Thread: Finished the '49 Dodge , but can't road test it.

I have a 51, 52 and 56 Fargo with step side boxes sitting on the farm. Would love to get them all going again some day.

Flat towed one home (about 15kms) accidentally in 3rd gear - dad was wondering why it was so heavy to tow. We had it running that afternoon after sitting in a field unused for over 10 years.

As a side note the same straight 6 engines were used in self propelled harvesters of the time.

Ripper job! As your next project, would you prefer my S3 SWB or the 1973 Inter van?
Alan

Originally Posted by crash

I have a 51, 52 and 56 Fargo with step side boxes sitting on the farm. Would love to get them all going again some day.

Flat towed one home (about 15kms) accidentally in 3rd gear - dad was wondering why it was so heavy to tow. We had it running that afternoon after sitting in a field unused for over 10 years.

As a side note the same straight 6 engines were used in self propelled harvesters of the time.

Also popular in small craft before outboards became affordable. The Dodge Kew engine was the nominated engine for a 16' skiff racing boat class with restricted modifications like Formula Ford. I acquired one about 1962 from the remains of a boat that had missed a turn and ran full tilt into a sandbank. It had a Frank Kleinig aluminium head and Kleinig inlet manifold with twin Stromberg 97's and cast iron split headers like those used later by GM-H.

goingbush, whilst I prefer a Ford of the same vintage because of their V8 engine, mate that looks absolutely MINT,...an absolute credit to you.
What is the history of the vehicle, and what sort of shape was it in prior to your work?
Congratulations & well done, Pickles.

Originally Posted by Pickles2

goingbush, whilst I prefer a Ford of the same vintage because of their V8 engine, mate that looks absolutely MINT,...an absolute credit to you.
What is the history of the vehicle, and what sort of shape was it in prior to your work?
Congratulations & well done, Pickles.

The Ford side valve V8 may have been OK in cool climates but in Western & North Qld they were not popular because of the designed in overheating problems. Exhaust ports running from one side of the block to the other made them into tea kettles in the tropics and semi-tropics.

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

The Ford side valve V8 may have been OK in cool climates but in Western & North Qld they were not popular because of the designed in overheating problems. Exhaust ports running from one side of the block to the other made them into tea kettles in the tropics and semi-tropics.

Well I never owned one, but growing up in Toowoomba, a few friends of mine out Roma way, owned a few, & I never heard of any issues.
Actually one friend of mine had one in a Bren Gun Carrier which He restored.
Having said that, I do accept that those Dodge engines of that vintage were virtually indestructible, and would keep going when they really should've expired.
Pickles.

Originally Posted by vnx205

What is the reason for the interesting spacing of the spark plugs?

yes, as JD said, the spark plugs are over the inlet valves. The cylinders pairs are also siamese like early Series one.


Here is a 'before' photo of the engine after I pulled the head for a look . The inlet manifold and ports and the 2 cylinders that had open inlet valves were absolutely caked with rust. I traced a previous owner who said it was running fine when he sold it due to hard times. I have to think the next owner must have left the bonnet open & air cleaner off during the wet season or ran a garden hose into the carby ?? note a single inlet port splits into a Y and feeds 2 cylinders .

3 cylinders were so rusted it needed liners pressed in, these engines were originally bored straight into the block and were not sleeved, it was an expensive repair but I wanted to save it.,

Originally Posted by Pickles2

Well I never owned one, but growing up in Toowoomba, a few friends of mine out Roma way, owned a few, & I never heard of any issues.
Actually one friend of mine had one in a Bren Gun Carrier which He restored.
Having said that, I do accept that those Dodge engines of that vintage were virtually indestructible, and would keep going when they really should've expired.
Pickles.

The same could be said for the better of the side valve engines designed in the late twenties and thirties. A combination of relatively low compression, low maximum rpm enforced by poor breathing, and by then the manufacturers had sorted out the major issues to do with lubrication and cooling, and understood more about combustion than earlier designers.

Having said that, compared to most modern engines, they had a low power/weight ratio, poor fuel economy, high oil consumption, and a short life, despite their reputation for being indestructible. But properly maintained, they were very unlikely to stop working for any reason that was not a simple roadside fix. And in the event of electrical problems, most could be crank started as long as there was a bit of power left to run the ignition. And would continue running even if badly worn.