1946 WD-15 Daily Driver Rebuild-Restoration

[Jobrated_man]

Here's another question,I know the previous owner painted this truck orange.

Was this a factory color that Dodge offered during these years? I never seen another truck painted this color during all my internet searches.

Yes, Bobby.

We have all the original truck colors, and chips listed on the yahoo forum. Orange was on the early, pre-war trucks only.

dave

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/39-47dodge

[Jobrated_man]

Here's mine. Got a long term project of a 40 plymouth pickup too.

Young Ed, Are you also logged on to the 39-47 Dodge web forum?

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/39-47dodge

would like to show your truck in this photo on the front page. Nice shot.

dave

www.39-47dodgetrucks.com

[TennesseeVol51]

Just buy new shocks.

Spin on oil filter? That's easy, any remote mount or add on kit that takes a P8HA or equivalent will work fine, including the ones made for Harley Davidson based custom bikes (tend to be a lot cheaper than from the offroad or performance shops).

There are a lot of people who buy the old canister filter housings. Cafe racer builders, chopper builders, restoration guys... filled with cement and the fittings knocked off they make decent cannon sabots...

Scruff,

Can you give me a link or somewhere to find the system you are talking about?

Does Rocky Mountain ATV or any other of the big wholsalers have them on their website?

I can get you any 4wheeler--street bike--or dirt bike part that you need we used to be a KTM dealer but now we only sell replacment parts I can get anything you need for your old Honda's.

I will order a system and give it a try.Thanks

[TennesseeVol51]

We have all those detail photos on the yahoo forum for the 39-47 dodge trucks. Used a truck that had won many awards as a model in many of the photos, and can take more specific details if anyone asks. BTW, the photo of your red and black truck in the snow is a great one. Could we use it on the site?

dave

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/39-47dodge

Dave--Jobrated_Man

So glad you joined this forum,and thanks for all your links and files on the Yahoo group.You have really helped me.I am sure you will help people here also.I think both your Yahoo site and this site are made to coexist with each other together.

And the 1946 red WC truck belongs to YoungEd I am sure he will chime in,but boy is it a super looking truck ain't it!!

[Young Ed]

Young Ed, Are you also logged on to the 39-47 Dodge web forum?

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/39-47dodge

would like to show your truck in this photo on the front page. Nice shot.

dave

www.39-47dodgetrucks.com

Dave yes I'm a member and of course you can! I'm just Ed or Dodgepu1946 on there. Its from a couple years ago we had a snow storm late in march/early in April and I had to remove my truck from storage that day. All that snow was gone by the end of the day.

Edited January 3, 2013 by Young Ed

[TennesseeVol51]

Hi Bobby;

Happy New Year.

You can get a set of new gas charged shocks at Napa for under$100 that will be a heck of a lot better than any rebuild you could do on a set of originals.

I am an old dirt biker too.......but these were never as nice as a set of old Koni's

Jeff,

I think I need more than 4" of travel the Koni's would give,I have a set of Fox Air Shocks 12.5" of travel I could lay them down--boy wouldn't that be trick on a 1946!?!?!

Seriously--I am going to take out the engine clean and paint--then I am dropping the entire front drive line and taking it to my buddie I race dirt bikes with he runs a front end alignment shop he is going to do kingpins tie rod ends ball joint etc. I am going to sand the frame from the firewall forward while the engine is out and front drive line is out the refinish with por-15 or something like that,just not sure yet about what to use on frame.

So basically next on the agenda is everything from the firewall forward.Hope to be finished with that part by end of Feburary.

I know I am doing the resto of this truck kinda of bassakwards but you will see my plan later towards the end of this build.

I race both modern 2012 model dirtbikes and vintage 1970's early 1980's dirtbikes.I am going about this truck rebuild like we do a vintage dirtbike build that we are getting ready to race.The 1st order of business is to go through the whole bike from the front to the back and make it safe and reliable and fix whatever stupidity some previous owner has screwed up mainly buffalo bolts everywhere.Then after everything is mechanically good to go then you can work on cosmetics later,that is the easy part.

So many people just want to make something look good,without caring one bit about the mechanical/saftey part of their car--truck or dirtbike.

Most of the time whatever you get from someone is a ticking timebomb.

But this is just my opinion and you know what opinions are like

Edited January 3, 2013 by TennesseeVol51

[Young Ed]

Don't look too hard for those ball joints I also have to ask what is a buffalo bolt??

[Scruffy49]

My old Hondas are OLD... like 1963 CL72 old. Old as in stand on a breaker bar on the generator side crank nut and nothing moves old...

Let me check my stash, I may have a filter adapter. I used to be in the Harley scene something fierce...

These work fine...https://twistedchoppers.com/shop/remote-oil-filter-mount/

[Jeff Balazs]

Jeff,

I think I need more than 4" of travel the Koni's would give,I have a set of Fox Air Shocks 12.5" of travel I could lay them down--boy wouldn't that be trick on a 1946!?!?!

Seriously--I am going to take out the engine clean and paint--then I am dropping the entire front drive line and taking it to my buddie I race dirt bikes with he runs a front end alignment shop he is going to do kingpins tie rod ends ball joint etc. I am going to sand the frame from the firewall forward while the engine is out and front drive line is out the refinish with por-15 or something like that,just not sure yet about what to use on frame.

So basically next on the agenda is everything from the firewall forward.Hope to be finished with that part by end of Feburary.

I know I am doing the resto of this truck kinda of bassakwards but you will see my plan later towards the end of this build.

I race both modern 2012 model dirtbikes and vintage 1970's early 1980's dirtbikes.I am going about this truck rebuild like we do a vintage dirtbike build that we are getting ready to race.The 1st order of business is to go through the whole bike from the front to the back and make it safe and reliable and fix whatever stupidity some previous owner has screwed up mainly buffalo bolts everywhere.Then after everything is mechanically good to go then you can work on cosmetics later,that is the easy part.

So many people just want to make something look good,without caring one bit about the mechanical/saftey part of their car--truck or dirtbike.

Most of the time whatever you get from someone is a ticking timebomb.

But this is just my opinion and you know what opinions are like

Bobby;

I with you there. Hey at least those old Koni's worked and were rebuildable

that's more than could be said of the Girlings of the day!

I am making a daily driver out of my 52 B-3-C. I am not nearly as concerned about cosmetics as I am function. There is a lot there that is worth rebuilding but some stuff like shocks just doesn't make sense.

Most of what I have done so far has been done for reliability and driveability.

I want the truck to appear close to stock but I have changed the rear end to Grand Cherokee with higher gearing and disc's. Also fitted disc's to the front along with a Grand Cherokee M/C with a Wilwood P/V etc... I have kept the stock wheels but mounted radials. Also a SS exhaust system. For the most part I am replacing most of the important mechanical fasteners with new ones. The only other real mod I will make is proper 3 point belts in the cab.

It won't be a true restoration but I hope that as a "recycling" project it will prove to be a viable solution for my needs.

I can't wait to use it to haul my old Ajay's out to the desert........should make for a real blast from the past!

Jeff

[TennesseeVol51]

Don't look too hard for those ball joints I also have to ask what is a buffalo bolt??

Dang Ed,you are busting my ball joints for being such a noob!

A buffalo bolt according to the book of " Fredili " is just sticking any old bolt no matter what size or thread pitch wheather it is metric or SAE or the correct length.Just as long as it will work.

Cross threading is also a sub catagory.

I am not as fimilar with working on these old trucks as I am motorcycles but you would not believe what some people do to a bike just to get it to run or ride it.I have seen some stuff that would make you cringe that someone actually rode it!!

[Young Ed]

Believe me old cars and trucks are the same way. My 46 came with a supposedly "professionally" restored frame. The paint was nice but the mechanicals were way off. The front axle was so bent the shocks wouldn't physically fit. The back drums were reversed. The diff was shot with teeth so worn out they looked sharp.

[Scruffy49]

You mean goofy stuff like my junk heaps?

This WAS a 1998 Savage...

And what is left of my early 250 Scrambler that somebody made a cafe racer out of and I'm turning into a street legal tracker. This is the one that locked up on me...

Guilty as charged...

[TennesseeVol51]

Believe me old cars and trucks are the same way. My 46 came with a supposedly "professionally" restored frame. The paint was nice but the mechanicals were way off. The front axle was so bent the shocks wouldn't physically fit. The back drums were reversed. The diff was shot with teeth so worn out they looked sharp.

Yes Ed this is exactly what I am talking about.

[TennesseeVol51]

And what is left of my early 250 Scrambler that somebody made a cafe racer out of and I'm turning into a street legal tracker. This is the one that locked up on me...

Guilty as charged...

I like that scrambler it has lots of potential.

Is that a steering dampner I am seeing going from the fork to under the gas tank?

And it looks like a Cerani 30mm Forks and a Penton or Bultaco front alloy wheel.

[Scruffy49]

Steering damper is stock, forks are I have no idea, front wheel is getting replaced with a GT750 TLS drum (early 1969) or the later 500 wheel that was the same thing.

Potential? I got it to make a sign out of and the thing fired off... no papers, so not a priority...

[TennesseeVol51]

Allright everyone,

I am going to take off the all the front drive assembly springs shackles etc this weekend.

Is there anything I need to watch for?

I see nothing broke anywhere. Nothing is bent.All the original bolts and nuts are in place and look good.All the grease fittings are also in place.

So I think all I need to do is take my pneumatic die grinder with my wire brushes and clean all the nuts off and spray with Kroil and the whole assembly should come off on about 30 minutes.

It looks pretty straightforward the only thing that concerns me about removing,is the arm that connects to the drag link.When I remove the big nut that connects to the arm that goes down to the drag link it will not mess up anything in the steering box will it?

Any comments?

[Dave72dt]

Be aware there may be some left threaded parts on the front end. A search on shackle removal will more clearly define which ones they are and there are some video links as well. Use a puller to remove the pitman arm. Nothing is going to fall out of the steering box when you remove the big nut but there's no need to damage it by beating on it either. Check for an alignment notch(s) in the arm and make some notes if need be. Reference photos may be a big help later for assembly. You can never take too many.

Edited January 5, 2013 by Dave72dt

[Scruffy49]

30 minutes? Unless the front end was perfectly maintained figure on 10x that long... And don't plan on reusing your U-bolts, half the time they come off alright, relax, and won't go back into place. Fleet Pride and Truck Pro can point you to a local source if they can't replicate them in house. Look up Posie's on the internet and get yourself some spring liner, makes an incredible difference in the ride of the truck. Get enough to do all 4 spring packs. The teflon takes all bind out of the springs, lets them slide on each other as they are supposed to. Clean, quiet, smoother ride.

Check the forum for a dual chamber master cylinder conversion. It is worth it... and a whole lot easier to do if you can get under the truck without the suspension in the way of your arms.

Shock mounting plates out of a 69-71 Dodge truck are set up for sway bars on an I beam front axle. Worth looking into... Dodge plates and end links, Ranger, S10 or Dakota bar will be close to the right over all length, D100 bars are too long.

You can replace any funky bushings with self lubricating bronze versions. Tractor Supply, Lowes, Home Depot or your local bearing house can get you the sizes you need if you do some leg work. Drill and tap as needed if you want them greasable. Used to swap them all the time on older rigs w/o major issues, they can be a bit noisier and stiffer than stock though.

True daily driver? Upgrade your front brakes while the axle is out. Discs work fine in a manual brake set up. I plan to order the A100 disc hub conversion parts from Speedway Motors and have machined as necessary to fit my front axle. And I'll run either a more modern drum rear axle or a disc rear axle.

Discouraged yet?

[HanksB3B]

Allright everyone,

I am going to take off the all the front drive assembly springs shackles etc this weekend.

Is there anything I need to watch for?

I see nothing broke anywhere. Nothing is bent.All the original bolts and nuts are in place and look good.All the grease fittings are also in place.

So I think all I need to do is take my pneumatic die grinder with my wire brushes and clean all the nuts off and spray with Kroil and the whole assembly should come off on about 30 minutes.

It looks pretty straightforward the only thing that concerns me about removing,is the arm that connects to the drag link.When I remove the big nut that connects to the arm that goes down to the drag link it will not mess up anything in the steering box will it?

Any comments?

Hi Tennessee,

Just want to remind you something I learned: Take a lot of pictures (and mark parts) before, during and after disassembly of any group of parts or components. What you think is (and it's true) these trucks are so simple, it's not like a watch with a million parts. Thing of it is what happens is that you don't realize that while you are taking something relatively simple apart the time lapse and the additional disassembly of other parts of the truck before you get to re-assemble the first assembly will inevitably have you scratching your head and kicking yourself for not taking more pictures.

Trust me on this,

Hank

[Young Ed]

I don't agree that the U bolts are not worth bothering with. Run a thread chaser up as far as you can and the nuts should spin right off. Sadly the 60 year old ones are probably made better than anything you can source today.

[Scruffy49]

If they are in good shape I reuse them. But if they won't go back in the holes easily... The sources listed make them for tractor trailers and such, little bolts like ours are a piece of cake. Down here they send small stuff to a local trailer manufacturer that makes them and then heat treats them. So far so good.

The ones in my 49 will have to be removed via Sawzall...

[TennesseeVol51]

Thanks for the replys,I will check and read about everyone of your suggestions.You didn't discourage me Scruff.

I am kinda leery about left hand threads.Ed,was there any left had threads under your front end besides the lug nuts?

I don't have a puller for the pittman arm right now I will have to borrow one from work.

Scruff I just don't understand besides the pittman arm the only thing holding the entire front axel assembly is the 1 lower shock bolts and the connections at the front and rear of the leaf springs? Am I not right? Also is there a order I need to remove the leaf springs? Do I need to remove the front near the front bumper 1st or the rear leaf near the cab 1st?

I was going to take the entire front beam and axel off as 1 piece put it on my workbench flip it over brace it and dissassemble it one side at a time and then reassemble.

All my castle bolts are in great shape and the threads look great.The big u-bolts look good the lower nuts should come off no problem.There is no rust on the tie rod ends or the end caps of the kingpins,the end caps of the kingpins are still shiny.

Hank I take pics and video of everything now,I didn't when I removed the fenders dog houses etc.The reason I am going about things in the order you are seeing me go is that I am going to do 1 thing at a time and completly put it back together before I move onto something else.I will not move past the firewall until the entrire front end is reassembled and running.

Thanks again you don't know how much you all are helping me.

Edited January 6, 2013 by TennesseeVol51

[Scruffy49]

Pop the shocks off, undo the shackles and roll it out. But it is a whole lot easier to break the u-bolts loose while the front end is in the truck. Same for the rear axle, break the nuts loose on the u-bolts before you disconnect the shackles... I usually pull the axle out, do one spring pack and the frame are around the shackle mounts, then install the finished spring pack. No different than doing the brakes, you do one corner at a time so you have an in your face reference. Fewer headaches and who cares about over spray on a chassis?

I'm doing my truck kinda hodge podge, not really any rhyme or reason. I get bored very easily... Right now I'm getting ready to yank the bed apart, all the bolts are junk (so are the welded nuts they go into) so I've got a big stack of cut off wheels to play with... Then I get the fun of swapping my rear springs side for side to the inside of the frame rails. Have to for wheel clearance on my donor axle (which will probably not last long, 7.5" Fraud--- Ford Ranger 4 banger) That ought to be loads of fun, modifying cross members, relocating fuel tank... maybe should just fix the stock rear but 4.78 gears aren't any fun with a small 6 banger.

[ggdad1951]

Tenn, Hank isn't kidding, I took over 2000 pictures during my tear down and still didn't take enough, figuring "it's obvious", and it isn't! I also used over 12 boxes of ziplock baggies for parts. I suggest labeling well and taking a picture of the baggie near the parts you are going to put in it. Nothing more frustrating than saying "fender bolts", when there are 4 different kinds and you can't remember a year plus which went where.

[Young Ed]

I am kinda leery about left hand threads.Ed,was there any left had threads under your front end besides the lug nuts?

Yes I believe at least one of the shackles has a left hand thread. Also its been a long time but I think the springs are configured differently on 39-47s so I'd check the yahoo group for reference.