Mabel - 1947 Dodge D24 Deluxe

[skyhawc]

Hey everyone, my name is J.T., and I'm recently the proud owner of a 1947 Dodge D24 Deluxe. The car is a one family owned, with 75, 715 original, documented miles. Flat 6 with Fluid Drive coupling. It was originally purchased at a now defunct local Dodge/Plymouth/Fiat Dealer in Roanoke, VA. This is my first foray into classic Dodge vehicles, and my first 40's era vehicle. I know the owner's had repainted the car sometime in the 70s as a lighter shade of blue, and it was documented in the Owners Manual, however the original Patrol Blue can still be seen in the door jambs, under hood, and inner trunk.  My goal is to maintain the vehicle as close to original as possible, and enjoy cruising it to local shows, weekends, etc...  My first order of business will be to go through the fuel system, as she has sat since 1999, by dropping/cleaning the tank, replacing hoses, and going through the carb. She already has a rebuilt fuel pump, new points/condenser and plugs. Then I'll go through the brakes, and install new tires.

 

I've found that the Sisson Choke is missing the linkage, and a manual choke cable was poorly installed. I plan upon carb rebuild to get the original style choke system functioning. I'm waiting on my service manual to arrive to assist in repairs, but will have plenty of questions as I dive into getting her reliable again.

 

 

[61spit]

Nice looking time capsule. Enjoy.

[keithb7]

Welcome to this forum. You found the right spot to surround yourself with support for the old car. 

 

You’re on the track. Fuel system. Ignition system. Brakes. Is it a manual with clutch, or fluid drive?

[MarcDeSoto]

One place I can recommend to you is the MyMopar site.  This site has the Master Tech series of booklets and filmstrips, and is a great way to give you knowledge on late 40s mechanics.  You can look up filmstrips by subject and by year.  They are great and entertaining, and they will teach you more than just reading the service manual.  

 

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=117

[Bbdakota]

Nice! Plenty of help on this site. 

[skyhawc]

12 hours ago, keithb7 said:

Welcome to this forum. You found the right spot to surround yourself with support for the old car. 

 

You’re on the track. Fuel system. Ignition system. Brakes. Is it a manual with clutch, or fluid drive?

has the fluid drive coupling. 

[RobertKB]

Welcome. That is a nice looking ride and you will have fun with it. Also, very nice to have some original paperwork with it.

 

I like the fact you want to keep it as original as possible! Please keep us updated on your progress getting it back to being roadworthy.

[skyhawc]

7 minutes ago, RobertKB said:

Welcome. That is a nice looking ride and you will have fun with it. Also, very nice to have some original paperwork with it.

 

I like the fact you want to keep it as original as possible! Please keep us updated on your progress getting it back to being roadworthy.

Thanks! I’ve been building cars since I was a kid, and have always modified them from mild to more extreme, however none have been as in well preserved & intact state as this Dodge. My wife & Kids love it, so it’s a permanent addition to my slowly growing collection.

[Dan Hiebert]

Welcome to the Forum!  That is indeed a good looking car, and since you're obviously a car guy, you will have fun with it.  I'm a bit partial to the D24s myself.  Lot's of good info here, just about every challenge you meet with your car will have been addressed herein at some point or another, and/or it never hurts to just ask away, gives the folks here an opportunity to help.

[hi_volt]

VERY nice ride.  I love the documentation that came with the car.  Welcome to the forum.  I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

[Tim Larson]

Fantastic car! Enjoy and share your progress!

[Worden18]

Welcome to the forum.  Great looking car.  You seem to have a good plan; keep us informed!

[skyhawc]

Thanks everyone. It will be some time before I can devote full attention to it. I’ve been working to wrap up bodywork on the interior trim pieces of our 62 Galaxie project. However took a fall in some wet leaves yesterday afternoon & broke my ankle. 
 

I did however pickup a spare Stromberg carb Sunday from a friend of mine. Will rebuild it so the car remains running when I’m back to being mobile enough for shop time!

 

 

[Doug&Deb]

Nice ride! The Deluxe is much more rare than the Custom trim level. Enjoy!

[_shel_ny]

Sent you a PM. Notice should pop up at the top of the page.

[skyhawc]

While I'm down for a month or so recovering from my broken ankle. I'd like to invest time into research and gaining more knowledge on what would be original.

 

Such as, I will need to do some minor rust repairs in the front floor boards, and trunk, due to aged weather seals, and sitting in a barn for 20yrs. This will involve removing the interior and removing all rust scale, neutralizing the rust, prep and paint. Since my goal is to maintain as close to original as possible, were the floors and trunk floor originally body color, or something different?

 

Also my understanding of the Deluxe trim option, was the front did not have carpet, but instead a rubber mat? Are these reproduced anywhere?

 

Also, for the Sisson Choke, does anyone have pictures of theirs and the length of it? I have the tools to fabricate my own, once I get a piece of round stock in the appropriate diameter, assuming I don't have anything laying around in parts storage or the shop.

 

I'll be ordering the carburetor rebuild kit shortly, I also plan to break down the wheels/tires, and will refinish the wheels back to the original Patrol Blue, and have the pin stripes replicated by a local pinstripper.

 

Added a few more pics... 

Edited December 8, 2019 by skyhawc

[skyhawc]

With the help of my brother & little niece, Mabel was moved into my carport next to my 56 Vic Project. Ordering new car covers for the winter.

 

my niece loved sitting in the car, got to start next generation out young!

Edited December 9, 2019 by skyhawc

[DJ194950]

For choke linkage rod 1/8" welding (gas) works perfectly.

 

DJ

[BobT-47P15]

Hi.  Nice looking car.  I see it has the original white metal wheel trim rings. ....although most are now rusty. Those would have come on the car when new since rubber to make whitewall tires was still in short supply following the war.  The rings gave the appearance of having the white sidewalls.  

[MackTheFinger]

I like it!!

[skyhawc]

5 hours ago, BobT-47P15 said:

Hi.  Nice looking car.  I see it has the original white metal wheel trim rings. ....although most are now rusty. Those would have come on the car when new since rubber to make whitewall tires was still in short supply following the war.  The rings gave the appearance of having the white sidewalls.  

yea! A couple have some pinholes, otherwise they’re solid.

 

anyone know if there is a specific color of white for them?

[9 foot box]

   I've put drain holes on the outboard body supports on my cars. Road dirt accumulates till it's packed.  Next Spring, you might want to flush the nests out of the frame. While your on the mend J.T., have you looked at the Resources and Technical tabs on the banner of this forum? It's some good information.

[skyhawc]

21 hours ago, 9 foot box said:

   I've put drain holes on the outboard body supports on my cars. Road dirt accumulates till it's packed.  Next Spring, you might want to flush the nests out of the frame. While your on the mend J.T., have you looked at the Resources and Technical tabs on the banner of this forum? It's some good information.

 

 I have been looking through them. Some leave me with more questions.  Such as the undercarriage and floors being a grey color vs body color. Curious if there is a known paint code for the grey?

 

My floor have some scale, and a few small holes from where it sat the last 23yrs. So during my rebuild of the brakes, I'll be removing the interior and removing the rust, and making necessary metal repairs. then would like to recoat them.

[John Reddie]

Welcome to the forum. I had a '48 Dodge 4 door and I loved it. I put an outside sunvisor on it and a driver's side spotlight. Of all the cars I've had since the middle 50's, it was the only one that had the ignition switch fail on. The fluid drive was great in slow moving traffic. Mine was black. I lke the blue color on yours.

John R

[skyhawc]

1 hour ago, John Reddie said:

Welcome to the forum. I had a '48 Dodge 4 door and I loved it. I put an outside sunvisor on it and a driver's side spotlight. Of all the cars I've had since the middle 50's, it was the only one that had the ignition switch fail on. The fluid drive was great in slow moving traffic. Mine was black. I lke the blue color on yours.

John R

 

Thanks John. I've only been able to run the car a bit, and sit in it, or google at it, but I'm enjoying it. Not sure if it's because it's new and unique to my experiences and my collection, or what. I love all my projects, and have had quite a few since I started at the age of 11, but this one brings me back to the enjoyment when I first started in the hobby.