First Foray - Just Purchased 1953 Dodge B3B

[Oliver]

16 hours ago, Dodgeed said:

First of all, congratulations on your new truck. Looks great. Secondly, before I saw the BrentB3B comment above, I had the same thought: the rear fenders, and the front of the truck, looks like a '51 or '52. Are you certain it is a '53? My '51 has rear fenders from a '53, so it is something I typically just happen to notice. The '51 came with rear rounded fenders, mine, the '51, has flattened out '53 rear fenders. Either way, both look pretty good, IMHO. ?

Hi. Thanks for the input. I see what you and Brent were saying with the rear fenders. The serial number on the frame will be able to determine this? Tried looking briefly when I got home tonight, and I see where it is, just too difficult to make it out. It’s going to take some work so I’ll have to try maybe this weekend. I can read the engine number. There is no plate on the door. Thanks again. Love the color scheme on yours. 

[Merle Coggins]

The B3 series were manufactured in ‘51 and ‘52. Yours may have been a late ‘52 production that was sold and titled in ‘53, thus reflecting that on the title. This was common back then. Many states used the year of purchase as the model year on the title. My B2C was built in December of 1950, near the end of B2 production, likely purchased in spring of 1951, and the title says it’s a ‘51. I still refer to it as a ‘50 though as it makes more sense to us Pilot-House junkies that a B2C would be a 1950 model. 

[wallytoo]

the dashboard chrome center trim is also from a ‘51 or ‘52.  a ‘53 has d-o-d-g-e rather than the plate.  the wiper switch is also ‘51/‘52.  the ‘53 switch is round.

Edited November 26, 2021 by wallytoo

[Oliver]

So I’ve been trying to figure this out. I have the engine number and the body plate(?) number. I found the frame number but it’s hard to make out from under the paint. Still working on that. Any tips? 
The title says ‘53 but could be as Merle mentioned earlier, a ‘52 titled in ‘53 I guess. The vin on the title is the engine number? 
 

Still good to have all the numbers documented. 

[wallytoo]

well, it wasn’t a ‘53 based on a LOT of sheetmetal cues.  if it is a ‘53, virtually none of the sheetmetal is original.

[Brent B3B]

1 hour ago, Oliver said:

I found the frame number but it’s hard to make out from under the paint. Still working on that. Any tips? 

I had luck using a wire wheel on my drill. it removed enough to make out the numbers…. I wrote them down and repainted the area 

 

Hey Oliver, 51,52 or 53 in the end …. Your still in the “cool club” for owning it ?

[48Dodger]

Hey Oliver, if you wanna join the 48-50 club of "cool kids", that pesky 51-53 nose will pop right off and except a 48-50 nose....then you'll get some chrome boooy! lol

48D

 

                      

[Oliver]

1 hour ago, 48Dodger said:

Hey Oliver, if you wanna join the 48-50 club of "cool kids", that pesky 51-53 nose will pop right off and except a 48-50 nose....then you'll get some chrome boooy! lol

48D

 

                      

“Well, it's a '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56
'57, '58' 59' automobile” - Reminded me of that Johnny Cash song - One piece at a time. Lol, Good idea and nice looking truck!

[Brent B3B]

6 hours ago, 48Dodger said:

Hey Oliver, if you wanna join the 48-50 club of "cool kids", that pesky 51-53 nose will pop right off and except a 48-50 nose....then you'll get some chrome boooy! lol

48D

 

                      

your tie is crooked ?

[48Dodger]

8 minutes ago, Brent B3B said:

your tie is crooked ?

Its what happens when one hides 500hp under the hood. ?....Oh, and get hitched to a woman WAY out of your league!

            -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Youtube: Finding those dern frame numbers....its towards the end of the video.

 

48D

Edited December 1, 2021 by 48Dodger

[ggdad1951]

4 hours ago, 48Dodger said:

Its what happens when one hides 500hp under the hood. ?....Oh, and get hitched to a woman WAY out of your league!

            -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Youtube: Finding those dern frame numbers....its towards the end of the video.

 

48D

 

well, one of those is right....

[Oliver]

Looking to get a new bench seat cover and seat kit (the guts) for stock bench. Was looking at Vics, DCM, and Robert’s so far for purchasing. Anyone have experience with any of their products for this and/or preferences?

Also, is this something that I can do myself, being handy but never having Re-done a seat before. I saw one site recommended an upholsterer to install. Thanks. 

[Merle Coggins]

I got a seat upholstery kit from Roberts back when I was building my truck. I installed it myself and it looked OK. However, I found that the springs didn't offer enough support on longer drives. I eventually took the seat to an upholsterer. He was able to remove the cover and add some extra foam, reusing that cover from Roberts. It's much more comfortable now. 

[Oliver]

Thanks Merle. I’m going to order the kit from Robert’s and give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll end up at an upholsterer like you did. 

[48Dodger]

On 11/21/2021 at 9:39 AM, Oliver said:

heres one question....does it need those quarter windows to be considered a pilot house? Therefore making mine NOT a pilot house. Or was it more about the stance of the cab and those quarter windows were extra options?

 

 

Here's a video that covers some of that....

Yes, that's me in the video, and no I'm not an actor...lol.

 

Estrada MotorSports 1948-53 Dodge Trucks : Identification notes part 2

 

48D

Edited January 28, 2022 by 48Dodger

[Oliver]

 

Decided to start taking the bench seat apart. Was hoping to find a build sheet or a treasure map but instead found a lot of mouse poop and acorn shells.
Did however also find this tag on the back section of the seat. Anyone know it’s significance or if there’s any way this is tracked or matched? 

[bkahler]

On 4/3/2022 at 8:38 PM, Oliver said:

 

Decided to start taking the bench seat apart. Was hoping to find a build sheet or a treasure map but instead found a lot of mouse poop and acorn shells.
Did however also find this tag on the back section of the seat. Anyone know it’s significance or if there’s any way this is tracked or matched? 

 

 

I believe that is the part number assigned by Dodge.  My 51 B3B had the following tag in the bottom cushion.  Like you I also found the mouse poop and shells

 

 

[JBNeal]

I cleaned out several seat cushion frames that were a GD mess and found evidence of rodent shenanigans aplenty, as well as the tags shown and came to the same conclusion.  I even found a remnant of a newspaper ad for the New Datsun B210  

My suggestion is to try and finagle some of the springs in the middle over to the driver side before recovering...I've got a few busted springs on the driver side but those in the middle look brand new.

[Oliver]

Finally got the paint removed to see the frame #. It is a ‘52 as you guys correctly figured from the body details. Also got the seats recovered and some auto carpeting around the pedal area. 
 

Now for the new issue…after not really driving for a few months due to weather I went to take the truck out and realized I no longer have breaks. Pedal goes to the floor and almost no stopping ability.  Any pointers as to what to look into or possibilities as to why this would happen. No leaks under the truck (from the brakes at least lol). Brakes are stock/original setup. Only thing I did was glue down some auto carpeting around the pedal area but didn’t interfere with the pedals at all. 
 

Any help or suggestions on where to look or proceed would be appreciated. I’ve been thinking a lot about switching to disc brakes but haven’t convinced myself yet. 

[wallytoo]

could be a slow leak from the master.  if it has been sitting, the leak might be dry (and the master). 

[Merle Coggins]

Often times during extended parking the wheel cylinder cup seals will relax and begin to seep fluid. You can usually spot trails on the insides of the tires where it drips and runs down. You may be able to fill up the master cylinder and bleed the brakes and all will be good again, for a while. It's best to do a thorough inspection of the brake system for signs of leakage. 

[Oliver]

So, I still haven’t gotten a chance to check out the brake situation. And it feels like the summer is slipping away without really getting to enjoy the truck on the road. Hopefully in the next week my buddy can give me a hand with bleeding the brakes. I’ll let you guys know what we find and thanks for the suggestions. Already missed the local car show which I was hoping to be my first as a participant. 
 

I did however just receive a headliner kit from DCM. Excited to finally cover over the silver sound dampening material and have it look like a normal interior. It is the ABS “look a like” material. Has anyone installed and/or painted one of these? I’m looking to paint it a medium gray. Any suggestions on what type of paint would be best? 
Thanks again as always. 

[Young Ed]

I painted my 46s a brown without too much trouble. Back when quiet ride was selling direct they had tips on painting 

[John-T-53]

18 minutes ago, Oliver said:

So, I still haven’t gotten a chance to check out the brake situation. And it feels like the summer is slipping away without really getting to enjoy the truck on the road. Hopefully in the next week my buddy can give me a hand with bleeding the brakes. I’ll let you guys know what we find and thanks for the suggestions. Already missed the local car show which I was hoping to be my first as a participant. 
 

I did however just receive a headliner kit from DCM. Excited to finally cover over the silver sound dampening material and have it look like a normal interior. It is the ABS “look a like” material. Has anyone installed and/or painted one of these? I’m looking to paint it a medium gray. Any suggestions on what type of paint would be best? 
Thanks again as always. 

 

Would recommend that specialty plastic/vinyl paint by the brand "SEM" : https://www.semproducts.com/

[Merle Coggins]

Yes, I believe the SEM paint is what Quiet Ride Solutions recommended. But I recall that I used a Krylon paint for plastics and it has held up well.