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Question from an Aussie newbie


Nigel Bailey

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Hi all,

           I have just purchased a 1948 Australian-assembled Dodge D25, which I believe is basically a re-badged Plymouth P15, albeit with the 'Canadian' 25" 218 block? My question is: are basic service consumables such as plugs/leads/points/radiator hoses/fan belt etc the same as for the 'American' P15, and will I be right ordering P15 service parts such as these from suppliers in the US?  Are there any key differences (apart from the bore and stroke) that I need to be aware of when ordering parts for my D25? This is my first American 'old car' (I have previously run a number of 60's Peugeots and Citroens as daily drivers) and I'm finding your site a fantastic help! Cheers,

                                                                                                                               Nigel

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Nigel..........Welcome aboard.....these guys know their stuff........the Oz P15/D25 and SP15 were all essentially the same 1946-1948 Plymouth based vehicle with different grilles, badges and trim/moldings and upholstery.......the bodies were made by TJ Richards in Adelaide and should have a TJR stamping or plate on the firewall........here in Oz mopars used BOTH the short Dodge/Plymouth based 23" long 201/217 and 230 cube engine AND sometimes in the same year the DeSoto/Chrysler based 25" long 218/228 and 250(or 251)engine........both 23 and 25 inch e3ngines look the same but use different bore and stroke with  rods, pistons, cam, crank only being interchangeable between each of the short or long versions, external parts such as water pumps, dissys, starters etc may swap tho' there maybe some issues..........suspension parts and steering parts may swap..........your cars engine "may" have "KEW " in the front of the engine number....DO NOT mention this KEW to the Yanks as this is purely an OZ thing.......if yours is a 25" engine then you order specific parts to suit THAT size engine which shoulkd have a 3 & 3/8th bore and 4 & 1/16th stroke making 218.8 cubes........if this bore /stroke is correct do NOT get it confused with the 23" 217 Dodge/Plymouth engine..............basic consumables should be still available here in Oz.............btw your cars body shell, doors & trunk lid are uniquely Australian and different to US parts......the attached pic is of my Oz 1940 Dodge which uses the same basic body shel, doors and trunk lid as your car...........do you have a workshop manual?.........the Oz specific one was published in 1954 and covers 1946 to 1953..........if you want I am happy to talk on the phone, I'm in South Grafton, NSW north coast on 02 66 425963...........Andy Douglas            

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Hi Andy-thanks heaps for the info; I'm coming off a fairly low base with specific knowledge of these cars, so all advice gratefully received! (Didn't know the body was different from US models; just assumed they were assembled in SA from CKD kits). Yes, I do have the Oz specific manual, although it's not as detailed in some places as I'd hoped. Thanks for the offer; at some point I think you'll certainly be receiving a call from me to pick your brains! Cheers,

                                                                                                                                                          Nigel

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The Oz manual that was published by Scientific Publications in Rockdale NSW is the only workshop manual I've ever seen, they did one for 1936-42, then 46-53, then a  a 54 supplement, however I've not seen anything covering the 55-56 models which were basically the same as the 53/54 cars with minor appearance mods..........I have the 3 mentioned plus the Chrysler Royal 1957-60 AP1 & AP2 manual plus the 1961/62 AP3 supplement plus the US 1946-53 manual plus a few others.........there may have been an Oz  factory manual but I'v not seen any  ..I've been playing with 1940 Dodges since I bought my Oz 1940 Coupe  in 1969......the sedan I've had since 1971...........I must admit I wasn't aware of the differences between the US & Oz bodies till the late 1980's...........but easy way to tell if a 39-48 car in Oz is a US or Oz body is check if it has external door hinges, if so its a TJ Richards Oz body,......also 1939-48 Oz internal door handles and winders have the large splined male attachment, whereas all US cars used the 5/16th or 3/8th square shaft.........anyway got a pic of the car?.........we all love pics.........and where are you?.........regards, andyd    

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Hi all,

          thanks for the advice. Here are a few photos of the car Andy-so I'd say it's an Oz TJ Richards body then. I'm in Brisbane, but the car is currently in Tasmania; it will be delivered up here in c. 3 weeks' time. It has been fitted with some sort of older Stromberg carb (probably from a Holden) since the mid 70's, so one of the first tasks will be to locate the correct Carter carb! Cheers,

              Nigel

                                                                                                                                                          

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Nigel.........if you have the original carby and are a stickler for 100% stock then o/k but quite honestly the 179-202 Holden single barrel stromberg is a great replacement, easy to work on, runs well and parts are/were easy to find & it bolts straight on but your choice..........the 41 plymouth Coupe I had came with a Holden stromberg and it went fine, the biggest improvement was to install a Stovebolt Engineering HEI distributor.......instant starts, ran well, just a much improved car....however it was already 12 volts when I purchased the car which was fine by me........yep, your car is definately a TJ Richards build, looks to be in nice condition........andyd 

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Thanks Andy-that '41 coupe looks great! No I don't have the original carb, so once the Dodge arrives I'll see what sort of Stromberg is on it, and how it goes. It's still running the original 6 volt system though. Cheers,

                                       Nigel

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