MBF

I spoke to an older mechanic tonight. He said this was a common problem if the distributor couldn't be removed from the hole, prying on it would cause the bend. This is an ex firetruck, and I think the guy that I bought it from did some screwy stuff with it. The wiring was a mess, and I pretty much had to rewire the whole thing. Even though it's a low mileage vehicle, I think he was kind crude with the work that he did to it. I thought I had another distributor that I could use, but even though its from a 251 its different (from a '39). I'm going to try and straighten it somewhat. If that doesn't work, I need a p/n 1193319 Chrysler dist. Mike

I'll bet that is to stiffen up the left frame rail to prevent it from flexing from steering box torque.. I've seen this before. They made an engineering change of the diagonal bracket from the front crossmember to the left frame rail that changed the way the box was mounted. My 49 2.5 ton has the factory brace extending from the box to the right frame rail. In any event-that is a nice solid piece to start with

You may want to bench test your generator and/or cleam up the commutator and check the brushes and springs to make sure that the brushes are making a strong enough contact with the surface of the comm. If you need instructions on how to bench test I'll get them for you. I just did this awhile ago-with the gen hooked up to a bat it should run like a motor and speed up and slow down as you full field it (disconnected from the regulator). Mike

What I did with mine was to take off the vent door and then clean out the groove where the seal sits. I then used a contact cement and clothepins to go all the way around the seal to hold it in place while the adhesive dried. When you put the vent door back on you'll have to adjust it using the concentric shouldered bolts so that it opens and closes properly. Mike

Thanks Don.

I got a 251 parts motor, and got it running but I notice that the distributor is wobbling when running. The hold down bolt is tight. I have a spare one dist from a 230 that I know is good. Will these interchange or are they different? I apologize if this has been covered before. I did a search, but couldn't find an answer. Thanks. Mike

Both my trucks had that crack. I don't know if this would work or not, but you could try adding a washer or two under the radiator support where it bolts to the frame cross member. You'd have to see how that effects the alignment of the rear of the fendor with the front of both doors. Just thinking out loud here.

As explained to me by an old mechanic back in the 60's-the bypass filter system wasn't moving the volume of oil through the filter that a fully filtered system did. A lot of times on the older cars filter manufacturere (WIX, WGB) would discontinue certain filter cartridges because of a lack of demand for specific sizes. In those cases where the owner continued to drive the vehicle, out of necessity, the toilet paper, and even sanitary napkins were substituted as the filter cartridge because the cartridge was no longer available. I don't know what the filter efficiency was for these "substitue" filters, but I do know that my 53 Chevy car that has been in my immediate family since brand new, was running the sanitary napkin replacement from the late 60's up until about 2 yrs ago when an actual replacement for the sock type filter became available. Granted this car is run infrequently as a restoration project. The only difference I notice is that its easier to go to an online parts supplier for classic vehicles than it is to go to a supermarket to purchase a box of the old syled napkins.

If you're not concerned about noise, a Detroit 4-71 is a small enough engine to fit in the compartment. I have a friend that has one in a 56 Ford 1 ton dump. A real screamer. You've got to figure the cost difference between gas and diesel and the amount the engine and installation is going to cost to see if there is going to be any return on your investment and labor. You can buy a lot of gas for what the conversion is going to cost. I'm getting 13 in my 1 ton with the original 230, I don't know that you'd get that much or more out of a diesel. The diesel conversion may also require a higher geared rear depending on what it is governed at. You don't want a truck that will only run 35 mph up against a peg of 2500 rpm. Just something to consider. Mike

Dodge made a huge mistake in the 70's with their larger C series and Bighorn trucks. They used a spray on foam that was supposed to be an insulator and noise barrier. It actually ended up being more of a sponge that held moisture and caused some serious rust issues. I'd stay away from any expaning foam or similar material.

I love when he sells stuff to a friend for an outrageous profit. I wonder what the friends think when they see him bragging about how much money he made on the sale

Yea, eventually you're going to have to pull and split the manifolds to get to the problem and properly fix it. I leave the one on the 230 in my 1 ton open. Years ago the one on my 36 Plymouth was stuck closed, and she ran hot and wouldn't start when hot with the 6 volt system. It was also kinda sluggish. Luckily the manifold came off and apart very easily. I did the proper repair on that one. She still won't smoke the tires, but she's better than she was. I gotta look at the one on the 251 in the old firetruck once I get where I can lay over the fender again. The military used a manually adjustable baffle that you put in one posistion for cold weather driving, and at the other end for warm weather. Mike

Try a penetrating oil. If that doesn't work, MoPar dealers used to have a heat riser lubricant that they used that actually loosened up a stuck flapper in my Dad's 40 Plymouth. Performance may suffer, and she may run a little warm. I think you'll need to be concerned with gas boiling in the carb after a run so it may be hard starting when hot.

A battery ignition will sting a bit (sometimes a lot), but try getting bitten by a hot mag. I accidentally did that do myself cranking on my old Gravely. I was setting the timing on the mag, heard the impulse click and the next thing I'm lying on the ground wondering what happened. I've seen old farmers shut off a 4 cyl Farmall by touching the spark club wires and grounding them out but that's one of those things I'm not gonna try myself.

The double foil back plastic stuff is available at Lowe's in rolls. That is what I used on the rear of my cab and under the seat. It's cheap and will make quite a difference in the noise level in the cab. It takes away the tinny echo. Every little bit that you do insulation wise will make a difference. You'll hear new noises you never knew you had! Mike

I used a foil backed jute that I got on a roll for the floor (under my rubber floor mat) with the foil side towards the floor metal. I don't want anything permanent attached to the floor that will hold moisture in case it happens to get wet (heater core starts to leak, vent leak, drink spills, etc). This way I can see what is going on just by picking up the mat and removing it if necessary. I did the same with my 78 pickup, both 49 Dodges, and the 36 Plymouth and the floors are rock solid in each of them after many years of use. Mike

If you just rebuilt the engine you know what that costs. I wouldn't chance a filter of unknown condition in any engine. The cannister type filters are readily available at NAPA. Like an old mechanic once told me the only difference between a good engine and a bad engine can be as little as a tablespoon full of metal particles. Why risk it? Mike

As long as the surface is clean I don't thing there would be a problem. The stuff really sticks to a properly prepped surface.

I used the Eastwood version I think it was called Dynamat or something similar. I was very pleased with it. To reduce expenses, I used it on the roof and firewall. For the rear of the cab I used a rolled double sided foil insulation that I got at Lowes. Mike

He brings that down every year along with a black PH pickup that he uses for his get around vehicle while he's at the show. Stan is a real character from New England. He's got a IH KB-12 tractor that he converted from a huge gas 6 banger to an all MACK drivetrain that he tows the ph's with on a lowboy. He's a lot of fun to hang with and has the dry-est sense of humor I've ever heard- a real wicked pissa as they say in ME. According to him, the Dodge truck line was very popular with the ME potato farmers and there are still a lot of 'em up there if you know where to look.

The green flatbed belongs to Stan Young from Maine. The last I knew it was for sale. I've driven it and its an ex firetruck with very low mileage. Last year there was a red 52 pickup that was probably the nicest one I've ever seen. The black painted bed didn't have so much as a wrinkle or dent in it. That must have taken some amount of work to restore.

That's a solid piece that deserves a better fate than it is getting.

Nice looking fleet you're building. Good luck with your projects. If you compare the view and space from inside the cab of a W series (39-47) to that of a 48-53 you'd see that they're all pilothouses. The PH cabs have a much taller windshield and wider cab than the predecessors. I've got one of each (std and deluxe cabs) but they're both Pilot Houses.

Looks really good. I took the fir stringers that were under the flatbed body I bought for my 2.5 ton and made a set of 6" sideboards out of them. I painted them to match the body because they hade been painted many times in the past, but I would have preferred a natual type of finish. I'll do something more when I get back on my feet.