Robert Smith Posted April 10, 2012 Author Report Posted April 10, 2012 AndyDodge, I haven't had the chance to get the pieces to fit yet. I know I could make the dash trim piece fit, so long as the shop drills a hole for the light switch. It will take some time before that's done... I'm waiting to get the wiring all done and get this car on the road before I focus on the trim pieces... I have the ones you sent, haven't had much time to spend in the garage to take photos and post them. I really appreciate you sending those parts to me, they will go to good use, I need to send them to the chrome shop and have them re-plated and corrected to use. :-) I have some photos of the motor, and some numbers... I'll post those when I have the chance. Not sure exactly what number mine is, I'm still not positive if my car is a D14 or D17... The plate on the firewall is no help, can't read anything on it... it's just like a flat piece of metal with no real numbers embossed besides the body ID number which the previous owner mistook as the VIN. None of the original gauges are hooked up... The entire cluster is disconnected besides the speedometer. I hope to have them hooked up again when I'm getting the new wiring in. I can't wait to pull that headlight switch and see the dash lights come on... Why on earth did the previous owner feel the original dash instruments were worth fixing or what not... so retarded and not to leave the dash lamps in the dash.... their missing except for one that's wrapped in electrical tape with the rest of the wires coming from the firewall. When this thing hits the road... It'll have a sense of identity... As for now, it's a very confused car. =R Quote
fstfish66 Posted April 13, 2012 Report Posted April 13, 2012 very nice 40 dodge,,,glad to see some dodges plymouths seem to be more plentyful,,, heres mine not stock tho,, Quote
Bob Riding Posted April 14, 2012 Report Posted April 14, 2012 6v vs 12v, the only reason one would need 12v is for modern things like AC, 12v wiper motor conversion, an added electric radiator cooling fan and a "modern" radio. 6v bulbs are still available and even in LED form if you so desire...some folks say that 12v lights better..I dissagree simply by the fact that my wife's 4 D cell mag lite lights things up very well on only 6v...12v bulbs are just easier to find. Good grounds and connections are always critical to good lighting no matter what voltage one runs.Robert, does your amp gauge work? When you were driving did it show any charging or discharge? If you didn't notice that, you should take her out for another spin and check...it'll be good therapy anyway! I just installed new litho glass for my 40 plymouths dash and only then noticed that the speedo and gauges don't light really well..probably just me I'm sure. I'm in the process of painting the inside of the gauge pod silver to better reflect the light since there's only two bulbs in there to light the whole thing. I was also checking out my '40 Plymouth dash and was wondering if the LED replacements might work well since they are essentially mini flashlight beams? BTW, how does any light get to light up the ignition switch? Mine has a plug right in front of it... Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 16, 2012 Author Report Posted April 16, 2012 Ok, over the weekend I put in a rebuilt generator. I also just purchased a voltage regulator. I hooked it up and tried to polarize it... No sparks at all. There I tried to see if there was anything I was doing wrong... no sparks period. So, I'm curious if the 6v/12v combination I have eliminated the need to polarize... Or, that the regulator isn't even being used. Anyone have experience with the 6v/12v combination set up? Now, bare in mind, it's going bye-bye soon as the new wiring is connected! I'll be going back to 6v. and everything should work out fine. But in the mean time, the car starts perfectly, the car drives fine, and starts without any problems after sitting any place I have driven the car... so, it seems to be charging and not draining the batteries at all... So, who knows what's really happening. -=Rob Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 17, 2012 Author Report Posted April 17, 2012 Oooh, ahhhh... Looking for two of these: And two of these: Looking for a complete ashtray, mine is only the outer door with no lighter or mounting bracket. Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 17, 2012 Author Report Posted April 17, 2012 Good looking instruments, I'd be surprised if they didn't operate. Missing a good portion of the throttle linkage, oil filter holder, oil filter lines and mounting bracket. Missing the bracket that holds the spark plug wire spreader. Don't you just love the welded on flat plate of metal and the bolt and nut on the starter peddle contact from Home Depot? Oh so not cool. :-( Two fuse boxes I gather, top is 6v the bottom is 12v... a voltage regulator that I just installed, another small box with a clear top that I'm not sure what is exactly, could be the 6v -12v converter? *Sigh* Will all go bye bye when new harness arrives. Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 17, 2012 Author Report Posted April 17, 2012 The wiring to the horns are in such poor condition. Electrical tape was someone's best friend I gather. Yes, that's a diode soldered to one of the lead contacts to the gen. This is on the inside of the driver side fender, looks like some wires were cut and bypassed for the headlights? Hummm.... yeah. Fallow the shiny line coming from the Pep-Boys cluster in the glove box... The most obvious is the temp gauge... See, it goes right to the front of the water pump... Why? Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 17, 2012 Author Report Posted April 17, 2012 Electrical system cut-out switch. Yes, the original fuel pump was bypassed.... Naturally they just cut the line and left it there... No one will notice... Right? AndyDodge, this is for you pal! Close up of leading trim detail on driver side hood. A pitted trunk latch: Door handles: Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 17, 2012 Author Report Posted April 17, 2012 Ornament: Happy car... Well, will be happier when I'm done! Polished the chrome the other evening: Took this one this evening at sunset, she photographs well! Typical mild SoCal evening: I love this car! Quote
Andydodge Posted April 17, 2012 Report Posted April 17, 2012 Rob......thanks for the large pics, especially the headlights.........lol......its big enough for me to print out and tape onto my car..........lol.........at least then I'd have the correct surrounds..........that pic of the molding on the side of the hood is strange to me.......the hood is straight but the molding has an angle cut.........odd........whereas my car has the Plymouth hood and therefore those moldings go a few inches past that front hood edge.........other differences include the tailights(mine are 40 Plymouth), bumpers(40 Plymouth) and the fenders..................I appreciate the pics.......thanks.........btw if you can't get an ashtray bracket I may have a spare............regards, andyd Quote
TodFitch Posted April 17, 2012 Report Posted April 17, 2012 Good looking and solid car. I'd have that wiring harness out of there and replaced with something safe pretty quickly if it were my car. But from previous posts I think you have that high on your list. Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 17, 2012 Author Report Posted April 17, 2012 Rob......thanks for the large pics, especially the headlights.........lol......its big enough for me to print out and tape onto my car..........lol.........at least then I'd have the correct surrounds..........that pic of the molding on the side of the hood is strange to me.......the hood is straight but the molding has an angle cut.........odd........whereas my car has the Plymouth hood and therefore those moldings go a few inches past that front hood edge.........other differences include the tailights(mine are 40 Plymouth), bumpers(40 Plymouth) and the fenders..................I appreciate the pics.......thanks.........btw if you can't get an ashtray bracket I may have a spare............regards, andyd Yeah, there are differences since your body is a '40 Plymouth body with '40 Plymouth fenders and such. The US built Dodge's are different than those of the others made in other countries such as Australia and Canada. Glad you enjoyed the photos... I wanted to take them outside in the day light... they came out nice I think... was a beautiful day yesterday and an even nicer evening! If you have a spare ashtray with lighter and hardware to mount it in (Mine just sits there and isn't attached... Hardware missing) That would be perfectly swell! I'm curious if it would be the same, I'll take a photo or two of it to make sure it looks the same. Good looking and solid car. I'd have that wiring harness out of there and replaced with something safe pretty quickly if it were my car. But from previous posts I think you have that high on your list. Yes, you're correct! That current wiring is Public Enemy #1!!! It's strange to me how it can drive when I'm not sure the charging system is really doing it's job. I drove it around town yesterday, started each time! I even drove it to the store last night with the lights on... started right up... odd. If it were any normal system and wasn't charging, that battery would be flat after a trip up the street 4 blocks to the store at night. I'm just waiting on the wiring from Rhode Island wiring. Should be here in a week or so! Can't wait to get it all done! :-D Quote
Andydodge Posted April 17, 2012 Report Posted April 17, 2012 Rob, I'll check the parts dept(!).............I think I have the ashtray bits........will check......andyd Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 17, 2012 Author Report Posted April 17, 2012 Andy, you're so very helpful! And the rest of the contributions and comments from all of you are very much appreciated! Quote
fstfish66 Posted April 20, 2012 Report Posted April 20, 2012 i have some of that finned belt line trim,,i have no need for it and it wa givin to me,,,if you would like to try to make the cowl pieces out of it your welcome to it,,, PM me or E MAIL ME Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Posted April 24, 2012 i have some of that finned belt line trim,,i have no need for it and it wa givin to me,,,if you would like to try to make the cowl pieces out of it your welcome to it,,, PM me or E MAIL ME Hey, nice offer, I appreciate that! AndyDodge sent me some already for the missing pieces. I'll send you a PM and see what you want for it, it may come in handy, you never know. :-) =R Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Posted April 24, 2012 So, here's what's been happening in the world of this 1940 Dodge. I was driving locally over the weekend and I noticed some unhappy sounds in the transmission region let's say... So, I decided to take the car to a nearby shop I trust and see what's goings on. Well, I left the car with him and he called me a few hours later and told me what he discovered... So, found out that the drive shaft had some loose bolts holding it to the transmission, also one bolt was missing... So, he replaced it and tightened it all down... Then he checked the levels of transmission fluid and rear-end gear oil. NOTHING IN THERE!!!! It was greasy to a degree but, no grease left in the trany or rear end. I had all those topped off and had the car greased. He also said that the car's drive shaft isn't 100%. So, I know it's the original drive shaft and is expensive to rebuild or replace. I may have one made by Drive Shaft Specialists in Azusa, they made one for my '46... not sure what they'll charge these days but, it was a good move since they use new parts and standard "U" joints so it can be fixed in the future. And for the best part... While he had the car up on the lift, I was looking under it to see if there was anything else missing... Well, I found something missing... I was wondering what was causing it to sound so loud like a hot rod... This is all clear to me now... Reason being... THERE IS NO MUFFLER!!! LOL I looked at the exhaust line to see if there were any leaks... Kept looking and then thought... huh, there should be a muffler some place... Smack my hand on my forehead... Duh, no muffler here! Hahaha! So, next thing to do... Muffler and a possible drive shaft replacement. That's the latest and greatest on my end. -=R Quote
greg g Posted April 24, 2012 Report Posted April 24, 2012 You asked about the reason your temp guge was bodged to the waterpump. The answer is because the throttle linkage is bodged, and interferes where the temp gauge sending unit should be at the back of the head on the driver's side. Who ever did the electrical stuff looks like he holds a certificate from the Rube Goldberg sschool of electron herding. Quote
Young Ed Posted April 25, 2012 Report Posted April 25, 2012 Robert do you have a picture of the proper throttle linkage? I've got a p15 setup available if it looks the same. Quote
Ramon Angulo Posted April 25, 2012 Report Posted April 25, 2012 Ornament: Happy car... Well, will be happier when I'm done! Polished the chrome the other evening: Took this one this evening at sunset, she photographs well! Typical mild SoCal evening: I love this car! Beautifull car! Quote
fstfish66 Posted April 27, 2012 Report Posted April 27, 2012 Hey, nice offer, I appreciate that! AndyDodge sent me some already for the missing pieces. I'll send you a PM and see what you want for it, it may come in handy, you never know. :-)=R robert,, i have not gotten a PM from you,,you can have the ribbed trim,just pay the shipping if your intrested in it,, i work a rotating 12 hour night shift so if u P,M or E MAIL me i may not get back to you right away,,,,fstfish66@aol.com also,,,,any one here watch american pickers ?? this week they went on a pick in N, CAROLINA,,,,,guy had tons of junk and several cars, there was a 40 dodge 2 door sedan,and a 2 door coupe sitting,wish i knew where tthey were,,,,, Quote
Don Coatney Posted April 27, 2012 Report Posted April 27, 2012 also,,,,any one here watch american pickers ?? this week they went on a pick in N, CAROLINA,,,,,guy had tons of junk and several cars, there was a 40 dodge 2 door sedan,and a 2 door coupe sitting,wish i knew where tthey were,,,,,[/color] Good possibility they were in a Hillywood studio and trucked the cars and stuff in from somewhere. Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 29, 2012 Author Report Posted April 29, 2012 Robert do you have a picture of the proper throttle linkage? I've got a p15 setup available if it looks the same. I don't, I can probably find one... I'm thinking it should be nearly identical. However, the Dodge has a floor starter peddle apposed to the P-15 Dash starter button if that makes any difference. I'll see if I can find a photo of the engine bay of a D-14 or 17 and I'll post it here... Unless if another '40 Dodge owner would provide some detailed photos, that would be a better route. robert,, i have not gotten a PM from you,,you can have the ribbed trim,just pay the shipping if your intrested in it,, i work a rotating 12 hour night shift so if u P,M or E MAIL me i may not get back to you right away,,,,fstfish66@aol.com[/color] I thought I did send one... Maybe not. Let me know what shipping would be and I'll send the payment for that. :-) Quote
Robert Smith Posted April 29, 2012 Author Report Posted April 29, 2012 (edited) Beautifull car! Thanks! She's easy on the eyes. By the way, yesterday I got a muffler on the car... The guys at the shop also inspected the exhaust pipe and noticed that it had a nice kink in the section that goes over the rear axle. So, it was obstructing the exhaust as well... I gave the green light to replace it and it's driving nicer now and much quieter! NICE! Who ever did the electrical stuff looks like he holds a certificate from the Rube Goldberg school of electron herding. LOL I'm inclined to agree with you on that one! Edited April 29, 2012 by Robert Smith Quote
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