Hound dog hauler

[LazyK]

There are after market harnesses to retro fit pre 1972 mopars with mopar electronic ignitions. Includes the 5pin connector, 2 wire distributor connection, and ballast resistor connectors. Classic industries and Year One are two companies that come to mind and cost less than 50 bucks.

[Los_Control]

Maybe I can explain myself better this way .... I planned to go Mopar electronic ignition.

When I saw the price of $130 for one pigtail at Amazon .... $85 at Rockauto

I wanted to look deeper into options available to me.

 

Here is a simple drawing of a typical mopar electronic ignition system .... because I have a stomp starter I need to add in a relay to work the ignition 2 magic.

So you have the ICM, ballast resistor, relay to wire in and all of them you kinda want to hide because they do not belong on a old truck .... easily would total over $200 including the wire pig tail and I would buy a new name brand icm for ~$50

 

 

Or I could pick up a GM HEI ICM for $50

They sell cheaper versions for $25, I prefer a OEM replacement part for reliability.

Is dead simple to wire it up ... The slant 6 distributor conversion is a known reliable swap.

The GM ICM is known reliable .... My daily driver is a chebby and I have all ACDELCO ignition parts in it .... My truck is reliable.

 

So in my mind, I have a more simple, more reliable, cheaper ignition system then if I would have stayed all mopar.

It is true that I needed to buy a better coil. Petronix flame thrower ... $35

My current plug wires are a generic 7mm I bought 6 individual pieces the same length just to get the truck running .... I want a better set anyways.

Cap and rotor should be fine .... there are plenty options available if not .... I may want to experiment with heat range on the plugs when I start driving it. .... I expect it to be reliable. And the best option for me.

 

Time to go paint the inside of cab so I can start putting it back together and experiment more with it running 

 

[Dave72dt]

I understood your system the first time and knew you were going to do the GM version.  That was obvious.  There are alternatives and you made your choice.  As long as it works and you're happy, great.  The objective of getting the truck running reliably has been accomplished.  Time to move on.

[Los_Control]

So I have been playing a little bit and getting a whole lot of nothing done.

We all know the fenders were, are and will be rough .... they will be solid enough to hold some paint.

Hope to get primer on them in the next couple days .... see how smooth they become before paint 

 

Have been playing with the wheel some, still some more sanding but almost ready for paint.

 

I have been spending most of my time getting it to run proper after the electronic ignition conversion.

They say that with the HEI module you can gap the plugs to .045 and gain a little HP 

The engine had a terrible idle and been fighting with timing and tuning for the past couple days.

 

Today I ran another compression test on it and it honestly is worse then what it was a year ago .... sitting is hard on these engines. .... 125, 75, 100, 100,95, 100 .... No idea where 125 comes from, was always 110 ... the 75 is down from 95 and the rest were between 100-110 .... so the rings are sticky and not sealing like they should.

 

I installed another set of plugs and set the gap at .035 instead of .045 .... huge improvement on the idle.

My engine does not like the wide gap, no matter what they say about HEI.

Been trying to use the vacuum gauge to set the timing .... seems it is about 15 at idle .... book says it should be 18 ... I dunno.

 

I made a short video of it running, it starts so fast it is hard to get the bar off of the starter in time.

It idles great and vacuum is a steady 15, shows 18 in video but give it a minute and will go down.

It accelerates fine and I could rent it out for mosquito control .... Dang sticky rings are not sealing 

I can at least put it on the road and drive it the way it is .... if it does not quit smoking so much, will need to open it up.

 

 

 

 

 

[Los_Control]

And just like that .... I'm done for awhile.

I was really hoping to get some painting done today .... had the rear fenders ready for primer and was ready to paint the steering wheel.

 

Well shucks and whip my whiskers, my $15 HVLP gun appears to be dead.

Just laughing because I have used this gun for 4-5 years doing several different projects ... been very happy with the results from it.

 

I pulled it from its resting place and sprayed some solvent through it ..... no way I can get the lid to screw back down on it.

The base is too deformed for the lid to fit .... try to put paint in it and it spills.

No big deal, I just had a small window to spray paint and the window just closed.

I will need to get a new gun and there will be no break in the weather for the rest of this month, doubt February will be any better.   

 

On a side note, I'm convinced I have a busted oil ring or a different ring .... rings can be changed in cool weather.

 

 

 

Edited January 4 by Los_Control

[kencombs]

grab this kit: https://www.harborfreight.com/universal-paint-system-starter-kit-17-piece-57508.html

and the adapter to your gun.

Saves lots of cleaning time and solvent and is spill proof.

With the adapters available it will fit most guns.

No need to strain paint as each liner has one built in.

Easy to mix a little bit and save left overs as long as it doesn't have hardener.

[bkahler]

On 1/2/2025 at 7:06 PM, Los_Control said:

So I have been playing a little bit and getting a whole lot of nothing done.

 

 

HA!  You've described my life in one sentence! 🤣

[Los_Control]

Seems the whole USA is underneath a winter storm this week ... so spending some time inside the garage with the heat on 

 

I did get the front marker lights converted over to 2 pole sockets so I can use them for turn signals also.

Our housings are steel, so I removed the original sockets and then spot welded new sockets in.

These will not come loose .... think I will solder a external ground wire on when I install them.

 

Then today was a good day to make a stand.    Working on the tail light stands.

 

I think I have something that will work, photo shows one side but I made left/right as I went along.

 

Multiple pieces just clamped together, can not finish weld until I figure out how I will bolt them to the bed  😕

 

Here is my issue I'm just figuring out is a issue    

 

 

Remember this side the fender was ripped in 1/2 and smashed flat .... it looks like the tail light stand bolts were pulled out.

The top hole is a larger size then the bottom hole.

Only thing I can think of right now, make a sliding plate and drill and tap threads into it.

I can slide the plate into the stake pocket and bolt the tail light stand to it. .... like our door hinges and how they are bolted.

 

One of those things I probably should have done before paint ..... just now realizing there is a problem.

[bkahler]

11 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

Seems the whole USA is underneath a winter storm this week ... so spending some time inside the garage with the heat on 

 

I did get the front marker lights converted over to 2 pole sockets so I can use them for turn signals also.

Our housings are steel, so I removed the original sockets and then spot welded new sockets in.

These will not come loose .... think I will solder a external ground wire on when I install them.

Multiple pieces just clamped together, can not finish weld until I figure out how I will bolt them to the bed  😕

 

I replaced the sockets the same way.  It just so happened the sockets that I bought had a tab for connecting a ground wire which made it easy to take care of the ground issue.

 

 

11 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

Here is my issue I'm just figuring out is a issue    

 

 

Remember this side the fender was ripped in 1/2 and smashed flat .... it looks like the tail light stand bolts were pulled out.

The top hole is a larger size then the bottom hole.

Only thing I can think of right now, make a sliding plate and drill and tap threads into it.

I can slide the plate into the stake pocket and bolt the tail light stand to it. .... like our door hinges and how they are bolted.

 

One of those things I probably should have done before paint ..... just now realizing there is a problem.

 

I like the idea of the sliding plate.  That was my first thought when you started describing your problem.  Should be quick and easy to do.

 

Edited January 9 by bkahler

[Panhead]

I used nut insets. I had the same problem and they worked for me. You would have to get the tool, but it comes in handy. 

https://www.amazon.com/HARDELL-Metric-Mandrels-100Pcs-Carrying/dp/B08T6T5KFV/ref=sr_1_9?adgrpid=1332608656029106&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.h7T5hOmkYbsb445dE-t0eCzsu-kpoWia92Dv17Dx5hgZsJwYIbrUwxKuMfjAHSA_tRB7KUpgZ8GBW3aT3IOPfyUrsc8J3n5Yo9Z9JYXTL6tC8PUzMPRER4_idopQKdDCMm__ePpGS1Lk-RBPlrnPnsKOoWPOGhPersI5S8rdUsOFeQUafq6w6KWj_e68bkIqo1OLtyo5fh4ZHxbiXZfpAgYqCScLjAL5EpdEZy6SSnY.AO6AerUDLfrBt-vLyxSIXNStDxi1vQxjpovN1Sb6EzU&dib_tag=se&hvadid=83288111888188&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=95913&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83288380275808%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=26589_10513907&keywords=insert%2Bnuts&msclkid=37af12f3ea3615bfa476757386cc78ba&qid=1736470832&sr=8-9&th=1

[David A.]

My lights are mounted on top of the tailgate hinges using the hinge bolts. 

[Los_Control]

Good suggestions on how to mount the tail lights .... in the end I just dug some 3/16" scrap out of the pile.

I held it up in place and marked the holes with a tiny drill bit .... then drilled and tapped the holes on the bench.

Then drilled 4 holes into the stake pocket and with the new pieces in place I spot welded them.

Was just too easy and now they are permanent to the truck so it is easy to take lights on and off.

 

I was always missing the lower rear apron on the driver side of the bed ... figured someday I would buy or make one.

Making the profile around the shackle never appealed to me ... thought I might just leave it out and make it flat.

I got to playing with some brake line and figured it was close enough.

 

 

Just one more bite out of the elephant.

 

Got the factory replacement pigtail for my chebby voltage regulator .... little confused on the size of wire

#3 shows 10 Ga going to VR.

The factory replacement harness has 14 Ga wire?

Thinking I will just throw a fuse in it and then check the voltage on that wire .... is suppose to be a sensor or trigger wire and 14 Ga should be fine .... I dunno

[ggdad1951]

14 hours ago, Los_Control said:

I was always missing the lower rear apron on the driver side of the bed ... figured someday I would buy or make one.

Making the profile around the shackle never appealed to me ... thought I might just leave it out and make it flat.

I got to playing with some brake line and figured it was close enough.

 

Actually a pretty simple hammer form I'd think?

[Tony_Urwin]

I bought a lowside bed for my 1948 B1C 3/4 ton, but I'm missing all four of the lower bed aprons.  Like you, Los Control, I was thinking about fabricating the aprons if I don't find some.

 

Were the rear aprons the same for the 1/2 ton and the 3/4 ton trucks? I'm pretty sure the front ones were longer, but I'm not sure if maybe the rear aprons were the same?

 

 

 

 

[Los_Control]

1 hour ago, Tony_Urwin said:

I bought a lowside bed for my 1948 B1C 3/4 ton, but I'm missing all four of the lower bed aprons.  Like you, Los Control, I was thinking about fabricating the aprons if I don't find some.

 

Were the rear aprons the same for the 1/2 ton and the 3/4 ton trucks? I'm pretty sure the front ones were longer, but I'm not sure if maybe the rear aprons were the same?

 

 

 

 

The 3/4 ton has a longer wheel base, just seems like they would be longer.

 

If you have the rear fenders you can see the fenders have one bolt going through the aprons in front and rear.

That will give you the length. The front has another hole so you have access to the front zirk fitting ... easy enough to figure out. The rear has a 3/4" hole for a rubber grommet for the tail light wiring to pas through. Not too critical on that placement. Then there are 2 bolt holes on the top flange to bolt to the bed.

 

Looking at the backside, is very simple 3/4" flange on top and 3/8" on the bottom .... front is dead simple to make.

Rear you just have the cutout for the rear shackle to deal with .... factory they stamped it out.

@ggdad1951 says you can just hammer form it, I agree that is true .... I'm just not very good at it.

I have done it to strengthen floor panels and it came out ok for a floor .... nothing I would want for a visible body panel.

 

 

Using 1/4" brake line was really simple and matches factory. I drew the pattern on the panel, then bent the tube to match the pattern ... spot welded it in place then cut out the opening around the tubing .... all very simple.

Looks correct on the out side, inside you can see it is not stamped .... not building a show truck, it works for me.

 

In my opinion after making one, it would be easier to make all four panels, then it would to search online, pay for them and have them shipped, then deal with body repairs when you get them .... just make them.

If you want specific measurements, shout out and will get them for you .... just now going out to the shop to start the day at noon 

 

I should add: Something not seen is a strong 1/4" brace that bolts to the frame and then to the apron/rear fender bolt just to hold everything in place. The passenger rear the brace was broke and had to repair, driver side is missing .... you are probably missing them also.

Edited Monday at 05:51 PM by Los_Control

[Merle Coggins]

2 hours ago, Tony_Urwin said:

I bought a lowside bed for my 1948 B1C 3/4 ton, but I'm missing all four of the lower bed aprons.  Like you, Los Control, I was thinking about fabricating the aprons if I don't find some.

 

Were the rear aprons the same for the 1/2 ton and the 3/4 ton trucks? I'm pretty sure the front ones were longer, but I'm not sure if maybe the rear aprons were the same?

 

I didn't realize there was a lowside bed option for the B-Series 3/4 ton trucks. I though it was only a 1/2 ton option. The 3/4, and 1 ton, beds are wider and don't need those removeable skirts for spring shackle maintenance. At least there isn't any on my highside bed. 

[Los_Control]

9 minutes ago, Merle Coggins said:

I didn't realize there was a lowside bed option for the B-Series 3/4 ton trucks.

Thats the real question .... did they make a 3/4 ton with a 6' 6" bed? My only experience with a B1C was a factory flatbed.

I know the 1 tons had the 9' box .... what did the 3/4 tons have? Besides a longer wheel base.

Seems if you set the bed in place, how much room between the cab and bed .... I dunno.

 

The low side skirts are removable simply from the way they were stamped out ... high side stamped in one piece, low side stamped in 3 and bolted together. ... there is no reason to ever unbolt them.

There are several other non-sensible differences .... wood width on side planks is different between high and low sides .... does not make any difference .... just designed by different people and made in different plants .... is my guess. 

 

[Tony_Urwin]

Thanks for the info, Los. The panels look easy enough to fabricate.  I'm waiting for Spring to finish painting my bed. If you would be so kind as to trace a rear panel for me I would certainly appreciate it! The front ones are probably just like yours, only longer for the 90" bed (3/4 ton, 116" wheelbase). The rear panel seems to be several inches short on the 3/4 ton lowsides, so I think they used the same part for the 116" wheelbase as they did on the 108". The front panel would have to be different, since there is about an extra 5-6" between the fender and cab on the 116" truck.

 

The lowside bed story as I understand it goes something like this:

 

The 1939-47 trucks only came in lowside. Then in 1948,  Dodge advertised their Improved, Higher Side bed and lowsides were not offered. Dodge found that there was some demand for the lowside bed and offered them as an option again in 1950-51, at no extra cost.  I'm not sure how long they remained an option.

 

Don't forget that Power Wagons had high and low side beds, too.

 

So, the 90" lowside bed I bought for my 1948 B1C is not historically correct, but I may go the rest of my life without running into anyone who notices it.  My truck started out as a stake bed BTW, which means I also have bigger rear leaf springs, as well. Putting together an old Mopar truck can be so complicated!

[Los_Control]

28 minutes ago, Tony_Urwin said:

The lowside bed story as I understand it goes something like this:

Dodge had quite the sales department ..... they advertised they doubled the payload with their new bed .... was simply the same size as Ford and chebby and a normal size.

The low side was very useful for some delivery drivers in the city .... They could just reach over the side to get the delivery and not have to crawl in and out of the bed to get them.

 

While my truck is a 1949 .... it identifies as a 1950.

The serial number on the A pillar ends with a X. This means it was built at the end of the 1949 year, and used as a display model to show off the features of the new 1950 models. So I have the low side bed, shifter was moved to the column and E-brake under the dash for more leg room .... mine is not correct either to have a low side on a 49, but it is technically and factory correct .... not rare or valuable ... just different.

 

Seems I made a noobie boo boo 

 

The shape is wrong for the shackle .... I used the right side for a pattern to make the left side ... I did not compensate for the angle.

The panel is resting on the shackle and pushing the panel out at a angle .... I have a opportunity for improvement situation here.

 

I'm going to spend 30 minute on it tomorrow and see if I can cut out some of the tubing and reshape the hole. Splice in new tubing .... or just start over and make a new piece. Just metal and not a big deal either way.

Tomorrow when I remove it I will make a pattern of the pieces and @Tony_Urwin will need to remember left and right when making them.

 

 

 

[Los_Control]

OK I spent a few minutes and fixed the problem .... this time I test fit it   

Time to quit playing around, my new spray gun is suppose to be delivered today and Thursday-Friday look warm enough to paint

 

 

@Tony_Urwin Here is a template from the factory passenger side, not the one I made.

 

 

Here is a photo of the front panel

 

I still need to add rubber pads under the bed to raise it up and then bolt the bed down  😕 will center the zirk.

[Tony_Urwin]

Thanks, Los Control. I can definitely use those measurements as a starting point for my B1C extensions. My bedsides and fiberglass fenders are not drilled yet. It will be nice to have all the puzzle pieces before I start drilling holes.

[Los_Control]

So I opened up the paint booth today. Was a balmy 55 degrees out.  

There were no bugs injured in the process 

Actually came out OK, the fenders were total junk. A before pic of the passenger fender, the best one of the two.

 

 

 

 

 

They are still rough, they are stronger now then when they were new ... I love them.

I will work them over before I put final paint on them .... I see a few dents already that I classify as character and will be left alone.