Dan Hiebert

I use the same repro sill mats in our D24. FWIW, I have never permanently or otherwise attached them to the sills. I don't drive the ol' Dodge as much as a lot of you, but I have never had problems with the mats shifting, moving, etc.

Ditto Sniper's recommendation. There is a litany of things that could be amiss, but the first order of business should be to ensure all the adjustments are done per the service manual - that may resolve your issues right off the bat. If not, then you will have the best starting point to R&R the issues.

Yep, just went out and found some left over reducer, 'tis indeed Martin Senour, I used their "Cross/FIRE" system.

Yes, but I wouldn't call it "original" color. These were for a 1957 and a 1963 color. The code told them what color it was supposed to be and what tints of their paint to use to make as close a match as possible. They told me from the onset that it probably wouldn't be an exact match, but I was repainting the entire cars, so they didn't need to be. Not a "NAPA" paint system, but I don't remember the brand right now. I don't think every NAPA store does the paint thing. One thing to keep in mind, too, many "modern" colors are really the same as old ones, their names just evolve over time to make the consumer think it's something new.

When I was young, I told myself I wouldn't become like the grouchy old curmudgeon that lived down the road. After my grandpa died, my grandma met the old coot, and ended up marrying him (step-grandpa?). So I got to know him. What a life he lived. Lumberjack, WW1 veteran, auto mechanic in the '30s, contractor building US Post Offices across the Midwest, inventor (4 patents), sportsman. Died at 100 + 6 days. Turns out he didn't start out as the crotchety old man at the end of the road, just got tired of stupidity. Like me, he was a people person, but people ruined that for him.

Modern paints are not formulated the same as the original paints on our cars, that's why many places' formulas have difficulty making exact matches if you give them a paint code, but they can get close enough that "experts" can't tell it's not an exact original color. The MoPar paint chip sheets I have are made with the same paints as applied to the cars, so a shop (body or paint) that runs one of those scanners on it will get as close a match as possible with modern paints. Ditto what Sam B wrote about paint systems. Different primer and finish systems will work, but best results tend to be obtained with one system. Kinda depends on how much you want to spend, as you've probably already discovered, none of them are cheap. I've gotten original finish colors fairly recently from both Advance Auto and NAPA based on color codes, no issues. I had problems with PPG getting a good match for 1948 Fortress Gray, but that was 30 years ago, things may have improved.

Yeah, we had to cancel Easter plans up here...

I always got a kick out of the highway mileage sign on I-10 west in Orange, TX...El Paso 847 miles. On the same road.

Desirable is in the eyes of the beholder. Mechanical parts for these era cars are still available, and generally more reasonably priced than even the next decade. What would be "desirable" to me is working on it with your sons, enjoying that process, and then enjoying the car with the family. You'uns may even decide to do more cars as a family, one for each kid, maybe. Since it's not an overvalued 60's or 70's muscle car, there is room for the occasional learning by error that won't break the bank. Next one could be something a little sexier. Welcome to the Forum, and enjoy!

Can confirm. I found a lot of "stuff" in the willywags of Hudspeth County - probably because there aren't a lot of people there. Got the cowl beltline trim for our D24 off a derelict one out there, too. Loving County had taken over the "least populated" title by the time we left the southwest in 2003. Just checked - Loving County is still the least populated county in the U.S.

Those are the bolt locations for the mounting bracket of a different style oil filter than what you have. There are three. For the style oil filter you have, nothing goes under there. I don't have a photo available, but I've seen them on the Forum.

Outside sunvisor. We didn't have one on our D24 for the first year we had it. Drove it all around El Paso and had the same problem as you mention - multiplied by all that chrome and a painted dash. Found a Fulton sunshield on a junk P15 on a ranch in Hudspeth County - problem solved. Keeps the interior a tad cooler, too. The sun isn't such an issue now that we're up north, and the sunshield is a bit of an anomaly in these parts.

Wow, a grand entrance indeed. A gorgeous car. Doubly awesome that it's been in the family since new, and very impressive it is in such wonderful condition for being a New England car - especially assuming it's been up here its whole life (minus the excursion to Mexico City, that is.) It has a Maine plate, where ya at in Vacationland, if'n you don't mind saying? You're downstate? (No snow in your photos.) We've still got a foot or so up north.

My caution regarding staying in a work environment that stresses you out is the potential adverse affect on your health. And that is even if you like what you're doing. I've a friend who just died a few days ago, less than a year from retirement. I hate to say it, but it was not really a surprise - He loved what he did, but he wigged-out over mediocre things he had no control over. Some people are like that, but if you can avoid the stress, whether self created or not, it may be better for you even with less pay.

Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

As mentioned, an "ABC" is the way to go, but that's not a brand or model. The letters ABC are for what it will extinguish. ABC is about the best for old cars since it'll put out everything in our old cars that will burn. Newer cars, not so much. If you're going to have a fire extinguisher, I'd recommend putting it the cabin. The most important fire to put out is whatever is blocking your escape from the car. That said, I have yet to see an old car self-immolate, either parked, or running down the road. I hear a lot about old cars being fire traps for various reasons (old wiring, high amp 6v systems, etc.), but I personally have never seen it. There are outside factors that can start a fire, but as I wrote, the important thing is still to get out of the car first.

I was a quasi-typical teenager, in DoD's defense, he may have explained it to some degree, but I was more interested in the driving aspect and didn't pay enough attention to remember that he told me anything.

I learned to drive on a manual transmission in a hot mountainous region. My teacher (Dear ol' Dad) made me learn on hills and preached not to lug the engine - ever - because it overheats the engine. No in-depth explanation how at the time (I figured that out once I decided to learn how automobiles tick), just always keep the RPMs up or the engine will be ruined from overheating. There is no scenario where lugging the engine is beneficial, I have a practiced befuddled expression that I give folks who insist it needs to be done. The explanation why always comes back to some nonsensical reason. Most of the time when I would encounter someone lugging the engine up a hill, it was because they were afraid to downshift because they didn't know they could, should, or how. (A foreign concept to most of us, but there it is.)

Mine are still buried under a couple feet of snow...

Our '48 Dodge does not have either an ashtray light, or a glovebox light. But, ours had almost no options when new, although I don't think those were Dodge options. I have a couple original brochures that make no mention of them. If someone knows otherwise, kindly let us know so I can add them to my list of "stuff" to keep an eye out for.

Probably not fair, but the aftermarket dry filter on our D24 is a period Fram replacement that I scored off an abandoned Ford F6, not long after we got the car. It was originally orange. Uses AF-2 filters. Not sure if one can still get them, we bought a case of them from Pep Boys when I did the "conversion" and haven't gone through them yet. It didn't have an air filter when we got it. I've found many oil bath filters since, but this one works and looks good enough for me.

Still typical spring in northern Maine. We still have a couple feet of snow on the ground, but everywhere I plowed over the winter is bare. Day temps above freezing (albeit not by much) on a regular basis. Expecting 4-7 inches of snow this afternoon into tomorrow morning. Snow is a possibility into May, but after March they quit salting the roads altogether. I've been doing the pre-season puttering on the ol' D24 and VW, getting them ready to bolt out the door and down the road.

Yes, that flexible line goes from the frame to the right side as you look into the engine bay, there may be an indicator on the pump where the "in" line goes. I wouldn't trust an NOS flexible line that old, but you can always try it to see if it leaks. I installed new flexible line that only lasted a year, then replaced it with a modern piece of fuel line. Doesn't look original, but it's worked for a really long time. Theoretically, that glass fuel bowl on the pump has a filter, but it only cleans big stuff that comes from the tank into the pump. I added an inline filter to the hard line from the pump to the carb, about 1/2 way, because I was still getting crud in the carb. I just used a generic metal case filter. Vintage looking glass bowl fuel filters that attach to the carb are available. They look pretty good, and I'm planning to go that route this year.

If we hadn't moved every 5-6 years when I was working, I'd be a shoe-in for Plymouthy's HA club. We always had a household goods weight limit of 18,000 lbs. when we moved, which was alarmingly easy to reach with the eclectic stuff we "collect". (Anything over, we had to pay an exorbitant amount for, which we couldn't afford.) As it is, the missus is actually worse (better?) at it than I. At least I've learned to "collect" stuff I may actually use...eventually...hopefully...maybe. But, now that we've put roots down where serviceable old car stuff is hard to find, I've been going back to working on my hoard...er...equipment stores.