54 c1 Truck from Germany

[Gepard]

Hello everybody,

 

Ive wanted to introduce myself to you, i am 24 year old and from Germany, last Year i bought a dodge c1 1954 fluid drive Truck with 6 L-Head engine, now i want to start with the restoration.

The Truck is in a pretty solid condition, no rust holes or things like that, after a few trys and some Valve cleaning ive got the engine Running and seemed to be in good condition. The wiring needs to be completley redone and i heve a problem with the rear axle shafts, the threads are totally freyed and i cant find good information or spare parts for the rearend.

 

 

 

[B1B Keven]

Welcome!! Good lookin' truck.

[P15-D24]

Welcome to the site! Best starting point is pick up a Part Book and Shop Manual for your truck. With the Parts Book you can get the factory part numbers for items like seals which can be cross listed. The Service manual will give you the correct procedure for servicing.

[Gepard]

Thank you for replying!

Ihave the two parts of the shop manual and also the dodge c1 series book, but the rear axle is not explained that good or my english is not good enough..! ive looked around other posts for the rear end and found out that its common to swap with cherokee rear ends on b models. Would a cherokee rear end also fit my model or do someone know where i could find axle shafts that fit?

[Desotodav]

Welcome aboard Gepard. We have a few members in Germany.

You may find it easier to change out the rearend in your truck with a Jeep rearend if you find it difficult to find old parts in your country. It may be easy enough to repair the threads on your axle shaft/s.  What are your plans for the truck?... will you keep it original?... or add some modern safety items (disc brakes etc.). It looks to be a good solid truck.

I have a 55 Desoto 'C' series truck parked in my shed awaiting restoration. It is interesting to see the difference between our Australian trucks and those in the rest of the world. Our 'C' series trucks closely resemble the 'B' series truck, but they have a different nosecone, a 1-piece windscreen and a few other cosmetic changes.

I look forward to seeing the progress that you make on your truck.

[Gepard]

hi!

I like your Desoto Truck, never seen before i want to keep the truck original so far but add a dual brake master cylinder and change to two cyrcle breaking system for better safety, conversion to 12 volts, new paintjob for the roof to keep the vintage look and I also want to lower the truck with taking leafs out of the springs nand dropping the front axle.

do u have experience with thread repairing on axle shafts? i think its not that easy because after welding on material the whole axle shaft has to be hardened again.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Gepard

[Don Coatney]

I really like the looks of your truck and fluid drive is an even bigger feature. Wish I could find one like it here in the States.

[Jeff Balazs]

Welcome Gepard;

Your truck must be a fairly rare item in Germany. Looks good and solid.

I would think that the Cherokee swap (or something similar) is going to be the best option for you. You may want to consider getting one with a 3.78 or even a 3.55 final ratio for better cruising speeds and gas mileage. It should be a very easy swap.

 

Enjoy it and keep us posted.

 

Jeff

[Gepard]

thank you for the information, i will see if i can get a rear axle like that here in germany i think too that this would be an easy way, but is there no other modification needed like welding something or a adapter for the driveshaft?

I know that there are a few B model trucks over here in germany but i have never seen a C series and 54 is the only year with this windshield , 55 has the warped one I think.

[B1B Keven]

The 3:55 ratio axle would come out of a Cherokee with the 4.0 litre 6 cylinder and automatic.

Are the axle shafts the same in the B and C series trucks?

[Gepard]

i have read that the spline count has changed from 10 to 16 splines in 1952 , thank you for the information of the cherokee axle

Edited March 22, 2014 by Gepard

[Jeff Balazs]

Gepard;

On the later B series trucks the universal joints were changed from the earlier trucks and mate up well to the Cherokee axle. No modifications were needed to fit the existing drive shaft to the Cherokee (Dana 35) axle on my truck. All that was needed was to remove the spring perch's from the old dodge axle and fit them up to the new axle.

You will need to pay attention to your axle selection though......especially if you want to retain the original wheels. 1/2 ton models are easier than 3/4 ton on the B series trucks as they had different wheels and a different bolt pattern. Not sure what your C series has?

The bottom line is that you should do some research on all the specifics before making a decision.

 

Jeff

[52b3b]

Hi Basi,

 

and then there were three in Germany. If there are more please contact.

 

Klaus

[Gepard]

hi Klaus, I sent you a privat message, nice to find someone who shares thw same interests and lives so close.

 

Jeff, Thank you for the information. I will see what bolt Pattern my C series Truck has and if it fits with an cherokee axle, tried to find one today but its not easy in Germany. called nearly 40 scrap yards in my area and noone has the axle I need, so i will keep searching.

Edited March 22, 2014 by Gepard

[Don Coatney]

I do not know the measurements on your differential but I suspect they are the same as found in the attached chart. You may be able to expand your search per the attachment below.

 

 

[Jeff Balazs]

Gepard;

I was afraid of that. Was not sure how plentiful the Cherokee was in your part of the world. The chart Don posted should be helpful. You may be able to find something else that is available in your country by making a diagram of the specific dimensions and faxing it to the wrecking yard? Another option would be to find a specialty shop that handles these types of repairs and have them fix or obtain replacements for the existing axle. Some of them have pretty good networks of parts sourcing over here.....I would imagine that it may be the same in your country.

 

Jeff

[Gepard]

hi Jeff,

 

I think i will keep searching for an jeep axle, if this wont work, I will do this.

I found a cherokee rear axle on ebay germany wich may be the right one, looks really rusty its from a 1992 XJ 4,0 liters.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/121289620217?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

 

The Bolt pattern of my Truck should be 5 on 4.5

Edited March 22, 2014 by Gepard

[Young Ed]

That rust doesn't look too serious. How is the availability of the drums and brake hardware for something like that over there?

[Gepard]

its no problem to get the spare parts for the jeep rear end here in germany

[Desotodav]

Apologies for the delay Gepard - I have been busy with work.

You may be able to repair the axle threads with a thread file if the threads are not too badly damaged. Here's a couple of post links for you where we have discussed axle thread damage before... 

http://p15-d24.com/topic/34372-castle-nut-size-rear-drum-54-plymouth/?hl=%2Bthread+%2Bfile+%2Baxle#entry347137  ... and ...

http://p15-d24.com/topic/18149-rear-axle-thread-damagerepair/?hl=%2Bthread+%2Bfile+%2Baxle#entry172690 .

 

Be sure to use the 'search' function of the forum to the top right of your screen. I use this function often when I am researching particular items.

[ggdad1951]

welcome, next time I visit Deutschland I'll have another member to meet up with!

[Gepard]

That would be very nice, i am in contact to Klaus and we life very close

 

Thank you for the thread repairing information, i will post a picture of the frayed thread so u guys can see whats going on but i think its hopeless...

Edited March 23, 2014 by Gepard

[Gepard]

made some pics of the threads, dont know if they are really useable

[Don Coatney]

Too far gone in my opinion.

[deathbound]

Welcome.....where in California did you find that truck? Looks nice. On a side note, my mom was born in Rottweil in 1939, came over to the states in 1954. I've never been to Germany, but hope to 1 day. Good luck with the axle search/repair. Derek