JBNeal

One spring break, I went to the junkyard on the other side of the county, for parts off of their yard truck, a B-3 flatbed they had just retired. Next to it was a '48, almost intact except for the front axle. I went to pull the gas tank out, since mine was riddled with rust holes. Wanted that gas tank so bad that I was disturbing a fire ant mound just to access the rear mounting bolts. Got the tank out, and in the TX sun, it was clear that this tank was in just as bad shape as the one I already had. But I pulled the rear drums (and pocketed the wiper knob) to show something for the ant bites and resulting pounding headache. Went back 6 months later to see if I could get anything else, and the junkyard had converted to a salvage yard, and anything older than 20 yrs had been "disposed of"...D'OH!!

my 2 cents: take it all apart, clean & check everything, put it back together and fire it up with no worries. I'd rather find a defect on a work bench instead of on the side of the road, it's cheaper too. The '48 & '49 were parked out in the elements for decades, but when I popped the heads off I was relieved to find nearly flawless machined surfaces, but stuck rings on the '49 & a nearly broken ring on the '48. And the SLUDGE...it was everwhar!

the phrase "drive it like ya stole it" is more succinct than what I was told. Driving at varying speeds, hammering the throttle on hills, making more rpms before shifts up and downshift braking help to get the rings broke in well in the first 500-1000 miles. Dad drove my '48 after I had the engine broke in good, and he was surprised at how much more power that 218 had than when he had driven it on the same hilly roads 30 years earlier.

to change over from DOT 3 to DOT 5, all of the DOT 3 has to be removed, so a brake system disassembly, cleaning & overhaul would be the best time to make the switch. Rubber components may absorb some of the DOT 3, and that's where the biggest cleaning problem would be. Long runs of metal brake line would have to be flushed thoroughly, and this would probably best be done with the lines in a vertical position, removed from the vehicle. Since I had replaced the metal & rubber lines and all cylinders on the '48 & '49, I went with DOT 5 since none of the components had been in contact with DOT 3. IMO, if one has a working brake system on DOT 3, changing to DOT 5 could be a real headache; it's easiest to start from scratch when switching to DOT 5.

My '48 has the 4.1, and I could drive it around 55mph, but there was an odd vibration that radiated through the floorboards and not the steering wheel. So I self-governed to 45 mph, and that 218 seems to agree with that kind of loading.

I've been using DOT 5 since '98 when I completely overhauled the brakes, new lines included. The '48 sits for long stretches, and the pedal is still firm, and the fluid is still purple. I saw what the original DOT 3 did once it was saturated with moisture: pitted wheel cylinders, corroded lines, and a leaky master cylinder.

from what I've read about the industry change from bias ply to radials, it was a goal of tire manufacturers to make the radials backwards-compatible with car & truck wheels that ran on bias ply to make more sales on replacements. From looking at the rims on the '48 and newer rims I'm gonna put on my '52 daily driver, the metal thickness and bead profile are very similar. Side loading of the bead from air pressure is practically the same whether a tube is used or not. Bead sealing on lock rim wheels is only possible with a tube, so maybe some local grease monkey put the fear of Jesus in the PO to put some gorilla welds on the original rims. Grinding the welds off might clean off the unnecessary weight, but dunno how well the wheel will be balanced or if the welding was done so poorly that the surrounding metal has been fatigued. If you're up to the challenge, maybe you could try to carefully grind off what ya can and see how it balances out.

it looks kinda like the Dodge axle in my '48 B1B, but the part number is a tad newer, probably from '56? According to my parts book, the gear ratio might be located under that fill plug; also, there might be a drain plug at the bottom of the case.

that sounds an awful lot like that truck has been modified, maybe with a Jeep axle. Take measurements, look at the numbers & such on the gear housing, maybe post some pics and somebody 'round here might be able to ID your mystery parts.

One of the tips I was told from several older machinists was to do the speed variation break-in for the first 500 miles; if done in a hilly area, it yields the best results. The theory was that the combustion chamber temperature would vary more significantly than it would if the first 500 miles are driven slow & steady. This would have the effect of tempering the piston rings, effectively extending their service life and producing a stronger motor because of reduced blow-by. After the 1st 500, that's the ideal time to switch to synthetic blends if desired.

looks just like the prototyping stuff I do at work: build something from a list on a piece of paper, take it all apart, then put it back together again...NICE

3M makes a body caulk that is paintable, ya might could tool some around the rivet heads on the inside of the rim before painting. Also, it might be a good idea to use the bolt-in valve stems rather than the rubber pop-in-place stems to get a better seal around the hoop's valve stem hole.

that buzzing noise is the metal-on-metal sound as the vibrator plate rattles between the trumpet bell and the vibrator. With a thin paper perimeter gasket between the bell & the vibrator plate and between the vibrator & the vibrator plate, the plate becomes isolated and can produce a ringing noise. If ya play the drums, it's the difference between a closed high-hat and an open high-hat.

Yep, that thar's a buzzer. If ya ever catch an episode of M*A*S*H when one of the M37 ambulances lays on the horn, that's purty close to what it should sound like. I recall a thin paper gasket on either side of the vibrator; I think this isolates the vibrator from the horn bell so that there's a slight ringing that amplifies out the bell.

I've split screws with a sharp center punch...the divot the punch makes causes the end of the screw to mushroom out.

I hear y'all loud & clear...I've had the '48 & '49 up on blocks while I did research & treasure-hunted on eBay & Craigslist the past year, in-between working on my and my parents' houses simultaneous remodels. The '03 Regal got new brakes, struts, hubs & CV joints back in June, and just started on the '02 Ram CTD brakes & 4x4 service...PM coolant flushes, hoses & t-stats before summer for both. I'm glad I've held off on doing the frame-offs after joining this site last year. After reading practically every post on this site while watching TV in the evenings, bookmarking dozens of websites gleaned from these posts, and taking lots of notes in the ol' spiral notebook, I reckon I'm gonna make more progress in less time because I'll have the information I need to get the job done efficiently. Body work should be interesting as I've made only amateur attempts on the tractors I've fixed up, but I reckon I can get the hang of it like I did with all of the painting I've done over the years. Deadlines are good motivators, but keeping a log of work done can also be a good motivator. Keeping track of progress (or lack of) can be an impetus of going to the next task, and then the next, and so on. As the winter is upon us, I reckon doing the little stuff can go a long way in reaching the finish line. For example, I've got a few steering wheels that need patching & cleaning up, I reckon I could take a swing at that when it's sub-freezing out. And winning the lottery probably would be a nice thing to make all this happen a li'l quicker

FLUID DRIVE EMBLEMS

here's one on a Ramcharger 2WD chassis...as ya can see, the wheels don't exactly fit inside the openings perfect, but it's close.

that's good to hear! I've read here & there that this is a great & easy safety improvement. I've been fiddlin' with a wiring diagram that incorporates a power distribution center that utilizes relays for starter & headlights for the Pilot-Houses. Also, I'm gonna work on a modification to the Signal-Stat for two flasher units to be powered so that hazard lamps have power from the battery while the turn signals have power from the ignition.

Yep, bolts directly to the firewall...look at the hood latch hook, there is a stud with a hex nut and a external tooth lock washer; that be the radio...

As I prepare to do frame-off of my Pilot-House fleet, research has pointed me to conclude that the 8:1 CR + PCV + 180 t-stat + longer duration cam + increased induction + increased exhaust is the approach to wringing out as much energy as possible from a gallon of gasoline on these flatheads. Use of OD + <4:1 rear GR goes to maximizing torque output at modern highway speeds, further increasing mpgs. The problem with 70s-era smog equipment was that it was a band-aid approach to cleaning air, as the engines at the time needed complete redesign of their combustion chambers & manifolds to maximize energy extraction from gasoline while minimizing hydrocarbon emissions. The smog pump robbed energy from the motor, reducing mpgs, just to push air into the exhaust stream to effectively meet gov't regulations. When smog pumps finally started to disappear by the 90s, it was because engines had been re-designed to have cleaner emissions, with the byproduct of increased mpgs. Of note is the fuel-injected V6s offered by GM, Ford & Chrysler now that offer almost 300hp and produce a fraction of the hydrocarbon emissions of the 200hp V8s of the late 70s. More precise fuel delivery controls with freely flowing combustion chambers & manifolds make for high energy extraction from gasoline. Yep, this technology is more expensive than a 2bbl carb set with a screwdriver and a good ear, but the end result is supposed to be cleaner air.

FWIW the '48 was parked for a couple of decades & every brake cylinder was frozen. I was able to dismantle each cylinder with Marvel Mystery Oil and a bench vise, honed everything out and installed rebuild kits found at NAPA. Pedal was not firm, so took everything apart and lo & behold there was just enough pitting that the wheel cylinders leaked out and the master cylinder leaked internally. In '95, I couldn't find any usable replacements, so I sent them off to White Post Restorations to let them do their sleeving magic. I spent more $$$ on the brakes than I did on the engine, transmission & gas tank combined, but 15 years later, I still have a firm pedal.

SURVIVOR: The B-1 that was covered with weeds in the summer that had been used as a goat feeder has emerged from its pasture to the front yard. Talking with the owner, the truck was used to chase deer (not rabbits) & ran when parked in '65, and shouldn't take too much to fix up, as his grandson will be taking on this task in the front yard. Time will tell if this will become another stalled project or a daily driver...

Folks biting off more than they can chew is nothing new; it's their access to the internet that makes this behavior more pronounced. The '53 Dodge long bed I found in '01 was just such a project: the truck was complete & running (but no brakes) when it was put up for sale, and I got beat out by another dude in bringing the cash & a trailer by about 2 hours. A year later, I find out the guy had completely disassembled that truck, stripped all of the sheet metal, primed everything except the back of the cab (but didn't knock out any of the dents in the fenders), tossed the entire drivetrain & front axle & steering, and then piled it up in his elderly mother's front yard. She moved into a nursing home and was selling the house, so his brother told him to sell what was left of the truck or it was going to the scrapyard. He wanted the original asking price, I told him about how I tried to buy the truck the year before, so he took what I offered and I hauled it off. Eight years later, I noticed that several listings on eBay for the front sheet metal have totaled what I paid for all the sheet metal & frame & cab (with electric wiper motor & switch). I've also seen several complete flathead motors go for more than complete vehicles. It's all about supply & demand I reckon.

on the trucks, I've gained extra clearance by removing the front wheels and raising the frame. This will drop the front axle to give plenty of room for the crankcase pan to be removed.