out is a portion of the part number which seems to end in 946. There is a plate on the generator but this is too far gone to read anything as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnoob Posted September 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 Oh actually I've managed to glean enough info from the dizzy and generator. The dizzy plate part number seems to be 1121946 but a quick google doesn't show anything for this. The generator is 853771 which seems to have some options on google. Not sure if this helps on the frame identification though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnoob Posted September 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 Just found this on the frame at the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 Interesting that the engine number is "worn" out.........lol..........the only reason I can think of for any "wear" there is if the car or engine has been stolen some time in the past and the thief has tried to "wear out" the numbers .........andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnoob Posted September 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 Here is a close up pic of the engine plate area. The scratches are a last ditch effort by me trying to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carnoob Posted September 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 With that number on the frame of RD24 I am assuming it is a D24 frame? Does that mean there might be somewhere to buy reproduction pillars and posts etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted September 2, 2019 Report Share Posted September 2, 2019 Carnoob........I doubt if pillars and posts have ever been repo'd, at best there maybe the odd original piece turning up but getting them from the USA maybe very price prohibitive.........that pic showing the passenger front sill doesn't appear that bad.........that engine number pic doesn't appear very good at all............I'd be VERY concerned that getting the car registered with that engine maybe a lost cause as the engine number appears to have been fiddled with.......unless it was an industrial engine from a forklift or airport tug which tended not to have engine numbers.....I had an ex Sydney Airport Tug 230 engine that didn't have an engine number and the boss there was perfectly clean whereas the one on your engine appears at best to be not flash.......lol...........as for sheetmetal you could try Bernbaums, Roberts and go thru US ebay regularly but I think it will be a forlorn search.............andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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