1923 Dodge Brothers Series 116 Touring Car: All-Steel Body on a 116-Inch Wheelbase

The 1923 Dodge Brothers Series 116 Touring Car used a 116-inch-wheelbase chassis, a 212.3-cu-in L-head four-cylinder engine, and a three-speed manual transmission. Its five-passenger open body retained separate fenders, running boards, a folding fabric top, and the upright radiator that defined Dodge Brothers cars of the early 1920s.

Best known for combining Dodge Brothers' durable four-cylinder mechanical package with an all-steel touring body, the Series 116 represents the mature form of the company's first-generation automobile rather than a clean-sheet postwar design. Collectors value it as a usable Nickel Era car with strong marque-club support, recognizable engineering, and a direct connection to the manufacturing methods that helped establish Dodge as a major American producer.

Quick Facts

The Series 116 name refers directly to wheelbase rather than to a modern platform or alphanumeric chassis code. This summary separates documented specifications from body-specific figures that can differ between catalogs.

The designation is frequently shortened to Dodge 116 in catalogs, club literature, and classified listings. A car advertised merely as a 1923 Dodge touring car still requires inspection of its serial identity, wheelbase, engine, and body details before it can be accepted as a correct Series 116.

Why the Series 116 Touring Car Matters

Dodge Brothers had built its reputation on a single sturdy four-cylinder platform rather than on a broad range of unrelated cars. By 1923, that formula had evolved into the longer Series 116, giving the passenger bodies more room while preserving the side-valve engine, conventional ladder frame, and straightforward rear-drive layout familiar to Dodge owners and mechanics.

The touring body also captures the American market before closed cars became dominant. Its removable side curtains and folding top offered weather protection, but the open passenger compartment remained lighter, less costly, and easier to manufacture than a fully enclosed sedan. Surviving touring cars therefore illustrate both Dodge's production methods and the practical compromises accepted by family motorists on unpaved and lightly surfaced roads.

Its all-steel body construction deserves particular attention. Dodge Brothers had adopted steel body panels and worked closely with Edward G. Budd's body-building enterprise at a time when composite bodies with extensive timber framing remained common. Steel did not make the car immune to deterioration, but it changed how the body aged, how it could be produced in quantity, and how a restorer must approach panel alignment and structural repair.

Historical Context and Development

Dodge Brothers After John and Horace Dodge

John Dodge died in January 1920, and Horace Dodge died in December of the same year. The company continued under professional management, retaining the engineering architecture and conservative product policy developed while the brothers were alive. The Series 116 arrived during this transitional ownership period, before the Dodge interests were sold to the investment banking firm Dillon, Read & Company in 1925.

Dodge was already a large producer, supported by a reputation for solid construction and standard equipment that had distinguished its cars from the cheapest automobiles. The Series 116 competed in a market shaped by Ford's Model T, Chevrolet's four-cylinder cars, and increasingly capable products from Essex, Studebaker, Buick, and other volume manufacturers. It could not match Ford's lowest pricing, so Dodge relied on perceived durability, electric starting and lighting, steel bodies, and a more substantial road-car character.

Evolution Rather Than Reinvention

The 116-inch chassis replaced the shorter 114-inch-wheelbase arrangement used by preceding Dodge passenger cars. Much of the mechanical concept remained familiar: a large-capacity four-cylinder engine, side valves, a conventional clutch and gearbox, a live rear axle, beam front axle, and semi-elliptic springs.

There was no homologation program and no factory competition derivative attached to the Series 116 Touring Car. Its development priorities were durability, passenger space, manufacturability, and operation over the uneven roads for which American cars needed generous suspension movement and robust wheels.

Body Design and Period Details

The Touring Car's visual mass sits between the axles, with an upright passenger compartment behind a long, flat-sided hood. Separate front and rear fenders, full running boards, exposed door hinges, and wood-spoke artillery wheels create the layered appearance typical of the period. The windshield folds, while the fabric top and detachable curtains make the car weather-resistant rather than weather-sealed.

Its radiator shell and hood form a narrow vertical front, a proportion dictated as much by cooling requirements and four-cylinder packaging as by styling. Inside, the controls are sparse by modern standards, with a large steering wheel, simple instruments, upright seating, and trim materials selected for hard use rather than elaborate decoration.

Engine and Drivetrain

The Series 116 retained Dodge Brothers' long-serving 212.3-cu-in four. Its 3.875-inch bore and 4.5-inch stroke produced a distinctly long-stroke layout, favoring useful low-speed pulling ability over high engine speed.

The 24 hp figure is the NACC rating calculated from cylinder bore and count, not a modern dynamometer measurement. Higher brake-horsepower figures appear in secondary references, but period rating conventions and inconsistent reporting make direct comparison with later cars misleading.

Fuel, Ignition, Lubrication, and Cooling

A single updraft-style carburetor supplies the engine, while surviving cars commonly retain a vacuum-assisted fuel-delivery arrangement associated with period Dodge installations. Any fuel system should be examined as a complete assembly because later electric pumps, replacement carburetors, altered tanks, and improvised shutoff valves are common on cars that remained in service for decades.

Ignition is by coil and distributor rather than magneto. Dodge Brothers was an early advocate of electric starting and lighting, and correct electrical equipment is a significant restoration concern because starter-generator components, switches, distributors, and wiring are frequently replaced or modified. A battery conversion may make a car operable but can remove expensive original equipment.

Lubrication reflects early low-speed engine practice, with pressure circulation and splash action serving different internal components. Cooling relies on a large cellular radiator and liquid circulation through the block and cylinder head. Block sediment, scale, corroded water passages, and deteriorated radiator cores can produce overheating even when the visible hoses appear sound.

Clutch, Gearbox, and Rear Axle

A dry clutch connects the engine to the three-speed sliding-gear transmission. There is no synchromesh, so clean shifts require deliberate timing and, on downshifts, double-clutching matched to road and engine speed. Gear noise is not automatically a defect in an early transmission, but heavy rumbling, jumping out of gear, or persistent tooth clash after correct operation warrants investigation.

The propeller shaft drives a live rear axle. Axle bearings, seals, gear contact, and lubricant compatibility matter greatly, particularly where old grease has hardened or modern lubricants have been added without considering bronze or other non-ferrous components.

Chassis, Suspension, Steering, and Brakes

The chassis follows established American practice of the period. A pressed-steel ladder frame carries the engine, transmission, axles, body, and running-board brackets, while the suspension is designed for wheel travel and durability rather than precise camber control.

Rear-wheel-only braking is the most consequential difference between the Series 116 and later cars fitted with four-wheel systems. Adjustment must be even from side to side, with round drums, sound linings, free pivots, and properly set rods. Installing later brakes or altered axles may improve capability, but it changes both authenticity and maintenance requirements.

Wood wheels are structural components, not decoration. Loose spokes, damaged hubs, dried or oil-soaked wood, incorrect rim hardware, and radial movement at the felloe require attention from a wheel specialist. The frame should also be checked around spring mounts, crossmembers, steering-box attachments, and body supports for cracks or old reinforcement plates.

Driving Experience and Handling Dynamics

The long-stroke four produces its useful effort at low engine speed. Acceleration is measured and strongly influenced by gradient, load, ignition setting, carburetor condition, and the driver's ability to use the unsynchronized gearbox. The engine should pull without repeated spitting through the carburetor, heavy detonation, or a persistent bottom-end knock.

At low speed, the large steering wheel supplies the leverage needed to move the front tires through manual linkage. Steering lightens once the car is rolling, although play from worn kingpins, tie-rod joints, wheel bearings, or the steering box can turn normal period movement into poor directional control.

The leaf springs and tall tires absorb broken surfaces effectively at modest speed, but the narrow track, high body, simple dampening, and beam axle encourage roll and vertical movement. A properly rebuilt car should feel flexible and deliberate, not unstable. Severe shimmy, axle tramp, or wandering points to wear, incorrect alignment, unsuitable tires, or loose wheels rather than unavoidable vintage character.

Brake operation requires anticipation. The rear drums offer much less reserve than a later four-wheel system, particularly on wet roads or long descents. Engine braking, correct gear selection, and generous following distance are part of operating the car as designed.

Identification and Originality

Serial Numbers and the Series 116 Designation

A 1923 Dodge does not have a modern 17-character VIN. Identification depends on the factory serial or car number, engine number, physical specifications, and surviving paperwork. Serial ranges and production cutoffs should be checked against recognized Dodge Brothers club records and period references before a title year or advertised model is accepted.

The engine number should be recorded exactly as stamped and examined for altered characters, ground surfaces, or an incorrect replacement block. Engine and chassis numbers should not be assumed to match in the modern sense. What matters is whether both fall within credible production information and whether old registration documents, restoration records, or historical photographs establish continuity.

Body and Equipment Clues

Measure the wheelbase at the axle centers rather than relying on a seller's description. The Touring Car should also be assessed as a five-passenger open body with the correct door arrangement, folding top hardware, windshield, running boards, splash aprons, fenders, and period seating layout.

Common substitutions include later carburetors, electric fuel pumps, modern distributors, non-original generators, sealed-beam lamps, replacement gauges, altered rims, later steering components, and improvised brake parts. Some changes are reversible, but locating a correct casting, switch, lamp, wheel hub, or top bracket can cost more than repairing the car's visible sheet metal.

Paint, Trim, and Matching-Numbers Claims

Modern paint-code labels did not exist in the later standardized form. Correct color research depends on factory sales literature, surviving protected paint, body disassembly evidence, and recognized marque references. A bright color seen on a restored car should not be treated as factory proof.

Interior materials, top fabric, side curtains, linoleum or rubber floor coverings, fasteners, and plated finishes deserve the same scrutiny. Reproduction upholstery may be neatly fitted yet use an incorrect grain, seam pattern, or padding profile. For serious judging, photographs taken before restoration and records of original materials are particularly valuable.

Variant and Body-Style Breakdown

The Series 116 was a chassis family rather than a single trim level. Passenger-body availability and catalog terminology changed during production, so the table identifies the principal configurations associated with the series without claiming undocumented body-by-body totals.

No factory racing, homologation, or high-output Series 116 Touring version is recognized. Exact production totals for the 1923 Touring Car are not consistently separated from broader Dodge Brothers production in readily available period records, so unsupported survival or rarity claims should be treated cautiously.

Performance and Dimensional Specifications

Standardized acceleration testing was not routinely published for ordinary American touring cars in 1923. Reliable 0 to 60 mph, quarter-mile, and independently verified top-speed figures are therefore omitted rather than reconstructed from later estimates.

Published weight can differ according to body style, equipment, and whether a source quotes shipping or road-ready weight. Any weight used for transport planning should come from the particular car or an applicable factory body listing, not from a sedan or roadster specification applied to the Touring Car.

Compared With Related Dodge Brothers Models

Earlier 114-Inch-Wheelbase Cars

The Series 116 is easily confused with earlier Dodge Brothers four-cylinder cars because the engine architecture and overall body language are closely related. The decisive dimensional change is the 116-inch wheelbase, two inches longer than the preceding 114-inch chassis. Detail differences in body panels, windshield hardware, lighting, instruments, and serial identity also matter when determining whether a car has been assembled from several donors.

Later Series 126 Cars

The Series 126 that followed later in the decade used a longer wheelbase and belongs to a subsequent stage of Dodge development. It should not be treated as a source of automatically interchangeable body, brake, axle, or chassis components. Parts that bolt on can still be visually or dimensionally wrong for a Series 116 restoration.

Against Ford, Chevrolet, and Essex

A Ford Model T was simpler and generally cheaper, supported by unmatched production volume and parts distribution. The Dodge offered a more substantial engine, a conventional three-speed transmission, and robust all-steel body construction. Chevrolet and Essex competed more directly for motorists seeking a conventional controls layout and greater refinement than the Ford.

None of these comparisons changes the Series 116's principal limitation in modern traffic: rear-wheel-only mechanical braking. A restored engine can make the Dodge surprisingly willing at moderate speeds, but braking distance and traffic visibility establish the sensible operating envelope.

Ownership and Restoration Notes

Engine and Cooling System

Before starting a dormant engine, remove the oil pan where practical, inspect accumulated sludge, verify oil circulation, and examine cylinder condition. Old fuel residue, stuck valves, brittle wiring, and a dry cooling system can turn a seemingly harmless first start into an expensive failure.

Cooling restoration often requires more than replacing hoses. Sediment gathers in the block, radiator tubes lose capacity, and old repairs may conceal cracked castings or leaking core plugs. The ignition timing and carburetor mixture must also be correct because retarded timing and lean operation add heat.

Transmission, Axle, and Brakes

Gearbox work can require specialist machining because bearings and gears are not always available as modern catalog replacements. A usable original gear is preferable to a poorly manufactured reproduction, while shafts, bushings, and bearings may need to be made or adapted by a shop familiar with prewar transmissions.

Brake rods, clevis pins, cross-shafts, return springs, and drum surfaces need inspection as a system. Adjusting around worn pivots produces unequal application and can make the car pull sharply. Correct lining material must suit the drum design and mechanical leverage rather than merely fit the shoe.

Body, Frame, and Wood Components

Although the body is steel, the car still contains wood in its wheels, top bows, floor structure, trim supports, and other fittings. Rust can develop beneath splash aprons, around body mounts, along lower panels, under running-board coverings, and wherever steel overlaps without drainage.

Panel alignment should be assessed with the body bolted to a straight frame. Repairing doors and sheet metal before correcting sagged mounts or twisted frame rails can lock poor gaps into an otherwise expensive restoration.

Parts Supply and Documentation

Routine ignition and carburetor service parts can often be found through specialist suppliers, antique-car clubs, swap meets, and owners' networks. Series-specific castings, electrical units, instruments, wheels, lamps, and body hardware are considerably harder. The cost of missing trim and mechanical ancillaries can exceed the cost of rebuilding a complete but worn original assembly.

A factory instruction book, applicable parts list, period sales catalog, old registration, and photographs should remain with the car. They assist with assembly, serial verification, finishes, and future provenance even when the vehicle has already undergone a complete restoration.

Buyer and Inspection Points

A Series 116 should be evaluated as a complete mechanical system and as a historical object. The most attractive paintwork cannot compensate for an incorrect chassis, unsafe wheels, missing electrical equipment, or a body assembled from incompatible components.

A long road test should follow static inspection once safety is established. Check cold starting, hot restarting, oil control, coolant loss, clutch release, all three gears, steering return, brake balance, wheel movement, and charging behavior.

Collector and Market Relevance

Collectors generally favor complete, correctly identified cars over disassembled projects, even when the latter appear inexpensive. The Series 116 uses many components that can be repaired, but completeness determines how much research, pattern-making, machining, and parts hunting a restoration will require.

Touring bodies offer excellent visibility and direct mechanical access, making them attractive for club tours and period events. Closed coupes and sedans may be scarcer among survivors, but rarity by itself does not establish desirability. Condition, documentation, correct equipment, running quality, and the accuracy of an older restoration have greater practical influence.

Cars retaining original sheet metal, engine castings, instruments, wheels, lamps, and top hardware deserve careful preservation. A sound older restoration with authentic materials can be more historically useful than a freshly finished car carrying modern upholstery, incorrect paint, hidden electrical conversions, and mixed-year components.

Cultural and Club Relevance

The Series 116 was a road and family car, not a purpose-built racing model. Its historical record is tied to everyday American motoring, rural travel, commercial life, and the shift from open to closed passenger bodies. That context matters more than attempts to attach an unsupported competition pedigree.

Dodge Brothers clubs and broader antique-automobile organizations have preserved technical knowledge that factory documentation alone does not always answer. Club tours also suit the car's intended operating pattern: moderate speeds, planned routes, frequent mechanical checks, and drivers familiar with manual spark control, unsynchronized shifting, and rear-wheel braking.

Its influence is visible in Dodge's early reputation for robust, conventionally controlled cars. The Series 116 shows how long a successful basic design could remain competitive through detail development, body improvements, and production refinement rather than annual mechanical reinvention.

Frequently Asked Questions

What engine is in the 1923 Dodge Brothers Series 116 Touring Car?

It uses a naturally aspirated 212.3-cu-in, approximately 3.48-liter, L-head inline-four. The bore is 3.875 inches and the stroke is 4.5 inches. Its commonly cited 24 hp figure is the NACC rating, not a modern net or gross dynamometer figure.

Why is it called the Series 116?

The number identifies the chassis wheelbase of 116 inches. It is a period series designation, not a modern platform code or a reference to engine displacement.

How can I identify a genuine 1923 Series 116?

Measure the wheelbase, record the factory serial and engine numbers exactly, and compare them with recognized Dodge Brothers production references. Confirm that the body, frame, engine, lamps, wheels, controls, and hardware agree with 1923 specifications. A title year alone is not sufficient evidence.

Did the 1923 Dodge Series 116 have four-wheel brakes?

No. The Series 116 used mechanically operated rear-wheel service brakes. Proper adjustment of drums, linings, rods, pivots, and cross-shafts is essential, and the car must be driven with substantially more braking distance than a later four-wheel-brake automobile.

Are parts available for a Series 116 restoration?

Club networks and specialist vendors can supply or locate many service items, gaskets, ignition parts, and reproduction materials. Correct starter-generator equipment, instruments, lamps, carburetor components, wheels, body hardware, and usable major castings are harder to find and may require rebuilding rather than replacement.

What are the most expensive restoration problems?

Missing touring-top hardware, damaged wood wheels, cracked engine castings, incomplete electrical equipment, worn gearbox or axle gears, and a rusted or distorted body can dominate the budget. A dismantled car with boxes of unidentified mixed-year parts is usually more demanding than a complete, worn example.

What makes the 1923 Dodge Brothers Touring Car collectible?

It combines the 116-inch chassis with Dodge's established 212.3-cu-in four and an all-steel open body from a decisive ownership period. Collectors also value its direct controls, touring-event usability, and the survival of factory mechanical and body details that were frequently modified during later service.

Collector Takeaway

The 1923 Series 116 Touring Car matters because it records Dodge Brothers at full production maturity while the company still relied on the rugged four-cylinder formula created during its founders' era. The 116-inch frame, steel body, long-stroke engine, three-speed gearbox, and rear-wheel mechanical brakes describe an automobile engineered for rough roads and owner maintenance, not for retrospective display.

The best example is not necessarily the one with the brightest paint. It is the car whose serial identity, wheelbase, engine, body hardware, electrical equipment, wheels, and restoration records agree with one another, and which drives with the steady low-speed competence its designers intended. Preserve those qualities and the Series 116 becomes a precise account of how Dodge earned its early reputation, one steel-bodied touring car at a time.