Merle Coggins

That's about what I paid this past summer. I think one was $35 and the other was around $25. It was all part of more work, so I don't remember exactly. Merle

I don't believe the drum should be touching the seal. The seal should be sealing against the axle shaft. Here's a cutaway drawing from my truck manual. I believe your car axle would be the same.

If you can get away with just a hone job, and the pistons clean up OK, that could save you some on your budget. However, I caution you about cleaning methods on the pistons. Don't use a wire wheel or such to clean the crusty stuff. It can damage the ring lands, especially if the rings have been removed. There is a tool available for cleaning the ring grooves. It will keep everything true and square. Then you really should measure the ring to ring groove gap. There are specs for it in the manuals. However, the ring lands often get worn to a taper over time and they won't hold new rings properly. This is why I recommended new pistons. I didn't miss the part about doing it on a budget. I was thinking the same way when I did mine. But as you get into it, that thought that Norm mentioned creeps in. "Just spend the money now and do it right. Otherwise I'll end up doing it again later" Shop around, if you can, with local machine shops. The one that we often use here (at work) quoted me $100 to bore my block. I didn't ask them for any futher quotes. A friend told me about another shop. This guy has a farm tractor shop, but also does other engine work. I talked to him and found that he was very familure with flathead Mopars. He quoted me $80 to bore the block. I also had him shave the block deck and head, replace the valve guides and seats, and install wrist pin bushings. The total bill, which included new pistons and rings, was $735. Everyone I talked to about it said I got a good deal. Then, with around $600-700 in parts from other sources, I reassembled it and it runs great. Another thing that's often overlooked is the cam bearings. Unless you have the proper tooling to replace these, I would recommend having the engine shop do it. I understand trying to keep the budget as low as possible. So try to do as much as you can by your self. As you can see, half of my cost was from the machine shop. Merle

Make sure you have a good ground to the bed and light bracket

How bad are those scratches in the bores? Can you catch a fingernail in them? If they're not very deep a hone job may clean them up enough to go again. Otherwise you'll need to have it bored. I recommend rebuilding/replacing the oil pump and water pumps as added security on a fresh engine. I would also consider new pistons. for $20-25 each it's not worth the gamble on those old crusty pistons. They may clean up OK, but why take a chance. However, if you have to bore the block, you'll be needing new pistons anyway. If you do take it to a machine shop, have them grind the valves and seats and check the valve guides for wear. It's also a good idea to check the head for flatness or have it shaved flat, and if you're doing that, you might as well do the same for the block deck. And you might as well have them install new wrist pin bushings in your con rods. They are difficult to install without the proper tooling, and usually need to be reamed to size. Other than that, clean it thouroughly and reassemble with all new bearings and etc. I also recommend a new timing chain and sprokets. They may look OK, but are probably worn. Happy rebuilding, Merle

Cool. I don't recognize the truck, but it's obviously had some mods. Looks interesting. Is that a bamboo grill? Merle

Chain Lube is kind of a misnomer. You really don't want anything on your chain that will attract dirt. As you say, the O-ring chain is lubed and sealed to keep the lube inside. On the outside you just want to keep it clean and free of grit and grime. Most "Chain Lubes" are a type of cleaner with a lube that should dry up after a few minutes. I'd clean the chain, but not with any harsh chemicals that can harm the o-rings, then install it and spray with some Chain Lube and RIDE. merle

I think I might know who he's refering to. I won't mention his name, but it starts with an Andy and ends with a Bernbaum. When you have to call them you end up feeling like you were bothering them by calling. I even had him hang up on me once with a "I gotta go. I'll call you back. Click" He didn't even ask for a number to call be back with. Merle

YES!!!!!! I'd gladly trade you my 4.10 diff in my truck for that 3.73 diff. Merle

I borrowed this stand from a co-worker. With the block sitting on the bench, I took the adaptor out of the stand to bolt it up to the block. This is much easier than trying to suspend the engine from a hoist and bolt it up to the stand with it all together and not exactly sitting straight. Even so I had to flip, twist, turn, and readjust the arms in every way I could think of to get it to bolt up to the block. Then lift the block off the bench, with a crane, and slide the adapter bracket into the stand. Maybe it'll be as simple as drilling an extra hole or two in the bracket to get a different angle with the arms. Good Luck, Merle

When I cleaned up my filter housing it was clearly marked as being made by the Deluxe Filter Co. and required a JC element. I looked in our Napa Master Filter catalog, in the cross reference setion, and found the listings for Deluxe filters and a cross for the JC element. They had to order it, but I had it the next day. I don't remember the number now, and am several hundred miles away from my manual where I kept record of the number. I guess what I'm saying is, if you can find any identification on your filter, take it to Napa and have them check their filter catalog for a cross. Merle

Could your paperwork have the engine number? I've heard that was the case in some states back then. Of course if the engine has been swapped out, you're S.O.L.

It should be on the left side of the front frame, just ahead of the front axle. There are pictures on the DPETCA site. I found mine in that exact location. You may need to take a wire brush on a drill to find it. Merle

Was it this one? http://www.mar-k.com/bedwooddimensions.pdf

This is what it looked like before I started. Never mind the oil filter in the photo. That's another story. I cut around the sides about 1/2" up from the bottom of the upper section. Then it came apart pretty easy. I then ended up cuting a little more off to expose more of the filter element. I then cleaned everything and repainted it. I toyed with the idea of filling the bottom with something to level it out, but then cut the plate to fit in instead. That worked quite well. I then measured it up as close as possible and got out our Napa Master Filter catalog and found a few elements that would work. Since they didn't stock any of them, I picked the one I thought would fit the best and ordered it in. It worked out nicely. You have to take a little time to center the filter element properly, otherwise the cover won't sit on straight. But with a little readjusting it'll fit. Then tighten the wing nut and you're done. You'll notice from one of the first pictures, that the filter element gets crushed a little bit when the cover's tightened down. This doesn't appear to hurt the element, but I then know that I'm getting a good seal on the top and bottom. Merle

I would thing that it would be best to have only one person maintaining the data. Otherwise it's to easy for changes to happen on one and not the other, unless there's a way to sync them. Merle

You will only measure voltage on the key side of the coil if the points are closed. They are then providing the ground for the coil and you can't read voltage on the ground side. If the points are open you should see voltage on both coil terminals because the circuit isn't complete without the ground through the points. If you can't measure voltage at the points side of the coil with the points open, either the wire is shorted to ground, or the coil is bad. Merle

I could, I have plenty.

I was just thinking about this the other day. I'm a member of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association, and part of the membership includes the "Gold Book". This book contains the names of every member, throughout the world, who is willing to include their info. It is organized by state and city and has a code following the name and phone #. This code indicates what type of services each member offers, ie. phone calls, tools, trailer, room & board, etc. This book also lists all Honda Motorcycle dealers too. It is published annually and sent to all members in January. I keep it in the trunk of my bike all the time. I have yet to have to use it, but there's a sense of security knowing it's there. I have used it a couple of times to locate a dealer while I was traveling, but haven't needed to call on the assistance of others, yet. There are letters published in the membership magazine about those who have had very positive experiences using the Gold Book. I was thinking that it would be nice to have something like that with this group. I realize that it wouldn't be feasible to have an annually printed and distributed book, but rather a database kept by someone that could distribute it to those who want it. It sounds like this already exists. It just needs to be updated and distributed. I'm in. Where to I send my info? Merle

My '50 truck axle also seals on the axle shaft like what Pete's shows. I too was able to get inner and outer seals from Napa. There was one that they didn't have in their books. I think it may have been the front seals, but they were able to cross the number from the original seal for a match. As for the puller, I used a 3 jaw slide hammer puller to get my inner seals out. It crushed the seals, but it worked. Merle

Dan, I don't remember what year truck you have, but on my '50 B series truck I rigged up a temporary control panel so I could run the truck while the body is off. I clamped a piece of plywood to the steering column tube and attached the voltage regulator to it. I also installed a simple toggle switch and an inexpensive set of gauges for amps, oil press, and temp. I just wired it all up using the wiring diagram in my service manual as a guide. It works great. It's hard to see in this pic, but you can see that it's possible to run the engine without any cab electrics. If you just need to run the engine you could just run a jumper wire from the starter lug to the coil with an alligator clip at at least one end, and disconnect any wires feeding the cab. It won't charge if you disconnect everything, but there's less chance for a Car-B-Q. Or you could hot wire the regulator too so it'll still charge the battery. Merle

Mario, I too am trying to keep my truck mostly original, but my air filter was rusted badly on the inside due to it being stored in the bed of the truck and getting filled with rain water. Following Norms info from his web site, I did a similar conversion. I gutted the upper section and cut it shorter to allow good air flow, but you have to look very close to see any of the paper element when it's assembled. I cut a donut shaped plate and set it in the bottom with RTV silicone to get a flat surface for the filter to seal against. I found a Napa 542193 element that fits pretty good. Merle

Good deal Todd. You had the Semi shined up nicely at that show. Is that show at the Resch center next to Lambeau? I wish I could get up there, but it's not likely. I'm in North Carolina this week and won't get home until late Friday. And I have a fairly busy weekend planned when I get home. For the rest of you, I have been lucky enough to see his truck in person, and it is nicely done. His camper is also very nice. Although the truck it self displays it's original petina, it fits with the overall outside apearance of the camper. It has a very rustic look on the outside. And the inside is very nicely done. He did a wonderful job on this rig too. Merle

OUCH!!! I too had a farily nasty reck, about 14 years ago now. Not quite as bad as your's Dennis, but a broken femor and a shattered bone in my hand. 3 weeks in the hospital and rehab center, then a few more months of physical therapy. It wasn't much fun, but it didn't take me away from them yet. Your's sounded MUCH worse. Glad to hear you made it through it all. I have since become an MSF Rider Coach and ride much safer now. (most of the time) Here was garage cleaning day a couple of years ago. The "fleet" has since changed a little, but the count is the same. Merle

I have a 1 and 1/2 car garage, but I have yet to be able to get even 1 car into it. It's full of motorcycle stuff. I feel your pain. Merle