JBNeal

A comparison of the older felt + rubber oil seal and the newer rubber oil seal I linked to will show that although they look similar, the seals are not the same. The metal adapter that screws into the transmission is referred to as a sleeve in the part manuals, and this sleeve was redesigned to accommodate the newer rubber seal, which eliminated the felt washer. The newer rubber seal mounts inside the sleeve, with the seal lips contacting the speedometer pinion shaft, inside the transmission case, so that no external seal is required for the speedometer cable. I am guessing that the linked NOS sleeve + oil seal was backwards compatible and was an upgrade kit back in the day to address the gear oil leaks at the speedometer cable in the older transmissions, as newer transmissions used this newer sleeve to accommodate the newer seal, which was a simpler yet more robust design that was easier to service. I had acquired several unknown-to-me transmissions years ago in a trade with another Mopar gearhead who was liquidating his parts stash as his projects were done and he was moving to Oklahoma for work. I noticed that several of these transmissions, manuals and automatics, had this same newer sleeve that was in the 3spd manuals in my B-series trucks. Without doing any further research, I assumed that Chrysler upgraded their transmissions with this newer sleeve + oil seal arrangement as needed. Truck 4spds had a different speedometer gear orientation that did not use the 3spd rubber seal, and the parts manual refers to it using a retaining nut instead of the sleeve. additional information - truck 4spd speedometer gear nut If'n ya had access to one of these newer sleeves, you could probably tell fairly quickly if your speedometer pinion gear would fit and could upgrade your transmission accordingly.

I believe the felt is supposed to slow oil flow to reduce pressure on the rubber seal...subsequent speedometer cable oil seals were of the double lip variety, where the oil pressure helped to push the rubber seal against the rotating shaft, and there was no felt used. additional information - Speedometer Drive Pinion Sleeve + Seal

FB in some ways reminds me of the website from '99, where questions could be asked and answered, but research was a little tricky. Many of the FB participants are either just wanting quick answers to their projects or want to mooch freebies from ppl cleaning out their workspaces; some actually share their progress; and a few want to drunkenly argue about the correctness of details found in a book on a Saturday night before they vanish And then there is Eric Bannerman aka Townwagon, who has not been active on here for years but maintains several FB pages as well as several Dodge Truck related web pages. He is a wealth of information and quite helpful in Dodge Truck historical matters, and still continues to gather information for his truck and flathead databases, but not a high profile forum participant. I got the impression that the FB pages keep him quite busy as there is a higher volume of participation on there, but from my perspective, many of the same questions get asked repeatedly on FB as no one really does any research on there, as it is quite difficult to dig up info on FB. I get a chuckle at the questions on the DPETCA FB page, and I point out to the inquisitor that the information they seek is on the DPETCA website, that they were completely unaware of its existence

Mopar probably put a space in their part numbers to reduce errors in looking up replacement parts, breaking up the 6- and 7-digit part numbers into a 4-digit + 3-digit, which really helped when reading back numbers over the phone. But for the google, use no spaces in part number searches. Also, searches for part numbers should be done with Mopar, Dodge, and Chrysler, such as Mopar 1116207 or Chrysler 1116207. This allows for more results, allowing for some price/quality/availability comparisons. Shopping from out vendors list can yield further results, as they specialize in many of the parts that are in demand. A side note on the V-belts: I've made stops recently in several area NAPA and O'Reilly stores and was surprised to see they have V-belt measuring tools hanging on the wall near the counter. So they might actually know how to look up what you need the old fashioned way...or not, I get amazed but not surprised by the lack of counter help I get at auto parts counters these days

If this engine has been sitting for awhile, just having oil on the dipstick doesn't always translate to lubrication on all moving internal parts. You could be cranking on dry cylinder walls, crankshaft and connecting rods, and camshaft...that is a LOT of friction for that starter to overcome. Probably wouldn't hurt to pull the valve covers and squirt engine oil on the valves and tappets, pull the spark plugs and put a few ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil in the combustion chambers to get some lubrication on the piston rings...might even need to pull the oil pan and squirt oil on the crankshaft friction points to get some lubrication in there too.

ya want that engine buttoned up as if you were wanting to fire the thing, just to measure what the starter torque required to overcome all of the loading on the crankshaft. Some guys grab the fan blades to turn the engine, but I would rather put a wrench on that crank nut. A large socket can fit, but there are several different flathead crank nuts used so you'll have to measure what you have. With a wrench on that nut, you might get a feel for how the crankshaft is rotating, if there are any not-so-smooth areas in the rotation that might be of concern.

that is definitely cranking too slow...on my 6V flatheads, I get good cranking speed with 0 gauge cables, with a ground cable attached on a stud that replaced one of the starter mounting bolts. Older cables of unknown age may look acceptable, but they might have oxidation on the conductors which can drive impedance sky high. Until your cranking speed improves, that engine will not fire. Another test you can do is check the torque required to turn the crank pulley nut, should be somewhere around 40-60 ft-lbs, as that resisting torque has to be overcome by a healthy starter motor. I have a 230 that it takes over 120 ft-lbs to turn that crank nut, and the starter really labors to get that engine to fire...possibly a spun bearing, putting the crankshaft in a bind.

that oughta buff out

Fred and Earl sounds suspiciously like Ed and Merle... ?

FYI those are decals for the '51-'53 gauges: '48-'50 speedo is different; amp gauge 35 not 50 amps.

the '53-'56 caps look like stainless, the '48-'52 caps look chromed...I have several '48-'52 caps that are very dull and kinda rusty...that lightweight cap looks of very similar construction as that '53-'56 cap I linked, and that one weighs a fraction as the common 2-pc.

industrial hose supply shops, if they are not too busy, can be persuaded to cut off old ferrules and crimp on new ferrules over new hoses for a modest fee...I've done this several times for similar instances where special ends were being used on hose assemblies...but I had to catch the guys at the right time of the week when they were not super grumpy

the 108" wheelbase + steering design makes for a tight turning circle. I won a bet with a passenger who did not think I could make a U-turn on a side street without wiping out the garbage cans on the curbs...not only did I win the bet, but she was amazed at how the steering wheel snapped back to center after I made the turn, let go of the wheel and hit the gas She also commented that the 126"w.b. 1-ton rode way smoother and was a LOT quieter on the highway (even though both had practically the same engine + exhaust)

at one time, Roberts sold replacement hub cap skins, but it looks like they and DCM only sell new hub cap assemblies, and are quite proud of them. I'm gonna guess that the 1-pc design was the early '48s, and the two piece design was for '48-'52, as they all have the same part number; '53-'56 were a tad different as I have one that is a 2-pc design that was a skin crimped over a heavy formed ring that attached to the wheel clips, but several others that are a skin crimped over a heavy cap blank like the '48-'52s. The problem I have with several of the 2-pc hub caps is that the blank is rusty and blistering under the skin, which has made the skin loose on the blank. At one time, I was gonna clean up the blanks and apply new skins, but it appears that skin option is no longer available. Maybe that 1-pc cap could get spiffed up and be hung on a wall with a light behind it

I hate to tell ya this but that member appears to have not logged into his account in nearly 5 years. Do ya need yours repaired or do ya not even have a starter for your truck?

have ya reached out to any industrial equipment service shops? heavy equipment starters for industrial, commercial, construction, or agriculture use have similar heavy duty design as these older starters, and whoever works on these big machines might be able to point ya in the right direction locally.

aw geez I reckon I'm kinda spoiled then as the custom exhaust shops around here have some nice quality products and craftsmanship to choose from...none of those "we can make it fit" einsteins in these local shops

correct, the synchro 4spd was available starting in '51. additional information - possible 1-ton powertrain upgrades

additional information - flathead bypass oil filter operation

I was able to heave the hoods on the '48 and '49 by myself, but it would go much smoother with help. I rigged some pilot studs on the cowl and the baffle, covered the cowl and fenders with old blankets, taped up the hood edges, folded the hood halves vertical and used the latch handles to lift and carry. I had a platform that I made for another project that located my knees right about at the top of the grille panel, so I was able to lift the hood by the handles by putting my hands at my shoulders, plant my knees atop the grille panel, then tilt the hood towards the cowl, aiming for the pilot studs. Because of back injuries, I would not attempt that macho maneuver today, but the pilot studs and protecting the paint are still workable.

Don't forget to dimple the ends of that pivot pin so it won't walk out of the casting...that's a nasty little timebomb these reproductions hide...

I was under the impression that new timing chains these days need to be accompanied with new timing gears so they match pitch.

When I got the '48 and '49 running, I rigged up a downpipe from the manifold and drove the trucks into town to the local muffler guy...who was strategically located within spittin' distance of the best chicken fried steak place in the area I talked to him beforehand to tell him what I wanted, he gave me some suggestions and pricing on pipe and mufflers, squared everything away a few days ahead of time, then rolled into town wearing earplugs, let him do his magic while I chowed down for a bit, then headed back home with a nice sophisticated ride. After nearly 20 yrs, there's just a few rust spots on the muffler and downpipe. I had the remnants of the original tailpipe, which went up and over the rear axle and had a slight angled bend at the exhaust, something I knew I could not do, but the muffler man's machine knocked that out in two shakes of a pig's tail.

Leave the spiral nail holes as reference points for the adhesive-backed lacing or weatherstripping. If you're not entering the truck in a points competition, then use something modern that works and is economical. The same goes for that door weatherstripping, any properly sized D-shaped strip should work I had a window guy tell me years ago that on older vehicles, it's cheaper to get a new gasket than a new windshield, so sacrifice the gasket as they tend to not hold up well after one use. Old gaskets also develop cracks that are not easily seen, until the first driving rain, when the driver's feet get soaked.

additional information - 2 x 4 engine stand