new guy's 1947 WD-21

[FlyingEagle]

Howdy! I just bought a 1947 WD-21 one ton single wheel w/flatbed. I believe the flathead is the 218. The door tag says 80hp. I saw the ad in our local paper for $400. It was only 3 miles away. I knew I would buy it if I went & looked. After 3 days, I couldn't resist. Now it's mine. They bought it back in the 70's to use on the farm. It got parked about '95 and they just used it to grind corn in the bed. It is in fairly good condition other than a stuck engine. I took the head off & cyl 2 & 4 have some rust. Been soaking for few days. Should have it free today & hopefully running. 

I'm not familiar with pre '60 Dodges, so I had fun looking her over & comparing to my Chevys. Better location of brake master &  tube shocks were a couple things. Chevy had the master under floor & had knee action til '50. Interested to see what type of brakes this has. Huck or Bendix? Looks like the windshield opens out? The plan is to get her running & drive it since I got the title. One cool thing...I knew this truck wanted to come home with me. The tires aired up & the brackets for my tow bar bolted up perfect to the bumper bolts. Easiest tow ever!

 

[Brent B3B]

$400.!? NICE find

looks like the bed sides swing down? how is the inside?

[Young Ed]

great find!  A solid windshield frame is worth what you paid for the whole truck! Yes they do crank open. You should have a handle in the center of the dash. Judging from the full length running boards I would guess it was a 1ton pickup when new. Typically a flatbed would have come with cab length boards. 

[FlyingEagle]

The sides swing down. The interior isn't too bad. I vacuumed, but didn't wash yet. Headliner is falling out, missing ignition switch, seat needs recovered, and only rust is at the front cab mounts. I am very happy with the condition.

I will start lubing everything. I'm digging the windshield. Just need rubber and glass. Wish I had the original bed. Bet they are hard to find. This is my 3rd truck w/flatbed, so not upset. The original owner bought this truck to haul freight. His door lettering is almost visible on driver side. 

Engine is still stuck, so I figured I would spend 2 hrs scraping dirt off oil pan & trans. What better way to get to know your truck? 

[FlyingEagle]

I have a question... what is up with the vent on bottom of seat? Is it supposed to firm the cushioning? You can laugh, but at first I thought the handle was to move the seat. Then I pulled the seat out to get all the dead mice & poop. Flipped it over & saw what was going on. I can get pic if needed.

[FlashBuddy]

Yup, open the damper for soft ride. Close for firm. When I drive over the tracks at the nearby RR crossing, my head hits the roof no matter what setting I choose. That and left hand lug nuts, and maybe the drives haft emergency brake is the dusmbest, ah er, most charming thing Dodge has to endear their owners.

 

Kudos on your good find.

[FlyingEagle]

Thanks, can't wait to get her going.

[John Rogers]

What a cool find, congratulations !

                         John 

[FlyingEagle]

Engine still won't turn. Guess I'll let it soak more. I did get interior cleaned a little & opened vent & windshield.  What is that little chrome circle above speedo? It's some kind of electrical switch.

Edited February 18, 2018 by FlyingEagle

[Young Ed]

that is the high beam indicator. If the little plastic piece is still intact it will glow red when the high beams are on

[FlyingEagle]

Cool. Thanks. I'll clean it out better & see.

[pflaming]

The trucks which hauled sugarbeets and ear corn often had such beds. Grain tight was not required, and drop down sides made for fast unloading. I would keep that bed, unusual for certain. 

[Blue]

What a steal. The gauges are almost worth what you paid for the truck. Please post plenty of pictures as you make it yours.

[BobB]

Nice find and you did get it for a very nice price.

 

in addition to the gauges, it looks like you may have a pretty serviceable front windshield frame.

 

i have a WD-21 and have been looking for a frame that's useable for a year now. Found a really nice repro, but it's 2-1/2 times what you paid for the entire truck.

 

Congrats !!

[Dozerman51]

Congratultions. NIce Find. The wing vent door widows were an option on these model trucks. The truck will have either 4.89, 4.30 or the very rare 3.91 third member ratio. The ratio is stamped on a flat rectangular pad below the fill plug and reinforcement rib of the the third member - right side(passengers side). You will probably have to wire brush or sand the pad to see the stamped number. I would guess that you have the 4.30 ratio as that was the standard ratio with the other two being an option. Let us know what the ratio is when you get a chance to look at the third member. " Mopar Or Nocar" is what I always say. LOL?

[FlyingEagle]

Thanks, guys. I plan on keeping this truck just like it is. I recently moved to this area and can't believe all the vehicles laying around. It's like every farmer is required to have his own antique salvage yard. Plus being CO, very little rust. I'll keep my eye out for these windshields. Mine just needs detail sanding & paint to look like new, but then it wouldn't match the truck. Well, that and rubber & glass. As for gauges, I know the temp works. I had to heat the sensor to get it out of the head & it went to 180. 

More pics to come. Work is very busy during week, so probably Saturday.

 

Dozerman51: You read my mind. I was looking through the gallery and didn't see a year pattern for the wing windows. I'm used to Chevy where it was standard for certain years. And I'll find the gear ratio.

 

Pflaming. Are you a S10 guy? I think I saw your user on a site. If so, you will like what I'm doing with a much dogged engine. I bought a rolled '96 S10 w/ 2.2 & 5spd to put in a '75 chevy LUV. Hoping it will do good with only 2400 lbs & 4.10 rear.

[FlyingEagle]

Didn't get engine free yet. Did get rear #'s sorta. Looks like 4.30 ratio. The top line has to be T-116 to match my VIN. Had to remove starter to free up linkage. What a pain. Had to take off oil filter & lines, and remove vac advance line. 

Edited February 25, 2018 by FlyingEagle

[FlyingEagle]

Engine still won't turn, so dropping pan. Nice thick layer of sludge in bottom. Tried to take distributor out. It will spin, but not pull out. Guess I need the engine to spin first. Check out that new looking flywheel and splash pan.

[Duffy]

Got yourself a pretty good start there.  I looked for a long time for similar and never saw a price that low for something in the condition of your new truck.  I ended up with a working 1941 1 1/2 ton dump truck but she was a lot more'n $400

[FlyingEagle]

Sorry for the delay. Weather & other projects keep getting in the way. Thanks, Duffy. I'm mostly happy so far. I've been having trouble getting the engine to turn over. Been soaking for long time to no avail. Also have at least one stuck valve. Pulled the manifolds Sunday. Found a missing freeze plug. Guess that's why the truck got parked. Cleaned a lot of crap out of the ports and lifter valley. Put a pry bar on flywheel today and finally got a tiny bit of movement. Thinking I should have been looking for another engine. Did find one cool thing, manifold nuts & washers are brass.

[Saltrock]

Very awesome truck! I'm going through the same issue with my engine. Stuck valves and low compression.  She had been sitting for 20 plus years.  I'm going to try to get her started,  but eventually I want to rebuild the engine. 

 

Amco quoted me 1600. I'd rather pay a bit more and get someone who builds that type of engine often. 

 

Im excited to see how this project goes. Keep up the good work. 

[P15-D24]

I would pull the head and see what is going on. Also in the pic above is the silver rod pointing to the missing freeze plug? I think your actually pointing at the draft tube connection point. 

[Brent B3B]

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 11:29 AM, FlyingEagle said:

Engine still won't turn, so dropping pan. Nice thick layer of sludge in bottom. Tried to take distributor out. It will spin, but not pull out. Guess I need the engine to spin first. Check out that new looking flywheel and splash pan.

 

 

may not be relevant but, to remove the distributor on my 236 you have to put the have the timing pointed at TDC to remove......

[FlyingEagle]

I was hoping I wouldn't need to rebuild. That is out of budget. If so, I'll find a better engine.

I pulled the head when I found the engine was stuck. #2 & 4 had some rust which I cleaned out. I tried soaking with diesel, then tranny fluid, then Marvel Mystery. I even pulled the oil pan and found some rust underneath #2. The plan was to free it up, pull 2 & 4, free up rings, hone cyl, put back together, and see what happens. Sounds hack, but I've had good results with other stuck engines. Will need to get a compressor to pull valves. All the lifters spin.

Draft tube in the block? Does that connect to crankcase? I'll have to check it out. I hadn't even noticed the lack of a tube. Would explain why the block still had some antifreeze in it.

I forgot to say I freed the distributor. Just needed a little help with big pliers. No damage. I hope.

You would think I found this truck in a wet climate, but it is in dry western CO with air cleaner on, hood on, & the truck level when parked. Head gasket looked ok. Only way I see for water getting in is air cleaner.

[Jerry Roberts]

... " Draft tube in the block? Does that connect to crankcase? "...  yes and yes .  Think of it as a vent .