Merle Coggins

I don't know about yours, but on my B2C the drive shaft wouldn't collaps enough to get the flange off of the studs of the trans output flange. Mine has u-bolt clamps to attach the rear u-joint to the diff input flange. I took those off to get the driveshaft disconnected from the diff (then put tape around the u-joint so it doesn't come apart). Then I disconnected it at the trans end and got it out of the way. The 1/2 ton trucks I've seen have a different u-joint arrangement at the diff. Those you have to remove the retainer plates and knock the u-joint caps out of the yolk to remove the shaft. Did they change that in '52? Merle

If you can unbolt the U-joint flange it's much easier than trying to knock the caps out. Plus you don't have to worry about damaging, or losing, the needle bearings. Merle

Here's the link to the previous thread on FD fluids. http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=14203&highlight=Fluid+Drive

Here's a cut-a-way drawing of the Fluid Drive coupling from my truck's shop manual. The plug is item #27 at the bottom. This would be the drain and fill plug. Like Shel says, crank the engine over until you can see that plug through the hole in the bell housing. It sounds like you've already found that plug at around the 2:00 position on the housing. A magnetic socket is your friend when removing, and installing, the plug without dropping it. Otherwise be sure to get a good grip on it. It's easy to drop. There was a thread here a while back regarding the oil to be used in the FD coupling. As I recall ATF is NOT the correct fluid. I used tractor hydraulic fluid in mine (AW32 grade). I got the oil at my local Farm & Fleet store. The same type of oil should be available most anywhere. Merle

Actually Ed it's Antique Auto Parts Cellar or Then and Now Automotive. I agree with Ed here. They have very reasonable priced rebuild kits that are compatable with today's fuels. I don't know their international shipping policies, but it may be worth contacting them. Here's their web link. http://www.maritimedragracing.com/then_and_now_automotive.htm

Don't mess with the stud that hangs down inside the door. It won't help you get it out of the door. There are 4 or 5 (I don't remember exactly) screws around the parimeter of the vent window frame that hold it into the door. Look for holes in the molding. You can stick a phillips screwdriver into those holes and access the screw heads. Once the screws are removed, and the window channel is pulled back from the top of the roll up window channel, you can then tip the vent window asembly back and out. I almost took a series of photos when I removed the one from my parts truck recently, but I didn't. Sorry. As for the moldings, I highly recommend Steele Rubber Products. They'll be more expensive, but in my opinion the quailty worth the extra cost. Merle

I tried to find some pictures of 8 3/4 axles for comparison, but this is all I could find. Here are some pics of an original axle in my 3/4 ton truck. (1/2 ton axles are the same) Not an 8 3/4" Axle. A dead give away between the two, besides their size, would be the wheel hub. An 8 3/4 would have a flanged axle shaft which would contain the wheel studs. The original axle would have a tapered axle to which the brake drum fits and is held on with a castle nut. Merle

The only time I "needed" my Gold Book was when I was stranded with a flat tire. I looked up the closest Honda dealer to call to see if they had tires for me. Between that and AAA I was saved. The Gold Book is a great source for Gold Wing Road Riders Association (GWRRA) members. (member since '95) The Gold Book also makes a good phone directory. I used it several times to look up a phone number of a member. The only catch is you have to know what town they live in as the listings are by state/city. Merle

My guess is that you had a sticky valve that has freed up. Did you recheck the compression after confirming that both valves moved freely? You stated that it ran good since the rebuild but hasn't run much, then it suddenly started running rough. Also, you stated that adding oil to the cylinder didn't improve your compression readings which would indicate that the problem isn't with the rings. I suspect that the oil that you added during that test worked it's way into the valve guide and helped free up the valve. I wouldn't be suprised if you put the head back on with out doing anything else and it ran fine. My truck engine has run smooth since I rebuilt it too. Then one day, after it sat for several weeks since it's last use, I went to fire it up. It started hard and ran very rough. I thought I had a serious problem. Since I only wanted to move it a little bit in the driveway I let it run and did what I needed to do. Within a minute it smoothed out and ran good again. I suspected a valve stuck briefly and freed up again. My $.02 Merle

I believe he meant that it's not an 8 3/4 axle. It may look similar, but it's smaller. Merle

Last Thursday I went up to Mickey's Custard's Cruise Night and got to talking with a guy that said that he just aquired a '50 1 ton that he was tinkering with, but was looking to sell. He gave me his phone # and told me where his shop was, just off of Hwy 41 between Milwaukee and Fond du Lac. Then today I was driving up Hwy 41 to visit a customer up near Fond du Lac and saw the truck sitting along side his shop. So, on the way back I swung in to have a look. It's a little rough but all there. He has replaced the brake lines and claims the brakes work. He's been working on getting the engine running. It looked like new plug wires and maybe a dist cap too. The carb was recently rebuilt but it didn't look like the right one. He even said that it wasn't the right one for the truck but was going to give it a try. The engine is free, but he hasn't got it running yet. He said that he'd probably ask $1250 for it if the engine runs good, or maybe $900 if for some reason he can't get it running. It has 35,000 miles on the odometer. If anyone is interested I can get more info for you, or call Obermeyer's "41" Auto Body in Allenton, WI (262) 629-5825 Also, while I was there I noticed another flat head 6 engine hanging on a chain fall in the shop. I found out that they recently rebuilt it for a customer. It is an International engine for a 40's era truck (I think that's what they said). They are also just finishing up a restoration on a 55 Buick convertable. They are waiting for the customer to bring in the grill and bumpers to install, then it goes somewhere for the interior work. It looked pretty good. They were nice guys and it looked like they do pretty good work. Merle

I think the closest member to that route is claybill in NW IL.

Yup... if you forget to switch back over to gas before shuting it down the day before it would be a bear to start. If you tried switching it back for startup you had a dry carb and it would take some cranking to fill it up enough to fire. Or trying to start it on cold propane wasn't good either. Once the engine was hot it wasn't a problem. One of the heater hoses routed through the propane regulator to keep it nice and warm. Merle

I believe they've already been cohabitating. I guess he figured it was a pretty good arrangement to make it permanent. Atta Boy Ed. If it would restart but couldn't run down the road, I'd have to agree with the fuel pump theory. I may be pumping enough for minimal RPM and load, so that would allow it to refire. But add a load and it may not be able to keep up. Merle

My engine was WAAAAAAY worse than that and it lives again. Get it all apart, clean it up, and get it to a good engine machine shop that knows these engines. I'm sure it won't take much to get it back running. In fact it would probably run as is. Just clean up the cylinder bores, add a little oil to prelube, reinstall the head (after checking that none of the valves are stuck) and fire it up. Merle

sounds normal to me.

I remember my first service truck when I made the move from a shop mechanic to a field service technician. It was a 1984 GMC with a 454 that ran on gas or propane. There was a big propane tank in the front of the box with the fill hose in one of the tool box compartments. There were two switches under the dash for switching it over. To switch from gas to propane you would have to switch off the fuel pump and let it "run out of gas", then switch on the propane valve. It was easiest to do this while driving down the road. There would be a slight lag until the propane would get into the engine and it would relight. To switch from gas to propane you would switch off the propane and switch on the gas pump. Again there would be a lag until the carb would get enough gas in it to refire the engine. I remember that it would run nice and smooth on propane, but it didn't have as much power. Also, in sub zero temperatures the propane regulator would freeze up unless the engine was at operating temp. I usually just ran it on gas in those temps. Merle

Norm, I was at the State Fair last night and I saw a booth where a guy was selling those exact clocks. He had several different hub caps made up into clocks. He didn't have one to match my truck, but claimed to know what it should look like. He gave me one of his business cards, but I seemed to have tossed it out when I emptied my pockets this morning. Merle

The painted steel grill bars were the Standard in 1950 models. The stainless bars were still available as an Option. I think I have a set of the three steel grill bars, but they're a bit beat up. Merle

WHY????????????????

I think he's refering to this tune. I remember my dad singing this when I was a kid. He used to have a Nash Rambler. I need to find out what year it was. Merle

... and that brings us back to Tim's comment about getting a little trim before his nap.

It wouldn't hurt to drain down some coolant. Even though it's high on the engine, the radiator is still taller than that. Drain it out to a level below the head and you'll be fine. You can leave the adapter in the head and just loosen/remove the outer nut. The bulb will come out and you can slide the new one in and tighten it down. Refill the coolant, check for leaks... Merle

The Fluid Drive will be spinning as it is attached to the crankshaft. The output of the Fluid Drive is attached to the clutch. If the brakes are held with the trans in gear and the clutch engaged then you'd be able to see the clutch not spinning while the Fluid Drive housing still spins, although you'd probably have to be laying under the car with the lower pan removed to see it. Merle

The port in the head is NPT, or pipe thread. The nut behind the temp bulb doesn't seal anything. The bulb seats into the adapter, which is screwed into the head, and the retainer nut assures a nice tight seal between the bulb and the adapter. So, to answer your question, no sealant is needed on the retaining nut but would be needed for the adapter into the head. And if you have a pressure regulator on your air compressor you could use regulated shop air into your oil pressure guage to test it. Merle