MBF

A loose valve will rarely burn. When I first got my B2D I was amazed how quietly it ran until it started running on 5 cylinders. I found that the previous owner had set the adjustment too tight, and #6 exhaust was badly burned and split down the face of the valve to the stem. 12 new valves, 2 new seats, and 6 exhaust guides later I take comfort in the slight ticking I have adjusted in. If I were you I think I'd run it awhile and get it up to a good heat soaked temperature before I did the adjustment. If you can get the passenger inner fender panel off and then take the right front tire off you can sit and take your time doing the adjustment w/o standing on your head. The longer feeler guages, and tappet wrenches, and gloves may save some of your skin during the adjustment process. Clean out the lifter compartment while you have the side covers off and make sure all of the oil returns are open and clean before dropping the pan.You can drop your pan pretty easily by jacking up the nose and allowing the front suspension to hang from the chassis. That way you can clean out whatever crap is on the pan, and check the oil pickup to make sure it isn't becoming clogged. Once back together a 180 thermostat and a working PCV setup will help get rid of the condensation inside the engine which will go a long way towards keeping the insides from sludging up. I'm wondering if the oil bypass valve is stuck in the open position which is why you have nothing going up to your filter. Mike

Nice looking truck. Definitely a 1 ton. Is that a block heater in front of the oil filler? Before you do a tire swap, see if anyone has done anything similar in your neck of the woods. I have a friend that has 7.50-16's in duals on his. Even empty, the inner sidewalls are touching, and they are bias ply tire so the problem could be worse in radials. I have two good 7.50's that I was going to use, and purchase 2 new ones for the rear, but I think I'm going to go with 4 new 7.00's from Coker to match the ones that I have in the front. You may have a problem finding a tire shop to mount them on the locking ring rims - especially if they're not the split ring type with the solid ring that has to be pried over the lip. Best of luck with it. Mike

Merle: Glad you made it home ok. Are your points closing up? I'd also check the heat riser to make sure that is in the open position. Its this kind of stuff that makes driving these vehicles an adventure - I say that now.....

Did the fire get hot enough to maybe take some temper out of the spring(s)? My 1 ton leans to the passenger side about 1/2", and the 2.5 ton leans towards the driver's side a little more than that. I've learned to live with it. Don't forget the left side has the weight of the steering column, battery, gas tank etc that the passenger side doesn't, and that weight is constant.

It was a long time ago when I did mine. I think there are two stamped metal discs or clips that hold the roller assembly in place (at the bottom of the window). These get removed so that you can separate the window and bottom channel attached to the glass from the regulator mechanism. But, like I said it was a long time ago, and they were the single pane style w/o the vent window. Mike

I made my own, but I had access to a brake. Depending on how bad the inner skins are it may be easier to look for a replacement door from out west.

Mark, let me know if I can help. The area you're talking about is my back yard. If this happens after 8/9 I can round up some Dodge truck guys, and MoPar folks in general. I also have some suggestions for interesting routes and detours if you're interested. Mike

I have had a Worthington Golf Chief for many years now. It has the Chrysler industiral six, with a truck 4 speed, gear reduction box and a full floating rear with the 16" Budd wheels on the rear (9.00-16's). It is almost identical to the one that you just purchased. These were made in PA over several years using different components and were used primarily as tow or mowing vehicles. The first round used Model T, and later Model A and B power trains as a basic drawbar tractor. The one that you have was manufactured from 39-49 using the MoPar driveline. Later versions used the Ford 8N tractor engine. There were several models available in different wheelbases. I have seen 1 MoPar powered unit with a gravity dump box on the back, and another with a wrecker type boom. Since there is no suspension in the rear, and the front is just a pivoting assembly these are a hard riding workhorse and you will soon see the need for the suspended seat assembly. Its a good fun project. I think the gas cap you're looking for is nothing more than a threaded pipe nipple with a cap on it- at least that is what is on mine. I have all kinds of spare MoPar driveline parts so my project is going to be pretty cheaply done. Best of luck. Mike

I've got two of those guards, and either one will fit either of my trucks. The one with the D in the center I believe is for the 51-53 B series as the D kind of frames the center medallion.

Remember them, hell I've even got chain pliers to replace broken crosslinks. I need them on my old Blazer that I use to keep our road open. The 4 wheel drive hasn't worked in years. Really needed it this year. When I was driving tractor trailer it was fairly common to have to "sling iron" when headed up through the mountains of New England during the winter.. The '46 dump that I bought last summer had an almost new set in a burlap bag under the seat cushion.

Export A's eh?

I don't think that gauge is going to like 12 volts w/o the correct resistor for very long. Don't ask me how I know!

When I was driving for a living I adjusted the trailers (with the brakes off) by turning the adjustment on the arms until the brakeshoe was touching the drum and then backed off 3 clicks. The rear of the tractor I did the same, but backed them off 6 clicks. That way the trailer brakes were always the first engaged when using the brake pedal. Have you greased the linkage, and are these the old S cam design? If you're in a damp climate or an area where it goes below freezing at night it might just be condensation rusting the drums to the shoes. If its going to sit for a long time (and if you don't have maxi cans on the trailer) you may want to bleed down the trailer air tank, and just chock the wheels. I think the next time I drove it I'd drag the brakes for awhile on the trailer to wear off any rust and boil out any accumulated moisture. You also may want to give your air system a shot of airbrake antifreeze to help get rid of any moisture in the system. Mike

I used a clear silicone sealant on mine. I masked both sides of the seam before applying it to give both edges a finished look that is receessed just slighly below the surface. A few years ago I had to remove the right front fender to do a valve job. I carefully ran a razor knife down the seam and was able to separate the fender from the grill section quite easily. When I do a finished paint job on it while I have it apart I'll probably use some rolled flat rubber stock that I found at a swap meet. Mike

45-50 is where mine feel comfortable, and that's where I keep them. My 36 Plymouth is in the same range with just over 49K original miles . I like to keep the internal parts internal. That's the same reason I don't competitively pull my antique John Deeres. I'll use them when I have to in order to get a job done, but I don't see a need to take something old and beat it to see how much it will take before it breaks.

Nice photos. Can't imagine working with the garage door open. Seems like its been ages since I've been able to do that. -9 here this morning, almost two feet of snow on the ground, and more coming Sunday. Please keep these photos coming so that I don't forget what it's like to be warm. Mike

I don't know if his is standard procedure or not, but I pack the inner and outer bearings with grease before assembly so that they have some type of lubrication if the gear oil doesn't get to them right away. I've seen a guy install them dry on a motorhome while doing a brake job. He then headed down the road and got about three miles before he bearings seized to the spindle and had to be cut off. I checked the rear when we were bringing the unit back to the garage, and the level was just below the fill plug. Mike

The pics that Wallytoo posted from his 1350 were what I was referencing for 2 speed associated hardware. From the other dash pics, it looks like this was an old firetruck. I've never seen the mechanism below the horn before, and can't see if there is plumbing attached to it. I'm wondering if this is an auxiliary cooler that pumpers used to divert water from the tank to cool the engine while pumping hard and the stock cooling system couldn't handle the job due to the truck being stationary. That large knob under the dash could have been the pto that engaged the pto for the pump. My truck had something similar when I first bought it. Mike

I cleaned and coated the inside of the tank on my 1 ton over 15 yrs ago and never have had a problem. I didn't have any leaks. I can't see what the inside looks like, but the tank on an antique tractor I did at the same time still looks like the day that I put it in. I will say, that both tanks sat and cured on the shelf for almost a year while I was working on other tasks on each project.

Nice truck, but unless I'm missing something I don't see the 2 speed cable or vacuum setup on the firewall. The knob on the left side of the dash looks like a battery disconnect / switch found in many older firetrucks . Looks like a fun project. Good luck. Mike

It looks likes yours have succumbed to moisture and age just like the rest of ours. The cardboard backed pieces were probably never figured to last this long. They're probably too deteriorated to do much of any repair work unless you're really patient. What I did, was to use the existing pieces as patterns for a luan backed replacement pieces. It was a fun project using the luan, leatherette and a contact adhesive to make the new panels. I carefully removed the originals so that I could use the existing screw holes to remount them. They're not perfect by any means, but they suit me, and will be much more durable that the originals. If they last another 60 yrs, that will be fine. I'll only be 120 by then. Mike

Definitely an exhaust-you can seeing making a turn towards the front of the vehicle under the cab. I'd be interested in seeing how he did the tilt setup leaving the radiator support in place with the truss rods? He must have had to do some serious bracing on the nose with those large hinges mounted on the frame rails. Interesting vehicle-would love to see the inside of the living quarters.

A good locksmith should be able to make you a key from what you have. You may get even luckier and find that the key fits your door lock. I ran into an old time locksmith this morning at a local dunkin' donuts and asked if he could make copies of my keys. He said no problem-he knows that he has the blanks on the shelf. I also asked him if he had the tumbler assembly if he could make a key from that. His response was, "of course". He's been in business longer than I can remember-that's the type of guy you need to find. Mike

Daisy Red Rider

Wow Don. I did the same thing in my parent's 53 Chev 210 two door (still have the car). When I was about that age on Sunday mornings we'd go to visit my grandparents about 5 miles away. My Dad would let me sit on his lap to shift and steer the car on the way there. I don't think that would fly today-different world back then. To bring this full circle, I very clearly remember going to visit an aunt in that same car with my grandfather driving. He was visiting with me and realized at the last minute he was at an intersection with a stop sign. He slammed on the brakes and I flew head first into the dashboard. Rang my bell pretty good, but there isn't a noticeable mark on that dash. That had to be in the late 50's not too long before our first seat belts that my Dad installed in his new 59 Ford Country Squire. Been wearing them ever since.