Desotodav

Thanks for updating the post Hank. Hopefully you will have the package within the next week. I will work on other springs and should be able to send another package over soon. I need to confirm a couple of things first though. Throttle return spring: I have attached photos of the throttle return spring/s on my 51 truck. I believe the spring facing front to back is original (see picture 2), but I am not sure if you have the same spring over there (USA). If someone can confirm this for me from photo 1, I would be glad to have some made up. I suspect that the spring from left to right side attached from the throttle body to the inner guard is not original. It (a similar spring) was on the 51 truck when I got it and seems to work well, so it can stay for now! Brake/Clutch return spring I assume that we are on talking the same language with the brake and clutch return springs. If someone can confirm this with me from photo 3 and 4, I will look into having them made also. The door mechanism and glovebox springs are proving to be a problem at this stage. I will have to try and find another maker for them. I would imagine that the emergency brake springs should be alright to have made, but I would need a sample as they appear different to my vehicle/s. I have also had stainless steel springs made for inside my wheel brake cylinders (photo 5). I can have these duplicated it required. Apologies, wrong side of the ruler showing in the photo for you guys! I have my springs made from stainless steel but I am sure that the spring maker can do them from steel if people require them in that form. The process for making and baking the differing steels varies as the differing steels react to heat in opposite ways. I don't think this poses a problem for the spring maker, but I imagine that it would be easier for him to make just one type of each spring. Hank has a list of the prices needed for me to recover costs. He will need to add freight to individual purchaser's before establishing individual costs. I have conversed with Hank and he feels that the prices are quite reasonable. Desotodav ps.. Thanks to Hank for making this deal possible. I hope that I can assist other fellow Mopar enthusiasts in the process.

No offence taken here either catfishcuz. I'm more of an original fella myself!

I went with a sneaky modification on the oil bath air filter for my 51 Desoto truck. The new oil soaked foam is much easier to clean than the original hair filled filter design. It would be pretty hard to spot the modification - even to the enthusiast. I just need to add the decal that I got from The Old Plym Cafe now. Desotodav

I better tell my mate that the 350 Chev has to come out of his 29 Dodge van and will have to be replaced with a 318. He thought that it was funny recently rolling up to a Chev show in a Dodge and taking out the trophy for 'best Chev powered vehicle'. I don't think some of the Chev owners saw the funny side of it though! To each his own. The hotrod thing doesn't do much for me either, but I think this 29 is a really nice car. Change is the enemy! Desotodav

Try this old post and you will find all that you need.... http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=25746&highlight=division Desotodav

I recently worked on a small leak from the front of my gearbox Hank. I pulled the retainer (21-09-29) off and made sure the seal inside was in good order. The gasket (21-09-33) was new and appeared fine but showed traces of oil from the 4 bolt holes. I used a sealing compound on the 4 bolts as the bolt holes continue through into the gearbox case. I haven't road-tested the truck yet but may do so on Monday if the rain holds up. The retainer (21-09-29) has a small groove at the bottom which lines up with an oil-flow hole in the center-bottom area of the main shaft hole of gearbox case, so I would imagine that it is best to make sure it goes back on the way it comes off and the groove and hole are aligned. Desotodav

Apologies for the delay, I still don't have the stats for the fuel tank springs from the spring maker. I will chase him up again throughout the week. He has advised that he can only make round wire springs. I am working with Hank in getting a few items over there which will include various springs, a small supply wheel hubcap clips, and possibly spring shackle mounts. I am sure that you will hear from myself (or Hank) when things come together. Desotodav Oz Desoto and Dodge 108's

Sixbanger Have you tried the following post? A number of scenarios and opinions were discussed at length in relation to similar overheating issues. http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=26054&highlight=overheating Desotodav Oz Desoto & Dodge 108 trucks

Try the post on 'door check arm'... http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=25939&highlight=DOOR+CHECK it might help. I added some photos of my truck ones there recently. There's some good details of car check arms on that post. Desotodav

It was interesting to compare my Oz vent window with yours from over there Dollydodge. I tried buying vent window rubbers from Andy Bernbaum at $95 per pair and was told that the rubbers would not fit my truck because mine was an export truck. I can see what he means now (see picture of my vent window). Sorry, but I have to say that I think my vent window looks nicer than the ones you people have over there. I don't know where Andy B gets his stock from, but I reckon that there would be very few makers of the items. Good luck with your saga. Thanks for the info on the division bar for the vent window from the other thread also Dollydodge. I will follow it up when I get over my current hurdle - oil leak from the timing chain cover. Desotodav

I'd be only too happy to help out Hank. The spring maker spends most of his time watching his large machine work whilst it makes handles for plastic buckets. He seems to make a lot of tent rope springs too. He makes all of the smaller one-off springs by hand to the exact specs of anything that he receives. He works some odd hours so he can be a little hard to catch at times. I will be seeing him again on Monday so I will run the idea past him. I think that he would be happy to take on the challenge. I am sure that I could take on the freight forwarding job. I don't think that freight costs would be too high for forwarding on small springs. I could probably have a dozen or so of each spring made to start with rather than re-inventing the wheel (so to speak) each time he receives a spring. I suppose the quantities will depend on demand. He could probably make steel rather than stainless for those that don't want to "cheat". He told me that there was a technique in making stainless springs as opposed to metal ones as the metals react oppositely when baked. I personally prefer stainless as I know I won't have problems with them rusting in years to come. I have only worked on 108 trucks and I don't have a lot of knowledge with regards to the passenger vehicles discussed on this forum. I still have a lot to catch up on with a birth year of 1967! I am sure that we could work wonders if we have samples of the required springs to present to the spring maker to start with. Let me know your thoughts and I will work something out with him. p.s.. are the scanned ones that you have shown flat with rounded edges?

I asked the same questions early in the piece and was told of the springs to allow for chassis twist under load. I don't think that the load area of my truck will see much action either. I spent way too much time sanding those floorboards!

Thanks for the info DollyDodge. I'll get on to RS. The felt in my 51 truck is held in place with an 'L' shaped bar which has fold-over tabs on the rear. It didn't have the rivets like your truck, although my 48 truck did have the rivets??? Some of our Oz trucks seem to have come with chromed vent window frames. I bought the right side vent window NOS (still in the waxed paper in the original box), so I had to make the left side up the same. I think they have come up alright. It is hard to tell which was the NOS one now. Desotodav

Looks like you are doing a fine job. I remember that same feeling of excitement trying to breathe life back into my old truck. Maybe it won't be long before you'll be looking over a blue guard like me! Desotodav 51 and 55 Desoto 108's 53 Dodge 108b coupe truck 56 Dodge 108 van

I dropped in on our local spring maker today. I should have the stats that you gents require for the springs on Monday. I asked him to make me a couple of other stainless steel springs for my throttle body while I was there. I believe stainless is the way to go. I have also used stainless inside my external door handles and inside my brake cylinders (see photo). The minimal additional cost is well worth it for something that should last forever. There is no substitute for quality!

My motor was allegedly 'hot tanked'. It did sit in the back of my garage for a while whilst the rest of the truck was built. I did a few short trips initially and did not notice the high temps so much. It wasn't until I took it for about a 1/2 hour drive on a hot day that I noticed the overheating problem. I'm glad that I sorted out that problem, I can move on to the next problem now - a stripped thread from the bolt at the bottom of the timing chain cover. If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all!

I found a couple of photos that my daughter took at one of our local historic society's here in Oz. Maybe our siren and your spotlight would make a good combination!

I went through exactly the same problem recently Jim and have just found the solution. Did you have your engine sitting dry for any amount of time after the rebuild? I had my 218 motor rebuilt and let is sit dry for a while before installing it in my truck. Metal scale built up in the block and was pumped into the radiator (which was previously dismantled and cleaned out) as soon as I went for a drive and got the motor up to operating temperature. I had the block and radiator flushed and now I don't see the temp gauge go over 160. I was told that usually a circulation problem is to blame if your vehicle overheats whilst driving. I was surprised at the amount of gunk left on the workshop floor that came out of my vehicle during the flushing process. I was then told that the other two thirds of it had washed down the drain. I hope the same process works for you. Other things that I checked were: suitable radiator cap, correct thermostat (not installed in my case), timing, water pump flow, evidence of head damage, or faulty temp gauge. Good luck with it. I would be interested to hear of your solution.

I think that I had my own question answered re preferred suppliers today. Can anybody give me the part number/s for the vent division fuzzy bits from Steele or Restoration Specialists? Desotodav 51 and 55 Desoto 108's 53 Dodge 108b coupe truck 56 Dodge 108e van

I will drop down and see the local spring maker tomorrow for the specs. There are 2 springs at the rear of each of my tanks and the front is hard-mounted. The photo is of the rear of the old tank under my 55 Desoto 108c truck which is next in line for restoration. The fuel tank is not as good as I remembered it. The hornet nest and cobwebs give it that old 'rustic' look! I have found that freight is pricey between Oz and the States.

I have attached a few photos for you of the area that you are looking at. I made my anti rattle spring 21-30-78 from an old tape measure (see photo). I found that it was not really necessary to use though. I had a local spring maker make me the bottom spring 19-46-10. I replaced my levers 19-47-14 and 19-46-16 with spares that I had. The two levers wear in the area that they make contact. I will contact a friend of mine down south of me here in Oz and see if he has some NOS parts for you and get back to you in due course. I just heard back from my mate down south and he doesn't have these levers in stock in amongst his NOS treasures - Sorry Robert T

I took my old ones to a local spring maker here in Oz and had some stainless ones made. They only cost a couple of dollars each. Here is a photo in case it helps...

I have found that by gently wedging a chisel between the flat side of the spring and the end of the spring was just enough to ease some pressure on the spring eye. I used a copper anti-seize compound and found the shackle was much easier to install. I have used the same method for removing shackles as well and it seems to work fine. I turned them in slowly without an impact gun.

I am back on to trying to install the 802 radio in my 51 Desoto 108 truck. I am somewhat handicapped here in Oz because you people in the States have the steering wheel on the wrong side of the vehicle! Can anybody confirm for me whether the bolt protruding from the center rear of the radio mounts directly through a hole in the firewall? I see this was implied in a post by 49Dodge1ton earlier in this thread. I saw mention of a metal mounting strap later in the same thread in a post by geopcanuk. Can anybody tell me where this mounting strap might mount to? I am trying to keep my truck as original as possible so I would prefer to mount the radio in the right manner. Although, in saying that I haven't seen an Oz truck yet with an 802 radio installed. I've attached a number of thumbnails... The first attachment shows the right side of one of my chopped up cowls. The grey painted spot shows roughly where the rear bolt of the 802 radio should be located. The painted red spot (for a reference point) shows the hole where the rivet would come through the firewall for the bonnet support bracket on a 48 truck. The second and third photos show my 802 radio with the rear bracket that came with it attached. I now believe this bracket was for a car mounted radio - can someone confirm this for me? The last attachment shows the let side of the cowl where an American radio would be mounted (our glovebox area in Oz). The grey painted square area is the pressed out section that I thought may have been made to assist with the initial install of the radios in the factory. The black '+' mark shows roughly where the rear bolt of the radio would fit. The red spot above is again a reference point showing the hole where the rivet would come through the firewall for the bonnet support bracket on a 48 truck. Apologies to all for the length of the post. I'm hoping that someone out there can supply me with the information that I need to install my radio. Desotodav 51 and 55 Desoto 108's 53 Dodge 108b coupe truck 57 Dodge 108e van

I had my rims sandblasted and painted a few years ago. Although my truck hasn't seen much road time yet, I've had no problems with them.