Lonesome7.3
By whatever means necessary …
Got a Trac Lock. Now I just have to get it in. I have been out of town recently so no progress in a while.
Project: Papa’s Dodge, stage one.
- Thread starter Lonesome7.3
- Start date
Lonesome7.3
By whatever means necessary …
Got back to work on the Dodge. I pulled the carrier and hosed out a lot of the slime. What concerns me is the metal chunks I found. They are not big but there is a bunch. This debris is not from normal wear and tear. The confusing part is nothing looks damaged. All the teeth and bearings look great. I even found them in the axle tubes.
Another thing that has me both confused and upset. My granddaddy ordered this truck with 4:11 gears. I even have the original build sheet and the order form for this truck. They clearly state he ordered 4:11 gears. However, the ring gear is marked with 3:54. I cleaned up the diff tag and it matches the ring gear markings. Either something has been changed at some point in this truck’s life, or Dodge did not fulfill my granddaddy’s order. I think I see why this truck gets such good gas mileage now.
Oh, I know it looks like the dif has rust in it. But that is the light from the flash. The diff looks nothing like that in person.
Another thing that has me both confused and upset. My granddaddy ordered this truck with 4:11 gears. I even have the original build sheet and the order form for this truck. They clearly state he ordered 4:11 gears. However, the ring gear is marked with 3:54. I cleaned up the diff tag and it matches the ring gear markings. Either something has been changed at some point in this truck’s life, or Dodge did not fulfill my granddaddy’s order. I think I see why this truck gets such good gas mileage now.
Oh, I know it looks like the dif has rust in it. But that is the light from the flash. The diff looks nothing like that in person.
Progress is progress whether fast or slow. 
Assuming the truck originally did come with 4:11 gears, could the metal fragments be left over from when the original 4:11 gears were changed to 3:54 and be behind the reason for the change?
Assuming the truck originally did come with 4:11 gears, could the metal fragments be left over from when the original 4:11 gears were changed to 3:54 and be behind the reason for the change?
Lonesome7.3
By whatever means necessary …
That is possible. But it is rare for some one to change diff tag when they change gears.
Lonesome7.3
By whatever means necessary …
Today’s journey began as I passed a salvage yard and noticed they had an old ¾ ton Dodge truck sitting out front that had not been processed yet. I picked up this trailer plug and tried to buy other parts. The front E load rang tires looked decent but he wanted $60 a piece. I need a spare but not for that. I am considering going back and getting the intake and Quadrajet sitting on top of the 360 under the hood.
Cannot do much with carrier today, the bearing separator I have is the wrong size. I will have to go to a buddy’s shop tomorrow and see if he can help me get them off the old carrier.
So, I attacked the interior. I want to address the surface rust on the floor boards before it gets any worse. The first thing I did was pull the seat. Judging by the under coating on the studs, I am guessing the seat has never been removed. I used a die to clean the threads so I do not destroy them when I pull bust the nuts off. I noticed the door seals looked bad and I did not know what to do about them. Then I remembered the donor truck. That truck is like herpes, but the good kind. You know the gift that keeps on giving. Those door seal looked pretty good. After pulling the old seals off I noticed some minor rust. I will address that as well. Now I clean, prep and paint. First I want to get the HVAC pulled apart and address the leaves falling out onto the floorboard.
Cannot do much with carrier today, the bearing separator I have is the wrong size. I will have to go to a buddy’s shop tomorrow and see if he can help me get them off the old carrier.
So, I attacked the interior. I want to address the surface rust on the floor boards before it gets any worse. The first thing I did was pull the seat. Judging by the under coating on the studs, I am guessing the seat has never been removed. I used a die to clean the threads so I do not destroy them when I pull bust the nuts off. I noticed the door seals looked bad and I did not know what to do about them. Then I remembered the donor truck. That truck is like herpes, but the good kind. You know the gift that keeps on giving. Those door seal looked pretty good. After pulling the old seals off I noticed some minor rust. I will address that as well. Now I clean, prep and paint. First I want to get the HVAC pulled apart and address the leaves falling out onto the floorboard.
Lonesome7.3
By whatever means necessary …
Got the bearing pulled today. I was hoping I could reuse them. But after cleaning them we could see pitting. We cracked the outer shell off after that because it was easier to use an air chisel. The pitting was worse than I thought as you can see. I mic'ed the bearing surfaces and they checked out. So all I need now are the new bearing and races.
Having issues with the seat belt. I thought the plastic cover slid off so I could access the bolt. That did not work. Any ideas how to get the damn thing out?
Also, the HVAC assembley is going to be big task. I need some input on how to remove it.
Having issues with the seat belt. I thought the plastic cover slid off so I could access the bolt. That did not work. Any ideas how to get the damn thing out?
Also, the HVAC assembley is going to be big task. I need some input on how to remove it.
Lonesome7.3
By whatever means necessary …
I hate that I have neglected this truck so much. But one of the problems with this build is now rectified. I just loaded the old girl up on the trailer so I can get back to work in my new shop. Now the weather will no longer be a factor.
Also, this is the first time the full weight of the truck as sat down on the newish springs. Looks to me like it will be the correct ride height once they settle.
DISCLAIMER
Before anyone points it out… I am well aware that hauling a load with all the weight on the tail of the trailer is a significant no no. Normally I would not do that. But this load is going right around the corner without traveling down any busy streets. I doubt the truck pulling the load will even get to 15mph
Also, this is the first time the full weight of the truck as sat down on the newish springs. Looks to me like it will be the correct ride height once they settle.
DISCLAIMER
Before anyone points it out… I am well aware that hauling a load with all the weight on the tail of the trailer is a significant no no. Normally I would not do that. But this load is going right around the corner without traveling down any busy streets. I doubt the truck pulling the load will even get to 15mph
I load vehicles like that all the time! The only suggestion I would make is if you were going to pull it on a long trip would be back it up to the front of the trailer as much as you can. Tandem axles give you a little more grace than single axle trailers if they are a little overloaded.
I can't wait to see how this project takes off now!
I can't wait to see how this project takes off now!
Lonesome7.3
By whatever means necessary …
With a load that heavy I am not sure one end is that much heavier than the other. But I agree, if I had to haul it backwards a long distance, sinching it up as much as possible would be the best way.
Lonesome7.3
By whatever means necessary …
I know it does not seem like much. But I have chipped away at the old Dodge here and there when I have had the chance lately. I am ready to install the carrier and I found the solution to cutting a neat hole in the HVAC box. I like the deck plate idea but a hole saw that big was very costly and hard to find than I thought it would be. This adjustable hole cutter seems like it will do the job.
