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


JBNeal

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this does not bode well for the stalled 230 project:

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dang brother, I think someone gave you "the bird", let us know if the bird poop is as toxic as the mice droppings :^)
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  • 6 months later...

2014 was the year of overhauls:  the Blue Bomber heater+interior, the JD 425 engine, the Saturn engine+brakes+steering+transmission, the Subaru engine+steering, the bathroom shower plumbing...those were all unplanned projects that gave me more time to consider this old Dodge rebuild after it kinda pooped out on me in May.  I tried to restart it the other day, it ran for 3 seconds then quit, probably fuel-fouled the spark plugs.  After further review, I plan on pulling the motor that has been in this truck since maybe the 60s and figure out what is wrong with it...if it's fixable, I'll do the repairs and get it looking nice; otherwise, I'll have to switch over to one of the spare engines I have accumulated.  So the first step was to get the truck into position closer to the house cuz I'll probably be doing most of the work outside anyways.  Not wanting to rut up my yard, I employed the 425 and a tow rope to jerk the beast out of the ground that it has started to sink into, then with the help of a lady friend, we guided the thing into place.  Let the fun commence!  :cool:

 

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  • 8 months later...

Today's ambivalence:  finding out that the engine machine shop in the next county over that I have done business with over the years suddenly closed a few weeks ago, just days before I planned on dropping off a flathead for them to inspect.  I looked in the windows and it appears that they just shut the doors one day, as there are engine blocks & crankshafts still lined up to be worked on or picked up, all of the shelves are still stocked, the parts books are still open, ash trays not emptied, etc...the guy across the street from the machine shop said that one guy shows up for a couple of hours in the early morning but the phone isn't working so who knows what is going on up there.  So the search is on for another engine machine shop that knows how to work on a flathead and can magnaflux cast iron... :huh:

 

Anyhow, found a pic of the old beast back when it was still running, having survived a few fender benders... :cool:

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  • 2 months later...

I have had a transmission speedometer cable pinion seal leak since I got the beast running again back in '96, and have tried on several occasions to remedy the problem.  One possible remedy was an eBay find several years ago, but the NOS seal was rock hard & brittle, so that was only usable as an example for replacement.  Visiting a local industrial bearing & seal distributor, we took measurements of this seal and looked through several old books, finding several part numbers, all of which turned out to be inactive.  But I did get some good information from the counter guy on how to measure the seal to get an approximate replacement, and he strongly suggested perusing the internet, notably eBay...

 

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The National seal (on the left) I found at Rock Auto is the right OD & ID, but turns out to be too tall to seat properly in the cable fitting; whittling it down might be possible, but I don't think it would be very durable that way.  The Honda seal (on the right) found on eBay is very close to the original (center), and apparently well made...had two sent to the house for less than a sawbuck :cool:

Edited by JBNeal
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I had to stop at a locksmith a couple of weeks ago on business, and noticed they had antique car style keys hanging on the wall, so I got one cut for the '48.  The original was nearly twisted off in the ignition cylinder from a doofus state inspector who had responded "oh yeah no prob" when I asked him if he knew how to start the truck for its annual vehicle inspection years ago.  The new key is quite stout, so I went about lubing the door key cylinder with Marvel Mystery Oil every few days, jiggling the key to agitate the inner workings.  Well lo & behold, the key turned today a little bit...about an hour later, the door was locked for the first time, as no one in the family had tried to lock the door before since the beast has lived in the country since coming home from the dealer :cool:

 

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And as with a lot of things I've had to deal with lately, this success was tempered by a subsequent trip to the tire shop that I had visited just the day before.  They had new tubes in stock for the old 6.50-16s that have failing tubes, and told me that they specialized in working on older vehicles & equipment.  They agreed to swap out the tubes so I can at least move the truck around until I get new tires later on down the road.  But when I showed up today, I was greeted by a different counter guy, who had just dealt with four argumentative customers in a row before asking what I wanted (never a good sign).  He pops off that they don't work on tube tires at all, and when I cautiously pointed out that was not what I was told yesterday, his annoyance only grew...he then said they didn't have the tubes in stock, but I pointed to the shelf where we were looking at them yesterday (smoke started coming out of his ears at this point)...we went outside to look at my old tires in the back of my truck and he became indignant, saying that it's against the law to work on any tire more than 7 years old...at this point, one of the well-tatted techs on smoke break chimed in that he don't touch that old shhhht...this whole time I'm thinking these bubbas are pulling my leg, as this place has been highly recommended by quite a few folks, their facilities are well-kept, the shop and parking lot are full of customers' vehicles almost non-stop, and the folks working there are touted as good people, which is what I had encountered yesterday.  But today was a much different story...anyhow, as I was attempting to ask if they could dismount one of the old tires off of the rim so I could repaint it, both of them guys started walking off while I was in mid-sentence.  I was stunned to say the least...I reported this to the last two guys who had told me to go there, and one of them made a phone call as he does a lot of business with them folks (fleet manager).  He sent word back to me that there was a misunderstanding and that I should go back and try again...yeah I'll get right on that...or I reckon I'll dig out the breaker & spoon bars and wrassle them old tires off them rims myself, more than likely with the aid of colorful phraseology and a little blood-letting.  Which is probably what I'll have to do with the lock-ring rims I've been eyeballing on the two 1-tons in the driveway... :huh:

 

but the new key works in the door, soooooo...woo-hoo :cool:

Edited by JBNeal
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I like your post a lot Mr. Neal. It pretty much says it all. One of the things it highlights is something none of of here on this site even contemplates.

We all love and appreciate the old machinery and the ways of yesterday. But for every one of us......there are legions who don't care one hoot about it.

And from what I have observed their numbers are growing exponentially. No manners....no character.....and no soul. If it doesn't have tats, an app or a facebook account it doesn't even exist. No point in even trying to understand or appreciate it.  :eek: 

 

Jeff

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it has been one of the toughest skills to master when working on anything vintage or antique:  effectively dealing with people.  There are all kinds of people in this world, and it seems a good chunk of them find that the only way to improve themselves is to bring others down, with insults, spitefulness, marginalization...I have to be very careful whenever speaking about this old truck, as I have run into some downright bitter behavior from vendors, neighbors, relatives and coworkers alike.  Spending my resources on something of value is a foreign concept to folks who prefer more, ummm, socially active behavior.  I went to get a haircut one Saturday with this truck, and the barber, who noticed me wheeling up in that buggy, started talking about it when I was in the chair, and with straight razor in hand, tells me that I would be better off spending my $$$ on a new truck than wasting it on that old clunker...I most definitely agreed, kinda hard to argue with that.  Coincidentally, I began cutting my own hair a few weeks later.

 

Anyhow, the main reason I made the dry run to this tire shop was to gauge their reaction to the subject vehicle, as the wheels are a dead giveaway that I am working on a vintage vehicle of some sort.  That 180° attitude change was not a first for me, however.  On the disappointing ride home yesterday, I recalled running into a similar problem back in '04 with another tire store in the next county over.  I found a tire store that would work on lock-ring rims, so I found some used tires and brought them the old tires to pry off the dangerous rims just to move the truck around until I got the truck running reliably and found some newer tires.  About a year later, I found a pair of newer tires that they mounted with no problems; a year after that, I found another pair.  When I brought the spare in to put on a newer tire, the counter guy I had dealt with each time before boldly told me that they did not work on lock-ring rims...when I reminded him that they had done the work just a few months before, he denied that, saying they never worked on any lock-ring rims, ever.  I pointed to the two guys in the shop that had done the work before, and he said they did not know how to work on those rims, then asked me to leave...and I haven't been back since.

 

When I meet folks, and they ask me what I do for fun, I mention about tinkering with things, just to keep out of jail...idle hands being the work of the devil & all.  If they press me on that, I'll mention some of the mundane things I've fiddled with here & there, then carefully segue onto a different topic.  I never bring this truck up until I know somebody well enough to mention it.  And folks who are proud of everything they do in their life don't really understand why I don't talk about my collection.  Not wanting to be the cloud in the room, I decline to explain the real reasons, but rather I give'm some dumbo reason like "ohhhh it must've slipped my mind"  :rolleyes:

 

The trial run at the new machine shop I found last year was somewhat encouraging, as they knew how to work on flatheads...but they said they would call me back about fees (the lady running the counter was the wife of the owner who does all of the machine work), and I have not heard from them yet.  They specialize in dirt track race engines and cautioned that they stay busy in the winter months, so my worry is that I bring them a flathead and they continually forget about working on it to the point where it becomes "lost"...I ain't got no time fer that   :cool:

Edited by JBNeal
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All I can say is I am right there with you. ;)

Just try to do something that isn't "mainstream" these days and you run into all sorts of nonsense. I find the term "old school" misused a lot too. A while back I was given the name of a shop that specialized in old school work........ :lol: what a joke that was.....all they knew was how to say old school.

 

Recently I had a vendor drop by my shop for a visit. As she was leaving she said she would send me a text with some data she had promised me. But then she looked over at my truck and said " You probably don't do texting do you?"  I had to tell her that she guessed correctly and that I don't wear an electronic leash. We had a good laugh. She is at retirement age and admitted that her cell phone totally ruled her day to day life. We had a long talk about how the last call always seemed to take precedent over everything else.

 

Jeff

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Like you Jeff I do not wear an electronic leash. I have dummy downed my smart phone as my pocket watch replacement. Once or twice per year I may call someone on it if I am away from home. I have never sent a text, checked my email, or accessed the inner web on my phone. I am proud to be app free.

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Yes it just blows my mind how people can spend so much time on them and not be able to function without them. IMO they are one of the reasons our society today is much ruder than it used to be. We have an entire generation who prefer communicate by text messages and have never developed the skills of communicating face to face. They would have been SOL 30 or 40 years ago. Back then the socially awkward had to work on it every day. Now it has be enabled.

 

Jeff

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Like you Jeff I do not wear an electronic leash. I have dummy downed my smart phone as my pocket watch replacement. Once or twice per year I may call someone on it if I am away from home. I have never sent a text, checked my email, or accessed the inner web on my phone. I am proud to be app free.

I'm a firm believer that the GPS on our phones is never off.....no matter what position you choose.

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I'm a firm believer that the GPS on our phones is never off.....no matter what position you choose.

Yes..... I am not so worried about that. What does bothers me is how all these things are supposed to improve communication.....and how lousy communication skills have become since they have been around. There also seems to be quite a few people who look something up on their phone and all of a sudden they are an expert on the subject. That is until the app runs out of useful information......

 

Jeff

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  • 3 weeks later...

I took advantage of the breezy & warm afternoon yesterday to sweep out the back of the truck before reloading it with salvageable transmissions, and thought I'd take a closer look at the original bed under that 20 yr old piece of treated plywood.  I had not noticed that there were three large bolts on each side instead of four, with the non-bolted cross-member having a rubber isolater pad held in place by the weight of the bed.

 

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Edited by JBNeal
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The leaf spring zerk that should line up with the access hole is centered not only by the thickness of the bed wood, but those rubber pads as well.

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This forces the bed side panel onto the running board.

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The Spring Special has its bed mostly intact, although the rubber pads & bed wood have compressed over the years, but there is still a gap between the running board and the bed side panel.

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Edited by JBNeal
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I've noticed there are two types of rubber pads for the beds. The cross members that have bolts running through them are square and have a fiber reinforcement. The cross member without a bolts has round, rubber only and has a knob to hold it in place. So that would be 8 pads...6 square and 2 round.   

 

 

Side note: Its good to see the zerk cover Brian. I know they are missing on most trucks, but most don't realize it. ^_^

 

Tim aka 48Dodger   

Edited by 48dodger
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Is that zerk cover metal? I have never actually seen what is supposed to be there. I have been looking for a nice rubber grommet to go there.

 

Jeff

Yep...its a metal lid...much like the ones covering the fuel sender and cab bolts.

 

I believe I've heard other people mention grommets, but having as many truck laying around as I do, I knew that's not the case.

 

48D

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Thanks. Is it flat? or does it have a bit of a dome to it? I will have to keep an eye out for something....I'd bet originals are rare. ;)

 

jeff

you don't like originals anyway.

 

 

now I need to find some...but those look to be the standard cap for tubing/pipe, so easy to find.  Can't say I've EVER seen one on a truck.  Will have to look thru some books to see if it WAS original or an add from someone!

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you don't like originals anyway.

 

 

now I need to find some...but those look to be the standard cap for tubing/pipe, so easy to find.  Can't say I've EVER seen one on a truck.  Will have to look thru some books to see if it WAS original or an add from someone!

this from a guy who has chopped up about a dozen cabs just to make a big mutated Pilothouse? Shudder shudder and perish the thought! :P Even I wouldn't do that.

 

I think I would be happy with a plain rubber grommet type cover.

 

Jeff

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Like you Jeff I do not wear an electronic leash. I have dummy downed my smart phone as my pocket watch replacement. Once or twice per year I may call someone on it if I am away from home. I have never sent a text, checked my email, or accessed the inner web on my phone. I am proud to be app free.

not that it matters, but i'll do you one better.  i don't own a cell phone.  i've managed to make it for 47 years without one.  maybe i can make it another 47?

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even if you have a cell phone..who in this world has the power to make you answer it should it ring...like a few here...no internet or pictures or texting on my device...my phone is blocked per my request at the home office from anyone that that would thing I would care for picture, text or internet link..

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