Merle Coggins

Did you get the rears all back together?

What kind of smoker do you have? I recently got into smoking meat. It started off with a purchase of a pellet grill/smoker last spring. Then I build a drum smoker over the summer. I’m enjoying this new hobby. I smoked a whole chicken on the drum last weekend. Quail would be similar, but a little smaller.

@wagoneer This truck appears to be altered... When Dodge/Fargo upgraded to the column shift, in 1950, it was only for the 3 speed transmission. The 4 speed still used the floor shift. If you look at this picture you can see the pull handle for the park brake under the dash and the hole in the trans cover, for the park brake handle, appears to have been cut with a torch. I’m guessing that someone swapped in an older trans at some point, using the brake handle, and needed to make a hole for it. The brake handle under the dash isn’t angled correctly either. It looks like they just moved it over to get out of the way of the floor lever.

I’ve always trusted Schumacher battery chargers.

'49 X- model is a '50 B2 wannabe... ?

WOW... That's a whole lot of spacer block.

Column shift stated in 1950. That truck has the B1-B2 doors and dash, but with column shift (on the wrong side of the steering column) I would say it's a B2 (1950) model. It should also have the parking brake T-handle pull under the dash, but I can't see it in the pictures. It's quite possible that it was sold and registered in 1951 and that is what the title shows. My B2C was built in December of 1950 and is titled as a 1951. So, with that logic, any '48-'50 (1/2 - 1 ton) front panels will fit just fine.

I believe you were one of “those frozen states” just a couple of weeks ago... ?

@54Dodgeguy I’ve always stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Lodi when I go out there. It’s about a 5 mile drive out to Tim’s ranch from there.

1. You don’t need to have a truck to attend. 2. Fly to Mexico and come across that border. That one seems to be wide open.

I got one too. I just ignored it as I knew it wasn't him.

There's nothing exotic with these engines. Basic breaker points ignition system troubleshooting would apply. One thing that will cause problems with a 6 volt system are undersized battery cables. If the cables are "off the shelf" modern battery cables they are likely way too small and don't carry enough current to satisfy the needs of the starter motor. This can cause enough of a voltage drop to your ignition system to reduce it's function. Be sure you have 0 gauge, or larger, cables and a fully charged battery. Then recheck the ignition system for proper function and timing. Then, if you have spark at the spark plugs you also need compression and fuel. Have you done a compression test on the engine? These engines have a tendency to get sticky valves after long periods of inactivity. If the valves are hanging open you can't get compression. And finally, what is the condition of the carburetor? Getting gas spray from the accelerator pump when you move the throttle linkage? Have you tried opening the throttle a bit when trying to start it? Sometimes the idle circuit gets plugged up and won't supply enough fuel for proper idle.

When I tore down my engine it was seized up tight. I had to pull the crank out the bottom with the FD still attached. Then I could start working the pistons down with a wood block and hammer. I could then clean up the cylinder bores enough to drive the pistons up and out of the block. Then my focus changed to the cam and valves. Pretty much all of the valves were seized too. With a large Channel Lock pliers on the cam gear I started rocking the cam back and forth until I got all of the valves to lift fully. I could then pull the cam and lifters out. I hammered the valves back closed so I could remove the retainers and springs, then I could use a long punch and drive the valves out from the bottom. The machine shop saved the block with a 0.030” bore job, all new valve guides and seats, decked the block, and milled the head. I reassembled with new valves and pistons. It’s been running great for many years.

AM means “To the Ammeter”. This is the power wire feeding the switch. COIL is the wire to your ignition coil, as you surmised. GA/RAD is for the Gauges and Radio. Basically your Accessory power terminal.

That bell housing doesn’t look deep enough for a Fluid Drive coupling. It may just be a regular clutch.

If not, go buy a Generac ?

A friend of mine has been known to wear his full face motorcycle helmet while snow blowing to keep the snow out of his face.

Put the head back on and leave the manifolds off. Fill it up with water and see where it's seeping out. It's possible that another of your studs was leaking and found a path into the intake manifold. That'll also show you which studs will need thread sealing.

Puts my little 8hp Toro to shame... ?

Got pictures? Sounds like an interesting machine. An 11L Cummins powering the blower leads me to believe it's a sizable unit. Would probably clear my driveway in short order. ?

What is the condition of your battery cables? Is it a 12 volt system or 6 volt? Bad, or undersize, cables can cause a voltage drop during cranking that significantly reduces the capacity of your ignition system. After it finally starts, and the starter motor isn't pulling down the voltage, it will run just fine.

I have a later style synchro 4 speed that I would swap into my truck, if I ever find a FD input shaft for it. But for now I've got pretty used to the spur gear trans and double clutching.

The upper fender support was riveted to the fender and has been a source of contention for years. Moisture and crap tends to get in between the support and the fender and rot that area. Many repair as you have and then weld the support in place, eliminating the rivets. When I repaired mine I put carriage bolts back in to simulate the rivets, because I wanted to maintain the original look. They are more decorative than structural.

3 speeds are all synchronized. 4 speeds added synchros to 3rd and 4th in ‘51 or ‘52. External tell tales are the drain plug and PTO position. The synchronized 4 speeds have a horizontal drain plug instead of the angled one. And the PTO is behind the fill/level plug in stead of ahead of it, as it is on the crash boxes.

Use a Baldwin JC405 filter element. Don’t waste your money on the Wix/Napa version. You’d learn a whole new vocabulary trying to get them to fit.