CO54 Posted February 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2020 We just got word, they're kicking us outta work early today from weather, so I'll be heading home and tinkering on that darn tube. Gonna start running things down the sides to loosen things up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted February 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 Got some movement clear down the center of the tube, still pulling gunk out with the clearing rod I borrowed from work, managed to get some 1/2" bar stock down the sides and bottom of the tube, yes the BFH was required to get past the concrete junk inside. Upon closer inspection, there should be a little bit of material, then the 1st opening on the tube. Well from looking at the replacement below, mine does not have the material between the 1st hole and the end anymore. Could be more of a challenge getting it out........ Is it solid on the bottom all the way down? Are the pictured ports on what looks to be the top the only real places to grab this thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted February 4, 2020 Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 15 minutes ago, CO54 said: Got some movement clear down the center of the tube, still pulling gunk out with the clearing rod I borrowed from work, managed to get some 1/2" bar stock down the sides and bottom of the tube, yes the BFH was required to get past the concrete junk inside. Upon closer inspection, there should be a little bit of material, then the 1st opening on the tube. Well from looking at the replacement below, mine does not have the material between the 1st hole and the end anymore. Could be more of a challenge getting it out........ Is it solid on the bottom all the way down? Are the pictured ports on what looks to be the top the only real places to grab this thing? Movement is good. As bad as mine was it came out in one piece. Don't be afraid to let it soak more now that you've got it to move a little bit. The tool I made was based on pictures I found on the web and it was just a series of hooks ground into a flat bar with a nut welded on the end to hook to a slide hammer. If I remember correctly the one I bought from VPW was tapered from front to back. The one from DCM appears to be more rectangular. It'll be interesting to see what your's looks like once you get it out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted February 4, 2020 Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 Estrada MotorSports 1948-53 Dodge Trucks: Water Distribution Tube This may or may not help. 48D 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted February 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 4 hours ago, 48Dodger said: Estrada MotorSports 1948-53 Dodge Trucks: Water Distribution Tube This may or may not help. 48D That does help a bit, was that a 1" bar of aluminum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted February 4, 2020 Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 Yes.....I've since reshaped it to sneak up through the slots to pull it better. 48D 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted February 4, 2020 Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 Here is what mine looked like when I finally got it out!!!!!? 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted February 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 (edited) My 23 minutes ago, Jeff Balazs said: Here is what mine looked like when I finally got it out!!!!!? My Catch of the Day, was washed down the driveway with the block flushing done 2 weeks ago, still have some trace evidence though. My tube appears to be intact for the most part from what can be seen looking down the center of it. Just gonna keep soaking it until I can get a aluminum bar from 48D's video. Edited February 4, 2020 by CO54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted February 5, 2020 Report Share Posted February 5, 2020 I thought I would share this as I am pretty certain it is still the worst one anyone has ever seen. ? The opposite of the grass is always greener type of thing...... Jeff 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted February 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2020 Okay, so some tools arrived today from Amazon, managed to get the correct puller on the steering wheel, a few adjustments, and some torquing on it. Then, POP it came off. Steering gear is pulled from the cab! Steering wheel is hanging on the garage wall for time being. A couple side notes, if anyone comes across the steering wheel situation, let me know, the tool is yours to borrow. Plus lil man took 1st place in his wrestling tournament today! So it was a god day. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted February 9, 2020 Report Share Posted February 9, 2020 Its amazing how fast you can get something done when the right tool is at hand. Glad to hear you're past that hurdle. On to the next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted March 14, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2020 Alright, this darn water tube has officially pissed me off! Been spraying it down with Blaster to try opening up the crud in the last 5-6" at the back. Weather has been crap, but I've been looking through various threads, links etc to get this pulled. I tried drilling a hole into the bottom of the tube to get the slide hammer hooked up, drill bit broke and fell down inside (joy) couldn't get it fished out either (hopefully the crud inside pulls it out in the end). I started digging for the second or third opening in the top of the tube to hook a fab'd tool in, no luck there either. This thing is really ticking me off and pushing the frustration limits. On another note, I decided to move things around from storage in the garage to outside. Want more room for working on various things since we're not ready for body work. Momma wants the engine to run first, so a stand/cart will be built to let it run at various times before it goes back into the frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted March 14, 2020 Report Share Posted March 14, 2020 I wish I had some more/better advice to give but you've been doing pretty much everything I can think of to loosen it up. I'm pretty sure I left mine soaking in various liquids for months before I finally had success. Periodically during that time I'd try pulling it with the hooked flat bar that I had made along with a slide hammer. Eventually it gave in...... Don't give up Brad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted March 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2020 Alight the battle continues with the water tube. I got a tool fab'd up after finding I could only get back into the block with it 6-8"s, I found what I believe to be a solid hook into the water tube. After 2 days of yanking on this with the slide hammer, I haven't seen a bit of movement. I'm now curious if I'm actually going through an opening and hooking the inside of the block on something or is the topside of the block tube channel smooth all the way down? Any advice? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted March 27, 2020 Report Share Posted March 27, 2020 The tool looks good and your worry about hooking the block is probably a valid concern. The tool I made had it's hooks about half as tall as yours. I'm beginning to wonder if you shouldn't go ahead and hot tank the block to see if that will help clear the crud from the coolant passages. You could then try again with your tool. You'd probably want to hot tank the block again once you got the distribution tube out but sometimes you just have to do what's necessary. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted March 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2020 31 minutes ago, bkahler said: The tool looks good and your worry about hooking the block is probably a valid concern. The tool I made had it's hooks about half as tall as yours. I'm beginning to wonder if you shouldn't go ahead and hot tank the block to see if that will help clear the crud from the coolant passages. You could then try again with your tool. You'd probably want to hot tank the block again once you got the distribution tube out but sometimes you just have to do what's necessary. Will be seeing about hot tanking on Monday, my cheap resource to a hot tank was closed down last week, so I'm working option B with giving "labor for labor" with the machine shop I'll be using for my rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBNeal Posted March 28, 2020 Report Share Posted March 28, 2020 Ya might want to reduce the size of that hook like Brad says...your tool appears to be well over twice as thick as the tube walls, so the tool will want to bite into the tube even with a more blunt hook. Perhaps ya might need to pull this tube out in pieces; instead of hooking it from the back, maybe try to hook it from near the middle or near the opening. This might be a scenario akin to removing a bolt that has rust on its threads that need to pass through a tapped surface...if ya try to back it out straight, the rust starts to scrape off of the bolt threads but binds up on the tapped surface, leading to the bolt getting jammed or breaking off...but if you back the bolt out a little, then turn it back in, the scraped off rust falls away, allowing for more threads to pass through the tapped surface (very similar to the proper way to use a tap to cut threads). If this distribution tube is all crudded up, ya might need to pull it out a little, then drive it back in, give it the ol' back and forth til it wiggles out 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgeb4ya Posted March 28, 2020 Report Share Posted March 28, 2020 I made this style for grabbing the tube 100%...never has failed me. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted March 28, 2020 Report Share Posted March 28, 2020 7 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said: I made this style for grabbing the tube 100%...never has failed me. The puller I made about 23 years ago looked almost exactly like this. Nice job! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted March 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2020 Going to take the advice of reducing hook size and go again. Just trying to settle things around the house after a stepson was the victim of a hit-n-run accident last night that totaled the car. Police wouldn't respond due to no injuries and city is on "cold reporting" for accidents. Had to get it towed back to the house this morning. Everyone that was in the car is 100% okay too. Gotta love the curve balls of life. Eric 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted March 28, 2020 Report Share Posted March 28, 2020 2 hours ago, CO54 said: Going to take the advice of reducing hook size and go again. Just trying to settle things around the house after a stepson was the victim of a hit-n-run accident last night that totaled the car. Police wouldn't respond due to no injuries and city is on "cold reporting" for accidents. Had to get it towed back to the house this morning. Everyone that was in the car is 100% okay too. Gotta love the curve balls of life. Eric Glad to hear everyone is ok. Any clue who the other driver was? To be able and total another vehicle and then drive off is a pretty good feat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted March 29, 2020 Report Share Posted March 29, 2020 Glad everyone is ok! Yah as jb said try from the middle or front....might be binding up on the crud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted March 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2020 (edited) YAHTZEE! Got the booger out today, 5-6 hits with a 13# slide hammer but it's out and mounted to the wall as a trophy! Thanks for the insight, now to talk with machine shop tomorrow about trading my labor for shop labor while i'm on admin leave from work. Thanks again!!! WE GOT OVER A HURDLE!!!!!! Yes, I saved the original head gasket as a reminder.......... it's unique. Thanks again. Eric Edited March 29, 2020 by CO54 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkahler Posted March 30, 2020 Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 Now that's great news That tube was definitely in pretty bad shape, at least now when you hot tank the block you only have to do it once! Which of the puller arms was the one that did the trick? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CO54 Posted March 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2020 3 hours ago, bkahler said: Now that's great news That tube was definitely in pretty bad shape, at least now when you hot tank the block you only have to do it once! Which of the puller arms was the one that did the trick? The shorter one ended up pulling through on the first set of holes around #2/#3 cylinders, used it as a template and cut the longer one at about 26" overall. Was able to get a solid hook on the holes back around #4/#5. We got some small movement with the 2# slide hammer, then called in a favor to brother in-law and borrowed his 13# slide. Saved both tools for future though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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