Scruffy49

Too long of wiper blades, easy fix. Not too keen on that chromed front bumper. I like the headlight visors, need to pick up another one for mine ($12, motorcycle shop). Can't tell if it is running big rig 2.5" clear beehive parking lights or if the trim rings are body color. I do like the side mount spare tire carrier, a lot more convenient than the factory underbed unit and a necessity if a tank swap for a small car unit was done. It's a nice mild custom.

And/or convert the hubs to modern style, not riveted to the drum. Doing this to mine (at least the fronts, forget how the rear mounts, drum over hub or hub over drum like a 60s model) so I don't have to fight them as hard next time the truck needs brake work. Lug studs or bolts will hold it in place just fine. Conversion to modern stud/nut from the old time lug bolts will keep it aligned and make wheel mount/dismount a bit easier.

Pics later, maybe. Camera cord is awol again...

Bolt it on to 3 wheel studs, loosen the main axle nut (leave on so when the tension breaks you don't get clobbered by the puller and drum combo). Tighten the cross bar, smack the arm on the tensioner everytime you walk by it, at least a 10# hammer. Eventually, the drum will let go. Surprised they won't come off, mine sat for 20 years and did not need a puller. This time (19 years later) I'm sure they will.

Interesting thread over there.

The 218 in my 49 had a standpipe in the head, aluminum and brass shut off valve on the top of the water pump. The 230 donor engine has the shut off on the head fitting, just a pipe elbow in the water pump. Probably combine the 2 since I like the look of the water pump mounted shut off valve. And it appears to be correct for the application, fits the top of the pump perfectly. Off the engine for polishing and fitting to a new pump, the old pump had a terminal failure (dropped it and it cracked).

No problem, I don't have any and he lives 2500 miles away.

Because it looks better than an M2 style front end...? And is very easy to find, modify and/or adapt to just about any 20s to early 40s car? Because he could?

My friend runs them on his 49 Wayfarer... they look okay, my truck won't have them due to the other choices I have on hand here. Might add a set to my Sweptline, but, it does better with motorhome mirrors.

I wouldn't go much over a 215 width front tire on the stock suspension. Rear a 235 should be fine but messes with your speedometer calibration. I thought mine had major component damage, turns out that one rod should be straight, one bent. Steering boxes on Dodge trucks from the 40s through the early 70s tend to leak. I refilled both of mine with white lithium boat railer bearing grease and have had zero issues with the boxes since. Including towing cross country with my 69 D100 in early 2011. If the steering is truly horrible (and these trucks do wander a bit on wide radials or old bias ply tires) check your kingpins. Wheels from a 70s Dodge 1/2 ton work great, my 49 has a set of 15" pop top Ramcharger 4x4 wheels as well as its original 16s getting bias ply (4 ply) wide white walls. Welcome to the site. It really is THE place for older Mopars.

Good deal! I remember the first time I drove mine in 94 I couldn't get over the fact it was moving under its own power for the first time since 1974. I'm sure it will need all kinds of "fun" inspections to be licensed here when it is running again, still has 1974 tabs on it... and was titled under the block number instead of the cab serial number... Wish I could drive mine out there and join the fun. Maybe in a couple years, have to find another off farm job first. Looks great Paul. Now you just need a period correct cooler and picnic hamper in the bed...

A bit industrial but mirrors are definitely function before form for me. Can't stand the factory short arm left side on my PH. I've got a matching right hand mount that can be added, but, I'll probably replace both with West Coast Jr or long arm type. Tucked in looks better but gives a less than stellar field of vision.

"I have seen others scrimp and save, do all the work themselves, comprehend what the old timers tell them about how things work, do there own research, and build a car that can be driven anywhere anytime." -DC This. I've been in the garage since I could stand on the bumper or sit on the fender and change points in Dad's 73 F100 360/C6 and Grandpa's 60 D100 A318/3spd. I'm 40 so about 36 years... My uncle owns a rod shop, apprenticed with him. One of the neighbors was an old time scooter bum, apprenticed with him to learn vintage motorcycle repairs. Had my first 1930s motorcycle, built by me with his tutelage, when I was 15. I'm doing my trucks a piece at a time. The 69 needs to be rewired and have some rust repair. Farm use primarily, so no great rush. The nose is pulled from the 49 right now to make it easier to pull the dead 218 (lots of broken rings, heard them go tinkling into the pan). Good time to overhaul the front suspension, clean and paint (Rustoleum brush on since I already have it) the front of the chassis, repair and paint the front clip (with bomb cans, it's an old truck, not a show car). Then the bed can be fixed, rear suspension overhauled, chassis cleaned and painted.One wheel cleaned, primed and topcoated at a time, then the wide white goes on and it gets put in the barn for storage. I'm 85% disabled and rather financially challenged. Doing a little here and a little there on my toys helps me stay focused on what's good instead of dwelling on what is screwed up in my life. No hurry on any of it. I'd do the work myself with help from the forums even if I could afford a 100 point restoration. 100% shiny new better than stock isn't what I'm into. Hardest part for me will be the engine work, I know the donor 230 needs attention too. Take my time, do the best work I can do, use what I can afford (scrounge or repurpose mostly), build something I can enjoy cruising in without worrying that a high dollar paint job will get dinged or similar nonsense. A pre-muscle era Mopar (with a few exceptions) has next to no collector value. I intend to have fun with my pair of them.

Look at 1957 Cameo truck mirrors. Long stem with a 3 hole mounting base... on sale at Brother's Trucks... brotherstrucks.com

30 amp, and it is the exact same breaker as used on Harley Davidsons through the end of model year 1964. Not hard to find, not all that expensive either. Voltage honestly doesn't matter on these, 30 amps is 30 amps, the old glass fuses are the same way, amps, not volts. Read the package back, most of them are rated at 115V max...

Mine came out fine with a lot of penetrating oil. And they had not been out since the late 50s or early 60s engine swap. 1/2" drive breaker bar to pop them loose, 1/2" drive ratchet once they were moving.

EZ 12 circuit with mini fuse panel. More than sufficient, but you will need to buy some shrink tubing and a couple terminal kits. Comes with new headlight harness plug in blocks, GM 1 wire alternator harness and a really good install book.

Regular is fine, these old engines have a dismally low compression ratio. I'd stick with name brand fuels to limit the excess "gunk" that can build up on the valves or for oil passage/pan sludge. When I was driving my 49 back in 93/94 it ran fine on whatever we poured into it. The guy who leases some land from us for soybean production has an OLD L6 powered seeder, it does fine on modern blended fuel. Needs the occasional fuel pump overhaul or float needle replacement but, other than that, no issues.

Make sure the glass moves freely on its own. Crank the regulator as far down as it will go, hold the glass level and steady in the channel, crank the regulator up to meet the glass. Loosen the regulator mounting screws, wiggle it until it is level with the glass base, tighten down the screws. Let the glass slide down into the holder and crank it closed. If it now works right, afix the glass to the channel and call it good. Had to do that with a glass swap on my 69 D100. Has worked fine since early 2007. My PH regulators are junk. The passenger side teeth feel like they are gone. Power window conversion will fix that... cheaper than a new regulator.

I got so tired of hunting for a factory set I just made adapters to use late model visors. One inch thick mahogany to fit the factory screw holes, 1/2 inch hole through the center, screw on the Ranger visors. It'll do for now. I can't see paying what most people want for a set. Then again, my truck hasn't been stock in a LONG time (like 1958 or so)...

I don't pay much attention to it. A couple cans of paint here, some wires there, swap this for that with someone who has parts to trade... Most of the "new" stuff going on/in it is scrounged or reused from something else. Tractor parts, cabinet shop left overs, odd bits from the barn, garage or a later model donor vehicle, tractor parts (gas cap and alternator)... Even the bed wood is left over from the 1958 floor replacement in the old plantation house. Biggest cost so far was hauling it from Washington to TN when we moved back to the wife's family farm. I don't want it to go back to stone stock. It wasn't stock when my grandfather (who bought it new) gave it to me so...

Any 1/2 ton (4x4 72-about 84 only or any 2wd) Dodge truck/van through about the mid 1980s can donate its 15" wheels. So can : Ford LTD, Fairmont, Fairlane, Mustang, Ranchero, Torino, Ranger to 2000 or so, early Explorer, Bronco 2... Measure carefully, the 4x4 wheels have the bigger center hole, some of the car center holes are too small. Ranger STEEL spare wheels have holes correctly drilled so you don't need to break off any locator pins in your drums (trucks had them, not sure about the cars). None of the listed will take factory 40s or 50s center caps, but, all of them (except alloys) can take full wheel covers. My 49 truck currently wears a set of 15" 1978 Ramcharger pop top 4wd rims. Fit like they were made for it. Have also test fit it with 1979 L'il Red Express wheels and LT235/75R15 that normally live on my 69 D100. They fit, but it's hard to turn... If you just have to have 16 inch wheels (and why not, they look fine) check 90s Crown Vics. And run a 215/85R16 tire, same height as a 6.00-16, you may get a bit of a height gain though versus the stock 15s.

Save it for a 225 /6 or an LA318, the way they leak, you'd never know if the oil was good or bad... I'd sell it to the little fat guy from that pickers show. As much as he pays for empties... you could buy enough Rotella, Delo or Delvac to last the rest of your life. All of which have a more than sufficient zinc content for an L6 (and air cooled wet clutch motorcycles).

What rust? I don't see no steenking rust... Was a bit chilly here today too, it only hit 76*F. What a coinkee-dink, I got stuck today too... tree branch dropped the backhoe boom while I was raking leaves with the front bucket. Rear tires were 3' off the ground by the time I figured out what happened...

Should be 5 on 4.5 for 1/2 tons. 5 on 5 for 3/4 tons... 5 on 5.5 is Ford or Willys, usually. Could explain the big bolt pattern, a 48-52 F1 rear is almost a perfect bolt in...