59bisquik Posted August 10, 2015 Report Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) I thought I would start posting up my build thread on my 1955 C1B. My Dad bought this back in 2002. It was previously owned by the school district. It was a pretty solid start for a build and it ran! Edited March 6, 2020 by 59bisquik 5 Quote
59bisquik Posted August 10, 2015 Author Report Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) In 2005, it was time to start some restoration and #5 cylinder no longer had any compression. First step was to locate a good running engine to rebuild. A 218 from a tug motor was found and drug home. Also why not pull the front clip to make life easier and get her all cleaned up! Edited March 6, 2020 by 59bisquik 1 Quote
59bisquik Posted August 10, 2015 Author Report Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) Time to start going back together... A Fenton intake and a home made exhaust manifold ought to wake it up a bit! Edited March 6, 2020 by 59bisquik 4 Quote
59bisquik Posted August 10, 2015 Author Report Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) Here is what she looks like after some work. Soon she will be coming over to my place to continue the work. I will post up more when I get working on her. Edited March 6, 2020 by 59bisquik 2 Quote
Merle Coggins Posted August 10, 2015 Report Posted August 10, 2015 Looking good. Just curious why you routed the exhaust over to the left side? What's on the right side that would have been in the way? 1 Quote
59bisquik Posted August 10, 2015 Author Report Posted August 10, 2015 Hmmmm... thats a good question. I will have to ask him when I talk to him next. My guess would be, with the stock gears and low top speed, its always in the slow lane. So with the pipes on the driver side I can blast plenty of noise over at the hybrid cars. But again, just a guess. Quote
Phntm48 Posted August 11, 2015 Report Posted August 11, 2015 Yellow trucks are going to take over the world! Love it! 2 Quote
59bisquik Posted August 11, 2015 Author Report Posted August 11, 2015 Thanks for the compliments guys! Quote
Frank Elder Posted August 11, 2015 Report Posted August 11, 2015 Real nice! I like the tug too! 1 Quote
59bisquik Posted August 12, 2015 Author Report Posted August 12, 2015 Merle... I was close. Exhaust was routed that way so my dad could hear it while driving. 4 Quote
59bisquik Posted September 8, 2015 Author Report Posted September 8, 2015 (edited) After 14 hours of driving and only stopping twice for fuel, I finally have her home!! It towed so well, I sometimes forgot she was back there until I looked into the mirror and thought who the heck in a yellow pickup is riding my bumper! First order of business besides unloading all of the spare parts is to get the 3.73 swapped in and the brakes back to functioning. Then figure out whats wrong with the distributor so I can drive it some. Then will be clean up the frame and do a spring-ectomy and put the bed back together! Somebody back in the day got carried away with adding some extra springs for carrying cords of wood in this poor old truck! Edited March 6, 2020 by 59bisquik 1 Quote
59bisquik Posted September 11, 2015 Author Report Posted September 11, 2015 (edited) Besides working on clean up and draining 5 year old gas out of the fuel tank, I decided to see if my truck pinion yoke would fit on my car 3.73 differential. Looks like it will fit. Guess the rear end might be the next project. Edited March 6, 2020 by 59bisquik Quote
bluebanshee Posted September 11, 2015 Report Posted September 11, 2015 Have a really solid truck to start with. I like your exhaust fan - I have one just like it from an old furnace. 1 Quote
gshort Posted September 12, 2015 Report Posted September 12, 2015 During what part of 55 did Dodge go to the wrap around windshield? My 54 has the single windshield glass. The 55's that I have seen all had the wrap around glass. If yours is a 55 then Dodge must have did a mid year change. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 12, 2015 Report Posted September 12, 2015 was your 54 a late production unit out of San Leandro? Quote
Young Ed Posted September 12, 2015 Report Posted September 12, 2015 Yes I believe it is a mid year 55 change. They probably used up the cabs that were already built. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 12, 2015 Report Posted September 12, 2015 I would quote a book I have here on the subject but he (the author) has been proven more wrong than ever been right in his remarks on production....lol Quote
59bisquik Posted September 12, 2015 Author Report Posted September 12, 2015 (edited) I will have to check the tag on where it was built. But it was my understanding that there was a small number of 54's built in 55 and sold only as fleet vehicles according to a book I read.wonder if it's the same book Plymouthy has? Edited September 12, 2015 by 59bisquik Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted September 12, 2015 Report Posted September 12, 2015 (edited) I was referring to a comment that the San Leandro plant continued 54 production into the normal 55 production year for other plants....they as stated probably continued 54 model production till those bodies on hand were exhausted then changed over...again..you can read a number of things at a number of sites...I place very little credibility on the books here...too many errors...but it could be plausible..thus the throwing it out for consideration... Edited September 12, 2015 by Plymouthy Adams Quote
gshort Posted September 12, 2015 Report Posted September 12, 2015 Not sure where my truck was built. Someone posted a site to track down the numbers and I did figure out that mine was an early 54. The way I read the numbers mine was one of the first 200 made in 54 at that plant. Quote
unbreakable Posted September 13, 2015 Report Posted September 13, 2015 Another yellow 55, wish my sheet metal was in that good of shape. Great to see progress on it. Quote
59bisquik Posted September 15, 2015 Author Report Posted September 15, 2015 It took a bit of sawzall action on the fuel tank bolts to get her out, and I think it was installed wrong after seeing some of the threads about spring bolts. Anyway, I wonder if this tank will be salvageable. It has multiple pin hole leaks on the bottom and one that has been patched previously above the seam. Also alot of rust build up on the corners right over the seams. Fortunately, I have a spare 10 gallon spun aluminum tank I can use till I come up with something. 1 Quote
JBNeal Posted September 15, 2015 Report Posted September 15, 2015 that can be cleaned up professionally 1 Quote
59bisquik Posted September 17, 2015 Author Report Posted September 17, 2015 Well, after a bit of tinkering around, I found out why she wont start. It has two 6V batteries in parallel and both are dead! I tried charging them for 12 hours and no luck. I did unhook the rest of the truck from the starter and then test the starter with a 12V battery and it spins just fine. Looks like I will be heading down to the store to get atleast one new battery. As an embarrassing side note... where the heck is neutral on a column shift? Quote
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