JBNeal

VINTAGEPIC: spotted this B-3 parked on the FB

OUCH 👀 Can those cracks be welded? Did the machine shop find anything when they magnafluxed the block? Can't sat that I've seen cracks in this area before...

Scratch that suggestion, I was thinking about something else...if ya lift the bed by the ratchet strap hooks, you can probably resist the bedsides from bowing by filling the bed with a temporary box by stacking some pallets in the bed, wedged in place with cardboard and/or carpet remnants.

How'bout: instead of pipe, ya fed nylon ratchet strap through them bed rolls...remove the ratchet, feed the nylon strap through the roll, tape some cardboard onto the strap to prevent chafing, put the ratchet back on, now you've got 2 hooks protruding from the bedside to latch onto place 2x4 strategically in between bedsides so that when lifting, the strategically placed 2x4 resists the bedsides from bowing inward...suspend in place with duct tape attached to lifting strap Is it pretty? Naw, but it's a one-time tooling use that ya minimize costs with readily available materials that can be disposed of economically. Duct tape: the handyman's secret weapon 🏆

The hood louvers reminds me of something that I tried awhile back. I tweaked the hood latch on the passenger side so that the front still hooked but the rear rode on top of the hook, leaving a sizeable gap between the passenger hood and the cowl. This kinda helped with the carb issues, but looked kinda funny. Once the weather cooled off, I readjusted so that everything was back to normal. That seal that was originally held in place with spiral shank nails into the cowl appeared to have been made out of canvas, and ran from roughly in between the upper door hinges. What if that seal was trimmed back so that there is no seal between the windshield wiper pivots? The cab has an integrated gutter along the top of the firewall, so any moisture that gets under the hood would shed towards the inner fenders. This gap in the seal could allow heat to escape the engine compartment, much like hood louvers without modifying the hood sheet metal. A replacement seal of foam rubber would compress a certain amount but would ultimately keep the hood spaced away from the cab and serve as anti-squeak; a small strip of anti-squeak would also need to be positioned on the cowl near the hood hinges. This might not solve all of the fuel boiling issues but it might help.

Another necktie looking at a mashed Tucker

VINTAGEPIC: saw this B-1or2 grain truck airing out on the FB

That black stuff might be sludge, who knows what quality of coolant was put in there or how long ago. On long dormant engines, I flush out with a garden hose, let to dry, then repeat...once the engine is running, let the cooling system go through several heat cycles with just water no antifreeze, this helps to boil out the engine and if there are any leaks, ya don't lose that pricey coolant. When the system goes through quite a few heat cycles and the water stays clear, then it's ready for proper coolant.

Check out the wall display at a good tire store...there may be an idea there that can be fabricated out of some scrap metal to make a tire hanger, cheaper than a rim and looks OK from 10 feet away

grey beard documented his approach...this might or might not help: https://p15-d24.com/topic/3497-pilothouse-pickup-bed-reflooring/#findComment-424809

If'n ya loosened the bolts on those L-brackets and rabbit the planks 1/16", could the planks be knocked into place? The bed sheet metal rests on those outer planks so I'd not want to remove too much material...I kinda figured them angle strips could flex a little, maybe even the sill plate a tad, and with that tight fit of plank between sill and angle strip, the L-bracket could be tightened back to complete that part of assembly.

I went out and compared tailgate chain hooks that appeared undamaged, and I found that the '48 1/2T, '49 1T, early '51 1/2T, and '53 1/2T long bed had all different hooks, from hook profile to lengths to end finish to chain loop diameters...so I reckon Dodge used whatever they could get. As for that bed sill plate, I got right at 3/4" from sill top to under that bed angle edge on the '48 1/2T, '48 1T, '49 1T, and '51 1/2T. This placed the top of the shovel strips about 1/4" proud of the open tailgate. So maybe the outside of the sill plate might not line up with the stake pockets if'n ya wanted to get the bed boards installed neatly.

additional information - spark plug wire sleeve repurposing

From personal experience, I have seen shear operators break parts by hand that the shear would not finish off because they gotta hit their quota and QC is lax on certain details...so the batch goes into inventory, then warehouse ships out whatever is on the shelf, and if the customer has a problem, then it's up to customer support to deal with it...aka kick the can down the road...having that unique looking tailgate chain hook is a nice feature 👈

some guy with a necktie poking at that Tucker Torpedo concept model

If you're on an Android device, on the main dropdown menu at the upper right, go to the STORE, tap Store, and look for the Forum Donations option, then choose the amount to donate @P15-D24 maybe a link to the forum donations page can be displayed whenever ya announce someone who has made a donation? Ya know, to keep the ball rolling 😁

750# is probably in the ballpark if it'sbeen stripped down of bolted on parts...I've seen several examples of guys rigging up a cradle that fits onto the door frames so as to use a 2ton engine hoist to lift a cab onto the frame without the assistance of others. Moving the cab this way is about as difficult as moving an engine on the hoist chain...can't get in too big of a hurry, and it's only possible on a smooth flat working surface.

VINTAGEPIC: saw this B-1or2 grain truck making the magic happen on the FB

Mothers Cleaner Wax is what I switched to several years ago...it's a paste that goes on easy, dries to a haze, and is practically effortless to buff off, makes little blemishes in clear coat disappear, larger blemishes fade away after several applications, and makes paint GLOW...smells nice too 🌞

I looked through some of the pics of The Spring Special when I dragged it home, and the plate bracket looks angled up also. additional information - license bracket installation