MBF

Okay- I wouldn't normally do this, but due to time constraints I couldn't wait for these to be found in the classifed section. I found these trucks on CList today, and went to look at them. The guy has got to get them outa there according to his Mrs. There are 2 of them, a 48, and a 50. The 50 has the nicest original grill bars I've seen, and has 2 bumperettes. He wants a grand for both trucks, but I'm pretty sure he'll talk. The 48 (red) one is basically a parts truck w a 3 spd column, the 50 is more complete, but the head has been left off-so she's probably stuck. Typical rust. Trucks are located very near to Stewart Airport Newburgh, NY 845 597-3066 or hotrodart@live.com

Do you have a heat shield on your fuel pump? Mine started doing something similar after percolating when the engine was hot and I shut it off-vapor locking. It got worse with the new formulation of gas a few yrs ago-the heat shield eliminated the problem. Also check your battery connections, cable (make sure they're not corroded internally and that they're the proper guage for the voltage you're running), the post on the starter, and the ground from motor to batt, and batt to body. Poor grounds can cause a lot of electrical problems. Mike

I grew up driving a car with vacuum wipers. They work fine as long as you know their limitations. I got caught in a heavy downpour last week coming home from a cruise-in. You'll develop a skill for feathering the gas unconsciously if you drive with them on for a long period of time. That same skill will give you better gas mileage! Mike

After the bushing, there's a small metal snap on clip that keeps the wiper actuating arm on the motor arm. I've never seen these as replacements so when I bought a parts truck I carefully removed and put them on my truck. Mike

Boy that must be some wild bikini! Need pics.

About 8-10 yrs ago my two windshield pieces cost less than $75.00 installed, and the full pane door glass was about $25.00-I installed that one myself. All safety glass. Mike

I've got a Worthington "Golf Chief" tractor that has that setup. It also had a similar plenum on the intake manifold under the carb. I'm wondering if this setup is for stationary or industrial applications. I needed a new manifold setup so I put the one from the Worthington on my '52. It seems to pull better which is probably due to the increased intake manifold volume. Mike

I'd think I'd do a compression check, and then check for tight valves. You may also want to check your timing and that the springs inside the distributor and flyweights are working properly. The 7 mph sounds low. I'm getting 13+ in my 1 ton w dual wheels. Mike

I was in Macungie, PA Thurs-Sat at our ATCA National Meet. We had 600 trucks-mostly big stuff, but there was one PH pickup that was the nicest one I think I've seen. The bedsides were perfect. That was the only PH I saw, but there was a good Mopar representation including my 78 1/2 ton. There were several Bighorns, and 1 Dodge cabover. What a great show. I may try to make the gassup next year. I sold my Ford Louieville flatbed a couple of years ago, and I know that the new owner attends. Mike

Nice. It's amazing how taking that first ride recharges the batteries to give you the oomph to finish the project.

Merle-I've got an extra gasket or two if you need one. PM me with your address and I can mail you one. Mike

I with I had known about that. Several years ago I took my JD LI up there-its a great show, and what a collection of stuff those guys have. The barns were full of old cars and trucks when I was up there. Mike

I'm using the original motor with a Mopar ballast resistor. I have two vehicles set up that way, and they have been for years. They get limited use during the winter, but no problems to date. Mike

Pat, its been a long time since I did this, and I hope someone will chime in to set me straight if I'm wrong. If I remember correctly the oil pickup with the screen in it is pivots on the pickup tube. I vaguely remember that the assembly is very near the drain plug-I bring this up because when I reached up through the drain hole, the housing moved and I thought it was broken so I dropped the pan only to find out that it pivots. The only reason I'm mentioning this is because I wouldn't want you to raise that up out of the oil given the length of the magnet portion of the plug. It may cause it to suck air in certain positions. Am I all wet here, or is my memory correct? Mike

Here's my 53 JD AO with our oldest son.(orchard) My uncle purchased this new-I've had it since '94. Also shown is my 43 JD LI. The LI was a basket case when I bought it in '91. I still have both along with a Worthington Golf Chief that has a Chrysler industrial 6 with 4 spd transmission. That is the next restoration project.. Had another AO that I sold about 10 yrs ago along with a JD A tricycle, and a Case VA. I traded the VA for the Worthington. Also have a Model A doodlebug that I learned to drive on when I was about 7. It's in rough shape, but I can't get rid of it - too many memories.

I'm running stock with new wheel cyls all around on my 52 1 ton. I'm okay with how they stop the truck but I'm not hauling any weight. No, they're not as good as the brakes on my 78 1/2 ton, but they're fine for what they were designed to do. I've never been a tailgater, and always leave a lot of room ahead-finding that at almost 60 I don't stop as quick as I used to either. Mike

I was at a cruise in last night, and a friend was there with a 38 Dodge pickup. He made a couple of interesting updates. He has a dual circuit master cylinder mounted using a homemade adapter plate. He also updated the front brakes by using drums from a new model Dodge. That gave him larger drums, but retained the stock bolt pattern, and I believe it gave him self energizing brakes. I'll see what info I can find out. These updates may work or our trucks too. Mike

I've had excellent luck carefully disassembling the switches (head, dash, dimmer) freeing up the stuck parts, cleaning the contacts, and reassembling for use. Did my over 10 yrs ago, and they still work smoothly and w/o issue. I've even taken some from parts trucks and done the same to them so that I have them in inventory should I ever need them. Its a beer and a half job per switch-sometimes less. Mike

When I pulled the motors out of my parts trucks, I removed the front clip and dropped the transmission on the 4 spd truck. On the column shifted 3 speed, I undid the linkage at the transmission and pulled out as a unit. I pulled both steering columns on both trucks and put them in inventory prior to pulling the engines. I would think that if you removed the lower mounting bolts and pitman arm, and then the steering tube clamps you could slide the steering box forward so it is out of the way. (just guessing out loud) Mike

I made my own, as have some others here. Not perfect as I'm not an upholsterer, but it was a fun and satisfying project. I used luan as a backing instead of the cardboard used by some suppliers. Mike

Stumpy, the major adjustment is the concentric at the bottom of each shoe. The "minor" adjustments are the large nuts on the back of each backing plate at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. The brakes on these trucks aren't self energising. The minor adjustment controls how far the shoe retracts away from the drum when the brake pedal is released. To adjust properly you need a special tool that matches the setting of the brake shoes to the actual diameter of the drum on each wheel. Note: making either the major or minor adjustment will effect the other respecitve adjustment. Do a search on brake adjustment on the forum. I thought of a couple of other possibilities to consider. Does your truck have a vacuum booster, and has that been bled prior to bleeding your system? Does your truck have two cylinders per wheel? Are you getting the correct throw on your master cylinder plunger from your brake pedal? Mike

Stumpy - Great looking truck! Mike

Stumpy-when you say you've adjusted them did you do the "major" and "minor" adjustments? By adjusting the concentrics on the bottom you may be able to move the shoe out enough to solve your problem. Have you bled the entire system? Mike

You may want to go to a tire dealer or a scrapper and see if he has some 20" takeoffs that you can buy reasonably, but look them over good. You'll need radial tubes too.

Mine does that too. It kinda removes the stealthiness of the vehicle, but I have another pedal that I'm going to install someday. I really don't even notice it anymore. Mike