John-T-53 Posted April 27, 2012 Report Share Posted April 27, 2012 That's one hell of a nice lookin' Belvedere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted December 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2012 here's a I found cruising the youtubes...it's in need of a paint job, but the two-tone color under the hood is a dead give-away of this ol' beast's roots 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanksB3B Posted December 22, 2012 Report Share Posted December 22, 2012 Very cool! Now treat'er right! Thanks for posting, Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted November 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2013 (edited) not much spectacular goings on with the Spring Special these days, it's down on the priority list after this that & the other. I had cleaned the bed out when I got it, but it has slowly filled back up with some odds & ends. The doors were sticking when I picked it up a couple of years ago, but this past year, they have been a real bear, with the passenger door mechanism not releasing since last summer. A couple of months ago, I was able to pop it open on a particularly hot day, so I promptly began treatment with Marvel Mystery Oil on the door latches & hinges. Today I was able to open the doors easily for the first time...small victories Edited September 15, 2021 by JBNeal revised pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted June 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2016 (edited) I scrubbed the Spring Special with a Scotch Brite pad for a little bit during a spring shower Edited August 19, 2021 by JBNeal revised pictures 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted June 3, 2016 Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 I'm well aware that I'm in the minority, but that patina is dead georgeous. What paint does is destroy history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted June 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I would agree with ya except this particular relic is in rough shape in places, with some patchwork attempted on the fenders and no paint left on the tops of the cab & hood. I cleaned this section of the truck to see how it would look, and the back of the cab cleaned up nice and smooth...if the rest of the truck was in that shape, I would just buff off the oxidation with the Scotch Brite pads and sport the original paint with the sparse dabbling of oxidizing. But the light colored half of the door tells the real story, as the paint is really scratched up from I don't know what, it doesn't look like full blown crazing, kinda looks like it was hit with a scrub brush made of barbed wire. The area around the upper hinge gets dramatically worse, that's why I could not buff that out very well. And the lower half of the door looks to have been attacked in a strafing run with a can of Krylon. As it was explained to me by an old auto paint dealer, auto paint quality varied along production lines so that some cars came out absolute gems and others had just enough paint on them to get them to the dealership. IMO patina works only on the best of the best that came from the factory because there literally is more there with which to work. The '48, '49, '51 and Spring Special I have all sport variations of paint completely gone from the top of the cab and hood, replaced with 80 grit oxidation. By the time the surface is smoothed off, the shiny metal exposed would not stay shiny very long in the land of 70% relative humidity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pflaming Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 You've seen my patina truck. After what I found on mine, I would rub down the driver's side front fender with scotch brite pads and lacquer thinner, an old used car lot trick, then follow that with a light sanding with wet/dry 600 grit sand paper and observe the results. Note my controversial patina pictures in the "Show your trucks" thread. That is how I cleaned up both times, pre and post fire. Best wishes on your final decision, but once painted, the history is forever gone. That is what a professional photographer told me when I asked why he wanted to photograph mine. "Lots of great looking new paint trucks, rare to see a good patina truck. He took pictures of this truck. He said it would eventually be in a calendar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingminer49er Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 Would like to know how many Spring Specials are out there. I own three, and I know where there are two in Kansas. Please call, text, or email. Thank you. Tom Anderson, Paonia CO, 970-986-1020, vikingminer49er@gmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgeb4ya Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 I think you need some more trucks to take care of!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merle Coggins Posted March 12, 2017 Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 I think he keeps the '53 DeSoto Firedome around just so he can say he's not "just" a truck guy... That's quite the fleet. I'd love to see it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted March 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2017 There are a few Spring Specials around, some are bona fide and some are clones... There is a pic on this forum that I have not been able to locate since the major website upgrade that shows what's left of a Spring Special in a ditch...but then I found it There is an early forum pic from a guest member... I spotted one on eBay awhile back but could not get a response from the seller...another seller on eBay was a bit more responsive... Forum member Boss Hog has a restored Spring Special that he has posted about when he rediscovered it, first startup, build progress and follow-up with finishing touches, and outing appearances here and there and around... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingminer49er Posted March 21, 2017 Report Share Posted March 21, 2017 Bought the 53 DeSoto to transplant the Firedome into the 38 RC. You are welcome to visit the hysterical Dodge collection. Admission is free. Please call before you come. I may be out gathering up more trucks. Tom Anderson, Paonia CO, 970-986-1020, vikingminer49er@gmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 Dang.....nice list! I wanna see a "yard" picture too...lol 48D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd B Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 WOW, what a list. What do you mean by RC Pickup? WOW, what a list!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd B Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 I just realized you don't have a semi tractor and matching trailer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 3 minutes ago, Todd B said: WOW, what a list. What do you mean by RC Pickup? WOW, what a list!!!!!!!!!! RC would be the model code. My 46 is a WC W for 41-47 and C for 1/2 ton. Then for the Pilot house trucks they started over with B and slightly changed the number system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingminer49er Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 Would love to show the photos, but I still haven't learned how to add them to the site. Please help me resize my photos to fit the limits. BTW. There is a semi-tractor available on the web at a consignment site in Cadillac MI, but can't get a response on it. There's also a L1000 on the ATHS site in MD. Either one could pull my 1973 Brown ex-Pepsi trailer full of Dodge parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P15-D24 Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 12 minutes ago, vikingminer49er said: Would love to show the photos, but I still haven't learned how to add them to the site. Please help me resize my photos to fit the limits They are automatically resized when you upload them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingminer49er Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 Keep getting error message when I try. Says the limit is 3MB. I know a few things about the trucks, but not so much about the computer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgeb4ya Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 (edited) ^^^^^^^^^Please buy some more vehicles! Edited March 22, 2017 by Dodgeb4ya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingminer49er Posted March 22, 2017 Report Share Posted March 22, 2017 Next on my list will be a 1947 COE. Already made the deal, but waiting for the farmer to clear his stuff out of the way before I can get to it. I'd post a photo but I don't know how. Just remember that the older one gets, everything else gets older too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted June 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2017 (edited) The cursory reading of this build card has yielded some interesting information. The format of the build card appears to have changed mid-year 1951, and this format includes more optional equipment. I have no idea where this truck was delivered as the destination is not recognizable. The build date of August 19, 1953 was later in the model year than I originally estimated; the body numbers match as well as the engine number. However, my engine appears to be spray painted ford blue, so I am guessing that it might have been rebuilt at some point. I have not seen a rebuild tag on this block, but it might be located behind the starter and out of sight. column 23 and 60: color code 6 punched for each but I am unsure of what hue this should be or if this is the paint code for the two tone treatment column 640: code 1 punched as this truck has a factory rear bumper column 641: code 1 punched as this truck has factory front bumper guards This truck does not appear to have any special equipment, powertrain upgrades, or interesting options other than being a long bed half ton Express model with that rare two-tone paint job...I'll have to do some more digging to find out more information on this truck Edited August 19, 2021 by JBNeal revised pictures 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted February 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2021 (edited) On 8/2/2011 at 5:13 PM, John-T-53 said: That is original maroon seat and door panel upholstery, unique to the '53 models. When you get it cleaned up a bit, snap some more pics so we can see the color come back to life. Does the truck still have the back panel and headliner cardboard?... I had some time the other day to do some cleanup during decent weather to show off a few details. The remnants of the back window and headliner panels appear to be the light grey as described in Bunn's Bible, to contrast with the door panel's maroon color. The paint break on the cab is kinda uneven...I reckon if these areas are gonna be covered with hood lacing and out of sight, then the guys in the paint shop just slapped some masking on as needed and moved onto the next job, something similar to what I saw on my '90 Ramcharger's 2-tone brown paint break inside the rear hatch. Edited August 19, 2021 by JBNeal revised pictures 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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