Transmission Cover Plate

[Barry Maxwell]

I have been restoring a '51 B3C for the last several years and I am getting ready to reinstall the cab on the rolling chassis. The original owner converted the truck to a wrecker. One of the changes he made was to remove the column shift 3-speed transmission with the parking brake under the dash and replace it with a 4-speed spur gear transmission with the parking brake coming up through the transmission cover. In order to accommodate the new transmission, he butchered the cover plate as shown in the first photo (I hope) to the point that it can't be reused. I found another plate on ebay and cleaned it up and put it away until I needed it. Now that I need it, I dug it out and compared it to the butchered plate (I should have done that before). As seen in the second photo (I hope), it obviously won't work.

 

My question is: Did Dodge make a cover plate that will work with my transmission? If so, how would I find one? I have used the Search function and ebay with no success. If worse comes to worse, I can fill the hole in my "new" plate and cut a new hole for the floor shift and cut a slot for the parking brake. I am hoping, however, that I will not have to go that route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Desotodav]

I had the same problem with my 53 truck where someone butchered a hole in it when changing from column shift to floor shift. It's a pity as the one with the hole looked in much better condition than the one I intend to use - I guess that a bit of fiberglass filler will solve that problem though!...

Edited October 15, 2014 by Desotodav

[48Dodger]

For panels like that Dav, I use a metal filler because you can drill and tap it for screws etc later, where basic body fillers don't have that ability...... 

 

All Metal

Metal 2 Metal

 

48D

[austinsailor]

There are two plates,  one for the 3 speed, one for the 4 speed. The e brake is in a different place. Mine has a 4 speed, I found one for a 3 speed. So, you certainly can find one if you look long enough.

 

Since my brake hole was in the wrong place I used a cutoff wheel, and just relocated it, shifting a couple of cut out pieces of metal around, reweldidng, and a little grinding. About an hours work and you can't tell it was changed. So, find the right one, it's a bolt in, find the wrong one, a bit of work and you've got it. 

 

Another choice might be to find one that is pretty rusty and unusable. It'll be rusted around the edges, but the metal around the hole for the brake should still be good. Mark them both the sake, use a cutoff wheel, cut the same hole in both, then weld the good part with t he hole  back in your cover.

[Jeff Balazs]

Actually there are more than two plates. I have seen at least 4. One of the variations is the plate for a fluid drive equipped truck that has the hole farther aft than a standard 4 speed. There is also a blank.

 

Barry you should be able to get the metal repaired. Any competent sheet metal guy can do stuff like this. Welds won't show as it will be hidden by the floor mat.

 

Jeff

[Young Ed]

Actually there are more than two plates. I have seen at least 4. One of the variations is the plate for a fluid drive equipped truck that has the hole farther aft than a standard 4 speed. There is also a blank.

 

Barry you should be able to get the metal repaired. Any competent sheet metal guy can do stuff like this. Welds won't show as it will be hidden by the floor mat.

 

Jeff

I would think 3 one for the column shift one for non fluid drives and one for fluid drives. You can see in the pictures the 2 hole templates that can be removed for the shifters. Only possible 4th one would be if the early trucks with the floor shifted 3 spd were in a diff shifter location than the 4spd.

[Barry Maxwell]

To All:

Thank you for your responses. They were very helpful. Since he has helped me out before on several small parts, I called John Geidl in MN. (aka "Powerwagon John"). He said that he has several transmission cover plates in one of his pole barns,and he will check to see if he has what I need. If he can't help, he will give me the name and number of a man in CO. he thinks will be able to help. I am to call John on Fri.

If both of these potential leads don't pan out, I will weld a plate in the hole in my good cover plate and cut a hole in the correct location for the floor shift and a slot for the parking brake. In short, I will make it work.

Thanks again. As many others have said, this Forum and its members provide a great resource for all of us. You can't beat it!

Barry

[Young Ed]

To All:

Thank you for your responses. They were very helpful. Since he has helped me out before on several small parts, I called John Geidl in MN. (aka "Powerwagon John"). He said that he has several transmission cover plates in one of his pole barns,and he will check to see if he has what I need. If he can't help, he will give me the name and number of a man in CO. he thinks will be able to help. I am to call John on Fri.

If both of these potential leads don't pan out, I will weld a plate in the hole in my good cover plate and cut a hole in the correct location for the floor shift and a slot for the parking brake. In short, I will make it work.

Thanks again. As many others have said, this Forum and its members provide a great resource for all of us. You can't beat it!

Barry

Unless you are going for 100 point resto I'd just start welding. Hope you had fun talking to Powerwagon John. His house and barns are an amazing site.

[ggdad1951]

John is a blast! He has a LOT of stuff! Fun just to look.

[JBNeal]

Looking in the parts manual, there are several configurations listed resulting in 6 different part numbers for 23-04-103 used on 1/2 to 1 ton trucks & panels.  If you have a cover that ya can stand on without it crunching, I say clean up the holes by removing sharp edges, then attach some sort of rubber sheet with an opening cut to allow for the penetrations to seal off a bit to help keep dust & moisture out of the cab.  Once this sheet metal is covered with a floor mat, only a few folks will know that it ain't correct.  I'm guessing he may have put ya in touch with Leadville Larry, I've bought some stray parts from him over the years, he's good people I reckon