Hello from Ontario Canada

[dodge38]

Hello all, I have followed this forum a while now and decided finally to join it. I live in Mississauga Ontario Canada.

I had earlier a 1970 Plymouth Duster with 360 cid V8 and 727 auto with manual valve body, I did quite a lot of work to that car but then lost the interest and sold it 2001, that was back in Finland where I'm from and that explains my weird name

I just bought my first rod project in April last year, it's a 1938 Dodge D8 4d sedan, it was quite original with the 6 cyl engine and 3 speed manual, it's not been driven in 50 years and it needs a complete rebuild.

Few project pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1126097...7639061490723/

My plan is to keep it fairly original with the 218cid 6 cyl engine and 3 speed manual, I'll convert it to 12V system but not sure about any other changes, I haven't decided what to do with the brakes and suspension yet.

- Hannu

 

[1941Rick]

Welcome Hannu.......good to see lots of pics.

Where in Finland were you?

[55 Fargo]

Welcome Hannu, sounds like a nice project you are starting. Canadian built 218 is a long engine, the same block for 228,237,251,265. Lots of parts readily available,enjoyed the pics.....Fred

Edited January 5, 2014 by Fargos-Go-Far

[dodge38]

Thanks guys!

 

Rick, I lived earlier in Tuusula which is in southern part of Finland about 50km north from Helsinki. I moved to Canada 2010. I also lived in US in Irving Texas 1999-2001, I kind of liked the "warm" weather there.

 

Fred, you may have seen almost the same introduction in Canadian Rodder forum. I haven't touched the engine yet but did some research already and like you said a lot of parts available. Seems like it would be quite easy to stroke this 218 engine with some Chrysler parts all the way up to 280 cid.

 

I plan to start some project thread for my Dodge hoping to receive some good advice and guidance from the experts here, and anyways I'll keep adding the pics to my Flickr account.

 

/ Hannu

[Mark D]

Tervetuloa foorumi. Olen ollut Tuusulaan vaimoni kanssa. Olemme vierailee Suomessa kahden vuoden välein vierailla hänen perheensä. There are a couple other guys from Finland on the forum as well. One I visited in Kokkola. You'll get good help with your questions here.

[dodge38]

Kiitos Mark, hyvaa Suomea kirjoitat ainakin jo

 

There is quite many guys working with old American cars in Finland, and in Tuusula there is a real Hot Rod shop Hersti Autoshop www.herstiautoshop.com

 

Now, back to garage...

[B-Watson]

First, have to determine whether it is a Canadian Dodge.  If the serial number starts with a "9", it was built in Windsor, Ontario.  If it begins with a "3", it was built at Dodge's Hamtramck plant in Detroit while a "4" would mean Evansville, Indiana.  Serial number is on a plate attached to the front passenger side door hinge post.

 

1938 was a transition year for Chrysler of Canada.  Its new engine plant was not completed when the model year began, and thus Canadian-built Chrysler vehicles used imported American engines.  The U.S. engine for the Dodge D8 Custom Six was the 23" block 217.8-cid six (3.25" bore and 4.38: stroke).

 

Mid-way through the year the engine plant opened and Chrysler of Canada began installing 25" block engines in their cars.  The D8 Custom Six used the 218.1-cid engine (3.38" bore and 4.06" stroke).  Installation of the 218.1-cid engine began at serial number 9,415,694 for the Dodge D8 Custom SIx.

 

All Canadian cars, starting around 1935, had a plate attached to the firewall with :

Model No   (Starts with D8)

Body No 

Paint Code

Trim Code

 

The headings and layout on the plate were done in black paint with the information stamped into plate.  After all these years probably only the stamped information remains. 

[dodge38]

Thanks for the excellent information Bill, seems like you live quite close to me.

 

I have a Canadian built car serial nbr 9416xxx and the plate says it's built in Windsor, and it has a 25" long block.

 

Do you happen to know what these codes mean?

 

Color 183 Trim ALM

[B-Watson]

Yes, I live on the west side of Toronto in the area called Etobicoke, just east of Mississauga.. 

 

The colour code, 183, is Black.   In the 1930's Chrysler of Canada had a unique code for each make for a colour.  Thus in 1938 black was 182 on Plymouth, 183 on Dodge, 184 on DeSoto and 185 on Chrysler.  1940 was the last year for that set up and starting in 1941 all cars used the same code for a colour. 

 

ALM is for the interior trim, but I have no info on Canadian Chrysler trim codes prior to 1949.  Chrysler of Canada used letters while Detroit used numbers.  The Canadian parts book did list trim codes, but they were the American numberic codes.  If you owned a Canadian-built car they advised the dealer to send in the car's serial number, trim code and a sample if possible.  From that the Chrysler warehouse would select the correct trim.

[mrwrstory]

I plan to start some project thread for my Dodge hoping to receive some good advice and guidance from the experts here, and anyways I'll keep adding the pics to my Flickr account.

 

 

/ Hannu

 

Welcome,

Project threads are cool.  Please do.  Many here will enjoy, ask questions and contribute.  We all love pictures!

[40phil41]

Hi Hannu,

 

I live just down the road from you in Burlington. Good luck with your project.

 

Phil

[deathbound]

Welcome from sunny So Cal.....Derek

[P15-D24]

Welcome to the community!  Cool project. 

[dodge38]

Thanks guys, there is quite a lot of pictures now in the flickr page, just finished tear down of the rear suspension.

Thanks Bill for the colour info.

[SammyDavis]

Welcome to the site! I have a 1938 Dodge coupe with a 1935 Dodge 216 that was rebuilt in 1970.Great driving cars with beautiful design.I am trying to upgrade the brakes.I went with a Ford nine inch rear from a 1965 Ford Econoline van.62" wide with 10" brakes and a better emergency brake.Disc brake kits are available from rustyhope.com I am still looking for a viable upgrade for the master cylinder that is a (almost )  a bolt in swap.If you are going to restore,I have saved a lot of my electronics since I did the 12 volt conversion.Later,Art in Waukesha,Wi.

Edited January 26, 2014 by SammyDavis

[SammyDavis]

Reminder that this is the 100th year anniversary of Dodge Brothers.1938 was the last of the true DB cars.Later,Art in Wuakesha,Wi.

[pflaming]

100 years! Will there be some sort of celebration somewhere? Maybe we should do a commemorative calendar. We cannot submit our own vehicle but submit others, pic the top 24 via a pol and display two each month. Start January with the oldest models and go as far as the Pilot's went (1954). Might be a nice fund raiser for the forum, I would buy a couple even before they were designed and printed. 

 

I realize the calender would be a year late, but so that would not matter to me. 

Edited January 26, 2014 by pflaming

[DCurrent]

WOW! What a project. I like the looks of your car. Kinda looks gangster like...at least my interpretation of one. Lots of work there, but pictures tell that you have been on it already for some time. Welcome to the group. Lots of good guys here that will keep encouraging you to stay on task and get-er-dun.

 

Darren

[B-Watson]

The first Dodge Brothers car was a 1915 model year touring car built in November, 1914.

 

The final Dodge Brothers car was the Dodge Brothers DB Senior Six, which ended production in June, 1930.

 

When Chrysler Corporation purchased Dodge Brothers in July, 1928, their 1929 models were already in production.  As a result, the 1929 Dodge Brothers Victory Six, Standard Six and Senior Six continued on.  In December, 1928 the new 1929 Dodge Brothers DA Six appeared but it was still a Dodge Brothers design, as was the 1930 Dodge Brothers DB Senior SIx,  The DA started out as a 1929 model but became a 1930 model at the beginning of July, 1929

 

The new 1930 models that went into production in December, 1929, were Chrysler designed and used Chrysler Corporation engines - both the six (DD) and eight (DC) cylinder engines shared with DeSoto six (K / CK) and eight (CF).  From then on the cars were sold as Dodge, not Dodge Brothers.  Same held for the Dodge Trucks.

 

Chrysler Corporation continued to use the Dodge Brothers emblem through to the end of the 1938 model year, which was ten years after the purchase of Dodge Brothers.  Chrysler also continued to use the Graham Brothers name, although not on a vehicle, into the 1930s.

 

Concerning a calendar, as the first Dodge Brothers car was a 1915 model built in November 1914, you could start the calendar in 2014 and go through 2015.

 

.

[dodge38]

Welcome to the site! I have a 1938 Dodge coupe with a 1935 Dodge 216 that was rebuilt in 1970.Great driving cars with beautiful design.I am trying to upgrade the brakes.I went with a Ford nine inch rear from a 1965 Ford Econoline van.62" wide with 10" brakes and a better emergency brake.Disc brake kits are available from rustyhope.com I am still looking for a viable upgrade for the master cylinder that is a (almost )  a bolt in swap.If you are going to restore,I have saved a lot of my electronics since I did the 12 volt conversion.Later,Art in Waukesha,Wi.

 

Thanks Art, I also convert to 12V system and keep the 6V system in storage just in case, yeah the coupe looks good as well, I think Butch's Cool Stuff sells bolt on master cyl/booster/pedal combos and disk brake conversions as well.

 

WOW! What a project. I like the looks of your car. Kinda looks gangster like...at least my interpretation of one. Lots of work there, but pictures tell that you have been on it already for some time. Welcome to the group. Lots of good guys here that will keep encouraging you to stay on task and get-er-dun.

 

Darren

 

Thanks Darren, yeah always liked the ganster movies and this was close enough for me. Sounds good, already got some advice on the springs here. A bit cold in my garage now so quite slow progress.

[Robert Horne]

On my 38 Plymouth, I installed an 86 Dodge master cylinder, using my original

pedal assembly. It worked good for 10 years, and later I replaced with a big Ford

master cylinder, that works about the same as the smaller Dodge unit.

Your tail lamp on the driver side looks like my Plymouth tail lamps, smaller than

the Dodge light on your passenger side.....

[dodge38]

Hi Bob,

Yes, the driver side tail light was wrong, it has a Dodge text on the lense and understood it's a truck model. I already found a replacement pair which were suppose to be from a 37 Plymouth and looks correct to me.

Thanks for the picture, I like that idea of using the original pedals and newer master cyl. I may buy a front end with usable front leafs and disk brake setup. Not sure about the master cyl bore size needed, I guess 1" should be better with manual brakes.