JBNeal

I recommend a printed reproduction factory shop manual specific for your truck series. There are shop manuals on CD available that you can print out pages as needed if you want to go that route. Faxon Literature has some eBay listings ya might be interested in. Ya probably should give some thought to the entire brake system (cylinder sleeving and conversion to DOT 5 has been discussed and tested). And ya might want to give the fuel tank some attention (maybe Renu it)

I looked thru my info, and the best I can tell is that if ya stick with any model BB carb, it should work. My '48 has a '55 Plymouth 230 that had a problematic E7T1 carb I rebuilt annually. I snagged a D6G1 carb off of eBay several years ago, put a DTE1 carb kit in it, and the carb problems I had went away. I bookmarked The Carburetor Doctor from a previous discussion and thought I had a Carter manual that spelled out the various carb number differences but cannot seem to locate it, so maybe I confused that manual with a rebuild sheet that came with an older carb kit. I am assuming that the different carb numbers represent different jetting among the BB models. I checked my spare motors, and none of them had a legible carb number on the air horn; the '53 Spring Special has a DTE2 carb, on an engine that appears to be original to the truck. The parts book shows that the B-1-B & B-1-C used the same carb, and the B-2-B, B-3-B, B-4-B, B-2-C, B-3-C and B-4-C used the same carb (non-fluid drive), so I reckon ya need a DTE1 or equivalent

My 2¢: changing out ratios is an option only when the gearsets are the same physical size. This means that not only does the ring gear need to fit on the carrier, but the pinions have to be interchangeable. The 3.55 that I put in my Dakota longbed 15 years ago was much smaller than the 3.55 Sure-Grip that I put in my D-250 CTD a few years later. This is a precision assembly that transmits power, so ya want to do way better than "close enough".

The shop manual mentions the engine + transmission can be removed & installed as a unit, but I believe the transmission can be removed and installed separate of the engine + bell housing.

My 2¢: the front engine + bell housing mount setup was done so that the flatheads could be mounted in multiple applications: trucks, forklifts, welders, generators, airport tugs, tractors, combines...they all had different transmissions, and all were archaic gearboxes by today's standards. Larger engine + transmission setups required support geometry to change to accommodate the greater mass generating power. As for the trucks, the gearbox cantilever load on the bellhousing was small enough that a trans.support was not required.

that carrier looks very similar to the one on my B-4; looking at the parts book, the '53 has a different part number than the '48-'52. I picked up one of each on eBay years ago, and they are roughly the same size, with the B-4 carrier being a few pounds lighter. If your spare tire fits onto the carrier you have, and it fits onto your truck, I say use it...if somebody has a problem with that, have a discussion with them in the parking lot--bring the carrier with ya

NASCAR Tucker Torpedo

Railroad Inspection Cars

OUCH

oil sold in a tent...?

Dodger Stadium scoreboard has come a loooong way...

VINTAGEPIC: pretzel boy over yonder

HOLLYWOOD Hail, Caesar!

a Chrysler Turbine waaay over yonder

VINTAGEPIC: 1960 Dodge truck turbine development with extra hood insulation over yonder