fhubler

"Just found this forum and thought it’d be a fantastic place to gain some knowledge and see some cool cars..." Welcome! I am new to the group & these old flat 6 cars as well. I think you will find the people here very helpful & knowledgable. Get it drivable & keep it moving - things in motion tend to stay in motion & things in pieces tend to stay in pieces... Can't post too many photos! Enjoy the project!

Beautiful!

I have an inquiry into the tech line... For an update on the car, I got into it a little more tonight. I noticed that the only time it makes the unhappy noise is when going between 1st & neutral. Some of the rough treatment seemed to be coming from the shift lever mechanicals on the column. I noticed that the clamp was rotated clockwise a few degrees. Loosening the screws & rotating it back to level with the floor made everything move much more freely. I pulled the whole mechanism apart & found it completely dry with noticeable wear on the shifter pivot barrel screw, some wear on the push-pull pin on the shift lever & noticeable wear on the shift rod where it goes through the steering column support under the dash. I lubed all that stuff up & put it back together strait & now the shifter moves very smooth & freely. I moved on to the linkage & found a great deal of slop in all of the rods at every pivot & in the bell crank pivot center point as well. I'll have to clean all of that stuff up before I can see what parts are involved. The linkage on the transmission itself feels fine & everything seems to be moving normally inside of the transmission.

"The thing about Bicyclists is that they are either Gearheads or they despise all motor vehicles. I fall into that first category." Yes, Sir! And when you're on a tight schedule, it's best to combine the two when possible.

The hyperlink itself isn't a big deal, but the curser jumping to the beginning of the word is maddening - especially if you know how to type.

Thanks to all for your responses. First, let me reiterate that the oil that was drained from the transmission was really bad, but I did not see much metal in it. After changing the oil with a synthetic 75W-90 oil, I noticed a substantial improvement. Every other shift sequence (1-R, 1-3, 3-2, 3-1, 3-R) is silent & effortless. I did top off the fluid drive coupling with universal tractor fluid. This made no difference. I will look into the gear oil specifics & see what I can find out. I am quite sure the engine mounts are original & in need of replacing. I will put that on the list. The shift linkage is very cruddy. I will thoroughly clean it & inspect it for wear. I would assume, if there are bushings in the linkage, they will also need to be replaced. * On an unrelated note, the automatic hyperlinks that kick in when typing certain words for these posts are the most aggravating thing I have encountered in a very long time. Does anyone know how to turn them off????????????????????

Well, I don't have a lot of kids (if that tells you anything...), and I also have only two that currently get most of the miles... but the ones that used to be my favorite might be my favorite again, and they aren't worth anything to anyone else, and, etc., etc., etc. My friends think I should build a bigger garage, but I think, "then I'de really have a problem with all that extra space!" I won't even mention the kayaks...

Quick transmission question on a '48 D24 with fluid drive (stock). Everything works great, 1- R shift is smooth & quiet as is the 2-3 shift. When I come out of 1st gear on the way to 2nd I get a noise, sort of like a clunk, at varying degrees of intensity. I just changed what I am pretty sure must have been the original gear oil in the transmission & rear. It seems to have helped & I continue to shift through the gears in an effort to work the new gear oil into everything. I still have to clean & lubricate the shift linkage. Anything else I should consider? Could this be a shift linkage wear or adjustment issue?

Welcome! Beautiful car! Glad to see I'm not the only one with too many bikes hanging in the garage...

I plan to upload an album of edited photos to the gallery soon. Hopefully they make people smile like the car itself does out on the road. Thanks again for your very kind sentiments. I would also like to wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy holiday. Take someone special for a fun ride in your vintage Mopar when you get together with friends and family!

Nice find... speaking of parts, does anyone know of a source for the small knobs that go on the vent window lever lock shaft (the part you push in to unlatch the lever)? Both of my front ones are missing. It looks like a small, chrome knob about 1/4" diameter that fits on to the 1/8" shaft...

Thanks again, Dr. You are too kind! After I've gone through the Town Sedan mechanicals, we'll have to wonder south & see if we can find you... We live a simple, but beautiful life compared to many. We can jump in an old car & drive any type of road surface with any type of terrain right in our back yard or can jump on the interstate 1 mile away & be in 4 different cities in an hour or less. So we're in the middle of nowhere and in the middle of everywhere. The only problem is these messy northeast winters! I guess I just have to move, or put heat in the garage & wait it out...

Probably because they listen more than they talk... Your statement reminded me of a funny dog & car story. A friend of mine is a Model T guy & a dog guy. On most nights he takes the dog for a T ride. Its like clockwork, at around that time of the evening, the dog sits there & stares at him until he says, "Do you want to go for a Model T ride????", then she runs down to the garage. She used to get in first, until a few years ago... One evening he had the T in the driveway warming up, the dogs were in there, because they always had to get in first, & he left the car for a minute. When he came back, they were gone. He found them in the bushes across the road at the bottom of the driveway, the T still running & the dogs still sitting there - a little shocked, but no harm done. From then on, they won't get in until he is in there at the controls. Smart dogs!

Its hard to beat the feeling you get from polishing out original paint!

Some views from todays Sunday drive in the country, with my daughter laying on the back seat so she could watch the clouds go by through the back window...

Really appreciate the documentation, guys!

After spending all of my spare $ & time to finally get the old Model A to slide strait when the deer run out in front of me, I buy this old Dodge. It took two years to chisel the grime off of the A chassis, six months to wear it back off of my hands & now I'm diving into a 70 year old Dodge. My wife thinks I'm crazy - and she's usually right... As I changed what I am quite sure was the original rear & transmission gear oil (not supposed to need a screwdriver to coax it out, are you??), I noticed a kingpin set is in order, brake lines, fuel line, etc. While taking it for a test drive to introduce the transmission to its new gear oil, the left front brake started to grab really hard, and then it locked up completely at the next stop sign. We had words, and then it let go and we continued on our way. I noticed that if I gently tapped the brake & then slowly increased pedal pressure it would work normally. Now it seems to be OK. I didn't notice any fluid on the backing plate. Any ideas? What am I in for? The previous owner told me that he had all of the brakes "done", wheel cylinders, etc. Any words of wisdom before I dive into the brakes?

All I see is a cat sticking his tongue out saying, "Photo not found." If you save the photos you want to attach as a JPEG and then select "choose files..." (in red to the right of the paper clip), you will get a window with a list of files. Go to where you saved the photos, select the ones you want and attach. They should show up at the bottom of the page before you submit reply. I posed some images of you it is done on a Mac. If you have a PC, it should be a similar process, but it may look a little different. If you see a photo of the back of our '48, it works... Can't wait to see your car!

This is the spare that came with the car. When I purchased it from the original owner's grandson, he told me that his grandfather said this was the original spare with the last remaining original tire (never been off of the rim). The back is black and the front it red with white pin stripes. Would the wheel have come from the factory like this, or would these be a dealer option? He said the car was a "dealer demonstrator". His grandfather purchased it Oct. 29, 1948 with a few thousand miles on it.