Merle Coggins

Like may others I didn’t even realize there was supposed to be something there. I think I filled the gaps between the lower panel and the cab sill with caulk, especially on the front corners as I found that water would come up through there when driving in the rain. It appears that these pieces are supposed to serve that purpose.

This comment makes me question your timing again. Have you done any static timing? Do you have a timing light? Static timing can be done simply with a volt meter or test light. Crank the engine by hand to get the #1 cylinder at Top Dead Center (TDC) on the compression stroke. Removing the spark plugs makes it easier. Also, you can put a finger over the plug hole to detect when it is making compression to verify which stroke you are on. Once you have the engine at #1 TDCC connect a test light to the terminal on the side of the distributor. Loosen the distributor hold down clamp and rotate the distributor to fully retarded (counter clockwise I believe) Then rotate the other direction until your test light lights up, or your volt meter shows voltage. This is the position where the points open and the coil would send spark to the plugs. Tighten things down and try starting again. If you have a timing light you can also check the timing while cranking to be sure you are still around TDC. Eventually you’ll want to adjust it a few degrees advanced, but this should get it to start. Another thing to check regarding the condition of your distributor. If you remove the cap you should be able to twist the rotor one direction against a spring, and if you let go it should return to where it was. If there is no spring resistance, and you can rotate it back and forth easily, this indicates that the advance springs are bad and the timing will advance quickly as soon as it starts rotating. This will make setting your timing very difficult.

The glass bowl on the pump is a sediment bowl. There should be a screen at the top. It is designed to collect any big pieces of debris to keep them out of the pump. My truck, like many others, have a filter at the inlet to the carburetor.

Regarding your comment about partially seizing, or cranking slow. This makes me think that either the timing is too far advanced, your battery cables are too small or badly corroded, or your starter has an issue. *Too much advance will try to fire before the piston gets to the top, trying to push the piston back down while the starter motor is trying to push it up. *Too small, or corroded, battery cables cause a serious voltage drop at the starter and beyond. This not only slows own the cranking but also reduces the voltage available to the ignition system reducing the spark quality. *If the starter is dragging, or has other issues, it will also cause a serious voltage drop (see above)

? Or you could do like Burt Munro and fill the cracks with shoe polish. (World's Fasted Indian movie reference)

I agree. On my B2C the overload springs are like Pic #2 and the stops are riveted like your Pic #1. The overload springs in Pic #1 also look rather light compared to what I'm used to seeing, although I know there are many spring options listed in the parts book.

My thoughts exactly...

Looks like your inner seals have been compromised for a while and the oil has broken down the bearing grease. Good thing you decided to do this maintenance.

I’ve use some deep sockets over the studs, then set the drum against them and run the nut on to pull the axle. Similar concept to Ed’s.

We have PBR boosters here too. If you drink enough PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) it'll boost your confidence to do a lot of stupid things.

On my B-series truck the headlight switch needs to be on, or in the park lamp position, to get power to the Panel switch.

It sounds like they used the car type fitting on the tanks. Some of the earlier cars used that type of connection. You’ll need a small adapter spool. I’m not sure where you’ll find one, but this has come up several times over on the car side of the forum. You can try contacting the tank supplier to see if they have them.

Pack the bearings with grease as you would with front wheel bearings. The plug on the axle housing is for adding grease periodically as part of scheduled maintenance.

Drive it like you stole it... ? Or, just keep you foot in it so you don't get run over by Michigan traffic on I-94.

Measure the stroke length to determine if it's a 218 or a 230. With the head off it's pretty easy. If the piston is flush with the block deck at the top just run it down to the bottom and measure from the block deck down to the top of the piston. 4-3/8" = 218. 4-5/8" = 230

Heater cores flowing from bottom to top is fine. That’s how I was taught to plumb them up. It allows air to purge easier. You’re thinking of it like a radiator, but it’s not quite the same function.

I agree. No need to remove the diff unless you suspect other internal issues. Remove the nut… pull the flange… remove the seal… reassemble in reverse order. Easy peasy… ? (easy for me to say, your experience may differ)

Good point on the springs. The spacers should pass through the bracket and torque up against the tank flange. This puts torque on the threads keeping the bolts from coming loose, but it won’t allow the springs to compress fully. This allows the rear of the tank to ‘float’ on top of the bracket so that frame flex won’t twist the tank.

This may not be helpful to you as it’s from my B-2-C, but for my own sanity I had to go out and verify my memory. The front of my tank is bolted up to the bottom of the cross member and the rear sits on top of the rear bracket. Apparently your W-Series is much different.

YIKES!! If you get them soaked down with some penetrating lubricant you may be able to use an extractor without needing to remove the head. Also, a bit of localized heat with an oxy/acetylene torch right into what's left of the spark plug may help break the rust bond. You may need to heat it and let it cool again to break the bond.

Good info Brian. I thought that Sept. '48 magazine ad was showing a metal cased filter cartridge for the JC filter, which really piqued my interest. But after reading through it I believe they were advertising replacement filter cartridges for other manufacturer's filters that would match the quality filtration of the Deluxe filter. That ad would also lead me to believe that Baldwin purchased Deluxe and continued to market them under the Deluxe name for a while.

How is the rear support bracket attached to the frame? On my truck it is bolted to the frame and can be removed. If this is the case on your truck you could remove the rear bracket and lower the rear of the tank down, then slip the front off of the cross member. I certainly didn't have to remove that bracket on my truck so they must have made a change between the W-series and B-series. I find it hard to believe they would design a truck that would require cab removal to drop out a fuel tank.

I agree with Ed. As I remember it, at lease on my B-series truck, the rear tank flange rests on top of the rear support, but it is bolted up to the bottom of the cross member up front. That allows you to drop the front down then slide it forward off the rear bracket. Maybe someone installed your tank incorrectly at some point in time?

Maybe it’s just the camera angle, but it looks like the hole in the floor is plenty big for the tank to drop straight down. Maybe a slight rotation of the tank as you are lowering it to roll the neck through the opening.

I’m confused… Why do you need to cut the filler neck off the tank? I would think the best method would be to drop the tank out where you can work on it properly.