William Davey

I had to wire the tach backwards from the Westac instructions to get it to work with the Pertronix ignition. Wired according to the directions, the rpms was all over the place and seemed to have no connection to what the engine was doing.

Life situations have resulted in my selling my '55 C-3-B8. Thank you to all that have helped me through my troubles. I hope I have payed it forward a little as well. I'll probably visit once in a while as I still love old Mopars, but its time to move on. 

Don't know where I saw it, but I believe that round signal lights like used on semi-trailers will fit the opening where the stock light goes. 

I took my rusty old one to a local metal fab shop and they made a new one for $50. Mine was a lot worse than the one shown by 59bisquick above. I gave the guy a $20 tip. Bolts and top battery bracket were from NAPA - a universal kit that only needed a little adjustment to fit. 

My 55 has a 259 Poly V-8 with a 3 speed and 4:10 gears. Red line is 4,400 rpm so 60 is comfortable at 2800 or so. Sounds really busy 'cause we're all used to today's overdrive engines chugging along at 2000 rpm at 70. You'll have no trouble keeping up with traffic. If you do decide to swap rear ends to a better ratio, be aware that the older B series trucks were narrower so the Jeep and Ranger/Explorer differentials may be too narrow. My truck is about 62" between wheel mounting surfaces (WMS). Look at 1st generation Dodge Dakotas for good options with lots of ratios available and the 5 bolt pattern on 4.5" diameter is the same as your existing wheels. Try to get a diff out of a Sport or a V-8 powered Dakota as they were a little heavier duty. One other possibility - try Randy's Ring and Pinion (advertises in Hemmings) he may have replacement ring and pinions for your existing diff, he told me mine was too old and the only options were 4:10 and 4:56.   

I bought a "vented" cap from the local NAPA. Then found out it was not vented when I removed it to fill the tank - almost blew the cap off and got a big rush of fumes from the tank. So I drilled the guts out of the center of the cap and tested it by blowing on the little hole in the center. It passed air easily after drilling, but not before.

These flatheads used at least 3 different distributors sometimes in the same year! The only way to know for sure is to get the numbers on the ID tag riveted to the side of the distributor. Then NAPA can get you the right rotor and cap set.

Here's a Mopar differential identification guide. Assumes this is a Mopar diff. 

Back on topic - My 55 C-3-B8 has a 259 Poly V-8 that uses the front engine mount bolted to the front of the block. Also uses a rubber motor mount to suspend the engine from that mount. It looks like the same ones used on flathead 6, but I can't say it's identical. I second the suggestion to get every part you can from the donor car. 

Just a guess - that could be the bracket that holds the master cylinder and clutch linkage on right hand drive trucks. Mine is 1500 miles away and I won't see it until mid-May or I'd look at mine. Look at the bracket on the driver's side for comparison.

My 55 C-3-B8 also rubs, but I figured out that my cab mounts have compressed and the cab has moved in relationship to the clutch pedal. Temporary fix was a rat tail file through the hole in the floor. 

49 minutes ago, BigDaddyO said:

I know submarines have engines in them that are designed to run completely submerged, the trick there is to keep all the hatches closed.

I spent 7 years in the Submarine Service, but never saw an engine that could run underwater. We always had to have the snorkel mast up so the engine could get fresh air from above the surface. The snorkel mast had a valve that closed if water covered the mast, when that happened the engine would suck all the air out of the boat in a heartbeat. Big diesels need a lot of air.

15 hours ago, tattooman43 said:

All I'm really worried about are the headlight lights,tail lights, turn singals,and whatever I need for the motor to run

If you also wire up the fuel gauge and the generator/voltage regulator, you'll have rewired the whole truck! Search in the DPECTA web site for a complete diagram. That site is listed under resources above, or use Google.

16 minutes ago, wayfarer said:

Not sure where you are heading William; the carb in the photo is an early AFB and the A engine is entirely different from your 260 Poly.

If the OP wants to maintain an 'ol-timey look then a pre-67 318, with the above 4-bbl manifold, will do the trick. 1967 and newer  LA engines (318-340-360) use different intake manifolds.

The bellhousing in the photo may, or may not work, all depending on the year of the engine. The bellhousing bolt pattern as well as the crankshaft were changed for the 1962 model year and will not interchange with pre-62 assemblies.

My mistake - I saw the post about the 315 Poly and just wanted to explain that my 259 Poly had a WCFB in 1955. Sorry for the confusion.

3 hours ago, wayfarer said:

The 4-bbl manifold indicates a 57-59 318, but manifolds get changed easily. Yes it is an A series engine but, without seeing the crank flange, it could be as late as '66.

The side mounts attached to the engine are not oem.....and how about that exhaust 'pipe'........

My 55 second series (late 55 & all 56) C-3-B8 has a 259 Poly with the same 4 bbl WCFB carb. It may not be original to the truck, but I know it was used on 55 & 56 Plymouth cars as an option. My truck uses the front mount "floating power" bracket behind the water pump and bolted to the front cross member like the L6 engines used. 

sometimes you can reach the top bolt with a looooooong extension and a wobble-socket.

  I got 2 caps at NAPA, both were supposed to be "old style" vented caps. Neither one was - used to run really rich and get a big puff of gas vapor when removing the cap. Since I had 2 (another story) I drilled the guts out of the center of one cap and it has been working fine.

Andy Bernbaum's has listing for Dodge trucks of that year, including spring hangers and bushings. The on-line catalog does not specify 1/2 or 3/4 ton, but it's worth a call to them.

617*244*1118

I used the Kreg system to build cabinets for my garage. I found that you need 2 special clamps, one like the one already shown above and another that pulls the joint together before you put the screws in. The wood is all glued and the screws just hold things while the glue dries. 

First photo is my garage cabinets in mid project, second is a blanket storage cabinet made after I practiced on the garage.

My 3rd car was a 57 Desoto with the 325 Poly motor and a 3 on the tree (really!). Car was owned by a priest so it was black and white with no options therefore the standard transmission. All was well until I installed a Foxcraft floor shifter and managed to blow up the transmission while "speed shifting". Luckily a heavy duty 3 speed out of a 60 Dodge pickup was a bolt in replacement. I wish I could afford a really nice 57 today!

2 hours ago, pflaming said:

I just made a mental break through in the rewiring project on my 54 Pymouth. I am installing an EZ Wiring kit. Question: In the speedometer face are two 'lights'. one green (Hi Beam?) the other red (turn signal). Evidently the red one works for both left and right turns indication. Am I correct on those? Question #2: Can those color caps be replaced? One of mine is gone, the other one is marginal at best.

 

Paul, I think the green is the turn indicator and the red is high beam. Others probably know for sure.

I had a 1960 Plymouth 4 door Savoy with the 318 and 2 speed auto. Car was reliable as a rock and decent on fuel mileage BUT as Knuckleharley points out it was HUGE. I may be wrong, but I don't think the Fury was ever available as a 4 door. I also had a 1970 Duster 340 and it was very quick and a blast to drive!  Slant 6 is OK, but get the 340 if your budget allows. Probably looking at $25-30K USD.

Probey,

 I'm not blowing you off, I don't know the answer to your question. But, why not contact Charlie and ask him (the designer and builder of the kit)? I found him to be very helpful with the install on my "55 C-3-B8.

In 1965, my 1947 Dodge Club Coupe (present from Grandpa) was the only car in the family that would start on a 39* below zero day in upstate NY (way upstate, not White Plains). My point is a 6 volt system started cars for many decades before 12 volt systems became common in the mid '50's. As Tim and Don always point out, you need fuel, spark at the right time and compression and it has to start. Try to figure out which is missing or degraded  with your car.

GB - Your original post states the truck has been sitting for several decades. IMO, you need to disconnect and clean every wire on every terminal in the truck.  While disconnected carefully inspect each wire for proper size and condition of terminals. A meter or test light may show voltage at a connection, but that doesn't mean the connection can pass the high current required to spin a starter for example.

Go back to basics, and check everything.