wallytoo

adding a pic that shows the knockouts used for a mopar heater (model 61) and fresh air package: if you look closely, you can see one heater mounting stud nut washer, and the attachment that connects the fresh air tube to the firewall. i assure you, the large circle is cut out, not just covered by this fitting. a better pic: and another: the fresh air inlet from the grille view of the fresh air duct and flapper model 61 heater defroster ducts, plenum, and heater flappers defroster plenum workings

noticed on thursday that the master cylinder was leaking a tiny bit, so i placed an order that afternoon with roberts motor parts. the new big-bore (1-1/2”) master cylinder arrived on saturday afternoon, so i installed it this morning. took the truck out on a 30 mile ride today, and the brakes are even better than before. also did two more mini-parades around the lake. same trucks as yesterday for the first trip plus a ‘41 ford COE. then an f-6 fifth-wheel cab and a 70s diamond reo with a detroit joined my dodge and the 1-ton ford on the second trip. all good. the diamond was toting a single axle equipment hauling trailer of appropriate vintage. i do have some pics from the second trip, and i’ll add them to this post soon. here's some photos:

better! i’m color-blind, so faint thin lines don’t appear to me. yes, those knockouts are used for the truckmaster with fresh air option. my ‘48 has both. edit: and to not clutter this thread, i’ll post pics of the knockouts in my intro thread... heater & fresh air package

i only see yellow circles (two).

no difference that i can perceive in stopping or shifts; as quick shifting as ever, and i’ve got excellent brakes.

joined up with some friends yesterday who own more than a dozen 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s trucks. we did a mini-parade around the lake: a ‘48 ford 1.5 ton COE, a ‘50 ford 1 ton flatbed, and my ‘48 b1f. both fords sport the flathead v-8, and i’m happy to say that my 251 runs smoother and better than the v-8s. the coe overheated a bit by boiling off some coolant, and the 1 ton idles pretty roughly. fortunately, i had a gallon of 50/50 coolant behind my seat for the coe. and a chain, because the boilover got the distributor and coil all wet. so i towed it, and after a short pull, it was able to start. we finished the parade with all trucks running fine.

back on the road! took it for a quick spin around town. ran excellent, and i mostly remembered how to split shift the 2-speed. noticeable power increase from the original 237; this 251 is pretty smooth. i'd like to see how it runs with the vacuum advance distributor, so i might work on getting that operable to find out. same battery (kept it on a tender), all the running and brake lights work, dash lights too. finally!

fluid drive is nice; my ‘52 b3c has it. and you can take off in high (3rd), but it isn’t fast. that said, don’t let the non-synchro 4-speed scare you; shifting them gets easy with a bit of driving. my b1f has a spur gear 4-speed, and i enjoy driving it. i admit that having a 2-speed rear makes it even better.

replaced almost the entire hard fuel line, from the tank to under the left side of the radiator. had four pinholes in a two-foot section, and other sections were corroded enough that i just replaced them. also fixed the leak at the pump, both the inlet and outlet fittings were weeping. just needed a “complete revolution” to halt that.

you’ve done some good work to get it where it is now.

mine are electric...

funny, i park my wipers near the center bar. looks like they are supposed to park at the outer edges.

got the transmission, pto shaft, and driveshaft installed today. truck moved around my driveway and yard under its own power! need to bleed the brakes, but they work with two or three pumps, so just a bit of air. still need to repair the hard fuel line, and monitor coolant hoses, which seem to have stopped leaking. it will be on the road by friday, possibly tomorrow if i can get the parts. fired up!

the truck has its original foot op starter. i have a tach mounted on the steering column. i typically ran that engine at 2800 to 3200 when hauling, so low lugging didn’t do it. the #2 rod bearing got oil starved right at the rebuild - might have been a piece of metal or gunk lodged in the gallery/port - who knows? but it squealed like a pig from early on. i replaced the bearing two times, but got caught on a longer trip with the heavy load when it really let go. i am going to look at remote spin-on filters as a solution, just disappointed that the 251 full-flow won’t fit (starter is too long).

you bet! i'll be a bit disappointed if i'm not on the road by the end of the week, even though it has been nearly 3 years.

engine runs! didn’t get as far along as i’d hoped. for one thing, i didn’t realize the full pressure oil canister is NOT compatible with the starter on the medium size trucks; i’ll need to figure something out for that. then, i used the distributor from the 251, but after a bit of trying to get combustion, i checked for spark with my timing light and found no spark being produced. so, i swapped the dist from the original engine, and almost immediately had it coughing and sputtering. with a minor adjustment, i had it running. i now have it purring. it starts instantly, and has steady 40 psi oil pressure at operating temperature. the gas line has developed a pinhole leak, so that will need replacing, and several of the coolant hoses leak, so i’ll probably replace them, too. it does have more throttle response than the 237 (no surprise), and seems to be pretty smooth at 3000 rpm. two-speed rear still shifts. maybe tomorrow the transmission et al will go in.

while i don’t use first gear low often, it’s nice when i really have a load on (like 4 tons of ice blocks). i typically use 2nd gear low for starting out, even empty, and then either pop up to 2nd high or shift to 3rd low. i’ve never pulled any stumps with a vehicle. i also drive on rough roads to access job sites, so 1st low comes in handy to minimize to bouncing. plus, i utilize the pto to operate the dump unit.

engine is in its new home. with the hoist, putting the motor in was a breeze. probably the easiest engine installation i’ve ever done in a vehicle. got most of the accessories hooked up: carb, alt, coolant lines, oil lines, dist/wires, vacuum piping for the 2-speed and the midland booster, radiator, hood, flywheel and clutch. put oil in the pan and coolant in the radiator. still need to install the transmission, accelerator linkage, parking brake, driveshaft, pto shaft, pto levers, install the floorboards, and couple the exhaust. once i get the clutch/brake shaft installed, i’ll start it to verify it runs, then complete the other stuff.

eh, i work at a comfortable pace. too hurried to take photos while putting things together, but still take the time to use a torque wrench for most fasteners. i wish i did take more pictures, but between fitting parts and greasy hands/tools, i don’t usually manage to snap any.

place i ordered my bearings from never delivered. ordered on july 11, still not here. gave up and ordered from andy bernbaum on wednesday, and the parts arrived on friday. today, got the crank installed with new bearings, and the pistons/rods with new rod bearings. in fact, i’ve got most of the engine back together. still need to install the water pump and the carb, then i can put the motor back in the truck - hopefully tomorrow. then it will be reattaching stuff like the starter, alternator, flywheel, clutch, etc. maybe drive it monday...

are the trucks just chassis models with no rear "utility body"? my '48 1.5-ton weighs in at just over 6500 lbs empty. that's without the wood sides. those must add another 300 lbs (12 feet long and 3.5 feet high).

could be true in the 1/2 and 3/4-ton versions, but probably not in the 1-ton and up versions. the OP, mr. rigsby, has a 1-ton.

averages? because you want to measure in at least 3 places in each cylinder, to determine how much taper the bore has.

i don't believe it was. at least on the b-3 and b-4 cabs, it wasn't. my b-3-c does not have it. it does have wing windows, but not the 1/4-windows. oh, my '48 does have those, too. i wonder if the change in the 48-series cabs was the deletion of the rear 1/4 window from all cabs, making it an option? vs the 47-series like yours and mine.

i've got the air-ride seat, too. forgot about that one. no radio, cigarette lighter, or ashtray, though.