Northwind

Have you tried www.hastingsmfg.com/RingFinderMasterDetails.aspx?They list rings for CHRYSLER back to 1931. I see 251 6cyl 3 rings per cyl. They have rings for almost everything. Top notch service too. Good Luck Paul Northwind

Last Friday on my way home from work I stopped at the only auto parts store in my little berg that still has all the paper parts books that used to be used at the counter. I had asked Dave (the owner) about some parts for this old engine and hoped that he had found some and he had. What was surprising that another customer had stopped in looking for parts for a flat head ford V8. He was given my number and he called me and I got a replacement distributor from his junk pile. (And I really mean junk pile must have been two dozen distributors not more than two alike!) Must be the right time of year. Thanks for all the leads. Paul Wasilla, Alaska

Thanks for the leads, will pursue them and see what pops up. There are a gazillion different shafts and I just need to find the right one or a good take off distributor that works. Right now isn't the time for junkyard treasure hunting...-14 and a 20mph breeze. Weather guesser says it will get colder too! Thanks again, Paul Wasilla, Alaska

Hi, Is there a supplier of Autolite distributor parts in America? I'm trying to find a distributor shaft for a 1BR40014P distributor on a 230 engine. I've tried the locals here and when I say 1952 the blank stare appears and nobody has anything but rotor, condenser and points. Thanks, Paul Wasilla, Alaska

Well, I found one at RockAuto the last one) but again shipping is a little bit better than NAPA but still $26.xx for a $18.47 part. If there is anyone in Wisconsin that would help me out, please PM. Thanks, Paul Northwind

Yup, everyone thinks that Alaska is on the far side of the moon and tries to charge like they had to personally carry it here! Yes the shipping to Alaska is high. FedExecsive and UPS are about $6/lb on their next day rate and $5/lb for 2nd day. Their ground services still comes up here on the same plane with the other high price stuff but they let it age properly $4.75/lb before delivery. For real heavy shipments is best to use a consolidator that fills up a van twice a week and send it by SeaLand or Tote. That only takes a week but most places wont even think about offering that service. The flat rate boxes from USPS are a real good deal up here but again just try to get a vendor in America to use them. Vendor's get a huge discount up to 75% for using Fedex or UPS and you the customer get to pay full price plus a little for handling. I have my sister in Grant's Pass, Or send me stuff all the time. Off the soapbox for now and out looking for parts. Paul Northwind

Well, went to NAPA armed with the above info. There isn't a 71 kit in Alaska but they can order one from Ill., (there are only six in the US if you trust their computer) Only $26 or so but a "special order", shipping is $56! I think I'll make one out of a Moose's nose before I get held up by them. Search goes on. Northwind Paul

Merle, Thanks for the part numbers, now to see if they or anyone else in this one horse town has it. More than likely they will need to order it from America. Thanks again, Paul

Hi, Stopped by NAPA looking for a master cylinder kit and my truck isn't listed in their confuser. What I have is a B-4-G-158 dump truck. Does it use the same MC as other models? Had the brake booster rebuilt over the winter and did the wheel cylinders as well as all new linings. Now just need to redo the MC. Thanks Northwind Paul in Wasilla, Alaska

Anthnoy, NAPA wouldn't even talk about it with me. The best I have found is $350 + shipping, another $100, from a place in CA. I've called a dozen places and only they are the only ones to give me any kind of a guess. Two others said, "send it to us and we can give you an estimate". I guess the figure once they have it the can hold it for ransom. I'll just keep looking. Paul

Spent the weekend messing around with this old truck. On Saturday pulled the gas tank and cleaned all the rust and gunk from the insides. Geez what a bunch of crap. Put some MEK (about a qt) and capped all the openings and let it soak until Sunday. Mean while investigated what was wrong with the brakes. Discovered the vacuum brake booster is shot. Somehow brake fluid managed to get to the big rubber diaphragm and ate the bottom 1/3 of rubber away. Left a gooey mess which cleaned up fairly easily. Where can you buy parts for one of these boosters? Or is it best just to send it out for rebuild/exchange? I find nobody in Alaska rebuilds these units. Is there a recommended rebuilder? Thanks Paul

No this is a stock Carter BB single version. There isn't much of the exhaust that is usable except for the manifold. There is about 18-20" of flex pipe grafted on the exhaust flange. Will probably have to make another flange and some sort of exhaust pipe/muffler arrangement but that is down the road a ways. Trying to sort out project that we can do in the shop over the winter as neither of us has a shop big enuff to put this beast inside. I actually could but then SWMBO would have to park her car outside in the cold and I would wind up sleeping next to it too! The front bumper mounts have been torched off as at one time there was some kind of a homesteaders special snowplow welded on the front of the frame. There was some kind of a boom arrangement on the dump box that when it was raised the plow was raised. Told you it was a homesteaders special! It does have the 2 speed rear axle which we hope still works. The vacuum system disappeared sometime when IKE was in office I would guess. Just little things like that and brakes, lights. Paul NorthWind

Hi there First time poster to this board and am sure glad I found it. My partners and I have a 1953 Dodge B-4-GA-152 dump truck that we are just starting to put running order. It has been sitting in the black spruce & birch forests of Alaska for the past 12 years and cost us $50.00. The last time it was licensed for road use was 1960-61. Then it was used on a homestead for 10-15 years and then sat for 22 years until 1997. A family of squirrels helped themselves to most of the padding in the seat although there were some mice that helped themselves too. At one time there was a yellow jackets nest on the bottom of the dump bed. Took us one Sunday afternoon to clean out the gas tank, carburetor and the fuel pump and it fired right up. The gas we drained out didn’t even smell like gas. Have been reading some of the past message threads and am finding a lot of good information. Unlike the lower 48 states we don’t have the resources available to us like you do so will be asking “where is the best place to find xxxxxx” questions every now and again. This will be a semi-restoration as we have a job for this old fella hauling some ¾ minus ballast for our outdoor railroad (another vice). Paul in Wasilla, Alaska aka “Northwind”