Old trucks with old front ends & old grease

[Los_Control]

I swear I have attention deficit disorder .... going to be a looong build.

I got side tracked with mowing the grass, then thought would like to buy a riding mower and found a cheap rider that needs work at a estate sale.

Came home with a few other items, one is a box of pullers .... funny how life seems to smile on us at times.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Los_Control

[Los_Control]

Also curious about the horn assembly, I cleaned and painted it. The base seems to be copper and think I need to scrape the paint off for it to work, is this true?

 

[ggdad1951]

why would you paint the copper conductor?

 

[Los_Control]

3 hours ago, ggdad1951 said:

why would you paint the copper conductor?

 

Yeah, maybe I did not think that one through.

I was in clean and paint mode, was 1/2 way done before discovered the copper base. Is just rattle can of rusty metal primer and gloss black paint. Probably easier to sand it clean then mask it off anyways.

Hind sight I suppose should have just cleaned it then soak it in oil, since it never was painted from factory.

Now it is cleaned, painted,sanded and soaking in oil.

[JBNeal]

The 3-eared plate that holds the bakelite insulator appears to be brass; the spring, retainer and steering shaft nut look like steel.  These parts would benefit from rust removal by electrolysis or chemical converters, then can be plated by electrolysis...I was doing some research on this and there are multiple sources on how to do both on the internets, some are more accurate than others.

 

One of the OEMs that I worked for had me helping out with a dedicated line for passivation and nickel plating for parts used in aircraft electronics.  This process was very similar to the chroming process used at the school furniture manufacturer where I worked the summer before I wandered off to college.  That electrolysis process included staged hot water rinsing, nickel plating and chromium plating..one night the control system malfunctioned, leaving several carriers in various stages of the process.  That's where we found out that prolonged exposure to nickel gave a much deeper luster than prolonged exposure to chromium...

 

These funny looking parts would probably benefit from some kind of plating as they all contribute to ground continuity for the contact switch that is the horn button.  Sandblasting and acid baths would do some damage to metal surfaces and affect performance.  Reduction of oxidation along the horn button ground path is a chore as there are multiple contact points to address.  Without getting them all cleaned, the horn isn't as loud as it could be...I had toyed with the idea of a coax cable routed through the steering shaft to provide a direct ground path from the horn button to the battery ground and bypassing the steering gearbox as a ground path, but have been sidetracked for awhile with this that and the other

[Los_Control]

4 hours ago, JBNeal said:

I had toyed with the idea of a coax cable routed through the steering shaft to provide a direct ground path from the horn button to the battery ground and bypassing the steering gearbox as a ground path

That actually is a good idea, may be possible to feed 2 wires through instead of coax. I was just kinda sleep walking and not paying attention to how important ground is with this system.

Originally was thinking horn button was a switch and no need to think about ground .... I see now is very wrong.

 

I find it curious how they put extra effort into creating the tabbed plate the horn button connects to.

 

 

 

[Jocko_51_B3B]

My B3B had the same grinding/bumping feel in the steering. After disassembling the gear box, I found that the sector and worm gears were badly scarred. Fortunately I had a good donor sector gear which I installed. The worm wasn't as bed so I reused it and I will live with it for now. I'm guessing this problem is common and probably results from driving the truck for years with no gear oil in the gear box.

NOTE: I found out the hard way that you can't just swap out gear boxes between 48-50 Pilothouse trucks with the 51-53 models. In '51 they slightly changed the gear box mounting hole locations in order to lower the steering column and thus the steering wheel. The good news is that the gear box internal parts are interchangeable for all six years.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Jocko_51_B3B

[Los_Control]

On 5/9/2020 at 5:15 PM, Jocko_51_B3B said:

NOTE: I found out the hard way that you can't just swap out gear boxes between 48-50 Pilothouse trucks with the 51-53 models. In '51 they slightly changed the gear box mounting hole locations in order to lower the steering column and thus the steering wheel. The good news is that the gear box internal parts are interchangeable for all six years.

That is a really good tip to know for all of us. Thank you.

 

In this case, I am pretty convinced it is the top bearing on the steering column. After others have brought that bearing to my attention.

With the front end on jack stands, all greased up, the drivers door open, I can hear a slight rumble coming from the cab area ... and the noise matches the roughness I am speaking of.

I may be nit picking issues here, but I know something is not right and was not suspecting a bearing under the wheel.

 

I know on a 70 year old truck this may sound unusual that the steering box is not wore out. Only clues I have is the truck seemed like it was well taken care of, right up until the owner was to old/weak to continue driving  and parked it. Example is the front drums have almost no wear and never been turned ... they were replaced when still available.

The Owner was a guard at the front gate of a gravel pit in a small town, this was his daily driver for decades. Title shows the PO bought it from Healer motor company in 10/08/1970.

I was told the truck was parked 12 years ago, I suspect closer to 20. If he drove it for 35 years he must have taken care of it.

While paint and body sucks, everything mechanical on this truck is like a dream.

[jpellican]

That is the right one for the pulling the drums

[48Dodger]

On ‎5‎/‎9‎/‎2020 at 3:15 PM, Jocko_51_B3B said:

NOTE: I found out the hard way that you can't just swap out gear boxes between 48-50 Pilothouse trucks with the 51-53 models. In '51 they slightly changed the gear box mounting hole locations in order to lower the steering column and thus the steering wheel. The good news is that the gear box internal parts are interchangeable for all six years.

 

I covered that in a Youtube video back 2016.......I'm sorry you missed it Jocko.

 

48D

 

Estrada MotorSports 1948-53 Dodge Trucks: Steering Bracket

Edited May 13, 2020 by 48Dodger

[Jocko_51_B3B]

48 Dodger,

That makes two of us, but me more than you. ☹️ I've watched most, if not all, of your videos and learned a lot. Now if I can just remember all that good stuff. Maybe I better go over 'em again so I don't reinvent the wheel.

Jocko

[Los_Control]

9 minutes ago, Jocko_51_B3B said:

48 Dodger,

That makes two of us, but me more than you. ☹️ I've watched most, if not all,

Yes sir, I agree.

Cant thank 48 Dodger enough, and others like like them that have the talent to make a video of these old cars and trucks. They are very helpful to us that want to learn. And the videos will be around long after we are all gone to help future generations.

[Brent B3B]

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2020 at 11:43 AM, Los_Control said:

I swear I have attention deficit disorder .... going to be a looong build.

I got side tracked with mowing the grass, then thought would like to buy a riding mower and found a cheap rider that needs work at a estate sale.

Came home with a few other items, one is a box of pullers .... funny how life seems to smile on us at times.

 

LOL, you are NOT alone, in fact we need to start a "club" for those who get sidetracked.... been working on my b3b for 35years!

[Brent B3B]

1 hour ago, Jocko_51_B3B said:

48 Dodger,

That makes two of us, but me more than you. ☹️ I've watched most, if not all, of your videos and learned a lot. Now if I can just remember all that good stuff. Maybe I better go over 'em again so I don't reinvent the wheel.

Jocko

yeah, but when we gonna get some "new" vids from him???  come on 48 get on it!!!

(the crowd is chanting in the back ground, "new vids, new vids, new vids....." )

[Los_Control]

1 hour ago, Brent B3B said:

LOL, you are NOT alone, in fact we need to start a "club" for those who get sidetracked.... been working on my b3b for 35years!

I admit, first of all I took a medication for nerve pain ... Gabapentin. It is a mind altering drug to change the way you feel nerve pain.

Same time it is used for Bi-polar people and clear your mind.

For me it worked exactly opposite,

It gave me nerve pain and caused confusion, I took the drug for 3 years.  I could not remember my personal phone number 2 years after I stopped taking the drug.

So I went to a psychiatrist thinking maybe I had early stages of dementia. As years go by I am getting back to myself.

 

When I did work, early years I was a manager at a Bandag retread shop, I worked my way up from the bottom, but always had several things going on at the same time.

Then left that and started construction digging ditches or foundations, and in a few years I was lead carpenter and running a crew. Then I had to deal with all the trades, electricians, plumbers, roofers, granite, inspectors. I always did 10 jobs at once while taking care of my own job.

 

At this point I really do not know if I am just loopy crazy, or just trying to run as I use to, with 10 projects, except I am now a one man team.

FWIW, I have a good time being medically retired 

[Brent B3B]

oh, well there you go, never mind...…

i'm just lazy

 

[Los_Control]

5 minutes ago, Brent B3B said:

i'm just lazy

Just saying, this is the excuse I give to my wife Sonya. And she rolls her eyes and agrees.

While I think I should be intelligent enough to not start 10 projects.

Here I am living the dream. Sewer needs to be completed, new supply lines run into the house,  Porch pickets need to be completed. The kitchen remodel needs completed,

I just for some reason can not stop setting up new projects. The 49 dodge needs completed. List goes on of other projects started and not completed.

For me just seems normal, I can step in and do every job.

Issue is, I am the only employee at this time. I cant do it all.

I am either a idiot, or I need to hire a crew and send them out.  Being a idiot is not that bad.