1949 Wraith

My '51 half ton came with 215/85 R16 on the original 4.5X16" rims. This size tire was a bit taller than the original original 6.00X16 tires but the main draw back was that they were for a dually application and meant to run around 65 psi. The tires were hardly worn but probably 25 years old. I went to a 215/75 R16 which is a half inch shorter than the 6.00X16 but they are made for an SUV and I run 32 psi which definitely improves the ride. There are no clearance issues on the 215/75 R16 tires. On my '42 half ton the previous owner went to a early 50's 15 inch rim. I am running 215/75 R15 with no clearance issues. The radials are the only change from stock on the truck. You could probably find a spacer to fill in the rear wheel wells. This would also allow you to rotate your tires. Radials I find make a huge difference in handling on windy days. I had a stock '49 sedan with radials that drove so easy on an extremely windy day, I would take my stock '41 coupe with bias tires and you spent the whole drive compensating for wind breaks and probably looked like a drunk driving down the road.

Yes no corner corner glass on my Canadian Dodge, but it does have the wing vent windows.

Coker Classic Nostalgia radial tire. 6 X 16 original rims I bought them thinking they would be an upgrade to bias white walls. I bought these about 4 years ago 2 tires had to be sent back as they too around 9 ounces to balance, previous tires had 1.5 ounces. They look nice but I would not spend the money again on this style of tire.

I have used " Chassis Saver" with good results as well

Welcome, you found the right place.

I found the Chrysler part number for the 1942 Canadian DD4 truck 3-7/16" bore piston and pins: 974072 then ending in 77,80,81 and 83 for .020 to .060 over

On vehicles that sit for a long time between being used I put in an electric fuel pump. I prime it with the pump before attempting to start. Run it for about 6 seconds then turn it off, sure saves the starter. You can add fuel to the carb float bowl by attaching a small hose to the carb breather vent inside the throat, using a small funnel or syringe. If fuel pump is not working a remote fuel tank from a lawnmower above the carb should work if you want to run longer.

The Canadian 2 ton truck in 1942 DD4, DDM4 and FL4 ,FLM4 went to 3 7/16" with 4 1/4" stroke for 236.6 cubic inch, piston pin lists 2 7\8" , length 1 1/8" A rare bird, but maybe a point to start your search, maybe military. If your engine is a Canadian export, a lot of the engine parts are different than the US counterparts I checked my parts list for 1941 Canadian and US long blocks all were 3 3\8" except the C30-C33 being 3 1\4" so probably no luck finding pistons in the States

No swap meets around here this year. Really miss them and I need some parts.

Thanks, previous owners did the chroming, Fargo even on the rear bumper. I think some of the late 50's Dodge trucks had chrome bumpers and that might be what is on the Dodge.

I have the same issue with my M4 that has been disabled and used as a 2 speed manual using the direct gears, instead of the under drives. If there is any load on the gears through the differential when stopped it is impossible to shift out of gear. I have got used to shifting to neutral before coming to a complete stop. if I am backing up a slope or pulling up to a 2X4 that I use in the garage for a stop. When you are backing up are you going up a slope?

If you can not shift into gear with the car running. You might have some clutch adjustments to make as well. Sounds like there is not enough clearance.

If you don't want to take it out to do a bench bleed, you could try disconnecting the brake line at the MC and pumping out the air till you get fluid.

The '42 Fargo FL1 is on the road now. I think the '51 Dodge DG1 is a bit put out.

I have seen where people have filed a groove in the back of the eccentric anchor bolts. This allows major adjustments with the hubs on. The bolts can be adjusted from behind the backing plate with a flat blade screwdriver.

Great reference. Thanks Jim

Check your wheel alignment for better steering as well. My latest "42 was toed out a bit, I was noticing any play in the steering wheel as I tried to go down the road.

Pretty sure that was in my '42 Fargo. If it is a Canadian made unit it should fit in the long blocks I think.

Bought the Centric wheel cylinders from Rock Auto all 4 for around $60. Stepped pistons, 1.75" bolt centers. Installed and function properly on my '42. Centric list the units as '46-47 WC only but original parts list state that the 41-47 WC were the same part numbers, this would seem correct.

There should be a tag riveted to the distributor body it will have the model type and serial number. It could be on the lower half of the distributor.

Beautiful car. I wouldn't mind a little smoke, it would be nice just to sit in.?

Thanks Merle I will check it out

I am working on my recent '42 Fargo. The previous owner stated that the fuel gauge reads empty when full and raises to full as you use fuel. OK I figure an easy fix just swap the wires around. Well I drain the tank figuring to get the old gas and as much crud out of the tank as I can. I'm filling up the tank with about 4 gallons and check the gauge, she reads about a quarter full, great. Add another 4 gallons and she reads around a half tank. Add another 4 gallons and it has dropped back to around the quarter full again. I am still doing brake work so not driving yet but i suspect if I fill the tank It will read empty like the PO stated. I would imagine if the float can go to half a tank when it is half full, it should at least stay at a half when the tank is full. Wiring should be correct for it to work correctly up to half a tank. Leaving connections that might be poor or mis-calibrated fuel gauge? Has anyone come across this issue before with thermal fuel gauges? Regards

She looks pretty complete and in need of your restoration skills. I liked the Chrysler Airflow because of the overdrives. I am not sure the overdrive was standard in the Desoto's. The 241 is an earlier version of the 241 in my '41 Chrysler Windsor and it is a nice engine.

When i did the brakes on my '51 I could not get a good seal on the front 4 way splitter by the MC as one port had been cross threaded. The 4 way splitters are not common, but I found 2 3 way splitters. One had a male port and 2 female and the other had 3 female ports. i joined the 2 T's together and they were close enough to the original lines, I made a new line to the MC as that was the line that was cross threading. These parts are generally used for trailer brakes and were readily available.