Charles Furman

Both of these woodies have been to San Onofre. We have a surf contest at San Onofre as part of the Encinitas Wavecrest Woodie Show weekend each September and I drive one of the woodies up there every year. I usually limit the 1948 4x4 woodie to a 100 miles radius of my home simply because it is a 61 year old unrestored original truck with 36,000 miles. I will drive the 1949 woodie anywhere. The longest trip so far was from Oceanside to Santa Cruz for a Woodie Meet last summer. Total trip was around 1100 miles. As far as how many Pilothouse woodies are out there, I know of about 16 to 20. Most are 1/2 tons with the 108 inch wheel base. Those have three seats and carry 8 people plus luggage. There are a few 3/4 tons on 126 inch chassis which have four rows of seats and carry 11 people. Another friend of mine has a 1952 1 1/2 ton on a 192 inch chassis that has dual rear wheels, six rows of seats and carrys 18 people. Maybe I will create a Pilothouse Woodie album and post pictures of all the Pilothouse woodies I know of.

I just posted 5 pictures of my two Pilothouse woodies in the Photo Gallery under Dodge Trucks.

The ONLY place I have found to get a cowl vent rubber that fits correctly is from Vintage Power Wagon. www.vintagepowerwagons.com

I had the exact problem you are experiencing. Everything worked great until I ran at higher RPMs, especially if I put my foot in it. Then it would act as if were running out of gas. I changed carburetors and did all the normal stuff, then just before I started kicking things, I was leaning over the fender looking at the fuel pump when I reved the engine and saw air bubbles in the glass fuel bowl at the filter. Upon closer inspection I found that the 6 inch rubber hose that connects the steel fuel line running down the frame to the fuel pump had a split in it. It was not a big enough split to leak fuel out or affect the engines performance when it was drawing fule at a slow pace, but when the pump was trying to draw a lot of fuel it would suck air in through the slit in the rubber hose. Good luck.

Between 1949 (B1) model and 1950 (B2) model years they moved the emergency brake level from the floor to under the dashboard and they moved the gear shift from the floor to the steering column.

When I restored my wheel I dug out everything that wasn't solid and used a rubber bumper repair kit to fill it in. Then I sanded and painted. Came out pretty good. You can buy the bumper repair kits at NAPA or any other auto parts store. If I recall I had to use a special puller that form a kind of plate behind the wheel rather than a traditional wheel puller. maybe someone can post a picture of one.

I have a 1948 Dodge B1B108 Woodie that was delivered to the original owner with four wheel drive. It was ordered by a lady rancher in The Dallas, Oregon. She wanted four wheel drive for her ranch, but did not like the flat fendered look of the Dodge Power Wagon, so she ordered the civilian body. The dealer ordered her a 1948 Dodge B1B108 Windshield Cowl Chassis. The chassis was sent to J T Cantrell & Sons in New York where the wood body was installed. Then it was shipped to the Murty Four Wheel Drive Company where the 4X4 running gear was installed. Finally, it was delivered to the dealership in Oregon for the lady to pick up. My woodie has a very weathered plastic badge right above the Dodge nameplate on the grill that reads "Murty Four Wheel Drive" By the way, I am the 3rd owner and the woodie has 36,000 original miles and everything works. Here is a link to a picture of our 4X4 woodie, scroll down to Charles Furman. My other Dodge B1B108 woodie is directly below listed under Tamara Furman. Here's the link: http://tiny.cc/GcHUG

I bought my 1st car while I was in high school in 1963. It was a 1949 Plymouth woodie. Paid $200. I now have a 1948 Dodge Pilothouse woodie, a 1949 Dodge Pilothouse woodie, and a 1950 Desoto.

I can't give you an answer, but I can add to your question. Can anyone tell me/us where to get a good quality rebuilt Pilothouse steering box? Either to buy one or have mine rebuilt.

Thank you. Now I get it.

OK, you guys made me get my hands (and mouth) dirty. I did Reg's "suck test" on the vacuum advance unit all the way from the vacuum line at the carb and the vacuum advance unit advanced and held. I then put the distributor back together and ran the engine up to 1300 rpm and the timing advance 10 degrees and held just like the manual said it should. I checked the timing at idle and it was set at about 1 degree ATDC. The manual says it should be set at TDC. I reset it to either TDC or, maybe, 1 degree BTDC (it's hard to tell with my eye sight). The only thing I haven't tried yet is setting the timing at idle using a vacuum guage. Can someone please explain this concept further. Do you set it to carb vacuum or intake manifold vacuum? I thought carb vacuum was supposed to be zero at idle. I guess I am just slow, but I don't understand this concept.

Mike, Let's keep in touch. Maybe we can come up with a solution we both can use. Charles

Thanks for the lively discussion guys. Actually, I can run easily at 70-75 on flat ground with my 3:73 rear-end. At 65 mph, I am taching about 2500 rpm. The problem is when I try to pull a long grade. The added weight of the woodie body is like trying to drive a pickup up hill with a full load. I like the idea of shaving the head .050, adding a dual exhaust split manifold, and adding more carburetion. Would it be better to use a 2 barrel carburetor with an adaptor or try to find a manifold that will take two 1 barrel carbs? Also, if I go with a 2 barrel carburetor, what carb do you recommend? With all these changes, are there adjustments I will need to make (timing, plugs, etc)? Which adjustments go with which changes? Thanks

I am now ready to convert from Vacuum to Electric Wipers in my 49 B1B. Does any have or know of a complete electric wiper set up that is in working, restored or NOS condition. The pivots and knob need to be in pretty good shape, I really don't want anything I have to rechrome. I want everything (motor, knob, switch, transmissions, pivots, gaskets, and wiper arms). I'll get blades at NAPA. Thanks for any help, Charles

Well, I have 3,000 miles on my 1949 Dodge B1B108 Woodie now and it is time to add a little more horsepower. My Dodge is 100% stock except for disk brakes in the front and a 373 rear end. At 65 mph I tach about 2500 rpm. My biggest issue is that when I pull long hills I max out at 50 mph with my foot in it all the way. I am not looking to burn rubber, but I would like to add some horsepower without sacrificing reliablity. The big difference between my woodie and a stock BIB108 pickup is the weight of the body. My Dodge drives like its carrying a full load of lumber all the time. This makes for a very smooth, solid ride, but it makes hills a little more challenging. I am initially looking for bolt on solutions and I would be very interested in hearing from some of you who have ventured down this road. I know Reg Evans and Don Coatney have a vast amount of experience with aftermarket and custom perfromance stuff, but I am sure that there are many more of you that can also give me some guidance. I would be interested in what worked and what didn't work. I would like to know where to get need parts and even what I might expect to pay. If this type of discussion has been documented somewhere else, just point me to it. Thanks, Charles Furman

The Fresh Air Vent Hose worked great. I really appreciate your help. My wife really loves having the ability to get fresh air without having to open the hood scope vent. I will email you some pictures when I get some. I haven't made a metal strap yet, so I used some of the webstrap that I used for the hood restraints to make some slings to hold the hose against the inner fender. It actually came out pretty good, so I am not in too big a hurry to make the metal strap. Thanks again, Charles

I just order some of this fender filler. Any special advice for installation?