1953 Dodge Pilot House - Thoughts?

[godenades]

Hey Everyone,

 

Thank you for accepting my application to join this forum.  From what I hear, this is the place to be if you want to learn and share experiences with your B series pickup.  I am learning more and more about engines/cars/trucks in general, so i am sorry if I sound newbie like, I am a newbie.

 

Yesterday i purchased a 1953 model, which is in excellent shape as far as rust goes... there are a few things that drive me crazy such as the spray painting (WTH were they thinking?) but at the same time, it is my understanding that the old man's son had painted it on there to help preserve the steel... nice story, i just don't think I am buying it... Either way, it is in excellent shape, very straight, surface rust only and 2 spots on the body that would need to be fixed if you were being picky... you may not even see them in the pics they are so small.  

 

The engine is running, though the key is missing... you basically have to hot wire it and forgive me if I am wrong but I believe the guy i bought it from connected a wire from the back of the key tumbler that went to the starter, he then jumped that the the constant and then there was a third post back there that he added into the mix to get it started.  It had been sitting for a few months and needed to run off the bad gas in the carb but once it did and it warmed up, wow, it purrs like a kitten.  

 

Gas tank has been hot tanked and needs to be installed still.  I have the front right original parking light and bezel, but the left is missing.  I also have all the other original "Dodge" chrome that goes around the hood area.  

 

Underneath is clean, slight surface rust but no cancer anywhere. I couldn't find one spot on this truck that had rust damage... only surface rust.

Interior is good, needs something on the floor as it is currently bare steel.  The one thing on the inside that drove me nuts (and maybe i am just picky) is the hole that was cut for the aftermarket temp gauge, other than that, there is some style in there and everything seems to be in decent shape.  Again, the doors were painted which is disturbing, but hey, that's easy stuff to worry about.

 

The brake lines need to be done i am told, though i haven't tested anything yet.  Also, i was told to either clean the fuel line, or replace it.  Look to be original wheels, and hub caps with new tires.

 

 

Some questions I have which you may be able to help me with:

 

1.  Does the hole cut in the dash for the temp gauge hurt me?  Or is that easy enough to patch over to restore the original look?

 

2.  Is anyone familiar with the leather looking cardboard behind the seat?  I am told it is rare to find it intact as it is.. is there any importance to it?

 

3.  I can go either way, put money into making it a hot rod, or put money into keeping it original... what is more desired out there should I ever decide I want to sell it and move on?  A decent original (with aftermarket paint) or a fully customized truck with maybe a Hemi engine in it?

 

4.  How would I go about finding out what the original specs were on this thing?  Examples of what I would be looking for: original color, original motor, added features, etc.  Or is there no way of doing that with a vehicle so old?

 

5.  As you can see in one of the pictures, the bed has been redone with ply wood... where have you guys had luck in finding a nice replacement for that?

 

6.  Is there anything else I should know?  Anything you see on the truck that i should be aware of?  This was a truck from Idaho and is now in southern California, San Diego to be exact.  

 

Thanks in advance guys!  I look forward to your thoughts and expertise!  If there is anything else I can provide let me know and I would be happy to.  

 

Brian

 

Edited October 9, 2014 by godenades

[godenades]

Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention which may not be perfectly visible through the pictures is the fact that 3 of the windows have cracks in them... is this something I should do as a full kit to keep them all looking the same for consistency?  Any places that can be trusted to provide a full well-fitting kit?

 

Edited October 9, 2014 by godenades

[Don Coatney]

Nice truck and welcome to the forum. Your choice on what direction you want to take this project.

 

Suggest you delete all this stuff as it bleeds over into the body of your postings making them difficult to read and there is no reason to read it on  every posting you make.

 

Currently bringing it up to road worthy status (not far from it) though it needs some electrical done and the fuel tank replaced as it was just hot tanked.<br /><br />1975 Baja Trophy truck that was raced in the Las Vegas Mint 400 in the late 70's. Custom fabricated frame with a Oldsmobile 215 Aluminum V8.<br /><br />1992 Bronco - Just love it<br /><br />1990 Bronco - Parts<br /><br />1987 Ford F150 4x4 - big<br /><br />2011 BMW 328i - Sexy

[Reg Evans]

Welcome to the forum !  Your truck has a 52 or earlier low side bed and fenders. The 53's had much larger and squarer rear fenders. Is there a plastic DODGE script on the center of the dash. Hard to tell from the photo. If so the cab is a 53.  What's the vin # ?  We can tell from that if it's a 52 or 53.

On your engine photo just above the freeze plug is a long skinny flat spot. There should be an engine number there that will identify the year and cubic inches.

Nice ptoject !!!

[godenades]

Thanks Don, I fixed the issue you had made me aware of.  I had no idea where that data was going, but now I see too much data there is a mess.  Thanks for the heads up!

 

Reg Evans, I will have to look into all of that when i get home later tonight.  I knew I should have snapped a couple close ups of the tag and engine, though i got this thing to my house around midnight last night and had to be up at 6 for work... rough day!  I will go ahead and get that information and post it for you to have a look.  Interesting to hear though, so you think it has an older side bed and fenders huh?  I do believe that right in the center of the dash there is a long (maybe 8 inches wide and 1 inch tall) chrome badge, it looks worn out from what I remember but it may say dodge.  Does that help?

[ggdad1951]

Welcome,  the headliner and rear of cab "cardboard" generally don't survive long with water mice and whatnot.  My truck had all it still as it was a family vehicle and it was in great shape, but I chose not to reinstall it and opted for the repop plastic version that looks original for my restoration.

 

Nice looking truck, lots of stuff here and people to ask for advice.  I look forward to your journey.

[godenades]

Thanks for the comment ggdad, mine is in pretty good shape, but there are a couple areas where the bolt is pushed through as it simply couldn't hold on any longer.  We will see where this project takes me, it may simply be a case where i bring it back to road worthy and leave it there for a while.  I have a lot of time to decide!  Loving your guys's thoughts and ideas though, thank you all.

[pflaming]

I found this truck parked for 17 yrs along the side of the road. I washed it down with lacquer thinner, then wet sanded it with 800 grit and gave it a bath. I used no polish and no paint. The repaint (light blue) came off and under was the original dark blue. The red on the hood was the color of the replacement hood and under that red I found BLUE>


The result:

[/url]



Sometimes a very GOOD steam cleaner will peal off a rattle can coat of paint. New paint jobs are options not necessities.


PS. I would leave those park lights or get small round ones until you can find originals which are RARE and I would put a tach to replace that off market gauge. Tachs are very useful on old trucks, in my opinion, because these engines like RMP'S at a noise level that most are not accustomed to. The tach will tell you the correct RPMS not your ears.

For my eye I like bed boards on top of low beds, they balance out the height difference,  but then this is just one opinion.

That is a nice truck, welcome and keep the forum posted.

Edited October 10, 2014 by pflaming

[Brent B3B]

i am the last person that should comment but, i would loose the front turn markers and aftermarket gauge and leave it all original.

i think there is someone on the forum that might be able to redo the gauges if you want or need..... i cut my dash where the radio goes for an "8 track" back in the 80's and recently welded it back.... turned out ok. (8 tracks were cool for a short time  )

 

 i do like the low side bed    

[Merle Coggins]

Welcome Brian,

Looks like a good truck. I agree with Reg that it's likely a '52. It looks like a B3B model with the low side bed option.

 

I also agree with Mark (ggdad) regarding the Quiet Rides plastic interior panels. I have their entire interior package in my truck and couldn't be happier. The reproduction cardboard material interior kits from Roberts are OK, but don't hold up well over time if you have much humidity in your area.

 

For the floor I have it insulated with Quiet Rides stuff, then laid a rubber mat over it. I custom cut it to fit from a utility mat purchased at Farm & Fleet. Do some searching on the forum and you'll find some threads on these topics.

 

If you get your original temp gauge fixed so you can ditch the aftermarket one you could probably patch up the hole and repaint the dash. If done right who would know? Or you could put a vacuum gauge or small tach, from Westach, in that hole.

 

For truck bed stuff check out Mar-K or Bruce Hornkey. They'll have whatever you need to get it back to what it should be.

 

As for which direction to go... I vote for keeping it stock. Others like customized, so resale wouldn't be an issue. Either way you probably wouldn't get out of it what you put into it. I think your plan to make it drivable for now is a good one. Make the brakes reliable, give it a tune up and drive the wheels off it. Maybe give it a budget paint job to make it look more presentable. Whatever you do have fun with it.

 

Merle

Edited October 9, 2014 by Merle Coggins

[William Davey]

As others have said, it's your truck so you need to decide on the direction to take.  My opinion (worth all you pay for it) is to leave it stock if you want maximum value. If you hot rod it, the only buyers will have to like exactly the same things you like (and did) to the truck.  

 

Two things need fixing - I could be wrong, but the cable going to the starter looks like a 12 volt (small diameter) cable.  You'll get much better cranking speed if you replace ALL the battery cables with 0 gauge.  While you're messing with the battery cables, check the condition of the battery box.  The other is your comment about maybe replacing the gas line.  If the gas tank was too far gone to save, don't take a chance with rusty old fuel lines.

[Jeff Balazs]

Hi Brian and welcome aboard.

I have been wondering when someone was going to buy that truck. It has been listed locally for several months. Now we know.

Sure looks fairly complete.

Which way to go with it? That really depends on you and what kind of use you want to get out of it. I would say the best way to handle it is to take a few months to learn about what you have and assess it's condition. In other words take some time and study up on it. There are tons of build threads here to read through and getting really familiar with what you have to work with just makes sense.

 

Have fun with it.

Jeff

[Nikwillig]

Welcome to the community, that rig looks rather nice, and

From one newbie to another, my two cents for you would be,

 

1) Pick up a notebook and make notes in it of what you, Need to do, Should do, Probably should do, and what you'd Like to do.

2) Read through some of the other topics to see what people have done/are doing to their rigs, those may give you a few ideas. I know I've gotten quite a few so far.

 

Also, I tend to be partial to keeping things stock/original, or having any changes that are made, to have them so that they can be undone with only a little effort.

However, I can see the desire to change things up by sticking a massive engine under the hood too.

[JBNeal]

Build threads are nice

[48Dodger]

Maybe the truck was sold in 53 and is actually a 52. Either way a very complete truck to work with. Rear bumpers are tough to come by, so enjoy that.....I prefer the round fenders to the sqaure so in my opinion I wouldn't think twice about it. 

 

Welcome to the forum and enjoy the building!

 

48D

 

Clements Tailgate BBQ

BBQ Truck

IWOYTD

Post about fenders

Edited October 10, 2014 by 48dodger

[wayfarer]

Check this thread for inspiration if you lean toward a 'sleeper'....http://p15-d24.com/topic/18782-dans-hemi-swap-project/

[godenades]

I found this truck parked for 17 yrs along the side of the road. I washed it down with lacquer thinner, then wet sanded it with 800 grit and gave it a bath. I used no polish and no paint. The repaint (light blue) came off and under was the original dark blue. The red on the hood was the color of the replacement hood and under that red I found BLUE>

Sometimes a very GOOD steam cleaner will peal off a rattle can coat of paint. New paint jobs are options not necessities.

PS. I would leave those park lights or get small round ones until you can find originals which are RARE and I would put a tach to replace that off market gauge. Tachs are very useful on old trucks, in my opinion, because they like RMP'S at a noise level that most are not accustomed to. The tach will tell you the correct RPMS not your ears.

For my eye I like bed boards on top of low cabs, but then that is one opinion.

That is a nice truck, welcome and keep the forum posted.

 

Thank you very much for all the ideas on that PFlaming.  Your truck sure did change, huh?  The process you used even seemed to get rid of that patina you had?  That is crazy... I really can't wait to get started on that, i am excited to see what is under all that spray paint and patina!  I don't have a commercial grade steam cleaner or anything like that, so I will go the route you describe.  The guy before me told me that it was a rare original two-tone (Blue and black) but I don't know how to verify that.  Again, I will work on it and we will see what is under there.  I will certainly keep adding pictures along the process for you to see. 

 

I do have one of the original parking lights and bezels, but only one... I will certainly leave the parking lights in there until I can locate an additional bezel and glass.  good call on that.  As for the temp gauge, I think that is going to be something I look into after I get her road worthy and figure out the paint situation.  I may even have to work on the inside of the truck with the same method you told me to use on the outside as the inside paint is also can paint....  More exciting though because maybe that spray paint actually extended the life of something beautiful underneath it all!

 

I am not sure what you mean by "Bed Boards on top of low cabs", can you please explain?  Again, i am so sorry i sound like such a newbie.. I learn quickly though and you won't have to repeat yourself.  I also promise to go through as many of the historical threads as I can as I know most of this has already been covered.

 

Thanks again for a great post! 

[godenades]

i am the last person that should comment but, i would loose the front turn markers and aftermarket gauge and leave it all original.

 

i think there is someone on the forum that might be able to redo the gauges if you want or need..... i cut my dash where the radio goes for an "8 track" back in the 80's and recently welded it back.... turned out ok. (8 tracks were cool for a short time  )

 

 

 

 i do like the low side bed    

I couldn't agree more!  I feel like it was preserved so well for over 60 years, it would certainly be a shame to chop it all up with new parts.  I love the old and original stuff and i really think that is the route I will go.  I can't bring myself to build a hotrod out of this truck... heck, if I want a hotrod i will find an old chevy or ford that has already been gutted.  8 tracks are still cool! 

 

As for the low side bed, i actually didn't even notice until right now what you all were talking about!  Wow, so my truck's bed is around what, 6 inches lower than most others?  Is this a rare option to find or pretty common?

 

Thanks for the post!

[godenades]

Welcome Brian,

Looks like a good truck. I agree with Reg that it's likely a '52. It looks like a B3B model with the low side bed option.

 

I also agree with Mark (ggdad) regarding the Quiet Rides plastic interior panels. I have their entire interior package in my truck and couldn't be happier. The reproduction cardboard material interior kits from Roberts are OK, but don't hold up well over time if you have much humidity in your area.

 

For the floor I have it insulated with Quiet Rides stuff, then laid a rubber mat over it. I custom cut it to fit from a utility mat purchased at Farm & Fleet. Do some searching on the forum and you'll find some threads on these topics.

 

If you get your original temp gauge fixed so you can ditch the aftermarket one you could probably patch up the hole and repaint the dash. If done right who would know? Or you could put a vacuum gauge or small tach, from Westach, in that hole.

 

For truck bed stuff check out Mar-K or Bruce Hornkey. They'll have whatever you need to get it back to what it should be.

 

As for which direction to go... I vote for keeping it stock. Others like customized, so resale wouldn't be an issue. Either way you probably wouldn't get out of it what you put into it. I think your plan to make it drivable for now is a good one. Make the brakes reliable, give it a tune up and drive the wheels off it. Maybe give it a budget paint job to make it look more presentable. Whatever you do have fun with it.

 

Merle

Thanks for the advice Merle, again, I am sure most of this stuff is covered in previous threads so I will have to get down and dirty into the history when I am less busy.  Great idea on the floor though, how is that holding up for you?  I love that you can pretty much just do what you feel like doing for things like the floor, i could really get creative. I don't want to get crazy, but a little creativity is never a bad thing, as long as it doesn't affect the integrity of the originality that is!  

 

I don't want to jump to conclusions but with the advice i have received thusfar from all of you great people, i see no reason why i shouldn't keep it stock and original, i think that is what I will be doing!  Such a cool truck!

 

Thanks for the advice Merle!  I will keep this information on hand as I move through this project!  Great vendor information you provided!

[Reg Evans]

Here's a photo of my 52 1/2 ton low side bed with bed side boards.

 

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/olddodges1/media/Pilot%20House%20Trucks/MVC-003F-4.jpg.html?sort=6&o=78

[godenades]

As others have said, it's your truck so you need to decide on the direction to take.  My opinion (worth all you pay for it) is to leave it stock if you want maximum value. If you hot rod it, the only buyers will have to like exactly the same things you like (and did) to the truck.  

 

Two things need fixing - I could be wrong, but the cable going to the starter looks like a 12 volt (small diameter) cable.  You'll get much better cranking speed if you replace ALL the battery cables with 0 gauge.  While you're messing with the battery cables, check the condition of the battery box.  The other is your comment about maybe replacing the gas line.  If the gas tank was too far gone to save, don't take a chance with rusty old fuel lines.

Hmmm, i had no idea on that cable, though I would imagine I will have to go through and rewire the entire truck.  Some of the wiring in there now is a bit messy.  I am not familiar with this engine at all so I will definitely be reading through the forum posts for any informaiton I can find.  The truck runs great and starts great, but the battery i had in there only had 2.5 amps... it worked for a couple minutes and I don't think the generator had a chance to charge it, and it is now dead.  I can't even get the starter to turn over anymore.  I have the battery on a charger and will probably throw it back in sometime this weekend if I have a chance.  

 

Gas tank must have been bad if they had it hot-tanked, though the condition of it now is perfect!  I would assume the same gas that sat in the tank, also sat in the lines... I will opt to go ahead and replace them all along with the brake lines.  I have never done either of these jobs but I suppose it is time to learn huh?  I assume i can just take the old lines off, mirror them while off and then put the new lines that I created back in... shouldn't be that bad, though I have never done it and it always "sounds" easy.  

 

Thanks for the tips though!  I will certainly look into 0 gauge wiring!

[godenades]

Hi Brian and welcome aboard.

I have been wondering when someone was going to buy that truck. It has been listed locally for several months. Now we know.

Sure looks fairly complete.

Which way to go with it? That really depends on you and what kind of use you want to get out of it. I would say the best way to handle it is to take a few months to learn about what you have and assess it's condition. In other words take some time and study up on it. There are tons of build threads here to read through and getting really familiar with what you have to work with just makes sense.

 

Have fun with it.

Jeff

Hey Jeff, you are also in the southern california area huh?  

 

I certainly know that I want to work on the exterior paint, and I also want to replace some parts that I know need replacing or are missing.  I am sure that will take some time due to budget constraints but i will certainly take your advice and do a lot of studying during that time to ensure I am positive on the direction i will be moving forward with.  Thank you!

[godenades]

Welcome to the community, that rig looks rather nice, and

From one newbie to another, my two cents for you would be,

 

1) Pick up a notebook and make notes in it of what you, Need to do, Should do, Probably should do, and what you'd Like to do.

2) Read through some of the other topics to see what people have done/are doing to their rigs, those may give you a few ideas. I know I've gotten quite a few so far.

 

Also, I tend to be partial to keeping things stock/original, or having any changes that are made, to have them so that they can be undone with only a little effort.

However, I can see the desire to change things up by sticking a massive engine under the hood too.

Thanks Nikwillig, I think you are right on both accounts!  And I too think keeping it original is the way to go... if it was torn up, or missing a ton of parts then maybe I would consider going the hotrod route.  No use in doing that when i have a nice specimen of original 1953 already there!  Thanks for the comment!  I hope your project is going well!

[godenades]

Build threads are nice

I agree!  i will have to keep an eye out on that thread as well as contribute more once I get into the swing of things.  I am kind of in the preliminary stages at this point and wanted to start my research.  Thanks JBNeal!

[godenades]

Maybe the truck was sold in 53 and is actually a 52. Either way a very complete truck to work with. Rear bumpers are tough to come by, so enjoy that.....I prefer the round fenders to the sqaure so in my opinion I wouldn't think twice about it. 

 

Welcome to the forum and enjoy the building!

 

48D

 

Clements Tailgate BBQ

BBQ Truck

IWOYTD

Post about fenders

Thanks 48Dodger!  I had no idea the rear bumper was tough to come by.  I actually had showed a guy at work some pictures of the truck and of course he said "looks like its not the original bumper, i would put the original pretty looking on back on", i told him i love the way this bumper looked and i thought it was original based on other pictures i had seen and the front bumper.  awesome!  I am already enjoying it!  I did grab some pics of the tags, i will post them in a moment. but it is a B3B, i have confirmed that much. Thanks for your post!