JBNeal

Oil pressure will vary at different locations throughout the lubrication system, as shown in the vintage film screenshot. My guess is that the different springs were for use in arctic or desert conditions.

12mpg is what I'd get with the '48 over rolling hills, flat highways and around town with little warmup time during spring summer and fall...didn't drive it much when it got below 40°F cuz that buggy has no heater other than the exhaust manifold.

additional information - Gallery Images Inserted Into Posts

So it looks like I found the feature I was looking for...instead of inserting the URL of the gallery picture, I insert an existing attachment... and from the next pop-up window, I can choose Post Attachments or Gallery Images... from either choice, the window populates with all attachments or images that I have saved to this site, and there is a search engine in this window to assist... I can now organize pictures in albums and use the search function in the pop-up window So it looks like I can move forward with getting away from photobucket and moving images onto this site ? The next challenge is dealing with memory space allocation...

On the trucks, I put about 750 lbs of big rocks in the bed and drive down a lumpy road for several days...that extra weight over the rear axle limbers up the springs nicely, and with the weight removed, the squeaking almost completely goes away.

If ya look at the bore on the untouched spare fitting, notice it is located so that no oil collects in the fitting because it has enough relief to allow drainage back into the block casting. To replicate this with the 1/32" bit would be quite a feat as them little bits flex if ya look at'm funny. My opinion on that 1/32" fitting concurs with Merle's statement as it appears to be a flow restrictor to dampen pressure spikes, something that I have designed into industrial hydraulic systems for smoother operating hydraulic equipment. I do not have one in my flatheads, and I'm thinking either the oil pressure gauges had a built-in restrictor or the restrictor was eliminated as the gauges were not as sensitive to pressure spikes as in previous models. If ya want to try another approach, solder the bore, drill the 1/32" restrictor into what would be the vertical bore instead of the horizontal bore as it would be easier to center. Definitely locate with a centering punch of some kind, maybe even a finishing nail could be hard enough to get that little divot stamped so that the drill bit point won't wander.

fuel gauge reading full or empty with no readings in between kinda sounds like a ground issue...I had this issue with the '48 until I ran a ground wire from a stud I mounted on the sending unit flange to the battery, then the fuel gauge started working more accurately.

originally, the manifolds were painted aluminum (silver) from the factory, but those castings were clean. Rust removal through electrolysis or Evaporust could prepare the metal surface for adequate coating adhesion. Also, these flatheads were low compression designs so I would be surprised if exhaust manifolds exceeded 500°F. If your header paint does not require a high heat primer, then stick with the paint instructions to the letter...I have found those instructions are your guide for best coating performance.

Dodge trucks upgraded to 12V in '56, so your gauges shouldn't need an extra voltage reducer. If the sending units you are using have a mismatched resistance range than the gauge, then the gauge will give you readings that won't make much sense. additional information - fuel level sending unit resistance ranges

the starter is easier to remove and install if'n your floorboards are removed additional information - starter ground performance upgrade

the FARGO dash emblem says it's a 1953 model

if ya really want to remove rust from the casting, remove all guts and externals so that the bare casting can go through an electrolysis treatment or evaporust soaking

Screenshot or it didn't happen

I have a '48 B-1-D-116 that the powertrain is kaput, so I've looked at options for this pie-in-the-sky project that has a half dozen other projects in front of it. The short answer is look at what the Power Wagon guys are doing for modern highway speed and braking

This oil pressure gauge appears out of calibration as it does not read zero with the engine not generating oil pressure. However, the pressure range that gauge is displaying appears consistent with the pressure range of a normally operating engine. From what I recall, the oil pressure gauge operates from direct oil pressure from the engine acting on a flat copper tube that is formed in a curve, acting like a spring, so that increasing oil pressure tries to straighten the copper, and the copper returns to its formed shape with decreasing pressure. At the end of this copper spring is a rod that contacts the gauge pointer mechanism. On my '48, its oil pressure gauge was not reading zero with the engine off. So I massaged the copper tube with my fingers and thumb carefully to make the gauge read zero with no oil pressure applied. This is a delicate operation so great care must be used when handling these parts. Once I made the gauge read zero at no oil pressure, the oil pressure gauge showed that the engine was operating at normal oil pressures, just as the shop manual listed. I verified my oil pressure readings with a new replacement mechanical oil pressure gauge that I bought at the auto parts store, made in Taiwan with a nylon pressure tube...my assumption was that the new gauge had been calibrated, and once my original gauge matched the readings of the new gauge, I assumed that my original gauge was then calibrated also. Generally speaking, the oil pressure gauge is only used to get an idea of engine operation, so it does not have to be accurate in pressures measured as much as the range of pressures measured.

additional information - rear axle breather bolt

that oughta buff out