JBNeal

Inspect the differential bearings and races for galling and corrosion...these parts are prone to failure after sitting for several years and the housing collects condensation... Also check the differential preload and backlash for excessive wear

When I fumble on the computer, I usually tell folks I am better with a claw hammer or a sledge hammer

Is it similar to the Signal Stat 901? They were a common upgrade and are still available from multiple vendors...the stock switch had a much smaller lever but a larger body... Optional wiring diagram

Collapsing the tube is an interesting idea, I suppose the manifold studs could be removed for punch access to jar the tube lose every few inches along its length... then hook the tube to pull out some, then drive it back in, so as to work the tube back and forth to allow debris to fall away in the water jacket rather than form a wedge that holds the tube in place. I have not seen a tube corroded so much that it would need this extra effort, but working bolts, studs, sheaves and shafts loose with this back and forth method has worked many times, with the aid of lots of MMO and plenty of patience

There may be some information in the Technical Archives...there is a link on post #1 of the Water Distribution R&R thread that should point to the same address that can be found if you click on the Resources drop down menu at the top of the page, under Tech Tips

Therein lies the problem with the frame stamping method that was used for these trucks: identifying the number on a weathered, corroded and worn frame rail. On several frames, looking in the exact location forward of the shock mount near those two holes, and after cleaning off the dirt and most of the rust, the stamping is so faint that it has been almost illegible because the set depth was shallow. I was able to determine a few numbers by cleaning with a wire brush until smooth (no grinding!), then lightly shading the area with white chalk...the chalk does not go into the stamping, thereby "lifting" the numbers enough that a best guess can be made. The same method can be used on the flathead crankshaft pulley to identify timing marks

additional information - Hood Bumper Locations

I would agree with ya except this particular relic is in rough shape in places, with some patchwork attempted on the fenders and no paint left on the tops of the cab & hood. I cleaned this section of the truck to see how it would look, and the back of the cab cleaned up nice and smooth...if the rest of the truck was in that shape, I would just buff off the oxidation with the Scotch Brite pads and sport the original paint with the sparse dabbling of oxidizing. But the light colored half of the door tells the real story, as the paint is really scratched up from I don't know what, it doesn't look like full blown crazing, kinda looks like it was hit with a scrub brush made of barbed wire. The area around the upper hinge gets dramatically worse, that's why I could not buff that out very well. And the lower half of the door looks to have been attacked in a strafing run with a can of Krylon. As it was explained to me by an old auto paint dealer, auto paint quality varied along production lines so that some cars came out absolute gems and others had just enough paint on them to get them to the dealership. IMO patina works only on the best of the best that came from the factory because there literally is more there with which to work. The '48, '49, '51 and Spring Special I have all sport variations of paint completely gone from the top of the cab and hood, replaced with 80 grit oxidation. By the time the surface is smoothed off, the shiny metal exposed would not stay shiny very long in the land of 70% relative humidity

As hot as it gets this time if year, will y'all be sitting on icepacks for your journeys?

I scrubbed on the '48 with a Scotch Brite pad in the rain, but the paint is in pretty rough shape so it did not clean up so good...but it looks much better than it did

We had a rare spring shower roll through during the afternoon that didn't boil into a thunderstorm, so I took the opportunity to scrub the '49 with a Scotch Brite pad to knock off decades of oxidized filth and find some paint in the rain

I scrubbed the Spring Special with a Scotch Brite pad for a little bit during a spring shower

truck picture B-1-D-126 + B-1-B-108:

I am curious as to what that engine looks like, seeing as how it was a source of many fits...

VINTAGEPIC: Pilot-House taking it easy

I'll drink to that!

The Colonel wore many hats

U-Haul, back in the day

Ringo stuck in traffic

happy hour down at the club

Tucker Torpedo on display for the masses

VINTAGEPIC: Pilot-House Dump Truck

VINTAGEPIC: saw this B-1or2 Panel

I have a few other candidates that I would strap to the front of a vehicle before that gravelly voiced yahoo, but the real question I would ask is, how often would ya use them anchor bolts? I had a lively discussion with my dad who wanted to bolt a small manual tire changer to the middle of his shop floor, with my argument being that it would be in the way more often than it would be useful, as we only use that tool a few times a year, if that. I came up with a compromise last year, welding a platform with some scrap steel to bolt the tire changer onto...the platform is heavy enough that it doesn't scoot around, but light enough that it can be moved without a forklift. I have seen a well-intentioned handy man anchor some bolts in old concrete, and all looked well, except when a full load was applied...a loud *pop* was heard, and the contraption that was holding a LOT of weight began to move around, causing slow moving gents to flee with alacrity (and not very gracefully) and a lot of expensive stuff get tore up...that's when they found out their shiny smooth shop floor had no rebar in it, and was a little on the soft side, a possibility that was explained previously. This one incident makes me look at all anchor bolt installations with suspicion, and I am super leery when I hear folks planning on giving it a shot without knowing for certain the condition of the concrete they are tapping into. I am not saying that an anchoring system is a bad idea, but assuming certain material conditions are present could be a recipe for disaster...other alternatives could be attempted that are less permanent to the structure and can be removed when not in use

Would it be easier to go the Red Green route and duct tape an old tire to a pusher vehicle and ease it up the slope as needed?