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1948 Dodge B1


gbhdrake383

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We just went through this last week.  The only tires that would fit and look right was 235/60R15. They're really had to find, but managed to get Cooper Cobra's from Amazon.  I have a 1948 Dodge B1B also :) Here's a link.  Mine is almost finished. 2 year frame-off restoration

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QGZO8C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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58 minutes ago, Sweet Magnolia said:

We just went through this last week.  The only tires that would fit and look right was 235/60R15. They're really had to find, but managed to get Cooper Cobra's from Amazon.  I have a 1948 Dodge B1B also :) Here's a link.  Mine is almost finished. 2 year frame-off restoration

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004QGZO8C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Photos of the truck?

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She's not quite finished, but the goal is for the end of this month to be complete.  Everything was restored by us, no outsourcing. We learned everything the hard way.  This restoration that was asked by my Dad who is 83. He had saved it for 17 years in hopes of doing this restoration himself. 

Oct 2014.jpg

Oct 2016.jpg

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51 minutes ago, Sweet Magnolia said:

She's not quite finished, but the goal is for the end of this month to be complete.  Everything was restored by us, no outsourcing. We learned everything the hard way.  This restoration that was asked by my Dad who is 83. He had saved it for 17 years in hopes of doing this restoration himself. 

Oct 2014.jpg

Oct 2016.jpg

 

 

More photos please!  Be warned with changes it's not a "restoration".  Looks like at least axle and rim changes so it's a "resto/mod".

Looks like you did a great job!

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Like I said, this is our first attempt at anything like this. Yes, the rear end is a mod for sure. Originally it came with a 411 rear end, but it has been changed to a  97 Jeep Cherokee (355), which fit perfectly & we can go over 40 MPH :D. We were totally against changing the engine, until the water distribution tube broke, and began to run out of time. We've got a 318 in it now. Here's a few pictures. I'm working on a video which I will share when it's finished. Don't be too critical, she was saved from a barn & was built on a budget. I took lots of pictures along the way - Lots of POR, sand paper & time! 

 

IMG_0477.jpg

IMG_0571.jpg

IMG_0878.jpg

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:rolleyes: I wouldn't worry too much about the terminology thing. Some people (Mark) get fixated on stuff like that but in the end it doesn't matter. What matters is you have put another one of these trucks back on the road. You done a great thing and I hope you really get to enjoy it. And the more usable it is the better.

Jeff

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Thanks guys for the kind words. I want to show you one more thing - and I'll bet you know where to give the credit that is due.  I found a picture of this truck - and I laminated it, and hung on the wall of the shop. It has been our "goal picture" I'm pretty sure it's someone on this forum, if so, I bet you all know who it belongs to

 

IMG_5100.jpg

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hey now!  I was just clarifying!  There is a WORLD of difference between a straight up resto and a modified build.  BOTH have their quirks and challenges and BOTH deserve praise, but they are not the same, ask any judge! 

 

That being said, this is a wonderful truck!  No appology was needed.

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4 minutes ago, ggdad1951 said:

hey now!  I was just clarifying!  There is a WORLD of difference between a straight up resto and a modified build.  BOTH have their quirks and challenges and BOTH deserve praise, but they are not the same, ask any judge! 

 

:D Since when did everything we do require judgement ? IMO It is much better to have built something truly useful than to worry about ribbons and trophies.

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Paul;

If we apply Marks way of thinking should your truck be described as a Resto-roast? :D sorry just had to go there........

Been thinking some more about this since yesterday. When we get into breathing life back into something that has sat idle for many years we are faced with making many decisions. Do we do a straight restoration? or do we modify to suit our own current day requirements? This is a tough one for a lot of us.......and  a decision that needs to be made carefully. In the case of these trucks staying bone stock there are some different ramifications than applies on the car side. I won't get into all of it here but staying bone stock just in the gearing department effectively limits how most of us could potentially use their truck. And when we start looking at modifications how far do we take things? Some are simple and easily reversed. Other mods not so much. I do think there is a point that one could easily go past where our subject truck would bear little resemblance to what they started life as. Is any of this right or wrong? I myself am not absolutely certain. I guess I just feel good to see it as a useful thing again and don't really care what the judges think.. I do know that when another one of these trucks comes back from the dead......in whatever format...it is a very big deal and we should celebrate with the builder.

Jeff

 

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48 minutes ago, Jeff Balazs said:

Paul;

If we apply Marks way of thinking should your truck be described as a Resto-roast? :D sorry just had to go there........

Been thinking some more about this since yesterday. When we get into breathing life back into something that has sat idle for many years we are faced with making many decisions. Do we do a straight restoration? or do we modify to suit our own current day requirements? This is a tough one for a lot of us.......and  a decision that needs to be made carefully. In the case of these trucks staying bone stock there are some different ramifications than applies on the car side. I won't get into all of it here but staying bone stock just in the gearing department effectively limits how most of us could potentially use their truck. And when we start looking at modifications how far do we take things? Some are simple and easily reversed. Other mods not so much. I do think there is a point that one could easily go past where our subject truck would bear little resemblance to what they started life as. Is any of this right or wrong? I myself am not absolutely certain. I guess I just feel good to see it as a useful thing again and don't really care what the judges think.. I do know that when another one of these trucks comes back from the dead......in whatever format...it is a very big deal and we should celebrate with the builder.

Jeff

 

as long as you don't crap rod it I don't care which way a person takes their project.

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Mark;

I am not a huge fan of rat-rods either......but I think that can be an appropriate treatment if one starts off with next to nothing. Say just a very beaten up cab and doors. I personally would much rather see a pile of rusty bits made into something useful than to see a relatively complete truck cut up and made into a frankenstein.

Years ago I built a vintage brit bike out of parts I obtained from many different sources. What got me started was an old engine that was sitting in someones attic for decades. I got it cleaned up and built the rest of the bike around it. The parts I used came from several different models and years. As I got started on this I joined the owners club over in the UK and got to know the president of said owners club. If you know anything about these clubs you will know that they are major sticklers for authenticity. When he found out about what I was doing he wrote an article for the clubs monthly magazine. In it he described a crazy yank who was building this bitsa and had started with hardly more than an oil spot on the floor. A bitsa is a sort of derogatory term used to describe a bike built with bits and pieces and therefore not as original. From that day on I called my bike the "Oil spot"......and did not worry who liked it and who didn't. When I got it finished it ran like a champ....and it still does. That is all that really matters. ;)

Jeff

 

 

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On 9/28/2016 at 8:52 PM, gbhdrake383 said:

Ok Im pretty sure this has been covers a dozen times but couldnt find much. My 1948 B1 has 16inch wheels and im wondering what size tires you guys recommend? 

If ya have the stock 4.50" wide rims on a half ton, then the original tire size was 6.00x16 or 6.50x16...closest size to that now is 215/85R16, and that is hard to find in anything under a D-rated tire, and that can be a rough ride on a lighter truck.  The1-ton duallies also rode on 6.50x16s as standard equipment, but the 1-ton sgl.wheels had 7.00x16s up front and 7.50x16s on the rear as standard equipment...I've got 7.50s all around on my sgl.whl and have no problems with tire clearance and the frame when turning.  At any rate, verify your wheel width before ya invest in some new rubber...skinny tires on wide rims, as well as wide tires on skinny rims, kinda look funny and can be problematic :cool:

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  • 5 months later...
On 10/6/2016 at 11:19 AM, JBNeal said:

If ya have the stock 4.50" wide rims on a half ton, then the original tire size was 6.00x16 or 6.50x16...closest size to that now is 215/85R16, and that is hard to find in anything under a D-rated tire, and that can be a rough ride on a lighter truck.  The1-ton duallies also rode on 6.50x16s as standard equipment, but the 1-ton sgl.wheels had 7.00x16s up front and 7.50x16s on the rear as standard equipment...I've got 7.50s all around on my sgl.whl and have no problems with tire clearance and the frame when turning.  At any rate, verify your wheel width before ya invest in some new rubber...skinny tires on wide rims, as well as wide tires on skinny rims, kinda look funny and can be problematic :cool:

Sorry for the delay response. This winter here in Boise Idaho was a rough one. Bought a house as well. Back to working in the ol girl again. Thank you for the info

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