51 B3B build thread - after all these years

[Dave72dt]

I think you'll find the slight angle on the gas pedal is a matter of comfort when driving.  As an experiment, try sitting in your favorite chair and keep your right foot vertical, for say, about 15 minutes.   My right foot, at least, feels more relaxed and naturally positioned with a slight angle to the right as opposed to vertical.

[bkahler]

I couldn't agree more about angling the foot pedal slightly.  What I was surprised about is the pedal itself is not designed to be angled.  Both original and aftermarket pedals are designed for straight up and down fitment. 

 

 

[bkahler]

There are good days and there are bad days and sometimes you have both in the same day.  On Sunday I was assembling the front parking lamps and the first one went together just fine.  When I was trying to squeeze the second one together to get  the screw started I heard a snap.  I knew immediately what had happened and I felt a little sick to my stomach.  I had two NOS front lenses and for some reason I managed to crack the second one ?

 

I suppose I was lucky that I had two new repro spares and had no issues installing one of those.  But it still bugs me that I broke a NOS lense.  

 

 

 

 

I also cleaned, painted, assembled and tested the dome light that came with the truck.  

 

 

 

The other thing I did was test the throttle linkage / gas pedal to see if everything was going to work.  Here's a video to show the results.  I still need to trim a few pieces and install the push nuts and will do that in the near future.  I just wanted to make sure that what I was doing was going to work.  If you have your audio on you'll hear a slight scraping sound, that's the pedal push rod passing through the stem seal in the firewall.  I'm not sure what to do about that yet.

 

 

 

Brad

 

 

 

 

Edited November 23, 2020 by bkahler

[DJ194950]

When the motor is running you will never hear the rub! ?

 

You will too  busy smiling!- - Who cares.?

 

DJ

[bkahler]

11 hours ago, DJ194950 said:

When the motor is running you will never hear the rub! ?

 

You will too  busy smiling!- - Who cares.?

 

DJ

 

That's a good point!  I hadn't really considered that

 

Brad

[JBNeal]

I recall reading a line in several older shop manuals that a drop of light engine oil is to be applied to all linkage pivots when changing engine oil...

[bkahler]

37 minutes ago, JBNeal said:

I recall reading a line in several older shop manuals that a drop of light engine oil is to be applied to all linkage pivots when changing engine oil...

 

I vaguely remember reading that in the operators manual a while back.  At the time most of that information wasn't to important because I was a long way from trying to start the motor.  However, that's starting to change

 

Thanks!

 

Brad

[ggdad1951]

39 minutes ago, JBNeal said:

I recall reading a line in several older shop manuals that a drop of light engine oil is to be applied to all linkage pivots when changing engine oil...

 

yah a little lube on pivot points is never a bad idea.

[bkahler]

8 hours ago, ggdad1951 said:

 

yah a little lube on pivot points is never a bad idea.

 

So what you're telling me is you want me to to sprinkle drops of oil all over my nice shiny new truck..... ?

 

 

[ggdad1951]

23 hours ago, bkahler said:

 

So what you're telling me is you want me to to sprinkle drops of oil all over my nice shiny new truck..... ?

 

 

 

yep! I did!

[bkahler]

I tinkered with the throttle linkage a little bit this afternoon.  I think I need to make a modification to at least one of the links between the shaft and the carburetor.  Right now there is no way to individually adjust each carburetor.  Adjusting one will likely cause a slight change in the other one.  I think at least one link needs to be adjustable.  Someone posted a picture to the forum showing their dual carburetor installation and I noticed that little feature.  I think I'm going to have to copy it

 

Also, I think I have a workable solution to a second return spring for each carburetor.  The spring I currently have in place is to long so I need to find something a little shorter.  

 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by bkahler

[bkahler]

I'm not sure why but today I got the itch to install the spotlight.  When I bought the truck there was a hole in the windshield pillar for a spotlight but the spotlight itself was long gone.  Over the years I managed to scrounge enough parts to to make a complete MOPAR spotlight.  

 

I bought a newer Unity 12 volt halogen bulb to fit the 6" housing.  I just need to route the wire through the dash and installation will be complete.

 

 

 

 

[DJ194950]

That is the best thing about the Unity brand is that they are still building them and at least almost if not all the parts including several of the factory name plates to go on them so the Mopar brand tag is avail. for their spots and running/fog lights!

 

DJ

[bkahler]

This time of year I tend to tackle projects that can be done at my desk when possible.  Probably because I don't like working outside in the cold!

 

Anyway, I tested all of the dash switches and realized they needed to be reconditioned.  My original panel switch was busted but I got lucky when I went to buy the radiator for my truck as the seller had a broken panel switch like mine only it was broken in a different way.  My original had the shaft snapped off inside so was useless.  The one I just bought had the top piece broken but the rest was ok.  So I pieced the two together.  

 

I cleaned the switches using Evap-rust and then reassembled them.  The panel light and headlight switches are done and work fine.  Previously you couldn't get a reliable connection with the headlight switch but that's good now.

 

The heater switch is now dismantled and soaking in Evapo-rust and I should be ready to assemble it later this week.  Fortunately I have two of the heater switches because one of the resistors is broken.  

 

Panel switch assembly:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headlight switch assembly:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brad

[JBNeal]

Some folks cover the contacts with dielectric grease to minimize future corrosion...

[bkahler]

1 hour ago, JBNeal said:

Some folks cover the contacts with dielectric grease to minimize future corrosion...

 

That's a good point, I just ordered some and will use it on the heater switch.  

 

Thanks!

 

Brad

[bkahler]

I made a slight change to the linkage for the carburetors.  Originally I had two fixed links going from the pivot shaft to each carburetor.  Thinking about it and looking around at what others have done I realized that there would be no way to synchronize the two carburetors together so I modified the arms to make them adjustable.  

 

I still have a little more work to do on the overall linkage but it's getting close

 

Brad

 

 

[Jeff Balazs]

Brad;

That sure is looking nice. ?

Wish mine looked that good these days.  After more than 5 years of daily use it is getting fairly dirty looking under the hood. Maybe I will have to spruce things up a bit this winter? I will have to break down and hook up the PCV system I have instead of the draft tube and breather. That alone should help keep things a bit cleaner.......

Jeff

[dcotant]

Nice use of garden tractor tie rod ends for your link ends. Never ceases to amaze me how people on this forum re-purpose parts.

[bkahler]

27 minutes ago, dcotant said:

Nice use of garden tractor tie rod ends for your link ends. Never ceases to amaze me how people on this forum re-purpose parts.

 

Thanks   

 

Actually they are Dorman Throttle Ball Joints.  

[bkahler]

16 hours ago, Jeff Balazs said:

Brad;

That sure is looking nice. ?

Wish mine looked that good these days.  After more than 5 years of daily use it is getting fairly dirty looking under the hood. Maybe I will have to spruce things up a bit this winter? I will have to break down and hook up the PCV system I have instead of the draft tube and breather. That alone should help keep things a bit cleaner.......

Jeff

 

The way I have it figured, this is the last time mine will ever look this nice.  Unfortunately once I complete something I tend to neglect it and move on to something else.  Just one of my many flaws I guess

 

[dcotant]

7 minutes ago, bkahler said:

 

Thanks   

 

Actually they are Dorman Throttle Ball Joints.  

 

Ha, I run the exact same part on the tie rod of my MTD Ranch King. I guess Dorman gets the prize for imaginative re-purposing.

[bkahler]

1 minute ago, dcotant said:

 

Ha, I run the exact same part on the tie rod of my MTD Ranch King. I guess Dorman gets the prize for imaginative re-purposing.

 

The ball joints on your mower are only 1/4"?  That seems awful small.

[dcotant]

I agree! Ok, maybe they are 5/16, now I have to go look.

Edited December 9, 2020 by dcotant

[Dave72dt]

6 hours ago, dcotant said:

 

Ha, I run the exact same part on the tie rod of my MTD Ranch King. I guess Dorman gets the prize for imaginative re-purposing.

Tie rod on the steering?  I'm guessing more likely 3/8" threaded onto a 1/2" or 5/8" shaft.