MBF

Nice progress! I'd set it on the ground and block it so it is supported by the ears on the bellhousing, with another block in the front so it isn't sitting on the oil pan. The negative lead will go to the post on the starter switch with the positive ground to one of the bolts on the engine (you can use the starter mounting bolts). When you get it running don't goose it or she'll try to flip herself over from the torque. If you're going to run it for awhile you may want to have a garden hose running into the block insteat of setting up a radiator. Nothing like hearing them come back to life the first time. Good luck-keep us posted. Mike

Personally I think one of the most fun of this hobby is the "hunt" for parts and comparing innovative outside the box ideas. This is a great forum for ideas and stories of experience. A few years ago no one wanted this MoPar stuff-now when you go to a show there are rows of them! Guess I was ahead of my time when I bought my first Dodge almost 30 yrs ago-still have it and a couple others that I've accumulated. My 52 1 ton isn't a show piece, but its a good solid reliable driver that I did myself. I get a lot of compliments at any event I've been do. Dare to be different-nothing like sweat equity for a sense of satisfaction. Mike

Glad you found your "bug". Sometimes they can be a bear to find, and usually end up being something simple. I know what its like breaking down with the wife! The thing will run fine for 2 yrs but when you want to take the Mrs for a ride stuff happens. Mike

I'm pretty sure the springs are the same. The way I did mine while I had the axle out to replace the kingpins- was to mount the front of the springs first, then the rear shackles mounted loosely. I then put the axle under the frame and lined up the u bolts. Once I had all the bolts in and nuts on them, I started tightening things up. Now you've got me wondering if there is a front and rear to the spring? Is the center bolt right in the center? Mike

Was the GM disk thicker than the original that came out of it? You may not be getting enough throw on the fingers to completely disengage it. Just my 2 cents. Mike

If I remember correctly. The front of the front springs have a pressed bushing that is threaded inside, and has a knurled surface on the outside. The hollow threaded bolt goes through the front spring mount. The rear eyes of the springs have no pressed in bushings. The bushings are shown in your picture of the rear shackle and screw onto the spring shackle threads. The outer area that looks threaded on the busing isn't actually used as a thread, its used as an area to hold grease between the spring eye and shackle. It's been awhile since I did mine so this is from recall which may or not be right-accuracy goes down with age. Mike

GB-right on! I don't think the fit and finish on these were very good from the beginning. I remember seeing pics of a restored Spring Special in a magazine a few years ago and the guy had rolled up paper towels under the front hood corners to protect the paint! And Happy Thanksgiving. Mike

To avoid this problem, I bypassed the ammeter entirely during my rewire and installed a volt meter under the dash. I have had similar problems in the past. Found the problem to be that the main connection on the starter switch was working itself loose (probably from the engine torque?). I'd also check to make sure you've got a good battery to chassis, and chassis to engine, and engine to body ground. Let us know what you find. Good luck. Mike

Dutch-I just thought of something else. Make sure that your steering box bolts are tight where the box bolts to the chassis. Had that problem too! Mike

Hey Dutch-personally been down that road! I'm going to try to rebuild my steering box over the winter. Do you know exactly what is loose? I've done king pins, tie rod ends, spring shackles, and this summer the drag link was replaced. If everything is tight have you tried adjusting the play out of the steering box? Give me a call if I can be of any help. Mike

Dave-it looks great and I like the running board treatment. Having taken a header off a set of shiney running boards a few years ago I'll go with functionality over originality. I may be using your process on my Ford L800 since it would have to be painted outside-can't get it in the garage. Mike

Like Don says you don't want more spring tension-you want less so that the pressure relief can open at a lower pressure. Was the pressure ok awhile ago or did this the first time you've run this engine? I would think the valve is stuck and/or you have the wrong spring. Mike

Amen to what Dezeldoc says. If you don't weld on a regular basis you can lose your touch very quickly-know that from first hand experience. Striking an arc with a stick is like striking a match-keeping an arc going is another story. A good stick weld should look like a stack of dimes that fell over-at least that's what our instructor told us! The mig is the way to go-very rarely use the stick anymore. Mike

If you're not welding sheet metal (I've never been able to do that with a stick) the rod material shouldn't be any thicker than the material you're trying to weld. Make sure the area you're trying to weld is clean (no rust or paint). The same for where you're hooking the grounding clamp. You may want to try some new rods in the factory sealed box. The flux wicks in moisture which makes it hard to start and maintain an arc. A 6011 general purpose rod is probably the easiest to start an arc with, but the type you need depend on what you're trying to weld. You may want to practice on some scap. Like Roger Welsh says: "When you're learning to weld you'll also need to learn how to grind. You'll be a good grinder before you're a good welder". Mike

I'm pretty sure the 48-50 truck had a more vertical column than the 51-53's. This is determined by the legnth of the dash to column support bracket (there are two different legnths) and the frame holes where the steering box mounts to the chassis. My 49 has an almost horizontal wheel up much higher than the one in my 53 parts truck. Mike

If they're for a 51-53 ph and you're talking about parking lamp lenses I think the ones from a Jeep CJ may be the same. NAPA may have something in plastic that is fairly reasonable. I lucked out and bought a lens and trim ring for $3.00 at Macungie this year-was advertised as for a Jeep. Fit and matched fine. Mike

Wallytoo-I did this stuff awhile ago, so I'm not really sure exactly what needs to be done. The dash light switch should be wired through the headlight switch. I had to take mine apart and clean the sliding contacts before it worked. I set mine up so that the parking lights are on at the first detent and again when the headlights are on. That way if I lose a headlight, you can still tell that it isn't a motorcycle. Mike

If you remove the two bolts behind the kick panels on each side of the cab (attaches riveted bracket to cab), the bottom rear bolts, and the 2 rad supports (and truss rods supporting the radiator the nose should come off in 1 pc after removing the hood. Mike

If its the passenger side is the locking mechanism jammed (keylock)?

PF-I think you're going to have to be almost bare metal clean if you want the bed liner material to stick to a primered surface. I tend to operate on the KISS principle (Keep it simple stupid) and have to remind myself periodically to stick to that. I like the rustoleum as I can keep an eye on what is going on if I get a stone chip underneath, and its an easy touchup if I need to make one. Whatever you decide to use, cleanliness and preparation are the keys. Make sure you wear a respirator while you're doing the wire brush trick-who knows what lurks in that dust. Mike

If you want to clean them up and prime them you can then topcoat with any type of rust preventative color you want, and then use a rubberized undercoating on top of that for noise. My inner and outer fenders are just painted. Used a primer for rusted metal after cleaning them up and welding in the patch panels. I then used a paintable seam sealer on the joints, and topcoated with a black rustoleum. This doesn't see much rain, and is never in the snow or salt. There are so many other sources for noises. As long as they'be bolted in properly I wouldn't imagine they'd make much noise. Mike

Welcome to the crew. I migged in patches on my passenger door. I cut off the bottom 6" of the outer skin. Had a pc of 20 guage galvanized braked to give it a straight endge on the bottom. I then made a flanging pliers out of a set of vicegrips (really easy to do with some keyway stock and a welder. After flanging the panel I welded it in. I think today I'd try the epoxy to replace the weld to avoid the seam sealing and heat issues. I also bought a set of good doors from CA (I'm in NY state). I had them shipped by bus and they were here in about a week. Still haven't put them on, but good doors are still out there if you're anywheres near the Dakotas, or Southwest. Mike

I've seen these at auto related swap meets in the Northeast. I also think that Roberts or Bernbaum's may sell them. I know there was a vendor that had them-just can't remember who. Good luck. Mike

If you're looking for 5 hole 20" drop center rims for the F-5 they're out there. Locking ring are probably more plentiful. I know for a fact that they interchange on the F-5 my tires and rims came off a 70's vintage IH. If you're looking for 6 hole 16", Ford and IH also shared bolt patterns on those too. Mike

Merle is correct. I've also seen a hammer used, but I don't recommend that! I found one of those circular clips while sweeping up my garage tonight-put it right in inventory for the next time! Mike