slicknapier

Hey Oil Soup, I grafted a Volare front clip to my original 48 Panel Truck frame. I ended up not using it and built a complete frame with a Dakota clip. If you are thinking of doing a clip let me know. I'm not sure if the frames are the same, but I have the complete rolling frame that I'm not using. I would sell it to you cheap if you are interested. I live on the eastside at Houghton and Broadway, but the frame is at my parents house near Benson. I don't get on here much so email me if you might be interested, andrew slicknapier@yahoo.com or call/text 979-1539

well turns out my threads are to stripped to work with. I'm going a different route on the threaded part. Thanks for all of the replies though..

Let me know if you need anything else..PM me just in case I don't see this post. I'm on the truck side more than the car side.

Here's my 48..

Here's my panel just for reference..

Here are the measurements I got today off mine. Hopefully they help. First picture is the top hinge in the rear. It measured right around 44 1/4". It appears the doors taper a little, the bottom hinges measured just about 45". The b post at the door latch inside measurement was 60".

I will try to measure mine tomorrow.

I'm here! What exactly are you looking for? I've changed alot on mine, but might be able to help out..

seems the hardware store fine threads are all 5/8-18..

Cool thanks. Is that nut available?

Is there anywhere besides ebay to buy a steering wheel nut for my 48 Dodge Panel truck? $20 seems a little steep for a nut. If it's a last resort I can stomach it, but if there is someone out there that has one or knows of a place to get it that would be great. Also, just to confirm that it's 5/8"-20 thanks, andrew

That's the one I would pick..

Well Bob, you were right. The wheel does fit on my panel trucks original shaft. I swear I had already tried it, but I guess not!

Yah it doesn't fit on the 48 Dodge Panel shaft...

awesome. thank you..Now to find a shaft for one to make a column!

Horn ring does not appear to be broken. Part # on back is BH 1119622. Wheel is in decent shape. It has some decent cracks in it, but definitely fixable. thanks

pics....

A friend of mine found this steering wheel that somebody was throwing out. I would like to use it in my panel truck. I'm probably going to use the original column but with a different shaft in it to hook to the Dakota front clip. I would just like to know what year the wheel is and what the spline size is? Thanks, andrew

Just to add some info into this. I put some of the peal and seal from Lowes under the hood of my 81 Dodge Crewcab. This is kind of my test mule for the heat resistance. My truck has a Cummins in it, so I was worried about the heat above the turbo. Add that to the heat of the Arizona sun. So far it's holding up good. I did notice the other day that a drop of the glue/tar on the back had dripped onto my radiator hose. I will keep an eye on it. Besides that it has held up good and not peeled off...

more...

All right here we go. I am by no means an expert, but here's what I have done. I started by putting a volare clip on my original frame. After that I decided that I wanted to airbag the Panel. After taking some measurements and eyeballing the Dakota frame I thought it would be better to use the Dakota front suspension and build my frame from there back. The problem with the Dakota frame is the giant kick up behind the cab. I didn't like where it was going to end up on my truck. Another issue is the wheelbase is a little off. The panel is 108" and the Dakota is in the neighborhood of 112-114 I don't remember. Here are some pics just to show you where I'm at. Far from done, but my general layout is there. Any questions let me know, andrew...

I don't mind the firewall part. The engine and tranny just seem to low and to far back.

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=13949 Any questions about the clip let me know. Not sure if I like where the engine and tranny sits with the volare mounts? Have the Dakota clip/frame burning in my mind ...

Got the motor in this weekend. Using the Volare motor mounts puts the engine into the cab a few inches. Also picked up my 833 4-speed from the pull your own part yesterday!

Awesome! Thanks