Los_Control

Could be you just change the one plug & be done with it .... This is the lowest area of the block .... all the crud settles here. You could remove the plug above it and a wire coat hanger, a hose and fish & flush. It is common for casting sand from when the block was born to collect here .... the black dirt you see. Some engines seem to have more then others. Some engines have already been cleaned. You can imagine with the amount of space this crud is taking up, is less coolant your engine holds. Well worth the $3 to pull the top plug to run the hose into while fishing the crap out with a wire from the bottom plug Myself, I had a overheating issue. I pulled the water pump & all welsh plugs ... Running the hose through the water distribution tube & fishing with wire .... I'm glad I did. At least pull the top plug and fish wire through the block .... will be surprised how deep the crud builds up over 70 years.

Good job!

I always loved the old Fords .... Only replying to buy time .... I should be cutting my grass It has to be a truck to get me excited, I only get excited about trucks. I would pass up the cars above at a show, to go look at a truck sitting in the corner. In high school I drove a 1951 Ford flathead V8 truck. We all try to re-live our childhood .... There is nothing like the sound of a flathead V8. .... They are worthless engines .... boy they sure sound cool. @Plymouthy AdamsYou are correct ... just strange times we live in .... interesting to see who comes out on top.

You are correct it is a different process today .... still basic body work though. Being bowed outwards might be a blessing. Just easier to jig it up I mean. A hack like me, I would set it on top of cement blocks supporting the ends. Then back my chebby truck up to it and use a bottle jack as a press. Might need to add some weight in the bed of the truck to help. Thats the simple idea, might take 2 hours just cutting wooden wedges and setting the bed side at just the right angle. Then when you apply weight it will go back to it's natural shape. A body shop will have a frame table & anchor points to pull from .... will be more professional then my hackery Because the round pipe is so strong, they may want to just cut it out & replace it .... All out of range of my skill levels. With your level of restoration, a body shop with a plasma cutter & tig welder .... replacing it may be the quickest option to achieve the level of quality you want. Never know, you might take a swing at it .... might come out better then expected.

Last month Wife & I went for a drive to the next town for a swap meet. I was more excited about the pile of tires I passed on the way ..... I'm certain the one on top of the pile is what I'm looking for. I just got no guts to bother others ...... I would rather buy new online to get what I want. ..... I will just purchase new as needed.

It could end. I'm more worried about the authors response. 7-8 years ago I went to a psychiatrist thinking I may be getting the old timers disease. I could not remember my phone # ..... Took a few years, I have a clear memory now. When @MarcDeSoto talks about such stupid things as a seal .... I'm not against them .... just wish I could be there & give them a hug.

I only assume jfish knows this. The wheel they are showing is not original TBH, think I might prefer aftermarket Ford wheels over the Mopar wheels.

I think sniper set you on the right path. Hubcapmike is where I will be going. Only thing I can add is check your wheels. I have 3 wheels that will accept a 8" cap, the 4rth needs a 9" cap .... just not matching wheels. I'm only suggesting you check your wheels to see they are matching before ordering.

This can be a difficult issue. Any photos? Is it the top rail bent? Or the sheet metal warped? On my truck, the top rail is bent from being hit. Not much, maybe a 1/4". It will show when I close the tailgate. I have a few ideas .... Just wonder what you mean when you say warped.

Glad you have a decent painter .... the work looks awesome so far. I have heard so many horror stories about "paint jail" Technically my truck is in paint jail right now, waiting for the painter to finish so I can put it back together. Problem is, I'm the painter .... I have nobody to complain to, life just gets in the way. Locally a painter quoted $1500 for a cheap red paint with black stripes on a Ford Torino. Painter finished the car. When they removed the tape for the stripes, peeled the paint off. They were not going to fix it. Painter wants $3500 now, owner will not pay. Painter steals new 4bbl carb & other speed parts from car .... owner calls police & tow truck & starts a court battle. A fun story, my neighbor has a 65 chebby swb truck. Had his Cousin paint it ... beautiful job .... never finished the tail gate. A honest quality job at a quality price .... Got the truck back, I'll get the tail gate done soon as I can .... No problem Cousin, it looks great I love you let me know when the tailgate is done. Meantime the painters father passes, the painter inherits over $2million .... Neighbor hears from him ... somewhere in South America on a 2 year world cruise. My neighbor is looking for a 1965 chebby tailgate that he can get painted to match his truck. You just can't control life.

Pic of my 1949.... er it is a 1950 titled as a 49. What they look like with the grill bars removed. Having the E-brake on the floor, 49 was the last year. 1950 they were moved under the dash. Just joking about the best looking truck, they are all great looking imho.

48-50 for sure, nothing to worry about .... definitely without a doubt the best looking trucks ever.

I'm kinda impressed our small town has a radio station .... I feel like it is more important for small towns. The only television we can get is over satellite. .... Not everyone can afford a $100 + satellite tv bill. I hate paying it because we never watch it. So I'm impressed when a larger radio company bought our little AM radio station a few years ago, they rebuilt everything. Remodeled the building, all new equipment. They added a FM station while keeping AM working & functional. ....... I just assume it would have been cheaper, easier to just go straight FM while upgrading all the equipment. Just makes me wonder if there is any Federal regulations involved to keep AM active? Why would a a company who owns 30 radio stations buy & modernize a new station & keep AM active? ..... I really can not see how it would be profitable. I'm thinking Federal laws & emergency broadcasting system .... Not some larger corporation Keeping AM alive for old car enthusiast.

I use them to show my southern drawl coming out

Sings his favorite song .... Tomorrow .... Tomorrow. Think I can give you measurements you might need for this project .....Tomorrow.... Still not sure what exact measurements you want.

I would never suggest a press is needed to install a seal. Been done for decades & nobody needed a press to get the job done. You do you .... I would pass on all the information on how to do it properly. .

Lets be honest here and back the truck up. Earlier photo's showed you are a good candidate for a speedi sleeve. Your pulley looked terrible. I'm calling out others that have used them possibly offer advice. You now have the old seal out, will be several hours getting things perfectly cleaned .... getting a sleeve for the job .... fitting it. ..... Your journey is just beginning ... you will not just slap a new seal in it & get on with your day. I have been wrong before.

Just asking for a friend ..... does the manual show a felt gasket? I have only replaced these seals on vehicles 30 years newer ..... never was a felt gasket involved. The new seal is a interference fit into the case. It should not be sloppy, it needs to be driven in to make a good seal. The rubber rides on the crank pulley making a seal. Just saying .... My friend does not see a need for a felt gasket .... what do I know.

Hello Dennis. For what it is worth, I have ACDELCO R45 plugs in my engine ..... Years ago I heard some quality issues with Champion plugs. I actually have a new set of Champions around, was what I did my first start on .... As soon as I could I replaced them with the ACDELCO ... now the Champions are spares if I ever need them. I have no facts to backup the quality control issue .... just something I heard on the internet so assumed it was true. .... I have ACDELCO in all my vehicles. I have ran NGK plugs & think they are a quality plug. I'm just assuming here. Someone you or the previous owner had a plug foul out. The particular parts store did not have the same plug you were running, so they sold you a NGK of the same heat range as a replacement. Now you are having problems again with the same cylinder .... The plug is bad & fouled .... I'm suggesting that it is not a brand of plug .... A hotter plug could help. Just a problem with that cylinder. Years ago we use to be able to buy a anti foul plug adapter ??? All it was is a extension that raised the plug 1/2" higher .... getting it away from the oil. Anyway you go, you have a opportunity to pull the head & investigate whats going on. Back in the day it was pretty common to pull in a car at the local service station, pull the head & drop the pan .... Replace the rings & bearings & send it back out ..... If you need a valve job this could turn into a 2 day job ..... they did not remove the engine from the car. .... Unless it was needed. I have no idea what a engine gasket set cost today .... It used to be around $100. A small price to pay to pull the head & see what is really going on. Might be simple, might be major .... A small price to pay $200 & labor + a weekend, to take a look. If it is a easy fix .... fix it. Is a major ordeal, slap the head back on & run it .... decide what you want to do with it.

I'm married, I never have cash in my wallet I did use a piece of notebook paper cut into the size/shape of a $1 bill. For my truck. That thing fluttered so bad that within 20 seconds the paper ripped in 1/2 ..... Until I can take it out for a nice long drive ... then diagnose I refuse to do anything with the motor. It runs well & plenty of power as is. The dollar bill test is quick & dirty, will tell you if you have a valve problem, will not tell you which cylinder.

Pay close attention to the filter when you change it .... is it restricted from old crud coming loose in the tank?

I'm kinda surprised the front lip is as narrow as it is .... you really do not have much surface to beat on. If you were to take a blunt chisel or drift pin .... using the rear wall for your impact point .... I would think it would come out. Installing with correct tool will be much cleaner.

Ouch ☹️ Sounds like it is time to remove the starter and give it some love. Seems like it was a working starter for some time, now the bendix or gear is just not coming out as far as it should. Be worth a try to take it apart & give it a good inspection & cleaning .... maybe some new brushes ..... or possibly take it to a starter repair shop & let them inspect it. Might be easy to replace the brushes & a good cleaning & work as good as new. Or it can turn into a wallet flush ...... I'm hoping for the best.

I wonder if my 50 Dodge 218 would be the same ..... I really have no idea.

Sounds like a interesting motor, never heard of it. Welcome to the forum. There is a photo size limit on the forum. Depending what you are using ..... I take photos with my android phone, then download them to my desktop pc. I find it easier to go into settings on the phone & change the size there. Now when I want to load the photo it is already the correct size. If you have photos already on you computer, then you need to open them with some sort of photo program and change the size of them there. I just got a new phone last week .... first thing I had to do was change the photo size in the phone .... default settings are always too large.