DODGE engine start | Dennis Poore | Alfa Romeo 8C-35 transporter

The 1947 Dodge has seen all the action lately, so it was high time to give the 1940 ex- Dennis Poore / Alfa Romeo 8C-35 transporter some attention. It hadn't run in a few months so it was out with the fuel priming bottle, a freshly charged battery, followed by a start attempt.
This old stalwart of post-war motor racing has been with us since 1995 and, as previous videos have covered, it was in a poor state when first rescued all those years ago. If a vehicle could ever be described as being "part of the furniture" then this definitely qualifies, after approaching 30 years of ownership and researching its history.
This video covers a few recent toy finds, various fettlings on big and little Dodge, plus some garage tinkerings and helping out my youthful assistant with another display item in Fred the Shed. I also have a mystery gearbox that I hope someone can identify for me.
I'm keen to find more photographs of the ex- Dennis Poore Dodge VK62B when it was on display at the Donington Grand Prix museum in the early 1990s, if you can help, please drop me a line via the Old Classic Car website, or here in the comments section of the video. I took it back to Donington a few years back, post-restoration, and also to the Goodwood Revival in 2015.
I'm also curious as to the current whereabouts of the Poore Alfa 8C-35, chassis number 50013, as it hasn't been seen racing (now in the USA) for quite a few years.
Channel videos list: / oldclassiccarrj
OCC & classic car merchandise: www.redbubble....
OCC channel membership: / @oldclassiccaruk
OCC Patreon: / oldclassiccar
If you know of anyone else who might find these Old Classic Car videos of interest, please forward one of the above links to them. I'll include links to more videos about this classic racing car transporter at the end of this video.
#racingcartransporter #motorsport #goodwoodrevival

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Hi, The following link will bring up a time-lapse series of images documenting what went into rescuing big Dodge many years ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3Sbo4aBiK-BrKc A full list of the several hundred videos on the channel is here: kzbin.infovideos OCC classic merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/OldClassicCar/shop OCC Channel Membership now open!!! See the JOIN button for details OCC Patreon: www.patreon.com/OldClassicCar Channel homepage: kzbin.info/door/KaTg9fPUvmUQi94FcnDbrg If there are any petrolheads that you know that might find this kind of thing interesting, please pass on one of these links, thanks!

[@hondamonkeyboy]

My early Sunday mornings are always a little brighter when I sit down to watch an OCC tinkering/fettling/meeting video. Thank you Rick and Harley.

[@davidanderson8407]

Another great video Rick .Strange to think 1995 was 29 years ago!!!!!So cars that were brand new when you first got Big Dodge are now also classics!!!!!!

[@bobparadis2398]

Wonderful piece of racing history and a GREAT save from a sad death.

[@stevepearce1913]

I had the Cprgi Ecurie Ecosse Commer transporter and I wish I still had it mint and boxed as its worth thousands these days!

[@lawrence5117]

I also had one. But gave it to a young relative, disappeared forever.

[@ronpalmer1371]

Yep, I had one in excellent condition as all my Corgi cars, until I felt obliged to let a girlfriend’s two young boys play with them, all ruined an without tyres within a week 😢

[@lyndatomlins3448]

Great to hear the big Dodge 6 running. Here in NZ, similar Fargos & Dodges were usually big flatbeds for general haulage & farm work. There would have been far more big Ford V8s & Chev 6 trucks used here in '30s & '40s. Cheers.

[@daviddjerassi]

Denis Poore i knew from Norton villiers i raced a 250 cc 6 speed Villers starmaker and got a little bit of sponsorship from the company to race in the ulster GP in Dundrod all through Peter Inchley also working in NV Andover at that time Good memories love that straight 6 Dodge lots of power but thirsty i think thank you loved the video .

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Interesting!

[@Vince_uk]

Good Sunday breakfast viewing RJ

[@jefftaplin6544]

A lovely old girl, that! Thanks for sharing another great video, Mate!

[@badbooks476]

Superb video & Big Dodge is a credit to you, with all the original details, love the 1951 Goodwood pass

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Thanks 👍

[@christopherlewington7909]

That is a real Bobby dazzler...a beast...

[@conorgraafpietermaritzburg3720]

How lovely Big Dodge is!

[@dennis38y]

Another great video RJ, very interesting about the Dodge. A great piece of history preserved. Thanks

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Thanks for watching!

[@TVRdriver]

Hi Rick. It looks like an early sixties Reliant box. Excellent channel. Keep those videos coming.

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Thanks for the info, yes it's looking like a Reliant box which is useful to know

[@graemeburr6463]

Rick didn't realise you had restored "Big Dodge" from a derelict. You have done a beautiful job. Nice to hear its history too.

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Hi, the bulk of the work had to be farmed out although prior to that I'd spent years gathering info and parts from all four corners. This time-lapse gives you an idea of what went into it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3Sbo4aBiK-BrKc Thanks for watching.

[@malcolmherbert5127]

I think you might be wrong about that little plastic “indicator” on the oil filler cap of the Austin rocker cover. I think it might be the remains of a retaining strap which stopped you from losing the filler cap. You often see much the same thing on petrol filler caps.

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Possibly, I was told once that you'd slide the plastic thing around to illustrate which brand of oil was in the sump but I could be wrong. Thanks for watching.

[@richardsealey3626]

It is the remains of a plastic retaining ring, which was to prevent you losing the oil filler cap...........@@oldclassiccarUK

[@androo4519]

Nice to see Big Dodge running and out in the sunshine. I followed the fascinating (and at times it seemed quite daunting) restoration on your website many years ago (when I was bored in the office mostly...) long before I started watching the YT channel. Here we still are all these years later!

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Ha yes that was quite a while ago now :)

[@lanceleader8891]

Great to see Big Dodge out.

[@MichaelCondron-x8n]

A good day's work and interesting video cheers

[@suzyhornsby1411]

Great vid rick you put your heart into saving big dodge,and she is impressive.love all her history.well done.😊

[@oldclassiccarUK]

It was borderline obsession to see it saved really, it dictated us moving to where we are now so that we weren't reliant on others to accommodate it.

[@jonathanjohnson2138]

I would love to see big Dodge taken out, what a vehicle you have got there m.r. O.C.C! 👍

[@oldclassiccarUK]

The idea all along was to re-acquaint it with a selection of its original haunts post-WW2 rather than just take it to random events, although I did take it to a breakfast meet up a couple of years back (there's a vid about it on here). Best though was taking it to Goodwood in 2015, the circuit was the original owner's local venue and went there many times in the late 40s/early 50s. I managed to track down the two team mechanics that drove it post-WW2 (neither are still around) and the stories they had were great to hear and record.

[@tomday7309]

The beast looks and sounds great.

[@garywalker3818]

that dodge looks very good great blog as all ways keep them coming Gary from Crewe

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Thanks 👍

[@jonathangriffin1120]

Good score with model Merc GP car, do you have any Shackleton toys in your collection? They were made up in your neck of the woods, and were mainly Fodens. They were all held together with tiny nuts and screws, possibly BA. I had a Foden FG six legger when I was a wee lad, after I'd left home and my son was born I asked Dad about it but he'd given it to a mate of his for his son. A few years ago I was watching an episode of Antiques Roadshow from Wells Cathedral and a guy walked past the camera with a blue and yellow cardboard box under his arm, I knew what it was straight away! All The Best from chilly Somerset.

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Nope I've not bought a Shackleton but I have seen them for sale at toyfairs etc, lovely things, although I buy very few old toys I do try and restrict myself mainly to racing cars (and the occasional aircraft) otherwise things might get out of hand.

[@malcolmherbert5127]

In the middle 1960s to 1970 I worked for a wholesalers in Manchester (actually Salford) called Brown Brothers. They were in Irwell street which became Quay street, famous for the then Granada TV studios. For my dinner break I’d often walk up to Deansgate to buy a sandwich, and on my way up there one day I passed a smallish garage which I think was on the left hand side just as Irwell street became Quay street. Inside it was a Connaught racing car. I was then only about 17 and interested in cars, but unfortunately not well informed enough to really appreciate what I was seeing. I had a quick word with the man inside, who informed me what it was, but if he was the owner of the car or just a mechanic I don’t know. This is where my memory becomes very confused, but I’m sure I later heard that the car had crashed and killed its driver. I’d be very interested to find out if this little story rings a bell with anyone out there who can perhaps verify this story or correct some of the things I’ve related. To be honest, I sometimes wonder if I’ve dreamed this up, but I don’t think so as I’ve had a few of these rather vague memories which have later turned out to be pretty accurate in essence. I’d love a Pilot myself, but unfortunately don’t have garage space for one, it’s occupied by the Citroen CX you saw at Avro Heritage last year.

[@richardsealey3626]

I have lots of "dreams" like that, but usually after half a bottle of Glenmorangie..........

[@malcolmherbert5127]

@@richardsealey3626 I like Glenmorangie myself! But I can give you an example of what I mean. I went to school in Bolton, and in the town centre there was a model shop. For years after I thought I remembered seeing a huge green model robot in the window. This would have been about 1960, and I often thought I’d dreamt this up, but when I got access to the internet about 20 years ago I searched online and eventually found it, exactly as I remembered it. It’s actually a German toy called a Dux Astroman and there are a few short videos of them in action on KZbin. It was very pleasant to actually see one in action, but even more gratifying to know that my memory was correct after about 50 years. I’d love one now, but a good one fetches about £1000 these days.

[@fassfass7475]

hermoso trabajo saludos desde Chile

[@Bob-rn5ho]

Love your tinkering videos, makes a good start to a Sunday morning with a cupa and toast.

[@markgodsall139]

Hi Rick the gearbox box is from a reliant regal 3/25 or 3/30

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Thanks, that'd tie in with the place it came from (a gent who was big into Austin 7 specials)

[@allanriches9381]

Another great video of the type I love. For the level 4" rule I think it could be a tiler tool used in bathrooms or kitckens of the times around the 50's.

[@michaelkeen5010]

As I think I have mentioned before, my father, REME attached to the Kings Royal Rifle Corps drove a Dodge, similar to yours, but fitted with a two speed rear axle, and fitted out as a workshop wagon. At the end of the Desert Campaign he drove it up through Italy and across Germany, initially coupled to a captured 4 wheel Italian mobile workshop. En-route somewhere the workshop trailer was lost, nobody knew where. My father said that on the German aoutobahns he was struggling to keep up with his convoy, top gear in high ratio was too high, top gear in low ratio was too low, plus it was heavy rain and he kept having to lift off the accelerator to speed the wipers up. He told me that this trip had been his worst experience.

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Ha that puts my modest foggy drive out in the pickup recently into perspective :)

[@nickjones2536]

I think it may be a Reliant gearbox, possibly a Regal. I think Austin 7 special builders use them as an upgrade.

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Ah yes I see that'd make sense, thanks!

[@stephenricketts7764]

So nice to see 'Big Dodge' out of the garage. It is a credit to you that you have retained all its history and what a history it has! As I have mentioned before I think I would find a way to fit a modern reversing camera. Perhaps one on top and one at the bottom. It would save a lot of nervous reversing and there are plenty of places to hide a pop out screen in the cab. Just my opinion. I think my old Dad, a retired carpenter, might call the small spirit level a 'boat level' though they often have bow shaped ends like a boat of course but I could be wrong about this one. Interesting to see the toy cars as well.Thanks for the video Rick. 👍👍

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Thanks, I've a cupboard full of history about it and the car(s) it carried. Yes I have pondered the idea of a reversing camera, with the screen hidden in the glovebox. Thanks for watching!

[@northstar1950]

I'm fairly certain Craftmaster paints do a BMC 'Mowog' green that matches BMC engines.

[@RobertGott-c3f]

Another great video😮😮 Thank you😊

[@oldclassiccarUK]

You're too kind :)

[@RobertGott-c3f]

Always good to see 😌 the old girl

[@petersmith4455]

hi there. great video. the Dodge looks great.were these vehicles use in the Dam Busters 1950s film ? looks very similar, when Guy Gibson was going out to the Lancaster. i hope the Ferguson tractor is ok

[@oldclassiccarUK]

I don't think I've seen one like it in the Dambusters film, but if you look out Night Bombers on KZbin which was made in WW2, you do see one or two driving around in that

[@mervynprice7009]

I really have enjoyed your latest episode. First thing, You say you acquired the gear box with an Austin 7 special. Then it makes it easy to identify it as being a crash 4 speed box from a Reliant fitted with their version of the Austin 7 engine. I had a van version of one of these Reliant's & it was a very good fast box to use with fairly short throws, even though the angles that the lever went through looked a trifle large. Sorry, I am not prepared to identify it 100% As I am now nearly 78 years old & was less than 22 at the time. But I think it is. Now, as for the remainder, I worked for both Triang & the Metoy. Triang at Fullflood Road, Havant. The Metoy at Northampton. I was apprenticed first under my Father at Addiss & then Mono Universal, next to The Metoy in Swansea. This was on the same trading estate as the Marx Brothers Ltd, another toy company. I finished up first with Courtaulds & then with Conoco. So fibres then oil industry as an Engineer. The thing being that if you can work small, then you can work large. But if you learn to work large, it is incredibly difficult to work small. My point being that small cars are always of greater interest than large ones. Take your lorry, by lorry standards, is a baby. But having a closer look, for Its time, it is a revelation. 5 speed gear box for a start. Then we look at what else was available, by comparison it is a Rolls-Royce. Yes I have also worked in the car industry & North Sea Oil. I am an Engineer.

[@colinmuddell9672]

Another interesting tinkering video. Your rescue and sympathetic resoration of Big Dodge does you great credit. Impressive start up and what appears to be a healthy oil pressure, if the gauge is to be believed. Nice to see Harley using old wooden-handled screwdrivers; I have a self-same selection inherited from my dad and grandad, still in regular use. I trust Mrs OCC is is under strict instruction to keep the Mercedes toy cars carefully dusted?!!

[@oldclassiccarUK]

The responsibility for dusting toy cars lies squarely with their owners I'm afraid :)

[@erichlausch9886]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@tomday7309]

That is one tiny gearbox! That would qualify for a lawn tractor here in the US!

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Apparently it's from a Reliant 3-wheeler

[@giulianomarco]

😁👍

[@captaccordion]

I'm much impressed by your Dodge. Well done for saving it! The motor looks a size bigger than all the passenger car Chrysler Corp flathead sixes I've seen. What capacity is it?

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Yes these big engines were reserved for the 3-ton (and over) trucks, and were also used as industrial engines - 331 cubic inches, about 5.4 litre (available as petrol or diesel)

[@michaeltreadwell777]

Hi Rick, whilst I admire your dedication at restoring 'Big Dodge', and I do see the historical value in it, I really think it should be in a Museum. I can see no practical use for it, and all that space it takes up too. I know you have had it 25 years, but I think you need to part with it. I'm sorry to 'sit on the fence' about it, but really ???? Another great video, lots of tinkering and interesting 'bits' too. Thanks for making these videos for us. Take care 🙂

[@oldclassiccarUK]

If the opportunity came up to put it in a museum on loan then I'd consider it, but I like having it around. There is a Poore relation link in our family's past which I've yet to fully investigate so there may be a tenuous family link to the truck's former owner.

[@geraldfunnell7932]

Another great Sunday walking around your garage. Thank you 😊👏🏻

[@epj900]

No! the proof is not in the pudding , the proof of the pudding is in the eating

[@oldclassiccarUK]

Fair enough, when you're rambling on the fly the odd error can creep in

[@jwoody8815]

I LOVE classic and antique vehicles, especially the heavy duties, that old green dodge is a classic engineering beauty. In-fact if i ever buy a car it will be a classic, i like tech and all, but i think it gone too far for modern cars, and too damned much plastic.... There are some classic cars that get as good if not better fuel milage than some modern cars.....

[@jmtubbs1639]

Why shop locally for wire brushes at £1.29 when you can buy them for just £3.99 online, eh!