JBNeal

Fill tube had a bracket near the head and was pressed into its block bore...unbolted then carefully rocked until it wiggled loose...before reinstalling, I worked a little on the anvil horn to open the tube back up for a tighter fit in the block, slathered some #1 yellow grease on the tube end and rocked it back into place...next time around I'm just gonna put a small bead of black RTV near the tube shoulder and call it good

had one 230 that crud had built up to the top freeze plugs, fluid was dripping out of that drain for days before I kicked things up a notch by removing the distributor and oil fill tube for better access to that drain, worked on it carefully off and on by tightening then loosening it a fraction of a turn before it fully unscrewed a few days later...worked a tire coat hanger in there to clean out the crud in the coolant passages, could not believe how much congealed goo and a few small brown flakes oozed out...pulled the thermostat and ran a garden hose moderate flow to flush until water ran clear, let it sit for a week then flushed again to get what I missed the first time...took the drain to a local hardware store, they had a few styles to choose from...buttoned the whole thing up, drove it with straight water for a few days, which knocked some more crud loose when I purged it again...filled it back up with 50/50 coolant mix and ran it for several year, engine came up to operating temp faster with everything back to normal

I believe the problem that prompted the current classified ad system was that ads for items sold would stay up unless a moderator removed them; the current system is automated to delete ads after so many days, instead of ads being visible for years...tho some questions are still waiting to be answered ...

On the truck main page, the posting rules are simple with critical rules in red letters...maybe a parts request in the classified section can be coupled with a post in a truck forum build thread of "hey I need a left handed widget, please refer to classified ad for details"... this keeps ppl's wheeling and dealing off of the main forum that is sorta focused on technical information exchanges

switch pushed in: lights OFF =========== switch pulled out one *click* (1st position) marker + instrument panel lights ON =========== switch pulled out two *clicks* (2nd position) headlights ON

If you have an oil fill cap that does not allow air flow into the crankcase, then the draft tube will not work as it should...this will lead to a buildup of condensation in the crankcase, especially if you have even a small amount of piston blowby

Air enters the crankcase through the crankcase breather that caps the oil fill tube

battery terminal washers, trimmed to fit

I've had similar issues with sockets on other lights and I ended up applying a bead of clear silicon caulk to seal the socket to the fixture and hold it in place...I made the bead big enough that if I needed to service the light and apply a new bead, I would have enough excess to grab hold of and peel off

If ya have all green wires, that sounds like a custom job so you can do whatever ya want with the terminals...if ya use 12V relays then the original switch should work as long as the internal contacts and terminals are fairly clean...at any rate, the switch's 1st position usually powers marker and dash lights, the 2nd position powers headlights...the quantity of terminals on the switch is usually for separating loads for convenience and not necessarily for functionality... additional information - Modified Wiring Diagram with Headlight Relays + Turn Signals

Positive Crankcase Ventilation is a system that use engine vacuum and a PCV metering valve to remove hydrocarbon gases in the crankcase and mix them with charged air into the combustion chamber. The original flathead setup you have uses a draft tube, where hydrocarbon gases are drawn out of the crankcase using vacuum formed at the tip of the draft tube when the vehicle is traveling forward at medium to high speeds. The crankcase filter should be of similar construction as the filter in the oil fill tube, and they are both indicated to be cleaned in kerosene at each oil change

If that is only water in the oil and not coolant, then that is an inexpensive problem to fix. I knew a guy who washed his flathead once to make it pretty to look at, and that was a disaster...the starter needed to be removed, disassembled and cleaned of all of the grime that infiltrated the unsealed electric motor, and the engine oil had to be changed as water had gotten into the oil fill tube that was not sealed to the block. Another issue could be local climate, as temperatures above just freezing in humid areas can cause considerable condensation to form in enclosed but unsealed compartments. At a previous engineering job, I had to check new designs for manufacturing issues, and closed compartment elements (usually at triangular reinforcements on structural tubing) always required weepholes, especially on equipment in coastal environments...without a weephole, condensation would accumulate inside the closed compartment, causing welds to rust and bleed, leading to blistering under painted finishes, and in a few instances, causing weld failure...so condensation can be an issue here if a variety of conditions are present

The cheapest store brand gear oil will be leaps and bounds better than what was available back during B-series production...it will be cleaner out of the bottle and have stronger, more durable cleaning additives. Synthetics will give you peace of mind knowing ya spent more $$$ on something with negligible performance gains. Stick with what the book says to use to keep the bearings happy, thinner grades might start seeping out of multiple orifices...these old gearboxes were designed for work and durability, not for speed and efficiency, so maintain it as recommended in the manual...one subtle maintenance suggestion that I've picked up from multiple sources is to change ALL oils at a minimum of every other year...I believe this has to do with removing oils contaminated with condensation to protect bearings and gears from abnormal wear and remove emulsions

I recently replaced the master cylinder in this truck (twice, thanks to a weepy seal in the 1st one), and came up with a quick solution from my First Aid training: STOP THE BLEEDING I secured the MC into the truck with the bleeder tubes taped into the reservoir so it was still full...had plenty of blue paper shop towels, so I tore off a couple of corners, twisted them tight, then screwed them into each port after backing out each respective bleeder tube...this dramatically slowed DOT3 loss, so I was able to hook the bled MC to the system with minimal mess

That cloth covered wire isn't sealed to the environment like modern insulated wire, so the conductor strands are prone to corrosion along the length of the wire, not just at its stripped ends. The result is sky high impedance that wreaks havoc on 6V systems, not only on instrumentation but lighting and the entire charging circuit. The black residue present appears to be a result of corrosion, elevated impedance, and intermittent electrical contact resulting in low voltage arcing. That original wiring harness may work for now, but has degraded in performance greatly since production and may be on the threshold of complete failure. This is what happened to my '49 after being parked one wet winter; springtime preparation for getting back on the road found multiple locations of wiring failure, so that truck is parked until a new wiring harness is built...maybe next year

The last time I had headlight probs, I ended up unplugging and plugging in every bullet terminal at the headlight and dimmer switches...that scuffed off any excessive corrosion and I was illuminated once again

Dodge redesigned the cab for late '55 and used it on pickups through '60 and on heavy trucks through '75; also used that style on Town Wagons through the 60s...maybe VPW could help ya out or you could change your search parameters to later years

additional information - Hinge Pins more additional information - Hinge Pins with Threads even more additional information - Hinge Pin Removal Tool

Finding decent lumber can be a challenge in certain locations, and if ya don't have the right tools and processing information, then buying outright from a specialty supplier is the way to go...I want to build and finish my beds, but I have some surviving lumber that shows me that I need a good rabbet cut on each board and a few recessed cuts for the big crossmember washers...local lumber suppliers specialize in all-you-can-eat split'n'warped knotty pine, even the Grade 1 sticks got a little attitude...so I figured when I'm ready, I'll take the truck up 35 and across the river to Mar-K and pickup an order directly...maybe I can sweet talk them into a vintage workhorse discount

additional information - Spring Special Interior Colors

hey good luck and have fun...build threads are nice too

I had access to 2 tire shops that would do locking ring rims cuz they did big truck tires, but then the shop in Waco denied ever doing locking ring rims at all one day when I had a flat several years ago, and the shop in Temple mounted my nearly new set of tires with the old tubes because they forgot that they had some new tubes sitting on the shelf 20 feet away I had watched both shops inflate tires with no safety equipment other than a locking air chuck while standing within spittin' distance and was a little bothered by their lapse in judgment. Several years later, I was in a local parts store that had a Ken Tool display with the right hammers, pry bars and spoon bars to do the job myself, all made in the USA, so I got what I needed and started doing research on approved methods and safety equipment. I found some good literature on modern locking ring rim servicing that was helpful, but this video was the best one I could find that was done correctly without a safety cage, using chains instead. I have seen pictures of guys also using their tractor loader bucket or a forklift as other alternatives to the safety cage. This video also shows why it's kinda silly to try to get these rims super pretty with expensive powder coating, etc as they literally need to be beaten with hammers to get them to come apart and go back together. The rims can be cleaned up nicely on a budget, but making them pristine seems kinda needlessly expensive

I bought my shoes + hoses + hardware from Roberts Motor Parts, put over 10k on them before engine problems and an unforgiving schedule sidelined that truck. I also had White Post Restorations sleeve the master + wheel cylinders with good results. A modern rear brake drum solution has been found, but the front drum is a different story. I have a few replacement candidates that I wanted to investigate but haven't had the time. But worn front drums also brings the disk brake conversion into play if there is no front drum replacement available. I've heard about other members good results and this conversion is on my tentative plans for a frankenstein project sitting by the house, but that is way on down the road for now

I do not have a specific source for these parts, but my approach would be to determine the specifications (dimensions and materials) and try a local industrial bearing supplier...if possible, bring the old parts and what they mate to so the supplier can get an idea of your needs...they may have some insight that is not commonly found in a google search

additional information - Spring Special Dash