Desotodav

You got a good memory John T… that was 2018 ?

I swapped the factory 4.1 diff centre in my 52 truck out with a 3.54 diff centre from a 54 Dodge car. I had a few diffs to choose from, but the one with the correct spline count was easiest. i also did the same with my 53 truck, but ended up using the car diff centre with different spline count and changing out the side gears to suit. I did find that the car diffs (here in Oz) were about 3 inches narrower than the truck diffs, and I suspect this to be the same in your part of the world… just in case you had thoughts of changing the whole assembly ?

Any chance you can post up a photo of the VIN tag showing the serial number?… that will help with identifying the build date. Our trucks here in Oz were ‘flatpacked’ (mostly from Canada) and assembled in Keswick SA.

I’m still around Andy. Will message you.

It may be possible for you to slightly bend or twist the metal rod so that it better aligns with the catch? Seemed to work with mine.

A huge thank you to our host’s Tim And Steph. It is unfortunate that we live so far away and only seem to get over the pond every few years. This year was my third visit since 2014. What a great event, and how fortunate that I am to have such great friends as my forum brothers. Roz and I had a great time, and will be sure to return as soon as time and funds permit. We are presently in Vancouver and set to catch our 11:50pm (15 hour) flight home. I will attempt to upload a few photos when I get a chance. Thanks again Tim and Steph

Keep ironing out all the bugs Brad…. that never ends ? The book of Bunn suggested that the single spoke of the steering wheel went straight up to enable better sight of the gauges…. so yours is spot on ?

It will be sad to miss you (and Darlene) Paul. I understand though, with the health issues you have had of late. We plan to travel more often, so we may see you at another Q down the track. ??‍♂️

We are on our way to the Q. Seems we overshot the runway though… greetings from Vancouver Island Canada ??‍♂️ it has been 6 long years since I’ve made it across the pond from ‘The Land Down Under’. Very much looking forward to catching up with my forum brother’s. Davin (aka Desotodav)

It’s only 7140 miles from my place to yours Tim… just a quick trip across the pond ? Very much looking forward to catching up with my forum brother’s. Dav and Roz in Oz.

Welcome to the forum. Best to post up serial number and engine number to better establish build date.

Well, it finally happened… my 11 year old 6v red-top Optima battery is dead. Trying to find one here in Oz is a challenge at present. Hopefully I will have one within the next week. Cost is about $380. The fella reckons I did well to get 11 years out of it.

It is inside the black canister (with the T-piece on top) towards the rear of the engine on your driver’s side.

I’m just itching to get back over there to spend time with my forum brother’s at the Q. Life (and the Covid pandemic) has prevented me from travelling abroad for the past couple of years. I have much going on at present, so I won’t be able to attend the event this year… but I will make every effort to be there in 2023. Special thanks to you Tim for hosting such a great event for so many years running. I very much look forward to seeing the updates this year from this spectacular event. Best wishes, Davin (from the ‘land down under’)

I’ve run a 6v Optima battery in my 52 truck since 2011 and have never really had any issues. It has gone flat between drives a couple of times, which I was told was bad for them. I trickle charge the battery now and it has not let me down since. They are expensive here in Oz, but I believe that they are well-priced in USA (I was told that they moved the manufacturing to Mexico some years ago).

Rear doors look great mate. Glad to see you’re still moving forward. Also glad to see that you’re ok after the crash…. someone is looking over you. ?Might have been some of those pesky wanted parts requests in the wrong place if you weren’t here anymore ? Keep moving forward my forum brother?

I’ve just caught up on your build post Brad, and I must congratulate you on your fine workmanship during your most dedicated build. I hope to be around a here bit more now that life has improved in leaps and bounds for me, so I shall now be watching with great excitement. Your dual horns look great. Certainly a great addition to your flawless truck. The honeycomb radiator place here in Oz is called Fuel Tank and Radiator Service (FTRS) and they do great work. They can be costly with radiator’s, but their work is top class - they did a great job of refurbishing a couple of original gas tanks for me. There is also a place in New Zealand who make the honeycomb radiators - they call themselves ADRAD. I found that both of the old rubber seals on my (3-speed) transmission shaft/s (2 trucks) leaked over many years causing dust to settle which resulted eventually in the cable/s bonding up and snapping. I don’t have any 4-speed boxes, so I am not familiar with them. Maybe bending the arm slightly on your cowl vent might give you that slight adjustment that you need for a better seal? Keep up the good work mate. ??

How nice it would be to make the trip across the pond again... but they are suggesting that travel from Oz will not be possible for possibly another 2 years ? I am well overdue to return... so rest assured that we will be there as soon as our government permits us to travel abroad ??‍♂️

I had mine custom made to original specifications here in Oz. There is a fella on EBay in Ohio who advertises new truck exhausts often (hope the link works).... https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1937-1949-DODGE-TRUCK-6-CYLINDER-EXHAUST-SYSTEM-ALUMINIZED-1-2-TON-MODELS/143630883008?fits=Make%3ADodge&hash=item21711158c0:g:bEsAAOSwuTxV8w94

I dropped you a message Somethingski. we will work something out for you here n Oz. ??‍♂️

I swapped out my 4.1 for a 3.54 and I have never looked back. Sure I have to change down a gear going up some hills, but the gain in reducing the working of the engine on my highway runs is more than worth the effort ?

I’m sure that I would have some at the shed here in Oz if you get stuck.

I was looking back through some old forum posts and photos recently and checked up on my old ‘Pop’ truck thread. I have well and truly moved on in life now (after a nasty separation with my cheating ex-wife) and hope to soon be back on to this project with the love and support of my lifetime friend (and now loving partner). Here’s hoping that I can add plenty more photos up here again soon as we endeavour to finish this long term project that we both hold dear to our hearts.