1937 Dodge D-5 4 Door Touring Sedan

HotSoup

Old Mossy Horns
You should send the manifolds to jet-hot and have them coated. They will look excellent and not be a rusty eyesore on an otherwise beautiful execution of parts.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Dad,

Long day, lots of progress.

Been thinking about your Dad, Pappy, all day while I struggled with installation of the transmission inspection cover. Each bolt i installed stripped the threads in the aluminum housing and wouldn't snug up. Cast about for new bolts, none, not even thread cutting versions. Couldn't find the right tap to clean out the holes, couldn't find the right tap for the next size up. Then I thought of Pappy's like new but 70 year old tap and die set. Dug it out and low and behold, a perfect new old tap in the correct next size up......5 minutes later all the mounting holes were drilled and tapped and the chrome inspection cover sitting between engine and transmission.

I measured the new all brass Walker 3 tube radiator with transmission cooler. 22 inches across. Measured the nose and it was 22 inches at the bottom tapering to 21 inches at the top. What to cut.....the cars radiator mounts or the new radiator itself......then i noticed, the shop had cut out the center brace in the nose. It fits in front of the radiator and when they removed it, for whatever reason, the top pinched in. So, I knocked in a piece of oak of the right length to see if it would spread, it did. So, a new center brace was made up and fitted in front of the radiator, including the original wiring clips to route the headlight and horn wires and we were in business. The new radiator slid right into place and looks grand. So, I spose its about time to button up the motor, wire it and hopefully soon, turn the key!

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bigten

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Rich, holler at me when you get ready for the first start. I could bring a couple pieces and help get adjustments set if you want.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Dad,

Reproduction 1937 Ford Steering Wheel has been converted to 1937 Dodge. Trimmed Bessy's original horn button skin to the right size. Gave it a buff. Glued it to the horn button of the replacement steering wheel. Like they were made for each other. Now if the dayum FedEx will just get off their butts and stop carrying the steering column on the truck for the last 6 days and actually make a rural delivery! I'd like to finish the steering....only a few hours work once the durn truck gets here.


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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
The flexalite black majic extreme electric fan with shroud was on sale on amazon. Regular $250, got it for $128. 15" s blade, reversible, adjustable fan controller, shrouded booted, not thru core mounted (brackets instead), 3300 cfm, soft start, and its sized perfect for the radiator of an 83 year old car. So......no metal fan, gonna give it a try.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
It's just a fan......or do ya mean the horn button?

I'll bet it's the fan, it was a real good deal. Lots to get excited about. :)
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
I think itll be sweet too. Lots of flawed work by the shop plus cosmetic damage but prolly still a classy driver. I am leaning toward it being my daily. We'll see. A ways off from that decision yet.
 

catfishrus

Twelve Pointer
I think itll be sweet too. Lots of flawed work by the shop plus cosmetic damage but prolly still a classy driver. I am leaning toward it being my daily. We'll see. A ways off from that decision yet.

I wont own a hot rod I cant drive. I know some like to collect them but I want to enjoy mine. You doing a amazing job...looks really nice. The history to this car is awesome. I think Mt. Gilead has a cruise in at some time. Oakboro cruise in is just a hope, skip, and jump away also. I go to Oakboro from time to time..alot of fun to see the cars and hang out with like minded folks.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Thanks. Back from a great quail hunt. Dad and I checked the new fan and we need an inch so....sheet metal back off and radiator back out tomorrow to find the space!
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Found the needed room by moving the cross brace and radiator forward 1 3/4 inches. Not sure I like the high mounted alan grove alternator bracket. Belt wrap on the water pump is about 25% of diameter so I installed a double alternator pulley. If it slips, I'll get or make up a passenger side alternator mount to try to get more wrap over the pump pulley.
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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Dad. Started routing the steering linkage. Waiting on another support bearing and thevcolimn drop bracket but looking like gentle angles and plenty of space.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Dad,

Progress on a lot of little things. Motor sitting in there and I really want to fire it off but it ain't like stickin one in a daily driver. So many little things to attend to first.

Rather than cobble together bits and pipes and elbows, I decided to go ahead and raise the radiator one inch. Got that half done today, finish it in the morning. No worries, plenty of room to get the radiator cap on and off and now the simple addition of a flexible lower hose (rather than a multi piece hose) will clear the fluid pipes on the power steering rack.

Got the steering column installed at the top and will finish locking it down at the firewall tomorrow. Looks good, a 28 inch unit was the perfect length, stainless with tilt. Its centered on the gauge panel and running within 1/16 inch of true. I'll probably trim the lower end of the column shaft to ease the angles on the joints a bit but all are well under 35 degrees. The tightest clearance is 3/8 inch and so, none of the shafts or joints will bump into stuff.

Nearly a full day was spent fitting the steering wheel to the column. Everything is universal/generic fit which means, make it fit yourself. It all bolted up okay but there was no room for the horn button. I needed 2 milimeters so.....out came the hand tools and got the top of the shaft trimmed, the retention nut thinned and the adapter fitted for full spline contact. Also had to fix the horn contacts as they were too short and no continuity.......so, shorten some parts, lentghen others and I picked up 3.5 mm of room inside the horn button. Final assembly is pending and so is final test, but I am confident we'll have a horn button in the center of that pretty Steering wheel that sounds off when you want it to.

Found some down pipes for the exhaust manifolds, waiting on exhaust doughnuts to fit them up then perhaps modify a Chevy truck y-pipe so I can get a start on exhaust.

Looking at and modifying a battery box to sit on the passenger side frame behind the front wheel. Clearances look good but will require trimming the inner fender panel and making a heat shield.

Front joints on the steering rack are installed, shaft fitted and a support bearing installed. Once the column is locked into position and I receive another support bearing, I'll make up the final shaft on the steering. Power steering hoses should be here in a day or so and I have already installed the 2 gallon per minute flow valve that will let us use the chevy power steering pump on a ford steering rack.

Still don't like the Alan Grove alternator mount. Nice piece but not much belt contact at the waterpump due to the high position of the alternator....but Old Bessy is sharp nosed and there just aint' much room on the passenger side. I've added double pulleys to double the belt contact and I'll try a longer belt. But if it slips I'll have to get jiggy cuttin up the existing mount and see what can be done to lower the alternator so as to wrap the belts across more of the water pump pully. I wish there was an idler pully I could modify, put on with a longer belt and so have more contact around the pump.

I can see the end.....lots of work but the jobs go fast and Ol Bessy ain't fighting me too much.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Dad,

Stainless tilt steering column is finally in....for the last time. Moved it left 1/2" to line the center up with the gauge panel. I suppose the factory column sat off center due to the 19" steering wheel. This one is 15" and the shift not only looks better, it makes a bit more room for brake and gas pedals and slightly eases the angles on the steering shaft joints.

Spent the better part of a day chasing the electrical fault in the horn wire. Did a partial disassembly and tested each part of the horn circuit from top to bottom through all of its several connections within the button, hub and base. Finally found the main fault when tugging on the wires......bad crimp at the column base connector.....re-crimped and it works great now. I suppose I'll pull, check and crimp every wire on the new column now to make sure nothing else is loose. Sure is a lot of work on these universal fit parts but, satisfied in the end.

Oh yeah, the position of the wheel? Very nice! Gonna make for a smooth ride.

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Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Dad,

She steers. A bit of movement in the flat bar that I used for a bracket on the one steering support bearing. Guess I'll have to remake it with a welded gusset. But no binding and the right hoses are on the way.....I ordered the wrong ones first time out. Been kinda trying figuring out what all parts the shop used, no list of parts, just look at em and guess mostly. Guessed wrong this time!

 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Dad,

No photos today but lots of work done. Took a break from all things motor to work on the front suspension now that much of the weight is on the car. Overall, front bumper dropped 1.75", measuring the body mounts at the cowl shows a 3/4" drop and the frame angle changed from 0 degrees/dead level to 1 degree down. All this with the removal of 1/2 coil from the front springs.

Still need to drop her more as the shocks indicated, at full extension they remain about 1/4 below the top mounting point. Also, the lower control arms leveled out from 21 degrees to 15 degrees down angle, we'll want them slightly down angled if not parallel to the ground with all the weight on, so a bit more trimming of the springs, perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 coil should do it in combination with the deeper of the two bottom spring mount points.

Bessy got mad at me for all the cutting today and she spit her drivers side coil spring at me while I was compressing it. Hit my knee and hurt a bit. Then she apologized and let me put the spring back in. Since there is another spring cut to do, I think I'll acquire a spring compresser to prevent launching one from under the car again. Bessy is okay, so is my knee.

Loosened up the top mounts on the suspension and roughly set the caster and camber. Wheels are about 1 degree in at the top and the top ball joint is slightly behind the lower now, sitting at an angle of about 3 degrees. Good enough till all the weight is on, final spring trim is completed, then recheck and readjust.

Set the tie rod ends at equal length and bolted them up. I had 2 inches of toe in so adjusted them equally to 3/16" toe in with the rubber on the rear of the tire equal distance from the frame rails. So, pretty much set up as she needs to be for the first drive. Now have to go back to the steering wheel and get it straight up. By the way, nice rack on the car.....steering is quick, 1 full turn from center gets you hard left or hard right....should handle nicely.

Ordered the wrong power steering hoses, so, they go back and the right ones are on the way this week.

Finished up the steering column mechanical connections and made up a cover plate for the big giant hole the shop drilled in the firewall (in the wrong place I might add) when they were thinking about installing the steering. It looks fine and will be hidden below the brake system.

Brake system.....measurements indicate a floor mounted master and booster would fit, the pedal however, will not......engine and transmission position will interfere with the pedal stroke and preclude hiding the brake system below the floor board.

More measurements indicate a completly hidden brake system under the dash may well fit. However, durn difficult to fill and service the system and leaves no room at all for heat and/or air conditioning.

So....cutting some pie plates to size and fiddling with tape and markers show the best location for the power brakes is the traditional one, up on the fire wall in the engine bay. Plenty of room there.
 

bigten

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Rich. I have GOT to get over and see in person what you are doing with this! I'm close now since you moved and available since I've retired.. can bring tools.. welder? Spring press?
Oh, rack and pinion steering needs about 1/16-0/0 toe. 3/16 will kill your tires quick...
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Can do. Come anytime. See where I'm at and advise me.Getting close to ready for welding, something I ain't good at. Let me get further along over a few weeks and we will make welding happen. Parts delays right now have me switching up jobs.

I had to run 3/16 to on that big blazer, they dont like to go straight....scrubbed the tires off in 25k miles but it wasn't twitching anymore. I'll lighten it up after cutting the coils again.
 

Sharps40

Old Mossy Horns
Dad,

Ordered the next to last of the big parts. Brake cylinder/pedal and power booster is inbound, so is an exhaust head pipe that could work for us. Last big part to get is a drive shaft. So, walking around the car and getting on to the littler stuff.

Got an idea for a stiffer and simpler steering bearing bracket. Started it today, will finish it this week.

Started pulling the wiring together for the front of the car, firewall forward. Some needs to be routed and connected before the brakes go in place on the firewall as the harness will run behind those parts. Pinned the wires for the steering column and hooked up those seven leads for turn signals, hazards, horn and ground. Laid in the 150 amp main fuse for the harness and got leads run for the alternator and starter. (awaiting the shifter so I can hook up reverse and neutral safety).

Finally finished up playing musical fan belts. Had to do many modifications to the Alan Grove bracketry on the front of the motor so it would fit a Dodge. As such, the recommended belt lengths were no longer suitable. Measuring around the pulleys yielded belts variously too short and too long. After a number of trips and belt exchanges, I've setteled on 39 inches for the power steering and 50 inches for the waterpump/alternator. Got pretty good contact around the water pump pulley, some adjustment remains in the brackets to take up any stretch after the run in and I think it'll work

Pulled the leads forward for the headlights and horns. Didn't hook them up yet, as I'll finish wiring the engine first. Since we are running halogen headlights, I'll be installing relay switches to keep the high ampherage away from the dash and switches. It'll also ensure full power go's to the lights as there will be no loss through the switching or long leads.

Straightened up the steering wheel on the column.

Found some exhaust doughnuts that fit the Flowtech Rams Horn exhaust manifolds.

Gathered up a battery box, just gotta decide where to put it. If the exhaust head pipe works out, we'll be running a single exhaust down the drivers side. In that case, I'll either mount the battery under the passenger side fender or perhaps mimic the factory installation by simply moving the battery from the floor under the drivers seat to the floor under the passenger seat.

Ain't gotten around to thinking much on the emergency brake cables but after an initial look at the 87 Jimmy, its quite possible those cables can be run in reverse and serve for an ebrake for Ol Bessy. If so, a nice and inexpensive factory like solution.
 
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