JBNeal

the flathead engines are simple by design, hence their inherit reliability vs. overhead cam engines. The shop manual does give specifications & procedures on rebuilds / repair of the powertrain, electrical, body, etc. But sometimes there is information in between the lines or left out altogether. Examples are the window riser adjustments, steering gearbox dust seal lubrication access hole, B-3 B-4 turn signal conversion & installation, horn rebuild dos & don'ts...that's when a build thread on this forum comes in handy, folks will chime in with all kinds of help (some of it more useful than others)

truck picture B-1-D-116: here's a few more pics of this beast:

truck picture B-1-D-116: I found this '48 B-1-D-116 on CL for a C-note four counties to the south, picked it up back in February under the cover of darkness. It has a rebuilt '49 motor from a Plymouth, judging from the block dipstick tube and carburetor linkage shaft on the head (although I do not recognize the fuel pump). The block number boss appears to have been ground down and a new # stamped that is almost illegible. When this big red wagon was new, it had the comfort-ride seat (upholstery & seat bottom missing), a heater/defroster (missing, factory holes punched out at firewall), dual sun visors (RH broken off & missing), dual extendable mirrors (RH partially missing), electric wipers (linkages + arms missing), radio (missing, but station call letters scratched into dash), stainless grille bars (in need of massaging), and no oil filter. The motor has been open for a good while, the manifolds are cracked from some sort of impact, the cab has holes in the roof where marker lights were installed (but a good floor & doors), the steering column is partially missing (never seen this kind of modification), and the spare tire & original carrier were lost years ago, according to the previous owner, who had started to fix the truck in the 90s then lost interest after partial disassembly, then got his son to dispose of it. I have no solid plans for this truck as I've got a few other projects ahead of it, so for now it's a wildlife refuge

Ask Don Coatney about that T5 adapter on eBay, it might be an interesting story...Langdon's also sells T5 adapters I reckon

I reckon they made changes in the rear main seal and internal bypass coolant passage in '51 or thereabouts, changed some of the head machining to boost CR through the 50s, but the block itself didn't change much...Dodge, Plymouth, DT or Industrial 23" blocks were mostly the same...good luck finding one that'll be usable

During some office cleanup, I found the '04 receipt for the new-style pump I put in the '48 (65 bucks!). I picked it up from Terrill Machine in DeLeon (same place I got my fuel pump repair & carb kits), though I don't know for sure if it's sourced from NAPA or the actual rebuild service

here's a little more info about Clem's... there was an ad on the TV the other day about this car museum... there was a re-run on The Day Tripper the other day that showed a decent eatin' joint down the road from the museum

did I mention that I had left the windows down too? they enjoyed decorating the dash, floorboards, door panels, steering wheel, bench seat & back

truck picture B-1-B-108: somebody didn't think too much of me parking the '48 under the tree:

I took some photos the other day of the linkage setup on the '48 with the Ball&Ball on the 218; the '49 1-ton with the Stromberg on the 230 was an almost identical setup (currently partially disassembled for short test runs), as well as the '51 1-ton with the Stromberg on the 230...the return spring is attached to the floorboard with a cotter pin as shown. The return spring has tension on it while at zero throttle. Also shown is how close the throttle linkage on the back of the bell housing gets to the bottom of the cab when the cab mounts are worn and the motor mounts are new. The only other engine setup that I have that is complete is on the '53 Spring Special, and it's a bit of a head scratcher. The engine appears to have been replaced at some point, so I'm not totally sold that the B4B setup is original. The return spring, which is smaller than the ones used on the B-1s & B-3s, is attached at the throttle linkage rod at the pivot linkage as there is no clip present like the ones shown in the manual. This spring is then hooked to the lip on the floor board, not to a cotter pin through the floor board. I could not locate a hole in the floor board for the cotter pin to fit, so I'm kinda wondering if this might have been a running change near the end of B-series production...

Good barbecue takes skill not only in meat preparation but in smoking wood choice. Mesquite for smoking requires that it needs to be well seasoned, upwards of 2 yrs is best. Mesquite trees can produce creosote when burned while too green. This can produce a bitter taste in the meat that is being smoked; green oak or pecan can do the same thing but not as severe. When I helped out in barbecue competitions, the best tasting meats were smoked with mesquite, oak or pecan, and most of barbecue joints in the area will smoke with a combination of these woods as they become available. There was a local outfit that sold brisket sandwiches, and his side business was construction & land clearing. So he would have mesquite or pecan coals for smoking, but on occasion he would toss building lumber in the fire box (sometimes with the lead paint still on it while stacked up next to that home-made contraption)...he made a mean brisket, but sometimes ya'd wonder how he made it..... For a little more research information for trip planning, there are two television shows that have some interesting stories that can be followed: Texas Country Reporter and The Day Tripper. They not only give ya places to see but places to eat

When it comes to barbecue, there's southern barbecue, then there's Texas barbecue...I've met folks from around the country who will brag on their region's barbecue skill, but then they'll try some of our local fare, and they have all said how much different it is in meat quality & flavor. Those who know will tell ya that pulled pork around here is the scraps we feed the dog, and that good barbecue does not need sauce As for Houston, it can be an adventure, with almost non-stop road construction in some areas that transitions into a parking lot on the highway during certain times of the day with nowhere to go that transitions into an every-man-for-himself super-speedway, where if you're travelling the speed limit, ya might get smoothed right over. I had to through one area several times with a trailer load of equipment, 5 under the speed limit cuz the front of the truck was trying to wander 'round because of the heavy load, and I thought I was a goner there a few times with the close calls from hammer-down 18-wheelers and numerous cut-offs from folks exiting/entering the freeway...them folks all got places to be and the ignorant out-of-towner is in the way. My neighbors lived in & around Houston for 20+ yrs, and their advice was to know where I was going, know where the trouble spots are and how to avoid them, know where all the exits are, and go as fast as the rest of the crowd if you feel you can keep up...there's a lot of stuff to do in & around Houston & Galveston, but getting from point A to B might be more of a vacation story than the destinations

I-35 is alllll tore up south of Waco to Temple, lanes are restricted by construction barriers for long stretches so if there's any trouble along the way, most of the highway grinds to a halt...if ya want to stop in Waco, swing by Health Camp on The Circle for a cheeseburger and a shake (they have a banana pudding shake that is delicious, as well as a chocolate cheesecake shake that ain't too shabby)...or a stop in Temple at Clem Mikeska's for some of the best barbecue and catfish in the state, in a very unique setting...in Austin there's some stuff to do on South Congress on occasion, The Capitol is nice looking this time of the year (except when UT is playing up the street, then the neighborhood is littered with drunken idiots)...if you're gonna detour through Brenham, stop by the Blue Bell creamery if they are doing tours, their ice cream is GRRRREAT...if you're gonna drive through Houston...wellllll good luck to ya

I reckon I can't take full credit for this as a useful tool...at a previous job where we manufactured aerial lifts, there was a guy who had worked there for several decades who ate Vienna sausages every day. The painters would bug him at least once a week for his empties, as the can was the perfect size for various chores: making test mixes, using for touch up paint, cleaning small equipment parts...the guys would get into "colorful discussions" on occasion as to who had dibs 1st for them empties, sometimes there would be feats of strength to settle these dust-ups. So when I had a hankering for them li'l sausages, I keep the cans now cuz WOW they are handy!

TOOLBOX ARSENAL: The cleaned out aluminum can that formerly housed Vienna sausages has come in quite handy. When filled half full of gasoline, it can be used to fill an empty Stromberg carburetor that has run dry because the '49 1-ton it is mounted on has a non-functional fuel level sending unit that has led to a couple of instances of needing to walk back to the house because of underestimation of fuel tank contents. The screwdriver helps to access the innerds of the carb

another 10 miles on the odometer from hauling water, and the NORS water pump that I cleaned up and installed back in '04 has started to seep out of the shaft seal. It hasn't completely blown out, but it's just a matter of time until that relic will need to be replaced with that NAPA pump that's been sitting on the shelf. There's also a freeze plug that has started to seep, but not as bad as the water pump issue. I took the truck 1/2 mile up the road to pick up my neighbors' paper while they are out of town, and the flat spots in them old tires were noticeable at 15mph, and started to shake the wax out of my ears when I hit 20mph. So the 1-ton will need quite a bit of work to get it road worthy: cooling system, tires, hydraulic brakes, wiring...but for now, it is doing a decent job in helping to keep my trees growing, my transplanted yard green, and the house foundation afloat

that top line goes up, then back down to go under the motor mount, then back up & turns to the frame to line up with the right front brake line that mounts to the frame. It probably doesn't need to go that high, and I didn't use that much line when I replaced the ones on the '48. As for that right side inner fender hole that extra spring is being anchored, that hole was probably there for a couple of other reasons: the blanks used when stamping these left side & right side inner fenders have the same hole patterns, or that hole is used as a mounting point for the fresh air kit duct. A sticking throttle might be indicative of slight wear in the linkage assembly, which can be a cumulative effect: each little part, with a little wear & a little corrosion on it, will bind up when put in certain positions as the factory return spring may not be strong enough to overcome this. There is mention in the shop manual to lubricate all linkages & control cables with light oil periodically to address this. This kind of lubrication is still required on newer vehicles even today...the hood latch on my '02 CTD was sticking a few years ago, so I hit the latch & springs with Liquid Wrench at all the pivot points then worked the oil into the joints by moving the hood up & down almost the full range of its pivot. Then I shut the hood soundly & popped the hood latch from the cab; my hands didn't have that good of a grip on the hood when I opened the hood latch, and that hood dang near caught me under the chin as is sprang open. So good lubrication on the pivot points can do wonders

additional information - routing brake and gas lines Vintage Power Wagons has a used brake line tee listed in their catalog, although the pic shown doesn't look quite the same as the ones used on the B-Series.

FWIW, notice in the shop manual diagram that the rod 14-11-9 is straight. Also note that the bell crank opening on the throttle shaft is almost the same opening as for the rod 14-14-3, not a small opening for a spring. My guess is that bell crank opening is for a linkage used on a governor as these Ball&Ball carbs were used on different applications, and there is no part number given in the parts manual for this second spring. When all linkages and control cables are within specifications and lubricated adequately, the throttle application is smooth and responsive

I don't think the original springs, spacers and bolts had any type of plating, they might have been painted black...the zinc plated replacement parts are available at the hardware store & total about $5

a few other details are of note, such as the B-1 roof rail vs. the B-3/B-4 roof rail profiles, as well as the door sill cab seal. The B-1s had a seal mechanically attached with clips to holes in the groove in the door, while the B-3/B-4s are mechanically attached to the cab sill that aligns above the door groove.

I found the paragraph that speaks of "...a heavy transverse member that was welded to the lock pillars and the underbody pan to provide a rigid tie between lock pillars and underbody." I'm guessing this observation was made from sales literature that was available at the time. I got curious and observed a few differences among the years between the seat base & b-pillar, as well as the rear cab mounts. The rear cab mounts are different for '53, but if anything, they look smaller...if there's a transverse member under there, I sure don't see it while the cab is mounted on the frame. '53 rear cab mount '51 rear cab mount ('48-'52 similar) The filler plate at the seat base changed from early '48 to '49, then again by '51, and again for '53. A hole shows up in this plate by '49, but disappears for the '53s...dunno what its purpose is or why it's only on the driver side. '53 filler plate '51-'52 filler plate '49 filler plate early '48 filler plate

I've been a li'l fuzzy on what is the function of them springs. When I've found them on a truck, they are rusted solid to the bolt/sleeve that they are centered on. The bolts are run up to the sleeve, so the flange of the tank is seated to the frame cross-member all the time. But at any rate, the springs on the '48 are 3/32" wire diameter, about 1-3/4" long, centered on 3/8-24NF X 2-1/4 hex head bolts. I eye-balled the '49 & '51 1-tons and they appeared the same.

Availability has been an ongoing issue with the NAPA water pump. I had found out about these water pumps from the article written on Moparforum and I reckon Airtex has a run of new pumps every few years or so when they feel they can maximize profit on them. I'm just glad they are still available

if there is air trapped in the block, then coolant is not allowed to pass through that area to allow heat transfer. This can lead to hot spots in the castings, which may lead to cracking. I reckon this is similar to a blocked coolant tube.