Oliver

Ok, so I got it in finally. I’m happy with it. Was going to leave the door panels the way the p/o had them done but looking at it now I think I may change them to the ones from the interior kit. Thanks all for everyone’s help. Onto the next issue: brakes. Lol

Thanks JB. Those threads got me moving again when I had given up for a bit. Sometimes it’s best to walk away. Lol. Think I have it figured out. Headliner is only item left. Gonna have to wait till my next set of days off. I’ll post some pics when it’s completed.

Would anyone be able/willing to post some pictures of their pilot house interiors? Trying to get an idea of the overlaps and placements of panels. Thanks in advance.

Thanks guys. I finished painting and am planning on installing tomorrow hopefully. Instructions aren’t that clear and videos have been tough to find but hopefully it goes smoothly. If all goes well, I’ll post some pics.

So, I still haven’t gotten a chance to check out the brake situation. And it feels like the summer is slipping away without really getting to enjoy the truck on the road. Hopefully in the next week my buddy can give me a hand with bleeding the brakes. I’ll let you guys know what we find and thanks for the suggestions. Already missed the local car show which I was hoping to be my first as a participant. I did however just receive a headliner kit from DCM. Excited to finally cover over the silver sound dampening material and have it look like a normal interior. It is the ABS “look a like” material. Has anyone installed and/or painted one of these? I’m looking to paint it a medium gray. Any suggestions on what type of paint would be best? Thanks again as always.

Finally got the paint removed to see the frame #. It is a ‘52 as you guys correctly figured from the body details. Also got the seats recovered and some auto carpeting around the pedal area. Now for the new issue…after not really driving for a few months due to weather I went to take the truck out and realized I no longer have breaks. Pedal goes to the floor and almost no stopping ability. Any pointers as to what to look into or possibilities as to why this would happen. No leaks under the truck (from the brakes at least lol). Brakes are stock/original setup. Only thing I did was glue down some auto carpeting around the pedal area but didn’t interfere with the pedals at all. Any help or suggestions on where to look or proceed would be appreciated. I’ve been thinking a lot about switching to disc brakes but haven’t convinced myself yet.

Decided to start taking the bench seat apart. Was hoping to find a build sheet or a treasure map but instead found a lot of mouse poop and acorn shells. Did however also find this tag on the back section of the seat. Anyone know it’s significance or if there’s any way this is tracked or matched?

Thanks Merle. I’m going to order the kit from Robert’s and give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll end up at an upholsterer like you did.

Looking to get a new bench seat cover and seat kit (the guts) for stock bench. Was looking at Vics, DCM, and Robert’s so far for purchasing. Anyone have experience with any of their products for this and/or preferences? Also, is this something that I can do myself, being handy but never having Re-done a seat before. I saw one site recommended an upholsterer to install. Thanks.

“Well, it's a '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56'57, '58' 59' automobile” - Reminded me of that Johnny Cash song - One piece at a time. Lol, Good idea and nice looking truck!

So I’ve been trying to figure this out. I have the engine number and the body plate(?) number. I found the frame number but it’s hard to make out from under the paint. Still working on that. Any tips? The title says ‘53 but could be as Merle mentioned earlier, a ‘52 titled in ‘53 I guess. The vin on the title is the engine number? Still good to have all the numbers documented.

Hi. Thanks for the input. I see what you and Brent were saying with the rear fenders. The serial number on the frame will be able to determine this? Tried looking briefly when I got home tonight, and I see where it is, just too difficult to make it out. It’s going to take some work so I’ll have to try maybe this weekend. I can read the engine number. There is no plate on the door. Thanks again. Love the color scheme on yours.

Thanks Brent. Fit “like a glove” as they say on the site? And did you just loose lay it or it is adhered? Thanks again.

What do you guys usually use to line the floors over the sound dampening? Is it carpeting/rubber? Does it get glued down to the dampener? Or am I way off. Lol

Ahh. Haven’t noticed those in pics before. They clean the look up nicely. I’m sure they’re not in my bucket of parts but I’ll keep an eye out. Thanks!

2 more pics from when I went to check it out.

Thank you. The PO had painted them a “hammered Steel” color along with the headlight bezels and front bumper, which is actually the rear bumper I believe. I have the front also but it needs to be put back into shape. Anyway, IMHO doesn’t look terrible but something to work on at a later time. I need to figure out how to adjust the grille bars so they align better also.

Thank you Ed and Neal.

Thank you Merle and Brent. Yes, it seems to be roadworthy so far. Starts easily, runs, drives, and stops. There is a little more play in the steering wheel than I think there should be, so that will be something to look into. The interior has sound dampening around it from the previous owner(see pictures). I would like to install a headliner and floor covering. Still looking around for those. So far I just focused on small things like window sweeps, hubcaps, clutch and brake draft protectors...etc. My goal is to have a truck to take to the occasional nearby car show, or take my daughter around town in. heres one question....does it need those quarter windows to be considered a pilot house? Therefore making mine NOT a pilot house. Or was it more about the stance of the cab and those quarter windows were extra options?

Hey folks, as stated in the title I recently purchased a ‘53 Dodge B3B. I don’t really have a lot of experience in this but have been been some research and planning. Appears like the previous owner put a fair amount of work into it already. I’m sure I’ll have a bunch of questions and know there’s a lot of good info on this site. Thanks in advance for your patience.