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Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

I'll be posting up a few pics of my progress on the 6-17 here.


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Where Are You From? United States

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

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Where Are You From? United States

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

15U is out!

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Where Are You From? United States

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Building a dolly as I'm lifting the body, corner by corner, inch by inch!


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Where Are You From? United States

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

All seperated! Where did my garage go?

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Where Are You From? United States

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Built a paint booth to aid in restoration. Shhh, don't tell the city.

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Where Are You From? United States

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Corey-Looks like you've really torn into it! From what I can see it looks like a great restoration candidate. What do you think the car needs? Many similar parts to my 6-14 with its 22A engine, but the engine and transmission are of course different. Let us know if you need any information or advice. Ross

Where Are You From? Orygun

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Thanks Ross! Well the biggest obstacle I'm trying to overcome is the rear main block filler for the engine. I've been in and out of touch with Mr. Butters, he's just soooo busy. Of course I will also be sourcing Mohair for upholstery, probably make a gas tank since this one is no good, finding the correct tires at a price that doesn't break the bank is becoming challenging. The car is missing the fender lights and wiper mechanism, I'd love to track those down. ANY advice is always welcome. I want to stay as original as possible. This is a very solid car and deserves attention to detail.

Where Are You From? Alabama

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Similarities yes but the 617 is part 70, 75 in the chassis. Differential 70, 75, 617. Rear axle 617. Wheels front back 617. Front axle parts 70, 75, 401, 617. Wheel bearings inner / out 70.75, 410, 617. Front springs 617. Rad 617. and so on.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 Dominion built 614 Sedan

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Thanks Norm, I'll keep that in mind when sourcing parts! Does anyone have an idea if the Continental 15U was put in other vehicles besides ours under a different suffix? I've been searching for an interchange book or file.

Where Are You From? United States

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 Durant 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Hi Cory,

Good to see you restoring your 617...In the past I have purchaced all my mohair from Lebaron-Bonney, however I see that they are no longer in buisness, so not sure who to deal with now...I just finished making the gas tank for my '32 DeVaux ( round rolled tank 11.5"x35" with baffle) if needed I can give you the particulars on that style of tank, gauge of steel, sources of fittings and hardware, pics and ect...I will also be needing a set of 5.50-19 tires... Lucas tire bought the old Goodyear molds and are producing them in New Zeland, the distributor in Long Beach,CA has them listed for I believe 149.00 blackwall, However on my last set I was able to negotiate the price conciderable...Keep up the good work!

P/S I like your paint booth.

Where Are You From? Yuma, AZ / Leavenworth, WA

Do You own a car built by Durant? several

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Hey Bill!

Thanks for the heads up on the tires. Good to know they may be flexible on price. As far as the tank goes, I have a bunch of aluminum laying around I was going to try and use, did you make plans for yours as you built it? I'd love to see pics.

Where Are You From? Argo, Alabama

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 Durant 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Corey...You must be into TIG welding if you are thinking of an aluminum tank...Coyote makes both Aluminum and steel filler necks, the #228 series is correct for our later cars, you may need to fab your own extention pipe.

Actually I made up two gas tanks, the first one I made was from a 35" piece of 12" 11 gauge irrigation pipe, since they don't make a pipe with an 11.1/2" outside diameter I had to slightly egg shape the tank in the hydraulic press so as to fit nicely into the tank saddle, then make matching egged end plates and baffle, you can't really see the egg shape, the only disadvantage is the weight which is about 55 lbs rather than about 25 lbs on a 16 gauge tank...I didn't realize that our fab shop in Wenatchee had a 4 foot roll when I made the first tank so I had the fab shop roll me a 11.1/2" OD by 35"by 16 gauge ring with a 1/2" overlap and sheer 3 pieces 12"x12"x 14 gauge plates to make the end plates and baffle from...The cost for rolling the ring and the plates was just over 100 bucks and was actually cheaper than getting the piece of irrigation pipe that I had a steel yard cut.

From my experience and from what I am hearing just about all of our old original later model gas tanks are
nearly rusted through with just their galvanize coating holding them together, they seam to rust especially bad on the top inside between the baffle and the filler neck...Thinking about maybe doing a detailed article for the Partner when I get the chance.

This one is made from the 12" irrigation pipe, threads for sender are tapped directly into tank...No construction plans, just laid out tank with soap stone as per original tank

IMG-1806

This is the rolled 16 gauge tank, it also has large flat washer flanges welded to tank for sender perch
and to reinforce filler neck...It also has the Coyote #228 filler neck, the other tank I removed and used the original filler neck.

IMG-1887


I sealed tank with POR-15 tank sealer, both to seal tank and to keep tank from rusting inside, also painted POR-15 paint directly to outside of tanks...Tough stuff and won't chip

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This is inside of rolled tank showing baffle and "removable" standpipe which I centered opening just above tank drain.

IMG-1878


And these are the two finished tanks
IMG-1888

Where Are You From? Yuma, AZ / Leavenworth, WA

Do You own a car built by Durant? several

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Hi Corey.
For upholstery, you can try SMS Fabrics in Canby, OR. a suburb south of Portland, OR. 360 South Redwood Street, Canby OR 97013, 505-263-3535. Going to their warehouse is like going to a candy store, just amazing. I was able to get EXACT, ORIGINAL seat fabric for my 1960 Olds 98 and EXACT, ORIGINAL seat and door panel fabric for my 1955 Olds 98. I did not think that was possible, but they have it.
A few comments based on my experience: they will send you free samples. Best if you send them a sample of the old material to match. They have reference/sample books for older cars like my Oldsmobiles, {they let me look through the Oldsmobile books to find the exact fabrics and colors I needed}, but they may not have reference books for very old limited production cars like our Durants. I did not ask abut Durant materials because I was mesmerized and excited by what they have available for my Oldsmobiles. Customer service is their weak point: often difficult to get someone to answer the phone when you call, and when you leave a message, it is often quite a while before they get around to returning your call. That said, they do have some amazing fabrics and vinyls. You can also order leather.
Let us know if you are successful.

Where Are You From? Ellensburg, WA

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes, several

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Hey Bill & Cory
I saw a recent post on the AACA forum from Steve Moscowitz Executive Director that SMS had made an offer to buy the Lebarron Bonney lock stock and barrel out of the bankruptcy proceedings. The post said they had until December 2nd to accept or turn down the offer. No further word on if the sale went through. Hopefully their customer service will get better if they buy out LB.

Where Are You From? Oviedo, Florida

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1928 Durant Model 65 4 door sedan

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Bill,

I definitely have the means to TIG haha. Those look great! I appreciate the information here. I'm definitely going to use it!

Where Are You From? Argo, Alabama

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 Durant 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Bob,

They were on my list but I was worried about what others were saying about wait time and customer service, if Mike is correct I may change my mind on them! Fingers crossed.But then again, where else am I gonna find Mohair anyways? Ha

Where Are You From? Argo, Alabama

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 Durant 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Be very careful when dealing with SMS using credit cards. Many have been burned dealing with them.

Where Are You From? North Eastern Md

Do You own a car built by Durant? D75

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

SMS is about 15 miles from me, so I could get your materials if you have a problem. I've never been there but they are in my backyard. Ross

Where Are You From? Orygun

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

That's good to hear Ross! I'm still searching for others after hearing all of the horror stories. I did however send them an email requesting pricing and a sample. We'll see what happens. I also found some Mohair material from Mac's (Eckler's) it seems to be of the Camel type though, I'm not sure that would work out for me. I am almost ready to prep the chassis and paint it. Moving along!

Where Are You From? Argo, Alabama

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 Durant 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Another material source might be Bill Hearch 1-800-828-2061.

Gary

Where Are You From? Washington State

Do You own a car built by Durant? Only good memories

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

The frame is now sand blasted and painted. BOY WHAT A JOB, my back still hurts. I used fine coal slag as the blasting media, it was about $10 per 50lb bag at the local Tractor Supply. I used 2 bags and recycled multiple times. The local O'reilly store didn't have the Nason epoxy primer I wanted. I ended up using a Nason 2k self etch and surfacer. I sprayed some Nason 1k Acrylic Enamel as the topcoat. It turned out fantastic in my opinion.




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Where Are You From? Argo, Al.

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

The wife and I started on the wood wheels. We removed the paint someone had put on in the 60's by using a heat gun and a scraper. Just a few seconds of heat and the paint bubbled and scraped off like butter! We then sanded them with 320 grit paper. We applied 3 coats of Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane in a gloss clear, allowing 6 hours of dry time and sanding between coats. one or two spokes on the passenger rear wheel were questionable, after further inspection I determined there is definitely enough meat there at the moment. I will now prep the metal of the wheels and paint with a 2k Urethane Base and High Image Clear from Nason. We are currently looking at tires and I've come up with 4.75/5.00-19 as the recommended size prior to 31? Looks like 31 on had the bigger tires from the factory? I'm REALLY loving the look of the Firestone White Walls from Coker.




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Where Are You From? Argo, Al.

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

1931 and prior were the 4:75/5:00 x 19. 1932 only were the 5:25/5:50 x 19 on Durant except the 618 which could be 18 or 19 inch. 1932 Frontenac E 670 5:25/5:50 x 18.
Queensway Tire in Simcoe Ont has the original tire books which verifies various tires used on our vehicles. They are also a Coker outlet.

Lester / Lucas are other tire outlets carrying the 19's black / white walls.

The 617 had its own wood spoke wheels.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan made by Dominion Motors

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

I appreciate the info Norman, that's a good price difference in tires! I'm sure I'll still be over 1k in tires, tubes, and protectors when it's all said and done! I'm also on the lookout for some fender lights and hood handles and locks. Mine was missing them all when purchased.

Where Are You From? Argo, AL

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 Durant 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Don't you also need the twin bar bumpers and medallions of the 1930 / 31 D's and lose the 1931 619 bumper that was on it. Another bit you might not know is the backing bars are identical 1930 - 32 for twin bar or single bar. Discovered that by accident talking to Jack working on his 1932 614 coupe and he looking for the backing bars, I said see what the 1930 coupe ones are like you have. Identical.

Fender lights are one of the most illusive things to find and are left or right with the spear foot under them. Those lights were used on Special and Deluxe models which make them even harder to find. Not well made and barn find cars usually only have the light stumps without the pots. The 1931 614 near here the pots are leaning backwards. One of mine has a ton of solder trying to hold the pot on, the other pot I found in back of the car again full of solder with 1931 Chev door and lense. I have since found a cracked door to replace the Chev one. What's that now ? got the 614 in 2006 and still looking for fender lights. Only seen one on eBay and a second one on a rusty front fender on eBay the seller wouldn't just sell me the light off of. The lenses are about as hard to find Depress Beam 3 x 2 3/4 #1179. Looked for years to find lights or lenses. Fluke one day I was going through lenses on eBay and one looked familiar but info was off. Looked more into it and seller was selling 8 pairs of the lenses NOS and wasn't the number 1179. Sure bought a pair off him.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan made by Dominion Motors

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Corey- Running gear looks great. Your starting frame looked to be in excellent shape. I don't think my neighbors would like me sandblasting my car in my driveway! When I sandblasted the body on my car(I used beach sand and attacked it at an angle, although I don't think you have to worry about warpage with the metal on our cars), the cloud of sand drifted quite a distance.It was at my friend's shop in a rural area and I think some cows got dusty. Neil Butters company noted earlier in this thread should have the patterns for the fender lights and lenses from the late Harvey Frid's moulds. Not sure he reproduces them at this time. I've got a full set of wood spokes that were takeoffs from my 6-14 that are in good shape but I see your hubs have 8 bolts and mine have five. Guess the 6-17 is more "heavy duty" than my puny 6-14. I've got a spare twin bar front bumper that is just like the one on my 6-14 in size. The main back bar is not the same, but Norm says the one you have may be the correct type on the bumper you have. I think I've even got a spare Durant shield type clamp. I've got one hood hold down catch but not the receiver that is riveted to the hood.(If it's the same as a 6-14). The handles on the hood itself look like kitchen hardware.Man,you are tearing into this project, but I see you have an apprentice.Ross

Where Are You From? Orygun

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Yeppers Ross. The 617 is an animal of itself. Wheels its own, rear axle shafts its own, wheel bearings 70, 75 and 617, rad its own, rad hose its own, fan belt its own, steering wheel its own, pitman arm its own, steering knuckle left / right and arm 70, 75, 401, 617. drag link 617, 618. Differential case 70, 75, 617. Bevel Ring gear / drive and pinion 617. Front spring 617. Just look at our aftermarkets to see. Even the headlights it has 617 has it own separate to the info on 65, 70, 75. Now those three can use 10 1/8 Twilite lense part 41118 same as 617 but there must be some difference to head light door as 617 is 41113 and the 3 can be 27113 or 24975.
Hood and hood latches are not mentioned in the aftermarkets for 617. Hood latches for E, 406, 407, 416, 610, 611, 612, 614, 615, 616, 618, 619, 670 45 cents. Must be some difference if both hood and latches not mentioned.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan made by Dominion Motors

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

That's great info Norm! At the moment I may just stick with the 619 bumper. I am saving all the other info you gave though, that's a huge help to seeing what I can cross to other cars in case I need those parts in the future. I'm still trying to get that rear main filler block as well. Alot of dough for that little piece of metal.

Ross,
Luckily my neighbors are great and none of that ended up over there haha. My apprentice has been a great help with the car. I'm just glad I married a hot female version of myself!Just out of curiosity, what would you be asking for that spare split bumper and hood clasp?

Where Are You From? Argo, AL

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 Durant 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Corey- I'd want $50.00 for the bumper(it needs rechroming) and I'll send you the hood clasp for the cost of one of those USPS envelopes. The big problem is the shipping costs on that heavy bumper. A couple of years ago I shipped a similar part to Georgia(it was lighter) and it was over $300.00. I think several cars used this style of bumper(Mopar?), so you might be on the lookout. Check out the bumper on Rosie Larson's beautiful 6-17 in the photograph section. That car was a no expense spared restoration(and I mean$$$$). Ross

Where Are You From? Orygun

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

That's definitely a fair price Ross. I'm sure shipping is going to be a bear. I've been trying to get back into the restoration section of the site for months. Is it down? The links dont seem to load anymore.

Where Are You From? Argo, AL

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 Durant 6-17

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

The photograph section on the left side of this page is working for me. And that's about all I know about websites.

Where Are You From? Orygun

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

The restoration section is located under Projects. Go to Photographs > Projects
If the link doesn't work, right click and select open in a new window.

Where Are You From? Fremont, CA

Do You own a car built by Durant? Two of them

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Good morning all! Still tooling away on the 617. Do any of the veterans here know if the 617 has any interchange as far as cowl panels? The only rust I ran into was the passenger lower front cowl. Instead of tooling a new one I was hoping to speed the project up by just buying a patch panel from another maker if it interchanges. Anyone know? Also what interchange books are out there to recommend? Thanks!

Where Are You From? Alabama

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 617

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Check out Chilton's Automotive Multiguide (spring 1931) for interchanges. These were reproduced in a large quanity several years ago are are easily available (usually about 10-20 bucks). The lower cowl sections will most often be rusted in all our cars where the wooden sill members are bolted/nailed. I had to remake these areas on my car and weld in sections. No interchanges with anything except other Durants, which doesn't help one bit.

Where Are You From? Orygun

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14

Re: 1930 Durant 617 Sedan with 15U Continental

Far as I know the 1930's have same bodies, 1931 / 32 have the chromed cowl band the 30 didn't. 617 is a sort of half and half Durant, chassis of the 29 but body of the 30.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ontario Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan made by Dominion Motors

 

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