1948 B-1-B-108 BUILD THREAD Papa's Dodge

[JBNeal]

A decade of road-testing is plenty...

 

Those who think a formal education is a crowning achievement in one's life are sorely mistaken. Restoration of a unique antique automobile is THE crowning achievement...okay, getting married, having children, blah-blah-blah all that spiritual stuff is important too (and just as expensive).

What started as a photo-op for a diaper-clad red-head on the bumper of a '48 Dodge that had been in the family since new has progressed to the next big step of knocking the rust off and making the beast shiny again. I got it running after ten years of scraping cash & time together while blundering through high school & an engineering degree. Family squabbling ensued as the spoiled side of the family assumed this heirloom was 'given' to me in tip top shape and much peace-making diplomacy had to be pursued. Working through the Texas motor vehicle legal red tape of documented ownership was an exercise in patience & learning how to read disgruntled state employees. Debugging nagging carburetor & electrical problems was a good polishing of practical engineering fundamentals. Finding repair parts learned me real good on how to get creative with existing materials and a limited budget. In summary, many disciplines had to be mastered to bring this piece of American steel back to life.

Ten years ago, I got the '48 on the road, licensed, insured & inspected. Offended many folks when they offered to purchase my buggy for a miniscule fraction of the $$$ I had invested in it & I turned them down flat. I didn't want to do any cosmetic work until I had all the bugs worked out, and that finally happened last year when I replaced an intermittently foul-running carburetor with a NOS find from eBay and resolved the hot-starting problems. Didja know that even if the original big gauge cables look decent on the outside, that the indiviual strands corrode over time & build up a crippling resistance in the starter circuit? I sure didn't until I took some advice from the guy down at the starter & alternator shop.

The bias-ply tires are so worn now that they won't pass inspection, and it's been 10,000 miles on the rebuild, so everything has to be gone through per the shop manual directions. And the frame is bent from one of great-grandpa's three accidents he had before grandpa took the key away from him at the ripe old age of 90 back in '68. The bent frame has really showed up in the tire wear. Oil leaks are purt'near everwhar cuz of lack of properly located sealant in the motor & transmission areas. A couple of brake lines are weeping from inaccurate flaring technique. And I suspect the rear axle vent is plugged because of the gear oil that came out of the grease plug.

So I reckon it's time to take the next step and make Pappa's Dodge respectable. Doing research on this forum has really straightened me out on a lot of li'l odds & ends. Such as Wix 51010 oil filters that I've been using ain't right. The 218 Plymouth (!) that no one remembers having been swapped out has been running this filter since way back, cuz Dad remembers having to pull that messy perforated coffee can out when he was learning how to do his mechanic'n. There is a PCV system available for this motor, thanks to the P15-D24 downloads & member contributions. Setting the brake shoes can be done with a fabricated tool; bleeding the brakes can be done effectively by one person. And I can even jump start the 6V system with my Dodge diesel by simply disconnecting the charging circuit.

Let this be fair warning that I may be contacting a few of y'all for some technical information from time to time. I haven't committed this site's contents to memory yet, but I've read a majority of the threads & taken several pages of notes, cuz nobody likes to be asked a 'stupid' question. But I would like to thank all who have posted so far for providing a fountain of information.

When I did the initial mechanical restoration, I took plenty of pictures. Unfortunately, they were Polaroids that have since disappeared through a collection of mishaps. But I will be recording as much as I can this go around to go along with the documentation I've been collecting.

btw, the '49 1 ton went through a mishap last year thanks to Three-Tooth Timmy at the local tow truck establishment. Long story short, I have to replace the drag link, the steering box mounting bracket, and tie rods. Comparatively easy to accomplish...

Thank y'all again!

Edited February 11, 2019 by JBNeal
title revised to show Build Thread info

[Bob_Koch]

Wow, reading your story of life with your truck is kinda like reading about someones marriage over the years. But then, I guess for some of us our trucks are like a second wife, or a girlfriend, or child.

Glad you found help here, as I do and looking forward to hearing more as your truck progresses.

[48Dodger]

Great story. I love the pictures of the truck in the barn. Good calendar stuff.

48D

[grey beard]

Well now, 49Dodge, quite a saga there. Pretty good wordsmithin' for an engineer type, what?

Please know that in the parts dregs of leftovers from my own Pilothouse restoration there lurks at least one nice tie rod and one drag link - all of which you may have for the postage, if'n you will fill out yer info in the profile box so we know where ya' live, etc.

OR, contact me off-forum with your shipping address . . .

Good Luck and Happy New Year

[Young Ed]

Welcome and I see by your signature there's a little sci-fi in you too.

[JBNeal]

found some pics from '96, taken after the first road test:

 

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by JBNeal
revised pictures

[WolfmanBob]

Hey 49, I hope you don't mind but I'm quoting you in my sig! That's a great line and it sums up my feelings exactly. My 14 yr old son and I are currently restoring his grandfather's B2B. The time we are spending together is priceless.

[JBNeal]

Reading the posts about how much torque is required to turn a rebuilt engine has confirmed my suspicions on my 1st rebuild for this truck. The truck is confirmed as a '48, but the engine is a '55 Plymouth, and when I rebuilt the engine back in the mid-90s, I was focused on pulling old parts out & installing new parts, not measuring machined surfaces. My first inkling of a problem is that the '48 front & rear seals would not fit, so I ran the old ones until I could figure out the problem. Wellll they leak cuz they were dried out for a couple of decades, so running the engine now develops a nasty pair of puddles. But more worrisome is that after 10,250 miles, that engine is very hard to turn over by hand...my guess is that it's in the 120 ft-lb range instead of the 35-45 ft-lb range. So something is too tight or binding (possibly piston rings or bearings), which explains why the starter seems to drag more than the '49...that 230 would spin quick & fire right up just a few years ago (hopefully again soon).

Doing some preliminary frame measurements showed that the front bumper is at an angle. But checking some of the fender parts makes me think that they aren't lined up straight either. When I get around to it, I'll have to verify all this before tearing the truck completely apart. Checking fit now is easier cuz I'm not too attached to the paint job as it is part original, part body work from the '60s that is crazed & flaking off in big chunks.

I decided to address the horn problem that's been nagging since day one. Grounding the horn to the motor produces an eardrum rattling honk, but using the wiring I installed back in the 90s and ground through the horn button produces a cartoonish muted beep. Looking over the wiring I did in my teens, I recall doing the best I could with what I had, but even though it is still in decent shape, it will have to go as the wire gauges I used aren't correct.

The bakelite(?) horn button broke, so I figgered I'd epoxy repair that before buying a new one. This kind of repair is similar to a butt weld, which ain't too strong by it's nature, but may be adequate for this application. I saw-toothed the failed areas to increase surface area bonding surface. I found some old weed-eater line that I tried as a molding surface for the epoxy, used some masking tape to complete the mold, then applied the epoxy. The next day I sawed off the excess material, filed down & cleaned up the surfaces, and test-fitted the button back on the truck...so far so good

What I'm fiddling with now is the electrical switch inside the horn button. The idea was to replace the one-wire contact switch assembly at the horn button with a two-wire contact switch. The prototype I've put together looks like it may work, but until I get it bouncing on the road I won't know for sure how it will perform. The new switch plus wires costs less than $10 and requires minor modification to the wiring harness. I've opted to use two 14 AWG solid wires, which will fit through the floating bakelite(?) bushing, and a whittled down & modified Dorman horn contact. More info will follow after some road-testing...

[ggdad1951]

I'm stuggling with the same horn issue you have/had...my thought is the NOS wire I got to run up the column is making to much resistance....will find out later, right now, not my #1 priority....if you figure yours out let me know and I'll do the same for you.

[Plymouthy Adams]

very hard to think the resistance would be that great in such a short run..quick test with the VOM will tell the story

[JBNeal]

I'm thinkin' the problem with poor horn performance could be rooted at sketchy ground continuity through the gearbox assembly. After the horn button is engaged to the wire contact, ground continuity has to pass through about a half dozen points before reaching the frame...if the battery is grounded to the transmission housing from the factory, and there is no ground strap added from the frame to the transmission, then ground continuity has to further pass through about another half dozen points through the rear motor mount area. Lots of opportunity for corrosion to have a cumulative effect on a good ground for the horn for the 6 volt systems. Using a two wire contact switch at the horn button and having a ground strap to the frame could greatly reduce this effect.

[ggdad1951]

.3 ohms resistance thru the sterring collumn to the horn ring for me so the only thing that is causing resistance for me is the horn wire.....

[JBNeal]

I took some time to tinker with the '48, specifically the steering gearbox. After rebuilding & adjusting the gearbox on the '49, I got a good feel for how the gears worked to center the steering output when properly adjusted. This got me to wondering if the thrashing I've done in the '48 over 10,000+ miles was due to an improperly adjusted gearbox. So I jacked up the front of the truck to get the wheels off the ground, centered the steering wheel, and adjusted the sector...I reckon it was off by three full turns. Down the lumpy road to town I went in the moonlight, and that truck tracked straight and the steering was effortless for the first time. It also helped to have a spare 230 and four flywheel/pressure plate assemblies weighing down the bed to smooth out the ride a tad. It rode so smooth that I'm reconsidering using that spare set of bias ply tires I found. But I'd like to try the electrical upgrades to get bright headlights/taillamps & turn signals first, so I should finish up the wiring diagram I've been working on to get a start on a wiring jig

[1952B3b23]

49Dodge1Ton i see that in the very first post of this thread you speak of being able to jump the 6 volt system with a 12 volt. Could you explain that process a bit more, i'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

-Chris

PS - I too am a Mechanical Engineer!

[JBNeal]

jump-starting a 6V system with a 12V system is possible if the charging circuit is disconnected and all accessories (lights included) are turned off. The two wires at the voltage regulator are the ones to disconnect, although I think it can be done by only disconnecting one wire but I opt to pull'm both. Also, it's a good idea to only use a 12V battery source that is relatively low in amps. I was tempted to jump-start the '48 with the '02 CTD, but that's well over 1000 amps available to smoke some expensive parts. Instead I jump-started the '48 with the JD Gator, equivalent to a lawn mower. If the 6V system has an electric fuel pump, I don't know for sure if it is a good idea to put 12V into that circuit as a relay or electric motor might get smoked.

[46busboys]

a very easy way to jumpstart with 12 volts and not have to disconnect any wires. Take your jumper cables and connect one lead to a good ground on the car. The battery or battery cable itself would be fine. Connect the other 12v lead to the terminal on the starter. It does not matter positive or negative to the starter. then connect the other leads to the good battery. When you make the last connection, the starter will spin, have the key on and do NOT touch the starter button on your dash. instant start.

[JBNeal]

a very easy way to jumpstart with 12 volts and not have to disconnect any wires. Take your jumper cables and connect one lead to a good ground on the car. The battery or battery cable itself would be fine. Connect the other 12v lead to the terminal on the starter. It does not matter positive or negative to the starter. then connect the other leads to the good battery. When you make the last connection, the starter will spin, have the key on and do NOT touch the starter button on your dash. instant start.

this may work with Bendix drive starters found on cars, but the trucks have the older style starters that are switched at the electric motor. Even if the starter switch is engaged, the starter pinion still requires manual engagement to the flywheel. For the best results, the truck transmission is placed in neutral; voltage regulator charge circuit is disconnected; jumper cables are attached to the starter motor switch lug and a mounting bolt or the engine block. From under the hood, the starter can be manually engaged and quickly disconnected once the engine fires up.

CAUTION: the jumper cable attachment to the starter switch lug can be a li'l sparky, especially if the jumper cable clamp terminal is the type that can clamp onto GM-style side terminals. The clamp can touch both the lug and the starter motor, completing the short-circuit

[MBF]

If you're going to jump a 6 v vehicle w 12 volts, I strongly advise removing 1 battery cable from the 6 v battery to remove it from the circuit. Putting 12 V through a dead 6volt battery may result in an explosion in the 6v battery. This is especially likely if the 6 v is low on electrolyte and/or internally shorted. I've done this myself - just once. When the vehicle starts disconnect the 12V and reconnect the terminal on the 6v that was removed. It only takes a tiny spark to ignite the hydrogen gas in the cell. Remember the Hindenburg video????

[46busboys]

I am not aware that the truck starter is different than the car starter. so I am sorry to confuse the matter-----But no one on this thread said to jump 12 volts through the 6 volt battery. I suggested jumping to the ground cable attached to the battery, no big deal if it is attached or not. I run dual voltage on my P-15, stock 6 volt system and another 12 v negative ground in the trunk to power the electric seat and additional power to the starter when or if needed. usually never use it though, but is nice to be able to push that button in an emergency.

[JBNeal]

That '50 Plymouth motor that I have sitting behind the house is looking like it's a good candidate to replace the '54 Plymouth I have in the truck. That motor has been sitting untouched out in the elements, I think I might have spun the crank back in March. I pulled the spark plugs, put a couple of capfuls of ATF in the cylinders, fiddled 'round the yard for 'bout an hour, then took the big crescent wrench to the crankshaft. It was a little stiff turning at first, but within seconds, that motor was spinning, wheezing & whistling as I spun that crank, could even hear the valves clickin' away. And within a couple of minutes of working that crank, it was taking little effort to make things spin. Even though the '54 motor runs like a top, it is much more difficult to turn by hand than that flathead that hasn't run in decades. I've got a few spare manifolds & distributors stacked up, I may just fab up an engine stand to see if I can get that li'l machine runnin' by year's end

[1952B3b23]

The motor in my 52 is actually out of a Plymouth car and i would like to find some more info on it, like what year it is and what kind of car it may have come out of. I have the number thats stamped into the side of the block just under the head, is there some website you guys know of that will give me that info? I know that there's something like that for the trucks but have had no luck on Google so far.

Thanks

-Chris

[Young Ed]

There is an engine # decoder I believe on townwagons site. Also if you post it here someone may know. My 46 pickup has a p23 which is 51-52 plymouth car. Just for ballpark if your # is lower its older and higher is newer.

[1952B3b23]

Thanks for the info, the number on my engine is P24350684. Any one have any ideas?

-Chris

[Young Ed]

Yup should be P24 xxxxxx which is from a 53 plymouth and if still stock inside would be a 218.

[1952B3b23]

Ohhh okay thanks for the help.