Merle Coggins

I'm the leader? Which way did they go?

As I recall it was cupped. If I remember tomorrow, I'll try to get a picture of it. Merle

Just bought one from him on ebay. I'll see how it fits when it arrives. Merle

Looks good Pete. I just got seat belts to install in my truck. I bought them from Juliano's. www.julianos.com They have a nice varity to chose from for $90 per person for the 3 point kit. Comes with a nice hardware package. I don't expect mine to go in as easy as Pete's, bot don't expect too much difficulty. Merle

My block has that same boss but it is plugged. I believe there is a small cup plug pressed in there. Merle

Thanks Dutch, Was there anything over the top to hold it down around the edges? I noticed that there are 4 screw holes at the corners. Was the rubber screwed down in the corners, or was there some kind of reinforcment around the edge with everything screwed down in the corners?

Loquaciousness? Mighty fancy vocabulary for a bunch of gear heads You may be loquacious, but I wouldn't consider you garrulous.

I've done it and it works well. I used Washing Soda, but heard that Baking Soda would also work. I saw it on the Stovebolt web site http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/rust/electrolytic_derusting.htm I mixed the solution in a plastic 5 gallon bucket and used a piece of flat steel 1/2 x 6" as the electrode. I ran my manifolds and other parts through it. Some I had to turn or flip after several hours, but they cleaned up pretty good. Word of caution... As stated in the Stovebolt article, if you get the polarity wrong, your parts will get eaten away. I understand this warning as my steel plate electrode is toast now. Merle

While cleaning my cab and prepping it for paint, I began to realize that the hole in the floor, that the filler pipe passes through, is a rather large square hole. The hole in the side is a round hole. I have a new grommet for the side, but what seals the pipe where it passes through the floor. Apparently this was missing in my truck. Is there some kind of boot that bolts to the floor and clamps around the pipe? Or is there some other plate missing that would have a round hole and grommet? Merle

When I got my truck the floor pans were loose in the cab. When I attempted to bolt a couple of them down I struggled to find bolts that would screw into the speedy nuts. Then this weekend I was disassembling the nose pieces and removed the lower and side radiator air deflectors. There were 3 bolts that held the lower piece to the grill that had a VERY coarse thread. I found that these also screwed into the floor clips. Are these bolts available anywhere? I haven't checked with my local bolt suppliers (Fastenal, etc) yet, but was hoping you all could provide a little guidance. Thanks, Merle

Norm, it's shirtsleeve weather here too. Thermal shirtsleeves -10 this morning. Warmed up to a balmy -5 this afternoon.

I just found it interesting that when they showed an interier shot of the black one shifting, or pulling the hand brake over the road plate, that it was a right hand drive. Also, would that vintage car have a hand brake on the center console? It is a cool video. I don't mean to nit-pic.

Ed, was your's right hand drive like the one in the video

Steve, I grew up in a "pop" region (northern Wisconsin), but I always seemed to prefer "soda". Now living in S.E. Wisconsin those who say "pop" will get the same strange looks you mention, and maybe even a chuckle. I was working over in the Detroit area a couple of years ago and I noticed "pop" was used exclusively for soft drinks. We'd go out to eat and they would order a "Pop" or a "Diet Pop" and would expect Pepsi/Coke or Diet Pepsi/Coke. I've also noticed a similar experience down in the Atlanta area. Everything is "Coke" regardless of what type of soft drink beverage it was. Different strokes... Merle

What's been a bit puzzling to me is that the truck brakes are reversed from the cars. On a truck the single, stepped, cylinder brakes are at the front, whereas the dual cylinder brakes are at the rear. Assuming the dual cylinder brakes afford more stopping power, it makes sense to have them up front. So why are they at the rear on the trucks? Are they figuring that when loaded the higher stopping power will be needed out back? But what about when running around empty? Now my greater braking is done at the light end of the truck. And regardless of load, when braking the weight transfers forward putting more of the weight over the front axle. Just a thought that's been rattling around in my head since I did my brakes. Merle

Cool, that was fun. I scored "36% Dixie. You are definitely a Yankee." I was suprised to see "Bubbler" listed with "Water Fountain" and "Drinking Fountain". That's definetly a SE Wisconsin/Milwaukee thing. Merle

Bob, do you know if any of these trucks might be available? I think Todd B might have an interest in the Cab-Over and, for some reason, I think that delivery truck is kind of interesting. Merle

Ed, I don't believe they began using V8's in the trucks until '57. Notice the second tanker, a '57-58 Power Giant model, has the "V" badge on the nose. Merle

I had thought about that too, but I like the carpet lining addition.

When I adjusted mine I was able to loosen the nuts, for the front adjusters, and reinsert a new cotter pin. Then I could turn the adjustment pin using the nut. Once adjusted I pulled the drum back off to hold the pin while tightening the nuts. Worked like a champ and didn't have to remove the drum numerous times like Dave mentioned. Merle

Thanks Jim. Someone else had asked me if those clips came with it, but I didn't know. I don't remember if that was here, or during the DPETCA chat on Sunday. So whoever that was... there's your answer.. Good info, Merle

Steve, I'm sorry to hear that you have to unload your project. I remember how you were looking forward to working on it. I hope things work our well with your family. Merle

I did my frame with POR-15. I sand blasted the few spots that still had paint on it. Then cleaned and prepped the entire frame with POR-15's Marine Clean and Metal Ready, as they recommend. I sprayed the POR-15 with a Black & Decker airless sprayer. Then a coat of POR-15 primer and top coated with POR-15's Chassis Coat to give it a satin gloss finish. The POR-15 is UV sensitive, so if it could be exposed to sunlight it will fade. The top coat won't. POR-15 is a very tough finish that bonds tightly to rusty metal and seals it from further rust. I have a friend that painted his Jeep frame with it a few years ago. This Jeep lives off-road (he was the Northwoods Jeep Jamboree coordinator) and the only damage to the coating is where he has bounced it HARD off of a rock. Even there it is a small nick and there is no secondary paint failure. This is what sold me on using it on my truck. Merle

Thanks Norm. That seals it. I'm going to bite the bullet and place an order with Steele for my window molding. Merle

I finally got around to digging out what I made and snapping a pic. I used a small slide hammer puller that uses sheet metal screws (Matco SP80). I use it for pulling seals and etc when you can't get behind them. The end is threaded with standard 3/8-16 thread. I went to the hardware store and picked up a 3/8 sleeve nut and a J bolt. I cut J bolt a little shorter on the hook side and ground it thin enough to go up into the narrow part of the tube. It hooked into the hole and I gave it several good smacks with the slide hammer before it started to move. I thought I was going to rip through the metal in front of the tube slot before it moved. As you can see, the J bolt starting bending too. Once it started moving it came out rather easy.