dgrinnan

I have a 47 Dodge WC 1/2 ton. I pulled the rear axles and rear gear to have the bearings replaced. I took them to a local driveline shop. They have disassembled the rear gear and we have started sourcing replacement parts. The shop has the parts in their hands and there are numbers on them. The parts cross reference to a a later truck. A 48 or later B-1 or possibly some other vehicles. Every source I have checked states the part numbers I have are not compatible with a 47 WC. I don't dispute the possibility at some point the rear axle was changed. The engine is from a 53 Pontiac. My question is are there numbers stamped anywhere or someway for me to attempt to identify what rear axle I have or at least a group of vehicles it could have come from? I can tell you it is 8 3/4", it does have the expected 4.11 gear ratio and the correct Cleveland universal joints you would expect on a 47 WC.

These trucks complete one side of the circuit through the frame/body. Like the previous response said, you need to confirm your ground. As time goes by corrosion or rust build up between and connections and you end up losing the circuit. Basically the corrosion/rust becomes an insulator. For mine, I connected a wire directly to the light housing and ran the other end directly to the frame. Problem solved. You might need to do these in several locations on your truck. You can never have too many ground straps between the body components and frame.

I did not pull a specific model year. I did a generic search for an ignition coil and picked one that was reasonably priced. I don't think they are really vehicle specific unless you have some specialty set up in a more modern vehicle. I used the NAPA brand. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/MPEIC12SB?impressionRank=1 Same thing for the ballast resistor. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/ECHICR13?impressionRank=1 I have been running them for 2 years and engine runs great with them. When I had to replace the original firewall mounted 6v coil for my 47 WC (still 6v) I bought a generic NAPA brand 6v coil. No issues with it and I have been running it for a year. If you look on their web page it says it does not fit my vehicle but I think that is because they are trying to match the old style coil that mounts in the firewall. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/MPEIC7SB?impressionRank=1

I ran my a 6v coil for about 3 years on my converted 12v system. to be honest, I did not know/pay attention to the fact the coil was still 6v. I found out when the coil failed and I went to replace it. I would suggest going with the 12v coil. Yes, you still need a ballast resistor. Like others suggested, mount it on the firewall. You will be going through points like crazy if you don't. It doesn't have to be a make/model specific ballast resistor, if they even make one. Anyone from any manufacturer will work. I had one for a Mercury on my 54 Chevrolet that had been converted to 12v. Ran that way for 3 years before I replace it. I used a ballast resistor from NAPA. Part # ECH ICR13. Coil Part # MPE IC12SB

I created a video to document removal of the rear differential for the 1939-1947 WC 1/2 ton. https://youtu.be/7B4H7PTLuWc

I could not find a video anywhere showing the steps to pull the gear assembly from a Dodge truck. I needed to pull mine a decided to document the steps. My first "how to" YouTube video so maybe not the best but I cover all the steps. The reason i did this is these kinds of procedures are much easier when you know what to expect. I encounter one unexpected issue with the axle removal. I thought I only had to remove the cover for the brake backing plate but the entire backing plate had to come off. This required the removal of the brake line from the wheel cylinder. The rest of it was pretty straight forward. https://youtu.be/7B4H7PTLuWc

Bob, I don't know if you saw my previous post. I am in Kentucky and have the same setup. My 47 has a 46 plate (no plates in 47) and the window decal.

Thanks, I will inspect when I pull it out this weekend.

If interested, here is a link to the eBay wipers. I did a lot of searching. This is the best price I could find for something authentic and that appear they will fit. they are 10". https://www.ebay.com/itm/155488457630

Do you happen to know the ratio?

Late to the party. The Trico number for the wiper in your picture is 33-101. Most places want $22 plus per wiper. Ebay motor has them for $15.44 ea. free shipping. Advance Auto list them for $10 but have been sold out and they have not carried them in a long time. I just ordered a pair. They are what is on my 47. My actual wiper arm is slightly different than yours but the same type of connection to the wiper blade. Mine appears to be factory for electric wiper motor and yours appear to be factory for vacuum wiper motor. Your has the larger knur and mine bolts to the shaft.

I have a 47 WC 1/2 ton and I am fairly confident it has the original drive line. I am going to pull the running gear out to replace the bearings and inspect the pinion to see if it needs replaced. I was looking at DCM for gaskets for once I start reassembly. They list 3 options. 10 bolt, 11 bolt and 12 bolt. I have an 11 bolt. Does anyone know if the rear axle configuration was an option or for the 47 WC was the 11 bolt the standard differential?

Not a bad solution. When I first got my truck up and running I was afraid the 6v battery was going to keep draining between starts because it would sit for long periods. Once I got the truck road worthy it seemed to "settle in" and now the standard 6v battery seems fine, even if the truck has been sitting. When I have to replace the battery I will give your solution some thought.

What are you using for an under the bed spare tire? I have a 47 WC 1/2 ton. Is there a later year model I could source from a salvage yard or are you just using a generic new cable lift carrier?

Simple enough. Thanks.

I have a 47 Dodge 1/2 ton WC. On a modern differential you pull the cover plate, un-bolt and pull a pin and remove a u clip in order to pull the axle out. In the 47 there is no cover plate. You need to remove the drive shaft and and pull the entire gear assembly out the front to work on it. How do you pull the axle out in order to remove the gear assembly? Does the brake backing plate hold the axle in?

Not as pretty as the outside. I still need to do some work under the hood to straighten up the wiring and touch up some paint.

The 3 wire gauges are very sensitive. I just wiring mine up over the weekend. Same set up you described. New gas tank, new sending unit and original gauge. The first gauge worked, then it didn't', then it did, then it didn't. I was not sure if this was a ground issue or what. I did have the houses hanging free and not mounted in the dash, I had a spare and switched it out to try the spare. It was behaving the same way. I also notice you have to have the gauge upright. Upside down the needle drops to full. I took a chance it was connections and grounds with the gauge being so sensitive. I went ahead and made sure I had good connections and them installed it in the dash. It works. When you turn the key on there is a second or two delay before the gauge moves up. I am showing about half a tank, which seems correct. Next test is to drive it to the gas stations and fill up to see if the gauge moves up and to also see if it continues to work while bouncing around driving the truck. Good luck. oldmoparts.com has a NOS one but at a premium. $145. I would search eBay. It took some patience and searching but I bought the entire gauge cluster, both units; fuel, amp, oil pressure and temp for $52. I needed the housing. The bonus was I ended up with a spare fuel and amp gauge. The temp had the bulb cut off. Oil gauge is good.

I just went to the Carter official web page and confirmed my fuel pump was made in China. The old brand names in auto parts have all lost there history and reliability. You can't trust brand name parts anymore.

I got the bed installed. Body is finally done. Just need to complete wiring the lights, turn signals and wipers.

I know this has been discussed in multiple threads. For what ever reason it seems the number one after market part that everyone seems to have an issue with is a mechanical fuel pump. When I got my 47 project up and running it had a new Chinese made fuel pump that failed less than 2 hours in operation. I replaced it with a Carter. Not sure where it is made these days but the name has a long history and it had a 1 year warranty. With less than 10 hours run time on the engine it started cutting out on me at run speeds. It was starved for gas. It would start back up after a minute and I would get a couple hundred yards down the road and cut out again. I requested and received a new fuel pump from Carter under the warranty and installed it last night. After a long test drive I am declaring the issue resolved. That is for now. I am curious how long this fuel pump will last. You can go with an electric fuel pump. I really wanted to stay with a mechanical pump but I also don't want to keep fighting it. Another option if you have an aftermarket fuel pump is to find an original pump for your car/truck on ebay and send it to Then&Now for a rebuild. You're going to need it eventually. Might as well be prepared.

That is a tempting offer. It is a 9 hour drive but doable. Let me bounce it around my head a little bit.

I think I need to rebuild my rear differential. I had a few questions. First, does anyone know what the gear ratio is in a 47 Dodge WC? Does anyone know if anyone sells a kit to changeout the rear gears to improve the gear ratio for better cruising speed? If no upgrade for the rear is available does anyone know a good source for replacement parts?

I just got off the phone with Fleetpride. They can balance my current driveshaft. I will probably drive down to Lexington in the next day or 2.

They were in good shape. They are off center because I had to press it to the side to get the u-joint loose from the yoke. I would not have removed the drive shaft if I knew the drive shops were going to say they can't check the driveshaft. I am going to try one more thing an then I might be on the search for replacements. The B3 information is exactly what I needed just in case.