Dennis46PU

Nice truck. Looks just like my dad's old 54 1/2 ton painted red with a black low side bed. I wish I had kept that truck. What engine and trans does yours have?

I worked for a farmer years ago when I was 16 that had one of these. I can't remember if it had a Cummins or a Detroit in it but it was constantly breaking down on him so he took it to a John Deere dealer that did a lot of Chrysler industrial engines for irrigation wells. They put a 413 in it and it ran like a raped ape.

I have AutoMeter in my truck for all the gauges. Over half of my gauges I got on ebay up for bid from a private party. The only downside is you have to be 12v neg ground. The tach will work with 4, 6, or 8 cylinder, just set the switches inside the housing. My speedometer is easily calibrated anytime and has the electronic sender for GM that works perfect. I only had to modify one piece of my park brake linkage to fit the sending unit. Autometer has a huge selection of needle and face combinations. I have antique beige in my truck but they can also be purchased in black if you want to go with that style. AutoMeter has GPS speedometers, but they are overpriced IMO.

Just trying to learn something here, why do they call it a "poly"? I remember my dad's 54 Dodge pickup had a low side bed with a 241 (?) cubic inch V8 not a hemi, and a four speed. I have no idea what that engine would have been called.

The only problem I had with my new pump that I don't have to grease because it has a sealed bearing was the cover plate on the back. One of the 1/4" bolts is drilled through the casting into the water cavity and it had a slow leak. I had to pull the pump back off take the bolt out and seal it with a little silicone. After that no problems.

Don't feel bad Jeff, you were helping as best you could. Like you said, you can't always go on others experiences. I bumped into an old friend this morning that has a 48 Ford, he's looking for a rebuilder to get his transmission done. Yep, could have been much worse. I'd be waiting much longer if i hadn't found parts thanks to the web. And I was seriously considering a T5 swap if parts availability hadn't happened when it did. When I was at the rebuilders shop yesterday afternoon, they showed me some of the packaging and boxes the parts were in. I was very surprised all of the parts were in the small parts kit, was showing signs of wear on the edges of the cardboard envelope.

Well I finally got my transmission back today. I took it to a place in Los Angeles on 11/4/2016 to have them rebuild it, they told me it would take 3-4 days and they guarantee it for 6 months. So I decided to have them do it. Problem was everytime I called them they had an excuse regarding the parts. So I finally talked to someone that came clean and told me what the hold up was. He said they thought they could get the parts but found out they couldn't. He admitted the guys should bave been honest and told me the truth when they couldn't get them shortly after they started on it. When I started on this transmission project I searched around for parts and realized the most valuable tool that I needed was a parts book if I were to rebuild my old transmission. So I ordered one and then found AMS Obsolete. I already knew what parts were needed before I dropped the transmission off at the rebuilder. So I started punching numbers into their inventory search. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!! The only parts they didn't have were the bearing on the main shaft and input shaft bearing, also did not have the shaft for the cluster gear. So I actually got the rebuilder back in gear by sending them copies of my parts pages and who to buy the parts from. They were able to get the shaft made for the cluster gear and later I found by searching some more there is a business down the street from them that reconditions transmission and differential parts. Anyway 21 days later I have my transmission back in and tooknthe truck for a test drive. Much quieter than it was before. Now I have to get used to having synchronizers in 2nd and 3rd gears. I'm eventually going to put together an overdrive transmission for this truck, but i'll wait until I have a rear axle differential and plans for a driveline layed out.

I went with Auto-Meter. My speedometer fits good in my dash, don't know the size of your hole. The speedometer was very easy to calibrate, and can always be changed if you change tires or differential ratios. You cannot change the odometer. I have all 7 of the face I have and no problems with any of them yet. Caution these only work with 12 volt negative ground.

About $150 from Robert's plus shipping from what I saw.

I had the same problem Reg. Different setup on the mechanical gear, but I slightly modified my linkage to clear it. The gear reduction box might take a little more room, but they might have a longer section for the end that screws onto your transmission. It's worth the phone call to find out.

I can go along with Ed on that. For example did Dodge trucks built in Michigan use the same wood that Dodge trucks built on the west coast? There was a lot of logging in the Sierras, Oregon and Washington at the time. I find it hard to believe they would ship southern yellow leaf pine to the west coast when they had plenty of pine out there already.

If you have a parts book, they had a gear that matched for the differential ratio. They were usually listed at the end of the transmission section. Once you have the number you need try one of the obsolete parts dealers. Yyou might have to change both gears in your transmission to get there. Also I have used reduction box adapters on big trucks that mounted to the ouutput of the transmission. They basically had gears inside of the small box to get your calibration where you need it.

Is this something new they started doing? I have seen his kit online and only for a truck, but haven't read he is selling the transmission also.

Shrinking has always been more difficult than stretching for me. I never have been fond of a torch method as it is uneven and too hot in areas you don't want it. It might be best to let a professional do it in the long run.

Yes I like that, rough cut and painted black. Things slide less on rough cut. I haul furniture on the weekends and this would be perfect for me. What did you use for black paint?

I have seen one of these work. Time consuming and patience. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xshrinking+disc.TRS0&_nkw=shrinking+disc&_sacat=0

I've been on the freeway with mine a few times, usually on the weekends. People just smile and or wave when they pass by.

I'll second that and if you don't see the color or size of wire that you want, call them as they don't have all of it on their website.

Interesting and glad you posted the pictures. While mine isn't cracked quite as bad as yours, eventually I want to get the cracks filled and paint the wheel.

Watch your tappet as it goes up and down, it should turn a bit each time it goes up in it's bore.

Thanks Jeff! They have those parts listed in my book for a WD 20-21 and trucks heavier. There are also shims .002, .003, and .010 listed to get the bracket in correct location bolted to the bell housing.

Most common to fail would be the cluster on the main shaft. That consists of the collar, the clutch gear, synchro rings, synchronizer springs (2) and synchronizer shift plates (3). Usually third gear, which is the input gear, teeth will be worn. I think the question might be which cluster gear. A picture would help and this is why I recommend a parts book as well a repair manual. Call Gary @ Roberts Motor Parts, he can have those to you in a few days or less.

That part on ebay is the countershaft cluster. I think he needs a Pinion which has the third gear and a second speed gear, plus a clutch gear and sleeve assembly. A parts book is one of your best friends.

I'm always by myself it seems like working on my truck. What you might try is take your spark plugs out and remove the cover from the bottom of your flywheel. You can then turn the engine by hand from underneath without a lot of effort. You can watch your cam follower position as you turn the crank by hand. I found removing my inner fender well and crawling under the engine I access and adjust valves easier. After you adjust your valves, you can do a cold compression test with your plugs alreasy removed.

Jerry, thanks for posting that picture of the support. Mine is the same as Jans currently, no support. I'll have to watch for one of those. Do yo have a part number?