1938 Dodge RC Pickup Build

[vikingminer49er]

Driver's side door window was missing, but a rusty screw was preventing removal of the window regulator.  Didn't want to drill and easy-out the screw, fearing damage to the screw receiving threads in the regulator mechanism.  Ground down the screw head with the Dremel tool until the remainder of the head was easily chiseled off.

 

After the screw head was removed, the regulator mechanism rotates up through the window opening, then back down through the access hole to remove the regulator from the door.  Regulator appears to be in relatively good condition.  Notice the open side of the large gear wheel.

[vikingminer49er]

Difficult removing the passenger's side window glass from the window regulator.  Couldn't feel or find any clips or retainers to detach the window glass like on the B-Series trucks.  Examined the regulator removed from the driver's side.  Noticed a small diameter hole on the bottom of the window glass channel attached to the regulator.  Attempted to push the window glass out of the channel with a punch through the hole.

 

After a few attempts, changed to a faster method of glass removal.  When the glass is loose from the regulator, the glass is rotated up through the window opening to remove the glass from the door.  Notice the broken corner at the front bottom of the glass which prevented the attempt with the punch from working.  Also notice the door window is two-pane, laminated safety glass.

[vikingminer49er]

As with the driver's side, with the glass removed the regulator is rotated up through the window opening, then back down through the access opening, to remove the regulator from the door.  Notice the bent upper arm on the regulator, which explains the difficulty with cranking the regulator.  Also notice the closed side of the larger gear wheel. 

 

Need a copy of the Parts List with exploded parts diagrams to identify the correct parts for the truck.  Anyone have a copy of the Parts List available?

[vikingminer49er]

Able to remove one top door strike.  Missing the other top door strike.  Anyone have an extra?  Both bottom door strikes are too rusty to remove yet.  Soaking the parts to loosen the screws.  Just thought I'd throw in a photo of one way to identify small parts removed from the truck.  Piece of paper, Scotch tape, and a pen.

[vikingminer49er]

It is recommended to document disassembly of the truck with plenty of photos for future reference when reassembling the truck.  Thank you to the P15-D24 Mopar Flathead Truck Forum for providing a handy platform for documentation.  Since the first "page" of this thread would take 60 pages of paper to print out, I've made a .pdf file of the first page and saved it on the computer.  Still may print out a hard copy as backup.

 

Plenty of photos includes prior to disassembly showing the parts as found.  Next step for me is to disassemble the dash to remove speedometer, gauges and controls.  Here's where the digital camera on the phone works well to take photos in small spaces normally not visible.  Following are several photos for the back side of the dash prior to disassembly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2019 by vikingminer49er
Added photo

[RobertKB]

YOU CAN NEVER TAKE TOO MANY PHOTOS! I took lots when I disassembled my '51 Dodge D39 business coupe and I wrote plenty of notes to myself for reference when re-assembling. There were times I still had to just figure things out. Take way more photos than you think you will need and from every angle possible. Looks like you are doing that so things should go relatively smoothly when the old girl goes back together.

[vikingminer49er]

Took photos today of the controls, glove box, steering, Serial Number tag, and the small nick in the old galvanized pipe dripping water in the ceiling of Judy's Utility Room.  Guess which I need to work on next.

[vikingminer49er]

Not much accomplished lately.  After finishing plumbing repairs, and installing a new hand brake lining on the 1974 Dodge D600 Car Hauler, worked on rusty fasteners on the 1938.  Only managed to remove a couple of items, glove box door and steering column support u-bolt.  Broke a couple of screws behind the dash controls and can't get the steering wheel off yet.  One more rusty screw on the glove box hinge.  Patience is required.

[vikingminer49er]

Tough, tenacious truck.  Held together by 80 years of rust.  Haven't been able to remove any more parts today.  Will have to cut fasteners to get the parts off.  Got caught up on inventory of fasteners I have been able to remove.  Like to get at least an example of each fastener for each application.  Not necessary to use the original fasteners for the re-build, but it at least tells me what was previously used.

[Radarsonwheels]

It’ll feel much better to bolt it back together with clean parts

[vikingminer49er]

Have had the 1938 up at the house while working on the smaller parts so far.  Little snow over night so it's time to move the truck back to the barn to work on the larger parts.  The young high school boys we had helping last summer weren't too good at stacking hay, but they never learn if they don't have a chance to make a mistake.  Had to make some adjustments to have enough room for the 1938.

 

The barn is setup to stack a year's hay supply on each half of the center of the barn behind the double sliding doors.  The halves are alternated each year.  The stack currently on the west side is this year's hay.  Last summer there wasn't enough room for two trucks on the east side.  We're just finishing feeding hay from 2018 on the east side.  Removed enough of the top bales to keep the leaning haystack from falling.  The few bales left from 2018, plus the hay from the top of the west side, was moved to the north end of the west-side stack.  Moved the B-3-D-126 forward.  Plan to move the 1938 into the barn tomorrow.

[Rodney_Hamon]

Yes. I looked at your pix’s and read with interest how you were fixing the ‘38. I need to restore my grill and install. I pulled mine out way back in ‘75 and can’t remember how I did that. Ha. I think clips are saved in a can somewhere. I also need to replace the driver door glass that I broke by accident in the 80’s. Ha. So I will follow your progress for sure!  Rodney 

[vikingminer49er]

Moved the 1938 to the barn today as it's getting colder and we're expecting several days of snow.  Stopped off on the way to put larger parts already removed into storage.  The objective is to get the truck into the barn without the calves getting into the haystack.

[Tim in NB]

Black Angus?

[vikingminer49er]

Usually don't work on the trucks in the cattle barn.  So there are some good things and bad things about working out there.

 

Bad things:  Clean up the work area before starting.  Fuel up the lawn tractor before it runs out of gasoline.  Load up the lawn tractor and wagon with at least two trips to haul everything out to the cattle barn.  Haul out things needed before starting like: extra lights, extension cords, electric tools, air compressor, receiver tank, hoses, air tools, hand tools, jack, jack stands, heater, diesel fuel.  Don't forget beverages and other incidentals.  Too far from the house to be walking back and forth for something forgotten,

 

Good things:  It's cold and snowy outside, but it's dry and warms up in the work area with the diesel heater fired up.  Don't have to go to the house for a bathroom break.  Leaving the truck on the trailer presents a reasonable work height and surface, compared to crawling around on the ground.

 

After spending most of the day getting set up, managed to take the rear wheels off to access the fasteners under the rear fenders.  The receiver tank allows the use of a small portable compressor for the impact wrench.  The little compressor works hard to re-fill the receiver tank in between high-volume, compressed-air usage by the impact wrench.  Interestingly, the wheel bolts on the left rear drum are right-hand thread.  As expected, fasteners under the rear fenders were too rusty to remove.  Got one bolt head ground down and ready to chisel off.  Pretty lucky to get that much done, since I don't move as fast as I used to.

 

The cattle are Judy's.  They're a black angus-simmental cross breed.  She raises feeder steers from calves, and sells 1/8-, 1/4-, 1/2-, and whole beeves in white-wrapped packages to friends, neighbors, and anyone with cash.  I collect old trucks, and Judy collects pictures of Benjamin Franklin.

[RobertKB]

You're having way too much fun! Interesting project you have going.

 

Not unusual to have drums on the driver's side with right hand thread or vice versa. Way back when it was not unusual to use any drum that fit as a replacement, right or left thread didn't matter to the vehicle. I'm sure Chrysler and other makes used the right and left hand threads as a precaution which in my opinion was not necessary. I have come across this issue many times and all bolts were nice and tight. When l first got my '53 Plymouth both front drums were reversed and on the wrong side. I just left them alone until the first time I had to redo shoes and have the drums turned. Then, I put them back on their proper sides. Never had a problem with loose bolts.

Edited December 29, 2019 by RobertKB

[vikingminer49er]

Believe it was standard practice to use left-hand threads on the left side and right-hand threads on the right side for whatever reason.  Have found a source for left-hand-tread lug nuts, but not for left-hand-thread wheel bolts or studs.  Also have left-hand tap and dies for chasing damaged threads.  My experience indicates wheel bolts were used on cars and 1/2-ton pickups.  Studs were used on 3/4-ton and larger trucks.  Agree it does not seam to be necessary to use left-hand-threads.

 

Thought of another good thing about working in the cattle barn:  Don't have to worry about ice melting in beverages.

 

Only found a couple of bolts today that could be removed, every other one had to be cut or ground off.  Disconnected the passenger's-side running board.  Only fastened to the fender.  The bracket fasteners had been previously removed.  Some damage to the passenger's-side, rear-fender tail had been farmer-fixed at some pervious time.  

[vikingminer49er]

Removed the rear fenders from both sides.  Still hauling things I forgot, plus a 5-gallon container of diesel fuel for the heater, to the cattle barn.  At least today, got to haul something from the cattle barn to storage.

[RobertKB]

Interesting that the bed in the '38 appears to be all steel but later year trucks went to wood. Steel always seems the better option so I wonder why the change?

[Young Ed]

13 minutes ago, RobertKB said:

Interesting that the bed in the '38 appears to be all steel but later year trucks went to wood. Steel always seems the better option so I wonder why the change?

yes the 37-38(and maybe earlier) trucks had metal floors. Then for 39 they switched to wood for the next few decades-anyone know when they switched back to steel? I think I read somewhere the wood was better for livestock. 

[vikingminer49er]

My guess is the Sweptline had a steel floor and the Utiline had a wood floor.  Attached a .pdf file from Mar-K Manufacturing for your reading enjoyment.

 

Another good thing about working in the cattle barn:  Don't have to wait for daylight to get to work.

 

Tail light is in poor condition.  Like the wasp nest inside the tail light with access through the license-plate light opening.  Driver's-side, rear-fender bracket is in good condition.

 

 

dodgeshortbedidentification.pdf

[vikingminer49er]

Shop-built bumper/trailer-hitch is bolted, welded, and rusted onto the frame.  Using the cut-off wheel on the smaller grinder can be dangerous when the wheel breaks.  Using the grinding wheel, drill, hammer, and chisel is safer, but takes way longer to get through the bolts, nuts, and washers.  Even after the nuts were removed, the rusty bolts had to be ground smooth and driven out with the punch and chisel.  Dodge builds ram-tough trucks.  80-years of rust makes them tougher.

 

Weld on the driver's-side of the bumper/trailer-hitch will have to be cut.  Got tired using the small grinder.  I'm only good for about 4 to 5 hours, then I have to have a nap.  Will take the big grinder out to finish the cut after my afternoon nap.

[ggdad1951]

I've had cut off wheels explode on me...scary stuff.  In tight situations safety glass AND safety shield!

[Tony WestOZ]

Are you using the very thin ones? The thin 1.6mm and ultra thin 1mm are very flexible and were produced to cut thin sheet metal not for heavy work.

With cutting a nut off a bolt instead of trying to go in behind the nut, cut along the length of the bolt down through the nut. When close to the chassis stop and use a hammer and cold chisel to split the nut then hammer the bolt out.   

Grinding in a barn full of hay would make me very nervous. Hope you have the fire gear ready.

 

Sorry for going on,

 

Tony 

[vikingminer49er]

Another good thing:  Don't have to stop work at sundown.  God created miner's head lamps to work in the dark.  Underground the weather is always the same, and it's always dark.

 

Added a couple of photos of some old mine lights.  The little one is an open-flame, carbide lamp worn on a cloth cap.  Calcium carbide solid pieces were placed in the bottom.  When water dripped on the carbide from a small reservoir on the lamp, acetylene gas would be produced and flow to the small opening in the reflector.  The flame was started with the flint-and-steel striker, and a bright light was reflected to the work area.  Not too good for a coal mine with methane gas.

 

The larger two lamps are flame safety lamps.  The flame was contained inside a double wall of fine-mesh screen with a glass surrounding.  Flame will not pass through the screen and ignite the methane in the mine atmosphere.  In fact, by reading the size of the flame inside the glass, an estimate of the percentage of methane could be determined.  The taller aluminum lamp was the same one I carried after I started mining 50-years ago.  We used permissible, electric-battery head lamps.  The smaller brass flame-safety-lamp was presented to me upon retirement from the local coal mine where I worked for 20 years.

 

Thanks to both ggdad1951 and Tony WestOZ for the safety concerns.  They are both correct.  Always use double eye protection when using a grinder, safety glasses and face shield.  Even thicker grinding wheels can break and cause sever injury.  As for the grinding sparks, how about the open-flame diesel heater in the hay storage.  Definitely one more bad things about working in the cattle barn.

 

Yesterday wore me out.  Haven't pulled a double shift in a long time, even if my shifts are a lot shorter now.  Trying to get the truck ready for a visit on Thursday by my chassis builder.  Will hopefully lift the bed off by then.  Even after using the big grinder last evening, will have to drill the last bolt out of the bumper/trailer-hitch.  Still more welds to grind off on the hitch.