MBF

Nice-so you were able to get them w/o the inner walls touching? If that's the case I may do the 7:50 route too. Mike

If you're going to run antifreeze instead of pure water you may be able go get some short pieces of exhaust elbows and patch in with pieces of waterhose. My '52 has a combination of rubber hose, and metal tubing on the lower hose asm and I belive its factory. just a thought. mike

Folks-these are locking ring rims, not split ring unless you have the type of rim that actually comes apart in the middle. If the rim and lock ring is in good shape any tire shop that does truck tires should be able to work on them-but not the ones that split in the middle. Make sure that you have the deep offset coined rims if you're going to run duals so that the inner sidewalls don't touch when mounted on the truck. Some 7:50 will scrup w/o a load on the vehicle so I've decided to go with 7:00 x 16's with a Cooper made (import)steer bias ply for around $90 a piece. Mike

Check the brushes and commutator surface where they ride. There should also be good spring tension holding the brushes against the com. If you have it apart-you should have no continuity between the shaft or any of the armature /commutator segments. Mike

How much free play do you have when the pedal is all the way out? Sounds like you may not have enough throw to fully release the clutch. You should have no more than 3/4 - 1 inch of free play before you feel the throwout bearing come into contact with the clutch fingers. Are you sure you have the correct throwout bearing? Mike

NAPA has them listed-replaced two last year (1 on the 36 plymouth, and the other on the 52 1 ton). If you get a rebuild kit, make sure it is rated for today's fuel blends-I don't think a NOS kit would handle today's formulations. Mike

Check under the waterpump and see if you have any seepage where it bolts to the block. You could also have something weeping (rad or bypass hose or bypass housing) that is trickling down and dripping on the timing cover. Think positive. Like the old Piel's beer commercial-"I was told to cheer up things could be worse-so I cheered up and sure enough things got worse". Mike

I removed the one on my '36 Plymouth while I had it apart and put a block off plate in its place. If they stick closed or parially closed you're going to have backpressure problems. Chrysler dealers used to sell some type of penetrant spray that was designed just for heat risers (probably just a high temp penetrant). I don't know if that would help free yours up, but it does help to keep them moving once they're free. I used neverseize on the one on my '52 1 ton while I had it apart and give it a shot of PB blaster every once in a while to keep it movable. Mike

Here's a quick way to check a generator. It should run like an electric motor if hooked up directly to a 6 volt battery. If it doesn't-it won't charge. To check the operation of the charging system (voltage regulator included) put a volt meter on the battery (before starting the engine) and get a static reading. After starting the engine you should see at least a volt and a half increase in the reading if the charging system is working with the engine revving slightly. Check the wiring from the generator to the voltage regulator, and then see if the points are closing in the regulator (you may also want to clean up the contact points in the regulator-but disconnect the batter before doing this). If the generator has the 3rd movable brush, you can try moving this from side to side and see if your voltage output changes. Mike

Make sure that your door is not bent, and the lip around the edge is not damaged. The gasket I got from Roberts fit ok (cemented in using clothespins around the entire seal) but it isn't thick or high enough to accomodate a bent or damaged lip on the vent door. GB had it right-they suck, but being able to have the breeze in the summer is worth the aggravation! Mike

If you're talking about the front end of the front springs yes, there is a removable bushing that is inside the spring eye. If you're talking about the back end of the springs, the C shaped shackle has a bushing on each end that screws on the shackle itself. Make sure that you check the mounting holes on the chassis (front and rear) to make sure that the holes are not hogged out. Mike

I've got a glove box door from a yellow one on the shelf. Only asking $2500.00 if anyone needs one-have a blue one that I'm waiting for ebay to determine the value for me! For $80K I'll pass! Mike

Got my first set at Roberts-didn't fit right-and got another set from NAPA. Big difference in quality-not much difference in cost. Mike

I've got a simlar 53 with the square rear fenders and stock looking (but chromed) rims. Not as detailed as the one shown in the picture. Toytruckcity.com I think. Mike

That 2 ton that Stan has was a firetruck from about 20 minutes from here. He bought it drug it to Maine and put a flatbed on it. Less than 10K original miles-twin carbs. Nice truck. He's also got a 51-52 1/2 ton. He drags both of these to truck shows on a flatbead towed by an IH KB12 powered by a Mack motor. He's a character to talk with-I always try to hook up with him. Saw him 3 times this year and he's always got a new story to tell. Good luck. Mike

GB-I think if you get the "rough adjustment" taken care of by moving the C shaped bracket close to where you want it and tighten down the screws you can get the final tweaking with the concentrics on the shoulder bolts. I did mine a long time ago-but that's kinda what I remember. I also did a swap in of a new cover as the original had quite a dent in it and I don't recall doing a log of fiddling around to get it where I wanted it. Mike

Alan: I think we've got something in common! I've been looking for a set of drop center 16" 6 hole Budds (with offset to run duals) so that I can use radials. Not having a lot of luck. I was offered a set of 17's but that's a hard tire to find today. I'm also finding out that there were 3 different offsets (that I know of-I have all 3 styles) and only 2 will allow you to run duals, and only 1 with a tire larger that a 7:50 x 16! If you have an ATCA or ATHS member directory-see if you can find a number for Stanley Young-he's north of you in Cardville and deals with a lot of Dodge and other stuff-and he is a pizzer! I'm still looking, but like the guys said, Ford and IH used the same wheels during the late 50's and early 60's on their 1 tons. I'll keep you in mind as I continue searching, and if I find something I'll let you know. Mike

That is some creative engineering! Looks good from here! Mike

GB I agree. I don't think the inner fenders were designed to support the weight of a battery sitting on them. Seems like the older I get, the harder it is to get to stuff under the hood. Mike

GB-check in Hemmings-there are several companies that repair them. I'm going to be sending the one from my '36 Plymouth after the driving season is over. Tire of using the pad and writing down the mileage process! Mike

Why not swap in a pair of 1/2 ton rear springs. If that doesn't do the trick I would think a local spring shop would be able to rework your springs (even if you removed a couple of the shorter leaves) and re-arch them to give you an original ride height. I think Albany Spring (Albany, NY) has a website that shows the specs for all springs that they manufacture. I had them make up a new main leaf for a Ford F-5 a few years ago and they were cheaper than a junk yard! Mike

Thanks-that's what I was considering too-but was hoping someone had already installed these to see if there was clearance. Mike

Hi-If you've got the steering wheel off the shaft the outer shaft housing will come off by sliding up the shaft. I can't remember how I disassembled mine years ago, but I'm pretty sure that it wasn't much of a problem removing the inner hollow shaft from the box. It should be somewhat self explanatory when you get the outer shaft off. I'm thinking there is a nut that retains the steering shaft bearing but I think the sector shaft has to be removed first to let the worm geared shaft come out of the housing. Mike

Nice Jim. We celebrated out 28th on Sat! Wish I had known about that show-would have taken a ride down. Best of luck on the next 33. Mike

Getting ready to put new shoes on the rear of my '52 1 ton. I currently have 6:50 16 bias ply luggers on the rear but want to put steer tires there instead. I was thinking of going to 7:50's bias ply to slightly give me a higher final drive ratio. I can barely get my hand down between the inner sidewalls of the 6:50 tires that are on there now, and a friend has a firetruck that has 7:50's on it that the inner sidewalls just touch. These are the correct dual coined rims-just wondering what everyone else is running for tire size on the rear duals. This truck won't ever carry much weight but I don't want to start having tire problems either. Mike