Re: Where to start finishing 54 Fargo?
[Re: Vinny_Bulloch]
#1510688
10/01/13 09:34 PM
10/01/13 09:34 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,555
Freeport IL USA
poorboy
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,555
Freeport IL USA
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Vinny, welcome to the board. I had a 54 Dodge pickup and don't recall any trim around the windows except the rubber & felt pieces that were against the glass itself. They are available from www.robertsmotorparts.com Wipers are an issue. The 54 & 55 had a unique setup, were 6 volt only, and are not easy to find. Dodge went to 12 volts in the late 50s or very early 60s on trucks, it may be possible to locate the complete wiper system from one of the early 12 volt versions and put everything in your truck. Beyond that, you will have to adapt something new aftermarket (they are not afraid to charge a lot of $$ for their stuff) or adapt a system from a later model car or truck. Now that I responded, someone here will show you something I didn't know about, which would be good. Gene
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Re: Where to start finishing 54 Fargo?
[Re: Vinny_Bulloch]
#1510693
10/03/13 11:09 PM
10/03/13 11:09 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,555
Freeport IL USA
poorboy
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,555
Freeport IL USA
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You definitely need the voltage stepped down, and an ignition ballast resistor does not work, it reduces the amperage too much. A 6 volt wiper motor on 12 volts really moves fast, and the can live a while if you don't run them for long periods of time. I think the 6 volt one on my 54 Dodge lasted a couple of years until I was in a pretty heavy rain one day and smoke rolled out from under the dash as the wipers stopped at mid stroke. It was a pretty exciting few minutes shortly after that, had to pull over to open the windows and let the smoke out of the cab.  I think I would look into a remote electric lock system, the original stuff was pretty lame. There is only a lock on one door, the passenger side here in the states, and it looks like it was an after thought, a very strange setup only used a few years. I know there was a set screw that held the key lock cylinder in the door, and a square rod that is attached to the back of the key lock cylinder goes into the latch assembly. If you push the inside door handle forward, it will lock the door from the inside. If your key lock assembly is still intact, and you can get it out of the door, a locksmith should be able to make a key to match your lock tumblers, or change the tumblers to match a key you may have. Most I've seen, the key cylinder self destructs upon removal from the door. Gene
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Re: Where to start finishing 54 Fargo?
[Re: Vinny_Bulloch]
#1510697
10/05/13 01:36 PM
10/05/13 01:36 PM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 773
Crofton, Ky.
rattler
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 773
Crofton, Ky.
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Vinny, do you know if the door locks are different from a 57? Mine are held in with a clip like later models. If 57 locks will work, I have a set that do not have keys. If you can have keys made, I"ll send them to you.
1957 Dodge truck, Snakeskin Green with a little stroker motor. 1964 Plymouth Savoy wagon ( my new project)
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Re: Where to start finishing 54 Fargo?
[Re: Vinny_Bulloch]
#1510699
10/06/13 12:05 PM
10/06/13 12:05 PM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 773
Crofton, Ky.
rattler
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 773
Crofton, Ky.
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Vinny, just send me a PM when you find out if you need them. I"ll help you out if I can.
1957 Dodge truck, Snakeskin Green with a little stroker motor. 1964 Plymouth Savoy wagon ( my new project)
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Re: Where to start finishing 54 Fargo?
[Re: poorboy]
#1510700
10/06/13 05:51 PM
10/06/13 05:51 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,427
Dandridge TN
Dabee
master
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master
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,427
Dandridge TN
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Quote:
Vinny, welcome to the board.
I had a 54 Dodge pickup and don't recall any trim around the windows except the rubber & felt pieces that were against the glass itself. They are available from www.robertsmotorparts.com
Wipers are an issue. The 54 & 55 had a unique setup, were 6 volt only, and are not easy to find. Dodge went to 12 volts in the late 50s or very early 60s on trucks, it may be possible to locate the complete wiper system from one of the early 12 volt versions and put everything in your truck. Beyond that, you will have to adapt something new aftermarket (they are not afraid to charge a lot of $$ for their stuff) or adapt a system from a later model car or truck.
Now that I responded, someone here will show you something I didn't know about, which would be good.
Gene
Poor boy, my 55 Dodge had a vacuum wiper motor in it. I believe the electric motor was an option. I ended up using a wiper system for a 55 Chevy PU. I had to modify the linkage and have special pivots made. The only issue with the Chevy motor is it goes round and round and not back and forth like the Dodge motor,so I had to place the right wiper blade up rather than lay it down toward the center.
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Re: Where to start finishing 54 Fargo?
[Re: Dabee]
#1510701
10/07/13 10:12 PM
10/07/13 10:12 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,555
Freeport IL USA
poorboy
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,555
Freeport IL USA
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Quote:
Quote:
Vinny, welcome to the board.
I had a 54 Dodge pickup and don't recall any trim around the windows except the rubber & felt pieces that were against the glass itself. They are available from www.robertsmotorparts.com
Wipers are an issue. The 54 & 55 had a unique setup, were 6 volt only, and are not easy to find. Dodge went to 12 volts in the late 50s or very early 60s on trucks, it may be possible to locate the complete wiper system from one of the early 12 volt versions and put everything in your truck. Beyond that, you will have to adapt something new aftermarket (they are not afraid to charge a lot of $$ for their stuff) or adapt a system from a later model car or truck.
Now that I responded, someone here will show you something I didn't know about, which would be good.
Gene
Poor boy, my 55 Dodge had a vacuum wiper motor in it. I believe the electric motor was an option. I ended up using a wiper system for a 55 Chevy PU. I had to modify the linkage and have special pivots made. The only issue with the Chevy motor is it goes round and round and not back and forth like the Dodge motor,so I had to place the right wiper blade up rather than lay it down toward the center.
53 & 54 electric wipers are completely different then the vacuum versions. The electric wiper motors in a 53 & 54 are strange critters, with the electric motor mounted in the center with a separate transmission on each side of the motor, each transmission runs its respective wiper with a circular but opposite rotation. Each side of the linkage connects to its transmission on one end and the wiper pivot on the other end. Its a very simple setup, except for having the motor in the center of 2 transmissions. The 53 is a little larger then the 54 was, but I'm not sure how long Dodge used either one. I'm going to have to dig up my old melted down electric wiper motor assembly and take a picture of it. I kept it thinking maybe I could find someone that could convert the motor to 12 volts and rewind it, but the truck sold before that ever happened.
On my 54, I just mounted a 70s wiper motor and used just the driver side wiper blade on both my 53 (my 50 blue Dodge 4x4 that got wrecked a couple years ago had a 53 cab) & my 54. If a guy doesn't mind modifying wiper linkage, most any electric wiper motor can be used. If you have the room to flip the passenger side wiper pivot in the opposite direction then the driver side pivot, then a single direction motor will run both wipers correctly. For some reason I couldn't do that with my 54, but I just can't remember why anymore. I didn't even mess with the original stuff on my 53 (or 50 if you prefer), I just adapted everything on the driver side to the modern stuff. I also contemplated mounting two Jeep wiper motors, one for each blade, and wiring in two switches, look for early-mid 60s CJ Jeep wiper motors. Gene
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