Radio Antenna

[Bradley S.]

Hello;

I have a 1948 B1F. First drove it about 35 years ago. It left the family for a few years, but we got it back recently. I do not recall it having a radio ever. It has the original radio delete plate as far as I can tell. But there is a antenna bracket on the left side of the cowl above the fender. See picture taken recently. (Five gallon bucket seat is a little high for me.)

I also searched the forum threads. Is it fair to say that there was no common factory antenna installation, rather radios and antennas were dealer installed?

I will bet someone hung an aftermarket radio under the dash and it was later removed. The antenna was probably ripped off during the course of work.

I think I am going to remove the antenna bracket and bondo the holes. I see no antennas like this in the forum threads or in Don Bunn's book.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

Brad

[Merle Coggins]

Nice picture Brad. I think you need to find a milk crate to replace the 5 gal bucket.

I believe you are correct about the radios and antennas. However, I would rather see the holes get welded up instead of Bondo'd over if possible.

I recently installed a new antenna for my aftermarket radio installation. I got a retractable antenna and made up a bracket to mount it down inside one of my stake pockets on the box. When it's retracted it nearly hidden but when extended my radio reception is far better than the little rubber antenna I had tucket behind the grill. I just couldn't bring myself to drill a hole in the cowl to mount an antenna.

Merle

[Bradley S.]

Merle;

Good point on the bondo.

Good point on the milk crate too!

I wanted the wife to push me around in the truck in the barnyard awhile but all I could muster was the photo.

Brad

[JoelOkie]

Merle;

I wanted the wife to push me around in the truck in the barnyard awhile but all I could muster was the photo.

Brad

dang women....they just don't make em like they use to...

[Merle Coggins]

Maybe you can make a harness and hook the dogs to the front and teach them to be sled dogs. Probably not much power there either.

Merle

[JoelOkie]

Merle, I guess we better hope the National Organization of Women, or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals don't find this.... By the way, nice truck there Brad. Joel

[oldmopar]

There is a radio antenna shown in my 48 b1 parts manual also the radio and a install kit.

[austinsailor]

I agree on the welding vs. bondo. It'll fall out. I welded up many holes in my 47 cab and it's solid. Some of them were holes others had used bondo on and were loose.

You can look here and get an idea of it:

http://www.austinsailor.net/47_dodge/page8.html

Take a small wire welder, just start welding on the edge of the hole, keep building up until there is no hole. You might have to let it cool a couple times before you're done. Then take a hand grinder, grind it smooth. It'll be solid as anything else on the truck.

[Merle Coggins]

Merle, I guess we better hope the National Organization of Women, or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals don't find this.... By the way, nice truck there Brad. Joel

You'd have to see his dogs to understand the magnitude of that joke. The 3 of them together would probably have a hard time pulling him in a Radio Flyer... down hill... They're good dogs, but there's not much mass there.

Merle

[Bradley S.]

Thanks Joel - The plan is to have her completed by next fall.

Here is the Champion Dodge Truck Pulling Dog Team:

Compact, but powerful animals. Combined weight is less than my bowling ball.

Brad

[olddodgeguy]

I used some flat washers welded in the hole to fix some of the larger holes in my firewall. On the cowl I would use a fender washer bent to match the curvature and then tack it in a little at a time. Good luck. Mike

[Bradley S.]

Hi Mike;

Anyone injured in the machine gun attack on your truck?

That washer idea looks like it works good for larger holes!

Brad

[bobjob55]

anything larger than a pencil,, a washer works great...you might have to grind to fit,,but it's better than having a lot of drips that you can't get to on underside..

[BobT-47P15]

There is a radio antenna shown in my 48 b1 parts manual also the radio and a install kit.

That radio and antenna is the same thing used in cars of the era.

I don't know about the "conversion kit" - it may be a truck specific

thing. The car antenna goes on the curve of the cowl. Just tossing

this in for info, even if you don't use any radio or antenna.

[Dodgeb4ya]

I use a 1/8" copper backer bar -(have several for different welding situations) pressed up firmly against the backside of the hole I'm welding up. Then jusk set the machine correct and weld around the hole to center. The copper bar pulls the excess heat away and the wire won't stick to the copper backer bar , also keeps the backside of the weld flat. The copper backer bars makes welding 1" holes and lots of other sheet metal jobs much faster and better too. Much less warpage. 1/8" can be formed to match the metal surface for good heat transfer. Thicker piece-1/4" pulls heat away better on flat panels.

Bob

[olddodgeguy]

Hi Brad. I couldn't believe all the holes in that firewall! I think it was shotgunned ! LOL Mike

[Jerry Roberts]

I use a 1/8" copper backer bar -(have several for different welding situations) pressed up firmly against the backside of the hole I'm welding up. Then jusk set the machine correct and weld around the hole to center. The copper bar pulls the excess heat away and the wire won't stick to the copper backer bar , also keeps the backside of the weld flat. The copper backer bars makes welding 1" holes and lots of other sheet metal jobs much faster and better too. Much less warpage. 1/8" can be formed to match the metal surface for good heat transfer. Thicker piece-1/4" pulls heat away better on flat panels.

Bob

Is a " copper backed bar " something that is sold in welding supply stores , or is it home made ?

[Dodgeb4ya]

Is a " copper backed bar " something that is sold in welding supply stores , or is it home made ?

I always get my steel and misc. metals from a steel/scrap yard in Seattle. I have not seen any copper backer bar in a LWS store. I use misc. scrap pieces of copper I form/curve for the welding job.I have several pieces I re-use when needed.

Bob

[JoelOkie]

Hammering flat a piece of 3/4" K copper water tubing makes a nice heavy piece of backer bar that is plenty wide for welding most holes. You can leave a short piece of the round bent up at a slight angle on one end to make a handle. The bigger roofing and sheet metal supply stores carry sheet copper roofing and flashing in various gauges. They usually have a small piece of roofing, or the short end of a roll of flashing that they will take a piece off of. It sells by the pound, so the heavier the gauge the more it is, but you don't need very big pieces. Joel

Edited December 13, 2009 by JoelOkie

[familypilothouse]

They have the copper plates available at eastwood.com, but they seem a little pricey at $49.99. Comes with a handle and three plates (straight, curved and right angle).

Sure appreciate all the knowledge that is available on this forum. I'm getting ready to try to start my Grandfathers 1949 B-1-B. Just got it and it hasn't been started in about 15 years. Any guidance would be appreciated.

[norrism1]

They have the copper plates available at eastwood.com, but they seem a little pricey at $49.99. Comes with a handle and three plates (straight, curved and right angle).

Sure appreciate all the knowledge that is available on this forum. I'm getting ready to try to start my Grandfathers 1949 B-1-B. Just got it and it hasn't been started in about 15 years. Any guidance would be appreciated.

FPH- Nice to hear another pilot-house to be saved. Start a new post when ready for guidance. Easier to find and respond to a new post when needing help on a project.

[coW52Dodge]

I use a 1/8" copper backer bar -(have several for different welding situations) pressed up firmly against the backside of the hole I'm welding up. Then jusk set the machine correct and weld around the hole to center. The copper bar pulls the excess heat away and the wire won't stick to the copper backer bar , also keeps the backside of the weld flat. The copper backer bars makes welding 1" holes and lots of other sheet metal jobs much faster and better too. Much less warpage. 1/8" can be formed to match the metal surface for good heat transfer. Thicker piece-1/4" pulls heat away better on flat panels.

Bob

That's what I do as well. Eastwood has some very handy gadgets for welding situations like this. For instance, this thing is great:

It is a thick copper plate that has very strong earth magnets embedded in them, being able to hold itself in place from the back of the panel without having the arm length of a basketball player.

For small patch panels, I cut out circles with a hole saw using a drill press. A drill press has the advantage of not needing a pilot hole.

I then drill holes in the to be repaired panel of the exact same size with a step bit. If you're careful and don't press it all the way through with those bits, it leaves a nice burr on the inside of the hole that tends to hold the replacement circle in place very nicely, or - alternatively - hold it in place with an old speaker magnet.