Tony WestOZ

Well hello to all, it`s a long time since I have been to this site. New Guy, I got your message. Wagoneer sames to have covered all as regards the make and model. With the doors I think the only way is to buy another van or hope someone will sell a couple off a really bad wreck. For a Shop manual go to. http://dodgepilothouseclub.org/garage/garage.htm The is a manual for your model down the page. I think I have a parts manual on pdf somewhere on an old hard drive. If I find it I will let you know and I can email it to you. The pics show Ambulances sent to somewhere in Asia in 1957? I have never seen one in this form. The ones I have seen had modified rear cab sections. regards Tony

As others have said the head will have to be CC `ed. It`s the only way to know exactly what you have got. I have never found any direct relationship between head thickness and compression ratio. Tony

I use to hand crank the Dodge my father gave me when I was a seventeen year old student all the time. Had no money to replace the regulator so it was crank or no drive for a couple of weeks. I went through it again a couple of years latter when the reg went and I could not find a replacement. Then was the starter motor failure and I was 400 miles from home. Its not that hard. Use one hand and remember to keep you thumb out of the way. Tony One note of caution, I would not do it on an engine that was just had the timing reset. If its timed wrong and backfires it could hurt.

Ok, short bit of info. 108C-D 184, 108 = wheel base, 108". C = model, 1955 to 57. D = Dodge 184 = the one hundred and eighty fourth 108" wheel base truck off the line for that C model. There was no denoting body style in this number. 108 -CD -Q22 ( I `ll assume this is the body tag. Long thin, similar size to the paint code tag). 108 CD = refer above. Q22 = Q is a strange one. Normally there is a four digit number to give body style. SPAR - 157 - 9327 Spartan paint code. Most of the time BALM (British Australian Lead Manufacture) paints were used but Spartan and another brand where used. Its been to long and the memory is going I will have to have a look through the books to provide some more accurate info. Tony

This is a page from my Canadian model book. You can find a copy of the book here, http://dodgepilothouseclub.org/know/know.htm Tony

Jez, I could hang ever tool I own on the wall and not even come close to that. I envy you. Tony

Gotta love a wall full of tools. Wish mine looked that good. That looks like a copy of my SP set I have had for years. Found this the other day. I bought it long after my last flathead rebuild so I have never actually used it. Forgot I had it. Tony

Generally speaking if a PCV is being used then there in no filter on the oil input tube. The filter is replaced with a cap. Power Wagons are on example. The air being draw out through the PCV is purely that has by-passed the rings, valve guides etc. It keeps the sump in a state of vacuum. Tony

Have to agree with you Merle. Anything is better than nothing. From trails I was involved with in the 90`s the cleaner you can keep the oil the better off you are. You can increase service times and decrease engine wear. Moak, are you after a complete unit or just the filter to suit? Tony

1 being the output and 2 being input (missing line) there was something in there. I have never seen an oil cooler on trucks, may be there was an other filter. Is 3 the return from the oil filter in the pic? What port does the input come from? You could plug 1 & 2 but you have to remove the by-pass plug between the two. The sump has to be removed for this. Or take a line from 1 and turn it back into 2. Or fit new lines and a filter. Can you take a pic showing the whole engine? That filter looks to be in a strange position. Tony

Looks to be an interesting engine. I have never seen carb inlet or a water outlet like those. T214 is for 1942-45 but SR has me intrigued. Wander if its for something else Dodge supplied engine to. I understand how NOS engines can be a bit confusing. Mine had no engine number.

Your block appears to be a 1400229 so its full flow. For a full flow setup oil comes out of port 1 (yellow) goes through the filter and then returns to port 2 (red). Oil for the pressure gauge can be taken off ports 4,5 or 6. Note the plug between 1 and 2 (BLACK) must be in position to force the oil through the full flow filter. You can fit a partial flow or return filter but things change. The plug between 1 & 2 is removed. No1 port is blocked. Oil to the filter is usually taken from port 2 but can be taken from 4,5 or 6. Oil from the filter is returned to port 3 (blue). Oil to the gauge can be taken from whatever red port is not used. Tony

You mean I have been fooled all these years.

I don`t do facebook so have never posted there but you could try, Fargo,Dodge & Desoto Trucks of Australia. Someone may be able to help. I tried to post a link but I failed. Tony

This is way I suggest a second hand stick welder. I don`t know how big Manitoba is but here for less than $50 I`d have something. Gloves and helmet yes. Jacket, the only time I`d wear a jacket is in production situations. 8-12 hr a day stuff. A cotton long sleave work shirt is fine. Cotton trousers and cotton or wool socks. NEVER wear synthetic stuff at all welding or grinding. As mention check the local welding shops they might have something secondhand. I prefer to deal with a local supplier. It might be a bit more expensive but it gives you somewhere to go if things go wrong. Tony

The 230 in the Power Wagons ran a crank vent system.

OK, Take a small air compressor to pump up the tires. You will get away with a cheap 12 volt one. I have had 70 year old tyres hold air long enough to get them on a trailer. Don`t forget the truck spare. If one on the truck is not staying up the spare might come in handy. These trucks have left and right hand wheel bolts, so beware. Check the handbrake ring (back of gearbox) These can be a bit sticky. You can undo the ring if the cable has seized. You might be lucky. Being inside the whole time it might not take much to move. Then again..... Load on trailer nose first them move around to get balance right. I like about 50kg on the towball. What sort of tow vehicle are you going to use. There is going to be 2,500 kg of truck and trailer behind you. Look into trailer hire. Some companies have a lot of restrictions on there use. Max weight, distance travelled, one way, two way and more. Look into getting it move professionally. You will still have to prep it for moving but taking all things into account it might be a better way. just a few thoughts for now. Tony

Is much blue smoke is coming out the exhaust at idle or high revs? A little trick is to run down a hill in top gear with little throttle then accelerate. Check to see if any smoke is coming out the exhaust pipe. I find these flatheads can breath a bit at the best of times. The first flat head I rebuilt was down to 60 to 70 on most and about 45 on one. It was still running ok. I just used a lot of oil and petrol consumption was getting rather high. I would not be too worried at 90.

In the last couple of months I have started to revise what advice I give to others. After a lot of years of collecting I have shed full of stuff. 4 welders (5 if you include oxy welding), 2 drill presses, lathe, draws full of hand tools etc etc........ And I would like to think a bit of knowledge has been gained along the way. To a large extent however I had forgotten where I started. My first vehicle resto was done with a small second hand stick welder, an oxy set and a small box of tools. I thought I was in heaven. I suppose what I am trying to say is buy a cheap second hand stick welder (maybe even a small mig) take it home and with some scrap steel practice welding. I know some people that have gone out spent good money on buying stuff and then decided they don`t like it. Sold it off cheap or it sits under the bench gathering dust. From what I have read through this thread is you will only be making up mounts and brackets for the drive line in the near future. All this will only be tack welded or bolted together on a temporary basis until its all done, checked and done again to get it right. Then armed with the knowledge you have gained go out and buy a good welder or give it to someone else to weld. Tony

I have to agree, there is nothing worse than a 3 wheeled trolley. Luckily the engine I dumped on its side was a scraper. It did teach me a good lesson. Anything I build or modify has 4 wheels.

Ok looking at the peddles, hand brake on the right, ignition switch and the bonnet with the top chrome bar you have a 108CD or 108DD. They were made from August 1955 through to July 58. (I have production numbers somewhere). With a tare weight of 1 ton 14 cwt (1-14-0 or 3808 lbs) with a 15cwt (1680 lbs) load capacity you end up with 2 ton 9 cwt (2-9-0 or 5488 lbs). That's a bit high as this model should have GVM of 5250 lbs. This model should have a two bar grill so it looks like the grill has been changed for some reason. Another thing that is wrong is the clutch peddle. The brake peddle is the correct type. Engine should be a 250cu" with a KEW 2B prefix on the engine number. It will be interesting to see what the ID plate says when you gey it home Tony

Are you using the very thin ones? The thin 1.6mm and ultra thin 1mm are very flexible and were produced to cut thin sheet metal not for heavy work. With cutting a nut off a bolt instead of trying to go in behind the nut, cut along the length of the bolt down through the nut. When close to the chassis stop and use a hammer and cold chisel to split the nut then hammer the bolt out. Grinding in a barn full of hay would make me very nervous. Hope you have the fire gear ready. Sorry for going on, Tony

Rough figures indicate it`s a 108 wheel base Tray top. Can you remember what type of peddles it had? Did they hang down from under the dash or did they go down through the floor. I few other things look strange but I have to go out now so I shall get back to you tonight. Tony

Tray back does not help much. Do you know if it has duel rear tyres? Is it possible to see the side of the front guards? Single piece guards it could be 108E or 226D. Two piece guard makes it a larger model. With there being a mis-match on the front grill the tag info will be the only real way to tell. Tony