Jump to content

"Ol Blue" Build


jmooner3

Recommended Posts

Hello guys - I’ve got my truck running driving, in a coat of paint, seat redone, and lights working -- LARGELY due to the help of many of you (THANK YOU!). I still need to find a couple 1/2 ton wheels, hubcaps, and a few other odds and ends - But the last big hurdle is that it needs a bed to finish off the body... I have a low side bed, in pretty rusty shape but salvageable.

 

The tailgate looks like it was well used or maybe dragged down the road and jumped on. But hey they are trucks made for working right?  I will probably pound out some of the dents and try and make it less like a potato chip but after a bit of hammering, I’m going to paint it and call it done. We'll call it character.

 

I have found some great insight on the forum for what some of you guys have done putting yours together. Pictures of yours always welcome, as are any additional advice or pitfalls noted.

 

Questions.

1) What are the holes on the letters of my tailgate for? Were these factory? Seems there could have been some trim piece poked in there but I like just the embossed DODGE (there was a thread where some had painted and one member was considering making a vinyl sticker to make the embossed sections stand out (that's cool) . I’m thinking of plugging the holes unless someone knows of a good reason not to.

 

2) My bed sides have a ton of holes drilled in between the cab and fender, I assume there was a spare tire carrier or some other item hanging there, unless someone knows of holes other than the fenders that I need I'm going to weld all of them shut for good.

 

3) Where can I get new bed chains? Mine are pretty rusty and I’d like a cleaned up set, maybe even stainless if not to pricey.

 

4) What’s the general thought on assembly of the bed.-once I get the rot cut/ground out and patches welded in should I paint and then assemble OR  assemble the threes sides and then paint so the fasteners are nicely painted not marred up by wrench?

 

5) I’m thinking of doing the stainless bed strips, I will probably try and weld the angle strips to the bed sides with stainless wire because I'm not a fan of the angles bolted on. Thoughts on that?

 

Other pointers on the bed welcome. I've got a fair amount of metal work ahead of me... but I kinda like it ;-)

 

Thanks ,

Jay

 

 

Tailgate.JPG

OlBlue Truck.JPG

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

typically I see 4 holes for a license plate. Not sure what would have gone on there with the 6 you have. Also if you desire you can buy a reproduction gate like that. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your letters have a different font than mine. Note especially the corners on the" E". Your holes look like they were punched not drilled. What was its previous life ? At second look, your gate print is quite different than mine

 

IMG_7559.JPG

IMG_2360.JPG

Edited by pflaming
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, pflaming said:

Your letters have a different font than mine. Note especially the corners on the" E". Your holes look like they were punched not drilled. What was its previous life ? At second look, your gate print is quite different than mine

 

 

that is a 39-47 or lowside box tailgate. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with the post factory addition of signage to the tail gate. plenty of photo evidence of this. VPW has the necessary pieces to restore or replace the bed. They are pricey, but have what is needed. I really like that color!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

thank you guys! 

 

Blueberry thanks for the vote of confidence on the color - it caught my attention when I was pawing through the original truck colors it was in a newer Mopar book.

 

Pflaming - I see that ours are different. I thought mine was a 49 yours looks like a high side bed and the whole embossing area is different as well as the font. Young Ed says 39-47 bed, would explain why ours are different. 

 

I think I'm just going to plug weld the holes and fineness what I can of the wrinkles out of the tailgate and get to fixing the rest of the sides.  Unless I find a big fitment issue - That bed is going back on this truck ;-)  Anyone have an option about paint and assemble order for the bed sides?  do all the panels then bolt or, bolt them all up and shoot the whole enchilada?

 

Can someone please put a tape measure on the side rail of your truck, just a quick reference to see if this one is close to yours  - if it is I can make it fit.  I want to say it was around 78 inches but I'll have to go get a good measurement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, jmooner3 said:

Blueberry thanks for the vote of confidence on the color - it caught my attention when I was pawing through the original truck colors it was in a newer Mopar book.

Jay - here's another vote of confidence on the color!  It looks like "Brilliant Blue" - I ordered my '97 Dakota when they stated painting them that color mid year.  I've thought a Pilot House would look good that shade - your truck proves it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Nearly 70 years after coming off the production line she's running the roads of a little new England town again.  I am at another key point in this journey, I got the truck registered, insured, and inspected because that's all the rules to extract $ from me and legally put a vehicle on the road here in Vermont.....  Ol Blue has all the parts to make it a real truck, assembled mostly where they go, painted up to match, and all the lights  work as they did from the factory. Still some work to do (headliner, bed slats, right running boards) but it's a running driving B1B and I'm having a ball driving it around town. I have to go back and check the forum, I remember someone talking about transmissions and taller gears.  I have a  230 flathead from a 1950 B1D mated to the 3 speed on the floor (reverse is where normal 1st gear would be)top speed is about 40. The trans I believe is from a Desoto car as the engine I got with this truck was a desoto.  The trans I have does not have the long bent shift lever that I see in some of your trucks.  Anyone have an idea of a trans I should mate up to this powerplant to give me a little more drive ability?  Anyway wanted to update yall and share a pic.  Hey by the way there is a National Street Rod Association (NSRA) car show here in Essex Vermont next weekend, ther'll be a lot of our vintage rigs mostly chevy and ford but an occasional Dodge and Ol Blue will ramble in and make her first appearance....any chance any of you are bringing your trucks? PM me if you do! Cheers Jay

Truck Front.JPG

Ol Blue @ Indian Brook.JPG

Truck Side.JPG

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jay,

I had a 1950 B2B and I presently own a 1951 B3B. They both had exactly the same 4-speed transmission. Here's what both transmissions look like in case you decide to go with a four speed. I don't know if these trucks could be ordered with a 3-speed, but if it works and drives OK and you're happy, then why change?

By the way, I'm getting ready to paint my '51. Did you use base/clear or single stage? I'm still trying to decide what to use.

 

A2.jpg

A1.jpg

A3.jpg

A4.jpg

Edited by Jocko_51_B3B
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the Trans pick, mine is same housing with different lever. I also have a trans that was 3 on the tree, I wonder if that has any taller gears? I can swap the shift lever on that and make it a floor shift as I don't have the 50 firewall or Ebrake setup for the column shift.  But the trans works, it'd just need to be a floor shift.

 

As for the paint, I used 2 stage base /clear. Painted it outside and it came out pretty good. I had a couple bugs land in the clear, butI had laid it on pretty thick so plenty to wet sand and then buff.... not hard at all and to be honest that was what this truck was all about to me.  I had never welded before, I welded the frame, many panels, fenders etc.  I got better as I went.  and my truck is all steel all original. I had never taken a head off or done much more than change the oil but I got the engine running and pulled it from one truck to install in this one then got it running again, I certainly had never painted anything, I bought the lower end starting line spray guns from speedway and gave it a rip.... I did everything on the truck sometimes more than once:-)  including upholstery, Using Utube or our shop manuals, figured out a bunch of stuff - my rig is FAR from perfect but I like it and that gave me a pretty cool sense of accomplishment. My point I guess is this truck gave me the opportunity to explore some things that I've found really interest me.  I think one of the biggest things I try and teach my kids and have lived is ya just can't be afraid to try or to fail, but be sure and try again. My vote is for you to do the two stage paint and have a ball with it!

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

jmoonier,

You have a great attitude. I'm approaching my restoration with the same spirit of learning and adventure. I've never had to rebuild an engine either so I took a course at a local community college just so I could wear out the instructors with all kinds of basic questions. Whatever I turn my attention to on my '51, I learn something new - from welding to brake lines to engine work to paint. At the same time, I'm finding that just learning about the history of these Pilothouse trucks is fascinating. We don't see that many of them compared to Fords and Chevy's which makes them all the better!

Glenn

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wouldn’t matter if you have a 3 speed or 4 speed trans. The top gear is still going to be 1:1. You would need an overdrive trans, like an A833 with OD, a T5, or similar. But any of these won’t be a direct bolt in replacement. They’ll require some sort of adapter, or modification. Another option would be to change the rear axle, or differential gearing. I have a 3.73:1 ratio differential out of a 50 Plymouth in my truck and I can cruise on the highway at 65-70 MPH without any issue. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use