coW52Dodge

After getting a bit tired of double clutching and finally finding some decent time for other projects, I decided to replace my transmission with a better one. Problem is, how does one remove the drive shaft? I've unbolted the flange from the shaft on the transmission end. The rear U-bolts that hold it onto the pumpkin are loose but can't seem to get them out all the way. They seem to hang up where the one is positioned in the picture. There's no real movement in any of the drive shaft. Am I missing something? Do I need to loosen the rear axle or something like that as well?

Those^ are some great pictures, guys!

LOL!! Didn't notice that until now.

Btw, the idea is that we all post up vintage pictures of dodges.

Not sure if we have one here - didn't see one so thought it might be a nice idea to start a thread of vintage pictures of our trucks.

Mine at a local cruise night.

Bling - bling!! That looks fantastic! Nice job. I love progress threads. Thanks for posting them.

No, I didn't see a thing. A good way is to upload your pictures to a hosting site, like photobucket.com. You basically set up an account, upload your pictures by simply clicking the upload button there. After they are uploaded, photobucket gives you a link to your picture that you can then refer to here with an code. I like doing it that way so you can get to the pictures from other forums or sites without having to be logged in here. Ask your grand daughter - she'll know how, no doubt.

They look the same to me. The first one just seemed turn to the right, were Merle's wheel seems to be turned straight. My 52 has a wheel exactly like that, it having a un-equal 'pizza slice'' division on the bottom. When I restored my steering wheel, I bought another one for a different year just in case something went wrong with my restoration. I ended up not using it. Anyway, it has equal 'pizza slice' divisions. While it looks differently so may not be 'period correct', it fit on the column just fine so I suspect that they all pretty much fit.

Thanks - that's what I've been looking for. Thanks also to Ed for the link. I ordered some just now.

It is very good stuff but harder to get. I've seen a couple of cans at Cabella's (out of all places!) once but you'll find that most FLAPS' don't carry it on a regular basis. A while back three friends and I split a case by ordering it directly from Kanolabs. They'll throw in an extra can and give you a money back guarantee so you can't go wrong. The Aerokroil can is very convenient but next time I'm getting non aerosol gallon, it being cheaper and you get more precise delivery when dripping it where you need it using an old school squirt can.

They extend a little more but look significantly different. It took me quite a while to find a couple of wheels with the same clips I already had (some were broken). One wheel was newer and wrong size but the clips looked similar so just transferred those clips onto this wheel. Like I said: it was a lot of trouble finding these clips. I like the magnet idea. Maybe epoxy some rare earth magnets to the hubcap or something like that. What surprises me is nobody just makes the proper clips. It seems that lots of people need them.

Thanks. I'll have to try that along with marking my hubcaps with a "reward - call this number if found" message written inside. The springs on this particular wheel are a bit different in shape, them coming off a later year wheel so they are shaped a bit different than the other ones. It appears to be pretty tight, though. The ones on the truck aren't fancy or prestine but I'd hate losing any more of them.

Rolling around yesterday, I think I lost one of my dogdish hubcaps. :x What's a good way to make sure those things don't rattle off, besides gluing them onto my wheel with roofing tar?? Those clips are horrible. First it took me forever to find wheels that have them all with the net result of still losing a hubcap. I'm debating to put a bead of clear RTV silicone on the edges and just let that help hold them in place. Hotglue? What works for you guys?

My weapon of choice is soaking anything stuck in Kroil first. That stuff is maybe a bit more expensive and harder to get than PBblaster but works magic. If that doesn't work, heat - then cursing and subsequent exterme violence in the form of an impact gun.

Here's my wheel, back where it belongs, along with the new horn ring: After this picture was taken, I removed the ring again - after I put it on, it became clear that the horn button needs to be resprayed and cleared as well. It looks odd, all dull and stuff.

This is the bearing separator I used. My puller is a two jaw one but would imagine this one may even work better, providing it opens wide enough.

It looks like a castle nut. I'll look again.

Thanks. I'll redo it. Mine took a puller and a split bearing separator because it did not like to come off. The large bearing separator that HarborFreight sells fits very well behind the wheel and you catch the puller on the edges of it, pushing into the shaft. Even that took a bit of cranking on the nut but it eventually came off with a loud 'POP!'. I used the steering wheel kit Eastwood sells because this was a first for me and it came with instructions. If you like, I could scan the booklet in and email it to you. It isn't truly invaluable but informative. The kit comes with two cans of two component epoxi you can buy at home depot or wallmart. Even with a lot of cracks, you won't need too much of it. Two cans is a lot, imo. It also comes with a 'adhesive promotor' - KEM sells one that works well too. You file or grind all the cracks into a V-groove and fill it, making sure it stands a little proud. My expoxy took a week to dry to where it could be sanded. You then sand them down and refill where need be. I used four thin coats of KEM flat black paint and eight coats of 'low luster' clear, also by KEM. I goofed a little, sanding a little much where it now has flat spots, but it looks good from two feet. The steering wheel and the new wood bed probably look the best on my truck at this point, so that's good enough for me. It definitely is not difficult to do. I'll post some pictures later, after I get my new hornring polished up.

Now that I've restored my steering wheel, should my thinking be "Since it was a bear to remove, it should be really difficult to put back?". How tight should that nut be? It is pretty tight right now, with the threads of the column being just proud of the nut. I tightened it with a breaker bar but am reluctant to break out the impact gun. Is there a torque spec or is that good enough? Also, the nut is a castle nut but I don't see any holes in the column. I forgot to inspect the thing when the wheel was off but are there holes further down? Don't want any surprises, as you can imagine..

Regardless of whether the system controls stuff by wires or not, it is possible that signals from transmitters get into the system and fool the system into doing something it isn't supposed to. When you design something, you design it for minimal susceptibility to RF signals and, to make sure it indeed operates properly, most of the time you acceptance test the design. Especially mission critical equipment (military, medical, automotive) goes through rigorous testing. That being said, if a signal is strong enough, close enough and just of the right frequency, it will get through and it will screw something up - but we're talking huge signals, stuff that likely makes lightbulbs light up without them being hooked up. Signals from cell phones are puny by comparison. Long story short, you don't have a thing to worry about. I do this stuff for a living.

I've cut my bodywork teeth on Aircooled VWs and, in the process have come in contact with John Kelly of GhiaSpecialties, a true craftsman. His DVD that deals with shrinking and stretching techniques is very good - it isn't anything fancy so it isn't neatly edited and stuff: really just a guy with a camera and tools but very informative, nevertheless. The MetalShaper's site is a great resource as well.

Not mine, but it could be of use to someone here: