JBNeal

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...

additional information - Gas Tank Renu the Tanks Inc. unit will fit but requires mounting bracket modifications

Getting into a hurry when working on these brakes can be a recipe for disaster, so it's best to take a steady disciplined approach to the task at hand. Rebuilding the master and wheel cylinders can be problematic due to pitting in the bores, which can lead to leaks. Over honing of these bores to eliminate the pitting can also lead to leaks. I ran into this on the '48 and the '49, and since replacement components were not readily available, I opted for sleeving through White Post Restorations, which has worked well for over 15 years on the '48. I still have some sponginess in the '49, which I suspect is due to pitting at the bleeder screws as I have dust accumulation at the threads, even after cleaning post system bleeding, year after year. Sleeving is more expensive than the replacement parts that are now available, as well as having a longer turnaround time, but I am unsure as to the new replacement quality compared to refurbishing. The other reason I opted for sleeving was for mental insurance after having a wheel cylinder blow out on a test drive which led to complete system failure...NOT FUN. I was able to limp home in my rural area, but the pucker factor was quite high. I suggest ya look at the big picture on this rebuild, as meeting short term goals should lead to meeting a larger goal without risking meeting that larger goal. I have found that arbitrary deadlines are good at keeping momentum going on a project, but if they cannot be met through unforeseen circumstances, then let the deadline pass and focus on the goal at hand. This minimizes waste of resources in that the task is only completed one time without detriment to other tasks.

Testimonials included

maybe they coated the red with Shinola

it has been one of the toughest skills to master when working on anything vintage or antique: effectively dealing with people. There are all kinds of people in this world, and it seems a good chunk of them find that the only way to improve themselves is to bring others down, with insults, spitefulness, marginalization...I have to be very careful whenever speaking about this old truck, as I have run into some downright bitter behavior from vendors, neighbors, relatives and coworkers alike. Spending my resources on something of value is a foreign concept to folks who prefer more, ummm, socially active behavior. I went to get a haircut one Saturday with this truck, and the barber, who noticed me wheeling up in that buggy, started talking about it when I was in the chair, and with straight razor in hand, tells me that I would be better off spending my $$$ on a new truck than wasting it on that old clunker...I most definitely agreed, kinda hard to argue with that. Coincidentally, I began cutting my own hair a few weeks later. Anyhow, the main reason I made the dry run to this tire shop was to gauge their reaction to the subject vehicle, as the wheels are a dead giveaway that I am working on a vintage vehicle of some sort. That 180° attitude change was not a first for me, however. On the disappointing ride home yesterday, I recalled running into a similar problem back in '04 with another tire store in the next county over. I found a tire store that would work on lock-ring rims, so I found some used tires and brought them the old tires to pry off the dangerous rims just to move the truck around until I got the truck running reliably and found some newer tires. About a year later, I found a pair of newer tires that they mounted with no problems; a year after that, I found another pair. When I brought the spare in to put on a newer tire, the counter guy I had dealt with each time before boldly told me that they did not work on lock-ring rims...when I reminded him that they had done the work just a few months before, he denied that, saying they never worked on any lock-ring rims, ever. I pointed to the two guys in the shop that had done the work before, and he said they did not know how to work on those rims, then asked me to leave...and I haven't been back since. When I meet folks, and they ask me what I do for fun, I mention about tinkering with things, just to keep out of jail...idle hands being the work of the devil & all. If they press me on that, I'll mention some of the mundane things I've fiddled with here & there, then carefully segue onto a different topic. I never bring this truck up until I know somebody well enough to mention it. And folks who are proud of everything they do in their life don't really understand why I don't talk about my collection. Not wanting to be the cloud in the room, I decline to explain the real reasons, but rather I give'm some dumbo reason like "ohhhh it must've slipped my mind" The trial run at the new machine shop I found last year was somewhat encouraging, as they knew how to work on flatheads...but they said they would call me back about fees (the lady running the counter was the wife of the owner who does all of the machine work), and I have not heard from them yet. They specialize in dirt track race engines and cautioned that they stay busy in the winter months, so my worry is that I bring them a flathead and they continually forget about working on it to the point where it becomes "lost"...I ain't got no time fer that

I had to stop at a locksmith a couple of weeks ago on business, and noticed they had antique car style keys hanging on the wall, so I got one cut for the '48. The original was nearly twisted off in the ignition cylinder from a doofus state inspector who had responded "oh yeah no prob" when I asked him if he knew how to start the truck for its annual vehicle inspection years ago. The new key is quite stout, so I went about lubing the door key cylinder with Marvel Mystery Oil every few days, jiggling the key to agitate the inner workings. Well lo & behold, the key turned today a little bit...about an hour later, the door was locked for the first time, as no one in the family had tried to lock the door before since the beast has lived in the country since coming home from the dealer And as with a lot of things I've had to deal with lately, this success was tempered by a subsequent trip to the tire shop that I had visited just the day before. They had new tubes in stock for the old 6.50-16s that have failing tubes, and told me that they specialized in working on older vehicles & equipment. They agreed to swap out the tubes so I can at least move the truck around until I get new tires later on down the road. But when I showed up today, I was greeted by a different counter guy, who had just dealt with four argumentative customers in a row before asking what I wanted (never a good sign). He pops off that they don't work on tube tires at all, and when I cautiously pointed out that was not what I was told yesterday, his annoyance only grew...he then said they didn't have the tubes in stock, but I pointed to the shelf where we were looking at them yesterday (smoke started coming out of his ears at this point)...we went outside to look at my old tires in the back of my truck and he became indignant, saying that it's against the law to work on any tire more than 7 years old...at this point, one of the well-tatted techs on smoke break chimed in that he don't touch that old shhhht...this whole time I'm thinking these bubbas are pulling my leg, as this place has been highly recommended by quite a few folks, their facilities are well-kept, the shop and parking lot are full of customers' vehicles almost non-stop, and the folks working there are touted as good people, which is what I had encountered yesterday. But today was a much different story...anyhow, as I was attempting to ask if they could dismount one of the old tires off of the rim so I could repaint it, both of them guys started walking off while I was in mid-sentence. I was stunned to say the least...I reported this to the last two guys who had told me to go there, and one of them made a phone call as he does a lot of business with them folks (fleet manager). He sent word back to me that there was a misunderstanding and that I should go back and try again...yeah I'll get right on that...or I reckon I'll dig out the breaker & spoon bars and wrassle them old tires off them rims myself, more than likely with the aid of colorful phraseology and a little blood-letting. Which is probably what I'll have to do with the lock-ring rims I've been eyeballing on the two 1-tons in the driveway... but the new key works in the door, soooooo...woo-hoo

it is possible to pull the axle shafts, rear cover and carrier assembly as the 1-ton axle is a full-floater: the wheel hub bearings mount the axle tube and not to the axle shafts. I highly recommend a full inspection of the carrier bearings if the truck has been parked for an extended period as the bearings may be galled and prone to failure

Link to possible solution