Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[David Conwill]

Its not vintage but vintage style. Its a Ford Granada in disguise influenced by the Ford Delahaye. Built in 2003 on an 1986 donor.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u...ub Cumbria Rood of England Challenge (11).jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/961964/Sabre repaint 06.jpg

I finally figured out what this reminds me of - a Morgan Plus 8.

 

[Biopro]

I believe it is modelled on the Ford Delahare, but it is very Morganesque. The wings are much more rounded and flared than the Morgan though.

 

[Big Man]

Here's the receipt from the first car our family owned, a 1922 Dodge Brothers Touring Car. Quite a price to pay in 1922. My grandfather bought it new and drove it till 1927 when he bought a new '27 Olds sedan. I remember my grandmother telling me about this car.





This is the only picture I've ever seen that shows the entire car. It's not very clear, but it's all I have. The photo was taken along the dam of the new (at that time) Lake James.




Here's my aunt Hazel standing behind the car. Judging by the tag, the picture must have been taken in 1924.

 

[jamespowers]

Here's the receipt from the first car our family owned, a 1922 Dodge Brothers Touring Car. Quite a price to pay in 1922. My grandfather bought it new and drove it till 1927 when he bought a new '27 Olds sedan. I remember my grandmother telling me about this car.





This is the only picture I've ever seen that shows the entire car. It's not very clear, but it's all I have. The photo was taken along the dam of the new (at that time) Lake James.




Here's my aunt Hazel standing behind the car. Judging by the tag, the picture must have been taken in 1924.

Well, let's see, gold was 20.66 per ounce in 1922. Gold is 1,397.80 per ounce today. Using this, your car in gold would make your grandfather's car cost you $68,980 today. I think you could get a Cadillac today for that.

 

[jamespowers]

Just as an aside, that would take about 3 pounds of gold to buy that car then.

 

[LizzieMaine]

27 cents a gallon for gas? He must've got high-test.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I was thinking along similar lines myself. Lizzie your Dodge cost about the same or a little less when it was new and was a much better car. I have a garage bill my grandfather paid for repairs to his Ford in the early twenties , the bill includes 10 gallons gas @ 24 cents.

You could still buy gas around the same price in the fifties even though wages and living standards were a lot higher.

 

[Stanley Doble]

I agree $995 was a lot of money in 1922 but you got your money's worth. They were one tough car.

Oil field Dodge, promo film. See an early twenties Dodge meeting life in the raw on and off the roads of Texas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq2jY1trxqg

 

[Big Man]

I've got a question that I hope someone here can answer. What was the last year that Dodge had the starter in the floor? In 1972 when I was in high school, I drove a school bus. For a year or so the bus I had was an old model Dodge. It was an "extra" bus (one of the old buses that had been "retired" from regular use but kept around as a "spare"). The bus had the starter peddle in the floor. I think it was a late '40s or very early '50s model, but I'm just not sure. I know in 1972 it was a real POS, and was a bit of a challenge to drive.

So, anyone have a clue as to the last year Dodge had floor starters? That might help narrow down the year of that old bus.

 

[vitanola]

I was thinking along similar lines myself. Lizzie your Dodge cost about the same or a little less when it was new and was a much better car. I have a garage bill my grandfather paid for repairs to his Ford in the early twenties , the bill includes 10 gallons gas @ 24 cents.

You could still buy gas around the same price in the fifties even though wages and living standards were a lot higher.

The wide deployment of the McAfee catalytic cracking process between 1915 and 1930 greatly increased the yield of gasoline from a a barrel of crude. The development of the even more efficient Houdry process in the 1930's further increased yields at the same time as the immense oil fields around Beaumont, Texas went in to production. The price of motor fuel fell in real terms almost continuously between 1921 and 1973. Remember that fuel economy wavena important selling point to American motorists from the 'Twenties up to the early post-war years, but was little considered during the 'Sixties.

That 27 cent gas in 1922 is roughly the equivilent of our $3.75 fuel.

 

[1930artdeco]

I don't think modern 4X4's could put up with what that Dodge did and come out unscathed. I know my Model A could do that stuff but I would never do it to her. Although there are guys who put those cars through there paces in the Beijing to Paris rally.

Mike

 

[vitanola]

Yes, your New Ford could do it, so could a Flivver, but only the machines with all steel bodies, like those of the Dodge. The composite bodies used on the pre-1926 machines, and on the T model and A model. Fodor sedans would have not stood the gaff in the rollover.

I've actually driven a Flivver many times in such a manner. It is really great fun!

 

[tonyb]

I've got a question that I hope someone here can answer. What was the last year that Dodge had the starter in the floor? In 1972 when I was in high school, I drove a school bus. For a year or so the bus I had was an old model Dodge. It was an "extra" bus (one of the old buses that had been "retired" from regular use but kept around as a "spare"). The bus had the starter peddle in the floor. I think it was a late '40s or very early '50s model, but I'm just not sure. I know in 1972 it was a real POS, and was a bit of a challenge to drive.

So, anyone have a clue as to the last year Dodge had floor starters? That might help narrow down the year of that old bus.

Couldn't answer your specific question, but I feel compelled to pipe in that I once owned a '47 Dodge school bus. The 1947 models were the last of the "old" bodies. The new ones started with the '48 model year. It didn't need a horn, my grandfather told me (he was still very much alive when I acquired the thing), seeing how it said "dodge" right across its front.

And yes, the starter was actuated with a pedal on the floor.

 

[dh66]

I believe dodge had floor starters til about the mid 50s. I remember my granddad having an old ford truck with a floor starter. For some reason I've always thought it was an early 60s model, but now that I stop, I've got a 61ford; its a galaxie not a truck and it has a key switch. You do have to have it in neutral though. But I guess theres no reason a car wouldn't if a truck did. His truck must have been older than I thought. I remember he traded it for a new one in the mid 70s

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2

 

[Big Man]

Couldn't answer your specific question, but I feel compelled to pipe in that I once owned a '47 Dodge school bus. The 1947 models were the last of the "old" bodies. The new ones started with the '48 model year. It didn't need a horn, my grandfather told me (he was still very much alive when I acquired the thing), seeing how it said "dodge" right across its front.

And yes, the starter was actuated with a pedal on the floor.

Thanks for the information. Can you describe "old body" vs. "new body"? For some reason I want to say the bus was a 1952 model, but it could have been earlier.

 

[Stanley Doble]

The "old body" had the bug eyed headlights on top of the fenders. 48 up was the "Pilot House" model with the headlights in the fenders.

http://www.dodgepilothouseclub.org/dodge/dodge.htm

 

[Big Man]

The "old body" had the bug eyed headlights on top of the fenders. 48 up was the "Pilot House" model with the headlights in the fenders.

http://www.dodgepilothouseclub.org/dodge/dodge.htm

Thanks. The bus I drove back then did not look like one with an "old body". I must have been right in my thinking it was a '52 model.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Plodge's warped brake drum has been replaced, and much thanks to Bro. Powers for his recommendation of Moose Motors as a source for the parts -- got just what I needed at a very good price with no runaround and no rigamarole.

Next up on the rebuild-a-car-one-piece-at-a-time hit parade: worn kingpins. And here I thought that shimmy was just our crappy roads.

And speaking of floor starters -- mine has started to make a weird whistle/moan noise when I first start up in the morning. It's fine the rest of the day, although there have been a couple of times when the Bendix gear didn't seem to engage on the first kick. I added a few drops of oil in the oil cup, and the sound wasn't as bad this morning, but it still makes me nervous.

 

[jamespowers]

The Plodge's warped brake drum has been replaced, and much thanks to Bro. Powers for his recommendation of Moose Motors as a source for the parts -- got just what I needed at a very good price with no runaround and no rigamarole.

Next up on the rebuild-a-car-one-piece-at-a-time hit parade: worn kingpins. And here I thought that shimmy was just our crappy roads.

And speaking of floor starters -- mine has started to make a weird whistle/moan noise when I first start up in the morning. It's fine the rest of the day, although there have been a couple of times when the Bendix gear didn't seem to engage on the first kick. I added a few drops of oil in the oil cup, and the sound wasn't as bad this morning, but it still makes me nervous.

I am glad Jeff came through for you.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Plodge in action, captured the other day by a local street photographer --

I am not giving the Vulcan Salute.