wallytoo

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

as i learned years ago, my truck appears to be a bit rare, as it had many features on it that were not on most trucks. dual sunvisors, armrest, triple bumper overriders, fresh air package, heater, electric wipers, wing vents. as an "fa", it also had a 2-speed eaton 1350, and a midland brake booster, and the extra frame sill plate along the middle of the frame. this is the extra sill plate, which terminates just in front of the rear spring anchor:

that makes a lot more sense.

i didn’t realize the wc trucks had the same cabs as the pilothouse-era trucks. interesting. from my '48 b-1-f:

could be for those "down under" versions, no? they'd want the armest on the "passenger" door.

yes. most came that way. my '48 b-1-f only has the driver's side armrest, and clearly never had one for the passenger. yours sure looks just like the armrest from my '48 you might notice my winder isn't stock - when i got the truck, it only had one, which was broken off. now i have a matched, incorrect pair.

bill, i'd go with what bob (dodgeb4ya) says over anyone else. some have zero dodge truck experience. fwiw, my b-1-f has the same ugly lower welds. the upper welds on yours may not be original, but the lower welds on the upright/support might be.

what's wrong with using the slides? you've got the equipment to keep using them as references. i've got hundreds of slides, too. we still get the projector and screen out once in a while to watch a slideshow. alas, our pictures now are all digital - no new slides being created.

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.