52b3b Joe

I agree 100% with you on this. I have 3.54 ratio in mine, and it is sluggish taking off, and going up some grades are a challenge. My truck will struggle at 55 mph driving into heavy wind. I wish I had went with a 3.73, especially with pulling trailers every once in a while.

I built one for my truck. It took about 8 hours to build it, and it is very strong. You can see it here: http://p15-d24.com/topic/23400-some-progress/page-49?hl=%2052b3b%20%20joe It is nice for pulling smaller trailers around, and for doing light duty work. I have pulled around 4,000-4,500 pounds with it a few times, and it is slow going. I always avoid busy roads, and fast traffic. It is a lot of fun, and I get a lot of compliments.

My dad and I have done the swap to a manual 3 speed on his 41 Desoto. We used a transmission from a 41 dodge without fluid drive, and swapped the input shaft for a fluid drive 3 speed unit. We had to have a new driveshaft made, which was no issue, and adapt the parking brake. It was fairly simple. He had the semi auto in it for 35 years, and for the most part it was reliable, but after a few times of getting stranded, and having the transmission lock up and bind, we opted for the swap.

More...

I'll going to give it some more thought, and I need to find a place to store it. Here are more pictures.

I thought I had the picture attached! I didn't take great detailed pictures, but there are holes in the cab. The area between the doors and fenders are rusted through, and the steps on both sides are weak. The back lower edges of the hood will need work. The frame looks ok, and the can floors seem fine. All the glass is intact. The truck appears 100% complete with all trim and the updraft carburetor. I am assuming the engine is locked up. The owner gave a price of $3000, but I want to know what you all think a fair price would be. I've found other cabover trucks online for sale in that price range that appear nicer.

I'm bring this back up again two years after it started.... I've still been think about the truck and I never did hear back from the owner so I thought I'd give it a shot again. Given that it's a very nice evening here, decided to take my 52 now that it is on the road. My wife and I hopped in the truck and headed over to it. It wasn't looking hopeful when we were pulling up to the barn, the entire main barn is down now, but the add on section the Dodge is in is still standing somehow. The truck is just as I saw it last time, so I drove to the owners house, and to my disbelief he was outside in his front yard. He was smiling when he saw my truck and when I got out he remembered me. He told me he figured I'd come back again. Long story short, he is now very willing to sell the truck after seeing my 52. I would like to buy it, but I'm not sure what it's worth. He threw a number out there that I don't like too much, but I'm pretty cheap to begin with. It has a fair amount of rust, and it's been sitting since 1980 in the same spot. I know it will take a lot of money to get it going. I'm not sure I'm ready for another big project financially and I don't exactly have space for it. What do you guys think is a fair offer? I would hate to see the barn crush it!

Thanks for the replies! At least I know I'm not the only one with this issue! I'll try a couple from online like you suggested Merle. Greg, I have already thought about doing that if I have more issues!

I've been chasing a problem with my truck for a while now revolving around the brake light switch. I keep going through them like water. Sometimes they last months, and some times they last a week if I'm lucky. I don't see why this is happening. I have replaced 4 of them in the past year on the truck, and it needs another one right now. Is there something I'm missing? I buy them local from auto parts stores. Could it be the 6 volt system is damaging the switch? Is there special ones for 6 Volt? I would think it wouldn't care about voltage, its a switch. Too many amps? Cheap parts? The wiring is all new in the truck, and the truck is not over or under charging. The voltage it correct. When they fail, they won't turn on. I can mash the brakes and try anything, but they won't come on. I put a new switch in, and they will work. Has anyone had a similar problem?

I had the same issue on my truck. I used bars and wood inside to pry, then I drilled holes and used a slide hammer with screws. It took a while, but got 95% of it out in the metal, and the rest in filler! I did weld the holes shut.

It's looking good! Trial and error is the best teacher, and I definitely like the paint booth!!!! Keep at it and keep the progress pictures coming!!!

No, it's the original bed. I'm not sure if the tailgate is original or not.

Does working on someone else old Dodge count?? I've been helping a friend finish getting his truck finished. Its a 1935 Dodge Truck. We fired it up for the first time a couple months ago, but Saturday I was able to make a clutch rod work for it, and it moved under its own power for the first time. We also aligned, shimmed, and installed the fender welting on the entire drivers side. That was a project! He liked the color of my truck, so he painted it the same. It looks great with the black fenders!

I like very nice restored trucks, and driver quality trucks, but if I had to pick, I'd favor the trucks that people are still using. They are trucks, and they were made for a purpose. In my case, I never intended to paint my truck, but it needed a lot of work when I bought it. Once I got started in taking it apart, I figured if I was going down to the frame, I might as well paint it. In the end, my truck came out pretty nice (nicer than I was even hoping for), but it is far from perfect. It has orange peel in the paint, the bed sides are not perfectly straight, and the paint has blemishes. I changed some things on the truck to better adapt to today's driving conditions. I also added a hitch to my truck. My 52 is the only truck I own, and I don't like to borrow other people's belongings, so if I feel I can use my Dodge without doing damage, I will. I have pulled a lot of trailers with it (up to 4,500 lbs) in local driving only. I won't go over 50-55 mph depending on the trailer and road conditions, but I'm more comfortable around 45 mph. Empty, I will run the truck all day at 60 mph. I mainly use a trailer to avoid damage to the bed. If I do use the bed, I lay blankets down and do what I can to protect it. I do have a few scuffs and scratches on the truck now, but that's part of the game. I built it to drive it, enjoy it, and use it if necessary, and that's what I do! My truck typically doesn't get drooling attention at car shows compared to hot rods and muscle cars, but when I show up to a tractor show pulling my doodlebug, I can't keep people away. I know it has a lot to do with the situation for the attention I get when using the truck, but I think most of it is people like to see the nice old trucks being put to work. I appreciate all cars, but when I'm at car shows, I'm typically attracted to stock cars/trucks. I don't look at most hot rods or many muscle cars. I like nice original cars/trucks, and stock restored ones. If I do venture to a hot rod, its probably because it has all period correct parts. I know some might think I'm crazy to use it after putting so much money and time in it, but for me its a lot of fun putting it to work. It gives me a glimpse of the past that I will never be able to experience. Here's a picture of it stuck in the mud!

That's exactly what my first thought was too!

Yes, the 3 speeds had drum parking brakes on them early on I believe. I know our 60 DeSoto had that. It has a 3 speed torque flight.

You mean a grill like this?? Man, I love doin' that!

Yeah, I think they were H6006.

I have a 3.55 rear end with a strong 230 and a standard 3 speed. After getting some miles put on the truck, I really wish I had a 3.73 ratio. The 3.55 has too slow of acceleration and not much power for a truck where you need it. It is sluggish in the wind and going up grades. The cruising engine speed is nice, but you don't have any power when you need it. I have rode in Merle's truck, and that is the setup to have with the 3.73. Great acceleration and good cruising capitally.

I had been wondering about him, I never got the chance to meet him, but I emailed him on a few questions while working on my truck. He even sent me a brand new drag link for my truck (the one on the truck) for the cost of shipping. He was a very helpful guy. I also enjoyed the article he wrote in Vintage Truck Magazine a couple years back, along with all the very helpful threads on here. R.I.P.

These things were made to work! Under the shinny paint and wax, it's still a truck! My truck rides nice with some weight in the bed also. I feel that since having some having some weight in there, it has softened the ride, working off some of the rust between the springs. I like all the pictures on here of people using their trucks, and I really like how you put your truck together for daily use.

I seem to have the opposite results with those bulbs. I have 6v Wagner halogen bulbs in my truck, and they are extremely bright. My truck has great night time drive-ability with them. My dad is running the same in his car. The 6v truck with the new wiring and bulbs has brighter lights than my other 12v cars with original wiring. It seems like I am driving the truck a lot at night, being that I drive it a lot on the weekends to friends houses and so on, and I have no complaints. If anything, the tail lights are a little small (but bright), but it is what it is.

I have Diamondback radials on one of my cars. They are 15 years old, and have around 20,000 miles on them. They still look like brand new, not discoloration at all, and not a single crack. My dad had Coker radials on his 54 Chrysler, and those yellowed bad and had cracking issues within the first two years. My Diamondbacks are showing age now, and the belts are having issues. The tread life is getting down there and they are getting a bad vibration (they are wobbling bad). I will be replacing my tires with them again. From what I have been told by the companies, radials will start having wobbling issues with age. As far as cleaning them, if you call Diamondback, they will tell you not to use bleach products (as any tire manufacturer will). They told me to use 409 de-greaser or equivalent.

A few other people on here have made hitches for their trucks. I don't really have any measurements for it, I took an old cereal box, and made a very good template carefully (it didn't take too long). Then I transferred it onto the 1/4" plate, and finished with a steady hand and the torch. I clamped the plates on the frame and marked the holes and used a mag drill them out. I did enlarge the fender support holes on the frame in front of the shackle mounts to 1/2" to "wrap" the spring hanger. I used a hitch from a (believe it or not) Toyota, and cut the end plates off as you can see. Then I used heavy "C" channel that I cut the flanges down on to get the receiver centered. I drilled two 5/8" holes in each piece of channel and welded the 5/8 nuts with the bolts drawing them tight the the channel. It took about 8 hours from start to finish including the wiring.

I could do without that, but it was all part of the experience! Maybe I need some more aggressive rear tires for it!