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Jomani

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Everything posted by Jomani

  1. I was able to finish up the engine build today. The 360 came stock with a 2 barrel - I picked up a cheap 4 barrel aluminum intake. Not trying to build a race truck, just looking for something reliable to put around town. Probably go with a Holley 600 cfm carb. Time me to start working on an engine run stand. The radiator and steel from the lumber rack on the old motor home should make for a nice stand at virtually no cost.
  2. I worked as a field service diesel mechanic a long time ago. For ease of future service, my rule of thumb was to never use any type of sealant on the engine side of anything. It is much easier to scrape the old gasket off the part (sitting on the back of my truck) than the engine while it is still in the vehicle. The other reason I do it that way - if you look at the most stable surface, it should be the machined surface on the engine block. Unless it has defects, it most likely won’t be the cause of any leaks. The oil pan on the other hand will flex and bend if/when the bolts are over tightened - that would be the surface causing the leaks. Every Engine has specific places where leaks are more of a potential - generally where joints are created in the gasket material. Those are the only places where I would use a small amount of silicone - just my opinion of course.
  3. Since you have easy access and talked about changing out the valve cover gaskets, why not remove the front cover, watch the valve movement while turning the engine over by hand - you should see the exhaust valve open during the exhaust cycle (piston traveling up) then the intake valve open during the intake cycle (piston traveling down). After the intake valve closes, turn the crankshaft until the timing marks align to get TDC on cylinder #1. Doing it that way avoids any question. As far as trying to get the timing exact, that would be very hard to do. It should start and run at TDC.
  4. My 47 has the same problem. I haven’t pulled the latch assembly apart yet so I am not sure what to expect when I get in there. I did come across these pictures (I am a visual guy) that helped me understand how it works. This is 48-49, but I have to believe yours has to be similar.
  5. Thanks DJ. I appreciate the heads up. This set only came with single springs with the flat coil inside. The instructions talked about only using one spring during break-in but I think they include that verbiage with all of their products. My understanding is that the flat coil doesn’t count as a spring - they didn’t seem to want to come out. Someone please correct me if I am wrong - the last “performance cam” I installed was in the early 80s when things were very different. I have read some real horror stories about their more radical cams but I think this one is fairly mild. I will definitely use the break-in oil that they recommend and change after the initial 20-30 minute run. That is the reason for the engine run stand - I want to make sure all goes well before it gets set in the truck.
  6. Front looks original 1 ton 6 lug wheel. Rear axle/duallies look newer. Hard to tell from the pics, but the steering looks like it has been changed. I would love to see more pics of the drive train and steering. Appears to be very close to what I am doing with my 47 - only sticking with Mopar. Looks like a great project.
  7. Sounds like a fun project. Where are the pictures? Keep in mind that the automatic transmission will also be longer and taller than the original drive train. The 4.0L has a rear sump oil pan which is perfect but will also limit how far forward you can move the engine. It is also much taller than the Flathead. If it were me, I would mock up the engine and trans in the frame and get some good measurements before cutting into the firewall. The 4.0L engine is probably one of the best things that came out of AMC (great torque) but certainly not plug and play in your application.
  8. I got the Competition Cam kit. Supposed to offer relatively high torque in the lower rpm range. COMP Cams High Energy 260H Hydraulic Flat Tappet Camshaft Complete Kit Lift: .440" /.440" Duration: 260°/260° RPM Range: 1200-5200
  9. Got back to the engine rebuild today. The cam kit came with new springs, seals and retainers. Since the heads were in great shape, I decided to hand lap the valves just to make sure that there was no pitting When I tried to reinstall the springs, I discovered that my old valve spring compressor wasn’t going to make it. The new cam came with heavier springs and it couldn’t handle it. I tried to find a heavy duty spring compressor - not going to happen on a Sunday. I decided to get creative. Several years ago I bought a huge lot of heavy duty c-clamps. I still had some of the smaller clamps laying around, so I decided to give it a shot. A little cutting and it was time to give it a shot. Worked like a charm. Sometimes you just have to get creative. I was able to get the heads assembled and back on the engine. Aluminum intake, water pump, and fuel pump should be here this week. Next project will be to build an engine run stand. Hopefully I can get it running in a couple of weeks.
  10. I think you summed up the two tone options perfectly - something I hadn’t thought about. I plan to go with the Dana 70 dually reared from the motor home so the rear will be very wide. By painting the lower half of the grill to match the fenders, it should give it a wider appearance in the front. I haven’t decided on the bed yet. Since this was originally a pickup and the running boards go all the way back, I may build some fenders that tie into the running boards and keep the bed narrow (between the wheels). I have been looking at tow trucks from that era - if I can find a period tow truck bed, I could go that route.
  11. I don’t know the early history of this truck. I can trace it back two owners and have reason to believe it received an armature restoration and probably engine swap back in the 80’s. The overload springs are definitely an add-on but appear to be original to the truck - I would guess either a factory option or dealer install (just a guess on my part). There is no backup alarm - a taillight turned sideways. The build is going well. I started back to work a couple weeks ago so progress is slow but steady. I plan to finish the engine this weekend.
  12. The new 5.7 takes up a lot of real estate and requires a lot of technology and fabrication. I am in the process of killing the originality of my 47 by dropping in a 360 with automatic. Everytime I work on it, I wonder if that was the right decision. These things are so cool to drive with the original running gear.
  13. Nice truck. That is very close to what I was imagining - I was thinking about adding a little green to the white but a little nervous about the results - paint is ridiculously expensive and I can’t afford to make too many mistakes. I also thought long about the color I wanted on the lower half of the grill. Seeing these pictures now makes me wonder about that decision... Thanks for sharing the pictures.
  14. Ok -the grill is assembled again. Definitely prefer this green. This paint is really metallic but laid down very nicely for a single stage paint.
  15. Could be carbon buildup. You might need to try poking with something a little harder. Just be careful. On top dead center, the piston is very close.
  16. Check CL for used bottles. I have been able to pick up a half dozen bottles for Mig and oxy/acetylene. The first time I get them filled, I have to pay for hydro test (usually $15 or $20 bucks) then exchange every time. One local vendor will let me exchange between oxygen, argon, and 75/25 bottles with no additional charge. I use 75/25 mix for general welding and straight argon for aluminum. When I first bought a Mig Welder, I didn’t think I could justify the extra cost of gas and used strictly flux core wire. Never could get a good looking bead and had lots of splatter. I always thought it was the welder (me or the machine). Took a welding class at the local community college, switched to gas on my personal welder and have never touched flux core wire again. Personally, I wouldn’t buy the 40 cf bottle. Mine are all 125/130 cf (the largest “personal” bottle). I don’t do a lot of welding but still go through 2 or 3 bottles per year. If you have to drive 30 miles to exchange, the extra cost of the larger bottle would pay for itself in no time.
  17. Shortly after I started cleaning up the frame, FedEx arrived with my Jade Green paint. Had to stop work on the frame and get the lower section of the grill scuffed up and resprayed. This green is more what I was looking for. I will mate it up with the white upper grill tomorrow and see how it looks.
  18. I started stripping the frame down today. Brackets and trailer hitch receiver removed. If it is welded to the frame, I have to believe it wasn’t original.
  19. Too funny - I have two Corgies, neither have tried to eat my truck - yet.
  20. The stroke is determined by the crankshaft - the longer the “throw”, the longer the stroke. To ensure that the piston tops out as close to deck height as possible, a crankshaft with a shorter throw would have longer rods - longer throw would have shorter rods. Generically speaking, since these flatheads generally used the same bore (depending on block size), the various cubic inch difference was obtained by increasing/decreasing the throw of the crankshaft and inversly increasing/decreasing the length of the rods.
  21. Could also be a 237 with a 4.25” stroke. I had never heard of a 237 until I checked the stroke on mine using a piece af brazing rod. TDC to BDC will give you an accurate reading on #6.
  22. Good catch on the wing windows. The headlights definitely don’t look original and it does have the cowl lights. The truck below claims to be a 39 Fargo, has the correct headlights, no cowl lights, but has wing windows. Grill trim is very different from the tow truck. My vote now goes for the tow truck being 46-47 with older (or modified) fenders.
  23. Welcome - I also came from the world of Willy’s prior to finding my 47 Dodge WD-21. I found my 56 CJ5 in Arizona and spent a year doing all of the mechanicals - body was pristine when I bought it. Registering it in California was challenging but eventually happened. Hopefully, you have better luck with the old Flathead than I did. I fully expected to keep the drive train original but will end up going with a little more modern (and hopefully faster) drive train.
  24. It is interesting that your turn signals are on the fenders. Mine are actually on the grill. You can see the hole better in this picture. I am guessing that they were not original to the truck. Were turn signals a factory option?
  25. Thanks for the feedback everyone. I plan to do some pinstripjng to highlight some of the hood and body lines but never thought about doing the grill - definitely something to consider. I ordered a gallon (paint and activator) of Jaded Green metallic single stage paint from Eastwood to try on the lower section of the grill. Just couldn’t come to grips with the first attempt at green. Hopefully not too dark and not too metallic. My plan is to use the green on the lower section of the grill, fenders, running boards and frame.
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