Andydodge

Duskylady.......... going by the pic you posted I'm also not sure that the hole has been welded.......looks just like a "plug" of some sort has been installed...........can you see the area where the plug is from underneath?..............if when looking from the bottom there also does not appear to be any welds or threads then I'd be inclined to try a gentle tap from the bottom with a steel/brass rob or drift about 5/16th diameter.........I have seen 2 types of dipsticks used, a "short" one that fitted straight into that hole and another that had a dipstick tube that was a pressfit from the top into that hole, this tube was about 6-8inches long and the correct dipstick to use with this tube had this extra 6-8inch length .............the more I look at your pic showing this blocked off hole the more that plug looks like just that.......a plug............but I'm 10,000 miles away so the view could be a little blurred........another thought..........just drill a small hole in the plug and screw a self tapping screw into it or insert an easyout tool.........hopefully it will undo the plug...............regards from Oz................andyd  

I've rebuilt a few of these front ends over the past 48 yrs I've been playing with 1940 Dodges and unless you have a proper hydraulic press and access to a set of reamers I wouldn't do the job myself.........certainly pulling the front end apart and reassembly is no great problem but installing the kin pin bushes and reaming them to the exact size of the kingpin is a job for some one who knows what they are doing, I've got the "man" to do the reaming etc then I do the rest.............whilst it maybe an issue finding someone who has the tools and experience in doing this its worth chasing down, a good front end alignment shop or a place that does truck alignments and/or repairs should not only have the experience, skills and tools but should happily do this job for a minimal cost as its a lot less hassle than the large truck stuff...........find a shop that can do the job, then you remove the old king pins & stub axles, clean them thoroughly(shops like nice clean parts to work on, lol) and get the shop to press out the old, in the new and ream to size............job done and you reassemble..............BTW make sure to get 1939 to 1954 Dodge/Plymouth CAR king pin sets as the pickup versions do NOT fit, NOR do any set thats to suit a 7 Passenger vehicle OR DeSoto/Chrysler vehicle from the 39-54 yrs...........as for shipping the spindle/stub axle to someone I'd think that the shipping cost would be prohibitive..............try a truck place first.............regards from Oz, Andy Douglas     

Gee, you Yanks have a convoluted accelerator linkage............that'll teach you guys to drive on the wrong side of the road, here in Oz the accelerator linkage uses bits of what you have but half the bells & whistles tho'........but we make up for it in the column shift dept........lol..........oops.......better get back in my corner now.......which side.....right hand or left hand corner.........lol.......regards,andyd. 

Daddy.......I have a 318 poly in the 40 Dodge, have a 16" fan mounted on the front of the radiator with a manual switch, 180 thermostat, later radiator and 13 pound cap.......around town in stop/start traffic I use the fan but once over 30/40 mph theres enough air coming thru the radiator........don't have a fan shroud, but it works fine......I have the standard 1940 Plymouth upper sheet metal panel(you can just see this piece in the upper right corner in front of the radiator in this pic) in front of the radiator that Plodges(Oz 1940 Dodges used Pymouth hoods, fenders etc with Dodge grilles & badges like the Canadians did) had and the lower piece also behind the grille, both ensure that air that comes thru the grille goes thru the radiator..........I'd mount the fan in front, manual switch and see how it goes...........andyd

I know this story of mine may not help but when I was young and silly I decided to restore the 1940 Dodge.........I was a pen pushing public servant so I removed the engine and took it to what I was told was the best "old" engine rebuilder in the whole city............I had the engine fully rebuilt, supposedly pistons, rings, bearings, lifters, timing chain etc, etc............and I got the engine back with the sump & head bolted on......installed the engine myself, and after about 1000 miles the rear main started to leak..........pulled the sump to check the rear main and found metal filings/shavings in the sump...........pulled the main caps and found scored bearings........went back to the "best" old engine builder who promptly told me I had stuffed up the engine.........vowed then and there to never allow anyone to assemble an engine for me again............pulled the stock running gear..........installed the 318 Poly, auto etc and a couple of years later decided to rebuild the Poly..........removed it, had it fully rebuilt, pistons, rings, bearings, full balance and ASSEMBLED it myself........this was in 1975 and its been in there ever since running just fine and dandy..............I am still just a glorified pen pusher, well maybe a bit more experienced now but essentially just an unqualified person but I can follow a workshop manual............. but by all means get the machining etc done by the best shop you can find BUT assemble it yourself..........I wish you all the best in this but until you pull the sump at the very least you will not know how things stand.............good luck...............Andy Douglas    

I know that my 1940 Dodge ignition switch is held onto the dash by a screw that's accessed via a hole directly underneath the switch on the curvature of the bottom of the dash............look along the curved edge and it should be visible , you insert the screwdriver, loosen the screw, do not completely undo as it can fall into a part of the dash that's hard to access......... and the ignition switch can be gentle pulled/slid back towards the firewall..........I am assuming the setups the same up to 1948...............andyd    

YES you can.....I have a 1940 spindle on my 1940 Dodge with 1941-56 stub axles that have the 3 holes(actually from an Oz 1962 Chrysler Royal which was a 1954 Plymouth with 55 Plymouth fenders etc....but I digress....lol) .......I am running disc brake and this setup has been on my car since about 1976.........you can't use the 1940 brakes backing plate on the 1941-56 spindle tho'..........anyway see the attached pic..................andyd 

I think you maybe missing the glove box latch spring..........I have been playing with 1940 Dodges since 1969 when I bought my 1st 1940 Oz Coupe and after pulling another 6 or 7 1940 Dodge sedans apart I was still none the wiser........my wife always complained about how awkward it was to open the glove box lid...............however about 3 or 4 yrs ago I saw a thread on here about a Glove Box Spring and although I think it referred to a later mopar the light finally came on in my head!!!...............lol.......after seeing what was more or less originally there I worked out that a small spring steel clip that was used to hold brake lines onto a chassis would work if I drilled a hole here and cut and shortened it there.........and there you have it.......after 40 yrs both me and more importantly "she who must be obeyed" can now push the glove box button and the glove box DOES indeed open...........lol............thank you P15-D24 Forum........btw I can't remember who or when this was mentione d but it was about 3-4 yrs ago.............lol..........hope this helps........andyd

That's an air cooled 2 speed cast Powerflite, note the air vents on the alloy bellhousing and no external cooling line outlets on the US drivers side of the cast iron gearbox.......not sure if it will fit the 6 or 55/56 Poly as there appears to be both starter locating areas on the bellhousing..........I would think its 55/56 yrs but unless you have all the parts including the torque converter and really, really have to have it then unless its virtually a freebee then I'd accept it .......but as someone who has lived with a cast iron Torqueflite, the Powerflites bigger brother for 35 yrs, then I'd hunt around for a Wilcap or similar adaptor and wack in a late model alloy Torqueflite or Chev auto...........just my 2.5 Oz cents worth......I'd accept it if it was a freebee as its a good talking point but not something to use........lol............regards, andyd