'34 Dodge Brothers, double build.

[Torchie]

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Torchie

 

[dutch]

sweet... I like those poly engines

 

[kenny c]

Mac: It seems you have a lot of stuff squirreled away in sheds. Is there any thing you don't have?[ddd

 

[MercuryMac]

Food for thought Kenny, if a question can be that.
I'm pretty sure there's no 'hotrod builder hired man' hidden in any shed, or I could have about three more finished projects. Oh, and there's not enough '30's coupes of any brand out there.
But ya, I'm guilty of having quite a bit of stuff.

 

[MercuryMac]

I noticed that the vibration dampener was loose where the rubber bonding is. After tapping it all straight again, I mounted it on the crankshaft. The jostling about made it crooked again. So, I thought I'd just run out to the machine shed and pull another one off of an old motor. One motor had a different style of pulley system on it, but the other one looked good. I had set the good motor on an old tire so it wouldn't settle into the mud too much. The tire was rucked up around the vibration dampener. A trip back to the shop for a crowbar. I pried and pried to no avail, until I realized that the pan was sitting on the dirt and frozen down. So, all the while, I was lifting the whole earth. I finally broke it free and then tried to make my puller work. That took a few trips back to the shop. Anyhow, what should have taken ten minutes took most of the afternoon. It seems to be in good shape and is now cleaned up and primed.

 

[soltz]

Labor of love [S

 

[Old Iron]

Where does the fuel pump do on those engines? My Hemi has one where the breather is on that one.

 

[MercuryMac]

You're just guessing, OI, ---- where the fuel pump goes.
Well, you're right. I made the oil filler tube/breather, so it bolted on to the fuel pump boss. Now, I have to have an electric fuel pump, but I can fill in the filler hole in the valve cover and smooth that out. Then I can mount the sparkplug wires on the valve covers nicely, I hope.

 

[Old Iron]

Mine has a block off there too and I run an intank electric pump

 

[MercuryMac]

Today, I mostly avoided the '36 Ford, and worked on the Dodge Brothers. I found the fan, cleaned it up, primed it and painted it. The vibration dampener and pulleys were painted and dried, so I mounted them on the engine. Then the alternator was next. Once the pulleys were on I could line up the alternator better. Since I made an oil filler on the right side of the motor I had to put the alternator on the left. There's a reason that Chrysler puts them on the right. The heads on a V engine are staggered and the right hand head on these motors is further back than the left so there is more room over there on the right. There was a tense moment when I mocked the alternator up on the left and the pulleys didn't line up. Luckily, I have double pulleys on each shaft, so I can run the belt in the front grooves on the the crank and water pump, and on the back one on the alternator.

 

[Torchie]

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Torchie

 

[MercuryMac]

After a town day, getting my new starter and a few different drill bits; carbide, cobalt, and titanium, and seeing if anyone could get me a T-5 shifting block, with no success, I came home.
It turns out that I couldn't put the alternator in close on the left side. I moved the alternator out, and started making bracketry. Here's the mockup.

 

[Couper]

Hey Merc....you got your work cut out for you on that front end! I have 100% confidence in you man!

 

[MercuryMac]

I feel just like the button on the backhouse door, turning this way and that way, with no plan. Today, I thought about the alternator a way out there on the left, and went and measured the truck engine compartment for room. The fender is too close by about 4 inches. So-----, the alternator goes back on the right side, and the oil filler spout will have to be re-invented. The linkage is coming together.

 

[kenny c]

Is there room to mount it above the engine between the valve covers?

 

[Old Iron]

Denso make a really small alternator for the small tractors that could be tucked up on the lower side if the engine.

 

[MercuryMac]

Both of your suggestions are good and I haven't given much thought to them. OI's thoughts are trumped by my Scottishness. I have five Chrysler alternators, three of which are new, so I don't want to go and buy another new one. And Kennys' idea, I hadn't thought about much because I have a very rare Poly six pack carb system to go on there and there won't be much room up there. A generator wouldn't fit up on top, and I really wanted a generator on a ratrod, but an alternator might fit. [[

 

[MercuryMac]

I got a real plan and finally make the bracketry to tuck the alternator tightly in on the right-hand side. Now to start remaking the oil filler tube.

 

[Old Iron]

[cl
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[MercuryMac]

The alternator is mounted, [pic one] and the oil filler tube is planned out and cut apart.