48Dodger

lol. cool. can't say i've ever seen her before. 48D

It's definately a mustang driven site. But I thought the general history was to the point. here's maybe a better link, I found it on HAMB http://www.flatheadv8.org/ernie/ernie-t5.htm it covers most of your points Don. 48D

Here's a link to the vehicles that use the T-5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg-Warner_T-5_transmission And kind of a history of the T-5 transmission http://www.moderndriveline.com/Technical_Bits/t5_history.htm 48D

Looks great Merle!! 48D

Well.....weight distribution (or polar moment inertia), suspension, and tires are a big factor in what you just asked. Our trucks were designed to haul payloads and trailers. Suspension was designed more to go straight than corner. With a large percentage of weight in the front of the truck, the rear live axle (hotchkiss drive) offers very little in the way of ride comfort or suspension perfomance. A sedan has better wieght distribution and lower center of gravity which equals better handling. Suspension geometry is a big subject. Tires, in the opinion of many, are the most important part of the driving experience. Tire height, tread, and ratings, can determine how you tune your suspension. Granted, in a stock B-1-B, there are not a lot of tuning options, but understanding the characteristic of the design you might find a set-up you can live with. What I mean by that is, you're not planning on loading your truck down 99% of the time, keep that in mind when your choosing tires, shocks and leaf springs. Here's a decent suspension 101 link. http://rqriley.com/suspensn.htm http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0604_rear_suspension_guide/index.html My experience in suspension design/geometry comes from stock car racing, not building trucks. But, my 50' will get the best from what a guy going in circles has to offer. lol. 48D

Paul, you may not have the extra spring pack Dan has. if you do have them, you most likley will want to take them out. You'll need shorter U bolts. Dan has overload springs which are shorter springs laid on top of the the standard springs. They come with a perch mounted on the frame, one front one back. I imagine you wont be putting any heavy loads in the back of your truck, so the standard leaf springs should be just find. 48D

I hear you Bud. lol. My friend Ken and I have a great "buy back" program going betwen us. Storage without the guilt I always say. 48D

Both Mustang and Camaro had concept wagons, which of course are duplicated by skilled builders. The actual cars are very rare. Hey Bud, what year is the 360 you found? 48D

I don't think any one group owns the "rights" to any one term. But there are groups who properly define themselves, like the NSRA. Hot Rod Custom Rod Street Rod Custom Street Rod Rat Rod Muscle Car Street Stock Muscle Truck Race Car (if you challenge someone in another car..isn't it now a race car?) I remember a thread where restoration, recontruction, refinished, repainted, reworked, freshened up, rebuilt.....were debated. I'm sure this one has too. I just don't get work up over either one. 48D

I think that's awesome Bud. I feel there's a need to prove the worth of Mopar in all stages of the build. Not just the Volare IFS, and Hemi's. I'm thinking because its all Mopar and a 53', you'll have what I like to refer as a "MEMSR" ...Multi-Era Mopar Street Rod. What do you think? According to NSRA, the National Street Rod Association, "by definition a street rod is: An automobile of 1949 or earlier manufacture which has undergone some type of modernization, to include any of the following; engine, transmission, interior refinements, and any other modifications the builder desires. A street rod is to be driven to events under its own power and is to be used as a safe, non-racing vehicle for total family enjoyment." 48D

You know, this is a good point. We should at least let those magazine boys know what we're up to here (saving dodges), and give 'em a chance to take some pictures. Maybe we should send a press release and give'em directions to all our get togethers. I don't know, just sounds interesting. ~48D

Its call the Bus, Reg....geez...where's your dedication to the club man? 48D

AHHHH...I need that door!!!!.....geez, thx Reg, i gave you a crappy ol' grille bar...oh wait...I gave you a crappy ol' grille bar. lol:D 48D

LOL..the genius that is, DC... 48D

Hey yeah, how much and where is it? I think there's a California law, Reg, that sez you can't have three yellow trucks. Something like "three's trucks and your out"....don't want to see you get in trouble man. 48D

I won't lie. I love my shop. lol. I've worked very hard building it, writing checks for it, and keeping it up. I make it available to all my friends and spend a lot of time in it. I restore late 60's mopar muscle cars on the side, its my second job really. These Dodge trucks fit perfectly in my life. So I thank everyone for the kind words, means a lot coming from you guys. grey beard "Very nice nest of Pilothouses. Is it something in the water that makes them breed at your house?" I've noticed that whenever a "new" truck shows up here, their self esteem and self worth goes way up. These trucks just seem happier and healthier here. Thanks Ed, I actually thought about your Plymouth when I bought the new guy. The tag is on the driver's side. So must be a 47. I also registered him to the truck site you reccomended. Reg: Doing what I can to get a single Pilot-house together for the April 25th BBQ. Yes, must be a 1.5 ton. it has 5 tires and rims that came with it. Haven't had time to read the tags. Todd B's: Someone put a 53 bed with the original fenders on a 48 truck. I debated about keeping it that way, but have decided to go with the 48-50 look. There are several differences concerning the bed from 48-50 and 51-53, but to small to make a difference to me. 48D

Ok. I took the 53' bed off the 48' frame and found a tag attached to the inside fender bolt. Anyone know what it's for? just curious. 48D I'm putting 1948 fenders on this bed.

The New Guy These pictures were taken where I found him, in a field by the vineyard. Anyone got a door? 48D

Ok....I saved another Dodge Truck. Its either a 1946 or 1947 1 ton. I haven't had the time to check the tag yet, but it is there. Anybody wanna share what they know about it? I've never had a pre 48' so its a new experience for me. "The Three Sisters" are currently being tranformed into a single truck while "Big brother" still stands guard. So for the moment, there are five dodge trucks living on the ranch. Kinda cool. The Three Sisters Big brother The tear downs begin

Sorry I didn't get to this early. My bad. the two examples pictured here are a 1948 frame and a 1950 frame. The bolt pattern for a 1950 is more of a true triangle as compared to a 1948. Close up of the 1948, note the rivets and the nuts on the outside This is the 50, no rivets, bolt heads on the outside. This is the inside view of the 50' steering box frame bracket. The 50' bracket BOXES the frame. The 48' bracket lays inside without boxing the frame. Another view of the inside of the 50' steering box bracket. You can see the longer blots that reach in and thread into the steering box. 1950 steering box. Note how close the mounting flanges are to the column. This is the 48' steering box. Its wider and reaches to the outside of the frame. Note that the mounting flages are not near the column. Again, sorry I was late with this. 48D

Nice Moon Eyes. I think the brows look cool. Are you planning on bringing the black into the doors? 48D

No smog required on '73 and older. You're safe. 48D ps....enjoying your threads.

As the engine pulls air through the carb and intake manifold, the now air/fuel mixture will colide with the bottom of the manifold if the flow to the cylinder is to sharp. In other words, you lose power because fuel is puddling up on the bottom of the manifold instead of "flowing" to the cylinders. You can add a spacer, get a taller manifold, or get a smaller cfm carb to solve the problem. Terry's Power Wagon manifold looks great. 48D

From my own measurements on my front springs they appear to be identical in length and arrangement. The only difference of course is the pressed in bushing for the front. I would guess that if the shackle end of your front spring is smooth, the machine shop turned it around. The shackle end should have rounded threads. The V shape of the axle at the center should be pointed to the rear. 48D

I agree threre should be something like that Don, but I haven't seen anything on our trucks. The only thing that comes close is the piece under the end of the hood. I imagine after 47 they might have changed to this kind of set up, but I have no real idea. 48D The firewall to radiator bar ties into the top of the braket the front of this bracket bolts to the grille, the top bolts to the hood, but only one bolt on each side of the U braket This is it siting in the right spot without the U bracket.