Jeff Balazs

Scruffy; That is a 7 1/2' long x 54" wide high side bed off my 3/4 ton as opposed to the straight side narrow bed found on most 1/2 tons. You could probably retrofit some easily enough if you can find them.......just need to notch out the boards. I know these came in 7 1/2' and 9' lengths but I do not know if they made a 6 1/2' long version. Jeff

Hank; I know right? I am hoping it's nothing a few years of daily use won't tone down some. Jeff

Did not have an entire day to devote to this........but I got a start on putting the bed back together. Also took pictures of the SS exhaust system that my buddy Jon installed for me last week. I am pretty happy with these items. Can't wait to put it all back together. Jeff

Welcome to the group. I looked real hard at a local '57 with a factory V8 and a 9' high side express bed before opting for my 52. I knew at the time it was not a common sighting.....and the engine ran. But there was just too much wrong with it. Extensive cancer, a curiously locked up rear end and a seller that was too anxious ended up putting me off. But if our earlier Pilothouse trucks are not all that common in the vintage truck scene.........you hardly ever see a '57. A very rare bird indeed. The correct puller is a must. If yours are really stubborn try applying heat instead of beating on it too much. Works like a charm and less chance of damage to the axle internals. Jeff

Hey Paul; You almost can't be too careful at this stage. All the suggestions here have been good. Things like linkage-brakes- suspension and major mounting points, etc... all deserve a extra dose of precaution. Double check ............and then check again. Might be helpful to have another set of eyes look things over as well. Sometimes we can overlook the most obvious things that someone else will see right away. Maybe you have a friend or know an experienced mechanic that you can get another perspective from? Be extra careful. Jeff

Thanks Guy's; Jeff Merle; I wish I had a pair of those on a fishing trip I was on about 25 years ago. Would have made the 50 plus mile run back in a heck of a lot more pleasant.

Heck.......I actually wanted to go to the BBQ before all that.

Merle; Thank you. That goes along with what I was thinking. My tendency would be to install that same type of valve there.....as a "just in case" precaution. Much easier to have it and only use it once in a while......than to be stuck on the side of the road wishing it were there. Jeff

Hi Ed; My plan was to use the cable operated one on top of the head as the heater control. I wanted a manual valve at the water pump to be able to isolate the system if there was a leak in the heater circuit. Jeff

Hi Guys; I am adding a heater with fresh air option to my 52 B-3-C and have a question regarding the plumbing set up for the heater. I have installed a cable operated single action (not Y) valve in the port on the head but am not certain which port to use on the water pump. It is the later internal bypass type and has one port on the top of the housing and another on the lower section of the passenger side of the pump housing. I want to install a manual shut off valve in one of these ports.....preferably the port on top.......but am unsure if that location will work correctly. Any insight here will be appreciated. Thanks, Jeff

Good on you Paul; I sure wish I was that far along. Somebody asked me today how it was going. The way things have been around here lately... ...I just want to get in it and go. And not come back! Jeff Have fun and enjoy it......you've earned it.

Hi Joe; I don't know whether you have considered a Cherokee rear axle swap? It might be cheaper and easier than trying to find what you need to repair the stock axle. Lots of different ratios available too. Probably not what you want to hear.......but it is an option. Hope things work out. Jeff

Sometimes repeated applications of heat and penetrating oil will do the job when all else fails. It is worth a try. Jeff

Landon; It isn't any wonder why you fell in love with it. It has buckets of character. Very....very cool. I love old work trucks too. How far should you take things? I think a lot depends on how and where you plan on using it. When I began bringing my 52 back to life I had a notion that I would just clean it up and rebuild things as necessary. But because I intend to use my truck as a daily driver here in a very crowded Southern California "certain realities" set in. Stuff like keeping up with the flow of traffic.....stopping on the proverbial dime........3 point seat belts...etc. You will have to be realistic and assess these sorts of considerations as you move forward too. Paul's suggestions are certainly good things to consider. I took these modifications a step farther and used a later Grand Cherokee rear end to gain 12" disc's at the rear as well as a higher final gear ratio. But these decisions are based on how we think we are going to use our trucks. You will have to decide yourself whether any of this is necessary or desirable. The good news is that none of this has much of an effect on the way your truck will look. Good luck with your project......it's a beauty. Jeff

Landon; Oh man I love that front grill guard! Your truck has a ton of character. Whatever you end up doing it is sure to be a very cool ride. My vote? Do what suits you. Jeff Hank??? You know that gleaming painted frame of yours would show through like crazy.

Paul; A bit of rear end bounce is pretty typical of most older short bed / short wheel base trucks. Adding some weight in back will lessen it. Might effect the gas mileage.....but I don't think adding a couple of hundred pounds is going to have much negative effect on your gas mileage. It was never really a measurable amount on the 3 short bed trucks I have owned. Longer wheelbase trucks like the 3/4 ton (116") seem to generally have a smoother ride - less rear end bounce- especially at speed on a freeway. Can't wait to find out how mine does. Jeff

Oh Man; When I spotted this guy's website over a year ago I thought "that's great.....I can get all new cables and knobs and everything will match and function just fine". I guess now that that was wishful thinking. Really sounds like it couldn't have been be farther off base. I should have known better......like I do now. I have managed to source all the original cables and knobs I needed.......but it would have been nice to be able to get new spares. Sorry guy's. Jeff

Mark; What I was thinking was making use of the extended hood section........and not necessarily the extra wide fender extensions. I don't know how much longer that would make the truck.......but it seems like it would be just enough to tuck the TD in without messing with the firewall. Also the longer hood section would help balance the looks of the extended cab. Just an idea of course ....... from someone who is not partial to the look of extended cab trucks in general. Jeff

Mark; Well it ought to keep you outta mischief for a while. Just a thought but wouldn't it be a lot easier if you started with a heavier truck body? 2.5 ton or larger? Might not have to mess with the firewall at all? Oh yeah........you are a maniac!!!!! Jeff

Dave; You know that is another color range that could look very nice. I have a truckmaster heater that I got from Mark that is a black cherry color. I am going to have to see what it looks like in the cab along with the caramel colored upholstery before I make any decisions here. Don't want to go nuts on the color scheme .....but Argent would not show up too well on the tailgate letters. Thanks, Jeff

Hi Paul; Thank you. I enjoy watching progress on everyones' trucks too. Probably the best part of doing this project has been getting to know folks on this forum. Really a first rate group of people. I know we all have different views of what we want are trucks to look like. The suggestions here have been really helpful. And that has been my experience throughout this project. A little while back someone suggested red wheels. At first I didn't really think about it. But after thinking about it some..... that could look even better than what I had planned. Maybe an orange-red? I think this sort of color would work for the letters on the tailgate too Jeff

Frank; Yes I agree about flat finishes. I ended up using a industrial grade satin black enamel. I doesn't have that powder look and feel like the flat finishes. It is pretty hard stuff too. If you polish it too much it actually goes glossy. I will have to wait and see how well it holds up. For now it has the look of old original paint that has aged a bit and that is what I was trying to achieve. And of course I haven't seen the whole truck assembled yet........ ...... that could easily change my view of this. The nice thing about all these pieces is it is pretty easy to remove and refinish them any way you choose. If I get tired of the look of the grill let's say.......it will be a fairly easy job now to change colors. Jeff

Frank; Thanks for posting these photos. That is a good looking truck ...... but not the look I am after for my more utilitarian needs. I am maintaining the stock ride height & wheels and have a period rear step bumper that was on the truck when I got it. The truck in the photos would not even be able to get in and out of my shop complex without doing serious damage to that low nose section. I am definitely after a setup that is easy to use and maintain as a work truck and daily driver. Jeff

Hi Hank; Honestly my expectations were not very high. I was a little surprised though that there was absolutely nothing. I figured I would at least see some engine parts or maybe some small items. The real reason I mentioned the meet was to put emphasis on how much more difficult it is to build one of our trucks from a spare and repro parts standpoint. Compared to a Chevy of the same period it requires exponentially more effort. And if one is trying to determine a actual monetary value this should certainly be part of the equation. It wasn't a total loss though. I did come across some vendors that have some decent deals on supplies that could be used on any restoration. And I had a real interesting talk with a license plate vendor regarding the 1952 California commercial plate situation. Jeff

Hi Frank; Well I got the bed parts and rear fenders back this week. The doors, etc... are at the painters now. He is picking up the cab on Monday so it shouldn't be long now. Unfortunately my shop is really crowded right now and resulting logistics issues forced me to stow all the body parts away without photos. I am really happy with how it looked though. Very clean but still shows it's age. Probably not a look that would suit everyone......but it works for me. Jeff