buds truck

I will get pics tonite for you.

exhaust and headers in, cab back on the frame, steering column shortened more, hung the brake pedal and reworked the angles of the pedal to clear the repositioned column, fabricated a mount for the emergency brake that came out of the Dakota and fabricated the start of the automatic trans linkage. I still have to go to the boneyard and get another intermediate shaft for the Dakota steering as I buggered up the double "d" shaft on mine. We are getting closer!!!!

the first drive is always the sweetest. pictures, we need more pictures...

I like.

Dave, pm sent

$89.00 and shipping, if interested I will pm you the auction.

Yes, the bed is going to sit that low over the frame, I sure won't be hauling any gravel in it for sure . the outside dimension of the motor with the headers are 26" outside to outside at the flanges and 29" at the widest area at about rocker cover height. Hope this helps. Bud

I just saw that on the HAMB yesterday. It looks forlorn

I also scratched my head with that seal problem, but one day when I was walking thru a hardware store, I came upon that little rubber rope that they use to hold in screens on screen doors. They come in different sizes and one size fits the groove nicely. Worked for me.... Hey old daddy, you needed a brake unit off the back of a 727 trans and I finally decided to use the 904 instead. I still have that trans and the brake unit. Bud

good job

I wll have it sent out to you sometime this week unless we get hit by snow like they are predicting. I hope they are wrong....

I put a 49 Plymouth dash in my 53 Dodge truck and the gauges I got were indeed in poor shape. I bought new gauges except for the temp gauge , took the housings apart, painted them and reassembled with new seals for the glass. The pic of the odometer is just so you can see what they started out like. I will need to paint the needle on the temp gauge still. I have a new odometer to install, I still need to dissasemble it to paint the center circle so they all match. I think they turned out purty nice. Thought I would share.

more pix of the exhaust and 2 of the beginning process of restoring the 49 Plymouth gauges that will go in the 49 Plymouth dash I installed in the truck.

Got the stainless Headers yesterday from that "auction site". Beautiful pieces they are and the price was sooooo good. I installed both the headers and the exhaust system I got from Jegs today. Good fit all around. All I have left to do is to install the crossover pipe (ran out of pipe and had to go buy a short length). Everything is tacked into place and fits good. The headers are beautiful in my opinion. All in all a good day

pm me your address. I will send the one and send the other later when I find it. no charge, just pay it forward to someone else sometime. Bud

I resolve to make my 53 roadworthy this year. Drive it thru the summer and tear her apart for body and paint next winter.

a virtual heat wave.... we were in single digits last nite...unusual for here

I just found a set of stainless headers on that auction site. They should arrive about the same time as the exhaust does. My next weekend is now full!!

ordered a dual exhaust kit from JEG's today, once I get that in, I can actually start it..... woot woot.... all I need now is to have Tim come up from Calif and help me get it running.....

yours are ribbed, correct? I had some short ones that were kind of a diamond pattern if my memory serves me correct, but I threw those out.

as strange as it may seem, I happen to have a couple of pieces that are about a foot long or so, (I would have to find them) as I had to shorten the running boards to match my short box.

Jon, thanks for the compliment, it means alot. Using the dakota floor will sit the truck as low as you see mine in my avatar if you match it up with the stock floor. I like low, so it is good with me. The dakota floor only goes back to the drivers seat area, so it is kinda half and half (half dakota and half pilothouse floor). This made it so I could use the front mounts on the dakota floor, but had to manufacture rear mounts on the body (I used stock frame mounts from the dakota in the stock locations). I also had to radius the wheel house areas as the tires hit the cab. All in all, not a hard job, but from your last post, maybe more than you want to do. You may be better off using the stock floor and making some new mounts. The first gen Dakotas are your best choice, the frame has a great place to do the shortening. THe earlier dakotas also have 5 lug wheels, mine (91) has 6 lug wheels, but the old Dodge 15' hubcaps snap right on the stock wheels, so it's all good.

Jon, welcome!! As you have seen I did a complete frame swap with a 91 Dakota. It really was not that hard, but I used to be a bodyman for years. You can find a v6 Dakota out there for very little $$ and they come fuel injected. with a v6 you will not have the space issues I have in the engine compartment. I used the dakota firewall and floor in mine. God luck in which ever way you decide, THe guys here will be glad to help you along the way. Bud

Great day today..... Shortened the steering column (again, another 4 1/2 inches), finished manufacturing and welding the swing pedal mount so it ties in strong to the 49 Plymouth dash, and built the transmission mount. Then off to candle light service and then taking the wife out to dinner. whew....

they are running later hours.... but maybe not that late.....