JBNeal

Do not trim but do massage the cork down into the channel arc towards its lowest point from both ends...I did that on the last rebuild and it seemed to help on install, didn't leak a drop from them areas either

Maybe it would be easier to make a mold of your existing knobs then make new knobs with epoxy mix...that old bakelite is threaded on that cable end but you're right, if it's got visible cracks then it's about to crumble...if ya cut the knob off the cable end, that might preserve the knob as a memento but I don't know of a way to reuse that knob without damaging it... additional information - Merle's referenced cable rebuild

I stacked the shims on the bottom plate then laid a RTV 1/8" bead along the inside shim edge, making sure the bead overlapped the shim and the plate, let it skin over for a few minutes, assembled it on the bench with bolts finger tight, then the next day torqued 1/4 turn...doing this puts RTV over the inside edges of the shims to prevent leaks, but allows for disassembly in the truck without destroying those thin shims

That's not too bad...I've pulled oilpans off of flatheads that have sat outside for decades and there was plenty of surface rust inside from condensation...the '49 had enough sludge scraped out that I made a softball out of it (sorry, that Polaroid has gone lost)...I took a low-tech approach to cleaning the block internals by using the blue shop towels to wipe down every surface, then dipped a few in lacquer thinner to get the tougher carbons off...put all them filthy towels in a brown paper bag and used it to let the smoke out of the brush pile at the bottom of the hill...waste not, want not

I used RTV black on both plates with no paper gasket, filled with JD corn head grease...hasn't leaked yet...I look at sealing the gearbox as similar to sealing an axle differential as materials and function are similar...on the next one I do, I'll go with gear oil RTV as a tube of that stuff goes a very long way

additional information - oil galley plug removal

additional information - oil filter supply and return lines

additional information - Engine Stands

If ya take a look at the mechanisms in the differential, there are big thick gears, big roller bearings, and thick gear oil to deal with the torque input and heat generated from resistance inside cast iron casings...the gear oil doubles as a coolant for the surfaces that are in direct contact with the torque transmission...it takes a lot of heat to raise the gear oil average temperature, so there are hot spots at contact surfaces before the gear oil reaches a uniform temperature...add to this the fact that the ring gear slings the warmer oil against the casting and the flow rate of gear oil, then that brings into question where the gear oil is when your problem occurs. After a week of sitting, part of the differential isn't dry but it has a very thin film of gear oil. That film can act as a shim, and if the film is too thin, then the wear in the differential gears is unmasked and that could be the source of the binding. But once that film thickness increases because of the distribution of the gear oil during operation, then you have a differential that appears to operate normally, but right at the edge of failure. Differential settings are done with a dry diff so that tolerances are measured accurately, and this was all designed so that the gear oil will coat the contact areas but not be completely displaced so that heat dissipation is uninterrupted and wear is reduced. After sitting for a week, maybe a test drive in the drive way, as short as it is, could help...instead of just backing out into the traffic, back to the end of the driveway and forward to where ya started a few times...this can get that gear oil moving to build up the film on the differential parts...it may seem silly to onlookers, but if that short amount of time doing preventative maintenance can delay the need to rebuild that differential that can take hours if not days to complete, then the math speaks for itself

That's a metal spring that acts to keep positive contact of the rubber lip to the shaft surface, a common seal design element...if this pops out during seal installation, ya might have a problem with the seal such as a warped metal flange...

It sounds kinda like the problem is in the rear axle...the QuadCab has had some brake issues for quite awhile now, and those have slowly started clearing up, but your lockup problem kinda sounds similar to what the truck has been throwing at me when the rear calipers would get in a bind...however, the turning at the end of your driveway will cause the differential to do its thing, kinda sounds like some binding going on when it's still cold...but once the diff and oil warm up, the problem goes away...maybe an axle or carrier bearing or both are on the worn side...but that would produce a howling noise at highway speeds...maybe go through the Rear Axle Fundamentals to see if anything sounds familiar

I've used Permatex Gear Oil RTV Gasket Maker instead of cutting differential carrier and cover gaskets and have been impressed with the results...RTV black and red would seep a little, but this stuff works as advertised...I'd recommended using it on the axle shaft flanges also

If you want to save some $$$ with decent results, Rustoleum rusty metal primer applied with foam brush then top coated again with brush works...it takes some time, but very little mess and material costs are low...as long as the coatings are applied following instructions, the results will look OK as the underpinnings are only seen during maintenance or when catching some air on an adventurous road trip

I have no problem with all of those items painted semi-gloss black

Some of this stuff is in a factory shop manual and parts manual in detail, might not hurt to have one handy...for example, axle identification is outlined showing where ratios are stamped depending on what your axle looks like...for the 1-tons, the stamped number is in the vicinity of the carrier fill plug, could be 4.3 or 4.1 or higher... for them handles, there should be a spring-loaded escutcheon that can be pushed towards the door by prying a small screwdriver between the handle and where it meets the escutcheon...this should expose a pin that may fall out or need a good talkin'to for extraction, then the handle slips off of a square shaft... You might have pancaked motor and transmission mounts causing the interference problem on your accelerator, or an issue with the linkage at the carburetor... I don't think you'll find a kit for these Dodges, most of the time you'll need to buy each part individually, some parts are easier to find than others... additional information - helpful hints

Now I see what you're talking about on the bearing shell or race...I've seen this on chinese and Indian gearboxes for agricultural applications that cannot be serviced but only replaced when bearings go out, instead of buying 50 bucks in brgs + seals for servicing, the gearbox is replaced as a unit for over 500...twice I've had to tear down gearboxes and show disbelieving neighbors that there is no slot cut in the casting for race removal, maybe an angle grinder can cut one out but there's not adequate access for that tool either...saw it earlier this year on a John Deere small tractor hub also when bearings were being packed...maybe that shell can be cut out with an OA torch but leaving it be since it's in good shape is a good call ?

When asked about maintaining older engines, I tell ppl that the cheaper store brand oil is the same as the more expensive name brand oil if'n ya compare the packaging, as the only difference will be the label...look at the container and the cap, and there's the answer as to which refinery it came from, kinda like them fuel delivery trucks go from station to station, delivering the same product in their tanks with different signs out front...$$$ is best spent on the high quality filters, like Wix, Baldwin, and Fleetguard, cuz oil doesn't kill an engine, but contaminants (and lack of oil) sure do

This is the point where I was thinking them weld beads could be flattened out a little with a punch and a 5# hammer, to give your headed pin a little more lip for insurance, but if you've got about as much lip as the original rivets then you're golden

How'bout just cutting a 3" line in the carpet to get a wrench on the bolts, then glue it back when you're done...?

I've had success by drilling a pilot hole in the center of a plug, driving in a sheet metal screw, and using a claw hammer to pry out the plug, with a 1/4" steel flat to spread the fulcrum load...stick a magnet in the water jacket to collect any shavings, then back flush with a garden hose... additional information - freeze plug installation

What's going on with the breather cap on the valve cover...thought them things were plumbed to the side of the air cleaner...?

Have ya looked at the Precision 369 dimensions to see if it matches what you have?

I re-read the supplier's suggestions on pin installation and maybe you can rivet this thing after all...if ya put a weld bead on the end of the pin, set the pin as instructed, fix the sector so that each weld bead can be mushroomed out with a 5# hammer and punch...if the weld bead pops off of the pin, then ya know that inadequate fusion took place and can adjust welder accordingly...

additional information - Cam Grinding Profile

I've stick welded cast iron hooks on loader buckets, preheating the cast iron and bucket steel cherry red to get less of a temperature spike during arcing...had to use O-A torch and be super careful after initial tacks to get everything back up to temperature without getting anything too hot...very nerve racking to get everything setup + preheated and welder dialed in cuz I only had one shot at it...probably the purtiest welds I ever made because of the preheating and let it cool off very slow, probably should have covered the area with sand to really slow the cooling...I practiced on metal of similar thicknesses to get the welder setting close before preheating, then only needed to turn it down a li'l when tacking...lots of work for such a small chore, but the end result was very robust and worry-free