Scruffy49

Nice truck. What are needing for it? I've got a few spare drivetrain parts with my 49 project. And a forge for making truly odd ball brackets. I'm about 40 miles north east of downtown Memphis. Welcome to the forum. Your truck came with a flathead 6 so you are in the right place... This is THE site for L6 powered Mopars, I'd even be happy with some 251 powered W300 Sweptlines joining up.

You can go later than 1957 for your tailgate. I put the gate off an 84 on my friend's 50 1/2 ton. Only difference was the later gate came with the center hinge that some early trucks had and some did not. My 49 has the bottom panel hinge holes but the gate came without a hinge. And more than one 61-65.5 truck on the Sweptline boards is running a Pilot House tailgate...

Motorcycle versions work fine on car batteries. We use them on diesel John Deeres here. You can also get dual voltage chargers/tenders at West Marine, Cycle Gear, most auto parts stores, Bass Pro Shops and related with boating sections, Wal-mart... If they sell batteries they have or can order tenders. I have (and still use) a Sears battery charger (dual voltage) from the early 1960s. The only Sears product I still own.

Go for it, a scrap grade 53-56 cab goes for more than that. Trucks are a good thing, I'm at 6 and found a nice Pilot House panel yesterday that needs to come keep my 72 Super Beetle company in the barn...

I like where you are going with it. I've toyed with the idea of replacing my blown up 218 with the 318 out of my 69 D100 more than once. And would do so if it wasn't for that pesky rear mount distributor. I'm looking for a nice 352-390 FE and C6 to replace my stock 318/727. If those are 15" wheels on that car you have the wheel covers I've been hunting for all over this area. I have one on my 49 B1B-108, it looks great but have had zero luck finding any more of them. You might consider test fitting those rims and covers to your 50 project... if not, what would you want for the covers? They'll clear the hubs on my truck... And save the 429 for a hot rod Power Giant (57-60), Sweptline (61-71) or 62-66 F100...

You'll find oversized oil pans on -3 truck engines. 225-3, 318-3, 413-3 as found in D400 or larger chassis motor homes, wreckers etc. Pans physically fit standard -1 engine blocks. My 69 D100 with a 318-1 engine runs a 7 qt -3 oil pan. That's how it was when I bought it.

Every time one of my Dodge engines acts like that it is a points problem. Too little gap or too much gap. It happens constantly with my 318 powered 69 D100, every other running of the 68 413-3 powered motor home, and the last 2 times I ran my L6s. Modern points are, in a nut shell, pretty low quality.

Forget the mirror, I need the outside division bar and the horns. I can't believe the interior is that rare, I've never run across a truck in person that did not have one. I know many folks here would give their last bit of mad money for one, but still...

Hmm... wrong rub strips, wrong floor color, wrong floor material (should have been pine by then), wrong interior, wrong engine paints... wrong bumper finish... I still like it, but it isn't worth anywhere near what he wants for it. Not if he's trying to pass it off as a "stock" with all the options version...

Anodized alloys I usually etch before painting. Oven cleaner. And yes it can destroy a wheel pretty easily. Powder coated I'll rough up with 150 grit and then start the priming process if I don't feel like stripping the powder off first. And I use rattle can wheel paint if I don't feel like breaking out all the gear to spray Deltron, Delthane, etc. I like those 2 because you can bury 320 grit sanding scratches... I hate sanding.

If the clear anodizing or powder coat was left on it prior to painting, not very. Stuff doesn't give the primer a rough enough surface to get a good bite. The brush painted switch boxes on my motorcycle were peeling within a couple months... Sanded off the paint and the clear coating (factory mystery clear) and repainted. Paint has adhered well since 2003. Alkyd enamel.

Mine is easy, I don't shave, don't get haircuts and have a 49 truck that hasn't had a bath since the mid-90s. I think we're both well past the "scruffy" looking stage... more Grizzly Adams with Fred Sanford's old beater truck.

53-85 high sides are pretty much the same. You can always cut down a later box to fit your wheel base. Biggest difference old versus older is smooth tail gate or embossed tail gate. If your letters are good any metal shop can graft them into a newer tailgate.

Sorry to hear about your Dad. Nice work so far. My Dad isn't a gearhead (at all) so I have HIS Dad's 49 truck here at my place in TN. One of my nieces (my brother and his wife had triplet girls) is already turning into a gearhead in the making (she'll be 2 in December). I guess I know who'll be getting my grandfather's old farm truck...

Nose cone Shovel is a fair trade for the car. Flat side Shovel he'd better pony up the car and some cash. Resale on that car around here would maybe be in the $4-4.5K range. A nose cone Shovel $3.5-4K. A Flatside Shovel $6-8K. You can unload a Harley any day of the week around here. Finding new homes for pre- muscle car Mopars is next to impossible.

Used motor oil is still the industry standard for working low boy and step deck equipment haulers. Cheap, long lasting, soaks in really well. Retreat as needed to cover gouges, scratches and dents. A working Pilot House? Guess I'm not so strange after all...

What tail lights are those? They look a whole lot nicer than most other off the shelf choices.

Mounts in my truck are silver. Mounts on the donor engine/trans are silver. Frame is black (what you can see through ancient cow manure residue). Book says the handle should be red, have only ever seen black in 50-71 trucks. Including the 58 D300 I used to have, the 60 D100 Grandpa used to have, the 69 D100 I have and the 70 D100 shorty a good friend has. Plus the dozens I've looked at as parts trucks over the years.

Just went outside and checked on my original hood 49. Handles are like the first one you show, flattened and flared.

The original chains are still on mine and where they haven't rusted up is the dull old lead gray of well aged cadmium. They'll be replaced with stainless steel as I only plan to resto-mod the truck once.

The frame rail width on the trucks is 1/16" narrower than a stock C4 Corvette... shim stock is your friend... I only know because I used to work around the corner from Art Morrison Chassis, have known that shop for years. Specs came from them in 2010, was going to go that route on my 49 and decided it was too expensive. 48-52 Ford F1 is very close, but not close enough for a direct swap. My uncle has one, we measured them against each other. 47-55.5 Chevy or GM ain't even close. Measured them side by side at the neighbor's house. Ranger rear axle can be grafted on. Either replace the spring perches or swap your factory springs and mounts inboard, side to side. You'll need to mod your center cross member and relocate the fuel tank. Square nose Ranger 5 speed can replace the stock trans, the how-to is somewhere on the car forum. If you use the trans and rear end from a 108" Ranger the driveshaft MIGHT work. From a 114" forget it. I have both wheel base Rangers at my house, the 114" is my parts donor.

Helped a former neighbor one time with a lace job. Only ran roughly 12 psi. Came out alright but what a nightmare to clear. That Fleetline is actually a really good starting point. Lace on the roof and decklid, other patterns on other panels is very traditional for lowrider "bombers" done in the 70s and early 80s. If he was working on a period piece, he's over 1/3 of the way there with the paint. The bland interior.... not so much, but it is fixable. $10,500... he'll be close if not right on. High demand car in certain circles.

Chrome or just functional? If you just want functional, any junkyard has them on cop cars and taxis. If you want chrome and functional, there are dozens of ways to get them. Easiest is to go to www.unityusa.com, they've been around the longest. Get the kit for 6v universal or adapt one for a same era Chevy. Second easiest? Find a junkyard with older Peterbilts and Freightliners... 12v units, usually chrome, several sizes available. If you want looks but don't care if they work, look up Night Prowlers, hot rod supply. Good people, good products, great to deal with. I know they have dummy Appletons, don't remember if they carry real ones or not. They are also THE place for wheel covers, knobs, etc...

Believe me, if mine was that clean I wouldn't care if it was "right" or not. But since mine is an old farm truck turned traditional low low project, still in patina and primer... if some e-pay dealer is going to list it as he did, he's gonna get slammed. Methinks he watches far too much Barret-Jackson... or Mecum. On their best day, Pilot Houses are worth a fraction of same era Fomoco or General Mistake Corporotten products. That one needs the asking price put back into it just to make the judging field. Things have come a long way the last 20+ years...

Rat rod parts? Junkyards still cough out the occasional gem. So do older farms. Only hot rod stuff I've checked is links from both sides of this forum (truck and car). Tends to be a bit more hop up going on in the car section. All the strange stuff for mine I've either made or was done when my uncle started lightly modding it in the late 50s.