"Ran When Parked" 1954 Dodge C 3/4 Ton

[DrFate77]

I'd been meaning to get a thread started for our project, this site has truly been a huge resource for me so far.

 

We're about a year in working on grandpa's '54 Dodge pickup - I think the VIN has it as a C-1-C 3/4 ton. He was the second owner, the first being the local mailman. Grandpa bought it from him in '56 and used it as a farm truck on his western Kansas farm, partly to haul sheep to the sale barn. He quit driving it after he got a new truck in the '70s sometime, and it had been parked out behind a shed ever since. I don't think the truck has ever moved under its own power in my lifetime, but grandpa swears it was running when he parked it last. My brothers and I used to play around on it when we were kids and I always thought it would be cool to restore. I finally asked him if he'd sell it to me to try to fix up, but he said I could just take it on the condition that I don't bring it back to him. lol. So two Thankgiving's ago, I borrowed a trailer to haul it back home and start in on it.  It was a job getting it unstuck and loaded, it was buried in mud up to the axles and did not come easy. Here's a video for your entertainment. https://youtu.be/R6dHknzmZR8

 

Most of the last year has been spent getting it tore down and cleaned up, I'll post a few more pictures here to bring us up to today. 

[Tooljunkie]

Thats a good looking truck you got there. Restoring, or running/driving or going for the whole enchilada, chassis swap and updated driveline? 

[PT81PlymouthPickup]

Nice truck. Some would pay many thousands to create that patina.

[Dodgeb4ya]

Wish the video wasn't private.?

[Merle Coggins]

9 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

Wish the video wasn't private.?

 

I was able to watch it... That little Allis Chalmers has it's hands full getting it out of the ruts. 

[FlashBuddy]

Everything one wants in a video; farm, tractor, dog, truck. I could smell the fuel burning! Ya know, next time air up those tires. It'll tow a little easier! 

[CO54]

Nice looking truck, funny how some of your patina looks the same as mine around the windshield area. 

[ggdad1951]

Coulda used the tractor to pull it up instead of the come along...been there done that (both ways)...that's a LOT of ratcheting! 

 

Looks good, can't wait to see what you do with it!

[dcotant]

Something so right in working the come along to begin the journey, I agree that is a lot of ratcheting but it builds ownership! Looking forward to pictures of your rebuild.

[Lingle]

great looking truck!  I had a similar experience with my B3F, although it took a come-a-long plust a small 542B(gas) Bobcat skid loader to load it...even with fully aired tires!

[David A.]

Nice truck. Enjoyed the pictures and the video!

[DrFate77]

Hey all, thanks for the comments. There probably was an easier way we could have loaded it, lol. I remember we had a hard time getting it to track straight up the ramps and on to the trailer. With the tires in shreds it took a lot of rewinding and fussing to get pulled up squarely. We were all working on it well after dark with the cold wind howling, which made it feel sort of like grave robbery. 

I think the patina's great even though it's not very even. The side facing the field got stripped mostly bare over the years while the shed side of the truck is actually pretty nicely preserved. All things considered, it's in good shape for sitting outside so long. We're doing disc brakes and rebuilding the engine, new glass, etc but I'm going to keep the rest as stock as possible. The body is covered in dents, welds, and years of farm fixes so I'm inclined to leave it with as much character as we can get away with. 

First thing was getting it cleaned up, and then found a nice day in February to get the engine pulled. I thought about trying to rebuild the engine myself, but realized the truck would never get finished that way. So we loaded up the engine and sent it to the garage my brother works at to get that part done.

[JBNeal]

additional information - bullseye halogen conversion

[DrFate77]

Thanks for the tip about the headlights. I dropped the doghouse off with a friend to get some bad cracks welded but as soon as I get it back I can start thinking about what to do with that part. 

[DrFate77]

Scope creep set in shortly after getting the engine sent off. The goal was to get the frame cleaned up and painted while it was relatively easy to get to. So the cab, bed, and running boards came off, along with steering column, pedal linkages, brake lines, and what was left of the wiring after the field mice got through with it. Then we realized the spring u-bolts and shackles were in bad shape so we went ahead and took the axles and springs off too.

 

 

 

 

The gas tank and radiator are beyond repair. Not sure what to do about the radiator yet, but I got into the idea of moving the gas tank under the bed so I ordered a '70 Mustang tank from Rock Auto. The fitment seems like it'll do the trick, hopefully soon I can get around to getting mounts fabbed up for it. 

 

 

 

At some point I was left with just the frame on sawhorses, and I spent a few months with a wire wheel and electric pressure washer cleaning it up in the driveway. Right as cold weather hit, we got it moved inside to brush on a few coats of Eastwood's chassis paint. Those fumes were gnarly, huge credit to my very patient fiancé for putting up with that smell. 

 

 

 

[JBNeal]

additional information - radiator replacement 

[RobertKB]

You're being very ambitious but that is a good thing. You'll love it all the more when it's finally done and driveable. That old girl was stuck pretty deep into the ground so I am not surprised there were issues with shackles, spring, axles, etc. Good luck with the project and keep the pictures coming as we all like pictures!

[ggdad1951]

On 1/10/2021 at 12:30 AM, DrFate77 said:

Thanks for the tip about the headlights. I dropped the doghouse off with a friend to get some bad cracks welded but as soon as I get it back I can start thinking about what to do with that part. 

I was going to do that conversion, even have all the parts...then ran across some NOS ones....much easier!  LOL

[DrFate77]

Just wrapped up the rear axle, getting that figured out has taken up most of this winter so far. The original plan was to reuse the stock rear axle and drum brakes, but when we tried to pull off the drums we managed to crack one of them straight through. At that point, getting a newer axle with disc brakes started to make more sense dollar wise than replacing and rebuilding drums. 

 

Pick-N-Pull had a few '90s Grand Cherokees, this '96 Laredo had the least amount of rust on it. The number plate is illegible but it would have had a Dana D44A axle, with a 3.73 ratio?  Took two trips for us to get it removed. 

 

 

 

 

The folks on this site were right, Grand Cherokee rear axle dimensions are more or less spot on with stock and the driveshaft bolts right up. The GC axle is 5 x 4.5 vs the 3/4 ton's stock 5 x 5 bolt pattern, but that's not a big deal for us. My stock wheels are rusted through and unsafe so I'll be looking for different wheels at some point anyway. 

 

 

 

A half dozen cutting and grinding wheels later and all the stock brackets were gone. 

 

 

My dad is a retired architect, so I brought him in to check us on the perch geometry. We leveled the trailer we were using to work on, put the stock axle on jack stands, raised the front until the perches were level, and got the drop-down measurement from where the driveshaft connects. Then we put the new axle in its place, matched the dropdown, and clamped down the perches level at the right width from center. 

 

 

 

Tractor Supply's weld-on trailer perches are a good equivalent. My brother knocked out the welding. Doesn't have to be pretty as long as it holds!

 

 

 

Then finished cleaning it up and drained the oil. We also took the opportunity to unpin the axle shafts and replace the seals while we were in there. 

 

 

Then painted it with black chassis paint, ordered new U-bolts, and reinstalled everything. 

 

 

 

[Merle Coggins]

Missed it by a few years. I believe ‘99 and up Grand Cherokee’s have 5 X 5” wheel pattern. 

[Dave72dt]

It might be a good idea to put something other than cinder blocks under those jack stands.  They've been known to break, especially when on their side and even if only one breaks, it'll all come down and mess up that hard work you've put in, or you, if you're under it.

[RobertKB]

14 hours ago, Dave72dt said:

It might be a good idea to put something other than cinder blocks under those jack stands.  They've been known to break, especially when on their side and even if only one breaks, it'll all come down and mess up that hard work you've put in, or you, if you're under it.

Totally agree. Disaster waiting to happen, especially as more weight goes on. 

[DrFate77]

Definitely, appreciate the concern. The frame was on sawhorses and we needed some temporary reach getting the axle in. We're back on solid ground with jack stands now. 

[RobertKB]

Ok. Good news.
 

Keep the great pictures coming please as you continue with the restoration. We all like pictures!

[DrFate77]

Hey thanks. I could use some pro tips on the transmission. I scrubbed the outside and rinsed the sludge out of the inside with mineral spirits, now just trying to figure out what else ought to be done. The bearings spin smooth and seem to be in good shape. Are repro cork gaskets the way to go or can I get away with gasket paper and RTV? I'm going to use the Grand Cherokee parking brake, can the transmission brake drum be safely omitted? Appreciate any advice, transmissions aren't my specialty.