JBNeal

I have heard of this threaded plate issue but have not had to deal with it...went and looked at the cabs in the yard and what I could see was sheet metal stick welded to them plates, not much more than a tack weld, with weld quality varying among the 8 cabs. I'm not really sure how the heavy hinges don't tear the cab pillar sheet metal, so I'm guessing that little weld makes a difference. But I'm just standing beside the truck, cannot really see what was done at factory assembly from inside the cab as this is all hidden from easy view as I'm guessing that I'd need a good light and a mirror to see this are while standing on my head...might try harder to get a look see later...

additional information - draft tube replacement

1/0 battery cables should be in good condition...I had an old set of cables that looked OK but starter struggled when engine heated up. On a hunch, I cut open the cable insulation, and the copper was black from corrosion throughout, which drove impedance sky high. New cables with soldered lugs really woke that starter up. additional information - starter ground performance upgrade

I've done the sheet metal screw + crowbar on over a dozen welch plugs in vehicles...I take the extra precaution of using a piece of scrap 1/4" steel to spread the prying load over a larger area on the water jacket.

I recently refurbished a starter by shining up the commutator, fixing a sticky brush, and dry cleaning the innerds...it was like a new starter again...cost: 2 hrs + $0 additional information - starter ground performance upgrade

I've had to work on unpaved surfaces many times, and the best approach I found was having a big piece of heavy cardboard to slide around on and / or work over. The best cardboard is from refrigerator boxes and boxes from unassembled desks as they are a heavier cardboard that doesn't rip or puncture easily. When I'm done with the work for the day, I fold up the cardboard and stow it someplace dry, ready to use again. I try to keep the ground side down on each use for obvious reasons.

I did about 15 minutes of research one evening a few years ago and saw a power 4-wheel disc brake kit, among other things, so I made a mental note to look into it further someday...some guys just do a 4X4 frame swap, some guys do a powertrain swap, some swap out axles...I was going to sell the boat anchor powertrain for scrap and part out the rest as that old truck has seen much better days, but that whole truck is in the back of the house, up on blocks so I can mow around it, waiting its turn to be worked back into usable condition.

Whatever happened to getting a 7up at a restaurant or a bar?? ?

Maybe it's time to clean up the engine compartment with a partial PCV system... additional information - partial PCV system upgrade

When I bought my '49 1-ton, it had an Oklahoma title that was not signed by the owner, but I was given supporting documents from probate proceedings that the man's son turned over with the bill of sale. I assumed there would be no problems with getting a TX title, so I got to work to get the truck running 2 yrs later. Then reality set in when TXDoT and county registrar told me what forms needed to be completed since the paperwork that I produced showed that the chain of ownership had been broken, which was a big no-no. The bonded title is used to establish a new chain of ownership, with the surety bond used as an instrument of protection if any legal claims are made to the vehicle's ownership. As it was explained to me, the bonded title is primarily used on newer vehicles that have gotten mired in some sort of financial abyss where the title has been lost because too many hands were involved, such as dealers who do not file the correct paperwork, financial institutions that repossess vehicles then liquidate through auction to said dealers, etc...these newer vehicles are a higher source of tax revenues than antiques, so I was advised with a wink and a smile to just get the title transfer papers completed with signatures in the correct spaces and not go through the bonded title process...cuz the agencies involved are not in the business to verify signatures, just to get the paperwork filled out completely for taxing purposes. The big question that ya need to answer on an antique without a valid title is if there might be any legal claims to ownership, cuz ya don't want to go through the mess of the stolen VW Microbus insured by allstate...if you are confident that will not be a problem, then get the truck running before messing with the paperwork. Sometimes plans change, so why bother getting the taxation paperwork in order if the thing isn't even going to be using the roads. additional information - bonded title revelations

SWEET...that's almost a classic buggy for every day of the week ?

So if the shims move the worm gear, the adjusting screw moves the sector gear so that the gears' contact area increases or decreases, which is how steering wheel play is increased or reduced. If'n ya cannot move this adjusting screw, you might have a binding issue that could affect the bearings and gearbox casting itself. It almost sounds like the sector is jammed in the gearbox, either from old grease buildup or some wear on the pressed bearings, or the pitman arm might be binding on the gearbox casting. I followed grey beard's advice and jacked up my '48, adjusted the gearbox for the high spot, and it went from wandering between the ditches to tracking true effortlessly. additional information - grey beard's steering box adjustments

additional information - temperature gauge gland nut additional information - engine speed calculator

my '48 B-1-B-108 has a '55 Plymouth 230 in it, with all of the '48 Dodge Truck engine components installed, including the external bypass thermostat housing, even though the head and block have the internal bypass. From my experience, the flathead engine requires parts from the year of the engine, with the change in '51 to the internal bypass setup on all flatheads, as well as the rear main seal design change that eliminated the rope seals. The truck engine components vary and depend on your application...your distributor repair parts depend on the distributor model number but not necessarily the truck model, as several distributors were interchangeable on these flatheads. My experience was kinda expensive before the internets as I assumed everything in the truck was original, according to the previous owner (Dad) who inherited from the original owner (great grandfather), but we both learned otherwise when replacement parts did not fit. Since the internets became accessible with the pocket gizmo, I can do my research from right in the engine compartment to get the correct parts the 1st time, reducing overall repair costs.

additional information - optional heater control locations

If you're talkin'bout the holes that a 3/8" bolt can fit into, that's on the 1/2 ton frames for the '48, '51, '52 and '53...the 1-ton frames have a different configuration. Not sure what their purpose is...but the parts manual mentions a spare tire carrier lock, not sure what that looks like either. On the '51 1-ton, that truck spare has several pieces of rusty baling wire strapping the rim to the frame crossmember above it, apparently to keep it from bouncing out of the carrier...maybe them holes are there to secure the tire assembly, maybe they are there for weight reduction, but as far as I know, the inflated tire sidewalls should contact the frame and spare tire carrier, and the rim only contacts the corresponding brackets on the carrier.

I've got my original fuel and brake lines hanging in the attic rafters...kept my original shock absorbers too

I looked at the '48, '49, '51 and '53, and verified in the parts manual, that there is no rubber hose on the oil pressure gauge line like there is on the flathead cars. The oil pressure line from the gauge through that firewall grommet is a tricky li'l bugger to duplicate since the original hugs the firewall contour, but it doesn't have to be that exact shape for functionality...I think all that does is get the upper line outta the way for engine removal. With the oil pressure port behind the oil filler pipe instead of the closest port to the firewall, I reckon this gives extra clearance for starter removal / installation.