Tony_Urwin

If your truck is a one ton, it would be a B2D. Mine is a B1C, the ¾ ton. I used Federal 700R15 tires with tubes because they were the tallest 15” radial tires that I could find. (The taller the tires, the lower the RPMs at highway speed.) Maybe your wheels are in rough shape? Some of the more ambitious guys here have made their own wiring harnesses. I rewired mine with a Painless Performance wiring harness, casue I didn’t want to burn my truck down. You have to know your limitations, right? I bought yellow pine for my stakebed. Some of my bedstrips were rusted through, so I bought new ones from Bruce Horkey.

Nice ride, Bob. I always liked the 53-54 models. you don't see too many of them. I've heard that rust took a lot of that series. You can't clean up rust with soda blasting. Soda is too gentle, and will only remove paint. Here in Cincinnati, we have an American MetalCleaning place that dips metal in huge cleaning tanks, up to and including whole car bodies. They also powder-coat wheels after they have been dipped.

Welcome to the Forum! Fill out some info on your profile so we all know just a little about you. I purchased a B1C flatbed a few months ago, and I am going through some of the same stuff that you mentioned. Are you sure you have a B2B? That would make it a half ton truck. Usually the duallys were one ton and bigger, weren’t they? Anyway, about your questions: 1) The 12V conversion is pretty straight-forward. Alternator, 12V coil, ballast resistor, 12V bulbs, put a resistor inline for the fuel gauge and any other 6V items you want to keep like the heater fan, etc. www.vintagepowerwagons.com has a kit. Check out their kit online, then buy your own components (cheaper that way). Starter still turns the same way, only faster. I used a Mopar alternator on my truck (fits good) Other guys have used the Chevy alternator. 2) Not sure about the problem with your rims. I’m running radials on original rims on my truck. 3) Pilotthouse trucks had electric wipers as an option. The 6V wiper motor can be updated to 12V by a competent repair guy. I know a guy here in the Cinti area who advertises these types of conversions in the street rod mags. Personally, I used the Newport Engineering 12V wiper kit in my truck. Good luck with your new truck. You will find all kinds of answers available by searching the forum. Email me if I can help Tony

I wouldn't even consider bondo for holes. Back up the hole with a piece of copper, and weld it closed. Takes all of about a second with a MIG welder and after it cools you can grind the weld flush with the sheet metal. It's really faster than bondo and the repair will be permanent and undetectable.

1949-50 Plymouth is hard to beat for beauty and simplicity.

Thanks for the heads-up, Brad. I'll TIVO that one. The new guys on "Trucks" aren't too bad. One of the hosts, Kevin Tetz, gives excellent tips on bodywork and paint. Lately I've been enjoying the bald guy on "MuscleCar". Anyone else like that one? He's a great fabricator.

The extra knob on the shifter...Is that for a 2-speed rear axle?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Master-Cylinder-Kit-Chrysler-De-Soto-1942-54-Vintage_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ10076QQihZ013QQitemZ230166974739QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

Are your shackle bushings in good shape? My truck didn't list that far, but it did straighten up noticeably when I replaced the shackles and bushings.

How about $5? I replaced my ignition switch when I rewireed my B1C. $5 should pay for postage and the cost of making a new key (my door lock still uses the same key) It's used, but it worked a few weeks ago. Just send me your address.

Sweet motor, and great pictures of the pull. Thanks for not taking any photos of that guy bending over...

If keeping them the same length is important, why not run them both down the passenger side (unless you want folks to think you've got a Hemi under the hood). Pretty hard top keep them the same length on a flathead, isn't it? Here's a photo of a woody with dual exhaust (wish it was mine)

It will need some bondo to get it right. I still have lots more to do on the body of this car.

Here's a rocker repair on my p-15. I used a rocker panel that I bought from Premier Auto in Iowa, along with some 18 gauge bent by a local shop, and some metal cut from a donor car.

it's not cheap. I had all 5 gauges plus the clock refurbished for my '52 DeSoto. It was a little over $300 at Williamson's Instument Service. The gauges all came back perfect. They have a website: www.williamsons.com

Thanks, guys, for the input. It sounds like the easiest path for me would be to install another transmission. I could have the flywheel machined and install the new clutch, as Don suggested. and thanks, Greybeard, for the heads-up on a transmission, but mine is a floor shift. I'm in Cincinnati. How much does it cost to ship a Pilothouse transmission? Anyone got a good transmission for sale?

I don't know where you live, but I see cheap, used tires on Craigslist.com.

I say, hemi and don't bother to look for hood sides. Save the money for disc brakes. Awesome car......

My B1C has significant clutch noise, or chatter, in second gear. Only in second gear. It’s a rapid pulse, probably 5-7 times per second, and it can be felt through the shifter, but is mostly apparent to the ears as an audible rattle. If I let off on the accelerator, it will sometimes disappear and allow me to accelerate without the chatter. After I shift to third, the symptoms are gone. Any suggestions on how to fix? The previous owner (who passed away) left me a replacement clutch and pressure plate, so perhaps he was intending to replace the clutch. Any possibility that this is a transmission issue?

I know a couple (business contacts) who must be worth ten of millions of dollars. When they come to town, she always pulls a sheaf of restaurant coupons out of her purse before we go to lunch. I was sitting at a table with them at a convention in Puerto Rico a few years ago, and the convention officials came to our table and told them they would have to leave unless they paid their addmission fees. They were trying to sneak into the convention! Go figure!

P.S. Great pictures (and great cars), Don and John.

Taking pictures at a lower resolution is great if you want to fit more pictures on a memory card. You will be limited in how sharp an image you can display or print, however. If you have room on your camera's memory card, I suggest you use the LARGEST image size when taking pictures. This will limit how many photos you can fit on the card, but you have more options with the image after you download to your computer. If you are using Windows XP, you can open the images with Windows Photo Editor. From the menu bar, click on Image, then Resize, to modify the size of the image to fit your needs.

That would be great! I, for one, would love to hear more about the big motors of this era.

Groan......I actually owned an Alliance as a young man. Worse car I ever owned by far. MotorWeek Car of the Year, they said. Somebody got greased on that one!

P.S. If you want to see the image of his bearing, you'll just have to register at DeSotoland