John Rogers Posted November 11, 2017 Report Share Posted November 11, 2017 I've owned my '49 for about 3 yrs now and its a daily driver. I absolutely love it.Between it spending its entire life in the town I live in here in SE Arizona (Benson) and the fact that the previous owner was meticulous and maintained it really well mechanically, I am very lucky. it is extremely reliable and I can take it anywhere, anytime and know it will get me home with no problems. Its not a build just a series of projects and improvements. As many of you know because I mentioned it probably more than once. My Dad had one just like it when I was a kid. He taught me how to drive in it when I was 10 going on 11 on deserted back roads in out in the middle of nowhere. He would move the seat up and put a couple of phone books behind my back and off we would go.Years later I drove it after I got my license when I was in High School. I drove it every day until I got my '69 Charger R/T. Unfortunately Dads truck is long gone and sadly my Dad passed 15 yrs ago. Dad was my best friend and we spent some of the greatest moments in my life together going on adventures in that truck. Over the years I had seen the PO driving what is now my truck around town and I remember wishing it were mine because I just loved it and after Dad died it reminded me of him. Years and years later when finally I had the chance to buy it I jumped on it.The day that I bought it and pulled it into my driveway I started a list of things that I felt needed to be done in order of priority. I have debated since I joined this forum on whether to start a thread about it because I didn't want to bore anyone. I started to think about how much I enjoy reading at and looking at pictures from other peoples build and progress posts. Because of this Ive decided to slowly over time post and share pictures and such of the projects and progress Ive made since buying it. Eventually as my health allows I will paint it like Dads which was dark green with a black bed and red rims. Well here goes.... my first couple of posts on this thread. if they get boring or irritating please let me know. My first pic will be of Dads truck taken on our farm. its not a real good one but its all I have. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2017 The first thing I wanted to fix was the floppy gas pedal. While Dads truck suffered from the same thing, just like Dad's the constant pushing the pedal to the side with my foot was no fun. The good thing is unlike when Dad had his truck there is a abundance of reproduction parts available so I bought one from DCM and installed it. While it was much better it still had a lot of side to side play. After removing the clevis pin that attaches the shaft to the linkage I found it was the problem so I put a new one it from Ace. That helped but it was still sloppier than I wanted to I looked thru their bold selection and saw a bolt with a machined surface. I installed it and that took care of the unwanted slop.Nothing Earth shattering by any means but it works great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2017 (edited) Ok last one for a while. I started to experience a couple of problems once the days got well over 100 . While I was driving everything was fine because of the air circulating.The first time it happened when I stopped after going to Tombstone at the store, when I came out it started ok but when I drove away it ran for a minute or two and died . I looked at the fuel bowls and they were empty so I poured my bottle of water on the fuel pump and it started right back up and ran fine as soon as it filled the carb back up. The other thing I noticed was that when if I parked it when it was hot the fuel in the carb bowl would peculate and flood the engine badly. I lowered the float level and it helped a bunch, it still happened but not as bad as before. The fuel pump heat shield was missing to I made one out of aluminum and while I was at it I decided to make one for the carb as well. I wanted to find a clean way to mount the shield to the intake and after pondering it for a few days I came up with and made the ones in the picture.it works really good. Between the two the problems during the summer are pretty much gone . Edited November 11, 2017 by John Rogers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Stephenson Posted November 11, 2017 Report Share Posted November 11, 2017 See if you agree with me. John Rogers is a man of deep feelings and expresses Great Wisdom. I truly enjoyed your posts with excellent photographs, I see you understand and utilize Tangents. Must be a Pipe fitter. Charlie Stephenson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desotodav Posted November 12, 2017 Report Share Posted November 12, 2017 I am pleased that you chose to start and share a project thread on your truck here John. I am sure that stories of your progress will be enjoyed by many of us here. Thank you for sharing... and keep the updates coming! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2017 Im really sorry that I have not replied or anything over the past few days. This past Feb 17th I suffered a "massive saddle pulmonary embolism" resulting from extensive DVT (blood clotting) in my rt leg. Im recovering exceptionally well and doing really great, especially considering all the Drs that I have seen have told me that as severe as it was I should have died the second it happened. Anyway part of the recovery process which can last 6 months to two years is extreme chronic fatigue and periods of shortness of breath. Ive been really getting hit my the fatigue hard the past 4 or 5 days .It makes me dizzy and light headed so I spend a lot of time laying down when it happens. Ive been able to pop on here but only for a minute or so then I have to turn off the PC because the screen seems to make me feel more dizzy. I can access this forum from my phone but I cant figure out how to sign in so I can comment and participate. For some reason my phones screen does not make me nearly as dizzy. I can sign into Facebook on my phone but Im not savvy enough to sign into here Ugh ! I really appreciate the kind words and the compliments on my progress. I love working on my truck. The lack of energy and such from the recovery is slowing things down as far as working on my truck big time so I do what I can when I can .Thats ok , its only temporary and Im blessed to be alive and well. Ill post a few more pics of some things I have been working on over the past 2 or 3 yrs. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2017 I got this heater from my friend along with a bunch of parts. I just loved the look of it so a year or so ago I decided to go thru it. It was in really good shape all in all. The rusty back panel was not nearly as rusty as it looks. I put the parts in a E- tank I made and went at at. The stainless trim was broken at the left rear so I MIG welded it and it cleaned up great. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2017 (edited) Here is what it looks like now. I haven't installed it yet because it was and still is missing one of the 2 large nuts that are needed to mount it. I have one but Im still searching for another one so I can install it. I see that John Sartain has one in his truck too which turned out fantastic. John Edited November 16, 2017 by John Rogers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsartain Posted November 16, 2017 Report Share Posted November 16, 2017 John, yours looks just like mine but my trim was brass underneath what little was left of the plating. My trim was broke in the same place. I still have to get a valve for the coolant. I think I want to get s full flow bypass valve rather than just the on/off one. I'm thinking about using this cable actuated valve. https://www.amazon.com/Four-Seasons-74643-Heater-Valve/dp/B000C2UVK0/ref=sr_1_24?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1510865503&sr=1-24&keywords=heater+bypass+valve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2017 Last post,the screen is starting to get to me . The heater was missing the defroster manifold and I looked and looked on Ebay but didnt see one by itself so I decided to make one. After I finished it I decided to add a door like the ones I had seen pics of this is what I came up with. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsartain Posted November 16, 2017 Report Share Posted November 16, 2017 Good job! That looks really well made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Oil Soup Posted November 16, 2017 Report Share Posted November 16, 2017 Wow John, your heater looks super! My truck acts a lot like you describe, must be that dry heat. Good luck on your recovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Roberts Posted November 16, 2017 Report Share Posted November 16, 2017 That nut that you are searching for might be the same thread as the nuts that hold a faucet in place in the home . A hardware store might have it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorDog Posted November 18, 2017 Report Share Posted November 18, 2017 WOW!! Very nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted November 18, 2017 Report Share Posted November 18, 2017 I just read of your leg problem and now the fatigue factor. I do wish you well. Now 12 weeks out of knee replacement, I too can only work so long, so my shop lazy boy is greatly appreciated and used frequently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2017 On 11/16/2017 at 1:53 PM, johnsartain said: John, yours looks just like mine but my trim was brass underneath what little was left of the plating. My trim was broke in the same place. I still have to get a valve for the coolant. I think I want to get s full flow bypass valve rather than just the on/off one. I'm thinking about using this cable actuated valve. https://www.amazon.com/Four-Seasons-74643-Heater-Valve/dp/B000C2UVK0/ref=sr_1_24?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1510865503&sr=1-24&keywords=heater+bypass+valve I was given this heater with the truck and it had been sitting outside for about a year or so and one day I looked at it and it finally dawned on me how cool it looked so I brought it in my shop started working on it. I was concerned that there would be something wrong with the core but it was fine. Whew !!! Its strange that the trim on mine is made of SS and yours is brass. I would imagine that it was made the Model 36 for several years so they probably just decided to switch at some point for one reason or another. I thought about using a cable operated valve but I decided to use a manual one. I found a original manual valve in one of the boxes of parts that I got but it was in pretty poor shape and rather crusty so I decided to buy one at NAPA. Were you able to get your oil pressure valve removed yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2017 On 11/16/2017 at 2:32 PM, The Oil Soup said: Wow John, your heater looks super! My truck acts a lot like you describe, must be that dry heat. Good luck on your recovery. Thank you . I really enjoy working on projects like this.I agree, just part of living in the Sonoran desert. This was not a problem back in the days before they oxygenated the gas in Dads truck but we have to work with what he have. I can only imagine how hot it gets under the hood when its well over 110 especially right after it gets parked and is just siting there with no air coming in. I meant to put a thermometer under the hood this past summer to find out but I never got around to it. Well there always next summer Im using my recovery time to do as much of the little stuff as I can. I'll tell ya, it sure makes me smile to tinker with my truck. As I start feeling better I can do more of the bigger things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2017 On 11/16/2017 at 3:38 PM, Jerry Roberts said: That nut that you are searching for might be the same thread as the nuts that hold a faucet in place in the home . A hardware store might have it . Great idea,I will give it a try I never thought of that. I get the funniest looks when I go to the Ace hardware here in town. Usually they come to you and ask if they can help find anything. Now they know that I'm there wandering around looking for a random piece from who know what to complete something for my truck that I'm working on. Heck I'm related to a half dozen of the employees so it doesn't surprise them Now they just say I and ask me to bring the finished project in so they can see it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2017 On 11/17/2017 at 6:40 PM, WarriorDog said: WOW!! Very nice work. Thank you so much ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rogers Posted November 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2017 (edited) On 11/18/2017 at 2:35 AM, pflaming said: I just read of your leg problem and now the fatigue factor. I do wish you well. Now 12 weeks out of knee replacement, I too can only work so long, so my shop lazy boy is greatly appreciated and used frequently. How is the rehabbing of your knee going. I hope that it is going smoothly. Edited November 19, 2017 by John Rogers I cant type to save my life :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted November 19, 2017 Report Share Posted November 19, 2017 The knee is relatively pain free and the leg as well. Via rehab my ROM is now normal, my challenge now is upper leg strength. I cannot get out of a chair or up off the floor without help. Some of that muscle problem is the result of a satin I was taking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonejacklarry Posted November 19, 2017 Report Share Posted November 19, 2017 3 hours ago, pflaming said: I cannot get out of a chair or up off the floor without help. Ah, yes, I remember those days. One day I figured that if I were flat on my back or even sitting on the floor there was no way to get up without a chair, car bumper, or some help. It gradually got better just in time for the second knee replacement. It's tough getting old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted November 19, 2017 Report Share Posted November 19, 2017 Only the tough GET old! The weak always die young, feeds the bottom of the food chain! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonejacklarry Posted November 19, 2017 Report Share Posted November 19, 2017 Yessir, we old folks have got to stick together. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsartain Posted November 20, 2017 Report Share Posted November 20, 2017 9 hours ago, John Rogers said: I was given this heater with the truck and it had been sitting outside for about a year or so and one day I looked at it and it finally dawned on me how cool it looked so I brought it in my shop started working on it. I was concerned that there would be something wrong with the core but it was fine. Whew !!! Its strange that the trim on mine is made of SS and yours is brass. I would imagine that it was made the Model 36 for several years so they probably just decided to switch at some point for one reason or another. I thought about using a cable operated valve but I decided to use a manual one. I found a original manual valve in one of the boxes of parts that I got but it was in pretty poor shape and rather crusty so I decided to buy one at NAPA. Were you able to get your oil pressure valve removed yet? I haven't had a chance to get back on it again yet. I have been running down a generator/charging problem and a my brake problems. I call them problems, but really not terribly bad after it setting up for so many years, they're all setbacks I'll get past. I did the Rusty Hope conversion a week or so ago, and went to a cherokee 3.55 axle this last week. I still have to bleed the brakes but I will get that done over the holiday. I'll likely work some more on the oil pressure problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.