bkahler

Today was a good day I received the Exhaust System from DCM Classics and I now have a newly mixed gallon of paint to respray all of the exterior sheet metal and cab exterior. It looks like I'm starting to run out of excuses for not getting the truck finished

We have a MATCH The painter took one of my green panels to the paint store and the owner spent some time mixing and matching and low and behold I now have paint to perform a respray that should look pretty good. The new paint is dabbed on just above the small dent in the center of the picture. The dab is about the size of a finger tip. It's a close enough match that I couldn't find it when I was given the panel and told to find it! I ended up buying a gallon plus two spray cans filled with the paint for future use. Is it going to be a perfect match? Probably not but it sure looks close enough that I don't think I'll have anything to complain about. Jim, thanks for the assistance in being able to move forward with this task

Exhaust system arrived today One thing I've never been disappointed about with DCM Classis's is how well the pack shipments. Amazon could learn a whole lot from them! Overall I'm very happy with the parts supplied. There was one detail that apparently got overlooked and that was adding the flanges to the top of the down pipes. The idea was I would be able to bolt the down pipe flanges to the exhaust manifolds and the pipes would hang in place and I would be able to move them around side to side for best fit. I would then weld them in place when I was happy with the installation. Fortunately it shouldn't be too difficult to have a local shop flange the pipes for me. With luck I'll be able to start the install this weekend. Here's hoping......

I took a closer look at the two different style of hubcaps that I have. The one in the top picture definitely has a stainless outer cover that is crimped around a steel band. The one in the bottom picture is definitely chromed steel crimped around a steel band. Both seemed to be made basically the same but the chromed one is definitely a much thinner skin that the stainless. What strikes me as odd is the bullseye stamping on the stainless cover does not show through on the back side. However just the opposite is the case for the chromed hubcap. The stamping is readily apparent on the backside. The stainless hubcap is close to twice as heavy compared to the chrome hubcap. They both have the same bullseye design although if you look really close you can see some very minor differences, but you have to look real close. So the question I have is were the chromed and stainless hubcaps used interchangeably through the years or did one come before the other? What I'm seeing with my hubcaps seems to contradict what you're seeing. The 53 hubcap you linked to is definitely different in style and design from the 48-52 hubcaps. How many years did it take you to find enough hubcaps?! That's generally how I look for things on ebay as well. Generally done while sitting and watching something on the TV that I'm bored with.

Did your single piece hubcaps come with your truck? In my searches I've been finding a LOT more two piece that one piece caps. Are yours chrome or stainless? I'm going to have to look closer at the one I'm calling a single piece to see if it actually is one piece or two. Whatever it is it's a lot lighter than the others.

Question. Are the skins or outer covers chrome or stainless?

That's what the PO did. It wasn't a pretty sight.

I ended up buying the entire exhaust system from DCM. The "kit" will come with two exhaust down pipes with flanges, a custom made Y pipe, muffler and tail pipe. The kit is more or less the 2" standard kit that he sells with the addition of the Y pipe and the additional front down pipe with flange. The two down pipes won't be welded to the flanges but will be flared so the pipe can't be pulled from the flange. Once everything is installed I will weld the pipes to the flanges. Also, typically the original down pipe has a bend that kicks it slightly towards the right frame rail, this bend is being eliminated. The plan is for me to install the two down pipes and arrange them so the run parallel to each other. If they need slight bends in them I'll figure out what's needed and have a local shop make the needed bends. I guess the bottom line is I've purchased a kit that will need some tweaking to make everything fit together It's already been shipped so my guess is I'll have the parts in hand later this week. I'll post pictures on my build thread as the exhaust system installation progresses. Brad

My 51 was originally a 3-speed on the column but some PO had previously converted it to 4-speed. The major thing I had to deal with after the conversion was the sheet metal floor pan that covers the transmission is different for the column shift so you would need to find a replacement panel that has the opening for the shifter tower.

I just saw that. $320 for four from DCM, Roberts is more. Kinda pricey but could be better than the alternative especially if the alternatives are all rusty. I like the bulls eye style of the 48-52 caps. The one piece design cap that I have is definitely lighter than the two piece design. I think several of mine also have the rust issue, one for sure has a nice rust through stretch as if it sat on wheel in the same position for years collecting water inside. I know people that have made clocks out of hubcaps but I don't think I could bring myself to drilling a hole in it ?

Years ago I collected some hub caps that I assumed would be correct for my truck (51 B3B). They've been tucked away in a box until recently when I figured it's time to take a gander at what I had. What I've come to realize is I have two different styles of hub caps. The first one, which I have the most of, seems to be a two piece design. The other one seems to be a one piece design and you can see the imprint of the emblem on the backside. So which one of these would be correct for a 51, or does it matter? From the face there are fairly slight differences but if you look close you can see them. The ones with the double wall are definitely heavier but unfortunately they would be pretty much impossible to fix because you can't really remove any dings or imperfections due to the outer skin being hidden. Anyway, which one fits what year? Thanks! Brad

Meant to post these earlier but got side tracked with some snow

Flat beds make great work benches! I have a small Cushman Truckster with a 6' bed that I use for a mobile work bench. Sadly there are times my shop is so full of junk the Cushman is the only available work space

The painter has found someone in Moorehead Ky that thinks they can match the paint. He's going to head over there mid week so maybe by the end of next week I'll have some paint. Thanks again!! Stay tuned..... Brad

They used to buy lots of NOS military surplus so I'm betting it is NOS.

I think the saying "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later" kind of applies here. The sad part is paying later usually means you pay more.

I don't know if this is the same one that I bought but it's listed as a High volume oil pump. The M-37 seems to be advertised as a stock flow / stock pressure pump. Maybe that means the VPW pump is not from Melling.

Pulling the pan is the smart thing to do. A small hidden stress crack on the cam would be a disaster waiting for the most inopportune time to present itself.

Wow Where did you get the oil pump? I've rebuilt probably a dozen engines over the years and never had anything like that happen. You might check with Vintage Power Wagons for replacement parts. I bought my pump and camshaft from them and if I remember right the pump was called a high volume pump. Bought probably 22 years ago. I sincerely hope that's all the damage you find.

Good idea about getting some of it in spray cans. Worth the extra money even if they sit on the shelf and never get used.

There are advantages to living in large population areas. I don't believe there are any automotive paint stores in Richmond. The closest one that I know of that actually mixes paint is about 35 miles away. The SW is about the same distance and they basically said can't do it. Knowing that it is possible just means we need to dig deeper Thanks for the offer. Nothing will happen this week/weekend as we're in the middle of a blizzard and I have a hunch things will be shutdown through the weekend. Thanks!

Jim, what you've just stated is what I assumed was possible and had heard was possible but couldn't find anyone to tell me they could do it! Thank you for information. I will pass this on to the painter and will likely end up going to the paint store(s) with him. One question, I assume any brand i.e. PPG, SW, etc. should be able to do this, correct? Thank you again! Brad

Interesting thought that I don't think we've considered. I'll pass this on to the painter. Thanks for the idea and number.

Yep, Midwest Military. All seven pieces came to $243 delivered in 2019. I'm sure prices are a lot higher now due to shipping costs.

Part of the problem is Sherwin Williams says they can't cross reference the paint code that was marked on their own can from 2000. They say it's not in their system anymore. It seems that without a paint code none of the stores know how to color match the paint. I think we just need to find the right person to talk to at a good paint store. Until that happens I'm in limbo. I have plenty of big panels they can use as a sample. Finding someone that can do it is the issue I'm dealing with. I suppose if I was in the heart of Los Angeles or Phoenix where there is a custom paint store on every corner it might be easier. I may end up taking a couple of days off and driving up to Cincinnati or down to Knoxville to see what I can find. I don't give up easily and this search isn't over yet