Uncle-Pekka

Too sad to hear all those cars were crushed, what a waste of good tin! The photo is interesting, even if not counting the sense of danger and the heroic mechanic... Looks like a 1953 Kaiser Manhattan in the left side and a 1948 Kaiser or Frazer in the right corner. Seems to be a big ol' place, but the cars in the middle of the field are sort of sunken in. Is it a swamp or just high grass?

According to my experience, you'll be more likely getting the CORRECT parts by ordering to Oldmoparts (ex. Bernbaum) than by Roberts. Roberts web catalog has errors, which in my case lead to wrong windshield weatherstripping. In spite that the mistake was in their supplied information, they refused to compensate the freight of the replacement parts, thus I ended paying the parts and freight twice (200%). a Non-returning customer, I am. With Oldmoparts never had any mistakes or quality issues - do recommend.

Bob's right, Ford parts shops have the oval ones. I belive these below ones would be correct for D24: http://macsautoparts.com/early-v8-ford-mercury-bumper-bolt-stainless-steel-cover-oval-head-ford-passenger-48-17758/camid/F30/cp/JS0R3CHL1072099/ Round ones should be ever easier to get, here's a pair sold at AutoZone: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Dorman-2-pcs-1-2-in-13-x-1-1-2-in-universal-stainless-steel-cap-bumper-bolt-includes-nuts-and-retainers/_/N-26qc?itemIdentifier=102817_0_0_ Also Summit Racing has affordable set of round head bolts: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/oer-r320/overview/ Edit: Most part chains seem to carry the Dorman bumper bolts kits, prize round $3 each, here's Advance Auto link http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_bumper-bolt-w-nuts-1-2-13-x-1-1-4-in-dorman--autograde_22147239-p?searchTerm=bumper+bolts#

Robert's rear fenders are fitted with optional fender skirts.

Having owned a 1948 D24 for six years now, I have not come across any parts I haven't been able to find. However, those stainless steel rocker trims are getting rare to find in good condition and prices are high. Further, I would appreciate if the interior wood grained panels and dash would be presentable factory paint. I do value original factory wood grain job over restored. Also professional restoring of wood graining is expensive. The 1948 is 6V positive ground system. No problem finding 6V components either. Good luck! Pekka

First a disclaimer: Everyone does to his likes and that's it. I'm cool whatever... BUT Never understood removing the center post of the windshield nor removing the vents. Those features are part of the period thrill. Gosh, I'd ADD a center post to a 1953 car if my skills would allow it. Further, What's better than riding your side windows down in the summer flipped vent windows open to guide the breeze out...?

Hi Mark, Nothing is forever in this world, but I can promise you that the Dodge will stay in my garage for many more years, no intention to let this baby go for a while. Regarding to the New Yorker, however, I've been looking for a buyer during the winter. It's a comfortable cruiser, but I'd like to have another 40's car to accompany the D24 if I could "liquidate" the big boat. (Teija does not allow me to by any more unless some of the existing will be sold) Also, there's no more room in the garage! - This winter I cannot do anything major operations due to the garage is jammed: There are the three cars you see in the picture plus my fathers 1954 Valmet-brand tractor and on the small side of the garage my fathers daily driver, that's four cars and a small farm tractor in one garage... Cheers, Pekka

Andy, I'd like to do the same with my D24. However, I am a bit shy to cut the coils... I'll put in the 1,5" blocks first and see how it will sit. At this moment, it seems to me the car leans a bit forward, thus it may look Ok without lowering the front end... I will also install fender skirts, already painted at the same time as the body in August.

Thanks, Bob. No, I do not yet have a traffic light viewer, I'll consider buying me one. The light blue car is a Dauphine, indeed. 1962 model, 850cc four cylinder and 3-speed manual pushing it from behind (=rear engine). It is my long time project, unfortunately no progress in last 15 years The yellow is 1977 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham, the model they used to call Imperial before 1975. 440cid + torqueflite. The both ends of the size scale in the same garage...

Thanks Andy, for the compliments. Your '41 looks good as a candy! By which means have you adjusted the stance? It sits really cool, not too low but better than the original height. My car is NOT going to be anywhere near to show quality, but a nice driver. The sun visor: Yes, I will also leave the original Fulton anti-glare green underneath the visor as it is, only paint the to side. I also dig the shade of the original anti glare. You're right, it really recalls something of 40's airplane interior colors... Cheers, Pekka

An up-date photo for a while: The assembly proceeds, even if painfully slow. I've only been to the garage once after the Christmas (due to long distance from my home...) Been polishing the stainless trim, doing some wood grain paint for interior, fitting the rear and front splash aprons, etc... Oh, also have been sanding and priming the sun visor at my small home garage: I decided to paint it on body color. I'll shoot the top coat in May when I return it to "the main garage"

Come on... I did not even bothered to study, on what excuse they talk about "coffee gas" - look at the devices they build: They have merely copied the CO-gas system that was used widely in Europe during WW2 to run cars on CO produced from wood burning in low oxygene. Almost pisses me of that they try to camouflage the old invention and make it fancy new invention. P.S. Every now and then there is some hermit who builds such car here in Finland and drive virtually for free using wood sticks. When the state officers find out, they send him a fuel tax which will make it 3-times more expensive to regular gas... It has happened in my home village as well. Here is the same thing, set up in 1940. On a Plymouth P6.

Sorry, I missed to underline the point of my method: None of the paint types used in professional car painting do NOT react with 2-component epoxy. Epoxy uses different type of dilutions and hardening of the epoxy is a chemical reaction btw the two components rather that evaporation such as in acrylic paint. Just the two qualities of epoxy make it a perfect sealer: - it does not react with previous coat when wet - it is very hard and tight thus does not let overcoat to react with the coats under the epoxy I've tested epoxy with several different types and ages of paint and never got boiling of wrinking. Thus you can say I am swearing on Epoxy.

My question is "why do you want to strip it to bare metal all over?" The way I did it: - removed fenders and took them to media blast - removed doors and soaked the bottoms in citron acid in my own garage in simple do-it-yourself pools. After wash and baking a coat of epoxy. - removed paint from suspicious looking areas by nitromors type of paint remover chemical - healthy areas, such as the roof and the hood, I just sealed by epoxy 2 component paint I disagree the opinion, that sanding by angle grinder would be easy on the metal. No way. It produces similar highly reactive surface (corrosion prone) as sand blasting. The environment must be 100% dry from atmospheric moisture if you think you will be able to lay a sealing paint coat before micro-corrosion will hit the surface. Thus I cannot understand what good it will ever do to sand the entire body to metal... Corroded areas need to be stripped, rust removed and area sealed. It does no good to strip paint away from healthy areas wahen you have inexpensive paints that will seal old coats forever.

Adam, Joe, I agree with you in the matter of driveability of the suspension and brakes of these cars. Driving defensively there is no problem running these cars 60...70 mph. Also modern cars are all not alike, some heavier, some with different brakes, thus one need to know his car and drive accordingly. However, the answer to Adam's question " I'm not sure what all the fear about running these things at higher speeds is from?" - is the engine and transmission: In my case, running 4.1:1 rear end I would need to rev 3100rpm from the engine to reach 60mph... Apart the noise (which is nowhere near comfortable) I am worried for the engine to throw a bearing. These engines were not designed to run high revs: The components such as pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft are way heavier than modern engines. Stroke/bore ratio is way higher than modern motors. The lubrication is not as good as modern engines. The materials were less spec than today's. These are TORQUE engines vs. modern HIGH REV power motors -(Which in fact is just the thing I LIKE) Thus this thread has been, what modifications we need to run that 60mph laid back easy manner. 3.73:1 rear end and tall radial tires will do the trick - 3.9 rear and OD even better.

It is surely not 1939 Chevrolet, the grille was way more sharp nose and hood also much more pointy. It could be 1938 Chevy, but most likely it is a 1937 pontiac Silver Streak, same nose as the wreck below.

Todd, It is a gas cooling system for the carbon monoxide aggregate. You see the wood burner in the back of the car in this photo: These were common during the war time in Finland, when we did not had supply for gasoline. Had to convert cars and trucks to run on carbon monoxide generated from domestic resource = wood.

Well, this time it was not particulary cold, temperature varied btw 15...20F (-5...-10Centigrades), started to snow in afternoon. Last year it was verrry cold, -32C, (-25F), January until mid February it is considered the heart of the winter in Finland, Spring time really begins no sooner but April. However, in Finland the weather varies quite much from year to year. Some years the snow stays until end of April, some years it may be almost summer weather in beginning of April. It's like a box of chocolates...

Hi Folks, Yesterday they drove the Annual Winter Run here in Jyväskylä once again. This time it was "the 40th Jubilee Rally", the first was ran in 1974. Please enjoy some great photography (copyright Petri Skog) of the day's event: http://www.petriskog.com/Transportation/Automotive/Talwiajot-2013 Yours truly was merely a spectator, maybe next year I will participate...

Fellows, You got me convinced that I will first install the OD and test drive it to find out the acceleration vs. cruising. It may be enough even with the current 4.1 rear end. However, Tim's math adding +8mph for every 0.2 change adds up to 48 mph difference goes wrong. The R10 ratio being 0.7:1 multiplies simply as follows: If I ran 50 mph at 2500rpm without OD, a 0.7 OD will run me 50/0.7 = 71mph at same 2500 rpm engine speed You can play with the simple division formula in MS excel, but here is simple web page with formulas programmed behind input cells: http://wahiduddin.net/calc/calc_speed_rpm.htm (Just NOTICE, that the formula input for tire size is tire RADIUS, not diameter. I used 13.5" for 205/75R15 tires) Other way round: Today I need to rev 2550rpm to reach 50 mph with my 4.1 rear end. Same setup, but 0.7 OD encaged I only need 1785rpm for the same 50 mph - Sounds very good to me! Finally, In case I should want to change the rear end ratio to, say, 3.9, as per Doug, I need to find a complete 3rd member, since 4.1 pumpkin does not allow smaller ratio pinion. The spline count should be 10 to match original D24 drive shafts, right?

Doug, Yes, you're right - I have a R10 unit on my garage floor, which I planned to install in my D24. (As I also wrote in this thread, I am still missing 6V relay and only have a defect solenoid). However, currently having 4.1:1 rear ratio the engine is noisy already at 50 mph, thus I anticipate installing R10 will only help some. My aim is to also improve the rear ratio. Now my concern is the interchangeability of the 3rd member. What is the drive shaft spline count in my 1948 and what are the available parts to 3.73:1 or 3.9:1. According to D24 work shop manual the business coupe models were delivered with 3.73 rear ends and 3.9 was available to all but 7-passenger limousine. Pekka

For sure it is 1948 model, but may be made in early 1949. When I contacted the W.P. Chrysler Historical Society (or whatever the name is) to find about my car, they told that that serial number was rolled out either late in December 1948 or in January 1949. Obviously the new model year was started a bit delayed in February 1949 with the all new "soap box" body styles. Whatever, the car for sale looks good for the price asked. The paint looks not original but tidy overall. The question obviously is, what is below the paint? Worth trying, anyway. I cannot see much of a risk in buying this at around 4kUSD.

Fellows, Shipping can be arranged. There are private business forwarders who haul cars in sea containers from US to EU all the time. They take heavy mid-size parts such these hogheads at reasonable cost and ship them in the corner of a container for us. What I am worried, is just this spline thing & other non-interchangeable features. I have a stock 1948 D24, thus the spline count will be different to late model parts - right? Just happen to come across this web-site: Vintage Auto Parts. http://www.vapinc.com/ What does this line mean: "Ring gear only - for use with 11T pinion" - is my D24 stock pinion 11 teeth - can I change ring gear only and thus get 3.55:1 ratio? Dodge Part # Tooth Count Ratio Price 1937-1956 Dodge WX2138D (Ring gear only. For use with 11T pinion) 39 3.55 to 1 $95.00

Tim, I recall I read somewhere that the business coupes were delivered with 3.73 rear ends, 7-passenger limos with 4.1 and the rest 3.9, as you told. Of course any body could have been ordered as per customer request. I am not fortunate, thus found stamping 4.1 on my car's hoghead... How rare are 3.73's to find? I really want to have that set for mine... Offers and suggestions welcome. Cheers, Pekka

Magnificent models you have there, Frankie - really cool looking. What scale they are?