"the steep learning curve " 39 dodge sedan !

[deathbound]

haha ! just me...speed is what you learn after 20 years being self employed in spain...if its not done well and quickly you won´t get paid !....actually even if you do, often you don´t get paid !!!

Speed kills......just kidding. You are knocking this car out & it looks great. I would never have imaged this from what you started with......keep it up. Dig the truck also.

[sig]

you´re all gonna hate me, but because its in primer (and there fore temporary and easitly removed ) and to draw a bit of interest at the hotrod show..I had a play with the paint and masking tape, inspires by the old war birds of the era

[builtfercomfort]

Check out 1939 US Air Force markings too.

[sig]

yes I looked but the aesthetics of the later models looked cooler to me

 

not much to report although I´ve been doing loads of tidying small things. door cards are made in mdf, and so now I can decide how to line them and what colours (any ideas?)..also the other side painted along with the mascot. they´ll be a proper pin-up show fat the hot rod show so it seemed fitting

[greg g]

The door card bottoms would have had a maroon leatherette panel about 9 inches up form the bottom. Door fabric was typically a light grey material short naped wool like. But you could always echo your exterior graphics onthe inside.

[Ulu]

The girl looks Russian in the red shirt & white hat. Blue or khaki would be better.

 

Too bad about the radiator. The fan is too far off from the radiator to cool properly without a special offset shroud.

 

Sometimes 1960's hotrods threw away the fan blades completely and used 2 electric (car heater) blower motors in front of the radiator to cool it.

 

Works better at idle than a slow mechanical fan, and doesn't rob horsepower off the crankshaft under acceleration.

 

American cars started using the thermostatic fan clutch instead, but eventually the factories all went to electric fans.

[sig]

I took the pinup from a this pic which uses the pre 42 usaf makings with the red dot in the middle..which ties in with the red lines of the dodge trim.....plus it needed to stand out a bit more than the rest of the car

 

the radiator stuff is on hold until after this show  on the 2nd may, but thanks for the info 

[Don Coatney]

 

 

Sometimes 1960's hotrods threw away the fan blades completely and used 2 electric (car heater) blower motors in front of the radiator to cool it.

 

Works better at idle than a slow mechanical fan, and doesn't rob horsepower off the crankshaft under acceleration.

 

 

I am using an electric pusher fan only. You are correct that the belt driven fan robs a bit of engine horse power. But the electric fan also requires a bit of horsepower. My fan is thermostatically controlled. When it runs at idle my engine RPM's drop as the alternator load increases. But once I hit about 30 MPH my fan shuts off as there is enough air passing through the radiator to sufficiently cool the engine.

 

 

[pflaming]

Don, good to see you back. Moves are not easy, when we next visit our daughter who lives just north of Indianapolis, will get together. Enjoy Indiana, i like the area, it's just above the hard humidity of the south and just below the hard snows from the lakes. .

[desoto1939]

The door card bottoms would have had a maroon leatherette panel about 9 inches up form the bottom. Door fabric was typically a light grey material short naped wool like. But you could always echo your exterior graphics onthe inside.

On the 39 Cars and I had a 39 Dodge and currently have a 39 Desoto the bottom lower part of the door about 3 inches wide would have had a hogshair matierial at the bottom to protect the door as a kick panel. Then the rest of the door panel would have been material, mostly a plain color mohair or broadcloth.  I still have the original interior in my 39 Desoto and the 39 Dodge that I had also had the same setup.

 

Also on the rear doors the same thing and the foot rest at the bottom of the fron seat would also have the same hogshair material. it is a very stiff material and rouch. I can take pictures if anyone is interested.

 

Rich HArtung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[DonaldSmith]

I found a car-and-boat carpet at the local flooring store that was a close match to the brown hogshair carpeting in my 47 DeSoto.  I'm sure the newer carpet is a synthetic, and can tolerate moisture better than the original. 

[sig]

On the 39 Cars and I had a 39 Dodge and currently have a 39 Desoto the bottom lower part of the door about 3 inches wide would have had a hogshair matierial at the bottom to protect the door as a kick panel. Then the rest of the door panel would have been material, mostly a plain color mohair or broadcloth.  I still have the original interior in my 39 Desoto and the 39 Dodge that I had also had the same setup.

 

Also on the rear doors the same thing and the foot rest at the bottom of the fron seat would also have the same hogshair material. it is a very stiff material and rouch. I can take pictures if anyone is interested.

 

Rich HArtung

Desoto1939@aol.com

interested in any pix please as all mine was gone or rotten apart from strands of a beige type of velour or something

[desoto1939]

I found a car-and-boat carpet at the local flooring store that was a close match to the brown hogshair carpeting in my 47 DeSoto.  I'm sure the newer carpet is a synthetic, and can tolerate moisture better than the original. 

Don: do you have any manufactures make or carpet number that you can provide.  Hirsh is the only supplier that i currently know that has the brown hogshair material and from the samples that I have gotten from him the material seels to be very thick to sew onto the door panels.

 

Rich HArtung

desoto1939@aol.com

[DonaldSmith]

In response to a personal request, I looked up the "hogshair" carpet I bought eleven years ago, and got the latest info from the local flooring place, Fairway Tile & Carpet in Clawson, Michigan (the color I bought is discontinued, but check out what they have): 

 

CDC Distributors, "Mount Vernon".  Call 800-678-2321, and punch 2 for the Order Desk.  They can give you the names of distributors who are local to you, who can show you samples, or maybe even have color swatches on line.  

 

Here are some photos of my carpeting:

 

[Ulu]

There's a reason they changed that uniform...

 

Dad was in the USAF, and in those days they wore khakis. Dress uniform went to blue, while common uniform went to sage green.

He became a staff officer (NCO) and always wore his class-A blues after the 50's.

 

Anyhow, aside from that and the radiator, the car seems to be going amazingly well.

 

 

I took the pinup from a this pic which uses the pre 42 usaf makings with the red dot in the middle..which ties in with the red lines of the dodge trim.....plus it needed to stand out a bit more than the rest of the car

 

the radiator stuff is on hold until after this show  on the 2nd may, but thanks for the info 

[Smokeywolf]

The pin up is spot on

The Mustang white strips are recognition markings used on allied aircraft from The 6th June 1944 D Day

There was a 39 At wheels day 2014 checkout YouTube

Your be done by Monday Sig keep up the good work

[knuckleharley]

I am using an electric pusher fan only. You are correct that the belt driven fan robs a bit of engine horse power. But the electric fan also requires a bit of horsepower. My fan is thermostatically controlled.

Don,not trying to be a wiseass,but did you notice the anti-freeze along the seam in your top tank?

[Ulu]

Yup. That's right where mine leaked too...

[Don Coatney]

Don,not trying to be a wiseass,but did you notice the anti-freeze along the seam in your top tank?

That is the reason I took that photo initially. Same as this photo below. Both repairs have been completed.

 

[BigDaddyO]

you´re all gonna hate me, but because its in primer (and there fore temporary and easitly removed ) and to draw a bit of interest at the hotrod show..I had a play with the paint and masking tape, inspires by the old war birds of the era

This plane was at the airport I worked at for a while. He would empty the hanger when he would do a low pass. Everybody ran outside to watch him go by. What a sound it would make.

[RobertKB]

This plane was at the airport I worked at for a while. He would empty the hanger when he would do a low pass. Everybody ran outside to watch him go by. What a sound it would make.

 

Nothing sounds like a Merlin engine at full throttle!! It'll make you willy tingle!!

[sig]

I didnt know the mustangs used the same engine as the spitfire ?...

[greg g]

The P-51 (named Mustang by British flyers) was designed to be powered by the American Allison engine.

The development of the aircraft came from a direct contract between North American Aviation and the British who were looking for a fighter bomber. The plane was vastly underpowered with the original powerplant. In fact it was nearly rejected by the Army Air Corps for failure to meet performance specifications. They were being sold to the RAC and they got repowered with the Merlin and the result was transformational. Then when fuel tanks both internal and external were reconfigured, they were transformed from ground attack to the long range bomber escort mission. They then became the dominant aircraft in the European theaters of the war, and acquired their reputation of the best propeller fighter of the era. Those manufactured for the USAAC were powered by engines made by Packard Motors to design and specs of the Merlin under liscence from Rolls Royce.

Edited April 26, 2014 by greg g

[RobertKB]

I didnt know the mustangs used the same engine as the spitfire ?...

 

Greg nailed it. Merlins also powered Lancasters, some Halifaxes, and my favourite, the Mosquito. The Mosquito was used by the Pathfinders to drop flares in the area to be bombed before the big boys arrived. These wooden fighter/bombers/pathfinders had no armament and their only protection was their speed, powered by two Merlins, which was greater than any German fighter.

 

Sorry to kind of change the thread but you did sort of start it with your decorations on the car.  Time to get back to the original topic and please post pictures of the car at the show on May 2.

Edited April 26, 2014 by RobertKB

[Andydodge]

Re Mustangs, the P51A was Allison engined, the P51B thru to K were all powered by the Packard Merlin.....the easy way to tell which engine is installed is the Allison engine aircraft have a distinctive air intake on the top of the fuselarge whereas the Merlins air intake is below the prop...........the Pathfinder Mossies were indeed unarmed but the Fighter/Bomber and Night Fighter versions were heavily armed with both machine gun, cannon & rockets..............andyd