Ease of finding Parts

[Haydenh]

Hello All,

 

I'm still new to the Pilothouse world and have yet to do much restoration on my B-1-J. Parts availability is the biggest issue I've come up against, even just getting little things for the flathead motor seems difficult nowadays and in thinking about what I want to do with the truck I find myself wondering how easy/difficult it is to find things like brake shoes, drums, and other stopping components for the running gear especially out here in the west?

 

I've considered doing a conversion/ swap with some newer axles (from F450 or F550 types) to put some 22.5" rims on for modern tires and possibly putting in a diesel engine to turn the bigger wheels.

 

Thoughts? Positives or negatives to the swaps? 

 

link to video here

[Brent B3B]

Oh no, Sorry to hear your having problems haydenh. I had luck having https://hagensautoparts.com Rebuild my brake cylinders ( stainless steel sleeved) and I had my local “fleet pride” https://branches.fleetpride.com re line the brake pads. 

what flathead parts you having trouble finding?

 

I am a fan of the flathead and original.... but then again I don’t drive on the freeway. 

 

 

 have you seen ggdad1951 build yet?

A lot of work but he is doing a great job. 

[Haydenh]

Brent B3B,

 

I’ve just had trouble getting anything to do with rebuilding the carb from the local box stores but I can find spark plugs at least! I haven’t tried looking for anything else yet because it was a major pain just getting the right plugs! I need to do a full tear down and rebuild the engine because it’s got some blowby I believe and it’s a tired old farm truck. The engine is a swap from a 64 power wagon but I don’t know when that was done or what the mileage was.
 

I haven’t seen too many pilothouse trucks here in Utah and even fewer of the big guys. My main concern with the parts is that I’ll get into rebuilding it and find I can’t get the right parts or knowing my luck I’d break something irreplaceable!

 

my long term goal for the truck if possible would be to be able to get it to cruise comfortably at 55-60 (not way up in the rpm range) and be able to stop all that weight from that speed. It’s not a 2 speed rear axle so I think the ration is somewhere around 7-7.5:1. I don’t know if I can get a lower ratio ring and pinion for that axle.
 

Do you think I’d be asking too much from the flattie and the more stock setup vs swapping things out for modern gearing and brakes?

 

Thank you for the link to the TODD build! I stayed up way too late catching up on everything haha

 

i really love the extended cab setup from the thumbnail of that old huge truck! Maybe I’ll do something like that someday. 

 

 

[Brent B3B]

I know it can be frustrating,

I have used https://www.carburetor-parts.com/  for carb kits

have you called the boys at https://www.vintagepowerwagons.com/ for power wagon engine parts? shoot they might even have advice on that axle......

what kind of brake booster do you have?

can you tell I'm not ready to let you give up yet?

 

easy for me to say but if it were me, I think I'd get this truck going have fun with it and look for one already converted let someone else go through the hassle... but I am lazy that way  

 

I thought about your truck a couple months ago.... I went up to WA to look at a B4JA (we couldn't land on a price I was willing to pay, LOL)

 

[Haydenh]

Thank you for the links, I’ll get some stuff ordered to rebuild the carb. Who knows if all the parts for it are on there, it was an old farm truck after all haha.

 

I’ll reach out to the Vintage powerwagon folks and see what info and advice they can give me on the engine and the axle. I’d really like to keep the old axles just for the fun factor of the directional lug nuts and such. But the idea of possibly going 4x4 intrigues me as well (like the old coleman 4wheel systems)

 

the brake booster is actually a ford brake booster but I don’t know from what! When I drove it an hour or so from where I bought it to where I stored it I think I only had one brake working and only at 25% which is slightly terrifying in a heavy truck. I’ll add some photos of the booster below.

 

i don’t think I’m quite ready to give up on it being mostly original type equipment either which is probably  why I voiced my question in the first place to get another opinion or two. I’m am still considering reworking the flattie to get some more power out of it though (maybe a turbo with small pressure?) so I can not get run over by the crazy/ distracted drivers around here.

 

I do like that suggestion of trying to just get this one going well meeting most of my needs to daily drive and then keeping an eye out for something else to convert to diesel and 4wheel drive?

 

if you ever do find a JA axle laying around I’ll probably want to pick it up just for the gearing options it provides!

 

 

[Brent B3B]

Haydenh, how is the parts search going? 
thought of you recently as I procured a OEM shift valve bracket fr my HH ?(trying to make him a “HHA”)

 

An OEM shift cable is supposed to arrive tomorrow (I’ll have to make the shifter brackets) 

[Haydenh]

On 12/21/2021 at 1:27 PM, Brent B3B said:

Haydenh, how is the parts search going? 
thought of you recently as I procured a OEM shift valve bracket fr my HH ?(trying to make him a “HHA”)

 

An OEM shift cable is supposed to arrive tomorrow (I’ll have to make the shifter brackets) 

 

Hello Brent!

 

Sorry it has taken me so long to reply to you! Lots of life has pulled me away from the forum and the project. I'd like to see more about your "HH(A)" project and how that goes for you! I'm finally in a place where I can start tearing into my truck so first thing I'll be doing is just getting the drivetrain sorted and most likely rebuilding the 251, trans, etc. It'll be a slow project but I'm hoping I can be more active on the forum to document my progress along the way and all the issues I'm sure to uncover with it being an old grain truck from Idaho.