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Thought y'all might like looking at my '51.

You got a good memory John T… that was 2018 ?

Made new cab mount. Decided to plug weld it in since I don’t have great access to run a bead underneath

It's crazy. There is NOTHING unique or difficult about these engines. One of the reasons I got my 51 was to teach my son the basics and there is nothing more basic than the 51, lol. Then I threw him into the middle of the lake to teach him how to swim (got him a 2015 BMW 535 and he does the maintenance on it). What I suspect is the real reason is that it is a rare, these days, engine that the shop may have no idea where to get parts and they do;t want to deal with the potential hassle. Since you are an OTR trucker any chance you could drop it off somewhere? I know the Model A guys have a listing of machine shops that cater to their stuff. Got to be one of those shops near you that shouldn't be afraid to machine your stuff.

...thanks....I guess?

I started my 1953 Dodge B4B Project in September 2023. Here are a few progress photos. The engine went to the machine shop on Thursday and my goal is to have a rolling chassis to put it in when I bring it home. This is a great forum! Dan

My head light bucket.

librado65, I kinda feel your pain. I have COPD and a bad hip, which makes working heavier projects daunting. I am going to rewire my car, but I don't have the energy or flexabilty to do it myself. Trying to find a good shop to do it is next to impossible. Same with upholstry and other things that are easy (20 years ago) but time consuming. Since the electrics and mechanics are so easy on these old cars, and I know how to do them but no longer have the energy, I am thinking to hire an apprentice. Some one who can be my hands and body to work under my direction. They don't have to be skilled but should have a mechanical aptitude. The pay can be hourly or per job. Like your ring job maybe $200.00 for about 4-5 hours worth of work. or $20 an hour to rewire under the dash. A good source might be a friend who has a kid who needs a couple of bucks. Maybe a young mechanic at a shop who wants to make a few dollars on the side (Jiffy lube does not pay that well after all). This thought just hit me, a Trade school has kids that pay to be there. Might be a good source for help. They also might do jobs like ring and valves to teach the students. My dad took wielding a long time ago to use his GI bill. and the school did jobs for people to help train and make money for the school. The rate was parts plus 20% for the jobs they did. Just some ideas I'm kicking around while thinking outside the box. Maybe this will help maybe not. Just something to think about. Joe Lee

Well, I start work at 430 or 5AM (still get up w/o an alarm clock...dang dairy farm kids) and get done 8ish hours later. eat quick and head out to the shop, work till 5 or 530, then into the house for supper and some quality time with the wife. Once summer rolls around I'll go back out for work after eating and avoid TV....I get bored easily, so I build (trucks or woodworking). I appreviate the aknowledgement!

Chin up! We understand the need to vent, it helps. Life happens, can't do much about that, but you have options to get your car up and running. Silver lining to the over-the-road dark cloud is that putting your car in a long queue may not be a bad option, since you're out on the road a lot. That also gives you the opportunity to seek out a decent shop, which are indeed far and few in between. I had to wait almost a year to get our Dodge's radiator restored! It would have been longer if I'd gone out of State. Unknown who you drive for, but mayhaps you have backhaul (that's what the truckers up here call it) opportunities to get either the whole car, or just the engine, to a shop and back. I don't know of any shops that work on older engines that don't have a waiting list, because there are many more that can't or won't do that work, for whatever reason. These things can take a while, you've got a nice car and plans for how you want to enjoy it, don't lose hope.