John-T-53

Sounds like a leaking wheel cylinder or fitting! When the shoes get soaked, it's imperative they're replaced.

10,000 miles on it so far, 7k since the second rebuild! Replace the fuel pump!

All the pics below look good. This is on my to do list for next year...I'm going to use solid planks but maybe paint them black for a utility look. Right now the bed is "floating" and held on by just the fenders and bumper. It's slowly tweaking everything as the bed shifts and raises up when I go over bumps. Not good.

Perhaps you still have some trapped air pockets? When filling it from dry, I always like to disconnect the heater hose at the firewall to let all the air out of the head. Not sure if entirely necessary but it allows filling of the system once without topping off after first heat-up.

What's the ratings for the 265 and how would it compare to the lil' 218? This sounds like a killer powerplant upgrade, especially with dual carbs and exhaust. Might have to put that on the to-do list someday...

This would best be done by a shielded type arc welding like used on crankshafts to build up metal. Then it would need to be machined and heat treated. It would be an involved process. Probably easier to find another 4-speed for parts...or a new stick. Good luck.

Doesn't have to be waterproof...just to keep dust out. I think this hole allows you to acess the clutch cover bolts from the top if desired.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/2605742097.html I thought this was worth posting as the big trucks are cool and seldom seen for sale. This one looks like a good buy and is located near DPETCA Headquarters. I'd get it if I had some more land!

I tried to keep my original core. I had it repaired three times, all in the relative same spot, all times having the talk the radiator guy into working on it. I even tried the bar's leaks but the leak only got worse. The old v-cell cores are all held together with lead, and when one spot is repaired, it softens the adjacent areas, making them prone to leaks. Stop-leak products only seem to compound the problem, as they clog up the already half-clogged up cells. If you have an old core in good condition and don't drive it that much, you could probably get by fine, though. I put the last 10k miles on my orig. core until it reached its end. Since I drive my truck all the time, I finally got tired of pulling the radiator, plus down time, and had it recored...worries over. I looked at a reproduction v-cell core - there's only one mfr in the US that makes these - Maine Radiator - but the cores cost over $1000. So settled on a standard tube and fin style core.

Do you have the original core still in there? If so, you'll be chasing a leak forever.

"Townwagon" (Eric's truck parts on ebay) on here might have one too. Also, AMS Obsolete (fmmpar on ebay) might have one too. They will probably want a lot for it though... Neil Riddle (The Old Plym Cafe on ebay) recently sold me some air/temp knobs for $15 each that were in great condition.

I'll have to take you up on that....how bout a T-5 test drive in exchange for a good pair of springs?...haha.

Looks like a fire burned the inside of the cab too...maybe from a lightnin' strike on the load in the bed!

1/2 ton. My springs are at different heights and I'd like to get a set I can have rebuilt, that way minimize down time. What you got?

I figured I'd get y'all drooling over this one! Yup, there's a few early 50s Mopar cars there, even a D-24 and a Chrysler sedan that looked restorable. Lots and lots of big truck parts too as you can see. The place is called Brian's Auto Salvage (and Junk). They don't advertise and strive to keep a low profile. They were very protective of their stuff, and I had to ask before pulling any parts. But if you follow their rules, they'll help you out. Located on Green Island Road in American Canyon. It's off CA-29, the road to Napa. Off the beaten path but within a couple hours' drive for most of you here in northern CA. I might go back in a couple weeks for another pick, maybe get ambitious and try to get a set of front springs. If you go, bring a couple cans of wasp spray, or bee keeper's suit, seriously. Update: Now recommend flea/tick repellant. I ended up with flea bites all over my legs and this is the only place they could have come from. The guard dogs looked a little shabby...

By recessed you mean indented head bolts? Yes, this style is used on most sheet metal assemblies on our trucks, like Hank mentioned the inner fenders and floor boards. They're usually the 5/16"-24 size and used with the peripheral tooth lock washer. The other style of bolts like shown on your tail gate pic sometimes have the "dpcd" logo stamped on the head and are used in more structural situations, like on the frame, mounting things to the engine, under the dash, and the tail gate hinges. These original bolts are very high quality, especially when compared to hardware store replacements, so I save and reuse 'em wherever possible!

Here's some more pics. I thought it'd be my duty to share...so some of you who live within range can put this place on your go-to list.

Found a little hidden junk yard here in the bay area from a buddy's tip. Made a run up to the north east shores of San Pablo Bay yesterday, north of Vallejo (about 60 miles from here) and found the mother lode of rusty Mopar. They have about 8-10 B series trucks, a few C series, and a lot of the 30s-40s truck models. Also sweptlines, late 50s trucks, and lots of cars. A lot had been picked through already, but there's lots of good sheet metal and engines up there. The '51 or '52 ton and a half (blue truck) had a running engine when it was parked (so they said). The truck in the last pic is a new arrival and runs and drives, although it's very rough and comprised of a mix of different years' parts. It had a makeshift gas tank mounted on the firewall. One thing creepy about this place was the over abundance of wasps. They were everywhere...nests hanging from inside cab roofs, inside doors, under hoods, etc! I had to be very careful not to piss them off!

Spray silicone worked great for me, at least the second time around. It's helping the rubber last longer too.

Would you say this is due to surface area difference from outside to in...or does the paper have different mesh sizes on each side? I have the paper element installed (I think it's the 1080), and have the same canister as yours (outlet at top). I quit buying the sock elements because they are all too big and don't fit. I'm also missing the perforated dome, but this would clearly not work with the ill-fitting sock element. I know there's been talk of Wix now making the correct smaller size socks, but every time I've ordered a 1011 they are all still too big. What's the current status on the sock sizes found in boxes these days?

Hank - Yes. There have been some posts way back that told of removing the column, jacking up the cab, etc to remove both pedals, but it can be done with less dissassembly. The brake pedal is the bugger. Remove floor boards, clutch pedal, trans, clutch, and clutch pan. Remove the grease fitting on the R end of the shaft, and the 2 bolts holding the shaft in place, then you can wiggle the shaft, brake pedal up at an angle and drop the shaft out the bottom of the bellhousing. Then the brake pedal drops out free. It's a tight maneuver but I've done it twice now. Dropping the tranny sucks, though.

As for the frame and body matching your ID plate, your VIN should be stamped on the frame too, front left, just forward of the wheel on the outside. Probably have to sand down to bare metal to read it. I also recently found a faint scribble on the firewall with the last 3 digits of my VIN...this was on the heater fresh air intake knockout. But if your firewall is in rough shape, chances are slim it'd be there, if the factory even put it on yours in the first place.

Right...VPW is the source for these. Check this out: http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=17942

Some pics here too: http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=19455 Scroll to the bottom.

Ditto on all remarks below. This half ton has done its share in its day, and continues on.. This is from about 6 years ago in the hills above Arroyo Grande, CA. Hauling rock from a road cut that got used in building a wall.