Merle Coggins

You may need to remove the return line and fitting to be able to inspect them properly. If it has been cross threaded, as suggested earlier, you will likely need to replace the fitting and/or make a new line. It's just a piece of brake line that can be bent and flared as needed. Also, regarding the oil pressure relief valve. It actually blocks the return flow from the filter when the oil pressure is low. This stops oil from flowing through the filter to ensure the critical engine components receive oil first. The filter is fed directly from the oil pressure galley.

Your slight voltage drop through the coil is due to the fact that something in your distributor is consuming a small amount of current. What may be happening is that your points are burnt due to the higher voltage while running. This can cause a high resistance so that they won't make a good ground connection. As Sniper stated, if the points are closed they should be providing a ground to the coil to complete the electrical circuit. This would be indicated by a 0 volt reading. The fact that you are getting 5 volts out with 8.4 in tells me that you have a complete circuit, but with another load in the circuit. That load could very well be fouled points contacts. Try cleaning, or replacing, the points and recheck your voltages. I also agree that you need to revisit your starter solenoid connection. It should only provide 12 volts during cranking. If it is feeding a continuous 12v while running that can lead to premature points failure, as you may be experiencing.

To pull the axle shaft you need to rig up a puller or use a slide hammer. It is held in by the outer bearing cup pressed into the axle tube. When you reassemble, with grease packed bearings, you’ll need to shim both sides simultaneously to achieve the proper end play/preload for the bearings. You can’t do them one side at a time. The axle shafts press against a floating block in the center of the diff. The brake backing plate presses the bearing cup into the axle tube, thus pushing the axle shaft against the block. If you don’t work with both sides equally you’ll end up with the axles off center.

I have not heard anything more from Bob. I suspect it may be lost forever.

The floor board IS the pedal stop. Resting against the bottom of the floor is just how it should be. If you put the draft seals on the pedals they will cushion the hit against the floor when you release the pedals. You’ll likely have to readjust your brake and clutch linkage now once you put the floor in.

You've replaced the timing cover too? Did you get it properly centered? There was a special tool for this but when I built my engine I left the cover bolts loose and then installed the pulley. That centers the seal on the pulley. Then I tightened the bolts. As I recall I had to pull the pulley back off to tighten a couple of the bolts.

B1 and B2 cabs used a seal that attached to the door. The seal had clips built in that would snap into those holes in the channel. B3 and B4 cabs had a seal that attaches at the door sill panel. On my truck I ended up getting some sticky backed ‘D’ shaped weather seal at Menards and stuck it into the channel. It seems to work well. The hard part is getting the ends to stay stuck as they wrap around the ends of the doors and there isn’t a lot of material there to hold.

Did the engine crank over without trouble before the pulley installation? It sounds like it isn’t the correct pulley for your engine. It may be binding up in the seal/front cover as well.

Welcome to the "family", from a fellow Wisconsinite. Nice looking truck(s).

While you’re back there, check the resistance of the sender wire to chassis ground. You should get somewhere between 10 and 90 ohms, depending on the level of the tank. If that’s an open circuit that would account for your “E” reading and you’ll have to diagnose the sender or the wire going to it. Temporarily ground out the sender terminal at the back of the gauge wit the key on. The needle should go to “F” quickly. If it doesn’t you have a faulty gauge.

It's quite possible that the electrical contacts inside your brake light switch have corrosion that inhibit the flow of electricity. It's down at the front of your brake master cylinder, just behind the steering column. Take a screwdriver and short out the two connections on the switch and see if the brake light comes on. You'll likely need a helper as your head will be down in the engine compartment, unless you can make a permanent connection and then go back to look at the lights. As for adding another tail light... you'll need to splice into the 2 wires going to the current tail light and run new wires across to the other side to connect up to the new light. This will only get you tail/brake lights. If you want them to be turn signals too that will involve adding a turn signal switch and an additional wire run to the back for the second light.

Thanks for clearing that up. I am now smarter than I was yesterday…

The signage… (Sorry, didn’t quite get it centered up)

I saw this Town and Country at the Savoy Auto Museum recently. The sign states that it has a 251 - 6 cyl. engine. I thought the Town and Country’s all got the big 8 cylinder engine. ???

You have stated that you connected your spark tester to the coil and it sparks. This would indicate that the points are working properly. I suspect that your issue is with the cap and/or rotor. The spark isn’t passing through between the cap and rotor connections to get out to the spark plugs.

The elbow that connects the heater hose to the water pump is just known as a Heater Hose Connector. I found this one on Napaonline.com that should fit that application. The other piece is your thermostat housing. That one appears to be the later version that should be available at most vendors.

Here are a couple of videos I made many years ago...

Late '50 and up have the newer, more common, u-joints. Search for a diff input flange from a B3 or later Dodge truck and that end should swap in without an issue. The trans output is also the parking brake. I can't be sure if a B3 brake drum/drive flange would interchange for you without a problem. It'll likely swap onto the trans without an issue, but the brake may be slightly different. What is the condition of your current u-joints? Do they move freely without any excess play? Are they well lubed? It may be an optical illusion, but in your picture it looks like the u-joint isn't centered properly in the yolk. Was it like that when you pulled it out, or did you start pressing it one way in the yolk?

Yup… cam phasers and/or cam chain adjuster. My 2013 F150 / 3.5 Eco Boost started doing that around 150,000 miles and had to have them done. Now my 2020 / 3.5 Eco Boost has just started the same thing at 85,000. I’ll probably have to take it in soon. Rattles and sounds nasty at startup but quiets down within a few seconds.

That’s still a ‘48-‘50 front end, but without the grill bars. Often times vehicles were given a ‘model year’ to the year they were first registered. If it’s a late ‘49 it may have hit the car lot in early ‘50 and didn’t sell until ‘51, and so it got titled as a ‘51. My truck, a B-2-C was built in December of 1950 and it titled as a ‘51, but I call it a ‘50 as that’s what the body design is. I don’t know exactly when they made the switch to the B-3 series in 1951, but that’s when the grill, hood, doors, and dash changed. If you’re ordering interior panels you’ll want to use the ‘48-‘49 B-1, or ‘50 B-2 panels. I don’t believe the headliner would be different, but the door panels are.

Welcome… Nice lookin’ truck. I believe the steering column bushing you are referring to is something the builder added. the original column had a rigid shaft coming up out of the steering gear all the way to the steering wheel. The column sleeve has a bearing, or bushing, at the top to support the end at the wheel. I’m guessing the builder cut the shaft and column to work with the IFS steering gear, and added that bushing to support the bottom end.

I used AW32 Hydraulic oil in mine. I believe you can get it in 2.5 gallon jugs at a farm supply store. I think I got mine at Farm & Fleet, but check with Tractor Supply if there's one in your area.

There is no Group 25 in my B-series parts manual, but in Group 23 - Body, it shows parts for 3/4 and 1 ton stake beds. Body Page 23-4.pdf

This photo was posted on a Facebook page related to history of my hometown of Ladysmith, Wisconsin. According to the story with it, this guy had just joined the State Highway Patrol. He became the 41st State Patrol Officer, hired in December of 1948. I thought you guys might appreciate the picture…

If they came loose after 10-20 years you probably have other issues, unless it hasn't run since it was rebuilt that long ago.