Dan693

Brian, Thank you for the great reply and additional information. That is great information on the radiators. Is there any significance to the letter H on the radiator in my truck or the P on one of the spares? 1272446H and 1272448P Dan

Hello All, I am working on a my 1953 Dodge B4B project ans have acquired 3 radiators with three different part numbers. Can anyone assist with sorting out the differences in the three? Original to the truck: PN 1272446H Spare #1: PN 1272446 Spare #2: PN 1272446P One spare is from a 1952 1/2 ton and the other from a 1952 1 ton but I do not know which is which. Thanks in advance, Dan

JBNeal: I do have an original Mopar shop manual. I took it along with the engine to the machine shop last week so they would have access to all of the engine specs. They are 2 1/2 hours away one way so not easy to reference it at this time. Robert: Thank you for the great reply. My drums are in pretty good condition so they only need a light cut to make sure they are round. I am looking for the max diameter to make sure they have not already been turned a few times. It is my believe that they have not been since the odometer reading of 49K looks to be authentic based on the condition of the engine bore and bearings. It would have only needed honed with new std. rings and bearings if one on the cylinder walls had not been scratched. The truck lived it first live on a farm here in Ohio.

Brake Drum Max Diameter My 1953 Dodge B4B 1/2 ton has 10" drum on the front and 11" on the rear. What is the maximum diameter they can be turned? Thanks Dan

That is a neat simple install.

I like the idea of starting small. I have plenty of time to think about it since we are maybe a year away from having it on the road!! Dan

Hi tom'sB2B, My wife and I have been making slow and steady progress on 1953 B4B. My initial post was on September 8, 2023 with photos of the truck in pieces. That is how we brought it home. The previous owner took it completely apart then lost interest when he found a 1967 Dodge Charger project. He did do a pretty good job of bagging and tagging with photos. He also had a shop manual and parts book. We made a few trips with a U-haul utility trailer to get all of the parts home. we sorted through the 7 plastic bins to sort out and identify parts. As many of you that have tackled an old car project know, most of the work in the beginning is cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. We started with the chassis and running gear components. We cleaned, inspected, repaired as necessary, and painted them. The frame went out for sand blasting and powder coating. We now have a painted chassis and a number of painted components. More to come.

Thanks for all of the great replies. I do not plan to tow much of anything but was curious since there is a place to put a ball. See upside down photo. I thought the fluid drive would be a limiting factor. I wonder if back in the 50's if anyone pulled a travel trailer with a fluid drive 8 cylinder Chrysler? I assume the farmer that used the truck pulled a hay wagon or other things around the farm. Dan

Has anyone researched the original tow rating on a stock 1953 B4B 1/2 ton 218 ci Truck-O-Matic (fluid drive) 108" wheel base? I am working on my B4b Project and am curious as to the tow rating. The 218 engine is being rebuilt at 0.030 bore and I have installed all new brake components and springs and shackles. This was a farm truck and does have a plate welded to the rear of the frame rails to receive a ball. Thank you all in advance, Dan

I started my 1953 Dodge B4B Project in September 2023. Here are a few progress photos. The engine went to the machine shop on Thursday and my goal is to have a rolling chassis to put it in when I bring it home. This is a great forum! Dan

Got me there!!!!! I saw that after it was sent. Happy New Year Bob. I am making progress on the truck. Will get the engine to the machine shop sometime this month. Dan

Thank Matt, That is great info. Happy New Year Dan

Does anyone knw what the weight of bear 218 block would be? Dan

I need to draw on the collective wisdom of this group to solve my front wheel cylinder puzzle. I recently purchased new front wheel cylinders based on the vendors catalog information for wheel cylinders for my truck. They specified the stepped bore cylinders with the 1 3/4" bolt spacing with a left and right cylinder. Today I removed the wheel cylinders from my truck and they are the 1 3/8" straight bore cylinders with 1 3/4" bolt spacing. From what I can tell, the parts book calls out the straight bore cylinders for a 1953 B Series 4. The vendor indicated the straight bore cylinders where used from 1955 on. Has anyone else experienced this? Dan.

Thank you ggdad1951. will do.