JBNeal

A combination gravity boot / chin-up bar for maintaining your swimmer's physique ?

12V negative ground ain't exactly OE...

the original seal for the sending unit to the tank should be an o-ring that fits in the tank groove...I had enough left of my originals to get them sized at a local industrial supply for pennies...a ground stud can be added for improved gauge accuracy

additional information - Windshield Wiper Replacement

I looked at this in the parts book years ago and if I recall correctly, swapping the transmission tops out is possible as the gearset internals were unchanged...I didn't look at the parking brakes close enough so ya might need to pay attention to that...

go to 23-46 in the Body section, under Express Body there is a listing of the parts; however, there is not a picture breakdown listing the bed parts as there is for the cab interior...

additional information - Column Shifter Adjustments

it stopped raining enough this morning for me to step out and take a look at the yard art to verify some tailgate details that were a little fuzzy... since it is a rain day, and I've got a mess of notes to sort through that have been piling up on the big desk, looks like I'll be doing the mundane documentation for future projects that I keep putting off for a rainy day...if all goes well, I can get some binders filled up and put in the bookshelf, then I can use my desk again for even more exciting things, like paying bills and doing research

the parts manual I have updated 1May53 lists this as a center hinge, used on 3/4 and 1-tons, and should be mounted below the shovel strip, though I only have one applicable bed mostly intact and it appears that it is above the bed wood...I would assume that the bed wood needs to be notched out enough to accept this hinge so that the shovel strip is not too proud of the others, but I cannot find factory documentation to support this so customize as you wish... the center hinge with the countersunk holes is for the B-4s... I am unsure if this is called the hinge support in the parts manual because it is only used on 1/2 tons '48-'53 but the manual lists it for all express bodies...my '53 1/2 ton has the long bed that is the same as the 3/4 tons and it has the countersunk hole center hinge

that information is detailed in the factory shop manual...more in-depth questions would be better addressed with the gurus on the car forum where there are fewer opinionated knuckledragging cavemen

I have seen pictures of industrial flatheads that had a lifting eye secured with the 3 head bolts in the middle of the engine, from distributor to carburetor...

in this instance, the diagram in the parts catalog is accurate

additional information - Bypass Spin-On Oil Filter

Not wanting to nitpick such a fine detailed piece of work here, but that crankcase filtered cap opening should be facing away from the radiator for the draft tube to work...if going with a PCV setup, the opening probably should be facing away from the radiator just to keep the bugs out of it

I recently spiffed up a set of lawn mower rims that had gotten so rusty that the tires would leak down in less than an hour. Rims were scraped then chemically stripped, washed then soaked in Evaporust per instructions. Applied 2 coats Rustoleum primer with a foam brush, sanding 120 grit between coats. Then 4 very thin coats of JD Yellow Rustoleum spray can...rims looked good as new, new tires hold air like they should. Spray cans work OK for small jobs, but I prefer foam brush and roller techniques as there is less mess to cleanup...spray gun works really well for larger panels as mentioned, and I swear make less mess than spray cans

driving up the auction price is called shill bidding if'n ya are in cahoots with the seller...I learned from many auctions that if I'm really interested in an item that I'll only place a bid in the last few seconds to keep the price down, but if I'm only mildly interested in winning, I'll place my max bid early to scare off the bargain hunters

Get the cracks gouged then weld back up...

that pinion seal oughtta be lubricated for a true preload measurement...

additional information - Brake Drum Replacement

I had carburetor problems for years, rebuilding that B&B so many times that I could do it with my eyes closed before swapping out carbs...you might be having an issue with a jet fouling or a problem with the casting that as the metal heats, a crack is opening up to allow too much air in the wrong place...or the carb flange isn't sealing to the manifold...or the carb flange vacuum passage to the manifold is partially blocked...

Is your carburetor float needle sticking...?

additional information - Cab Floor to Filler Neck Seal

Kevin Clause has researched a ton of information on decoding build cards from a variety of archive sources. In conversations with him, he relayed that there is not one set code for the Pilot-House trucks but more like several codes depending on build date. I requested several build cards and noticed that the printed cards have small changes year to year, he confirmed this as well as that build codes varied over the years, depending on who was in charge at Dodge Truck. A few years ago, he was able to pull up his notes to decode my Spring Special, and he verified the paint code was the only way to know for sure if a Spring Special was authentic. He collects copies of build cards from owners to add to his database and decodes them on request. However, the last few digital copies of build cards I have sent him have not been decoded yet as he was dealing with a few issues that were eating up his time around first of the year in Michigan, and I have not heard back from him in weeks...

just my 2 cents: Functionality of the clutch pedal should be the priority, then fit and finish of sheet metal...once completed, the floor mat should cover any modifications done to the cab and floor boards at the pedals. There are rubber draft seals available that help cover these holes also, or a custom approach to closing these holes can be done utilizing easily replaceable sheet rubber or door brush seals etc...I'm all for originality of a restoration, but the law of diminishing returns makes me examine my budget of $$$ + time to determine if some details that will only be seen by myself during servicing (and by nitpicking busybodies) need so much attention if the vehicle is not going to be entered into any type of judging contests

Mick Jagger said it best: paint them black