Jump to content

John-T-53

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,647

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    19

 Content Type 

Everything posted by John-T-53

  1. John-T-53
    That is original maroon seat and door panel upholstery, unique to the '53 models. When you get it cleaned up a bit, snap some more pics so we can see the color come back to life. Does the truck still have the back panel and headliner cardboard? What model heater is in the truck? I don't recognize the type with both inlet and outlet at the bottom as shown in your firewall pic. My '53 doesn't have the grease hole plug, nor any clips at the grill seams. I'm not sure the plug was factory. Someone might have used a sink hole plug for this just for fun. Have fun with this ol' gal!
  2. John-T-53
    Thanks Rich. I've contacted the seller to see if these would be similar or identical in cross section to the B-series rails. I'd be good If I could use at least parts of them to repair mine. This is a stroke of good luck!
  3. John-T-53
    Set 'em looser as mentioned below. The cold setting doesn't have to be dead on as you'll have to adjust again when the engine comes up to full temp for the first time. In fact, the first hot adjustment might be good to set one or two thousands larger as the gap will naturally get tighter on a new engine (as the valves seat into place).
  4. John-T-53
    Thanks all. I've searched various repro mfr's for something that could be adapted but no luck. Closest thing was for a late '30's Ford car but they wanted $130 for a pair, and it's hard to tell from small images on websites what they actually look like in section. Not worth it. I agree this would have to be custom fabbed, just need the technology to do it...More like I need to find somebdy who has the tools to make them for me.
  5. John-T-53
    Too bad you're so far away... I have a good working 3 speed sitting on my garage floor with no home.
  6. John-T-53
    ...IN '84!
  7. John-T-53
    Reminds me of George Costanza eating ice cream "on tv": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7MgaRS0MIE DD, I always appreciate your pictures. Keep 'em coming! I will be back in the area this September for another trip to Horton lake. This time we plan to do some hikes above 11,000' and maybe to the top of Mt Tom. Can't wait!
  8. John-T-53
    I ended up getting the seal from "fmmpar" on ebay which is actually AMS Obsolete. The sell a lot of other parts for B-Series trucks too. I noticed the DPCD letters cast into their seal and asked them about it - turns out they aquired original molds and are making new seals from this, hence the good fit. Only problem now is I'm having a tough time getting the weatherstrip adhesive to stick to the rubber.
  9. John-T-53
    Lokar makes a simple ball knobs w/ pattern inscribed. Theirs come with 3/8"-16 and 24 inserts and locknuts. I used their black know on my 5 speed stick and it looks and feeld great. VPW also sells knobs if you want a more original look.
  10. John-T-53
    Anybody ever have to replace theirs? Mine's completely rusted beyond repair, to the point where there's holes in the cab roof. My local body guy suggested I remove the drip rail completely and find a replacement. And of course, it would be best to find one that's as identical as possible to the original. So my question is...do you guys have any ideas on sources? Thanks,
  11. John-T-53
    This is where I had my Chevy's radio restored and FM converted: http://www.bobsradio.com/ Bob did a hell of a job and is a nice guy to deal with, very helpful on the phone. In all his years of vintage radios, even he has not seen a 610-T! Joel, your rig looks cool! Great job!
  12. John-T-53
    Sounds like a good strategy for buying a mattress too! Just saying that because I spent the past month looking for one. Ugh.
  13. John-T-53
    Great...thanks. I might be tempted to replace the new one I got from VPW. It looks good but doesn't seal completely. When it rains it leaks.
  14. John-T-53
    Is this gasket the solid rubber type or the rubber-covered sponge foam type (like a door weatherstrip)? I believe the original was the foam type, which would work better considering the common alignment and adjustment problems on most vents. Thanks,
  15. John-T-53
    Hey, don't forget the fluid drive hood emblems too! A 5 speed swap would be just about as much work, maybe a little less. I can't fully compare the two since I've never driven a fluid drive, but I really love my 5 speed w/ overdrive!
  16. John-T-53
    Mine are like yours, with the clutch slightly back, both touching the floor panel where it angles up. After the floors are in, the position of your engine (front to back) will affect the brake pedal position, in addition to the adjustment on the brake rod/clevis. What's most important is that the pedals are adjusted so they work correctly. You'll likely be visiting this area frequently when you first get your truck on the road.
  17. John-T-53
    Yeah I imagine just the tag was swapped to get the truck titled, who knows how long ago. There's no evidence of a cab swap, this thing is all original except for the 30 year old paint job, tires, and the work I've been doing to it. My title has the tag vin as the number it's registered under. I'd like to get build tags from Chrysler. I read somewhere on here how to request them and I'll have to look it up again. I think it was through the WPC museum? Or now we might have to contact Fiat ... Fix It Again, Tony!
  18. John-T-53
    I plugged it in: Serial Number 85325529 Year 1953 Make Dodge Model B-4-B Engine 217.76 Flathead Six Wheelbase 108, 116 Rating 1/2 Ton Engineering Code T306 Plant San Leandro, California Build Number 3529 All the same as the tag serial number except the build number.
  19. John-T-53
    I'd like to replace mine with the new version. I called them the other day about this and they were deer in the headlights on the issue. I was transfered to another dude and left a message, but never heard back. Gary, who was your contact over there? Thanks,
  20. John-T-53
    Merle - the door panels you have are just ABS with no vinyl cover over them? I'm thinking of making standard cardboard panels and then having them upholstered. Also trying to figure out how to put a real headliner in with bows as I don't like the original panel setup.
  21. John-T-53
    Thanks Hank...yeah my camera has a "color highlight" function I like to use. The T5 worked great and was sure fun on them one lane hilly roads. I'm having some binding at the pilot bearing now, causing harder shifts, so will have to revisit that once again...
  22. John-T-53
    I found and finally cleaned off the VIN area on the front part of the frame, and it doesn't match the serial on the door jamb plate. They differ only by a couple hundred, though. The truck is pretty much all original, just the head has been changed. I wonder why someone would do this? Maybe it's a 'hot' truck..
  23. John-T-53
    I'll take your word for it! I've had my paint peel just from driving by this place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_Ranch
  24. John-T-53
    Took a little trip down to Parkfield over Memorial Day. The area has some of the most scenic country this side of the central valley, and the best part, not a lot of people.
  25. John-T-53
    Merle - Maybe try an NOS switch...maybe VPW has them? I'm not sure if my switch is original to the truck, but I've never had a problem with it in the ten years I've had it. You would think a simple part like this would be hard to get wrong. Maybe there's something in the air up in WI that's leading to your problem... As a general statement, I've not had really good luck with repro or replacement electrical parts, not for the truck but in working on other vehicles. When all else fails, NOS.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use