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Bobacuda

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Everything posted by Bobacuda

  1. Dodge Central http://dodgecentralmi.biz/ocart/Body-Panels has the floor boards and the center piece. They do not show the missing upper panels.
  2. Has anyone used Dodge Central of Michigan for ABS interior pieces for their pilothouse. Interested in their product and Quiet Rides, trying to get some experienced opinions. http://dodgecentralmi.biz/ocart/Interior/Interior-Parts Thanks.
  3. My dad was an infantryman from South Texas and he saw time in North Africa, Italy and finally in Europe. He was one of the men in his unit assigned a BAR rifle. His unit was primarily made up of boys of Hispanic or Polish ancestry, except for him and two others. He used to laugh and tell us that his sergeant could never pronounce the Hispanic or Polish names, so whenever he needed someone fast, he always called for "Hall, Smith or Nelson." Then he would get kind of quiet and tell us that by the time they got through Italy, Smith and Nelson were dead and he pretty much figured his time was coming.
  4. Thanks to all for the info. Now I will be able to intelligently answer that question when asked.
  5. On the firewall of my B4B, upper driver's side, I found this tag. It is very thin, soft metal and was attached to the firewall with screws. There was no paint under it, and the remnants of the original paint on it, and it is stamped with the numbers "5112-210422." Anyone have any ideas what this tag was for and what the numbers mean?
  6. Where the vent window really comes in handy on my truck since I don't have a defroster. I would have the heater on, then open the window vents slightly toward the windshield. The air flow kept the condensation on the inside of the windshield to a minimum. And in summer, it helps add to the "convection oven cab cooling system."
  7. Brent - Get ready for a confession. I was planning on painting my truck myself, but my wife and kids went for "intervention." They have convinced me that they would like to see the truck more in line with when it was new rather than after several years on the farm with a beginner paint job. We located a young man that graduated from an automotive restoration program and currently works for a very good restoration and hot rod shop. Basically, he gave me a price that I couldn't refuse. The only problem is that neither of us is ready to start right now, but we both hope to be by Oct. 1. I will post photos when things start moving again. Bob
  8. Clarkoh - The folks I was talking to have the setup you mentioned. The stuff they mix in the water to retard rust is "HoldTight." Search the web for "dustless blasting" and "HoldTight" for more info on the process and such. They had a door with them off of a '55 Chevy that they had blasted 30 days earlier and stored inside their shop - no rust.
  9. So, I have been using crushed glass and my Brut 99H blaster (running my compressor half to death), blasting the frame, suspension, running boards, floor boards, the entire front end, doors and all sorts of small stuff while putting off doing the cab and the bed - it is just so damn hot (been hitting 100 every day for some time now). To take a break, I went to a swap meet and met some folks that just got into the dustless blasting business. They use the crushed glass, a rust retardant and water pressure to strip away all the old paint and rust. Takes everything down to grey metal, ready to prime. Then they told me they would drive to my place (in the country) do the cab and the bed, complete for about $450-$500. HELL YEAH! I have to get all the piddley crap finished before I call them because I have about 4 days to get it in primer after they finish. So, the fenders, hood center and nosepiece go in to have cracks welded on Tuesday and one fender and both doors will have small patch panels installed. After that, it's set up a "paint booth" area in my shed that is human friendly, well ventilated and as dust/dirt free as possible for my purposes. Oh boy, I get to try shooting epoxy primer and then using body filler to smooth out the nosepiece and the driver's front fender ( as well as any area that needs it). I am still considering farming out the final paint job, but I may wait to see how much of a pain the epoxy primer project turns out to be. So much to learn. Your turn, Brent B3B.
  10. I was unable to find a solid replacement for an angled thermostat housing for my '53 Dodge, till I looked on a '67 273 V8. Angle appears to be correct and it fits. However, I agree with DC, isn't your engine supposed to have the big, cast Iron, thermo housing?
  11. I mentioned this in another post, but I figured it was different enough to give its own post in search of replies. I discovered that none of my grille bars have the attachment brackets on the side closest to the fenders. I knew I destroyed one with the air wrench (the spot welds and thin metal twisted to death long before the bolt came out), but it never occurred to me that the other bars outer brackets were already gone. If someone has their grille bars out, could you make me a paper or cardboard pattern (with a line where they are bent) of your upper and lower bar's outside brackets? If paper patterns aren't available, I could probably use some good close up photos to help fabricate new brackets. Thanks, Bob
  12. Maybe I have figured this out, here we go again - Before photos of my B4B. Oops, that is the completed rolling chassis before I started working on the body. I'll try again. 1953 B4B April 27 2104.pdf
  13. Here is an attempt at posting some photos of my B4B. Before I took it all apart - Sorry, could not figure out how to post photos.
  14. My '53 Dodge truck is currently scattered all around my shed. It seems my work on it proceeds at an "evolutionary time" pace." I still have to strip the cab and bed (and remove the old strips and wood from the bed), clean all the sheet metal again and get epoxy paint on it, fix several "not too severe" body blemishes and rust spots, then get it painted. It's been so hot here lately (I'm about 50 miles west-northwest of San Antonio) that I have been attending to smaller parts of the truck (like hammering out the dents on the grille and stripping the paint off the pieces). That's why I asked for opinions on painted their grilles. I have no problem making decisions in 100 degree weather when I am sitting in air conditioning . Speaking of the grille, I discovered that none of my grille bars have the brackets closest to the fenders. I knew I destroyed one with the air wrench (the spot welds and thin metal twisted to death long before the bolt came out), but it never occurred to me that the other bars outer brackets were already gone. IF someone has their grille bars out, could you make me a cardboard pattern of your upper and lower bar's outside brackets? That would save a lot of guesswork. I will take some photos of my truck next time I organize some of the scattered major pieces and post them. Thanks, Bob
  15. Cleaning up the grille on my B4B for painting when my son said, "Why just paint it blue like the rest of the truck? Why not black, white, argent (silver), aluminum or something else to offset the blue?" Got me to thinking, I know some of you have painted your truck's grille a different color than the body, so how about some photos and opinions? Thanks
  16. Found the link. It was by Fernando Mendes. http://p15-d24.com/topic/17027-new-drag-link/?hl=%2Bdrag+%2Blink
  17. I think it was member Fernando Mendes that had a drag link rebuilt. They cut off the old ends, threaded the link and used new tie rod ends, making an adjustable drag link, if I remember correctly. The post had photos. Try searching this site for posts by him.
  18. 48 Dodger - Sorry I did not respond. Yes, the responses have helped. From what I have learned from everyone here (and online...). I am developing a plan of attack. When the time comes (soon, I hope), I will scrub and powerwash the fender with the dent down to remove any excess JASCO, then I will dry it and wipe it down with denatured alcohol to make sure it is dry. At that time, I will scuff the area that needs work (plus some overlap area for feathering). I plan on using Evercoat Gold for filler. When I have the fender to the point I think I can live with it, I will then wipe it all down with the paint's recommended grease and wax remover, then put epoxy primer on it. Same process for the rest of the truck, then I will get all of the primered stuff lined up for urethane single coat paint. I am totally new to body work, so this has me nervous (my son is convinced it will look less than desirable if I do it ). I keep telling him that if I mess it up, THEN I will pay someone to repaint it...or I will drive it through a bunch of brush, scratch the hell out of it and keep reminding everyone it is an old farm truck. Anyhow, does this painting plan sound reasonable to you? Thanks
  19. Once again, the more I read on bodywork, the more confused I get. I have been blasting & sanding my fenders, grille, etc down to bare metal. Since I plan on painting pretty much all at the same time (when it is cooler than 95-100 degrees F), I have been painting JASCO Prep & Prime on the bare metal and wiping down the excess. From what I had read, when it came time to prime, the process would be to wash it all of with a grease and oil remover, dry the metal, wipe it all down with denatured alcohol and it would be ready to prime. Since I have started the process, I have found threads that tell me painting over what I have done will work fine, it will all fail miserably, or it will fail around corners and seams. So, have I screwed my project, or is it really just wash it off as described above and don't use an epoxy primer that says it is not compatible with phosphoric acid treatment on the metal? Anyone have experience with this to share?
  20. I did sandblasting today because I had started cleaning the metal earlier and it did rain and flash rust was starting to set in. As Plymouthy said, the hudimdity and the heat (weather app said it felt like 100 F), made blasting downright miserable. I was at it for about 4 hrs, I gallon of iced tea and a shower later and I am still fairly miserable. But it was more fun than the thought of going back to my real job on Monday.
  21. I am currently studying up for the next big phase on my dismantled truck, to occur as soon as I am finished removing the paint. I will put epoxy paint on it and then move on to imperfections. The trouble is that the more I read online about body fillers, the more confused I get (I tend to get too analytical - it's the scientist in me). The complexity appears to depend on the product. I understand the part about getting the body as straight as possible before I start, use thin layers, sand level and feather edges, then add more thin layers of filler if absolutely necessary (I have yet to figure out if putty glaze is necessary). In addition, the "most tried and true products to use" part is where I get derailed. Since I am a total novice at this, I thought best to ask for opinions. 1. What products do you recommend for a total novice? 2. What products do you use? 3. Do you use "putty glaze" over your work? 4. Did you use sanding blocks or air tools (and what type)? 5. How long has it held up with out cracking, shrinking or turning loose? From what I have read, if everything is done right, this is not an issue. I have searched online (watched lots of video - some with conflicting info), this website, and the HAMB, but I think hearing from Dodge truck people that have actually used it on their vehicles would set my mind more at ease. Thanks for putting up with a more than likely routine question.
  22. Mine looks like it was silver at some point, but it has been a plastic translucent white since I have owned the truck (39 years now ). Well, so much for using model cement on it. I was planning on trying Super Glue first - which I have never had much luck with - or Gorilla Glue, but the last time I used it on plastic it "crazed" all over any plastic near the repair. I was also thinking of just using epoxy (JB Weld).
  23. In the process of prepping for paint, piece by piece, and I have been putting off removing the plastic (pure Unobtanium) "Dodge" script from the dash. It has survived 61 years of Texas summers and is still intact. In fact, I have the only '53 I have seen that still has the script and it is all in one piece. Everything else in and on the cab has been removed, so I crawled in the cab and had to use a mirror to see the back of the script to see how it is held in place - three plastic studs with those damn push on-self clamping-plastic snapping clips. I tried using a staple puller and I broke one stud off (I think I can glue it). Then I got a bright idea (or at least one that worked for me). I pushed a pointed tip tweezer under the clip, one leg of the tweezer on each side of the stud and squeezed them next to the stud as I slid the tweezer forward until it would not move. Then I pressed down on the outside edges of the clip - BINGO! I got the other two off without breaking anything. My Unobtanium Dodge script was saved. Considering the age of the plastic and the odds of finding another, I consider breaking one out of three studs to be a victory.
  24. Mine is blue...no, rusty....no, factory primer....no, bare metal. Actually, it is In the slow process (for me) of turning blue again. Our 1951 farm truck was blue with a black bed. I remember lots of blue and green ones, and the local Dodge truck dealer had a white one.
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