MBF

I just did the 4 rear tires on my 1 ton last week. A couple of the rims that I had in inventory weren't usable (they had the solid retaining ring, not the one with the split in it) and one was actually a 16.5" not 16". I ended up beating down, and cleaning up some other rims I had in my shed. What everyone said so far is true. Make sure that they're the dual offset, 16", check the riveted area for rust jacking, and the groove / lock ring for damage. If you do decide to go a drop center style rim, make sure it fits over your rear drum. Just a word: I looked at a buddy's Dodge firetruck before I bought my tires. The 7.50-16's he had were touching sidewalls hard between the duals w/o a load on the truck. On the 6.50-16's that were on my truck I was able to get my fingers between the duals, but I wanted a larger diameter tire. I ended up buying the 7.00-16 Tornel tires from Summit Racing ($137 ea delivered) , and the tubes from a local truck tire businiess for $12.00 a piece). My flaps were all reusable. End of story: These tires don't actually touch between the duals, but they're very close. The additional 1.5 inches in height between the new tires and the old ones makes a noticable difference going down the road-my speedo is now about 4 miles slow based on my gps. I also feel the difference in gear ratio on long steep hills but overall I'm happy with the results, and glad that the job is done. If you've never done locking ring tires before, take them to someone that knows what they're doing and be safe. Mike

I believe that is the breather for the brake booster if your truck has power assist brakes. The vent for the gas tank is through the cap itselft-it is the vented style. Mike

Way to go. Stay with it you'll get there.

Fuel fillers on both side of the cab. Never seen that before. Was it an option?

Hank, I'm no expert on this, and I don't know how much of an extension you're actually looking for, but if you can make your spring perches line up as long as your backing plates aren't an issue could you accomplish your goal by using rear rims with more offset? Mike

Check with your tire guy on mounting the radials on the locking rim style rims. You'll need radial tubes for sure, but you'll also need o be certain that the rims you have are wide enough to support the size of radial you plan on running. I know I've made comments about this in the past how we used to run radials on open (Dayton) 20" tractor trailer rims, but those tires were of the proper width for the rim that was being used. The narrow Budds on our trucks may not be wide enough and the problem is that the bead of the tire may not provide enough pressure in the right area to properly lock the ring to the rim. This is what I got from our tractor tire guy that has done these, and continues to do even the suicide rims. I know for a fact that some brand 7.50's will touch sidewalls when mounted on our rims even unloaded. I'm in the process of ordering 7.00-16's for the rear of mine. Mike

Patrick, I think you're headed in the right direction. If I can offer my opinion: Do one thing at a time, and look at each individual project (brakes, steering, engine, etc) as a piece of the puzzle. Don't let it overwhelm you, and keep it as close to running/driving as you can so that you can keep yourself motivated. I've seen guys go gung ho and tear something completely apart saying they were going to do a first class frame off only to sell their unfinished project as a basket case at a significant financial loss. Just my 2 cents, and I hope you do well and keep moving forward one step at a time. Mike

I used the same ones that Jeff is referencing. The 12 volt system on my 1 ton is noticably brighter than the 6 volt 2.5 ton which is still 6 volt. The only use they see is coming back from a show or cruise, but there is a definite difference between the two. Mike

Are they split, drop center, or locking ring styled rims? If they're dropped center, I suspect that they wouldn't fit over the rear drums. Do you have a picture you can post? The split rims, and locking ring should be interchangeable for all positions. Are you 100% sure they're not 19.5's? Mike

I'd go with the advice that you were given on the copperized lines. They're more expensive than steel lines to purchase, but you'll only do them once. I'd also replace the two front and single rear rubber lines while you're in there.

I'd run a hotwire from the negative post of the battery (the hot side in a postive grounded vehicle) to the coil directly to eliminate all of the wiring as the problem and see what happens. Make sure all connections are clean and tight.

Robert's Motor Parts in MA, or Andy Bernbaum's.

You need two (on each side) of the wheel style that you show in the left of your photos to run duals. On those wheels, 7.50's may touch at the inner sidewalls of the duals w/o a load on the truck. The other style rim will not work with duals as there isn't enough offset. I'm currently running 6.50's on my 1 ton, but will go to 7.00's when I replace them to increase the tire diameter. If you're going to run singles either style rim will work. If you have to look for rims, make sure that you check for rust jacking at the rivits where the hoop is attached to the center part of the rim. Also make sure that it is actually a 16" rim as there are rims with the same lug pattern that are 16.5", and 17". If you do find 17" drop centers in the dual offset, I don't think they'll fit over the B series rear drums. Finally, make sure that the split locking ring and flange aren't all beaten up or bent to keep everything safe. Mike

If the one door opens farther than the other it is likely the rubber washer on the inside of the doorstop. Also lube your hinge pins to make sure that they're not wearing unnecessarily. Mike

I converted my 36 Plymouth, and 52 1 ton to 12V almost 10 yrs ago if not longer. Haven't had any issues w either starter. I just don't gring on them for long. Neither starter has been touched.

If you're in a rural area and have an ag or heavy equipment dealer nearby find out who they use for their glass work. You might get someone that would stop by after hours and do it for you. I did that with a local glass man. I had to twist his arm to take $50.00 for the windshields that he cut and installed for me. Once he and his helper got here with the glass, they were gone in less than half an hour. I used the gasket that I got from Roberts and had it out in the sun like they asked before they got here. If I have to do it again, I'd consider STeele's gasket due to its wider coverage of the pinch weld. This was awhile ago (like 10 yrs-maybe more) but these guys are out there and can use there experience to do it quickly and correctly. I tried doing the single piece flat windshield in the 49 Ford that I used to have, and cracked it during the install. Based on that experience I decided to have someone that knew what they were doing perform the installation especially since the Dodge was a 2 piece. Just my 2 cents. Mike

Not sure exactly what you're working on, but on the PH trucks, there is a rubber grommet that goes between the handle and the door card. On the earlier series there is a spring loaded metal grommet that fills that space Mike

I used the dynamat on my inside firewall, and a couple of sheets on the roof. Weatherstripping took care of the door closure rattles. For the rear of the cab I used the foil backed bubble insulation under my luan / leatherette panels. Made a huge difference, and the rubber floor mats finished the projects on both trucks. The headliner, rear cab panel surround and the door panels all contributed to the noise reduction. I still had this tinny rattle under the seat after I was done on the 2.5 ton. Found it was the cover panel for access to the fuel sending unit. I laid a layer of the foil backed bubble insulation on the floor under the seat as I had some left over. On to the next project whatever that turns out to be. Mike

If its a 2 speed rear, you should have an arm coming out the front top of the differential connected to either a rod that goes to a lever in the cab to shift it between high and low, or a vacuum can with plumbing to handle the shifting chores via a button/cable on the shift lever. I had a 39 that had a cast lever with a cast knob bolted to the transmission cover that controlled the shifting of the rear. My 49 has a vacuum shift setup to handle those tasks. I would suspect that even with an original 2 speed, that the low side ration is 8.XX to 1, and the high side near 6.XX to 1. So even with a 2 speed she wasn't a speed demon. Like someone said with that original 201 in there, you'll be asking a lot of it to maintain a higher cruise speed especially with any type of load on even the slightest incline.

I don't recall the thread, but I've seen several of these vehicles and we had several at work years ago. They all appeared to be WWII or Korean era surplus. Rugged heavy vehicles.

The one on the outside of the cab is available through Roberts. Got mine years ago-fit fine and keeps the rain from running down the fill pipe

I've got one of each. I converted my 1 ton to 12V for reliability and convenience. Try finding a 6 volt voltage regulator or bulb in a NAPA store on the shelf. Can they get them, sure, do they stock them? Maybe. The internally regulated 12V alternator eliminates the external regulator and is pretty much trouble free (at least they have for me). The engine spins over quicker when starting, and the lights are brighter. I have yet to find a 6 volt wet cell battery that lasts more than a year or so, and try pricing the proper guage batt cables for a 6 volt system. Yes there were things that I had to buy to make the conversion, but I did it probably over 10 yrs ago on this and my 36 Plymouth and I'm happy with the both of them. My 2.5 ton remains 6 volt for the time being. It was a former firetruck so it let somewhat more of a charmed life, and didn't need rewiring to the extent of the 1 ton. There are positives and negatives (pun intended) on both sides of the argument, but I'm glad I made the swap. Whatever you decide to do will be right for you. Mike

If you're not concerned with originality, there is an aftermarket bracket made that uses a spin on filter mounted remotely.

If its the original seat (the rear of the bottom cushion hangs off of the rear cushion) there should be three holes on the bottom of the seat cushion that fit over a steel pin on the seat frame. You could try seeing if moving the bottom cushion towards the rear of the truck and see if that gives you any more room. The total adjustment on these amounts to about 3-4" in addition to whatever the sliding mechanism gives you. Mike

There is quite a bit of footage on these route vans in 1 episode of the old Highway Patrol series. There is one in particular about a kidnapped highway patrolman where the bad guys somehow got his Harley police bike and the cop in the back of one of these. I'm sure there are others, I did see a movie the other night where there was one, but I'm having a senior moment trying to recall what it was about or who was in it. Mike