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.

I had the frame powder coated and I am ready to install the new front and rear springs and shackles that came with my 1953 Dodge B4B. The previous owner took the original springs and shackles off. I do have a shop manual but wonder if anyone has some words of wisdom for me before I mess something up!!!! Thanks in advance, Dan

OK

ggdad1951, I did post a want to buy in the classified section with no replies. My post started out asking if anyone knew of any vendors at Hershey that would have parts not asking if anyone had them. Being new to the forum, I found the want to buy section to be confusing. Anyway, I get it and will comply. Great forum and members have provided valuable info already. Thanks, Dan

Los_Control, Thank you for sharing the photos. That is the spot on my cab. I have done some sheet metal welding. Back in the 1960's I gas welded in a few repair panels and have recently tried MIG. With the MIG I spent more time grinding than welding!!! My friend has recently bought a TIG welder and it is still in the box. I will try to get him to let me unbox it and break it in. There was some slug in the oil pan. About an inch or so. Not as bad as I expected. The Truck-O-MAtic is what Chrysler used on many cars and called it Fluid Drive. There is a clutch connected to a fluid coupler which is an early torque converter. the transmission is like a normal standard transmission but different!!! I will post a better explanation later. Not sure if I mentioned this before, but the previous owner found and bought a complete junker engine with all of the 3 speed on the tree hardware including the steering column. I plan to stay with the Truck-O-Matic unless it is in poor condition. Here is an explanation from this forum: Posted June 18, 2019 A Truck-O-Matic would be cool to have. It’s essentially the M6 transmission behind a Fluid Drive coupler. The same setup that Chrysler, DeSoto, and Dodge cars used under different names. Prestomatic, Tip-Toe Shift, Gyromatic. It may have been a 1 year only in the trucks. Shortly after that the automatics came out. As you may have read, it’s a 4 speed trans with semi-automatic shifts between 1st/2nd, or 3rd/4th. You have to manually shift between the low and high range gears. For most driving around you could put it into high range and drive it like an automatic vehicle. Only need the clutch to get into gear initially, or to shift ranges or directions.

Thanks Los_Control, I pulled the drums off of both axles last week but have not cleaned them up and inspected yet. On a quick glance there was no ridge and surface looked good. The shoes had a good bit of lining still on them. The problem is with the wheel cylinders looking to be corroded beyond using kits. The odometer shows 49K miles and what I am seeing, that maybe true. I pulled the head and oil pan last week also. The cylinders are standard bore and the cylinder wear is between .006 and .007. just below the ridge The rod journal I measured was also dead on stock and the edges on the valves and seats look great. I will get deeper into the engine when I get back from Hershey. I am not going for a 100 point show truck for the judges that like to find fly poop in a pepper shake to pick at it!!!! I want a nice looking reliable truck painted in the original paint scheme. My largest challenge will be repairing the front fenders that have rusted where the carriage bolts go through for the fender mount. There is minor rust out on the bottom rear of the cab under the gas tank and a few minor holes in the floor. The door hinges have no sag, close like new, and the line at the cab is great. The box has surface rust bit no holes. There is still original black paint under the strip that is between the box and fender. The rear fender have a lot of surface rust bit no holes. The bed wood and supports are beyond saving. I can go on and on!!! I am really liking this old truck!!!!!!!

Hi Brad, Thanks. I will get some photos posted soon. Dan

I will be going to the Hershey Swap Meet next week. Are there any good vendors to visit that have parts for our 1953 Dodge B4B 1/2 Ton Pickups. I will be looking for a Carter B&B DTL2 donor carb. The previous owner lost the insulator and the linkages. I have it all rebuilt and missing those pieces. I will also be looking for an intake/exhaust manifold for the 218 engine. The previous owner dropped and broke the end off of the exhaust manifold and the bolts are too rusty to remove with out breaking. Thank you all in advance. Dan

I found him and we have exchanged messages. Thanks

Thank you GGDaddy1951 and JBNEAL for the replies and good info. I will check out the PPG3088 color. I tried to see of 52B2B Joe here in Ohio was still in the group buut could not find him. Maybe I did not search correctly. Dan

Looking for the correct color ivory for the wheels on my 1953 Dodge B4B 1/2 Ton. I am leaning towards buying new 16" original looking wheels and use the DCM hub cap adapter and radial tubeless tires. Looking for suggestions on cotor code for paint and source for new wheels Thank you in advance, Dan