JBNeal

take it out for a spin on a bouncy twisting road, retorque, repeat

this might work

the coil wire connected to the coil, disconnected from the distributor cap, and held close to the block should let the coil's secondary voltage arc to ground at the block. Jumper cables attached to the block and the battery ground can help with ground continuity for testing purposes.

I had my '89 Dakota 2.5L for 7 years, it was reliable, got 25mpg around town and boy-howdy was it SLOW...I upgraded to a K&N filtercharger, and that seemed to help driving around town, but out on the highway, if there was a hill coming up, I had to make a running charge at it to make it over without downshifting. I rented a U-haul trailer (the small one) to move some larger furniture and stuff several times, and it would not pull in OD cuz it didn't have the guts. The 2.5L was rated at 99hp, but it was throttle-body fuel injected so it ran a li'l better than my previous Dodge, an '86 Omni with the carbureted 2.2L. Moving up to a '92 Dakota longbed with the Magnum 3.9L was night & day difference: that V6 could spin the tires, had plenty of grunt to haul stuff, and could get me into trouble on the highway with The Man. I test-drove a '96 Dakota Sport with that Jeep 2.5L, and it had way more power than the Dodge 2.5L, but neither were a match for the V6. And the Magnum V8? WHOA NELLY

check the coil wire spark like a plug wire spark by holding the end near the block while engaging the starter motor with the ignition is on...if it ain't bluish white but more of a yellow, then the ignition coil may be the culprit.

this fine '53 Plymouth example appears to have Silhouette & Dublin Greens that are very close to what I've seen on this Spring Special, so I'll assume that they are correct for this truck. Two paint stores in two different counties have the Ditzler charts, but no current formulas, so at some point I'll have to get something that is close. I picked up a Fluid Drive brochure to do some research on a recent chassis purchase (codename: Frankenstein), and found an interesting picture...I'm guessing this is the picture that Don Bunn wrote about as the earliest example of a Spring Special seen in Dodge literature, and since it is in black & white, the colors cannot be verified:

My '48 & '49 had the 12" wipers, and they would just kiss the outside edge and be about 1/2" shy of the center post. There was enough flexibility in the wiper, the arm, etc. that the electric wiper motor didn't sound like it was getting in a bind. One way to 'shorten' the wiper arms is to bow them out a li'l bit.

here's a procedure that I've performed

A couple of notes: The one wire sending units are prone to losing ground continuity since there are several areas of contact that can oxidize. I have had good results with a simple ground stud installed to the sending unit and a separate ground wire run to the chassis ground. The gauge has a responsive needle sweep rather than an erratic needle jump that is associated with ground continuity loss. To give yourself a little wiggle room, adjust the float so that it does not touch the bottom of the fuel tank. I've adjusted a couple of floats so that they are about 2 inches from the bottom of the tank to show E on the gauge. Once the bouncing needle starts to touch the E on the gauge, it is a warning that the tank is nearing empty; once the needle stops on E for extended periods means that the tank is almost empty. This approach may mean that the fuel gauge may read F for an extended period, but it is unlikely that the gauge will hang on 1/4 F when it is actually empty.

here's some examples of something that might help fill in the gaps

take the generator to a starter/alternator shop and they might have what you need sitting on the shelf for some pocket change

A couple of things: verify that the contact at the center of the distributor cap is in place, as I've seen these fall out, never to be seen again, requiring cap replacement; also verify if the contact will mate with the rotor, as I've seen a "correct" cap fit onto a distributor, but the contact and rotor were too far apart for any spark to be transferred. The latter problem was eventually pinned down to an improperly boxed part at the factory.

The '48-'49 frames and '50-'53 frames differ in the mounting of the steering column, and the '53 frame has a different cross-member mount for the fuel tank...from what I've seen, the '48-'52 had one style of fuel tanks, and the '53-'56 had a different tank.

the '49 1-ton had been parked many years in Western Oklahoma, then a decade more in the Panhandle near Shamrock before I dragged it home. It had buckets of Panhandle sand in the cab, so I swept out as much as I could after removing the spare parts and bricks in the floor board. There was a piece of low pile carpet in lieu of a floor mat, and it was plenty old as it fell apart when I tried to peel it out of the cab. Once I got it scraped out, there was more caked-on sand to sweep out...and on the passenger side of the floor board, cemented into that sand, was the original ignition key--JACKPOT!

Today's cautionary tale: I picked up a donor steering column, and set out to remove the steering wheel using a bearing splitter and gear puller setup similar to those shown, a setup I've used on three other occasions without problems. But I was in a bit of a hurry and didn't notice that I had booger'd up the steering shaft threads until I tried to remove the wheel from the shaft. Apparently, the bolt & washer I used in the shaft for the puller drive screw were too small and my torque/hammer blow/repeat cycles started to drive the bolt/washer into the shaft, mushrooming the shaft at an angle. I have another steering wheel to pull at some point, and hopefully I'll remember to used a bolt that just fits into the shaft, as well as leaving the steering shaft nut on the shaft but backed off a few turns...as well as taking my time and not trying to muscle the thing off.

Since I don't have the specifications on the stock idle orifice, I can't say for sure if it has been replaced, but I'd be willing to bet $$$ that it has not been replaced. I am assuming that the PCV replacement orifice is only a few thousandths different from the stock tube. The idle screw can be adjusted to offset the additional air introduced to even out the idle speed, rather than doing precise surgery on the carburetor. Of note is one of the Chrysler air filter housing modifications that points the crankcase gases from the filler tube towards the carburetor throat. I have seen similar setups in other engines where PCV fumes are directed through the air cleaner and directly over the choke valve into the carburetor. If there was enough room on the carburetor, a fitting could be installed to direct PCV fumes directly into the carb. But since there isn't enough room or a flat boss on which to drill and tap an adequate port on the carb, the air cleaner housing has to be used to locate this port.

The function of the PCV system was also discussed here & here...

I found this in Hemmings years ago, dunno if he's still in business...

here's greybeard's installation...it's a variation on the original Chrysler vacuumatic setup. There's other variations out there that modify a sealed-off replacement oil filler cap, but there has been some disagreement on whether a sealed cap is necessary to remove crankcase combustible gases or if it would cause some pressure build-up in the crankcase that may result in rear main seal leakage. At any rate, my thinkin' is that those flathead valve covers that have been modified for a PCV system were done by someone who mimicked what was found on OHV engines, where PCV valves were placed in a rubber grommet atop the engine. It has been pointed out that the flathead valve cover would see more oil tossed at it than the oil filler tube or cap, so there may be more oil seepage at the valve cover than normal, and the PCV valve may get clogged up faster. Is the PCV system necessary to make the engine run better? no, but it helps...I think the 180F thermostat would make for a better running engine as sludge can be greatly reduced; the PCV system just makes it run cleaner.

it kinda sounds like the plunger inside the carb is not returning to the idle position. The leather seal needs to be soft, so let it soak in gasoline for a day or two so the leather will be saturated & lubricated. The plunger's movement is impossible to check with the air horn in place, so you'll have to pull the air horn & approximate where it sits to verify plunger movement. I had a similar problem with a Carter B&B and found that the plunger linkage wasn't set properly using this approach.

I figgered grounding the horn button was what actuated the horn vibrator. The horn button doesn't work too well with corrosion at the brass plate, mounting collar, steering box, etc. The horn in my '48 is about as loud as a squeak toy, but when I test it on the bench, it rattles my fillings, so it's an issue to wade through at some point.

Tackling the restoration of one of these trucks will be an educational experience. If the truck isn't running, determining the root cause helps in getting it back on the road. This can range from wouldn't start (bad carburetor/electrical issues) to poor compression (engine wear) to mechanical failure (cracked block/no brakes). A truck that has been sitting awhile will require thorough examination as corrosion will pit machined surfaces and affect electrical performance. Corrosion can also make sheet metal repair questionable if the damage makes the part too far gone to save. Mechanically, I reckon $5k can get a chassis rolling under its own power with a large majority of the work being done on your own. Cosmetically, the sky is the limit...it is tempting to start making the beast look purty before fully making it functional, and that can be a problem when it is realized that the motor has so many problems that it would make a better boat anchor. What is important when starting is to have plenty of patience. Parts can be hard to find. Vendors may seem like they are dragging their feet when taking weeks on end to return parts. Learning new skills when doing the work yourself can be frustrating. Knowing when to take a break is an acquired skill. Also important is to stay focused. Taking on too much at a time, then taking an extended break while building up cash or dealing with life or whut have ya is a recipe for losing interest. Stay organized and tackle what you can handle can lead to satisfying project results. How many people have seen one of these trucks get completely dismantled and then show up on eBay or Craigslist as parts, or turned into a trailer-load of scrap yard material... But if you are on this site asking questions, you're off to a good start. There is a ton of information here on a wide range of topics, and lots of experience to back up opinions voiced. Doing research here, on other websites, in books and manuals, etc. will save $$$ and time in making repairs one time instead of repeatedly and fewer parts (and knuckles and eyebrows) will be sacrificed.

I'm gonna guess that number probably reads T146-...look below the distributor to find the casting date on the side of the block, and behind the coil to find the casting date on the head.

when I first started working on my '48 back in jr. high, somehow I knocked the timing pointer off of the cover and reattached it with some JB Weld. This was all with the engine in the truck and the fenders attached, so I had to stand on my head to line it back up with the shadow lines of the cover paint. Eventually I read somewhere that the oil pump has to be carefully installed so that the distributor rotor would be in the correct position for ignition timing. So there might be a cumulative effect with engine performance if the crank, cam, and distributor aren't synchronized properly.

why build a replica when Chrysler might just start selling these things...