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51 B3B build thread - after all these years


bkahler

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14 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

Pondering the situation, I am pretty sure I would just swap to a 12 volt coil while at it.

I imagine when you swap from 6 volt to 12 volt, you will also swap from + ground to - ground.

 

I have read on the internet, so we know it must be true.  :P

The used 6 volt coil is use to being ran in one direction, when you swap the + ground to - and juice flows in the opposite direction, you might get some strange issues.

Intermittent missing in a certain rpm range etc...

Coils are cheap enough, buy a new one and eliminate possible future problems chasing down weird issues, save the old one for a spare to get you home or test something else.

 

I suggest you save the old 6 volt coil, build another B series truck around it  ;)

 

Yes, I'm swapping to negative ground as well.  I'm not saying I'm stuck on a 6-volt coil, that was just my first thought when I decided to convert.  Mounting a resistor is not something I was looking forward to as it would just look out of place.  

 

Of course everything you read on the internet is true!  I can't imagine anyone placing false information out there...... ?

 

As far as building another B series around the 6-volt coil that sounds like the radiator cap syndrome.  Remove radiator cap, drive new vehicle under radiator cap and reinstall radiator cap :)

 

I will just about guarantee this truck will be my last.  I'm also in the midst of restoring a 1972 Triumph TR6 and an a 1974 Airstream Argosy 20' motorhome.  Both are money pits that put this truck to shame as far as cost are concerned!  All while drawing really close to retirement.

 

Brad

 

 

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5 minutes ago, bkahler said:

Yes, I'm swapping to negative ground as well.  I'm not saying I'm stuck on a 6-volt coil, that was just my first thought when I decided to convert.  Mounting a resistor is not something I was looking forward to as it would just look out of place.  

You can buy a 12 volt coil with built in resistor so you do not need it.

 

I get my opinion from reading the H.A.M.B. there was a trouble shooting session going on about a strange miss.

In the end it was the guy switched from 6 volt to 12 volt and a new 12 volt coil fixed him up.

I can not say you will find the same issue, but it might be something to think about and just avoid.

 

10 minutes ago, bkahler said:

As far as building another B series around the 6-volt coil that sounds like the radiator cap syndrome.  Remove radiator cap, drive new vehicle under radiator cap and reinstall radiator cap

 

Naw, thats just a good excuse for the wife when she ask why all these new parts are showing up on the door step

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21 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

You can buy a 12 volt coil with built in resistor so you do not need it.

 

Yeah, finding a 12 volt coil shouldn't be to difficult.  Just need to find one with the right mounting bracket.

 

21 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

I get my opinion from reading the H.A.M.B. there was a trouble shooting session going on about a strange miss.

In the end it was the guy switched from 6 volt to 12 volt and a new 12 volt coil fixed him up.

I can not say you will find the same issue, but it might be something to think about and just avoid.

 

I've not read much on the H.A.M.B. but what I have always seemed to be good info.

 

21 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

 

Naw, thats just a good excuse for the wife when she ask why all these new parts are showing up on the door step

 

I took care of that problem a few years ago.......

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I think I'm going to initially try a 1.4 ohm resistor with the stock coil.  I really like the look of the stock coil, and probably more important, I've already restored the original coil!   I'll probably mount the resistor under the dash where it will be out of sight.

 

Brad

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1 hour ago, JBNeal said:

 

Thanks for the link. I'll spend some time with it later this week.  The internet connection to my house has been down since Thursday and at&t can't seem to figure it out ?

 

So that leaves me with just my phone.  Better than nothing I guess ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The last few days I've been trying to figure out my shock situation.  The oem parts manual indicates all four shocks should be the same so I ordered four monroe 31000 shocks as suggested by several threads.  They weren't even close.  Mounting id was wrong (5/8 instead of 11/16) and they weren't even close to the right length on the fronts.  

 

So that got me looking closer at my truck.  The rears have an at rest length of 16-1/4" and the fronts are 19" at rest.  Not even close to being the same!

 

It appears the recommended Gabriel 82065 shocks will work on the rears.  Now I have to figure what to use on the front.  

 

My truck is totally stock so I'm baffled why they are different when the book says they should be the same.

 

Brad

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3 hours ago, JBNeal said:

Since ya asked nicely and we had a nice break in the weather and I had some free time between disasters, I did some tedious engineering work and was able to clarify an issue regarding shock absorbers...I suggest returning the 31000 shocks and order 66858 shocks :cool:

 

Are you suggesting the 66858 for front and rear even with the discrepancy in the at rest lengths of16.25" and 19.00"?

 

 

 

 

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From the Monroe website:

66858 collapsed/extended: 12"/19.25"

66858 bushing ID/width:  .69"/1.56"

 

31000 collapsed/extended: 12"/19.5"

31000 bushing ID/width:  .63"/1.25"

 

32207 collapsed/extended: 11.25"/17.88"

32207 bushing ID/width:  .63"/1.25"

 

When I picked up the 31000 and 32207 shocks back in '98, the parts guy went to his big parts book and had these on the shelf (!)...when I pulled the original shocks off of the '49 back in '04, I compared them to new 31000 and 32207, and they were the same in all critical dimensions.  The parts book says that the B-3-B has 4 shocks (p# 1321268), so I'm thinking the Dodge engineers figured the suspension travel limits were within the specs of the 31000...they increased the shock mount stud diameters for increased shear strength, and Bob's yer uncle, the new 66858 fits the bill on all 4 corners :cool:

 

 

Edited by JBNeal
updated info
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Ok, I found a reasonable deal on ebay for $35 each and ordered four.  Amazon wanted $44 each so I figured I'd try and save a few bucks going the ebay route ?

 

So it looks like my truck will have shocks early next week.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

Brad

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that is a great deal...before I dug this up, my cursory research was finding shocks for $75 EACH on no-name brands...that's kinda pricey even for struts on a fully independent suspension...I need to reach out to Monroe, RockAuto, Roberts etc to let them know this application, if anyone will listen...

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More tinkering this weekend.  Got the firewall panel installed this weekend.  I bought it from Roberts about 20 years ago.  The quality is so so but it did fit for the most part.  I suppose the worst part was they miss located the hole for the starter pedal and I had to cut about 1/2" out of the bottom curve to make it fit.  All but one of the button holes were located correctly.  

 

Fortunately I had the remnants of the old panel which helped me locate the holes for the heater, parking brake and wiring harness.  Only had to use a small portion of my four letter word library during the install.

 

Brad

20191109_182729.jpg

20191109_182704.jpg

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Oh yeah one other thing.  I noticed last night that I apparently have the rear brake backing plates swapped.  I have the drives side on the passenger side and vise versa.  Another indication I was in a real hurry to get the truck on wheels so I could get it loaded on the trailer for the move south!

 

Brad

Edited by bkahler
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7 hours ago, bkahler said:

Oh yeah one other thing.  I noticed last night that I apparently have the rear brake backing plates are swapped.  I have the drives side on the passenger side and vise versa.  Another indication I was in a real hurry to get the truck on wheels so I could get it loaded on the trailer for the move south!

 

Brad

If your lug bolts are on the wrong sides it's the drums that are swapped. My 46 was that way when I got it.

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9 hours ago, Young Ed said:

If your lug bolts are on the wrong sides it's the drums that are swapped. My 46 was that way when I got it.

 

It's possible I have the hubs on the wrong sides as well but I know for certain that my backing plates are wrong because the brake lines to the rear wheel cylinders are angled to the rear and not the front.  Considering that it's been 20 years since I assembled the brakes and suspension I've made the decision to just tear all of it apart, check things out and reassemble in the proper order.  Better to do it all now while the access is nice and easy.  At least I shouldn't have to deal with rusty bolts.....!

 

Brad

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Back in 1997 when I was prepping the frame and various other components I came across a product called Copy Cad from Caswell Inc.  It was advertised as a DIY product.  I thought it sounded pretty cool and decided to try using it.  In the attached picture are four J bolts that are used to fasten the rear leaf spring bumper mounts to the frame.  I followed the instructions, sandblasted the parts, ect and they looked pretty good when I installed them.  However, 20+ years later they don't look so good.  I bolted them to the frame in 97 and the truck has always sat inside, never been wet.  

 

I would have to say the long term results are less than satisfactory.

 

This time around I'm just going to sandblast and paint them black.

 

Brad

20191108_162954.jpg

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Questions, questions and more questions :)

 

1) It appears I might have an issue with my heat riser spring.  I'm not sure but it seems to operate backwards.  Searching the forums it sounds like at one time Andy Bernbaum was selling some that were wound backwards.  I bought my spring from Andy back in 1998.  In order to be sure, what should the spring do when wind or unwind when heated?

 

2) It also seems that I have lost the spacer that goes on the shaft of the heat riser.  Anyone know of a source for one?

 

3) Brake backing plate shims for shimming to create the correct clearances for the axles.  Anyone know of a source for them?

 

4) I'm considering a dual horn setup. Anyone know of a source for a short version of the factory horn? 

 

5) When installing the brake switch and the 1/4" plug in the back of the master cylinder, should I use any kind of sealant on those threads?

 

Told you I had questions!

 

Thanks,

 

Brad

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1) It appears I might have an issue with my heat riser spring.  I'm not sure but it seems to operate backwards.  Searching the forums it sounds like at one time Andy Bernbaum was selling some that were wound backwards.  I bought my spring from Andy back in 1998.  In order to be sure, what should the spring do when wind or unwind when heated?

The spring should hold the counterweight at the 12:00(ish) position. Exhaust flow across the internal flap wants to rotate the counterweight clockwise to the 3:00 position. As the spring heats up it should relax and allow the weight to stay in the 3:00 position.

 

2) It also seems that I have lost the spacer that goes on the shaft of the heat riser.  Anyone know of a source for one?

What spacer? Are you referring to the little arm with a cushion on the end?

P9300524.JPG.66e52385ef223aab74fed06478214bd5.JPG

3) Brake backing plate shims for shimming to create the correct clearances for the axles.  Anyone know of a source for them?

No known shims for purchase that I am aware of. You will either need to get some from another axle or make some out of shim stock

 

4) I'm considering a dual horn setup. Anyone know of a source for a short version of the factory horn? 

I found mine at a swap meet.

 

5) When installing the brake switch and the 1/4" plug in the back of the master cylinder, should I use any kind of sealant on those threads?

Yes. Use some pipe thread sealant. I wouldn't recommend Teflon tape here as little pieces could get into the system. Stick with a paste sealer on the threads.

 

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7 minutes ago, Merle Coggins said:

1) It appears I might have an issue with my heat riser spring.  I'm not sure but it seems to operate backwards.  Searching the forums it sounds like at one time Andy Bernbaum was selling some that were wound backwards.  I bought my spring from Andy back in 1998.  In order to be sure, what should the spring do when wind or unwind when heated?

The spring should hold the counterweight at the 12:00(ish) position. Exhaust flow across the internal flap wants to rotate the counterweight clockwise to the 3:00 position. As the spring heats up it should relax and allow the weight to stay in the 3:00 position.

 

I'll tinker some more with it in the next couple of days (if the garage isn't to cold!).  So the spring gets weaker and allows the weight to move down as the engine heats up.

 

7 minutes ago, Merle Coggins said:

2) It also seems that I have lost the spacer that goes on the shaft of the heat riser.  Anyone know of a source for one?

What spacer? Are you referring to the little arm with a cushion on the end?

P9300524.JPG.66e52385ef223aab74fed06478214bd5.JPG

3) Brake backing plate shims for shimming to create the correct clearances for the axles.  Anyone know of a source for them?

No known shims for purchase that I am aware of. You will either need to get some from another axle or make some out of shim stock

See attached picture, item 3.

 

7 minutes ago, Merle Coggins said:

4) I'm considering a dual horn setup. Anyone know of a source for a short version of the factory horn? 

I found mine at a swap meet.

 

No swap meets around here!  I'll keep looking :)

 

7 minutes ago, Merle Coggins said:

5) When installing the brake switch and the 1/4" plug in the back of the master cylinder, should I use any kind of sealant on those threads?

Yes. Use some pipe thread sealant. I wouldn't recommend Teflon tape here as little pieces could get into the system. Stick with a paste sealer on the threads.

 

I've got some greenish colored pipe sealant used for gasoline and oil based type products.  I'll give that a try.  

 

Thanks,

 

Brad

Capture1.JPG.11f436c0f844be229b60adfa931f2be5.jpg

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#3 spacer keeps the spring off of the manifold...a flat washer or piece of aluminum could be substituted...I won't tell anybody if you won't...

 

The dual horn setup I found was purely by accident 8 years ago...answering a CL ad, I crossed the border into Oklahoma and headed to Kingfisher to go look at a '49 1-ton, then was told it was actually in Hennessy, then was told it was at a wrecking yard north of town...the truck was in much worse shape than advertised, and for the $$$ he wanted, I expected to drive it back across the border with a warm bucket of chicken by my side...we came to an agreement that I could buy as many parts as I could pull off of it before they fed it into the crusher 100 feet away, so I had to hustle to get little stuff of that hulk...them turkeys didn't even wait for me to crawl out of that filthy cab before the big loader started scooping it up...and they mashed that thing into a brick right in front of me, like they enjoyed it...it had salvageable stainless grill bars, fenders, doors, even the cab was ok (still had the corner glass in it)...se la vie, I reckon...so ya might be able to find an example with less drama involved on eBay :cool:

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1 hour ago, ggdad1951 said:

You can always test the spring function with a torch, gently heating the spring to check its action/reaction.

 

That's my plan, using a propane torch.  (If I can find it!)

 

My assumption is the spring relaxes, i.e gets weaker, which allows the weight to fall.  

 

Thanks,

 

Brad

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