JBNeal

I brought the '49 back from its 3 decades of housing barn cats in Shamrock, caked with red dirt and all kinds of schtuff in the cab & the bed, most of it garbage. While peeling the nasty old carpet remnants from the cab, I could not believe how much red dirt was caked on the floor...so I was sweeping it out with an old stiff paint brush and a screwdriver, and on the passenger side, up pops the missing ignition key...JACKPOT

The whisk broom can get more done than the lid from a can of peaches, just sayin'

additional info

Considering the price of the truck, its proximity to the sea air and snowy roads, the apparent rattlecan paint atop dents & scrapes, the plywood bed, exposed fuel tank, non-original front bumper...I dunno that price seems kinda high for something that is nowhere near original condition, it may be a timebomb of a moneypit...ya might start having problems down the road, and attempts at repair may snowball as other things break down...this could lead to some bad feelings with your mechanic...I've passed on opportunities similar to this as it was apparent that the tinkerer was no craftsman and was looking to make some $$$, not interested in a quality repair as in getting it "close enough"...tread carefully

Them catch fences do ok when they are hit broadside, but they do as much good with a head-on strike as fending off a shark with a flyswatter...from the court-mandated defensive driving class I took in '92, the DPS officer explained that the only people not allowed to leave the scene of an accident are those directly affected, unless there is property damage, a physical injury or fatality involved, then all witnesses are required to give a statement for the accident report...in this case, my guess is that the offender who crossed the median and caused damage to the safety device is required to report this; witnesses may report this accident to dispatch so that the safety device can be repaired asap

Ya know the Amish have get-togethers of fellowship and barn-raisings, supplied with a hearty meal to keep folks rejuvenated...maybe ya could save some of them chores for when some of them able-bodied fellers wander onto the premises

My starter rebuild guy is not much for talking, he's had his own business since the 60s and stays quite busy...he did offer one piece of advice once: on 6V systems, relocate the system ground to a starter mounting bolt, and he left it at that...while working on the Farmall 1206, I noticed that the ground strap on that big diesel was on one of the starter mounting bolts. The two 6V batteries straddle the starter, so it was a very efficient and powerful setup. The original location of the B-series ground cable on the transmission case was done as a cost savings apparently, as corrosion at the threads of each connection would drive up impedance across the starter. With a longer ground cable plus the starter bolt mounting location, starter performance should improve over the stock setup over time.

truck picture B-4-B-116: '53 Spring Special glass labeling rear glass (same as all other glass)

truck picture B-1-B-108: '48 glass labeling: curved glass rear glass windshield

TOOLBOX ARSENAL Additional information on drum removal

It looks like the '53 tank was the same shape as the '54, with the top half having embossments for the filler neck in 3 locations...I reckon the B-4 frame and tank changes were already figured into the upcoming C-series for the cost savings of not having that rear bracket used on the '48-'52 models.

on these vintage engines, I tell folks that the auto parts store brand (cheapest they have) is way more advanced with its blended detergents than the high quality lubricants of that era. I also point out that as long as ya use a quality filter (Wix is excellent; Fram is garbage), then that low cost oil will last a good while and still be cleaning the engine innerds. a few flathead topics of interest

rear axle end play: .003" to .008"

I took a day trip down to Waller a few days ago to visit with the Renu guys down there about a tank that I got with a whole trailer full of parts a few years ago. They were very busy and shot me their price at a glance of the tank without looking at it thoroughly. The top of the tank is in good condition; the bottom, not so much: rust-through in places, mashed at the draw tube. When I pointed this out, they hesitantly said that it would be much higher to get it straight, even mentioned replacing the tank with a cheaper substitute than using their process. I inquired about cutting the tank open myself, doing the tin-knocking and reworking the draw tube after cutting 2" above the perimeter seam weld. They agreed that would be a much cheaper route, for me to do the preliminary metal work, and they could shot blast and weld it back together to complete the process for slightly higher than the original price they quoted. So I am gonna take a stab at that, taking a few pics along the way to document the work. FYI I believe the '54 tank is the same as the '53

I looked through the parts manual, and only found the bolt on cover for the rear shackle on early B-models. Looking through the seven Bunn books I have, I could make out plugs visible for promotional Dodge photos from '54 through '60...however, non-promotional period photos showed no plugs installed. Since my Spring Special came with plugs, I'm gonna preserve them...if I want to add plugs to my other buggies, it looks like McMaster Carr has plugs available (modifications may be required)...otherwise, not having plugs in place is a good start on weight savings

The leaf spring zerk that should line up with the access hole is centered not only by the thickness of the bed wood, but those rubber pads as well. This forces the bed side panel onto the running board. The Spring Special has its bed mostly intact, although the rubber pads & bed wood have compressed over the years, but there is still a gap between the running board and the bed side panel.

I took advantage of the breezy & warm afternoon yesterday to sweep out the back of the truck before reloading it with salvageable transmissions, and thought I'd take a closer look at the original bed under that 20 yr old piece of treated plywood. I had not noticed that there were three large bolts on each side instead of four, with the non-bolted cross-member having a rubber isolater pad held in place by the weight of the bed.

truck picture B-1-B-108: cleaned out the truck this weekend, then filled it back up and covered with a BBQ grille cover that blew into the yard a few years ago

additional speedometer cable information (with commentary)

On the '49, I reckon I plan on preserving the original engine compartment firewall paint job. There are grease pencil markings visible that appear to be some quality control markings similar to what I saw in one of Bunn's books. I think there are some on the Spring Special, but that firewall is so filthy that I cannot tell for sure

Use'm, don't abuse'm...once I get things fixed up, I probably won't be hauling brush out of the field anymore, but I'd probably still be running water to trees, and definitely driving it out of town for a day trip on occasion, maybe even put it in the local tractor show (they started a farm truck section a few years ago)...I've had several folks griping at me for not having anything in the Independence Day parade cuz the only Dodge trucks in that spectacle are new and supplied by the local dealership...I'm also against birds confined to cages I recall an incident on the road years ago, along a 2 lane rural highway in the middle of the day. I was trailing a delivery truck in my D250 at a safe distance, when he straddled a plastic Coke bottle that had blown onto the pavement. The vortex under the truck blew the bottle across the double yellow, where an oncoming Honda ran over the mouth...the bottle shot back into my lane when the tire sidewall beared down on the bottle flare, and the bottle glanced off of my truck door, blemishing the paint. That incident, highway rock chips, rocks being slung from tire treads...they all made me realize that as soon as ya roll one of these beauts on the road, damage will eventually occur that is beyond your control. And fixing one up just to sit out of sight is like building a nice rocking chair and not being able to sit in it, IMO...if I'm gonna put all those resources in fixing up one of these buggies, I'm gonna enjoy it while I can...but only on sunny days

additional information - Jim's door lock repair

I've mapped out most of old US 81, which is built along or parallel to the historical Chisholm Trail...then there's the Heritage Trails that I've crossed among my travels but have never been able to follow from start to finish. I've driven on the old 66 in The Panhandle, so I'd like to mosey up to Shamrock and make the circuit from there. I watched a PBS program about The Lincoln Highway, and that's got me interested as well...lots of miles to cover all the way around...maybe wander up the PCH if I got the time

TOOLBOX ARSENAL: my folks found this vintage engraver after it had gone missing for several years following their house remodel...loud but effective

oil bath air cleaners can be messy if ya forget to tighten the clamp...