Scruffy49

My truck's stock springs sag so much from 25 years of cattle and firewood that to actually use it again I'll probably need overloads. Although I do have other trucks for heavy work... 69 D100 with 2000# overloads and cattle racks being the big guy right now. C60 if I really need to move something monstrous. Mine on 15s sits a lot lower than it did on 16s.

If you're going V8 look for a rear axle out of a late model V8 Jeep or one with a HO 6 cylinder. You can run a V8 in front of a 40s rear end but you might have some durability issues. Car third member will bolt right in to a same era 1/2 ton truck housing if the axle shaft spline counts are the same. Been there, broke that (built 340 in a friend's 49 biz coupe). If you can find a copy of Tex Smith's "How to Built Hot Rod Trucks", buy it. Walks you through an IFS/V8 all Mopar swap in a Pilot House. Been out of print for awhile, happy hunting. Even the rear axle is a straight swap, think the donor car is a Mirada. And nets you leather bucket seats to boot. Haven't seen my copy in years, fell apart, put in 3-ring binders a couple moves ago (one cross country).

Most of us are in your same boat, small shop and tight funds. It can be done, just keep it as a fun project and eventually you'll go out to spin wrenches and end up turning a key instead. Took a full year to cram a 455 in my friend's 40 Pontiac... and 4 more to get the car on the road. Don't sweat a few "purists" telling you not to do what you want with your car. The first time a belt was changed it lost its "stock" status. And it isn't a rare muscle car, so there isn't really an "investment" being "ruined". I'd swap the 413/727 out of my antique motor home into my 69 D100 in a heart beat and put the 69's 318/727 in my 49 truck, but I'm entirely too lazy to do so. Plus my 230 will get better mileage than the 318 could ever dream of (318 averages 9mpg on a great day). Have to factor that in since mine will be a mostly farmer's market truck if I ever get it done.

The supposed lack of interest is a lack of aftermarket support. If they can't get parts at Pep Boys or O'Rielly's (since Checker, Schucks, Kragen is gone) they don't want it. Or they want one with a 350/350 so they can "get parts anywhere". Even though 90% or better never see the road except on a trailer. You can't GIVE a stock Mopar away down here. I could have picked up a nice wrecked but fixable 49 Dodge BC in Memphis for less than the 35 mile tow bill to get it home. All there but the glass. But the wife said I have too many projects already. And she's right (4 motorcycles, 6 trucks, 2 cars, 4 boats, old tractors, vintage semi trailer)... Even Ford and Chevy, unless they are coupes or pre-72 trucks, aren't worth the gas to haul them for scrap here. Was offered a cherry 58 Chev 2 door with a blown 348, not worth the effort to drag it home, don't like GM products, no market for it (no lowrider community here)... I'd give the Packard guy about 10% of his asking, just to grab a few parts I like. Even on the west coast, less than primo old Fords aren't going for much. My running driving original engine V8-60 powered no paint no glass 32 Vicky isn't worth anything. So I left it there when we moved. Fickle market, down here I can still buy 60's Ford trucks all day long, running, for under $500. Dodges for a lot less.

It's a T308 or likely a T306... I have a factory P15 engine block that is mis-stamped to where it looks like PI (eye)5... Not uncommon. The 230 donor from a 57 Savoy has a seriously strange code stamped in it. Probably from a rebuilder plant. Not sure the displacement of the engine but if it helps T306 is 51-53 1/2 ton engine, T308 is a same years 3/4 ton engine. Both sizes were available in all 3 years. Per Donn Bunn truck book.

Really clean bumper rework. Need to do that to mine, Grandpa's angle iron and welded on ball hitch is some kind of ugly. And in the way. Tread width difference? Just run a set of big and littles, I'm probably going with 215-75 on the front and 235-75 on the rear of mine until I settle on which rims to use. Might just swap the LT235/75-15s on L'il Red Express rims from the Sweptline to the PH and the PH 15" white Ramcharger wheels to the Swepty. I've always thought trucks needed bigger rear tires to look right. The stock 600-16s on mine look goofy, too skinny. And won't fit if I swap a Ranger rear end in (already have the rear end, a driveshaft, a 5 spd, seats, seatbelts etc from a junk farm truck). Ranger rear ends are rather narrow, but with the right offset wheels open up some neat choices of wheel/tire.

I'd drop the rear end and drive it for awhile to see if that will fit in with how you use the truck. Especially if you live on a rough road. Lowered trucks quite often ride as bad as lifted one ton 4x4s. Figure out if it will work before you get too far into any other phase, you may need to go back to stock. If you only pull a couple leaves out the stock shocks will work for the drop. So you only have to buy one set instead of a short and then stock if you need to go back. After that, whatever seems to need attention first.

Cool! Ford solenoid it is. Smooth case starter.

I won't even bother a tire shop with mine. For some reason my rear axle shafts got swapped side for side... So I have pass front normal, pass rear reverse, driver rear normal, driver front reverse. I wish my Grandpa was still around to ask him why it was taken apart and put back together wrong.

Jack 3 in the photos is what came in my 49. Which I inherited from the original owner (my grandfather). My 69 D100 has the same jack but with a closed base where the 49 has an open bottom base plate.

How do you wire it in? I've got a 49 with a 48 P15 engine, running the truck starter. My replacement engine is a 57 230 and it looks like I'll need to run the car style starter. Ford solenoid? Sweptline relay? Haven't found out yet how to wire it up when I get around to swapping engines (soon, started the 2 tone primer respray yesterday).

5 gallon gas can of low grade shine shut down our local fuel thief. Went and got the can back and told him next time he's getting buried. 54 acres and a backhoe... haven't seen him in months. Most likely your fuel pump. The one on my 318 powered 69 D100 is only good for about 5k miles and modern fuel has eaten it. Need to swap it out again, thanks for the reminder. It's donating its 1979 L'il Red Express wheels to my 49 B1 project. And getting the 49's current 78 Ramcharger wheels.

The 10 bolts in the refrigerator box C10s were on leaf springs, trailing arm and coil went away in 72. You'd have had to get the 10 bolt narrowed. When I swap a later rear into mine I'll need a new drive shaft made, mine has the funky u-joints. With any luck, Ranger rear axle/brakes, Ranger 5 speed, shortened Ranger driveshaft (114"wb donor truck). Best bet is a C4 Corvette IRS, only have to add 1/32" shim plates to each side of the frame to get the right width. But, you'd drop the truck by a lot of altitude...

Every possible fastener I can replace with the right grade of stainless steel is getting replaced with stainless steel. The stuff that needs a better quality (or just a more interesting look) will be marine grade high strength silicon bronze. Only hard ones to find so far have been the acme thread fasteners for the floor pans, hood and radiator cover. I'll see about getting some spun up for me at a local trade school machining course. No local bolt houses can even order acme threads anymore, kinda strange, since every semi on the road has them from the factory (brake can caging bolts). Next time I feel the need to dismantle my truck I shouldn't have anywhere near the problems. Even head bolts can be ordered in stainless...

73-87 2wd Chevy 1/2 ton pickups. 5 on 5 with front discs and rear drums stock, rear disc kits readily available. And dirt cheap. Unlike late model Jeep stuff (at least around here). And the gear ratios are all over the place, my father in law's 85 4.3L/TH350 has a 2 something ratio. Decent fuel economy, great highway manners, but takes off from the line like an anemic turtle. Rangers mostly had 5 on 4.5, same as PH 1/2 tons. Maybe the post-97s had the larger pattern, not sure since mine are a 92 and a 94. 92 is a parts junker for the 49 Dodge and the other Ranger.

Looks like a first generation Exploder 8 inch. Which looked a lot like a Fairmont (V8 model) 8 inch. Which was the same as a Fox body 5.0 8 inch. Although dollars to donuts it is a smallblock 70s Ranchero unit. The big block cars got 9 inch rears. Had an underslung 8 inch out of a 1971 302 Ranchero for my truck, had to leave it when we moved. Get the numbers off the chunk and swing by your local stealership parts dept. They'll run it and tell you what it came out of. No sense guessing, takes them a couple minutes to tell you what you have. If they could figure out the Argentine-built, full floater, 5 lug Dana 44 in my USA built, Canadian engined, special order 1977 F100 (with a C5 automatic)... a belly button 8 incher isn't a problem.

They look newer than the tires on my truck, a mix of Allstate and Pacific Rubber 600-16. Been on there since sometime prior to 1974. And still hold air for months at a time. Last driven on the road in 1994 (on 1974 tags). Seriously deformed after sitting 20 years, wouldn't use them for anything now.

Yeah, but that truck had a cream color break. I've seen it, used to spend a ton of time in the Spokane Valley when I had Harleys 20 years ago.

Don't need it. Lots of old flatheads in tractors, forklifts, irrigation pumps, etc do just fine on big rig oils. They have enough zinc and phosphorus to keep the cam alive. Even the 50 year old air cooled Briggs engine on my pecan cleaner runs Delo or Rotella. Can't see buying an additive package that heavy duty on road engine oils already contain. Fuzzy dice? Really? You can still find them that don't fall apart the first time it gets hot in the vehicle?

If they were like the trucks it was a black pasteboard box that fit in the lip around the inside of the opening (sort of). And was really good at growing white mold/mildew in high humidity (like after a rain or everyday in Dixie). About 8" deep at the top, 10" at the rear. No real support under it. Cut one out of a dollar store waste basket, paint it matte black if you want it to look "correct" (sort of). I'm making one for my truck out of locally sourced hardwoods. Since I have 54 acres of mostly mixed hardwood and pecan jungle...

Wouldn't a real Spring Special have the roof the same color as the rest? And I could have sworn they weren't available until the 51 up series... The builder did make a really nice start on his clone though.

The broken one on my 230 operates the choke, hot air port. I'll need to pop a couple patterns off of it, planning to run a set of tube headers until I can buy a fancy manifold for it. I'll get the hardware soaking with PB and see if I can get it broken loose. Same with the 218 manifold for Scotty, needs to be soaked, some of the nuts don't want to break loose. Haven't forgotten, just having issues getting it pulled. Hasn't been apart in decades.

As long as the can was closed the fluid can only absorb what was in the airspace to start with. I opened a can from the 60s the other day and it was still a nice color. I would use it in my 69 D100 that doesn't leave the farm without giving it a second thought. My really old truck will get all new brake parts and DOT 5 fluid. And all stainless lines, including the flex hoses. The fluid type/age is irrelevant as long as it is clean and the system is in good order.

My 49 has purple tinted laminated glass rear, clear door glass (has been broken since at least early 1974 and hasn't fallen apart), and clear laminated windshield glass. According to the old History and Restoration book, safety glass has been in the trucks since the 30s. Doesn't say what brand though.

Belongs to my 86 year old father in law. When he goes, so does that truck. And the C60 he has in the orchard. I won't even use them as stabilizers in a wash out below the pond. Trying to con my wife into swapping my 69 D100's running gear (318/727/ 8.75 with 3.55s) into the PH. Swap the motorhome engine and trans (413-3/727) into the D100 with a set of 4x axles and divorced NP205 transfer case. I don't even like Mopar LA small blocks with their stupid Chevy style firewall end distributors.