Jeff Balazs

Hey Rod; I don't see why you couldn't just disconnect the linkage. I have a factory 4 on the floor in my '52 and like it a lot. Jeff

Well now there you go Don.....just keep the trunk full. It's funny Dave......but just looking around the shop and warehouse I probably have almost every thing I would need to run on wood. What I don't have I can get from the plumber next door and the A/C shop about a hundred feet away. Wood is definitely no problem. I will just have to get motivated. My brother-in-law has been holding on to a utility trailer made from a pilothouse bed for me the last couple of years. I had thought about either making it into a camping trailer or a BBQ.....but a self contained gas plant is always another possibility. I wonder how far I could get on a bed full of wood chunks? Jeff

Don; There is always the option of adding a wood fire gas conversion.......at least for us truck owners. I have even seen this done on motorcycles that were equipped with a side car. I doubt the old flathead would mind that much. Jeff

Tim; I don't know about that word....but I agree with the gist. I think it all boils down to a better design to begin with. Better visibilty....comfort....steering and suspension to name a few. And let's not forget little stuff like the gas tank location. I know when Al and I were looking at all this that he was really focused on all the stuff that I had left pretty much as built and how well it worked. I know he has put a lot of work and effort into his truck and it was coming up short in a lot of areas that really count. I think most of that is down to differences in the original designs. Some designs just work better than others. It will be interesting to do a closer comparison when we get together in a few weeks. His truck will have the edge in the power dept.......but I can't imagine it is going to be all that usable. He has already told me that the brakes appear to work better in mine and that he only gets about 10 mpg. I am certain I can help him get his cab quieted down but I wonder how much of it is coming from the engine compartment? I didn't have to fight the battle against a noisy engine and exhaust system. He has never even bothered with a sound system as the cab noise is too high. I hate to say it but quite often when something gets over modified it get's ruined for anything other than short drives. Hopefully most of what he has done so far can be salvaged so that his truck will be fairly comfortable on longer trips. I know that is what he wants. Jeff.

If you have a B&B carb you might want to check to see if the step up circuit and components are functioning properly. If the step up piston is stuck in the up position or not getting vacuum then it would cause the rich mixture. Hope this helps, Jeff

I will "sort of" agree with you that they are not as easy to get certain parts for as a Chevy of the same period. That shouldn't be confused with an honest assessment of features and characteristics that set them apart from each other though. If as an example one truck clearly has better driver comfort and visibility over the other then that has nothing to do with finding parts. It is just a better design. For the most part I was able to recondition almost all of the parts on my truck for reuse. The overall factory build quality was very impressive. Now my truck had spent a fair amount of it's life here in Southern California so it had not succumbed to killer rust and rot that many of you have had to deal with. But almost everything that was there was reusable or could be reconditioned. And normal wear parts that you would expect to replace are not all that hard to get. That speaks a lot for the longevity of the original design and build. I have made several modifications as I have brought this truck back to life. But they have all been made with an eye towards keeping as much of the original design intact while enhancing it for daily use today. Some of this work probably took more effort than it would have on a Chevy truck of the same period. We all know that there isn't a bunch of prepackaged kits out there for our trucks. None of what I have done was all that difficult......it just requires a bit more thought and planning than just opening up a catalog. To be honest I have enjoyed the challenge and would do it all again. The end result has been well worth the bit of extra thought I had to put into the build. Jeff

James; Sorry to hear this. Your car is a real beauty though......fwiw: you deserve to have it back on the road. Jeff

I suppose it sort of does. And no he did not drive the truck. He is recovering from shoulder surgery and since we had just met I didn't offer him the wheel. I do think though that his comments were genuine and I could tell by his reactions that he was very favorably impressed. Is he going to get rid of his Chevy and get an old Dodge ? Probably not ....but I could see that he had a pretty keen eye for old trucks and liked this one a lot. Jeff

Yesterday an old friend of mine brought a visitor by to checkout my truck. We had a great visit and hit it off immediately. Besides old trucks and woodworking we are both into old off road bikes. So lots to talk about. Al has had a 53 Chevy 1/2 ton for quite a while. He has put a ton of work and money into the drive train and suspension on it. Finish level though is rat rod. It is his daily driver. His comments to me about the differences between these trucks were quite interesting. Almost the first words out of his mouth was how much more spacious the Dodge cab felt compared to his Chevy. When we went for a ride he was really impressed with the stock ride quality and steering. He has a built 350 in his truck so he is used to more than enough power.... but he was completely blown away by the smoothness and grunt of the old flathead. We are in the middle of a heatwave here so it was quite warm. He was more than just a little bit impressed by the cab ventilation and how much cooler it was in my Dodge than it would be in his Chevy. I think what really got to him though was how quiet I have been able to get my cab. And how much more comfortable the stock seating was compared to his. He kept shaking his head and grinning. We spent quite a bit of time checking that out and talking about a fix for his. I explained that I had gone totally overboard on insulation etc...and that he could probably get similar results if he were to do the same. I don't think he was completely convinced but at least now he has some ideas about what he might try. He sure took a lot of pictures of the interior and insulation details. All in all I think he was being very candid in his comments. I know he left a bit shaken by this experience. He kept saying " I had no idea how nice these truck were" & "Man Dodge really got these trucks right didn't they?". Honestly it didn't make me feel real good. Al is a super nice fellow and someone I hope to know for a long time. We are going to get together and go for a ride in his truck soon. I suppose I will find out then if the difference is really all that great. Jeff

That would sure do it! And it is well hidden. Bravo to you for tracking it down. Jeff

Hey Hank; It isn't too late for you........based on what I see daily at least half the truckers around here are just starting to learn. At least you speak English....... Jeff

Hey Mike; Don't sweat it......it is a pretty logical progression. Do what you know needs doing while the body is off. It ain't a race. Take your time....do it right....you will be happier with it when it is done and you know it is safe and sound. Jeff

Couldn't you find a Dana 44 with the correct lug pattern? If so you might get one with a 3.55 or even a 3.23 ratio. Much simpler than swapping in a different tranny to the fluid drive bell housing. I would think that the larger engine mated to a fluid drive 4 speed would do pretty much all you would ever want it to. I sure like my FD. Just an idea. Jeff

I have many reasons for resurrecting my old truck. First I have always wanted a vintage truck. For me the utility of a truck has always made the most sense. I love the old ways and the fact that it was built to last. This is in a large part missing from our society today. The old ways are in my blood and I earn my living building things that will easily outlast my customers grand kids. I despise the throw away mentality that is so prevalent now. I have done it because I could ....... and it makes a point about building something to last. Good bones are still good bones. Why not take something off the scrap heap and make it useful again? Better it serves it's intended purpose than to be shipped to china and be made into a Walmart type appliance that breaks in a year and winds up in a landfill or worse. It makes me ill to think of our resources natural and man made being wasted in this fashion. I am not telling any of you something you don't already know......after all we are the ultimate recyclers as we build and drive these old cars. This is especially true for us Mopar owners. Yes it makes me smile and reminds me of the good old days. There is no getting past that. And it is a wonderful feeling to know that I will be able to keep it on the road forever. Or at least as long as I last. But it is even better because I know I brought it back to life. It is just basic transportation and that is what makes these old trucks so cool. Nothing to distract you or insulate you from your journey. No AC...no power windows....no cruise control or driver assists....and no computer talking at you. Just the road....the truck and me. Every drive is going to feel like an adventure and that is the way it should be. If it breaks I will fix it and if I have to stop and stretch my legs so be it. Will it take a bit longer to get where I am going? Yup....and so what? Do I care if some other driver blasts past me or gets where they are going in more comfort? Not at all...Go for it! There is a bigger picture to see when we quit rushing about. Driving and maintaining an old vehicle like this helps keep our eyes open. Jeff

Rod; Glad to hear the damage was minimal. It could have got ugly. You can find good quality SS cotter pins at a well stocked marine hardware store. They are quite a bit tougher than most of the stuff out there these days. Jeff

Very.....very nice. Love the backdrop. Jeff

wow! You got really lucky. Nice save. I am sure there will be people who disagree but this nut might be a good place to use a drop of Loctite. Jeff

Paul; I found remnants of seam sealer like that in my cab. Evidence of floor repairs too. I think this is fairly common......once the seals and window gaskets fail water enters and gets under the floor mat and we all know what happens then. This is not all that easy to prevent so when you get to that stage pay close attention to getting this properly dealt with. I have been working on this aspect of my truck for quite a while and am down to one small leak on the drivers door seal. I won't stop trying stuff until I get the cab completely water tight. Vintage Power Wagons is going to be a very good source for you with that engine and distributor. They are very knowledgeable and quite helpful too. I have a later 230 in my 3/4 ton and it has plenty of grunt. Have fun.....Jeff

Yes he does. What I would like to see is a new series of Ram Truck TV commercials with Sam Elliot doing a reenactment of old Wise Way Tu. That would be sure to get everyone's attention. Jeff

Paul; It will take you a while to fully assess what you have and what all you need to do. Bringing something like this back to life can be quite involved. And you are the only one who can determine how far you want to take all this. If your inclination is to build a reliable and fairly original example and you have adequate work space then I would suggest you remove all the body components to fully expose the rolling chassis. This will give much better access to the mechanical workings while you continue to assess or hunt down replacements. For the most part all the body parts can be had but this is not like doing a chevy that you would be able to get anything as a repop. Finding a replacement cab could be a good solution but once you get the truck stripped down you would be much better equipped to make that decision. As some have already said almost anything can be fixed. The only thing I can add is that you are the one who has to determine how much work and money you want to put into this. Having it all apart and easily examined will make these decisions much simpler. Jeff

Yes I saw this but that does not mean that the line is absolutely clear and clean of debris when fuel attempts to flow in the correct direction. All it would take is a few loose chips of debris that pack up against a rough spot in the line to create a blockage. Callahat should make certain that the fuel can actually flow all the way to the pump. One way to isolate the problem would be to try and run it off a temporary fuel supply......if that goes off without issue than you would know that either the fuel line or the tank is the culprit. Jeff

One thing that has not been discussed here is the internal condition of the metal fuel line. When I tore the one out of my truck which had been sitting for many years it was full of scale chips and rust particles. I could easily see how this could pack up into a bend or fitting and either completely block flow or severely restrict it.. It you were to put air pressure on it from the pump side it might push it back into the tank...... or it could just move it back some only to have it stop up in the same spot again. Maybe act kinda like a check valve? Jeff

Actually most diaphragm type pumps do not have a problem moving air ....... you just can't run on it. I suggest you have a blockage between the tank and the pump. Jeff

Ok.....Ok. Wontons then?

Coatney Don; Gracious Salutations! Number one brother ....Scru Yu Tu already make copy of this device. Have Grandfathers' Yankee screw driver with wooden handle at home. Order two get egg roll. Grandfather say " Wise man never use Yankee screw driver on car or truck when in hurry....one slip......make big mess"