Dan Hiebert

I can throw down with this thread, 34 years (yesterday) and counting! The missus helped quite a bit with the revival of the D24, although once the kids got to "sporting ages" that tapered off and I have trouble getting her back in the garage since then. I've had to talk her out of buying more old cars than vice versa. Odd that I tend to be the voice of reason with them, all I have to do is show a little curiosity in some random old car by the road, and she wants us to buy it. I could probably exploit that, but I prefer to have her support in getting and keeping the current stuff running.

Wispy white smoke for a bit is nothing to worry about. But, white smoke with that coolant smell is. The short of it is that there is coolant burning off in one or more of the combustion chambers. Leaking head gasket, cracked head, or cracked engine block, none of which are minor issues, are the usual causes. Bubbles in the radiator/coolant when running is an indication that the gasket is the culprit, but just because there are no bubbles doesn't rule the gasket out. Nor does having a recently rebuilt motor rule out a cracked head or block. Though it may take a while, it will only get worse if not addressed. That being said, several years ago our D24 had an issue with the thermostat housing gasket leaking, which would cause coolant to pool up in the #1 spark plug well. If left to sit for long enough, some would seep into the #1 cylinder, and we'd get that coolant smell and a little white smoke until it burned out. Trued up the housing base, replaced the gasket, and it hasn't happened since.

Our house was built in 1980. It has the original fiberglass tub/shower alcove unit (in a period "trendy" color, as well). Unknown when, (we've only owned this humble abode the last 4 years), but the floor of the tub cracked some time ago, and was repaired with epoxy. The repair is obviously an older one. It still holds water, but the epoxy is beyond yellowed, it's "ambered", and starting to chip around the edges. So, no telling how long the repair has held up, but it's definitely not "permanent". We knew this when we bought the house, plan is to replace with steel or cast iron tub, with tiled walls. Moral of the story is to echo previous sentiment, and champion your replacement plan. Color changes/repairs/etc. to fiberglass, acrylic, etc. are not long lasting. Metal and tile are pricey, but as they say, you get what you pay for.

RE: Your question #3. As Casper wrote, the cowl trim clips are one piece, it's basically the same for all the period Mopars, rounded ends, with two sets of what you describe as the "H" clips on the edges. From your photo, it looks like a PO jury rigged something to work, to include that piece of bar stock which may be to hold a deteriorated clip together. Our D24 has bolts with washers holding that trip clip on, as well as securing the top of the fender.

Thanks for posting, I thoroughly enjoyed that!

Ditto Andydodge's reply. The door adjustment for closing is via adjusting the striker block that's on the door pillar, not anything you can do with the mechanism in the door. I suggest a thorough cleaning of that mechanism, it is pretty grungy, and built up crud can impede the positioning of that star. Removing it would be the best option. It can be cleaned while still in the door, but in my opinion not quite as well as if removed.

Thankee kindly. Got it as a retirement project when we still lived in NM.

Okie dokie. Best photo I've got right now, all of the good ones are on a bad mass storage device that I haven't bothered to get fixed yet.

I'll be paying attention to your adventures with your heater. I need to get the heater / defroster working on ours, then I'd like to upgrade it a tad if possible. I imagine you're in the same boat, I used to work out of Buffalo, and had to go to Oswego on a regular basis, we'd take the Weedsport exit off the Thruway to get there, and I distinctly recall the snow plow blade in the maintenance yard by the toll booths proudly emblazoned with some ungodly amount of snow (over 200" if I recall) several winters ago. I've got a photo, but it's on a currently corrupted MSD.

There is a "pressure off" switch mounted where the parking brake handle holds it open when disengaged. Once the handle is pulled to engage the parking brake, the switch closes, and sends power through the flasher unit to the map light, making the map light flash. The ignition switch has to be on for it to work. The bulb in the map light on our D24 is a dual filament 1158. It is below the Dodge crest, and above the ignition. There is a rotary switch to the left that works the dash lights, and one to the right of the light will turn it on, as does opening the passenger side doors, and/or the dome light switch on the driver's side door pillar. If the parking brake is engaged, and the ignition turned on, the light will still flash when otherwise switched on. Our car does not have any other flashing lights, i.e., turn signals. I'm thinking the car would have to have been built this way, simply due to the dual filament socket that would have to be installed for the map light. Apologies for the fuzzy photo, I couldn't get my camera to focus quite right while I was contorted under the dash. Taken from under the steering column, looking up towards the A-pillar. The switch is just above right center, the flasher unit is upper left. That is the tan parking brake handle running from just above center to the lower right. The wiring diagram in the manual does not show this configuration. On another note, to go with this thread, the following photo is the heater control valve on our car, conveniently placed in the spot designated by "HEATER" cast into the head. It has not been hooked up since before we've owned it. I have no idea whether or not it works, other than working "closed" since we've owned it. I find it interesting that I do have a "Temp Control" knob between the ignition and the headlight switch, but it was never hooked up to anything, just a knob attached to the dash face. And finally, the heater that was in the car when we got it. The core is good, but it does not have a motor. My assumption is that was the simplest heater set up one could get, maybe even installed by the dealer.

Right now, I've got the clutch engaged and propped so. Gonna rotate the drive train every day for a few days by hand (via the handy-dandy hand crank so conveniently provided by Hudson) to circulate the "Hudsonite" (I have a supply on hand). Luckily (?), I've always stored the car in neutral. If I had kept in in any gear, it would currently be stuck in that gear, and starting it would be even more of an adventure than it needs to be...especially since the Missus has taken to videoing almost every "questionable" thing I venture.

First off, welcome to the Forum. You've found a good place to haunt, many knowledgeable folks here. I've had many questions answered here, and as follows, a few generated. I am interested in what the other two buttons/switches are next to the starter button, as we have a "plain old" D24 four door sedan with just the starter button. The parking brake warning light in ours (as in most) is a flashing map light, the one centered under the dash. It may have been discussed herein before, but I've slept since then and don't recall off hand. The Town Sedans are indeed more scarce than the other models, but I couldn't say if they are "rare" or not, although I've only personally seen three since we got our car, and only a few on this Forum. I can't help with the heater shut-off, our car was sold new in New Mexico with de minimus heating options, but again, will be interested in responses since our current stomping ground in Maine is a different meteorological animal.

That's new info to me, 9 foot. I had not thought of propping the clutch open when not in use. We've moved so much it's hard to keep in touch with other Hudson/Terraplane folks, good info, awesome - THANKS!

Thanks, gents. I checked out that YouTube video, think I'll try that method first, then go for simply running the car a while.

Sorry, thought I had put this in "Off Topic", Herr Moderator- feel free to move as appropriate.

Greetings and salutations. I've been working on getting our '37 Terraplane back on the road. Alas, the clutch is stuck. It has a wet, cork-faced clutch, running in "Hudsonite" clutch fluid. The clutch disc is new, albeit replaced 17 years ago. It's in neutral, and I've read that running the car for a while, with the clutch pedal engaged, may free it up (apparently not an uncommon problem?). The car hasn't run in five years, although there's no reason it shouldn't. That's on the schedule in the next week or so. So, any ideas to free up a wet clutch without ruining it would be welcome.

It helps to push down on the opposite side of the trim, towards the side you're prying. Not down into the car, down parallel to the panel. You can do it bare handed, but it gets hard on the fingertips, I use a strip of wood to even things out.

I dunno...pretty oppressive over here yesterday, 77 at my place, in town it got to......80...

James - Hello, and welcome to the Forum! I'm "just up the road a piece" from you over in Maine, I share your pain with the limited driving season we have - the silver lining being that we have time to tinker with our cars over the winter. Looks like you have a mostly original car, a nice one for sure. There are a few threads herein on steering that may cover what you're seeking to address, just make sure something actually needs fixing before tearing into it. Our D24's steering is per all the specs, but it still wanders around these weather beaten New England roads. Our next "fix" is with something not available when the car was new - radial tires, vs. the bias plies that are currently on it.

That must have been an awesome cruise, I can picture it now. I used to go from Selfridge to the Soo at least once a quarter over the five years we lived in MI. If I was in a hurry, I'd take I-75, if not, I'd wander up there on the state and local roads. One of my favorites was the Lake Huron circle tour route.

Lauren Bacall - yep - that's inspiration!

A "natural remedy" that actually works, but you have to eat so much it keeps people away, too....not that that's such a bad thing sometimes. The more pungent the better, because the worse you smell (presumably to the bugs), the better. You can wash the bug repellant off, but you're stuck with...and I'll use my wife's description here...smelling like a little old Italian man …(she's Italian).

Hasn't even reached 70 at our place in northern Maine, yet. Close last Saturday - 68 here, couple other places got to 70. Mt. Katahdin (central Maine) still has snow on it. All normal. Normal rain...normal *&%#! bugs.

So...didja pull it out to see if it was still occupied?

Folks around here, and the last place we lived (western NY) use those every spring to roll their lawns in the spring, too. (Usually contracted, not many homeowners have their own.) The permafrost pushes stuff up, and the snow puffs up the top of the soil, the roller pushes it all back down. Makes for a nice lawn, and around here the ground is really rocky and you risk ruining your mower blade(s) the first mow of the season if you don't roll your lawn. The ones you pull behind your lawn tractor are more often than not, not heavy enough for most of the ground in these parts.