New Member w/ New Truck

[jnicho]

Hi guys,

 

Picked up a '49 B1B on Saturday.  Overall in great shape...I will make a few cosmetic changes to suit me, but will be keeping with the "stock" look for the most part.  I will be needing some advise on a few things, as the brakes, stearing and tranny could use some attention.  Interior is all original and needs some TLC, but it appears everything (even the wipers) works except the fuel gauge.  I think I may look at swapping the rear end out for something with a ratio more suited to driving around town since the current setup tops out around 45-50mph.

 

Looking forward to giving this old truck some love and making it a fun vehicle to run around town in.

 

[ggdad1951]

Welcome!  Very nice truck, post MORE pictures!   Is it an older resto or recent resto?  

[pflaming]

Welcome. That is a very nice ride. It sure would look good at Stephanson's Apple Restaurant. You've identified the big three: axle, brakes, and tyranny swaps. Lots of ideas on those three. 

[P15-D24]

Welcome to the site!

[HanksB3B]

Darn,

 

That looks just like mine. I know I mailed someone a sample paint chip.  I wonder if that was the guy that restored and sold you the truck !!

It's a gorgeous 49 thats for sure and the color Absolutely the nicest color of any truck on the forum !

 

 

If it makes any of us feel better, you'll soon be in the same camp as most of us that thought our trucks were finished when we finished them. (you'll understand this in time).

 

Welcome to the Forum !

 

Hank   

Edited November 18, 2013 by HanksB3B

[Merle Coggins]

Welcome. Nice looking truck. It looks like someone at least put a nice coat of paint on it. What size tires are on it? They look llike 15"ers. If your truck won't go over 45 MPH either you're not reving the engine to it's potential, or there's an issue. My 15" tires have about a 28" diameter. And if your truck has the typical 4.10 gears in the diff you should be able to run 60 MPH at 3000 RPM. And your engine should be able to spin up to 3500-3600 without any problems. But if it'll make you more comfortable, look for a diff from a Dodge of Plymouth car from that era. You may be able to find a 3.73 or 3.54 diff that will swap right into your axle housing. Others have swapped out the entire axle with one from a Jeep Cherokee to get modern brakes and lower gear ratios.

 

For the brakes you might want to consider upgrading to disc brakes up front. Talk to Charlie at Rusty Hope (rustyhope.com) for a conversion kit. The drum brakes work fine when set up proberly, but disc brakes have a little more stopping power for daily driving.

[Barry Maxwell]

Darn,

 

That looks just like mine. I know I mailed someone a sample paint chip.  I wonder if that was the guy that restored and sold you the truck !!

It's a gorgeous 49 thats for sure and the color Absolutely the nicest color of any truck on the forum !

 

 

If it makes any of us feel better, you'll soon be in the same camp as most of us that thought our trucks were finished when we finished them. (you'll understand this in time).

 

Welcome to the Forum !

 

Hank   

 

 

Hank:

I am the guy you mailed the paint chip to. I finished the painting and I am now well into color sanding and buffing (arrrrgh!). In time. and if I live long enough (I plan to), my truck will look like this one and yours.

Barry

[HanksB3B]

Now that rings a bell Barry.  Have we seen progress pictures of your truck lately ?  What type of paint are you using ? How many coats are you applying ?

 

I always ask too many questions,

 

Hank 

Edited November 18, 2013 by HanksB3B

[Todd B]

Welcome, nice looking ride

[Barry Maxwell]

Now that rings a bell Barry.  Have we seen progress pictures of your truck lately ?  What type of paint are you using ? How many coats are you applying ?

 

I always ask too many questions,

 

Hank 

 

 

Hank:

I just got a new computer with a new operating system, and haven't tried to resize any photos yet. Will do soon. I used PPG acrylic urethane and applied three coats.

Barry

[Jeff Balazs]

Welcome and what a starting point! Very nice indeed.

 

Jeff

[B1B Keven]

Welcome! Wow, nice '49.

[Drifter99]

Very nice truck you got there, i am in the proceeds of front dic,rear jeep axel 3:55 and putting the engine together.Its a good time hunting down the parts and seeing progress. The guys on here are very helpful and will tolerate novice questions! Drifter

[jnicho]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys.  Nice to see there are so many of you for me to ask questions of on this truck, LOL!

 

 

Welcome. That is a very nice ride. It sure would look good at Stephanson's Apple Restaurant. You've identified the big three: axle, brakes, and tyranny swaps. Lots of ideas on those three. 

Stephenson's is gone!  They bulldozed it last year and put in a shiny new QuikTrip gas plaza.  I guess you know the KC area, huh?

 

I wasn't really thinking about a brake upgrade just reworking the existing drums...should I consider discs on the front?

 

My fiancee wants to be able to drive it and has trouble with the double clutch grind and shift... would a rebuild fix that, or is T5 or similar upgrade a better idea.  I was thinking an upgraded tranny and better gearing in the rear-end would make it a lot easier to drive and make it more highway friendly.  BTW...it currently has the stock 4spd.

 

Welcome!  Very nice truck, post MORE pictures!   Is it an older resto or recent resto?  

I don't know a lot of history on the truck.  I'm guessing the resto is about 10years old.  It was a 50/50 resto.  Appears to be the original drive-train although I expect the engine has been rebuilt.  Interior is all original still except the floor liner.  Door cards, headliner and seat will need some work.  I will also probably pull the gauges and knobs and spruce them up a little.

 

Darn,

 

That looks just like mine. I know I mailed someone a sample paint chip.  I wonder if that was the guy that restored and sold you the truck !!

It's a gorgeous 49 thats for sure and the color Absolutely the nicest color of any truck on the forum !

 

 

 

If it makes any of us feel better, you'll soon be in the same camp as most of us that thought our trucks were finished when we finished them. (you'll understand this in time).

 

Welcome to the Forum !

 

Hank   

Oh I know what you mean...these projects never end...that's half the fun. 

 

Is your front suspension modded.  looks like it sits a little lower on the front end.  What color is that?  Looks to be the same color.  The original color on mine looks to be more of a JD green, but the repaint looks like it might be the same color.

Edited November 19, 2013 by jnicho

[Merle Coggins]

You don't NEED disc brakes. If you are comfortable how your stock brakes stop the truck, leave them as is. I switched because I was experiencing brake fade under heavy brake use, maybe from poor adjustments, so I opted for an upgrade for piece of mind when cruising in Big City traffic.

 

If you have a 4 speed trans, then it is a spur gear, non-syncronized, transmission. You WILL have to double clutch this one. If you want to keep things relatively stock, look for a '51 or newer 4 speed (i have one sitting around that I can't use) that are the syncro-mesh type. You may need to make alterations to your driveshaft, as the u-joints changed in '50. If you switch to a T-5 trans you'll loose the tailshaft parking brake, but you gain the overdrive. Kind of a swap... speed for safety.

[ggdad1951]

You don't NEED disc brakes. If you are comfortable how your stock brakes stop the truck, leave them as is. I switched because I was experiencing brake fade under heavy brake use, maybe from poor adjustments, so I opted for an upgrade for piece of mind when cruising in Big City traffic.

 

If you have a 4 speed trans, then it is a spur gear, non-syncronized, transmission. You WILL have to double clutch this one. If you want to keep things relatively stock, look for a '51 or newer 4 speed (i have one sitting around that I can't use) that are the syncro-mesh type. You may need to make alterations to your driveshaft, as the u-joints changed in '50. If you switch to a T-5 trans you'll loose the tailshaft parking brake, but you gain the overdrive. Kind of a swap... speed for safety.

51 synchro gears are 3rd and 4th only...double clutch down to 2nd....

[Dennis_MN]

Nice looking truck, my former truck also a 49 went to Kansas City also.

If you have a dainty young lady not wanting to double clutch, wait till she wants to turn it. This is a truck, no power steering and no power brakes, and no automatic transmission. This is a mans truck, get over it!

By the way, the brakes are something else. Never had a vehicle that you had to remove the drums to adjust the brakes. They sure leave a whole lot of room for improvement.

Dennis

[JBNeal]

I had a coworker who took ownership of a lightly used '08 Mustang C/S with a standard transmission specifically so his old lady could not drive it cuz she did not know how to handle a stick shift

[RodFru2u]

Nice Looking Truck, Good Luck & Have Fun With it

[1952B3b23]

Welcome, awesome truck. Hope you have lots of fun with her. You've found the best place for pilot house knowledge!

 

-Chris

[Barry Maxwell]

Hank:

I just got a new computer with a new operating system, and haven't tried to resize any photos yet. Will do soon. I used PPG acrylic urethane and applied three coats.

Barry

 

 

Hank:

I think I have resized some photos which I hope are attached.

Barry

[HanksB3B]

They are Barry,  Thank You and keep them coming.  Most of us (I guess) have PhotoBucket accounts (mine's free) where you can store photos in folders and subfolders. Don Coatney has quite a nice reference library that he has shared the link to here on the Forum.  That works well because you will most likely share a progress photo more than once as topics crop up from members doing this or that.

 

The truck looks great ! How nice to have such a fine shop.

 

Hank 

Edited November 21, 2013 by HanksB3B

[Barry Maxwell]

They are Barry,  Thank You and keep them coming.  Most of us (I guess) have PhotoBucket accounts (mine's free) where you can store photos in folders and subfolders. Don Coatney has quite a nice reference library that he has shared the link to here on the Forum.  That works well because you will most likely share a progress photo more than once as topics crop up from members doing this or that.

 

The truck looks great ! How nice to have such a fine shop.

 

Hank 

 

 

Hank:

I started and continue to store photos on my computer. My daughter and grandchildren have suggested that I use Photo Bucket, but you can't teach an old dog new tricks (at least not this one). I built the shop after I retired in 1998, and have restored 5 Massey Harris antique tractors and my son's '49 CJ3A Jeep (photos attached) in my shop. Since I am beginning to reduce my inventory, I sold 4 of the Masseys and all my farm equipment after I quit farming last winter. Thus, my only current project is the '51 B3C and it is the most challenging project I have worked. Nevertheless, I am having a ball (most days).

Barry

[bondvagabond]

I assume you can float shift these like a big rig, with no clutching, but that takes more skill than double clutching, so not really solving your underlying problem :-)

[B1B Keven]

Ya, you can.