55 Fargo

Hi all, I want to improve the ride quality and handling of my 108 inch WB 1955 Dodge/Fargo 1/2 ton pickup. To date, new shocks, new brakes, king pins okay, installed a used steering box and idler arm, both in very good condition. The outer tie rod ends are sloppy, and I am going to rpelace very soon. The front shackles and springs flex and retract okay, as does the rear shackles and springs. I have stock springs up front, no leaves removed, and 7 leaf spring in the rear. I do have a Mopar 8 1/4 diff with 3.23 gears. Tonight driving down an old country road thats paved, was driving at variable speeds, 50-55-60-65 mph, 50-55 mph, handles pretty good, and control seems okay. At 60-65, it gets scary, like I could lose control. I do need new tires, and the tires I have are not balanced in the rears, so that could be an issue too. I have about 400 lbs of weight in the box, I do not really want to take out leafs, as I still want to haul things with this truck, when needed. The upside, I am only turning 2400-2500 RPM at 60 mph with P205 75 15 tires, that are a bit wron down too. I do want some suggestions on any ways to improve ride and handling , while remaining stock, and without major changes........thanx fred PS it sure don't ride like the 47 Chrysler

Hi James, thanx for the "tips". I do have impact guns, and a fairly torky cordless drill. I still need to get 2 stud nuts off the donor manifold, then will bite the bullet, and decide when to do the manifold pulling off my 55 Truck. Did you think those temps I posted seem high, I sure thought so, on a 90+ dgree day, that carb and intake would be boiling hot, and what about the valves, would get good and hot, with the exhaust being soemwhat diveretd and restricted witha heatriser flap in the wrong position..........thanx again

Hi Randy thanx for the reply, yes indeed My Boy likes to tinker and take things apart. I have him trained to cut grass with lawn tractor now, but with supervision of course. I am aware and have used the ATF/Acetone concoction, I really do like using heat if I can, makes a huge difference on rusted seized metals. Evidently my thread has not evoked my response, I figured there would be a lot of others who experience, or have experienced this problem, but maybe not. Hey you Guys don't you remember Me......LOL Anyway, started to remove donor exhaust/intake manifolds today, all are out except 2, 1 intake stud nut, which I will try heat, and the nut was already worn down a bit and the other 1 long manifold bolt that goes through the middle, that bolt head is worn down too. The hidden nut number 13, came off with ease. I plan to get this donor manifold off, clean check for warpage, paint and at some point when brave, will pull off the manifolds on my truck. I really dread this excercise, as I always break a stud or bolt, and then the real fun begins. If I had the money would hire some shop to do the job. BTW thanx Randy for remembering Me..........hehehhe

Hi all, been a busy spring so far, sold the 47(ouch still seems surreal), bought the 52 Chebby sedan, and ended up selling it last week, guess my heart and pocket book wasn't in it. So back to the 55 Fargo, back drivin her a bit, and hope to do some work on her as the summer progresses. I do have the rear 56 fenders and running boards at work being welded up, and they should be finished soon. Tonight I went for about a 15-20 mile drive, its not hot out, but warm and a bit muggy, drove mostly on the highway 55-60 mph. At 60 mph she is only spinning at 2500 rpm, which is nice, engine could handle much more, but the front end, and no weight on this short truck, make faster speeds right now a bit risky. When I got back, shut truck off, then a few minutes later needed to move it, it started no problem being a 12 volt, but the carb needed to clear, I am geting fuel boilover/percolation, or something. The heatriser unfortunately is stuck in the cold warm up position, so carb base is getting warm, infact carb was pretty hot to the touch. I decided a few minutes later to take temperatures of various components, so here was the results; -exhaust manifold 300f -intake manifold 230 -carb base 210 -carb body 150 -fuel filter just before carb modern type disposable 120 -fuel pump, with heat shield, 95 -engine coolant 160-165 So is it any wonder the fuel system is getting super hot with this heat riser allowing hot gases to flow up into the intake. I have a good spare intake/exhaust manifold with working heatriser, and I need to install ASAP, but I dread the job, because of the risk of breaking stud bolts etc, been there, done that. Is this a risky venture driving this truck in warm weather with this situation, will I do damage to the exhaust valves or head? This engine runs really well, does not smoke, has good compression, and has good warm oil pressure 40 idling, 50-55 psi driving at speed. Anyway, hope everyone is doing well these days......Rockwood

Mopar 8 1/4 with 3.23 gears in my 1955 Fargo 108 wb pickup, it works great...

Had truck out again today, this unit needs some front end work, tie rod ends a bit loose so hope to get new ones this week. Have not got any extra weight in the back as of yet, but will try some this week. I am experiencing this problem though, carb is getting hot, and gas is heating up, so after a highway run, with engine heated up, when you restart truck after a short time, the carb needs to get fuel delivery to deal with hot gasoline in carb or fuel line to carb. I have this damn heatriser still stuck in the warm up/cold position, has to be the culprit. The engine is not running hot or anything, around the 170-175 mark, no issues with overheating or anything like that. I have to correct this, and hopefullyu it will resolve the problem. The old truck rides like a truck, and I do not mind, cruising at 60 mph, is no problem, but want to make sure the steering and handling are up to snuff. I also want to install new tires, this time using P235 75 15s on the rear. Other than these few issues, things are not bad for this beat up ole truck

Yup, need to do the same. I am not sure what I will use as a weight source, what are you using?

Hey all, registered 55 Fargo again for the season, took her out for a spin, the engine runs very well. I was driving down the highway at 60 mph, and even with the shorter tires, was only spinning at about 2600 rpm at 60 mph, with the 3.23 diff. I did discover 1 brake brake dragging, so backed off the adjuster and she is well again. I did find my carb is getting hot, and then forgot,my heat riser is still seized in the cold position, which does not help in this matter. So have to swap another manifold I have with working flapper. I tried unsuccessfully to get the heat riser shaft to turn, not a chance. These trucks, empty, and with the short wheel base ride choppy, that's for sure. I do not plan to remove leafs, as I do expect to haul things once in a while, so may have to add some weight in the box, to smooth out the ride. I hope to have this truck in paint by fall, but am going to take care of all mechanical items first. After I sold the 47 Chrysler Coupe this spring, I did buy a 1952 Chevy styleline sedan, although I like these cars, I decided my truck project takes precedence and with the recent spike in gasoline, decided to sell it. I have sold it, and got my money back out of it, and will now continue on in true Mopar Flathead fashion, Chevy 216s are okay, but still like Mopar flatheads much better......

I think Yukon is only speculating He needs a new timing chain and gears. He might be better off buttoning things up and drivin her, while He gets things ready for his eventual V8 swap.

Only you can ultimately answer this question. Yes indeed, sometimes, when uncovering a problem, many more arise, and things can snowball real quick from there. I see you have some choices, do the patch-up/fixup and run 218 until you can get together your V8 transplant ready. Nothing wrong with this, and hey you can still enjoy driving the car for your short Yukon summer, if that is where you live. Some on this website will frown on the V8 transplant instead of the Flat Head 6 being fixed/rebuilt and continuing on. I have no problem with anyone doing a V8 swap, if that is what they really want. I only get a little ticked, if a project is started then abandoned, or a car is scrapped, but again, it really is the owner's choice. If you have even/decent compression, engine runs well, but smokes just a little, and leaks oil, heck drive it and have fun. It's when you cannot use the engine, because it's knocking, making noise, wrist pins loose, bearings worn, it can become futile. What is the compression like? What temperature does this engine run at, when being driven, not just idling? What is the oil pressure like? If you have solved the coolant leak, with the new water pump, button things up, and drive her. Then get whatever you intend to drop under the hood ready, and make your swap as simple as possible.....Good Luck

Tod, with that 4.375:1 diff, your old Plym, must be screamin for mercy at 60-65 mph ( you have tall tires right?), ever verify your speedo with a GPS, or see what RPM your at. I think it's great, but you are a brave soul...

Freeway/majorHighway conditions might prevail in making a decision when and if to drive on them Heavy trafic, bad weather,certain jurisdictions might influence a decision. If your car can't cruise at 55-60mph, use the smaller, slower speeds roadways, 55 mph, should be the slowest speed consideration I would think, I know up here, there are tons of 2 lane highways, but on weekends, or morning, these higways get loaded with bumper to bumper traffic going 65 mph +, so drivers get annoyed when having to wait to pass some car driving 55 mph. I really also think another important consideration for highway speed is 1) handling, suspension and steering need to be in good shape, 2) brakes. There is no no point trying to drive highway speeds, when you can't steer,handle or stop your vehicle. Having said all this, I still prefer driving quiet roads, but on occasion like mult-lane roadways, if the traffic is not too heavy or crazy...

No it's seized good, have tried ona few occasions. I have another manifold that has a working heatriser flap. I do need to correct this, it will help keep car cooler in summer. The maniofld is the correct stock to this engine, being in Canada and a long block, things could be different.

Plywood? the fact it is laminated in layers? Lemme know how it goes, gonna make a hardwood spacer about the same thickness...

Thanx Greg, plan to try a wood spacer for this summer. I found last summer on real hjot days, gas would boil in carb. I have 12 volts so that makes a difference on re-starting engine. My exhaust manifold has a stuck heat riser, which does not help, I do have a complete replacement waiting to go in...

Thanx Chris, plan to make up 1 of these from a nice block of hardwood I Have. I think it would make a difference on hot days when underhood temps rise.....

Anybody running a wood or phenolic carb spacer on your Carter B&B? Just wondering if carb spacers will help with keep the carb body cooler in the underhood heat of summer. I know some are made of wood, and are up to 1 inch thick, but supposedly keep carbs from boiling up this modern hooch gas.....

Yes you have some options, with either going with the S10 transplant, you could either use wheel chocks or swap out the diff, for a Mopar 8 1/4 or Mopar 8 3/4 that will swap. On my truck 1955 Fargo 251 4 spd, have a 3.23 Mopar 8 1/4 inch diff. Today just scooted down my gravel road at 55 mph, tach was showing 2300 rpm, at 60 it is around 2500, very comfortable with this. If I went with taller tires, this could be even better. With 4.11 rear gears, my engine would be spinning at 3200 rpm at 60 mph, not my idea of fun, especially with an old engine with some miles on her......

I much like my 12 volt 1955 Fargo pickup with 251 engine. I have a Delco 10SI 1 wire alt, balast resistor for ignition coil( simple as it gets), all 12 volt bulbs. I could either use the heater blower with a universal 12 volt motor, but used a 50 watt 1ohm resistor, this drops the voltage no problem, it gets warm but no big deal. I have no installed a Runtz for the gas gauge yet. I just love 12 volt engine starting, lighting is a bit better, nice to have modern stereo and tach easily wired in, without having to use a voltage invertor or seperate 12 volt power source. If you are at the beginning, I vote for 12 volts.......

Hi Merle, she is not that far away, have not seen her in person since, but the owner keeps in touch. I was just tinkering on the 55 Fargo, she needs very little to achieve a DMV safety tag, so I should get on it. I have a set of running boards and the correct rear fenders at work, they are about ready, all welded and repaired. I have been playing with the 52 Chebby, (really should have not got her), I have a hard time with more than 1 master. This car is going to have to wait, needs about $1500-2000 worth of items to pass a road safety. I like the car, and there are plenty of aftermarket items for these cars, and not that expensive, way more than anything for the Fargo or 47 Chrysler.My 11 YO son wanted this car, now He really does not care for it. I would probably sell it off, but He may change his mind, and My friend may be annoyed as He gave me a great deal, with a lot of parts......take care

My 47 Chrysler, has got new WW shoes, car is lookin real fine. She definately went to the right owner, although It still seems surreal to Me, thought I would never sell He, lot of time and effort I did spend on Her..

The tank had lots of rust crumbs, but is in good shape. I could not budge the fuel sender machine screws, they literally tripped the phillips head like nothing. I did soak in PB Blaster overnight too. I had to drill the heads off the screws, then pulled sender, then tried to drill out broken machine screws, did not go well. I will have to retap to #10 machine screw threads, on at least 2 of them, can rad shops fix this? The sender had to be pulled, the float had fallen off, not much left of it either. The funny thing is, the sender when rehooked to the fuel gauge works bang on, even though it is all rusty. Hopefully I can fix up and clean this tank and use it again.....thanx

Hey all dropped the gas tank out of the 52 today. No old fuel or anything in it. Rust chips and rust dust came out, the usual. The tank on the outside is in primo shape. I am going to try and clean it out, or have it boiled at an old time rad shop. I do not have much faith in these tank liquid liners. How many of you have had success cleaning and re-using gas tanks?.....thanx Rockwood

Apparently Northwest of our Capital City Ottawa Ontario, measured up to 5.2, no reported damage, could be felt all the way to Toronto, which is over 200 miles away southwest of Ottawa...

Thanx Don I did enjoy this story. I take it this was a 216 engine, 3 spd standard 4.11 rearend. How fast would you be drivin that old girl down the highway? I also recall you mentioning a 235 swap in your dad's 52 Chebby. I also have a later 235 wainting in the wings. There are a lot of things I really like about these cars, and a few things I don't, overall I enjoy this car, it needs a lot, but bodywise, and most of the mechanical are in real good shape. I pulled the valve cover last week, it was quite clean in there, a good sign in my books, compression is 115-125 , not bad either....ps had her up to 50 mph a few times, with only ebrakes working..