New here - just got 1946 WC

[Solga]

Hello everyone !

 

     I just wanted to introduce myself, and give a little bit of information about me, the truck I just acquired, and future plans for it.

 

     My name is Adam, I am 46 years old and between my wife and I we have 5 kidz.  The youngest is 14 and the oldest just turned 20 !  I was a law enforcement officer for the better part of 14 years, until I developed a couple medical issues that forced my hand into giving up that career.  Now I am working in a factory as a quality tech. Around May of this year, I was diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer, but I have since had 4 surgeries, and my cancer team is very hopeful that we caught everything quick enough that the surgeries have gotten rid of it.  Enough of that though.

 

     My dad took me to my very first car show when I was about 6 years old (40 years ago...), and since then I have gone to them every year.  I can honestly say I do not remember a year where I did not go to at least 2 car shows.  After I got out of law enforcement, and slowed down a little to enjoy life, I decided that I was going to get a classic car/truck to be able to take to our local car shows.  The 2 biggest shows near me, are almost like 1 big car show, on the same weekend, in neighboring cities (more like towns) called the James Dean Run and the Ducktail run.  Between the 2 shows there are probably more than 3000 cars !   In order to have a car in these shows, it either has to be older than 1972, or be seriously modified.  Anyhow, when I finally started looking for something that I could take to the car show, my dad told me that he was going to sell his '46 Dodge pickup.  He had only owned it for less than 10 years, but is not in the kind of shape to be working on it anymore.  Even still, it was my dad's truck and I couldn't just let him sell it to anyone, so I got it.  I just have to get it from his place to mine, which is a solid 2 hour drive (at normal speeds), and I am going to trailer it rather than take the chance of it breaking down on the way home.

 

     Now, I am a good with my hands, am very comfortable around tools, and would consider myself to have a decent mechanical aptitude.  I am very comfortable with a welder, machinist tools, hydraulic presses etc. so any of the work I do to this truck, will be done by me and my best friend.  Except for body work...I know nothing about it, but I have family that does it so I am good there !

 

     This truck, from what I have seen so far, is in pretty decent shape.  It is 100% complete, and the only thing I know that has been done to it is a 6v to 12v conversion.  It still has the original 218 flathead 6 and 3 speed manual transmission in it.  I could not get it started when I went to my dad's the last time, but he assured me that it will run and go under its own power !  It would hit, like it was trying to start, but just would not start up and stay running.  Nothing I cant figure out, just need to get it home so I can spend some more time with it.  

 

     Future plans for this truck are not very drastic as of now.  I am not a purist by no means, but my main concern and goal for now is just to get a better look at the frame and suspension, and get the thing running reliably so I can drive it to work on nice days, and to a few car shows.  Depending on what I see when I get under the truck will decide more of the fate of its future, but for now there are a few things I want to change/upgrade.  I already know that the wiring is going to have to be reworked and upgraded, because mice have chewed through a couple spots, i could see the insulation peeling off a couple wires, and I was told that the headlights/tail lights barely come on.  The only other problem, that I know of, is the drivers door.  It does not latch, and only holds itself shut because of friction between the bottom of the door, and some triangular shaped ride pad thing.  My dad said he was going to try to put the latch back inside the door and fix the window so it could roll up, but his legs would not work with him long enough to be comfortable working on it.  I know nothing about the latching system for the doors on this Dodge, but it cant be that difficult right ?  I do have a couple books on the way so hopefully that helps.  

 

Eventually, and later down the road, I am wanting to upgrade the brakes to power and discs up front, upgrade the headlights to halogens and the marker and tail lights to LED's, switch to suicide doors, shave the door handles with poppers, move the gas tank to outside the cab and I would also like to add an air ride suspension.  I am also considering changing the 3 speed manual to a 5 speed manual.  None of these things are set in stone, but just ideas off the top of my head, that i would like to see or do in the future.

 

One thing I have noticed in my few weeks of searching, is the information and aftermarket supply is pretty scarce for these trucks !  I found all kinds of things for the 40's Chevy's and Fords but the Dodge seems to be not as popular.  Even more of a reason for me to like this truck, if you ask me !    I will post a picture of my truck, and I know I have some others, I just gotta find which file they are located in.

 

Still trying to think of a good "name" for her ... 

 

Any questions, comments, or criticisms are more than welcome !

Adam S.

Edited September 16, 2021 by Solga

[Solga]

Don't mind the dust and dirt, but here are a few more pictures. ?

[Los_Control]

Welcome to the forum, love your story and your father sounds cool

First thing when these old engines sit, the valves passing through the valve guides, the oil gets gummed up and valves stick.

So when the cam rotates in the engine, the cam lobe goes down, the valve spring just not strong enough to pull the valve back down with it. You have zero compression on that cylinder. The valve is stuck open .... A little push with your finger will close it ... if you could reach it.

 

The other thing with the materials these old rings were made of, they tend to stick to the pistons after sitting for many years.

Again you end up with no compression and a no start on these old engines.

 

There may be a chance you can cure this by filling the cylinders with oil, atf/acetone 50/50% mix. Or straight marvel mystery oil.

First thing is to run a compression check,  write down what you have now.

Then fill with oil of choice and let sit for a few days or a few weeks. And repeat a few times. Check your compression and see i coming up.

 

Very common these old flatheads lose compression while sitting, lubrication is the only cure .... while sometimes they were wore out before parked and a rebuild is needed.

The compression check to see where you are, then again later to see what you gained ... may be your best friend to see what you gained with soaking in oil.

[Solga]

5 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

Welcome to the forum, love your story and your father sounds cool

First thing when these old engines sit, the valves passing through the valve guides, the oil gets gummed up and valves stick.

So when the cam rotates in the engine, the cam lobe goes down, the valve spring just not strong enough to pull the valve back down with it. You have zero compression on that cylinder. The valve is stuck open .... A little push with your finger will close it ... if you could reach it.

 

The other thing with the materials these old rings were made of, they tend to stick to the pistons after sitting for many years.

Again you end up with no compression and a no start on these old engines.

 

There may be a chance you can cure this by filling the cylinders with oil, atf/acetone 50/50% mix. Or straight marvel mystery oil.

First thing is to run a compression check,  write down what you have now.

Then fill with oil of choice and let sit for a few days or a few weeks. And repeat a few times. Check your compression and see i coming up.

 

Very common these old flatheads lose compression while sitting, lubrication is the only cure .... while sometimes they were wore out before parked and a rebuild is needed.

The compression check to see where you are, then again later to see what you gained ... may be your best friend to see what you gained with soaking in oil.

Thank you for the warm welcome and the info on these engines !  I am (was) more partial to the Chevy small block V8's all growing up, and continued with them all the way up through the LS series engines.  I could tear down a Chevy V6 or V8 blindfolded, and as long as someone set the torque wrench/torque angle wrench, I could put it back together and start it !  With that said, other than basic engine knowledge, I have absolutely 0 experience with these flathead inline 6's, so any input is much appreciated !

I really don't want to get away from the flathead, it has a certain sound and look feel to it that I like.  I may have to do some research to see if I can get a 230ci (or bigger) to fit with little to minor modifications. 

Thanks again !

Adam S.

 

[Young Ed]

Couple things first welcome! Love the truck I have 2 WCs myself. First is stock second I'm working on with a 218 5spd swap and modern rear gear. I completely agree get it going first. You may find you love it as is. Personally other than washing it I wouldn't touch that body. You are also in luck the gas tank in stock position is already outside the cab. 

 

 

 

 

[Solga]

Young Ed, this just goes to show how little I know about these trucks right now.  I figured with the gas cap behind the drivers door, the gas tank was in the cab, under the drivers seat. Also, washing it is the only intentions for the body right now.  However, I am not a fan of that green color at all.  Like I previously mentioned, I'm not a die hard purist so when I am satisfied with the stance and how the truck runs, I will be having it painted to a different color scheme. 

My dad was wanting to turn it into a resto-mod type truck with a modern drive train and suspension in it.  I started (briefly) looking into that option, but with a severe lack of aftermarket support for these trucks, I have decided to keep the flathead, for now.  Another thing I am not at all a fan of, is the wood 'headboard' and wood on the tail gate.  That will probably be the first thing I do, is remove that wood. Even though my dad bought the truck with the headboard and tail boards on it already, I am debating on asking my dad if he wants it back, or making something out of the wood to give to him.   I am definitely keeping the wood in the bed !

[Los_Control]

Be interesting to see which years had the wood tailgate inserts?

 

You have something custom that was never original for any year.

 

[Young Ed]

16 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

Be interesting to see which years had the wood tailgate inserts?

 

You have something custom that was never original for any year.

 

Yes the wood is custom with what appears to be an extra hood script in the center. 

[Young Ed]

The filler goes through the cab to the frame mounted gas tank. 

 

 

 

 

[Solga]

Again, Thank you both for the replies, and pictures !  

I know it is not much to go off of now, but once it has a bath and I have a chance to give it a more thorough lookover, I will get some new pictures and post on here.

 

Adam S.

[Happy 46R]

Hi and welcome from North of the 48th. You asked about a name maybe "Saving Grace" or "Salvation" could be options as it appears to be something you and your dad can talk about and work on as you want to. I was reading a story on the forum last night but unfortunately cannot locate it again. It has 10 pages of information about a truck redo but the reason it was noteworthy is it had a link to a Dodge truck only supplier of parts and accessories. If I find it again I will shoot you the link. Again welcome and enjoy! Dave

[JBNeal]

That buggy looks purty good (except for the spaghetti under the hood), I also vote for getting it going with the flathead as it has a certain novelty wow factor.  These old trucks fall into the basic transportation category in many ways...want a cupholder?  use your legs

[Veemoney]

Welcome,

I have a 47WC with a 230 and stock 4speed. From the pictures your truck looks great and should clean up nicely with some soap and water. If you haven't gone to the download section yet check it out, there are files available there for rebuilding the engine, carb, fuel pumps and wiring along with other cool old poster ads.  

[Solga]

Happy 46R,  Down here where I live, we call the North of the 48* Gods country, just because its so beautiful up there.   Thanks for the name suggestions, it actually helped figure one out for the truck.  My wife actually picked it out.  One of the things my dad and I have in common is we both love fireworks.  I have put on several private firework displays of my own that rivaled the local city & county shows.  Granted, I did not have the budget of some of the big cities and casinos, but for small town USA my show was the best around.  Anyhow, her new name is "Willow" ?.  

 

JBNeal,  the "spaghetti" drives my OCD absolutely bonkers, and is the main reason why the wiring will be the very first I tackle.  I will be at least figuring out where everything goes, whether it works properly, and bringing it up to a bit more aesthetic standards before trying to go crazy and hide as much wiring as possible.  I can appreciate the original looks, but I don't see myself getting the original style wiring, however.  Oh, and I love the classic cup holder idea !! ??

 

VeeMoney,  Thank you very much for mentioning the download section !  I have searched posts on here for a couple weeks now, but have not fully explored the site yet.  That information will definitely come in handy !  It may be just what I need to familiarize myself with these trucks and refresh my carburetor skills. I have been dealing with fuel injection for so long, I am not so sure I even remember what a carb looks like, lol.  I did just buy a coupe books to help with this process as well. Just waiting on the snail mail now.

 

Adam S.

[JBNeal]

additional information - Links to Build Threads

[Solga]

JBNeal, you are most definitely a wealth of information on this site !  Thank you, yet again !

 

Adam S.

[lostviking]

There are quite a few places to get both new, repop and old parts. 

 

bookmarks_9_18_21.html

[The Oil Soup]

I have disc brakes on the front, drums on back and Cherokee master cylinder, the truck stops fine without power assist.

[Solga]

Lostviking, Thank you for the links !  You all have definitely given me more than enough reading and research to last me a while !

 

The Oil Soup,  I am not sure if that information was meant for my thread, but I appreciate the info !  I see you are from Tucson... I lived in Phoenix for a couple years when I was younger (20ish years ago), and I loved it out there !! Made several trips down to Tucson and back also.  I remember driving into a dust storm on the way down one time, and that was something to remember !! My uncle told me to stop driving, until the storm passed... when the dust cleared, I was already about 10 feet off the road, and never realized it.  Glad I didn't keep going !

 

Adam S.

[lostviking]

11 hours ago, The Oil Soup said:

I have disc brakes on the front, drums on back and Cherokee master cylinder, the truck stops fine without power assist.

Don't want to hijack, but what master cylinder and proportioning valve?

[The Oil Soup]

The master cylinder and proportioning valve mounted underneath were off of a ‘93 Cherokee. Some don’t care for it because of the plastic construction and would prefer all metal look.

 

Solga, I did post the info for you because you mention power brakes and Im not sure that is necessary. The dust storm or haboob is very unique to this part of the country.

 

[Solga]

Oh yeah !! I remember those skies, The Oil Soup ! Brings back lots of good memories of my, now deceased, uncle Jon.  He lived out there my whole life, and that's who I originally lived with when I moved out there.

Man, I sure do miss him, AND that part of the country !!! 

Thanks for the update on the brakes too.  I get side tracked easily, and sometimes forget my name too. The wife says I'm ADHD but I just can't seem to remember where I put my keys ... ??

[Solga]

Just picked this up yesterday ! 

Thank you Vern !! 

And thank you too @keithb7 !!! 

 

Now it's time to start tearing into it, and start learning. ?

[keithb7]

@SolgaYou are welcome. Not sure what I contributed to this thread though! 

 

Wait a sec, is that the engine I hooked you up with? Awesome! Glad to see it all worked out. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by keithb7

[lostviking]

Check your ignition switch...that coil might not be correct. In my 46 the coil is mounted to the firewall, and is locked via high voltage leads from the ignition switch. Not that I think it's required if you just hook things up correctly and ignore the leads from the switch.

 

Just something I noticed. If you still have the coil sticking out of the dash, and it tests OK, might as well keep it stock.