Jocko_51_B3B

Plymouthy and Squirebill, I think you guys are right after all. I brought #1 up to TDC using the sprocket teeth markings as my guide to make sure I was there exactly. Then I moved the oil pump over by one tooth and brought the rotor to 7:00. (I also double-checked my point gap to make sure it is .020.) Then I connected my ohmmeter between the points and the block (ground) and adjusted the distributor housing until the points just opened. I should have read the Service Standards at the front of the electrical section in my Shop Manual. It clearly states that the #1 piston should be .000 i

Squirebill, Thanks for your detailed answer. I think I have a handle on this now. And since I still have the head and timing cover removed from the engine I can see how everything moves as I rotate the engine by hand. First things first. I made certain the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley lines up with the timing mark stamped on the camshaft timing pulley. With that, I know my valve timing is set. I then rotated the engine by hand until my #1 piston came up to TDC firing position and #6 at TDC between exhaust and intake. Here is what confused me for a while; No matter how I installed

Where does the Service Standard mention that the factory setting for the rotor is 7:00? I don't see it in the B3B Shop Manual under the ignition section.

I finally decided on Permatex Form-A-Gasket #1 to seal the Welsh plugs. After putting them in I thought they might look good polished up. Maybe polishing them is a little over the top but why not? So I used a little bit of Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish. It took about two seconds and they turned out pretty nice. The plug in the upper right corner got scratched from the brass drift I used to punch it down so to prevent scratching the other four I put a small piece of aluminum tape on the plugs before punching them down with the drift. That worked. No more scratches.

Good info. Thanks JB.

I found this little article about electrolysis in car engines. https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/coolant-testing-with-a-multimeter/ From what the article states, when using brass Welch plugs it might be a good idea to change coolant more regularly (or at least check it for conductivity) . I suppose sealant used when installing welch plugs helps prevent galvanic corrosion by reducing direct plug to block contact, but who knows? Talking about sealant, I've read that some guys like to used JB Weld, but is there a product out there made specifically for sealing core plugs?

First Question: Any suggestions about what sealants work well for sealing the welch plugs? Second Question: I just ordered a set of brass welch plugs from Summit Racing for my B3B because I was concerned that steel plugs could rust eventually. Then again, brass and cast iron are dissimilar metals which (I'm thinking) could set up galvanic corrosion. Any thoughts on this? I never heard of this being a problem, but since it occurred to me I thought I would put it out there.

Bill, Thanks for the link to 10 tricks engineers need to know about fasteners. I will use the split washers just because Dodge put them there, but the article certainly calls their effectiveness into question. Not to start a side discussion about split washers, but if the theoretical purpose of split washers is to dig into both the bolt head and the work piece thus preventing loosening, then placing a flat plain washer under a split washer (which I see being done sometimes) to prevent digging into the work piece would seem to make the split washer even more ineffective.

Unfortunately I found coolant in the bottom of the oil pan and traced it to a cracked block. To make a long story short I found a good replacement block but upon disassembling it I discovered that all eight main bearing cap screws had split washers under the screw heads. Should they be there? Won't split washers affect the torque readings? I'm wondering if the washers were added by a previous owner. (The pistons are .030 oversize so work has been done on this engine before.)

DCM Classics has something similar as well... https://dcmclassics.com/dust-and-air-seals/222-rw-186-door-windlace-black-or-brown-kit.html?search_query=186&results=3 Here's a photo from DCM's site:

I found it. Roberts has it. The round core is solid and the rubber-coated flange material is very similar in texture to the original Dodge material. This is the same stuff that came with my b3B when I bought the truck. https://www.robertsmotorparts.com/black-windlace-2-doors-dodge-trucks-plymouth-trucks-fargo-trucks-1928-1947-chrysler-dodge-desoto-plymouth-cars-1948-and-older-when-used-1-1 Here's a picture of it from Robert's website:

McMaster-Carr has a solid round seal with a flange that might work, but it's not really like the original. https://www.mcmaster.com/rubber-seals/flange-mount-rubber-seals/

Here's what the repro material looks like. The pieces I have came with my B3B. The PO didn't tell me where he got them. Maybe someone on this site knows where to get it.

I took a rusty old splash shield extension from a '52 B3B parts truck and I noticed something interesting. The old extension has a piece of the original gasket material still split-riveted to it. It is hard to tell what this material is actually like from the picture in the parts manual, but here is a real life original sample. It has a loli-pop cross section. The round part is solid. The flange is a rough rubber coated material. There is a close reproduction material made. I have a couple pieces of it, enough to do the splash shield extensions.

A fresh air shroud was included with my Model 65. It looks like it fits perfectly between the heater and the firewall. The holes match up with the holes in the firewall. The shroud I have is falling apart but I kept it as a reference piece in case I can somehow fabricate one in the future. It appears to be made of a very flimsy cardboard material stapled together. There's no way this type of thing could last more than a few years IMO. If I had all the pieces needed for the kit, I might try fabricating a new shroud out of 18 or 20 gage sheet metal along with a spongey edge of some kind to