Jeff Balazs

The reason I brought it up was to put some emphasis on how important it is to look at what it is we build with a realistic point of view. The world is full of projects that don't get driven much. That is OK I suppose if that is what you are after........but there are steps you can take to make these trucks very functional. It is all in how you chose to look at it. Jeff

There are so many ways to look at this situation. I suppose a lot depends on how you intend to use the truck and the tools and resources you have available to you. When I started my build I did so with the idea of keeping it 100% original. I even bought all new brake parts and 90% assembled the braking system. Then reality (at least mine) set in. From the very beginning I wanted this truck to be a daily driver. That meant it had to keep up with relatively high speed traffic and it had to stop pretty much like all the modern vehicles around me. If not it simply would not make any sense to continue building it. I just could not see putting something like this together that I would not be totally comfortable driving all the time in any sort of traffic. As I re-evaluated my build ideas It became apparent that I would need to do something about the gearing. Pretty quickly it was obvious that swapping in an axle out of a late model Cherokee with a better ratio for todays traffic was going to be the easiest fix for the gearing. As I started looking into this I found a 2002 Grand Cherokee axle with 3.55 gearing....and 12" discs. Little more digging and the rusty hope disc kit combined with a Cherokee M/C and two major items were taken care of. And a huge side benefit to doing this is I am not going to need any "unobtainium" in the future to keep this truck on the road. Had the wheels off at around 20.000 miles and the pads and discs show very little sign of wear. So after 4 years on the road zero maintenance or adjustments....and stops like a modern vehicle. Another way to look at all this....fwiw. Jeff

So here is a photo of my buddy Mike Kennedy's FI Hemi T-bucket. And yes it not only runs but can be driven on the street......thanks to a very trick computer controlled injection and ignition. Super clean build too. Also a photo of some "spare" injection set ups ........wonder how a 3 hole cut down system might work as a side draft on the old Dodge truck? Jeff

Tim..........Chrome? I don't need no stinking chrome. I was looking at the stuff my buddy got yesterday. He has a whole mess of Hilborn injectors. I need to see if 3 of them could be cobbled together as a side draft fuel injection system. Now that would be cool with a nice pair of split headers. Jeff

Right now I am thinking it would be more interesting if it was mounted as a side-draft......? My buddy Mike actually got this for free. His best friend is drag racer Don Enriques who works for Hilborn. It was part of their showroom display. They are moving the operation to Bowling Green Kentucky so lots of stuff like this have found new homes. I will have to post some photos of Mikes Hemi powered T bucket. It is drop dead gorgeous. Jeff

A buddy of mine has been helping Hilborn get ready for their move to Kentucky. This was laying around in the showroom and he picked it up for my truck. Now I just need to find some hardware.........?

A couple of possibilities come to mind. Might want to check the accelerator pump itself to see if the leather is dried out or cracked. While you are at it you might also check the step up circuit to see if it is clean. These are the best suggestions I have not knowing anything about your car. Hth, Jeff

Pretty certain that 1/2 ton - 3/4 ton and 1 ton models all used different spring packs and front axles. As Merle mentioned 3/4 ton trucks (116" wb) had rear shocks as well.......at least up to 1952. I have yet to see a 3/4 ton dually. Not at all certain that was ever offered. But I suppose anything is possible.To make it even more interesting there were some long wheelbase (116") 1/2 ton express trucks built.......not sure what springs etc they had.

Looking real nice! I remember going through this process even though it has been a few years. And you are correct no robots......just hand work. Mine was made extra fun due to the fact it had been T-boned in the drivers door at some point in the distant past. Things were a bit tweaked....but it all worked out. Get it done and enjoy it. You will be amazed by the attention it gets when it is back out on the road. Jeff

As you already know the 4.11 rear axle is the culprit. You would need to do something about that to speed things up. When I decided to put one of these trucks together as a daily driver there were a lot of naysayers. Especially in light of the traffic conditions here in Southern California. And I had a lot of concerns about what the ride quality would be like and how safe it would be in these conditions. I ended up putting a 3.55 Grand Cherokee rear axle with discs in and adding the RH disc kit on the front. Other than that it is relatively stock. I have used it on a daily basis for the past 4 years and it is perfectly functional as a commuter. Definitely not the fastest thing on the road but I manage to keep up. In my opinion these trucks in their stock form are happiest between 40 and 55mph. I have had mine up to around 75 but the aerodynamics and wind noise make a slower cruising speed much more pleasant. Hth, Jeff

X2. First class job.

I really like the original type bench seat in my truck. I had an upholstery guy repair and replace springs as needed. Think he charged around $30 for that and retied them all to boot. I then had him over-stuff it and recover the seat. It was OK with the vinyl cover but when I got a dog I added a homemade cover using horse blankets. From a comfort standpoint it is spot on. Doesn't get all sweaty in the hot weather we have here either. Best of all you don't slide around with the horse blanket cover. It has been just perfect and the springing in it works well in an old work truck. Jeff

I have a large Carter rotory type electric fuel pump on my truck. I also have a Holley fuel pressure regulator set at 3.5 psi. This set up has worked very well on my truck. So far more than 20,000 trouble free miles. Hth, Jeff

It depends on which model distributor you have as to what if any mods were made to install the Pertronix module. I know I had to remove a metal tab on the base plate of mine. Probably the same situation as on Merles truck. Fwiw the Pertronix mod has been totally perfect on my truck. It always starts easily and runs great. And I actually use this truck every day. And have for the last 4 years. One of the side maintenance related benefits of this mod is that the inside of the distributor cap stays nice and clean as opposed to what it will be like with the points back in there. Also the quality of a lot of the replacement points and condenser sets out there is very questionable. Jeff

My truck is a 52 B-3-C with a fluid drive. It has a slightly later (54) 230 in it. The 3.55 works OK with this combo except on steep hills. It could use a few more ponies to be perfect. That is something I will address in the future. But for the most part it works fine. It easily cruises at 65 to 70 mph on the freeways here. If I were located in a more rural environment then I think an axle with a 3.77 ratio would be a better choice Putting 4 wheel discs on this was definitely one of the smartest moves I made during the build. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to use this truck on a daily basis. The entire braking system has performed flawlessly. Zero maintenance too. I won't say it stops just like a state of the art new car.....but it is damn close. And you need that here in heavy SoCal commuter traffic. Hth, Jeff

It is smart to stand back and re-evaluate the situation. Could be one small thing....or a combination of several items. Best advice I can give is to not assume. Start with the basics like fuel delivery, spark and timing. Check it all carefully...take your time and don't make assumptions. Put fresh fuel in it. If you have old gas in it get rid of it. These new fuel formulations do not age well. Once you do get it running decent ...use it. There is a good chance it will run better and better with use. Just so you know I revived the engine in my truck instead of rebuilding it. So lots of unknowns. But it has turned out fine because I was careful at every step. As a matter of fact it has been extremely reliable. And it needs to be as it is my only vehicle. Gets driven daily. Just take your time and don't assume something is ok just because you changed it out recently. Prove it all out and bulletproof it as you go

It is easy to get frustrated by some of this stuff. I know I did. The thing is that these seem so simple on the surface that everything should be easy. But there are many "little things" that can trip you up. I bet I had my carb off at least 6 or 8 times before I got it correct. And it was something small and not readily apparent. Bad step up jet. Changed it out and cleaned everything again and bingo no more problems. Have more than 20,000 miles on it now. Trust me the frustration fades away.......and a day does not go by when I know it was worth all the effort I put into it. Just gotta hang tough. Jeff

Yes. Fuel sits and evaporates. Leaves residue. Once you get everything working correctly I would recommend using MMO in the fuel to help prevent future problems. Has worked weel for my truck. Jeff

I put a Grand Cherokee rear axle in my truck to get a 3.55 and discs. Used a matching GC M/C because I figured it would be the best fit. It has worked perfectly. Makes sense. Jeff

From memory the version in the lower photo looks correct. I ended up ditching the mechanical pump in favor of a large electric rotary type fuel pump. This arrangement eliminates the possibility of fuel dumping into the crankcase if the diaphram ever fails.

Permatex makes products for this.

The rear branch of the intake probably has a tapped fitting on top that you can use for vacuum readings. Vacuum gauges can tell you quite a bit about how your engine is running. 6v or 12v both work fine.....as long as it is all up to snuff. Jeff

I have the Pertronix module and matching 6V coil in my truck. Try setting idle to around 600 rpm and use a vacuum gauge to set timing at the highest reading you can get. Then make very small timing adjustments until you get it to run the best. I probably don't need to tell you but loose or improperly sized wiring can damage these modules. I highly recommend clean terminals and the use of rattle proof type lock washers on the ignition system. Hth, Jeff Oh btw I have over 20K trouble free miles on my truck...so I know this ignition system is good if it is installed properly.

Well there are a few "jobs" on these old trucks that should earn us a "merit badge" when successfully completed. Removing a badly corroded WDT is one and replacing the corner window gaskets by yourself is another. You haven't lived until you've tackled these. Jeff

Yep.....not that bad a job. Much easier than the corner windows with new rubber. ?