MBF

Can you post a pic of what the sytem looks like plumbing wise with the PCV system installed? I've been considering this for my '52 1 ton, and 36 Plymouth as I these don't get many miles on them, and getting rid of the condensation is important. Mike

Hi-I think its just a trim piece, not any type of a seal. I tried to modify some rubber fender welting that I had, but then the garnish pcs didn't fit properly-the welting was too thick. I went w/o it-just the windshield gasket and the mouldings. They must have not been too concerned with the longevity of these trucks (like they were supposed to last 40+ yrs) with the paper firelwall, interior, and cotton welting in a cab that leaked when new! Mike

Maybe they're leaking now due to the bores or shafts becoming slightly egg shaped. I think your going to have to determine how close the shafts come in their forward most position before you come up with a sealing method (possibly a thin o-ring, or partial gasket wedge between the face of the trans and the bell housing if this area on the trans is in fact blocked off by the bell housing). Just my 2 cents. MBF

You may want to check that you have a good body-chassis to engine ground. I converted my 52 to 12 volts a couple of years back-I don't remember if the old regulator was insulated from the cab or grounded to it-but I know on my big Ford that it has to be grounded. Intermittant electrical problems can drive you crazy as you probably already know. Are you experiencing any other electrial problems? MBF

Hey Dutch-our ATCA show is at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds on the 9th/10th of June-would love to see that there. Mike

Depending on how badly the old king pins have fallen in love with the axle eyes will determine the process. First you need to remove the lock pin that holds each kingpin into the axle eyes. From there it is a matter of driving them out so that you can install the new pins. I ended up taking my axle out and taking them to a shop that had to heat and press the old pins out. Hopefully your axle eyes are not worn oblong or that is another whole process to have them bored out and bushed. You won't know this until you have the old pins out, and test fit the new pins to the axle. They need to be snug. If the axle is ok when you purchase your kit-the spindle bushings will need to be pressed into the spindles and then reamed (probably by the same machine shop that pressed in the bushings) to fit the new pins. It's a pretty straightforward process. Good luck Mike

I've been asking the same question for awhile now. I have single pane doors on my truck, but 2 really solid vent pane doors from CA. From what I see-there is going to be some hardware swapping and maybe some fabrication too. The reason that I have started on the doors yet is I don't want to remove the hardware from the doors on the truck until I know how much work has to be done.

Once you have it cleaned up and working I believe that there is a small screw about 1/2" long near the cable input. If you take out that shafted screw there is a wick behind it. You may want to put some lightweight machine oil on the wick while you have the unit out. Mike

I think that's the horizontal fender filler along the back edge of the fender where it meets the cowl. For the vertical stuff-I couldn't find anything so I cut some rubber strips about 3/4 inch wide and rivets them to the edge of the fender. Not factory, but keeps the debris out of the door opening for the door stop. Mike

Rust and real bullet holes often look better than bad body work. Mike

I bought 1 from Roberts a few years back and it fit fine. Mike

I bought a 4 speed for my '52 1 ton to replace the floor shifted 3 speed. I was hoping it was going to be a bolt on with just a modification to the driveshaft. The bolt pattern is completely different and will require a different bell housing. I don't know if I'm going to continue with the swap or not. Mike

Bob: I think the factory 4 spd only gives you a 1:1 final drive out of the tranny just like the 3 spd. I may have a 4 spd to sell if you're interested-please email me. I'm located in NY state. Mike

You could have some slow valves that are starting to hang too. Try giving it a dose of Marvel Mystery oil down the throat of the carb with it revved slightly. Just some advice-don't do this near an open window, or inside a building.

Mine is like that too. I believe that diagonal brace was to reduce the frame rail flexing caused by the side to side movement of the drag link. Prior to '48 the direction of travel wasn't side to side, but front to rear. Supposedly one of the advertising pitches for the pilot house was the reduced turning radius created by the side to side steering. Nice looking, and unique project. Mike

If you look closely you can see the ancestry back to the pilot house era. Notice the fenderlines continuing through the door panel, and the shape of the hood. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Mike

I haven't done it yet, but I'm taking my rubber flr mats to a carpet guy to make a pattern out of using a short pile black carpet. I'm going to ask him to bind the edges so it looks better. Hoping it quiets down some of the noise from inside the cab too. Mike

Reg-please add me to the list-I've heard good things about the results folks have had using your patterns. Mike

Reg-where did you purchase those? The one's that I got from Roberts have a much shorter tail on them. Mike

The motor should come out by removing the two large phillips headed screws found at the center top of the dash. You'll need to remove the actuating arms and the linkage for the switch too. I'll try to take some pics over the weekend of how the arms are connected to the pivot arm on the motor. Mike

Could it be the smaller version from the Dakota? Mike

Make sure the actuating arms going to each pivot are corrected to the bar on the the vacuum motor properly-been there-done that! On my 49 when they're parked (off) they are on the outer sides of the windshields. Mike

For the rims that I have in my inventory, the rims designed with the single use only offset do not have the (flanged) coned lug holes, and their offset will not allow the lug faces to touch each other when placing them side by side. The tire sidewalls make contact first leaving a space of over an inch between the rim faces. You may get by with 1 of each type rim space wise, but if they're not flanged for the dual setup I think you're going to have a problem keeping the lug nuts tightened. With only a 1/2" spacing between the tires when stacking the rims together I think your tires' inner sidewalls will rub against each other with any type of a load (maybe even unloaded) when the weight of the truck is placed on them. I like the looks of the single use rims on the front (nice offset) but I carry a spare for the duals which will work front or back. Just my $.02. Mike

I'm in the same situation w my 1 ton. I'm currently running 16" bias ply all the way around with duals in the back. There is a drop center 17" (maybe 17.5")rim used on late 50 Dodge 1 tons that will bolt up to this pattern-but I think finding tires for them may be a problem. I had a set offered to me, but turned them down when I couldn't find tires to fit them. The type of rim in the photo has the offset for a single rear wheel application. If you try to use this type of rim in a dual application the tire sidewalls will touch with a gap between the rim flanges. The rims for use as duals have a different offset. I think I may have profile pictures of the 2 different styles-they look basically the same, but when you put them side by side the difference is obvious. Hope that helps. Mike

I've been through the brake system on my '36 Plymouth a couple of times in the 45 yrs we've owned it. The DOT3 fluid wicks in moisture since it is alcohol based. This is probably the worst thing for a car that sits 99% of the time. I'd recheck the inside of your front cylinders-if they're starting to gum up or corrode in the bore-that will slow up the brake realease process. You also said that your show lining went all the way to the end of the shoe-I wonder if with these type of non self energizing brake (shoes are anchored on bottom end) if that small section of the shoe lining isn't dragging too. I use the brake caliper tool when setting up the brakes on my '36 and my 52 dodge 1 ton and then dial them in with the major and minor adjustments. I also got into the habit of flushing the brake fluid out of these vehicles on an annual basis to slow down the corrosion process. Whatever you do-don't mix the DOT5 and DOT3 fluids together-that will turn all of the internal rubber parts to a black mush. Mike