Merle Coggins

OK, I guess that makes sense too. I always though of it as "Open" to the intake manifold, or "Closed" to the intake manifold. I guess it's just a matter of perspective.

Open? Closed? I seem to be getting confussed. You guys seem to be refering to the "Closed" position as when the flap is in the vertical position, allowing exhaust gasses to circulate up around the intake to heat it up. I was always under the impression that this helps to atomize the fuel when cold for better cold engine performance. To me this would be the "Open" position. And what you are calling the "Open" position would have the flap closing off the gasses to the intake manifold. Wouldn't this be the "Closed" position? Dave mentiones locking his "Open" rather than "spliting the manifolds to replace a broken spring". Maybe his is different than mine, but I can pull the counterweight off and replace the spring without disturbing the manifolds. Mine was stuck in what I call the "Closed" position when I got teh truck, and the manifolds were off teh engine and split already. With a little heat I got the flap freed up again. The spring was also broken, which was replaced with new. So am I reading these posts wrong, or am I confussed as to which way is "Open" and which way is "Closed"? Merle

What is the proper resistance range for our fuel sensors? My tank is junk and the sensor is missing. My radiator guy has been going through his fuel tank catalog to see if he can find something close that we can convert to work, and I'll have to get a new sensor to fit it. It may be handy to know that the resistance should be. Merle

Plus as I understand it, straight antifreeze doesn't cool as well as a coolant/water mix. Water has much better cooling properties but freezes and corrodes parts too easily. The coolant helps prevent that, but changes it's cooling capacity. Any chemists that can verify that?

What engine is in that? Looks like a /6 without the /

There's a local TV show on Saturday mornings called "Ask Gus" (Norm probably knows this one too). You can send him questions regarding home maintenance and he answers them on the show. Anyway, he is always recommending dilute Muruatic acid or a TSP (TriSodiumPhospate) solution for cleaning things around the house. I've never tried either of them, but now they've been suggested by more than one person. Merle

Good choices. Diesel fuel actually works pretty well too, but the smell won't leave you for a long time

A lamp that uses a dual filliment bulb can be uses as a combination lamp (turn/brake) without any modification to the lamp. I would guess that Roberts has a switch like the Signal Stat 900 that takes a brake light signal and incorperates it with the turn signals. It then works the same way as most American vehicles with combination tail/turn/brake tail lights. You can get these switches from many vendors including JC Whitney.

Why not? Can't get at the front pully on a car? I'd think if you pulled the radiator and supported the front of the engine with a hoist or jack, you could remove the dampner, front mount and timing chain cover for seal replacement. Rear crank seal would be another matter. Just my 2 cents... Merle

Interesting shift knob. Glass door knob?

Cute. Merry Christmas.

Are you a Purdue student, usedmind? Is that how your mind is used Also, I've noticed that Fred and Pat always mention the temp in degrees F but when I was in Ontario this past week all they use is degrees C. Do different regions of Canada use the different scales?

Well said Bob. I also read somewhere that the difference between 12 volt and 6 volt LEDs is in the resistors used. They use a resistor in series with the LED to change the voltage and current flow through the LED. If you were to use a 12v bulb in a 6v application the current flow would be too high and the LED life would be shortened. Merle

You don't need a pilot bushing in the crank for a fluid drive. The clutch and pilot bushing are on the back side of the fluid drive. And as Dave stated, the 1/2 & 3/4 ton trucks used a 218 CID engine even with fluid drive. The 1 ton used the 230 CID and was also available with fluid drive. In other words, some 218 truck engines would have the 8 hole crank for fluid drive, but not all. The 230 1 ton engine, ????? Is the crank useable, or salvagable, from your original engine? If it is you can swap it into a 218 block and turn it into a 230. You may also need the connecting rods. Good luck with your engine search, Merle

WOW. Lannon's only about 15 miles away. Problem is... No space and no money. I could make a trade, but I've lost all my marbles Merle

I've seen one of them on ebay several times and thought about getting one, but haven't yet. Maybe I will now.

From what I've been told be various manufacturers, todays manufacturing process have such fine machining and cleaning process that a "break in" isn't necessary. In my opinion, do what's comfortable for you

Not sure how the cars are setup, but on my truck setup, the bottom of the bellhousing has a cover that comes off to access the clutch and fluid drive. This cover is held to the bell housing with about 8 bolts around the perimiter. With this cover off, rotate the engine until the drain/fill plug on the fluid drive is at the bottom. Place a drain pan below it and remove the plug. It won't gush out unless it is hot and under pressure. Once it is fully drained, rotate the engine to line the fill hole up with the access cover in the bell housing. On mine it is at aroung one o-clock on the right upper side of the bell housing. There's probably an access hole/plate in your floorboard to get to it. You'll need a long funnel with a small end to get down into the fluid drive fill hole, and it'll fill kind of slow, but keep adding oil until it wont take anymore without running out. The next trick is getting the plug back in without dropping it. A magnetic socket is a help. Good luck Merle

It probably will be quite stiff with only a 6 - 8" lever. Try it with a socket and long 1/2" drive rachet or breaker bar.

Did you check all of your clearances, piston, ring end gap, bearings, etc? You may have a tight bearing or two, or the pistons may be tight in the bores. As you assembled the engine were you turning the crank as you went? If so when did you notice it getting tight? If you loosen the bearing caps slightly does it turn easier? If it does you may have the wrong size bearings. If that doesn't help it may be the piston fit in the bores (not likely, but possible. Did you oil the cylinders?). It should turn over fairly easy with the head removed. I could turn mine with a 1/2" drive ratchet and socket on the crankshaft pully retaining bolt. Good luck Merle

Welcome aboard. According to this web site http://www.t137.com/registry/help/decode.php you have a 1953 1/2 ton truck with a 218 CID engine and 108" wheel base, and it was built in Windsor, Ontario. This a pretty helpful bunch of guys here, so if you need any help just ask away. Someone will likely have an answer for you. I would also recomend a book by Don Bunn titled "Dodge B-Series Trucks Restorer's & Collector's reference Guide and History" I realize that your truck is a Fargo, but there really wasn't much difference as far as I understand it. Good luck Merle

I don't believe so. It's probably just a small step-up transformer to obtain 13.5 volts output. I don't have one. I saved the link from a previous thread (I think the info came from Norm, A.K.A. Normspeed) because I liked the idea and am hoping to use one to power a radio for my truck when I get that far with the project. If you have questions with their product you should send them an email or give them a call. They're Wisconsin folk, so I'm sure they're good people Merle

Where's the link Dave?

I understand what you're planning, Jim. However you may experience problems with the setup. This comes from my many year of experience with construction equipment with 24 volt systems, using two 12 volt batteries in series as you plan with your 6 volts. I've seen many people connect 12 volt accessories (mostly stereos) to one battery, like you are planning, instead of using a voltage convertor. This causes charging problems with the batteries. However, the battery that commonly fails is the one not connected to the accessory. The reason for this, as I had it explained to me, is that the added, unequal, draw on one battery causes the alternator to overcharge the other battery, greatly reducing it's life. If you want to use 12 volt accessories and maintain your 6 volt system, I would reccomend using a voltage convertor such as the ones from these people. http://www.pressenter.com/~cmeyer/ This wouldn't work if you want to use a 12 volt starting system, but would be enough to run the average stereo or cell phone. Merle By the way... Sharp looking car.

Norm, The first 2 appear to be 48 or 49's due to the stainless grill bars, even though the bottom two are missing in the first photo. The third one looks like a '50 because the grill bars are painted. In '51 the grills changed to a different design, along with a slight change in the hood. What's the car in the first pic? I'm not real good with my older car identification yet. Merle