wallytoo

my snap-traps have killed 5 in the last 10 days. a bit early for the mice to be moving in. but i, too, hate mice (and rodents). i kill them with prejudice.

i never remagnetized my speedo.

stripped what i wanted off of the broken block, other than the camshaft (i'll save it as a spare, don't need it now). got the "new" 251 block on the stand now, prepping it to get new bearings and gaskets. i'm using the oil pump from the 237, as it was in great condition, and better than the one on the 251. also using the head from the 237, and the intake/exhaust manifold and carb, the oil pan, the oil pickup/strainer, the fuel pump, coil, alternator/bracket, and dipstick. i think i'm going to use the main caps from the 237, too. edit: obviously, didn't use the 237 main caps, as the caps are matched to the block/crank. used the mains that came with the 251 and its crank. haven't decided whether i'll use the 251 distributor, but i'm leaning toward using it because it has vacuum advance. bearings/gaskets should be here next week. hope to have it close to road-ready by the end of the month.

the piston sure is clean, though. no wear on the face. just missing a chunk. also, i haven’t yet found the missing piece of the piston skirt!

Pics of the rod and piston carnage

progress today. yanked the hood, radiator cover, radiator, and hood rods, along with the motor. used the crane to get it out of the truck.... if you look closely, you can see the hole in the block, next to the oil filler opening (that's the #2 cylinder/rod).. good sized hole, too. the next tool is visible (it's the '52 ford 8n) a lot easier than carrying or dragging that block from the truck to the garage by "hand"... no problem lifting the block and moving it the busted block is now on the engine stand

continuing to pull parts off in order to be able to remove the engine. finally got the clutch plate and clutch disc removed today. not as easy, because of the rod blowing out through the side of the block, so i couldn't turn the crank to expose all of the bolts of the clutch plate/cover. when it let go, the rod cap got yanked off. after that, the rod stayed in the down position, while the crank continued to rotate. when the #2 rod journal made its way back around, it slammed into the stalled #2 rod, and smashed it into and through the side of the block. in doing this, the rod got significantly bent, and the rod end got mangled. the result is that the momentum of the crankshaft drove it pretty well and wedged the rod between the crank and the block. after lots of attempts at prying, using chisels and drifts, and pounding on the crank with a drilling hammer, it wouldn't budge. today, i decided it was going to move, and used my 20lb sledgehammer, and pounded the end of the rod upwards. after about 6 whacks, it moved up and the crank partially rotated back. success!!! still took about 2 hours to remove the clutch plate and disc, and then the flywheel, but those are now out of the truck. with a few more minor things, i will be able to pull the engine. once pulled, i will take pictures of the carnage.

my ‘48 b-1-fa is equipped with electric wipers, truck version motor.

i’ve looked, but i don’t see any. i’ll take some once i pull the motor, since i need some parts from it - manifolds, distributer, coolant elbow, fuel pump, water pump, etc. got the transmission pulled today. a heck of a lot easier with my recent purchase, a transmission jack.

it IS a two-speed adapter, to allow the speedo to read close to correct when shifting the rear end. the tube is a vacuum line that runs from the control switch mounted on the upper firewall, directing vacuum to the rear axle diaphragm (on/off). this is the switch (note the small tube running directly from the unit into the firewall, which leads to the back of the speedo unit):

me too!

35k, so likely really 135k. only sitting at 2900 rpm. the #2 rod bearing was bad for at least 6 years, still put almost 7k on it. but that 2-ton load, throttle down, pulling the hill was enough to pop it. these engines are tough. it should have blown much sooner.

rather than make a new thread, i'll dredge this one i started a long time ago.... ran the truck for 10 years, put about 9k miles on it. in november 2017, saw a c-list ad for free manure, about 25 miles away. called and arranged a meet, and got a nice full 2-ton load. the folks with the manure were impressed that i showed up on time, and that i would be willing to take as much as they'd give. so, i made another trip. and there was still more, so i made a third trip. while heading for home, coming up a modest hill at 40 mph, the #2 rod bearing decided to start wailing. oh well, a full load on (and a spare block in the garage), might as well see if i can make it home.....so, i didn't. came up about 1.5 miles short, before the rod decided to exit the side of the block. SCRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEE-BANG. put an end to that trip. called a tow service, and they loaded it (fully loaded with, uh, *******) onto the rollback. deposited it in my drive/yard. had to unload it using my 8n tractor's bucket, since the pto obviously wouldn't work (blown motor). and there it sits, still, in june 2020. but i've slowly been pulling things to ready removal of the engine. toe boards, transmission cover, parking brake handle assembly, starter linkage. and then the engine stuff - vacuum tubing for the brakes and 2-speed, throttle cable, choke cable, carb, pan, filler pipe, oil filter, etc. oh, and brake/clutch pedals, driveshaft, pto shaft, alternator, starter, etc. almost ready to pull the transmission, and then i can remove the radiator struts, hood, and radiator. all to be able to get to the block to pull it, along with the bellhousing. can't forget to remove the brake master cylinder, either. soo, that's where it's at. also rebuilding the spare block, which is a passenger car 251 (and full-pressure oiling), so an upgrade to the 237. buuut, i have to swap the oil pan, since the truck pan sump sits at the front, not the rear. no problem, the pan is salvageable, with only a minor dent from the #2 rod disintegration. did i mention that i've got a disassembled '75 cj-5 in my garage? well, it's been there since 2013, when i bought my '87 4runner to replace my '95 subaru. owned the cj since 1992, and i want that on the road again, too (frame finally failed, but i found an exceptional replacement frame several years ago). lot's of projects, plus my job. and kids (who are now 22 and 21). enough cash to make 'em happen, not enough time to make it happen quickly. and that gets it to about today.....to be continued......

on topic, please.

no worries at all brent or keven. heck, i'd forgotten that i'd had to alter the speedo in my '48 to get it working. i can barely remember doing it.. damn, i'm getting old.

i'll get it back on the road for certain; i enjoy driving it and using it too much not to do it! it is fun to drive, but is a bit more work than a 1/2, 3/4, or 1-ton as far as running it daily. fwiw, i've enjoyed following along as you worked the kinks out of yours and got it reliable to run as a DD. i have some minor dream of getting my dad's '52 b-3-c express back on the road as a DD myself, but that would be 4 or 5 years down the road (i learned to drive on it back in the 1980s).

glad to see you’re still using it. sounds like you’ve really enjoyed it. i don’t daily mine (1.5-ton), and it has been off the road for 18 months after putting the #2 rod through the side of the block, but i’m working on the replacement block (a 251) and prepping stuff to remove the trashed 237 from the truck. hope to have it back on the road this fall.

this is the pair that came with my b-1-fa-152; other than material, they are identical. and hurd.

i'll echo bob, the 1350 vacuum shift eaton is faster than either an electric or cable shift version. it is very smooth, too. once i figured out split shifting, the truck become MUCH easier to drive.

might be right, but i was partly remembering there was a slight difference when comparing mine with another "normal" speedo unit i had. i might be mis-remembering that.

there are a few parts that you'll need, including a fitting to fit on the carb for the vacuum source, along with all of the hard lines leading back to the axle. fwiw, the original 2-speed equipped trucks also had a special speedometer that also had a vacuum fitting, so that it would still read correctly when shifting the axle. additionally, you'll need a shift button/pull cable to actuate the "shift", usually mounted on the gear selector tower. the cable runs to a diverter mounted on the firewall, which is plumbed into the piping between the carb and the axle. don't forget the vacuum diaphragm on the axle itself.

very nice truck.

i believe what bob is asking is “what solved the no-start issue”? was it oil added through the plug holes? something else? give us some data.

bringing on old thread back up - since the ice harvest happened today after a one-month delay. didn't have my truck with me this year, though. however, i found a youtube video about the ice harvest here with my truck in it from 2017. truck makes its appearance from 5:13 to 5:27 in the video...not my video, don't know the person that posted it.. 2017 ice harvest video - with my truck in it - youtube and some pictures from 2017 as well...

can't help you with what might interchange. your truck is equipped with the auxilliary side sills to beef up the frame.