red48b1c

Under the red is a ton of body filler over Northern New Jersey Road Department Yellow. And a LOT of rust, courtesy of road salt! Glad to see she's still running though. My dad would be happy - it was his toy for more than 30 years. He gave it to me when he couldn't drive it anymore. It was more than I could restore, and now it's getting much more attention than I was able to give it. I do still miss it sometimes, esp with my Dad gone, but at least its getting used instead of junked. It went to the right person - - Former Caretaker

I have a lot of other stuff to worry about before I think about cruising at speed, but the old bias plies are rock hard, and flat spot while the truck is sitting so that it takes 5 miles before they are round again. Then they like to go their own way every so often - following a crown or rut in the road. Makes for some interesting trips. I was thinking of going to tall radials and thought the 16" wheels would be the ticket to a taller tire. Its a local trip truck anyway, so I should just bite the bullet and get radials for the 15" wheels.

Thanks, Merle! Oh well, I'll just have to keep up the search for tall skinny 15 inchers.

I have a line on a set of nice 16" B-1-B wheels but am unsure if they will fit my B-1-C bolt pattern or if the stud sizes are different. I don't have an easy way to check. I know it is probably a SUPER-EASY question for The Experts but I guess my research skills stink too - I can't definitively find the answer. Can someone please enlighten me? Thanks for your patience. I'm excited about the 16" wheels because I think I can get taller tires easier and keep the revs down. The 30 year old bias ply load range E tires on my truck now are WAY past their prime.

I think those are 8" trailer tires, not 16" tires, based on all the others they have listed. Tire H188 Bias Ply; 16 X 6.50 X 8 Lrc is the full listing. The next tire on their bias ply listing, for example, is Tire H188 Bias Ply; 205 X 65 X 10 Lrb So if the last number is the diameter, a $35, 8" tire is not a huge value, nor will it fit a truck. I could be wrong though! All the listings have the same picture. The bottom of the bias ply listings are "car sized" diameter tires, including Tire H188 Bias Ply; St225/75d X 15 Lrd for $68, which seems about right.

Thanks - just to let you know my wife and daughter have claimed the next two weekends so I can't get there before about the May 15th weekend - if that's a problem let me know and I can try to work something more urgent out. And to anyone else putting up with this thread - sorry, but I'm not smart enough to figure out how to do a direct message, since I lurk and learn more than I post. We're probably about done though, I promise!

I was going to call to set something up but life got in the way. Hold onto those springs - I'll take them off your hands soon.

Mark - where are you located? I'd be interested in those springs if you are close enough to the Yorktown, Virginia area (and if B-3-C springs are the same as B-1-C springs).

While replacing the fuel pump and the front brakes on my '48 B-1-C I noticed the passenger side front spring has broken leaves, in the fourth and fifth leaf from the top, a few inches from the front of the spring. The truck is just an occasional cruiser, ratty, rattlly and rusty, and carries no loads other than passengers. No idea how long it has been broken, doesn't look fresh. So my question is, do I worry? And, if I worry, what do I do about it? Are these springs rebuildable by a commercial rebuilder or do I need to start looking for a right front spring? I don't want the front end to fall apart on the road but it's not a truck I can put a lot of money in, either. Opinions welcome!

I'd think about replacing the condensor. I had the same symptoms on a car one time, and it took me forever to figure out the condensor was the problem.

I found another thread where the source for the decals wasn't willing to make them for everyone, so I'll go with the best gauge faces I have. Looks like the oil pipe should be steel, perhaps with a rubber flex piece in it, though mine didn't have one (it did have a short steel jumper, maybe where the rubber piece should be.) I don't know if I'll go back with a rubber jumper or not, it worked fine without one for the last 23 years that my dad had the truck. And once I removed the eyelets the glass DOES come out (I tried it on my new "spare" cluster first). So now all I have to do is some painting on the cluster housing parts, build and install a new wiring harness, get some steel tubing, and the truck will run again.

Last night I was just given a gauge cluster with a functional temp gauge by a stranger at a cruise-in (!), which prompted me to pull the gauge cluster, which prompted me to want to pretty up the gauge faces. I'll use the best of either set if I have to, but the vinyl overlays sound good to me, and I'd buy a set if I knew where to get them (1948 style). Did anyone ever get repros made that I could buy? Also, does the glass come out of the gauge cluster? It looks to me like drilling the metal grommets at the ends will only cause the housing to seperate from the face/glass assembly. I need to clean the glass and there is gunk between the glass and the face between the gauges. By the way, I am also now probably going to replace the main wiring harness, and I need to replace the oil gauge line. Any tips on the oil gauge line? This thing is cascading into a major job - I'll probably wish I'd just bought an aftermarket temp gauge and hung it under the dash!

Just found it by accident, don't know anything about it, thought someone might be interested: http://syracuse.craigslist.org/cto/807111880.html - Lee F.

Thanks - I might have to try that. It hasn't been outside since I replaced the seal but there is still a little gap in the front. When I took it apart the pivot was frozen where the operating rod attaches to the door, so it only opened about an inch before. Now I'm sure it will be a wind tunnel in there when I open it! And it will be a bug funnel, too . . . .

Mike - That helps - it is almost what I eventually did, and lets me know I'm on the right track. The truck is in my garage for now (unfortunately it's usually outside) so I'll let the gasket settle-in a little to see if the back edge gives enough for the front edge to come down that last little bit. If not, I'll do the "dashboard limbo" one more time and see if I can tweak those pivots a little more. Thanks, everyone, for the help and suggestions - and the quick responses!

That gasket (and the fit) looks just like mine - my truck is a rough looking old thing that runs great - nothing on the whole truck shines like your firewall does! Any tips on adjusting the vent door for a tight fit? I messed with it for about an hour today, got it to where it snaps open and shut pretty good, but there is still a small gap at the center in the front. I'm hoping the gasket settles in in the back and allows the front to drop down, but maybe I need to do something more.

Thanks, Bob. I did do a search and found some similar problems, but it was so far off I thought maybe it was for another vehicle (actually it probably is). I stretched it, glued it, and clamped it, so I guess I'll see if it stays. I figured if it is the wrong one I might as well kill it . . . . . You don't happen to know if the small angle brackets on the top end of the operating rod is supposed to pivot on the rivet or not, do you?

Maybe I'll have to stretch it in place . . . One other question - I have the handle out and the "tabs" on the top end of the handle (that bolt to the crossbar/hinge that bolts to the cowl vent) - those tabs look like they should pivot on the rivet but they don't, yet the also don't seem too rusty. Are those tabs supposed to rotate on that rivet? I didn't want to bust them off trying to break them loose if they aren't supposed to be able to move.

Ok so I probably should have checked this BEFORE I took it all apart, but I just went to glue in my new cowl vent seal and it looks to be about 1-1/2" shorter than the opening in the truck! Does it really need to be stretched that much or do I have the wrong seal? The truck is a '48 B-1-C. If I have to stretch it that much, I have no idea how I'll hold it in place till the adhesive dries, or if it will stay after the adhesive dries!. The new seal has the number 1907901 embossed on it, and it came from Roberts. This is my first old Dodge truck - can anyone tell me if I likely have the wrong seal or what? Maybe other models or years have smaller seals?

From the Virginia DMV website antique registraton FAQ: GENERAL APPLICANT INFORMATION 1. I was issued antique plates prior to July 1, 2007. Am I required to pay the new $50 fee when submitting my Antique License Plate Applicant Certification (VSA 10B) before January 1, 2008? No. If you received your antique plates prior to July 1, 2007 and submit the VSA 10B before January 1, 2008, you do not have to pay the $50 fee because you have already paid for your antique plates. http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/pdf/antique_faqs.pdf

The filter I bought might have been a little oversized or maybe even got banged around in shipping. Maybe I should have tried rolling it on a clean table while pressing it with my hand a little to see if I could shrink it - kinda like working with Playdoh. The old one is a close fit but pulled out and went back in fairly easily. I took the one I bought down to the fire department and gave it to them. When I bought it the parts store said they stock it for the antique fire truck they have. So at least it went to good use. I'll probably buy another and try again. Thanks -

My dad recently gave me his '48 B-1-C - I'm new to the truck and new to DPETCA. The truck is kinda ratty looking & rusty, but runs good. I went to change the oil, and per his paperwork, I got a NAPA 1011 drop-in filter. When I took the old filter out, it looked a little different from the new one. The old one had a metal piece in the top that the shaft went through, while the new one was all woven material around the hole. I thought it was no big deal, because it looked like the shaft would go right through the hole, and it probably would EXCEPT the outside diameter of the filter was a little too big to fit in the housing! It looked like it was maybe 1/8" to 1/4" larger in diameter. It would start in but would jam about 3/8" in. So my questions: Is there another filter brand or part number I should try, did I just get a bad one, did they change the design, should I have pounded the new one in with a hammer or jumped up and down on it? I did the oil change without changing the filter, but I don't want to leave that filter in there forever. If anyone can point me to a filter that might fit I'd appreciate it. THANKS -