Jump to content

1949 Dodge B1B Woodie Makeover


Recommended Posts

Todd,

 

They make people walk their bikes in the area where the cars are displayed which is good.  It still gets crazy sometimes when people want to sit on or in your car to take pictures or let their kids run wild around them. 

 

If a parent asks nicely and seems responsible, I will often let their kid sit behind the steering wheel.  I think it's my way of trying to generate some interest in vintage cars with the younger generation.  A lot of us in the woodie world have started to talk about what the future of this hobby will look like without the next generation talking over.  In 10-20 years there may only be 1980's-1990's Honda car shows.

 

I guess this could be a topic for another full thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4-13-14 Update

 

The truck was up on the rack so I got to take a couple of pictures from below.

 

Today the rear-end will be going in and most of the wiring, brake lines and fuel lines are roughed in.

 

The fuel tank is now complete and will get painted today.

 

post-74-0-44789000-1397507228_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-11087000-1397507240_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-46491500-1397507336_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

pflaming ..... I see you are from Reedley, CA so I don't think it is necessary to clarify that grass = (hay).  Now, if you were from Oregon or Colorado it might be a different story. :D

 

To answer your question, the rear-end housing will be painted the same semi-gloss black as the frame, gas tank, suspension components, etc.  I have intentionally stayed away from chrome and polished parts as much as possible.  In fact, the only parts that are polished or chrome are ones that gave me no option.

 

When I originally restored this truck many years ago, I stayed with black bumpers, blackwall tires, etc. to try to maintain the commercial character of the truck's roots.  These truck chassis woodies were purchased as mini-buses for boarding schools, shuttle vehicles for resorts and hotels, and other commercial uses.  They rarely had upgraded features.  In this new upgrade, I am trying to do all I can to preserve the original look inside and out.  I am even going with a super quiet exhaust system to eliminate the rumble of a 345 h.p. "Hemi" motor.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Charles,

 

You are doing an amazing job on this truck!!!

 

  I am one for loud pipes on everything I own right down to my dad's John Deer B I inherited. If you think about it, (have an open mind)  most businesses back then ran those trucks until they broke in half.  My guess is the muffler would have been one of the  first thing to burn out or get ripped off going through the bad roads.  Soooo, you could put a nice barking muffler that would compliment that awesome Hemi sitting under the hood and everyone would think it is the way it was back then.

 

I could'nt change my dads muffler until he died so I doubt if I will get my way on this discussion either.

 

Cool project,  I am saving my change so I can come out to the 8th annual and see all of these awesome trucks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Charles;

Magnificent job! I really like how you have approached this project. It should be truly useful in today's world when it is done. And to my way of thinking about it that is the best way to pay homage to the original designers and builders.

 

You might have a tough time getting it to sound like a flattie though........but you can certainly try. ;)

 

Jeff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4-18-14 Update

 

The rear-end in mounted and the work on the rear sway bar system is in progress. 

 

Here are some pictures.  The sway bar is installed between the frame rails ahead of the axle and will be connect to the axle on both sides outside the frame rails.  You can see the bearings in the pictures.  Because of the weight of the wood body, we are using the same design and components that are used in open class off-road racing trucks.

post-74-0-56075400-1397868838_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-81718900-1397868846_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-13553300-1397868856_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-25370100-1397868865_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-94695200-1397868874_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-68391000-1397868883_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

04-24-14 Update

 

Rear axle housing is drying and the gas tank has been reassembled, so they will be reinstalled tomorrow.

 

We hope to have the truck on the road by mid-May so we can get a couple of hundred miles on it locally before we head up to Santa Cruz, CA in mid-June.

post-74-0-04877000-1398394360_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-38101300-1398394386_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Charles,

 

Keep pushing now. Don't think you'll be pushing later. Mechanically and cosmetically the woodie looking real good.

I enjoyed the Woodie Scene at Dana Point and wish I'd taken a few surf safari's in them back in the day. 

 

Hank   

Edited by HanksB3B
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

5/5/14 Update

 

Well, we got the trailer hitch all fabricated and painted.  I want to thank everyone for all the ideas, especially Gerald (GTK).  We kind of copied GTK's design and I am thrilled with how it came out.

 

Here's a couple of pictures, plus one of the gas tank painted and mounted:

post-74-0-43610200-1399338997_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-47247600-1399339011_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-35563800-1399339031_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-13114300-1399339053_thumb.jpg

post-74-0-40799300-1399339221_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice Job on the hitch set up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah! Love the hitch design Charles.

 

Remember to post a bunch of the "hooked up" pictures... ^_^

 

48D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry I haven't posted much lately, but a lot has been going on down here in the San Diego area. (see picture).  We are safe, the trucks are safe, so I have a lot to be thankful for.  Others are not so lucky.

 

At times like this, your priorities get a reality check.

 

I'll post more truck upgrade pictures next week.

post-74-0-92110500-1400252371_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wasn't too far away, but far enough that we are safe.  Everyone had some level of discomfort because over the past three days there have been over 15 fairly large fires in North San Diego County, and close to 40,000 people have been evacuated from there homes.  Our fire crews and the residents handled things really well, in part, because we learned so much from the 2003 and 2007 fires.  So far only one fatality, a transient who had a camp out in a brushy area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got to say, loved your ac plumbing inside the fender will try to see  I can  do some thing similar even though my condenser is set up different did not think of drilling thru that curved front shield like that, my hole saw died on that tough old steel and had go old school  to get it done

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Here is how it looks now.  I still have a few bugs to work out, but I am very pleased with the outcome. 

 

The process was a nightmare.  When I get time I will write it all up so that the next person that takes a project like this on will be able to benefit from my mistakes.

 

post-74-0-39890800-1465155886_thumb.jpg

 

post-74-0-76842900-1465156123_thumb.jpg

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use