48Dodger

Roman (guard dog) is the alpha male for sure, but its Lilly (house dog) that's the fender eater......she'll be in the house this year. Roman and Ridge (other guard dog) will be in the cattle trailer chillin for the afternoon. Moose (house dog) and Peka (house) will be on bedroom duty for the afternoon too....... Sachi (red tailed hawk) is getting a bit old.....she won't be on display but can be visited at the hawk house. Tonto (horse) as always will be in plain site ready to chew on any sheet metal to close to his fence. Never realize how many animals til I have to park'em for the day...lol. OH, and the Missies has a cat now......Jag (stray cat found in the shop) 48D

Mark is an important part of the BBQ experience....he's my friend and a wealth of knowledge. AND he plays beer darts in his sandals!!! 48D

ITS A MONTH AWAY!!!! Show us what you're bringing! Be it food or truck, happy to have ya.....lol. Tim aka 48D

If I work to many hours out in the shop, ignoring my household duties.....my wife's shoulder becomes - 35 degrees... ....and dinner is even colder. 48Degrees

Epoxy primer is high in resins...use it to seal the metal asap. when you're ready to do body work, you can grind back how ever you like and epoxy again. Shaping can be done with urethane primer, its better for sanding etc..... A thinner mix of epoxy for a sealer. Leaving it bare, you should cover parts up with a thick blanket until you get to primer...just not to terribly long. If you are fighting rust with acid, that's only a small part of the fight. Rust will come right back unless the metal is closed off from oxygen. Etching primers are acid based and good for areas that are hard to sand (ie hard to reach) On extremely rusty panel, after sanding, some guys will use etching primers first. Because of better (improved) products, epoxy primers are typically used without using etching primers. If you do use an etching primer, you have to check that an epoxy can go over an acid based etching primer. 48D

An off topic that went off topic.....I'll never sleep now. Marshmallow anyone? 48D

My 50 truck was built for racing. Engine placement is but many many things to consider when pulling things together. Its a balancing problem that goes beyond location of any part. When building my frame, it was the original frame, boxed with 10g 12g and 14g to allow flexing in the right manner. A four wheel scale is needed to tell you where your center of gravity is. This also includes a process on the scale which includes the need of having the vehicle near completion. The location or relocation of the engine has a profound effect on every aspect of the driving experience. This includes daily driving. Trucks from the 50's were designed to handle extra weight in the back and roads that were underdeveloped. In other words, trucks from the 50's have frames that were designed to flex. This expedited cracks in key points on truck frames. So in my opinion.....most truck motors are to far forward in the stock design. This happened to make up for expected weight in the cargo bay. But for a daily driver, I've always felt vintage trucks should be balanced for safety etc. I always recommend reading up on road racing, drag racing when it comes to frame building....its a good read and relevant to driving safely. 48D

Yes you did. I was friggin worried about you brother. Glad you're back posting away. Don't do that again. Tim aka 48D

I believe if you paid for a blog you have more control. I haven't had my blog for awhile. I know what you mean thou....back in 2010 I was loading post after post on a thread I started and was trying to consecutively post my beginning to end progress. While I was doing that a few odd off topic posts snuck in.....not the end of the world, but I get what your saying about sharing info without off topic posts. 48D

You're my hero Brent....I won't say nubbin to nobuddy about what you did. 48Dubbin

I've always said....get it built, get it running, get it on the road with whatever works and is safe. Keep those elusive "pretty parts" on your Christmas list and hopefully you'll find them! But for pete's sake, don't stop building because of a few less then beautiful parts. It just seems to miss the point. And as far as the custom built fenders? Put a brand on'em, with your logo, and its custom brother...one of a kind. 48D

I agree Dodgeb4ya...there's someone who was building one and was planning on showing up to the Clements BBQ. I'll have to go back to and old BBQ thread and see what happened....maybe he had to sell the truck? Built is so well he hit the road and never turned back? Lost it on a bet? We may never know..... 48D

I used a cover for a 1972 Charger on my 50 truck and it fits....but I'm not super picky either about that sort of thing. 48D

If anyone is camping out this year let me know....I believe I have enough areas cleared, but I've been wrong before. motorhomes and trailers are good...plenty of room! If you show up a day early, we got the fire pit blazing Friday night and Saturday night. ITS GETTING CLOSE!!!! TUNE THAT BABBY UP AND GET IT ROAD TESTED!!!! Or just show up....we'll let you in...someone's gotta do the dishes. :D Tim aka 48Dodger

I have enough that I could put eight across the front ......hmmmm 48D

1:09....... 48D

I dare you!!!! :D 48D

The rain keeps coming....that's a good thing......but its a chore working through the wet stuff, I keep getting wet. Can't be anything worse than wet weather when it comes to working. I'll take the heat any day....lol Snow is a great excuse not to work....but rain is one of those dang inbe 'tweener kinda deals.....don't wanna be a sissy! Gonna be hard to stay on top of things but at least we'll be better off in the long hall.....put that 4 year drought behind us. Somebody post a BBQ pic if you will please, my computer is acting up and I can't seem to find time to fix it. ITS LESS THAN 2 MONTHS AWAY!!! Give a SHOUT OUT so we know your coming over!! Tim aka 48Dodger

Yes.....hover over the title.....LEFT click and hold.....it will change to the edit mode. Change it, edit it, hit enter.....and your bob's uncle. 48D

Yes...there are a few other panels/pieces that made it into the C series for a time.... The connecting panel below the tailgate changed in 1952 or 53 I believe, and made it into the 1954. Said piece was long and rectangular while the change gave it an indent(?) or rise, towards the bed floor. But its my experience that its the bed that was carried out and not the cab/front end, at all. 48D

Sounds good to me JB. I'll dig up my build threads and do the same. 48D

Very few parts exchange between 1953 (B series) and 1954(C series) trucks. The rear fender of the 53 truck is the same ...it ran from 1953-1983 But in general.....keep 1953 separate from 1954. I often talk with parts suppliers about the differences with early series Dodge trucks.... With so many Chevy and Ford buyers/builders, us mopar guys get a quick glance at best from the majority of large suppliers out there. Any good glass shop can cut automotive flat glass for you, just take them the old beat up one. 48D

Been enjoying the build Tom. Remember you have a friend across the valley if you break something else and need a tough to find part. At this point in our friendship, it ain't nothing but "shipping" cost and a cold soda. lol 48D

That sounds reasonable.....Id be interested to know if its a "farmer cut" or factory cut. The fact that the valve has been removed and eventually disguarded might suggest that there was an attempt to fix it, or maybe fixed one to many times...lol. 48D

Looks like its a Ford....could be Chevy...maybe a Dodge....or even a Desoto.....or Plymouth.....moped? That slot on the face has me stumped....must have be stuck? Someone cut the surface to work it free? hmmmm...... 48D