JeffLeav

Merle, Thank you for responding. I'll start searching for these manuals for my 1948 B1B. Some of the best advice I've read is to get the manual(s) & read them cover to cover before undertaking any work on your truck. Too bad wives & husbands & kids don't come with manuals! Best, Jeff

Guys, Following Hanks helpful link, I have uploaded a pdf of the truck manual menu at Roberts Motor Parts and would like to get one for my 1948 B1B. Any suggestions for the most useful manuals to own? Thanks, Jeff Roberts Motor Parts Truck Manuals.pdf

Ed, What a great photo! Newlyweds, his & her classic vehicles and the bridge bringing it all together...lots of symbolism there! Clearly, you treat your classics with love and care. So, I guessing there was an 'Old Ed' or still is? And that you gained from someone's mentoring and inspiration re: restoration and things worth preserving? You are a lucky man! Thanks for the inspiration, jeffleav

Frankie, Thanks for the link to the garagejournal.com forum. I registered this morning. Why re-invent the wheel or start from scratch with garage design? These guys have a well-organized site and easy to access table of contents just like us here at P15-D24.com. That said, I need to make the garage a priority. I am gun shy about using temp garages these days. My '53 Chevrolet p/u (The Iron Watermelon) has a 8-inch deep crease across the entire roof caused by snow load collapsing my portable garage during the mother of all winters here in CT last year. Permanent garages are one answer if you forget to use a roof rake like I did last year. And, thanks for the reminder to post replies. My memory fades regularly but I'll make an effort to keep everyone filled in on my progress. Ed: I agree with your assessment that less money will get my '41 Chrysler or any restoration on the road sooner and keep me energized to finish the details as time and finances allow. Besides, wouldn't it be super cool to deliver one of my girls to the church in a (partially restored) convertible vs. a big ole modern limo? Let's hope one of my girls chooses a summer wedding date and not too soon! As always, thanks guys! jeffleav

You guys are like a drink of water from a fire hydrant ! Awesome! I was away from my computer this weekend and just caught up on the flood of responses. Allow me to say this: after quietly reading posts from all of you during the last couple of years, I feel like I went to the academy awards and finally got to meet the stars! WOW, so many helpful replies to my questions! You can't buy advice like you folks offer...plain & simply cannot put a price on your hard earned experience. Next steps: I met with an architect friend on Friday and discussed barns with foundations, pole barns and other forms of man-caves to house this project. The engineer in me says 'Plan it and then build it according to plan and maybe the regrets will be minimal'...I will still think of 'would a', 'could a', 'should a' stuff later, but that's just human nature. Still, no point in doing a restoration if you let the end product sit in the New England winters when you're done. OK, I get the part about restoration cost. Since the big lottery this weekend in NY did not go my way (did I mention I didn't buy a ticket), I need to carefully consider sinking $50-$75k into a restoration. I was innocently thinking more like $25k, tops. My wife loves me and backs me up in most decisions, still, telling my two daughter's I can't afford their dream weddings might not go as well if I spend the whole enchilada on a car. Gotta go, work calls me. Just wanted you guys to know I am reading and sincerely appreciate all the advice more than I can say. To be continued.... Respectfully, jeffleav

This is the beginning of a restoration thread that I hope will not extend over too many years and will end happily ever after. The story begins in 1973 when I bought a 1941 Chrysler New Yorker convertible in about the same condition as shown in the attached photos from a high school friend for $25, no title. That fall, I joined Uncle Sam's final war against communism and moved from CT to Barksdale AFB, LA. Before joining up, I filled each of the eight cylinders with clean 30W motor oil and covered the car in my backyard with three layers of 6 mil black plastic, tires inflated. Prior to storage the engine did not run or even turn over to my recollection. For the next 39 years the car sat in parent's backyard. Last Sunday a friend showed interest in buying the car and came by to take a look. Thinking there would be little left and I could finally clean up the back lot, we peeled off the layers of black plastic, raised the hood and looked directly into the eyes of a mama raccoon raising her young in the engine compartment. We replaced the hood and plastic with my new found furry friends safe inside. My potential buyer friend decided the car was much more project than he was ready to start and walked away laughing. I had forgotten how beautiful this car looks even in its sorry state of condition...no seats, no rag top (top frame intact), extensive rocker panel rust, trim intact but pitted and rusted, glass intact, floor rusted through in multiple locations, radio, engine & fluid drive original and intact. No restoration was ever attempted to my knowledge. Last service sticker on door pillar says is dated 10.28.1954 at 30,959 miles at the Carl & Walt's Chevrolet dealership here in Woodbury, CT. I was told by one Chrysler owner at a car meet in New Britain, CT two years ago that only 1200 New Yorker convertibles were made in 1941 and only a handful remain in the US. If true, that's kind of exciting! So now I am hoping to convince my wife to build an addition to the garage, begin a total restoration and dream about someday driving this beauty. My plan is to build well for fun and the long haul and to turn the car over to my son at some point. After quietly reading on this site for the last two years (I'm still learning and don't post much), I've gathered you folks like photos. A few are attached to help in your feedback about this project. My initial questions are: 1. Availability of parts new and used for 1941 New Yorkers? 2. Do parts from other years or models fit? 3. Is there anyway to research more information about my convertible with this info found on the firewall "Body Number 354-1779".? 4. Am I nuts to start a project like this at age 60? Raising Raccoons in CT, jeffleav

An old friend, Walt Jarzabek who ran the motor pool at Barksdale AFB, LA in the 70's used to say, "If you want a truck, buy a Mack". If he was around today, he'd probably say, "And put an Interstate battery in that Mack".!

Todd, If the source below does not work: The rebuild kit for my '48 B1B fuel pump cost $48 plus $6 shipping and came from Hal Houghton at Classic Preservation Coalition. He is located around Syracuse or Albany, as I recall. Hal is very pleasant, helpful and promptly responds to email. Plus, he offered to ship the kit followed by payment later if it did not fit. Email: "Harold A. Houghton" <houghton@classicpreservation.com> http://www.classicpreservation.com BTW: The only items not included in his fuel pump rebuild kit were two small matched springs (one of mine was broken) that I ended up getting at the local hardware store. Jeff Leavenworth

Thanks for asking...brought back good memories of Ms. Monroe. jeffleav@charter.net

Greg, Thanks for the tip. New Marlborough is about an hour from Woodbury, CT and practically in the backyard for the wife and me compared to most meets and members. The link did not indicate if I'll find patriots of Pilot-House trucks. Still, the trip would be an opportunity to put the top down in our Miata (can I say that brand on this forum?) and cruise north to cooler digs. I've read many of your posts this past year and would enjoy meeting. Hope to see you there, Jeff

Today, I ordered a AC fuel pump repair kit part #FPK100 for $44 including shipping from Harold 'Hal' Houghton at http://www.classicpreservation.com/index.html. More to follow after the rebuild. Hal offered to ship me the kit no charge; payment to follow a successful installation. I do not know if this is a reasonable price but it seemed in line, especially since NAPA did not list a repair kit after taking the fuel pump to the counter for 'show & tell'. Jeff

Ed, Got it!Thank you. Jeff

Merle, Excellent explanation and now I know how and when to stay on my side of the fence... the truck side. Thank you for your patience. May I ask another question? What does P15-D24 mean (I'm probably violating the virginity of the thread with this question)? Grateful for the knowledge, Jeff

Many thanks, Rich & Merle, for the helpful words. I plan next to visit my local NAPA (just because they are close by and will play 'show & tell' with my fuel pump and will accept returns if the parts do not fit). Hopefully, NAPA will have a rebuild kit for the glass bowl version of my spare fuel pump. Rich: I was not clear about your suggestion to post my inquiry on the 'truck side' because I thought that is what I was doing when I made a thread search for 'fuel pump' and found this thread and replied. Please help me understand how to know which 'side' I am on as I don't mean to abuse site protocol. Also, when I logged in today and clicked on 'New Posts', this thread did not show up until I searched for 'fuel pump' again. Sorry to be so illiterate about forums, research on the web is not quite like the old days when you went to the library and checked out the Chilton's manual....actually, forums are soooo much better! Thanks again, guys, this is a great site, Jeff

I am trying to determine the correct fuel pump for my 1948 B1B so I can rebuild it for today's ethanol fuel. Please see attached photos. The 'A' photo is off the truck and was found under the seat when I bought the vehicle and includes the glass fuel bowl. The 'B' photo came with the truck also and is currently mounted on the engine. Does anyone know which fuel pump is closest to original equipment? Please let me know if more information is needed. 1948 B1B Fuel Pump A.pdf 1948 B1B Fuel Pump B.pdf

Thanks, guys. CT temperature was 10F at my house this morning. Sure hope that 'pure CA water' still residing in the block or core mixed with some of the 100% anti-freeze I added last weekend! Guess I'll find out this spring when the big thaw arrives. By: A CT Yankee Wishing Today that He Lived Further South, Jeff Leavenworth 1948 B1B

Greg, Thanks, I'll look for the drain plug and remove to make sure the block is fully drained and then add a 50/50 mix of anti-freeze & water. Initially, I poured undiluted anti-freeze into the block figuring the full strength anti-freeze would mix with any residual coolant water and provide sufficient protection. Not sure I understand your note that 'anti-freeze by itself doesn't provide a lot of freeze protection'. How about the heater core? Do you think I should blow it dry or fill with a 50/50 blend of anti-freeze & water? Jeff Leavenworth 1948 B1B

My 1948 B1B "Iron Watermelon II" with suspected Jasper rebuilt flathead six cylinder engine is outside in CT and not yet running. After transportation from CA last month, I drained the coolant at the radiator lower hose petcock, removed the upper hose/thermostat housing and refilled the block with anti-freeze. Also, I disconnected the heater hoses, gently air purged any remaining coolant from the heater coil and refilled with anti-freeze. Question: Since I could not locate an engine block drain plug, should I do anything else to winterize for normal CT weather down to zero (very seldom) degrees F? Concerned if the block will crack or heater coil could burst! Jeff Leavenworth Woodbury, CT

Greg G, Your advice about my engine being a Jasper was accurate. Shane Hester at Jasper responded as follows to my inquiry about the engine manufacturer in my 1948 B1B: Jeffrey, That does look like an old Jasper number, however it is to old for us to pull up any information on. This would have been a stock rebuild for the application. My email to Jasper: Folks, I recently purchased a 1948 Dodge B1B 108, ½ ton pickup truck from the son of the original owner in San Raphael, CA. He knows his Dad replaced the original engine sometime during the early 1950's with the engine shown in the photos, but we are not sure of the manufacturer or year built/rebuilt. I am hoping to determine the manufacturer of the engine with block number JEF 48388. Please see attached photos. Could this be a Jasper engine? If so, does the number indicate horsepower, cubic inches or date of manufacture? Many thanks for your time, Jeff Leavenworth

Greg, Thank you for that 'drink of water from a fire hydrant' answer to my engine id question! This forum is fantastic! Per your advice, today I sent an email to Jasper Engines & Transmissions in Jasper, IN along with photos to see if they are affiliated with my flathead engine. Hope to hear back soon. If not, I'll try calling them. I actually do have my 1948 Dodge back here in CT. I can measure the block length this weekend. And then, as soon as the weather breaks, I'll put the battery back in, crank the engine over and take those compression, vacuum and piston stroke measurements you recommended. Is there any way to hand crank the engine without the battery for the stroke measurements? Seems safer than using the starter especially when poking stiff wire down into the cylinder. Sidebar: This weekend I am rebuilding the Carter carburetor after sitting for 12 years with old gas. My wife's mom & dad worked many years for Carter in St. Louis, so this will be a bit nastalgic, too. Once again, the forum has been tremendously helpful on carb rebuild tips. Reg Evans: Thanks for solving the oil pump mystery. I'm more familar with inboard oil pumps that are only accessible by removing the pan. Dodge sure had some interesting engineering concepts! Not that oil pumps fail often, but outboard pumps would seem to simplify oil pressure troubleshooting & pump replacement. That's enough for now, my engine id search continues...but not alone! Thanks guys. Jeff Leavenworth 1948 B1B 108 "The Iron Watermellon II" Woodbury, CT

Folks, My apology for becoming boring as I continue searching for the secret identity of the non-original engine in my 1948 B1B 108 (1/2 ton pick-up). I am adding the parenthesis because the code may not yet be known to new guys like myself. Anyway, I succeeded in learning how to upload photos and have included three showing the engine, engine identification number (JEF 48388) and a photo taken from the pax side of the engine below the intake & exhaust manifolds. My questions are as follow: 1. If the engine identification does not match the usual factory numbering and belongs to a engine rebuilder, how can I determine the year and origin of the engine? I'm asking for two reasons: a) curiosity and to order parts. 2. What's the item that sticks out on the pax side of the engine below the intake & exhaust manifolds? I saw a similar item on an engine photo in Don Bunn's Dodge B-series Trucks book, but found no explanation of the item. Jeff Leavenworth 1948 B1B Pick up Woodbury, CT 1948 Dodge Truck 021 (Large).pdf 1948 Dodge Truck 007 (Large).pdf 1948 Dodge Truck 8772 (Large).pdf

Folks, My search continues to learn the origin of the engine in my 1948 B1B 108 pickup. I know the engine was replaced by the original owner, at least according to his son, when I bought the truck last month. The original engine failed near Reno, NV when a drop in temperature froze and cracked the block. I was told a junkyard engine in good condition and low mileage replaced the original. The present engine block identification number appears to be "JEF 48388". I hope I am attaching a photo (if file is not too large). The first letter 'J' does not look like a 'T', but even if it is, I cannot find any engine number sequence that begins with 'TEF'....at least from researching the link kindly given by Reg Evans earlier in this thread or by just Googling the entire number. Any other stones I've left unturned? Even out of the box ideas appreciated! Many thanks, Jeff

48D, Your Youtube page is awesome! I plan to revisit multiple times and learn a bunch about these trucks the Dodge brothers built. They appear to be very similar to the 1948-53 Chevrolet trucks I know so well. The 1948 B1B I'm hoping to purchase is stored in Oakland, CA. I received a call last month from my sister in VA. Her brother-in-law in AZ inherited the truck from his dad ten years ago who bought it from the dealer new. The B1B is green like my 1953 Model 3100 Chevrolet that I dubbed the 'Iron Watermelon' when I bought it in 1975 in LA while in the Air Force. The Dodge may become 'Iron Watermelon II'....god willing and the creek don't rise! Thanks for the offer to check out the Dodge, but I have lots of photos and have decided to go ahead with the purchase. Next challenge is to locate a shipper (and it also needs a tailgate). Question: I need to find a shipper who can deliver to CT. Schedule is flexible. Anybody know of a good shipper that can load/unload a truck that is not running but rolls fine. Getting excited about owning a Dodge, Jeff

My engine ID numbers runner in CA just emailed back that her children go back to school soon and she can't re-check the engine number for a week or two. She is asking if the engine ID number she wrote down as "JEF48388" could really be "TEF48388". Based on the engine ID number that Hank provided in his photo the answer to her question appears to be NO. I am uploading the engine photo again, this time with the location of the engine ID number clouded in red. I tried zooming in on the photo but resolution is not sufficient to decipher. Please confirm our gal in CA and I are looking in the correct location for the engine ID number. Question: Once we have the correct engine ID number, is there a manual that lists and explains what the numbers mean? Grateful my kids are out of school, Jeff Engine ID Location.pdf

Hank, Huge help, thanks! The truck is in CA and I'm in CT. I've sent an email asking for confirmation of the engine ID number based on the photo you posted. Hope to hear back soon. Again, you guys are terrific, Jeff