CO54 Posted December 16, 2019 Report Share Posted December 16, 2019 Thanks for the offer on a heater addition gents, however we'll stick to no heater here in CO. The snow comes and goes in 24 hours! I can live with that, Wifey agrees too! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2019 The second air filter arrived today so other than an extended handle for the filter adapter I've got all the pieces. I've decided to make a switch to the Rusty Hope dual intake manifold in lieu of the Offenhauser intake. I talked it over with Charlie and decided that's the direction I want to go. So sometime in the near future I'll be pulling the manifolds so I can paint the engine one more time to hopefully get rid of 20 years of surface rust and at the same time install Charlie's dual intake. More on that later. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 Well I finally got good news for a change. This latest (3rd) heater core is good so other than pulling the fan blade for sandblasting and painting I've got all the bits and pieces of the heater ready to go. Cleaning and testing was $12. Not to bad in this day and age. Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted December 19, 2019 Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 Ya might not want to sandblast that fan, it could cause some damage to the metal that won't show up until the blades fly apart somewhere down the road...I had an antique desk fan re-worked and the guy mentioned that the old metal blades need special care for that reason, he has to clean them up using a rust dissolver then looks at the rivets under a big magnifying glass to spot any cracks...I've read where some guys have replaced their heater old motors with new + plastic fans to avoid this issue... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, JBNeal said: Ya might not want to sandblast that fan, it could cause some damage to the metal that won't show up until the blades fly apart somewhere down the road...I had an antique desk fan re-worked and the guy mentioned that the old metal blades need special care for that reason, he has to clean them up using a rust dissolver then looks at the rivets under a big magnifying glass to spot any cracks...I've read where some guys have replaced their heater old motors with new + plastic fans to avoid this issue... Hmm.....your message was about an hour and 30 minutes to late ? Fortunately this fan doesn't use rivets. The fan blade is laid on top of the squirrel cage and both were pressed onto the hub and then crimped. The other thing is right now my blast media is mostly powder because its been in use for a long time. With luck I don't have anything to worry about! One thing I did learn, this is a fan from a 12 volt heater. It turns out it's identical to the 6 volt fans with the exception of the bore for the shaft. The 12 volt motor has a smaller diameter shaft. Brad Edited December 19, 2019 by bkahler 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 I think I mentioned a while back that the bushing I ordered from VPW for the clutch fork shaft was shorter than the original by a good 1/4" or so. So in my last order with DCM Classics I ordered a couple of their brake pedal bushings. I was a little disappointed in that their bushing is about 5/8" shorter than the brake pedal bushing on my truck which is about 2-1/4". I then realized that if I used the DCM bushing along with the VPW bushing that would take care of the length difference. So today I pressed out the old bushing and pressed in both of the bushings. That seemed to do the trick. The only thing left to do on the pedal is drill out the grease zirk opening in the bushing and then paint the pedals black. I'll shorten the other bushing from DCM and use it for the clutch fork bushing in the bell housing. Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 A couple of days ago I placed the left over piece rubber piece hose that I used for the air cleaner adapters in a cup of gas. I pulled it out today and you can see the results. The rubber was sitting about 1/2" deep in the gas. Oddly the area that expanded was the part that was not sitting the gas. Or maybe it shrank! I guess I need to check what the original OD was. Regardless it's pretty obvious I'm going to have to come up with a different solution for the adapter. At the moment I'm thinking of turning a couple of adapters made of ABS on the lathe. The ABS won't be quite as forgiving as the rubber but I don't think the gas will affect ABS. Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 Ok, next question. Do the truck radiators have the three tabs with holes on the top of the radiator? I had wondered previously why my radiator had those tabs because they aren't used for anything. On mine the center one is actually bent over. Thanks, Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 the upper tanks I have generally have a flat top with the neck on the left side of the engine compartment, no tabs on the top... have ya looked into layering some aluminum coke cans and peening them over to hold them in place? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 (edited) On 12/19/2019 at 8:09 PM, JBNeal said: the upper tanks I have generally have a flat top with the neck on the left side of the engine compartment, no tabs on the top... So after all these years of thinking I've got the original radiator in my truck instead I have Desoto radiator ? I'll go ahead and use it but will keep my eyes open for the correct one. Quote have ya looked into layering some aluminum coke cans and peening them over to hold them in place? But then I wouldn't have an excuse to run my lathe! Edited December 14, 2021 by bkahler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 11 hours ago, bkahler said: So after all these years of thinking I've got the original radiator in my truck instead I have Desoto radiator ? I'll got ahead and use it but will keep my eyes open for the correct one. But then I wouldn't have an excuse to run my lathe! As I have learned, one never knows what a PO may have done or the factory may have done to switch something. None of us were there so we do the best we can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 6 hours ago, ggdad1951 said: As I have learned, one never knows what a PO may have done or the factory may have done to switch something. None of us were there so we do the best we can. The truck did have it's share of PO mods but a different radiator never occurred to me. I don't remember any modifications in the radiator mounting area so I'm guessing it was for the most part a bolt in and just looks cosmetically different. Maybe that's one of the charms of these old trucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2019 Worked on a smorgasbord of things this weekend. Finish replacing the clutch fork shaft, bolted the transmission back in place, stripped all the components off the engine block in preparation for painting, finished the gas tank installation and installed the filler neck. Oh yeah, painted the heater fan and stretched the draft seals over the foot pedals. The last was only partially successful. One of them has a slight tear but I haven't made up my mind whether to replace it or live with it. Oh yeah, I also managed to get the rubber bump stops forced into their pockets for the rear overload springs. Brad 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2019 We had some awesome weather here today which allowed me to open the garage door and enjoy the warmth while working on the Dodge. After stripping all of the components off the block the other day I was able to proceed to prep the block and transmission for painting. 20 years of sitting caused a lot of surface rust to occur in areas that I hadn't painted previously (I should have painted but didn't!). I read on the forum that someone recommended Corroseal to convert rust so I ordered some and gave it a try. The instructions say to brush it onto the affected area and as the rust is converted it will turn black. Boy did it turn black! I have to wait 24 hours and then I can clean up the residue. I don't have pictures but everything is now masked and prepped for paint so I'm figuring sometime Friday or Saturday I should be done with the painting. It'll be nice to be able to start putting things back together again for a change Brad 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2019 The repaint of the engine and transmission is for the most part done. I still want to repaint the oil pan but will wait on that until after I get the front engine mount re-installed. Now I can finally start the assembly process again. Maybe this time I'll get it all done before I have to paint it all again ? Brad 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 Worked on a bunch of odds and ends today. For the most part the parking brake is now assembled. Just need to add a cotter pin and adjust the brake per the manual. I re-installed the water pump, t-stat and housing, front engine mount, valve covers, crank pulley, generator mount, and the front shock mounts. I'm a little concerned about the front shocks. Right now the front axle is sitting on jack stands which means the front suspension has a slight compression from the weight of the motor and cab. I was just barely able to get the two front shocks installed. I actually had to apply a little downward pressure on the frame to get the shocks installed. I'm assuming once the front sheet metal, radiator and other miscellaneous bits are installed that will compress the front springs more but I'm afraid it won't be very much. That means on an upward rebound of the suspension the front shocks are likely to be the limiting factor in suspension travel. That makes me wonder if the front springs might have a little to much arch in them. My original front springs were badly collapsed on the drivers side so I found a set of front springs on 1952 B3B in a junkyard. I guess time will tell whether or not I need to de-arch them a little. Brad 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merle Coggins Posted December 29, 2019 Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 Sounds like your shocks are too short. They should be in the middle of their stroke when the springs are supporting the weight of the truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted December 29, 2019 Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 I believe that the rule of thumb is that the bottom of the running board should not be lower than the center of the front hub... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 59 minutes ago, Merle Coggins said: Sounds like your shocks are too short. They should be in the middle of their stroke when the springs are supporting the weight of the truck. That's what I've always assumed should be the case. 7 minutes ago, JBNeal said: I believe that the rule of thumb is that the bottom of the running board should not be lower than the center of the front hub... The donor truck that supplied the springs sat nice and level and for lack of better words, high off the ground. I don't really care for trucks that sit low with the wheels tucked up inside the wheel wells. Not my cup of tea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 Here's some pictures of the passenger side front spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 Which one of these marks is TDC?! I figure it's probably a good idea to verify oil pump timing prior to putting the oil pan back on for the final time. Thanks! Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 More details. Before you guys suggest I pull the plug above #6 cylinder, I've already done that. Unfortunately it is not a through hole! Either the factory never finished the boring process or my engine builder plugged the hole when he was prepping the head. He is a race engine builder and he may have seen that as a detriment to performance So to find TDC (or close approximation) I verified that the intake and exhaust lifters could be spun indicating I was on the compression stroke and then I gradually bumped the crank until the connecting rod appeared to be centered in the bore. No this is not an exact method but it's the best I could think of. Once I had the rod where I felt it was centered I checked the timing marks on the crank pulley and this is where I ended up. Looking down through the distributor bore the oil pump seems to be at 11 & 5 position. Which leaves the distributor rotor in this position. My guess is the oil pump is off by one tooth, possibly two. Is it worth pulling the oil pump to re-clock it or would it be easier to just live with it like it is? Thanks! Brad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 And finally the oil pan gasket. From what I gather looking at the service manual and searches on the forum this is how the gaskets should look prior to installation. The only exception being I haven't applied sealant as yet to the long side strips. The end strips are protruding between 1/4" and 3/8" which seems to be to spec. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted December 29, 2019 Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 It's easier to get everything timed to specs now, you may need that adjustment window to be wide enough to accommodate your performance tuning needs... The timing stamp is weak on every crank pulley I've seen, but I believe TDC major line is bracketed on either side by zeros then a major line on both ends, with 2 minor lines between each major character... I measured the distance from leaf spring to frame where you measured 7-1/2", on the B-1-B-108, B-1-D-126, B-3-D-126, and B-4-B-116, and saw 5-3/4" to 6". I had taken the '48 1/2-ton to Waco Spring back in 2000 as the left front of the truck was riding low...those magicians re-arched the springs to 6" without removing them from the truck...them old guys weren't much for talking, so I don't know how they did that as I couldn't find any witness marks on the truck anywhere, it's like they drove the truck into their shop while I was at work and *PRESTO* it was done by lunchtime...maybe you have access to magicians just as talented in your neck of the woods 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted December 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2019 Brian, thanks for the info. Per your advice I pulled the oil pump and after much trial and error I got the oil pump shaft to be what appears to be the 1 & 7 position, or at least really close to it. And the rotor is like this. I zoomed in on the crank pulley and this is what I came up with. Here's the unmarked version. I think before the radiator gets installed I'm going to try and sharpen the marks and then paint them black. As far as the front suspension, if I was back in Nebraska I know exactly where a good suspension shop is. Here in Richmond I don't think there is a shop that could do that but I'll do some asking around. I suppose its possible the springs will drop some once the rest of the engine components are installed and all of the front end sheet metal is installed. Prior to the first drive (whenever that might be!) I'll evaluate the suspension again before I decide what to do. Thanks! Brad 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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