JBNeal

pictured is my neighbor's dog from over the hill, he comes moseying around whenever he hears the 1-ton get fired up. By the time I spotted the approaching hazard & hopped on the brakes, he was almost nose to nose with this varmint, which prompted my dog in the back of the truck to start to scramble to get out. Them two dogs had the thing bracketed and were barking their heads off, so I eased past with the truck and then *POOF* we all got gassed. I've got the truck baking in the 100F sun while I water trees, and the driver side is still considerably more stout than the rest of the truck 7 hours later X[

truck picture B-1-D-126: running water to trees this morning, and this li'l stinker stumbled out of the bushes...I knew what was coming next and knew that I wasn't going to be fast enough to escape the cloud, so I thought I'd capture the moment

additional information - B-1-B-108 survivor

if your carb has a good spray out of the jet, then the next thing to check is your spark plugs for being fouled. When you pull the plugs to add some engine oil into the combustion chamber to lube the rings, check the plug condition to diagnose your engine performance. If you have sprayed too much fuel into the intake manifold, you may have indeed flooded it. Flooding is easy enough to do on the flatheads I have found, but give it a few minutes and then trying again may clear this out. Usually when I have really flooded the engine, it takes a while to let the excess fuel boil out, then I hit the carb with starting fluid to get a cylinder to fire because the spark plugs have become fuel-fouled. Once a cylinder or two gets fired, the engine will sputter until all of the plugs have burned off the excess carbon, and then the engine speed will smooth out. I reckon there is an art to startup of a carbureted engine that can be lost after years of dealing with automated fuel injected systems. Once ya know exactly what is going on inside the beast, then ya know how to control it

These flathead carbs have trouble after being stored for extended periods. Parts & passageways get gummed up, causing the main jet to dribble more than the Globetrotters, and the float needle can get stuck, causing the carb to look like it has a severe leak. I'm guessing you've got this combination, and instead of the fuel being sprayed down the venturi and drawn into the manifold by vacuum at startup, it dribbles out the jet, puddling on the throttle valve and seeping out at the valve shaft. After being in storage, it might be a good idea to disassemble & clean what you have to verify that everything is within specifications. Whenever I've had a truck sit for a season or two, at a minimum I pull the air horn and rinse out the venturi and float chamber with spray brake cleaner, work the accelerator free if it's stuck, then fill the chamber with fresh gasoline and let soak for a few hours after assembly. Most of the time, this leads to a fast re-fire, especially if a little starting fluid is used for some help. Originally this meant getting a new carb kit, but one time I needed the 1-ton in a pinch and was able to carefully re-work the carb without the need of that kit. This meant taking great care in disassembly not to tear any gaskets or lose any small parts into the cracks in the ground. It has been years since I put a new carb kit on, as I have almost perfected the curb-side rebuild with the use of a flat blade screwdriver, a needle-nose pliers, a shop rag and some metered gas Rebuilding the B&B is not too difficult, but as with any carb rebuild, attention to detail & cleanliness are key. YouTube has several videos available, I put "B&B carburetor" in the search field and got several vids, one being part 1 of a rebuild after thorough cleaning, there are others on adjustment, etc. I reckon since the carb was rebuilt fairly recently, the innerds aren't too fouled up, just needs a good rinsing to get the moving parts & the jet to work as they should. Now if you want to change carbs, then you're opening up a can of worms, as a change in induction should be balanced with a change in exhaust. I've heard the 2" tailpipe does wonders, as does the split exhaust, especially if going to a 2bbl setup. But now you are talking a major project, when all ya might need is a few things sitting around the garage

Another 4000 gallons hauled, and shifting into third gear for brief periods as the engine is seemingly generating more power. Just a few more things to do on that Saturn before it's road ready, and then I can get them floorboards put back in the truck, as the dust from the pasture where the water well is located about chokes me cuz I'm going just fast enough to kick up a cloud but too slow for it to blow away. At least the dog I'm lookin' after enjoys the shade underneath and the perch when I'm workin' on this & that

truck picture B-1-D-126: Another day of hauling water

I've hauled about 6000 gallons this week, and the fresh gas and uphill loading has recently led me to shifting into second gear...I reckon them spark plugs are getting cleaned off nicely, and the 230 is generating closer to full power. The weight on them tires has flexed the tread enough to get most of the flat spots out, but I can still feel one of them thumping when there's no load on that back axle. Meanwhile, the Saturn L200 overhaul is nearing re-start, probably this weekend, so when I get that charity project out of the way, maybe I can get around to putting them floorboards back in the cab. They've been collecting dust in the corner of the garage going on 2 yrs now, along with the cut rubber strips for anti-squeak and the extruded U-nuts for the cab modification. I'll have to get as much as that as I can before I have to replace the head gaskets on that Subaru that puked on me in May...in the meantime, I can still haul water and fiddle with the truck in between irrigations

I saw one of them south of Lubbock years ago...it was a high side bed that was customized for short sides, with the chopped tailgate, on a B-1-D-126. It had an electric fence around it to keep the goats out, looked to be an old highway department truck. Never could find the owners, then one day it was gone...goats too.

Another option: soak in diesel, it's almost like kerosene...and if'n ya want to torch it, it ain't gonna explode on ya

I figgered I could make 2 water runs after work, so off I went, filled up with water, and made it 300 yards from the well when the engine just quit. I didn't think I was out of gas already, but walked back up the hill to snag a gas can and the carb refiller...still wouldn't start, and both fuel bowls were still full...then it dawned on me what had happened AGAIN, so I headed back up the hill to grab the handful of tools needed to pull the fuel pump. After I got it apart, I thought I'd try staking the housing to keep that check valve in place. Put everything back in place, and the ol' beast fired right up, sputtered for about a minute, then ran as smooth as an old sewing machine...BACK TO WORK

I've got all the parts on the shelf for the pressure bleeder except for the adapter...I have a donor plug that will fit this master cylinder, but getting around to doing little projects is a bit tricky with the stack of vehicles by the house that need worked on, the retired neighbors who need their yards worked on, and that pesky job that sucks down a huge chunk of my time...if I didn't have to go to work, I might get a few things done around here

for the 1st time since '08, I've got pedal brakes on the 1-ton...I tried something different to get the brakes bled, and was able to use the truck to start hauling water again

TOOLBOX ARSENAL: I needed to bleed the brakes in the '49, and since my helper stood me up a few days ago, I gave it a shot myself. Since the floorboards are out of the truck, and the steering wheel is off, I tried wedging a scrap piece of 2x6 leftover from a shipping pallet I had scavenged back in '02. I haven't had the time to put together the pressure bleeder, and I needed to use this truck to start running water to trees & the house foundation. It's not as good as having somebody working the pedal on command, but it worked well enough to get the truck to stop at the low speeds I am using it for now. The li'l milk jug just has a crossing-slit cut in the cap with the vinyl hose poked through As ya might expect, the one-man brake bleed operation with the wood block is a lot of physical work for such an easy task. I basically did situps & squats for about 2 hrs to work all of the air bubbles out of the system, and at the end of the day, I was reeeally feeling it

truck picture B-1-D-126: back to watering trees again

how'bout posting some pics of what ya are working on for some informed opinions

From what I've heard, Dodge trucks cost just a little bit more than Ford or Chevrolet and had less engine power, but Dodges were cheaper to maintain, had better visibility and had a smoother ride with better seats. I've driven some 50s Fords & Chevys, and the Chevy has more power in the top end, but Dodge beats them in every other category, including turning radius

I have looked into the frame swap as well, as I have collected a few stray body parts from others' project leftovers. The 1st gen Dakota is a close fit to the B-1-B-108 in wheelbase & track width. The Ramcharger has a close fit wheelbase but the track is too wide. S-10 has a close fit wheelbase but the track is too narrow for my liking. Fitting the Pilot-House on a D-series or BR-series Ram is a lot of work as the track is too wide, so ya have to flare the fenders or get creative on fender placement. Any way ya go, it'll be work but you'll get modern gearing & braking

HOLLYWOOD From Twilight Zone's "Caesar and Me" and "Black Leather Jackets"

Build Threads are nice...the fuel tank can be Renu'd

I worked with a real nice guy, 10 yrs my junior right out of school...a real BS artist who could fake his way out of a problem & booze it up with the big wigs that allowed him to move up the totem pole to be my boss in two different divisions. He would routinely take my work with released part numbers, obsolete them, and replace them with new numbers with his name on the drawing...he even took credit for some work that I did a full year before he started working there...so when it comes to part numbers, sometimes all it takes is a real nice guy to make them appear

hey check it out, the Dodge has TWO fuel filters...who knew?!?

I started dabbing RTV on centercaps back in '95 and haven't lost a cap yet. The RTV effectively forms a wedge so that the cap cannot vibrate loose, allowing the spring clips to hold the cap in place

driving with the windows rolled up in July...ain't seen that in my neck of the woods before

As far as the cold, I've driven below freezing with the only problem being window fogging when there is high humidity in temps below 60 (no defroster installed on either truck). But here in TX, it's summer from Cinco de Mayo til Halloween, so we gotta be smart when it comes to driving in the heat. That usually means get off the pavement from lunchtime til dinnertime, as the blacktop temps can approach 180 on triple-digit days, and many tires go a-poppin' in that, so I opt not to chance it. The engines can handle the heat, but the cab turns into an oven, and with all the windows & vents open, that just means we're being cooled with a blowtorch in the afternoons. So as a rule of thumb, I choose not to drive in the '48 or '49 when it's over 95