37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/07/1111:15 PM
The problem with letting a project sit too long after it goes thru mock-up is that plans can change.
When I did the initial setup on the 37 Dodge several years ago the plan was to build a Street Rod with most of the bells and whistles (AC/Cruise/Power Windows/mild engine/SB 727/highway gears etc).
I actually even got the engine built......but ended up with a bit more compression and a lot more cam than I originally planned on. It sounds especially good thru open headers ....just ask the neighbours
I’ve collected some more parts and have re-thought the whole Street Rod thing and decided to head in a more performance oriented build and lose a lot of the creature comforts like AC, cruise and Power Windows.
The first step in that direction is getting rid of the Nova 10 bolt with 3.08s (yeah I know .......but it was the right width and available when I mocked it up). The new rear end will be this 69 B Body Dana 60 with 4.56s and Powr-Loc.
I still want to actually cruise down the highway and after some research over the last few days I figured a 518 would be the ticket to do that. Ironically I end up with slightly better ratio with the OD and 4.56s than I would have with the 3.08s, plus the advantage of a lock up convertor (if I decide to go with that version). A friend of mine set me up with this empty case so I can modify the templates I made for the floor to make room for the larger OD section of the trans. I’m glad I only got to the cardboard template stage instead of actually bending and welding metal. I’m currently in the process of looking for a good or rebuildable 518, but have time for that.
With the Dana and Dual exhaust there is not a lot of room under the truck for a fuel tank. Rather than run a modern fuel cell in the bed I sure am considering cleaning this up and using it (with the proper modifications and suitable mounting brackets).
Anyway with some luck I should get the truck in the shop in the next couple of months and re-do some of the original mockup work and get it a bit closer to moving under its own power.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/08/1103:24 AM
Cool ride, heres mine that Im working on right now. The entire drive-train is all 69 Road Runner. It has the mustang II front end and drives super nice and is a 4 speed to boot! Lots of fun, I've been looking for small parts and weather strip and have had no luck finding much.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/08/1103:28 AM
Last one. All these pic's were taken the day before I bought it. Lots of detail work has taken place since and money spent. I'll show current one's later when the snow melts!!
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/08/1103:45 PM
Mike: I wasn't sure why you were considering the fuel tank in the bed. I mocked up a 20 gallon aluminum fuel cell on my frame (also 37 Dodge) and it fits fine under the bed.
FYI. Even though it doesn't look like you're needing any 37 Dodge pickup parts, I'll be selling a few pieces soon.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/09/1109:48 AM
Paul it’s the original frame that has been partially box where the Mustang II front suspension was added. When I get to the point of pulling the body off I will go ahead and box the rest of it.
I’m looking at keeping the rear suspension leaf spring but redoing the cobbled hangers the PO had built. I’ll probably change out the original spring packs for something a little softer and build a set of Cal Tracs for it......I’d kind of considered ladder bars but don’t know if I want to give up the ground clearance for it.
EM I’m considering/planning on running a full exhaust to the rear bumper and was kind of considering bringing the tail pipes together in the center of the rear. Now that I have the keg it also makes a good excuse to use it. I remember back in the late 50s-early 60s when the keg gas tanks were popular in a lot of that era’s hot rods. It’s even period correct LOL.
Stumpy I’ve used that calculator before, it’s fun to play with but not really my favourite to do real calculations with.
Anyway I ordered the trans adaptor yesterday so when I get some time I'll bolt the 518 case to my spare Hemi and get start figuring out the Fire wall and floor (again).
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/09/1103:29 PM
Quote: Paul it’s the original frame that has been partially box where the Mustang II front suspension was added. When I get to the point of pulling the body off I will go ahead and box the rest of it. keg it also makes a good excuse to use it. I remember back in the late 50s-early 60s when the keg gas tanks were popular in a lot of that era
I’m looking at keeping the rear suspension leaf spring but redoing the cobbled hangers the PO had built. I’ll probably change out the original spring packs for something a little softer and build a set of Cal Tracs for it......I’d kind of considered ladder bars but don’t know if I want to give up the ground clearance for it.
EM I’m considering/planning on running a full exhaust to the rear bumper and was kind of considering bringing the tail pipes together in the center of the rear. Now that I have the’s hot rods. It’s even period correct LOL.
Stumpy I’ve used that calculator before, it’s fun to play with but not really my favourite to do real calculations with.
Anyway I ordered the trans adaptor yesterday so when I get some time I'll bolt the 518 case to my spare Hemi and get start figuring out the Fire wall and floor (again).
What MustangII front suspension did you buy? I'm green in this dept and have no idea which one to buy.
I have the same truck and would like to do the same project someday. thanks! Paul
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/09/1106:55 PM
Paul I really don't know who's front end is under it that part was done when I bought the project. By me buying it I did save it from having a Ford 2.8 V6/C3/4 bolt 8" Mustang II drive train. Here is a picture of the suspension as I was starting the Hemi swap.
EM the one part I am hunting for is an inner fender brace for the fron fender one was gone when I bought it.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/10/1108:30 PM
EM This is the part I'm looking for. It attaches to the grill/radiator support curves under the bottom of the fender, then attaches to the outer edge of the wheel well.
As far as I know they are the same for either side.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/11/1101:37 AM
Quote: EM This is the part I'm looking for. It attaches to the grill/radiator support curves under the bottom of the fender, then attaches to the outer edge of the wheel well.
As far as I know they are the same for either side.
Just looking at that part, it has to be a left or right. The end that bolts to the rad support has an ear extending towards the rear. Past experience with these old Mopars tells me the other side will be a mirror image with the ear also extending towards the rear. If the one you have is for the right side, you need a left side one (or the other way around) or the brace will fit too far forward or too far backward to match up to the fender hole. Gene
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/11/1102:53 AM
I angled it for the picture to give a better idea on what it looks like. When you look at it straight on it appears to be symmetrical i.e. no bends or twists in either direction. As near as I can tell in a dark shed and working around the tire it fits equally well on either side.
The ear you see is a bolt on part (and note there is a hole also drilled on the close side of the bracket). You may be correct but as far as I can tell I believe they are the same.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/23/1101:51 PM
Just a quick update. The Dodge got moved from the back shed (also known as the land of forgotten projects) and into the shop yesterday. At least it’s where I can get some work done on it now.
The immediate plan is to get the mockup up hemi and 518 in so a can build the floor and firewall and redo the rear suspension and hang the Dana 60. While I have the front fenders off, I’m going to take the passenger fender to a friend of mine and see if we can eliminate the spare tire well. I know I could buy fiberglass front fenders without the well, but I really want to keep the body all steel.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 09/06/1103:26 AM
It’s been a while so I figured I’d post a quick update.
The mock-up engine and 518 are in,
The original floor was flat and wood, which doesn’t work real well with the 518, so I spent most of the weekend building a new floor and toe board for it.
For now the floor is bolted in, but as there is nothing that will be serviceable by taking the floor off, so I’ll be welding it in. That should keep me busy for a while.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 09/06/1106:29 AM
Quote: It’s been a while so I figured I’d post a quick update.
The mock-up engine and 518 are in,
The original floor was flat and wood, which doesn’t work real well with the 518, so I spent most of the weekend building a new floor and toe board for it.
For now the floor is bolted in, but as there is nothing that will be serviceable by taking the floor off, so I’ll be welding it in. That should keep me busy for a while.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 10/09/1106:13 PM
I got the steering column connected to the rack and pinion. It would have been a pretty straight shot except for that whole engine being in the way thing.
I decided to clean out the back of the bed and put the sheetmetal back on. It’s starting to look like a truck again.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 10/13/1105:44 PM
Quote: I got the steering column connected to the rack and pinion. It would have been a pretty straight shot except for that whole engine being in the way thing.
I decided to clean out the back of the bed and put the sheetmetal back on. It’s starting to look like a truck again.
CRAZY looking steering linkage,,but very KOOL truck
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 10/15/1111:19 AM
Bill I had actually considered that at one point and were I still building it as a street rod I might have done it
Now that it's headed more towards a traditional 60s Hot Rod and likely to see some strip time I'm just going to eliminate it. While I was waiting on steering parts I got as far as cutting the well out. Hopefully I can get a decent looking patch in it. I really want to keep the truck all steel....but if push comes to shove there is an outfit that makes fiberblass front fenders with and without the spare well.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 10/16/1102:41 PM
I’ll keep that in mind EM. I might start on the patch this week, so we’ll see how it goes.
I spent last week figuring out the shifter. When I did the original mock up as a street rod I had wanted to have a column shift and rather than build a lot of mechanical linkage I modified the column for a cable, which worked well with the 727 I had in it at the time.
Going the more traditional Hot Rod route this time, I wanted something more in keeping with the 50s-60s. There wasn’t a lot out there that I liked, pretty much ratchet shifters and Lokar, neither which did much for me. I thought for a long time about using a 50’s push button shifter, but decided I did not want to give up the park feature. I eventually settled on a simple universal shifter that has been around since the 60s. I’ve seen these exact marked as Mr Gasket, B&M, Hurst and Indy over the years, but this one has no name on it. I’ve used a couple of them before and they are really not a bad unit for the cost.
First thing I had to do was get a valve body in the 518 case and fortunately thanks to the board I found out that a 727/904 body would physically bolt in to give me the manual shaft and detents (and I happened to have a junk 904 laying around).
I spent a day figuring out that straight mechanical linkage would not work because of how close the 518 is to the sides of the transmission tunnel. I eventually converted the shifter to cable. Rather than a long cable with two 180 degree loops I opted for a short cable to a bellcrank and mechanical linkage from there.
The last thing I still have to do is go into the side plate of the shifter with a die grinder and cut some additional detents so it can’t be accidentally bumped into a lower gear and provide a positive reverse lockout.
Overall the shifter gives me the look I want and feels good, especially manual upshifting.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 10/17/1104:00 AM
Quote: I’ll keep that in mind EM. I might start on the patch this week, so we’ll see how it goes.
I spent last week figuring out the shifter. When I did the original mock up as a street rod I had wanted to have a column shift and rather than build a lot of mechanical linkage I modified the column for a cable, which worked well with the 727 I had in it at the time.
Going the more traditional Hot Rod route this time, I wanted something more in keeping with the 50s-60s. There wasn’t a lot out there that I liked, pretty much ratchet shifters and Lokar, neither which did much for me. I thought for a long time about using a 50’s push button shifter, but decided I did not want to give up the park feature. I eventually settled on a simple universal shifter that has been around since the 60s. I’ve seen these exact marked as Mr Gasket, B&M, Hurst and Indy over the years, but this one has no name on it. I’ve used a couple of them before and they are really not a bad unit for the cost.
First thing I had to do was get a valve body in the 518 case and fortunately thanks to the board I found out that a 727/904 body would physically bolt in to give me the manual shaft and detents (and I happened to have a junk 904 laying around).
I spent a day figuring out that straight mechanical linkage would not work because of how close the 518 is to the sides of the transmission tunnel. I eventually converted the shifter to cable. Rather than a long cable with two 180 degree loops I opted for a short cable to a bellcrank and mechanical linkage from there.
The last thing I still have to do is go into the side plate of the shifter with a die grinder and cut some additional detents so it can’t be accidentally bumped into a lower gear and provide a positive reverse lockout.
Overall the shifter gives me the look I want and feels good, especially manual upshifting.
dumb question,,why are you running a 904 valve body in a 518 ?
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 10/17/1111:26 AM
When I started working on truck again I didn’t have a 518 so I picked up a bare case with pan from a friend who runs a transmission shop. I didn’t occur to me at the time to get a valve body. Just to set up the shifter it really doesn’t matter what VB was in there.
I’m still looking for a donor truck to hopefully pull a good 518 out of, but if I can’t find one by the time I’m ready to actually make the truck move, I’ll just buy a rebuilt. I really don’t want to buy a rebuilt at this point as by the time the truck is ready to drive chances are any warranty would be long gone.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 10/20/1101:55 AM
I decided to start on the spare tire hole yesterday. I’ve never done a patch this large on exterior sheetmetal before so I was a little apprehensive about how many times it would take to get it right and how it would turn out.
A while back a friend gave me a beat up 33(?) Chevy fender to use as patch material. When I first looked at it next to the Dodge I didn’t think the shape would be close enough to do any good, but I dragged it out again and took a closer look…..I came to the conclusion that with a bit of tweaking it might just work out.
I rough cut the patch and with a little bit of tweaking I got it to fit pretty well. I had left a little bit of a lip when I cut the tire well out so I bent a couple of them up to support the bottom while I tacked it.
By the time I quite tonight I had it welded in and the welds pretty well ground down (still a bit to do tomorrow). I’m pretty pleased about how it has come out so far.
I figure I’ll skim it with filler tomorrow and throw a little bit of primer on it them call it good until I get ready to do or have the rest of the body work done.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 10/21/1110:34 PM
Quote: I decided to start on the spare tire hole yesterday. I’ve never done a patch this large on exterior sheetmetal before so I was a little apprehensive about how many times it would take to get it right and how it would turn out.
A while back a friend gave me a beat up 33(?) Chevy fender to use as patch material. When I first looked at it next to the Dodge I didn’t think the shape would be close enough to do any good, but I dragged it out again and took a closer look…..I came to the conclusion that with a bit of tweaking it might just work out.
I rough cut the patch and with a little bit of tweaking I got it to fit pretty well. I had left a little bit of a lip when I cut the tire well out so I bent a couple of them up to support the bottom while I tacked it.
By the time I quite tonight I had it welded in and the welds pretty well ground down (still a bit to do tomorrow). I’m pretty pleased about how it has come out so far.
I figure I’ll skim it with filler tomorrow and throw a little bit of primer on it them call it good until I get ready to do or have the rest of the body work done.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 11/14/1103:57 AM
I got a call from a friend last week who had started to build a 67 Fairlane a few years ago. He had a stroke a couple of years ago and while he’s getting around pretty well now he really doesn’t have too much use of his left hand. He asked me if I would be interested in finishing the Ford for him and I took on the job.
The car will be towed out this week and the Dodge put on the back burner for a couple of months. As I’ll need the shop space the poor old Dodge got pulled to the back shed today.
I moved it with the garden tractor and as it is it’s easier with someone steering my grandson volunteered for that job LOL. It’s the first time he’s helped me with something like this and it took a booster seat to get him high enough. For his first time “driving something real” he did very well (and it took about 2 hours to get the grin off his face).
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 11/15/1107:13 AM
Quote: I got a call from a friend last week who had started to build a 67 Fairlane a few years ago. He had a stroke a couple of years ago and while he’s getting around pretty well now he really doesn’t have too much use of his left hand. He asked me if I would be interested in finishing the Ford for him and I took on the job.
The car will be towed out this week and the Dodge put on the back burner for a couple of months. As I’ll need the shop space the poor old Dodge got pulled to the back shed today.
I moved it with the garden tractor and as it is it’s easier with someone steering my grandson volunteered for that job LOL. It’s the first time he’s helped me with something like this and it took a booster seat to get him high enough. For his first time “driving something real” he did very well (and it took about 2 hours to get the grin off his face).
well thats a nice thing to help your friend with his ford,,,hope you get back to the truck soon,,
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/02/1212:54 PM
Not really, I'm pretty much caught up with the maintenance I needed to do on the rest of the fleet but I'm waiting for Sunday to move the Dodge back into the shop. That's the day my grandson comes over and I really like the grin he gets on his face when he steers it while we move it.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/13/1203:48 AM
Great job on the 37. I just got mine pretty much done after five years. I've done two numbers matching 71 Chargers that are really nice and worth some big bucks but I've had more fun with my 37 pickup than I did with both the Chargers. I got a 325 Hemi just after I finished the 360 that I put in the truck. Maybe that will go in the 41 truck that I'm trying to get. It's great to see that my wife did'nt get the only nut in the world. For some reason I can't get pictures on Moparts. If you would like to see some pictures of my truck email me at etony58@gmail .com and I'll send some out to you. Tony
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/14/1201:47 AM
The grandson and I got the 37 back in the shop last weekend, but I haven’t had a chance to do much other than measure some springs, tires and wheels to go with the Dana 60. Of course the shop is plugged up with a couple of other projects right now so it may be a few days before I get serious on it again.
“ ..... It's great to see that my wife did'nt get the only nut in the world…..”
I hear you Tony, I pretty lucky with mine, she lets me indulge and has actually been pretty excited about the little 37.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/14/1202:53 AM
Quote: The grandson and I got the 37 back in the shop last weekend, but I haven’t had a chance to do much other than measure some springs, tires and wheels to go with the Dana 60. Of course the shop is plugged up with a couple of other projects right now so it may be a few days before I get serious on it again.
“ ..... It's great to see that my wife did'nt get the only nut in the world…..”
I hear you Tony, I pretty lucky with mine, she lets me indulge and has actually been pretty excited about the little 37.
What kind of Dana 60, I got a spare 68-70, will it fit in my 37?
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/14/1201:35 PM
“......What kind of Dana 60, I got a spare 68-70, will it fit in my 37?......”
I’m going to be using a 69 B Body Dana. It’s about 2” wider than the 58” wide 10 bolt Nova rear that is currently under the truck. That’s only an inch on each side which may make it a bit close with the wheels that are currently on it (8” wide with 3” backspacing). I’ve got some different wheels with 4” back spacing I’ve been kind of thinking about using anyway.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/16/1207:24 AM
Quote: Great job on the 37. I just got mine pretty much done after five years. I've done two numbers matching 71 Chargers that are really nice and worth some big bucks but I've had more fun with my 37 pickup than I did with both the Chargers. I got a 325 Hemi just after I finished the 360 that I put in the truck. Maybe that will go in the 41 truck that I'm trying to get. It's great to see that my wife did'nt get the only nut in the world. For some reason I can't get pictures on Moparts. If you would like to see some pictures of my truck email me at [Email]etony58@gmail[/Email] .com and I'll send some out to you. Tony
your e mail doesnt wor k for some reason,,,ide love to see pics of ur truck,,
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/18/1204:36 AM
For those who wondering about rear end widths I can tell you what I learned the hard way. Don't use a 8 3/4 from a c body, way to wide. I ended useing a 8 3/4 from a e body, fit pretty good. Had to move the spring perches as I used all 1988 Dakota suspension. My email for pictures of the truck is etony58@gmail.com Keep on trucking, Tony
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/18/1211:51 PM
I just used an 8-3/4" from a pickup or van and then narrowed it to fit the track width I wanted. $160 to have the housing narrowed and squared plus cutting and re-splining the axles is pretty inexpensive.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/20/1202:22 AM
I live 6 miles east of Galena. About the farthest N.W. corner of Illinois you can get. There is a pretty good Mopar show in Dubuque, Iowa the end of August.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/20/1204:02 AM
“....There is a pretty good Mopar show in Dubuque, Iowa the end of August…..”
Sounds neat, I may have to put it on the agenda for one of my trips. This year I’m planning on doing the show in Aledo (about 120 miles south of you) on the 25th of Aug. I haven’t decided exactly what I’ll be taking yet, I’d kind of like take the 57 Plymouth, but I may have some stuff to bring back which would mean the El Camino.
I’ve been going thru my pile of stuff deciding what can go to the swap meet next month in Tucson and came across these old original Purple Hornies I’ve had forever.
I refurbished them but now am kind of debating keeping them. I probably wouldn’t do this, but running them at the back of the truck just poking out under the rear bumper is not out of the question.
How about an update on your progress? I've got a '37 Dodge PU also. Getting ready to install a 5.7 Hemi from a 2005 RAM 1500. Have a Mustang II front end w/PS installed.
Quote: How about an update on your progress? I've got a '37 Dodge PU also. Getting ready to install a 5.7 Hemi from a 2005 RAM 1500. Have a Mustang II front end w/PS installed.
37 pick up with any motor is kool,,,lets see some pics please,,
Quote: How about an update on your progress? I've got a '37 Dodge PU also. Getting ready to install a 5.7 Hemi from a 2005 RAM 1500. Have a Mustang II front end w/PS installed.
Can you start a thread with some pics of your truck, especially the front end. I need to get ideas for my 37 Plymouth PU
Not really much to update. I got side tracked with the grandkids car, then had to make a trip back to Illinois because of my mom's health (and will probably have to go back again shortly).
The temptation to use the Purple Hornies was eliminated when someone gave me a handful of money for them.
Mostly right now it’s finishing a few projects so I have room to take the bed off so I can hang new springs and the Dana 60.
Not really much to update. I got side tracked with the grandkids car, then had to make a trip back to Illinois because of my mom's health (and will probably have to go back again shortly).
The temptation to use the Purple Hornies was eliminated when someone gave me a handful of money for them.
Mostly right now it’s finishing a few projects so I have room to take the bed off so I can hang new springs and the Dana 60.
Mike, are you using a B body Dana? How does that width work? I have one I'm going to use in my truck.
I also have a 36 & 37. Currently have most of the 37 parts minus a few. Many thanks to the previous owner (think he posted earlier). Mine will have a shortened truck 8 3/4 rear, must II frt, & misc other fabs. More on own thread later. Seeking fenders & misc Your doing some great work keep it going and come visit soon
Quote: I also have a 36 & 37. Currently have most of the 37 parts minus a few. Many thanks to the previous owner (think he posted earlier). Mine will have a shortened truck 8 3/4 rear, must II frt, & misc other fabs. More on own thread later. Seeking fenders & misc Your doing some great work keep it going and come visit soon
".....Which hemi do you have? What springs in the must II due to added weight?...."
The one that's currently in in is just a mockup. The engine that will power it is a 55 331 (now out to 341CI) 10:1 compression motor.
Springs are 77 V8/AC Mustang II units. They actually seem a bit stiff but we'll see after we get it back on the road.
The shop is currently filled up so it will be a little while before I get back on the 37. Pulling the bed to do the rear suspension and hang the Dana will end up taking both bays for a while.
Wow, what a great build, certainly glad I stumbled across this thread. I’m trying to get my ducks in a row and map out a plan of attack on how I want to proceed with my own ‘37 project, this is going to be most helpful.
I've been working on a bunch of other projects for a while now and haven't had a chance to get back to the Dodge.
Every 6 months or so I do fire up the engine for it though......bring it up to full operating temp, circulate the oil, piss off the neighbors etc. I took a video of it yesterday and thought some might enjoy it.
that sounds pretty good ! could you do me a favor ? what is the outside measurement of the pipes side to side where they just start going together to aim towards the collecter ? this would be approximately 1 1/2" or so from the head casting where they are bolted on. thanks !
Quote: I've been working on a bunch of other projects for a while now and haven't had a chance to get back to the Dodge for a while now.
Every 6 months or so I do fire up the engine for it though......bring it up to full operating temp, circulate the oil, piss off the neighbors etc. I took a video of it yesterday and thought some might enjoy it.
AZ A12 Bee progress got me motivated so I figured I’d get back on my 37 Dodge. Tripping over the Dana 60 for the last 2 years is enough and the old Dodge is back up to the front burner (for a while anyway). I got the bed off today and spent some time taking some measurements.
Of course with the bed off I found some rust that I’ll have to patch before it goes back on. The front of the bed is pretty nasty looking and I found a bit of rot the middle of the cab.
I looked under the rear when I bought the truck and knew going in that I would have to re-do the rear end so I wasn’t surprised there. The POs work left a bit to be desired.
I’m planning on keeping it leaf springs, but the springs and hangers will all be replaced. Well at least I know what I’ll be doing with my “spare time” for a while.
I spent some quality time with the torch, drill, cut off wheel, hammer and punch today and got the front and rear spring perches off. As long as I was there I went ahead and also removed the now useless gas tank hanger.
With the rear end out I was able to get some accurate measurements on the flange to flange width……I had been under the impression the rear end I took out was 58” wide but was happy to find out that that it was 60” instead. This happens to be within a 1/16” of the Dana 60 that’s going to replace it so I don’t have to come up with an extra 1” of back spacing on the wheels like I thought.
I’m also working a deal on a rebuilt 46RH right now that hopefully I’ll know more about on Monday.
"...Mike, this guy sell some patch panels for our trucks...."
Thanks, I've looked at his site and there are a few pieces that I'll be needing. I want to do the back of the cab and front of the bed before the bed gets bolted back down.
You had asked before about a B Body Dana in one for these and here’s what I've found so far. I was under the impression the Chevy rear end that was under there was 58" but after I got it out I found out it was really 60".....for all intents and purposes the same as a 68-70 Dana.
The wheels and tires pictured on the truck were 15X8 with 3 1/2" back spacing and 235/75/15 tires…..these just cleared the fenders. Before I took the wheels off I measured the width from the outside of the tire to outside of tire (the widest part of the tire, below the tread) and that came up to 69”.
I’ve got a pair of tires that are a bit shorter and wider (235/70/15) mounted on 15X7 cop car wheels with 4” back spacing. With these mounted on the Dana outside of tire to outside of tire is 68 Ľ” so I gain just a little bit on clearance.
Here’s a pretty good picture of how the truck sat when it came into the shop this time.
Besides straightening out the mess with the springs/hangers and spacers, the plan is; move the axle back a couple of inches, and lower the back to where the truck is close to level. I’m thinking that will but the top of the tire about at the bottom of the fender opening.
I’ve been pluggin away on getting the rear end in. As I’m a firm believer in never throwing anything away, I have a few spring packs laying around from cars I’ve parted out. After going thru what I have I settled on trying Mustang II springs I had. They moved the center bolt back a couple of inches, were 2 ˝” wide and I had 2 sets so I could use one set as a donor for extra leafs.
The original springs were 1 ľ” wide so the front spring brackets were too narrow for the new springs. Rather than re-invent the wheel and build new brackets from scratch, I elected to modify the originals to hold the new springs.
After I sandblasted all the leafs I assembled the spring packs and added 2 leafs to each side as a starting point. They are a little shorter than the original springs (not a big deal as rear spring hanger is easy to relocate), and a good deal softer than the originals.
There is a lot of love and parts availability for the Mustang II front suspensions…..not so much for the rear suspension. After spending ˝ a day trying to find urethane bushing for the front spring eye (the best I came up with was they could be special ordered but at least a 2 weeks wait time (plus about twice the price of the on the shelf bushings). While the cost was not really a show stopper, the wait time sucks so I moved on to plan B which was to order a set of B Body MOPAR spring bushings. They are the right width and center bolt size, but 1/8th inch too big around. It took just a few minutes to build a spindle and mount them on the drill press and turn them down with some 80 Grit sandpaper.
With the front of the springs mounted I was able to roll the rear end under the frame and start figuring out where the rear spring bracket will go. They are kind of hard to see in the picture, but I ordered a set of bolt on spring perches a while back. Anyone who has set a rear end up with standard perches and get everything centered and pinion angle set then tack weld the perches and hope nothing has shifted before final welding can probably appreciate these. I can snug these down and if I don’t like it just loosen the bolts until I’m happy with it. After I get everything set I can either weld them to the axle tube of replace them with conventional perches.
I was not at all happy with how the spring were on the initial set up. The front spring angle was really ugly and not even close to lowering the truck enough.
The cure turned out to be pretty simple, I flipped the front spring hangers. It looks like that did the trick, the spring angle looks good and it drops it to where I can fine tune the height with reasonable length spring shackles.
Dorman make replacement rear spring brackets and they probably have something I can use for the back mount. I’m still researching to find a chart on the dimensions for rear spring brackets but I have wait to make the final decision on that until I get the bed set back on and see how far the springs compress. If anybody had a link to a chart that shows the dimensions (bolt hole spacing, width, eye bolt size etc) for Ford/Dodge/Chevy trucks I would appreciate it
looks like you are off to a good start. i can appreciate the comment about not throwing anything away ! that's why i have trouble moving around in my shop ! the only thing i can see is you will probably have to "c" notch the rails above the rear for clearance. the height looks good.
I mounted up some taller narrower tires for the front and temporarily set the bed back on. I’m happy with the spring rate and the way the tire is centered now. It sat pretty low in the back so I moved the temporary shackle brackets down a little more.
This is what I started with.
and this is what it looked like with the tires I had mounted up at the beginning of the project.
After looking at it I thought I’d try a bigger tire and to get some more height/rake.
I’m used to looking at it with the other wheels and tires, so I’m not sure how I like it yet.
Wondering if anyone had any comments or suggestions? (Yeah I know be careful what you ask for)
I like the middle version, with the smaller tires, might just be the style of the big rear tires that doesn't trip my trigger, they have the look of snow tires that doesn't match the open hood sides (I like the open hood sides). Gene
Thanks poorboy. The tires (in all the pictures) are on there just for me to get an idea on tire size/vehicle stance. They are all so old I wouldn't trust any of them for anything but rollers. I'm kind of thinking I'll end up settling for something size wise in between the big and smaller tires (I just didn't have anything else in the shed).
I almost feel like Goldilocks (although the wife accuses me of having the personality more akin to that of the bear). The first tires were too small, the second to big.....but after looking in the back shed some more I think I found a pair that are just right.
The wheels they are mounted on need a bit more offset but I like the size.
Quote: I almost feel like Goldilocks (although the wife accuses me of having the personality more akin to that of the bear). The first tires were too small, the second to big.....but after looking in the back shed some more I think I found a pair that are just right.
The wheels they are mounted on need a bit more offset but I like the size.
Thanks Gene, Yeah, that’s my thought (good thing too I’m getting tired of changing tires )
“……Looks a little lower than my truck….”
I think you’re right, at least in the front. The Mustang II front end was already on when I bought the truck, and I think it sets a bit lower than stock. I’d like to raise it a bit but that would be kind of hard without chopping the whole front end out. I haven’t measured the front but the top of my rear frame rail is now 20 ˝” from the ground (down from the 23 ˝” I started with). I also think part of it might be optical illusion too…..after studying mine a bit I kind of think the back of the front fender and front of the running board might be sitting a little low. I’m going to see if there is any adjustment I can make on that to raise them.
“….Mike, we need to both get our trucks on the road and go show them side by side….”
I’d like that. By the way I saw your post in the E Bay/WIW section….is your engine swap moving up a bit in priority ?
Thanks Gene, Yeah, that’s my thought (good thing too I’m getting tired of changing tires )
“……Looks a little lower than my truck….”
I think you’re right, at least in the front. The Mustang II front end was already on when I bought the truck, and I think it sets a bit lower than stock. I’d like to raise it a bit but that would be kind of hard without chopping the whole front end out. I haven’t measured the front but the top of my rear frame rail is now 20 ˝” from the ground (down from the 23 ˝” I started with). I also think part of it might be optical illusion too…..after studying mine a bit I kind of think the back of the front fender and front of the running board might be sitting a little low. I’m going to see if there is any adjustment I can make on that to raise them.
“….Mike, we need to both get our trucks on the road and go show them side by side….”
I’d like that. By the way I saw your post in the E Bay/WIW section….is your engine swap moving up a bit in priority ?
If I found a deal on a donor truck I might pull the trigger
Quote: I mounted up some taller narrower tires for the front and temporarily set the bed back on. I’m happy with the spring rate and the way the tire is centered now. It sat pretty low in the back so I moved the temporary shackle brackets down a little more.
This is what I started with.
and this is what it looked like with the tires I had mounted up at the beginning of the project.
After looking at it I thought I’d try a bigger tire and to get some more height/rake.
I’m used to looking at it with the other wheels and tires, so I’m not sure how I like it yet.
Wondering if anyone had any comments or suggestions? (Yeah I know be careful what you ask for)
perfer the bigger rear tire,but with out the white lettering
I got the rear spring hangers a couple of months ago, but with other projects, some cold weather etc I hadn't gotten around to getting them on. We had a real nice day today, so I got around and pulled the bed back off and got the hangers welded in. It's not a lot of progress I guess but it's still progress.
We got 12" of fresh snow Sunday +lots of blowing and drifting. Everything around here is buried in snow. Progress for me will be seeing the projects again! Gene
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/28/1508:27 PM
The 37 got put on hold again while I do an engine/tranny swap into my 87 Dodge Ram 50. I spent the week enlarging the transmission tunnel on the 87 and in the process had the accelerator/emergency brake assembly in and out several times. I was looking at it this morning and it hit me that the setup might work well in the 37, so I walked out to the shed to take a look. It's almost perfect fit. Once I drill 4 holes and bolt it in that's 2 more things off the list.
Fortunately I know were there are a couple of these trucks sitting in the junk yard so once it cools off I'll be making a trip out there.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 07/19/1512:30 AM
As long as it’s just sitting on the test stand I occasionally use the old HEMI for the 37 to test out alternators I rebuild (it’s set up to use a GM alternator). This morning my 2 grandsons were over and the oldest one and I put a new regulator in one that I need for another project.
As we were putting it on the engine to test it out, his younger brother came out and wanted to help. Cade (the older one) showed Austin the bolt that needed tightened and which way to turn the wrench. It just did this old man’s heart good to see those 2 wrenching together (especially on an old dinosaur with a bunch of carburetors).
And yeah they were both grinning from ear to ear when I fired the old girl off to do the output test.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/21/1601:24 PM
After another year on the back burner (and hibernating in the back shed) the 37 may soon be back in the shop. When I stopped on it last year the next step was to find a 518 (46RH) transmission for it. I’d put the word out I was looking but hadn’t come up with anything.
As fate would have it, my friend who runs the machine shop I use has been bitten hard with the “I want to build a Hot Rod bug” He still hasn’t found a body (it will definitely be a Plymouth or Dodge), but knows the engine he wants……a first generation HEMI. A few months back he asked me if the mock-up Hemi (331) that is currently in the truck was complete enough to build. As it turns out I actually do have enough pieces for it to put it together less the parts you would normally replace on a rebuild (pistons, valves, cam, bearings etc).
I told him I wasn’t really interested in selling the parts, but I would trade them to him for a rebuilt 518 transmission and torque convertor. Last week he got back ahold of me and to let me know he’s getting the transmission built for me. He’s using the same shop I normally have build my transmissions so I don’t have any qualms about the quality of the transmission. He’ll be trading out engine work on the transmission builders race car so it looks like all three of us make out pretty well.
I’ve been looking at a couple of options for the OD and converter lockup and was wondering if anyone has used one of there, and their opinion of them.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 04/11/1602:12 PM
I haven’t gotten the 37 back in the shop yet, but hopefully that will happen in a couple of days. I have made a bit of progress in on some of the stuff that needed to be done for it however.
I did get out to the junk yard and picked up the gas pedal/emergency brake assembly that will go in the truck.
I also got a power steering pump hung on the engine. That was a job I had been dreading for quite a while…….I hate sorting out brackets and pulleys. I have used a combination of Hot Hemi heads and PAW brackets and pulleys on the Hemi in the 57 Plymouth. That system requires Hot Heads timing cover, lower pulleys, and a short BB Chevy water pump. Their good quality parts and I haven’t had any problems with the setup in the Plymouth.
That being said there are a couple of issues I foresee with it on the Dodge. The first one is the amount of belt wrap around the water pump. The system works OK on the 57 Plymouth in part due to the Plymouth running AC. There is belt contact on both sides of the water pump pulley from both the alternator belt and the AC belt. I won’t be running AC on the 37 so the belt contact patch would only be on the one side of the pump…….and the contact patch on the PS pump would also be minimal. Then there is the fact that that is an awful long belt and my experience is that long belts are much more likely to flip off under load on high RPM.
Finally I’d be lying if I said that cost isn’t also a factor. While I used the Hot Heads stuff on the 57 Plymouth, I’m currently using mostly stock parts on the motor for the 37. It has the stock thick timing chain cover, stock BB Mopar 4 groove crank pulley, modified Corvette alternator bracket, a 2 groove water pump pulley of unknown origin that happens to fit and line up and the cheaper long style BB Chevy water pump. Buying the timing cover, pulleys, brackets and more expensive short BB Chevy water pump would set me back about $500.
Mostly because of the belt contact issues, I decided to see if I could come up with something different than is currently being offered. I had originally planned on using a Saginaw pump like almost everybody uses and reducing the pressure to be more compatible with the Mustang II power rack. While I was going thru my core pile I came across a couple of old Federal pumps. I looked up the pressure on the pump and while it is still a bit high for the Mustang II rack it is lower than the Saginaw units (and I can reduce it further if needed) so I figured why not.
To make a long story short I pretty much stole a page out of Cadillac’s 500 ci engineering manual. To eliminate the long belt and get good belt wrap around the pulleys I’m running a short belt around the crank pulley, water pump and power steering pump using the PS pump as the tensioner. Then I’m running a second short belt from the second groove in the water pump to the alternator.
Everything lines up great and it took less than 45 minutes to actually modify the pump bracket and build a tensioner bracket to lock the pump in place………figuring everything out and test fitting as I was going pretty much used up a whole day.
It still has to come apart 1 more time, the PS pump I used for mock-up is an unknown quantity (the reason I didn’t spend any time cleaning it and painting it). I have a rebuilt coming in today that will go on to replace it.
With luck the transmission should be here this week and I’ll get started on bolting everything together and into the truck.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 04/17/1602:43 AM
Well it turned out to be a great Saturday. The wife and I took the 57 Plymouth to breakfast and met up with the kids and grandkids. Afterward my 13year old grandson Cade and I went over to the small car show a couple of blocks away. After wandering around for a bit we headed to my shop to start on the 37 Dodge. We got to Dodge moved from the back shed to the shop and got the front sheetmetal off so we could get the mockup engine and tranny out and tore down the mockup engine to get it over to the guy I traded it to on Monday.
My grandson has turned into a pretty good helper:
It took up about 4 hours to get it all apart, which I didn’t figure was too bad for an old man with a bad hand and his 13 year old grandson.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 04/18/1603:34 AM
Good going grandpa! Get em on line at 13 and they are hooked for life! Its an inspiration to see another young one involved. The hobby needs a lot more. Gene
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 04/23/1612:46 PM
The pile of parts that used to be the mockup motor is now with its new owner (who is busily turning it into a functional motor again).
The condition of the steering rack is unknown except that it has sat dry in the truck for at least 15 years so I figured I’d change it out while it was easy to get to……and I’m glad I did. The rack that was in the truck is an OE Ford Mustang II unit. The only units I could find locally turned out to be aftermarket (Overseas) copies. Besides hose fitting issues, there were enough subtle differences that a fair amount of steering shaft rework was also necessary. I know for a fact that even though they are sold as Mustang II racks there is no way they would even come close to fitting in a real Mustang II (I know because I happen to own 2 Mustang IIs with power steering).
I also picked up my transmission Monday. It’s been upgraded with a lot of 47RH internals. After I got the steering rack issues straightened out, I installed the Hot Heads transmission adapter on the enigine.
and then got the transmission bolted up to the engine.
Bolted together that’s close to a 1000 pounds of assembly.
I figure I’ll spend some time today figuring out and installing the cable kickdown. After that the unit should be ready to go into the truck.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 04/24/1602:55 AM
I’m shooting to set the engine and transmission in the truck tomorrow, so I figured I’d get the cable kickdown sorted out this afternoon. I order the El cheapo kickdown kit off E Bay and basically got a bag-o-parts with a cable and a handful of brackets……instructions would probably been usless for my application but it would have been nice to receive some.
For the carburetor end I modified one of the supplied brackets to hold the cable end of the cable and then fabricated a bracket to attach to the center carburetor. I made the carb bracket with several adjustment holes to ensure I would have enough adjustment when it came time to fine tune the kickdown. The bracket is functional, works well, and is easy to get to, but not very pretty.
The reason I didn’t spend a lot of time on the bracket is that once the kickdown is dialed and I’m happy with the adjustment it will be a simple matter to change the 2 center carburetors side to side and the brackets and cable will be hidden between the 2 rows of carbs.
The transmission end of the cable was pretty simple, just one small bracket to build to hold the cable end. I did install the mechanical end of the shift linkage to make sure there wouldn’t be any interference issues with the kickdown and shift linkage.
I’m glad I got the cable installed while the transmission and engine are still on the stand. Once the cooler lines, electrical wiring and shift cable are added it’s going to be a little crowded on that side of the transmission…..and not a lot of fun to work on from underneath.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 04/24/1611:42 PM
Well this was the 3rd and hopefully last time for me swinging an engine and transmission into the 37 Dodge. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had engines and transmissions hanging from that chain hoist but I still get a little nervous when there is a HEMI and transmission hanging up there. It sure is easier and safer than using a cherry picker though.
There are still parts to buy/make and everything to hook up but it’s getting closer.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 05/06/1611:05 PM
The Ram 50 gas pedal and emergency brake worked out really well.
In case you’re wondering about the fate of the mockup engine I traded for the transmission, it and a bunch of parts that went with it got delivered to the machine shop.
It’s in good hands and the rusty old parts are being brought back to life.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 05/18/1603:11 AM
I managed to get a few more things checked off the to do list. I decided to get the driveshaft taken care of. Of course that meant finishing up the rear end. I got the spring clamps installed, set the pinion angle and got the spring perches welded on. As I’m pretty much putting this together like a 60s-70s era hotrod, for now I stuck on an old set of Lakewood slapper bars I had laying around (when those don’t work so well I probably build an adjustable pinion snubber and then finally bite the bullet and pull the bed and build a set of caltracks LOL).
On most builds I can usually find a used driveshaft in the pile that’s the right length and then dig up the correct U Joints to hook everything up. The long 46RH make for a pretty short drive shaft on this one (39”). I ended up shortening one of the longer shafts I had so that’s taken care of and on the truck.
I decided to spend some more time under the truck and get started on the exhaust. I only got as far as building the headpipes, which include the exhaust cut outs for now (I’m currently waiting on a pair of copper flange gaskets so I can install them). Once I get them on I can get the mufflers and most of the exhaust done. I’ll probably end up holding off on tailpipes until I figure out what to do for a rear bumper.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 05/24/1603:24 AM
I got the rear bumper and exhaust taken care of over the last week. As far as I can tell these trucks didn’t with a rear bumper but I was hoping to find something from that era that I could use. I didn’t find anything at the local wrecking yards that I liked or would work. I did find some metal out in the iron pile that would work so I just built one. It really needs a rear valance/roll pan so one of these days I’ll get around and make a template and take it to one of the local heating and cooling places to have one bent up.
I still don’t have a local muffler shop I like so I got out my pile of exhaust pipes and built my own.
I seemed like I spent almost as much time going to town for parts as I did building the exhaust. I went in Saturday morning to get mufflers, hangers and clamps. I ended up going to one store for the clamps and hangers and then another store for the mufflers. Of course they only had one of the mufflers in stock so I had to make another trip in the afternoon to pick up the other one. I got home and promptly ran out of wire for the mig.
I haven’t decided on what to start on next but there is still a pretty long to do list.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/09/1602:08 AM
In between maintain the other vehicles in my fleet (especially the wife’s car and truck LOL) I’ve started sorting out the cooling system. Of course that dovetails with a few other parts of the project that will be addressed at the same time. Before hanging a radiator and fan I will need to; rewire the headlights, install front turn signals, build brackets for the horn and install the trans cooler and hoses. I also had to decide if I was going to install a heater or not. After going back and forth I finally decided that I would.….mostly to have defrosters for some of the winter cruises I do.
I happened to still have the original radiator for the truck, so getting measurements and seeing how it was originally mounted was where I started.
Nobody lists a replacement radiator for a 37 Dodge so it was more time spent doing a computer search for something that would work. I wasn’t having much luck finding anything that would fit or was affordable. After an hours or so looking at various radiators I remembered the post from another site I use from a guy who had used a first generation Mustang radiator in his 37. The width is right but it could stand to be a few inches taller. I really debated about whether to keep looking for something bigger or to go ahead and order one. I eventually ended up deciding to take a chance on a 2 row (1 inch tubes) and see how it does. My thinking is the engine is only 341 cubic inches, it will have open hood sides and it will not have AC (and without the AC it will stay in the garage on those 100 degree days we have ).
The radiator has a built in transmission cooler but as the fittings are only ¼” NPT and the 46RH uses 3/8" lines I won’t be using it. So I also ended up ordering a remote transmission cooler.
While I was waiting on the radiator and trans cooler to come in I decided to get started on the heater. As I’ve been trying to keep the majority of the things I put on the truck pre 1970, I happened to have the perfect candidate, an old Arvin unit that I had pulled from a 1950s truck.
The motor and switch were good but it needed a new core. Fortunately a little time with the catalog at the parts store and I found one that could be adapted.
It mounts up out of the way but the switch is a bit difficult to get to so I’ll leave it set to high and use a switch in the dash to turn it on and off.
I decided to use an old style water control valves that most of these add on heaters came with. I remember these from couple of the old trucks we had on the farm when I was growing up…….turn them on in the fall and off in the spring LOL.
Naturally the water pump I’m using doesn’t have a fitting on the inlet side for the heater return hose and none of the radiators I was looking at had them either so I picked up an inline adapter with a 3/8” pipe fitting.
I’ll probably get started on rewiring the headlights, horn and turn signals first and then get the radiator and cooler (which came in today) fitted in the nose. The electric fan in the picture is a left over from another project and I’m still kicking back and forth about whether to use it or a mechanical fan.
Of course now that I dragged out the electrical stuff, doing the rest of the wiring will probably be the next project.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/09/1601:11 PM
good progress to be sure mike ! when you first mentioned your radiator, the first thing that popped into my mind was a mustang unit. i think you will be good with the open hood sides provided you use an OEM electric unit that will pull a ton of air, such as a taurus or t-bird setup with a 3.8[?] engine or similar. make sure your electrical system is really up to the task, as these fans take a huge amperage at startup. above all, don't use a generic aftermarket fan. these things don't pull anywhere close to the advertised cfm of air they claim, and i have seen almost all in use at one time or other. the problem with using a mechanical fan is usually, the engine is mounted low in the chassis, which makes the pump driven fan also low, positioning it low on the incoming water from the top neck not cooling until the water is halfway through the core. you may not have this problem depending on the way the mustang radiator is mounted. if a guy runs a big diameter fan, it's possible to have interference with the radiator support or the front crossmember, depending where the engine is positioned. i like the heater choice ! what core application did you end up using ? and finally, the dodge pickups in the 60-80 time frame used the type heater valve you were seeking. i still see these occasionally at the swaps new, and pick 'em up for only a couple bucks. sometimes you can find the "fitzall" brand of controls as well for a buck or two.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/09/1602:27 PM
I know what you mean about the difference in air flow between t5he aftermarket electric fans and the factory units (although I’ve gotten by with the aftermarket ones in the past). The biggest potential issue with the factory units is how thick they are and I’m a bit limited on the room between the engine and radiator.
Now that I have the radiator in hand I’ve been able to take a few more measurements and it looks like I’ll be able to go with my first choice which will be a mechanical (flex) fan. My engine sits relatively high and there room for vertical movement to center the radiator on the fan. One nice thing about using the Mustang radiator is that is set up for the factory fan shroud which are available new and relatively inexpensive (I’ll be ordering one later this morning). I really like going this route if I can as it is a bit more 60s era correct. I figure that a light coat of black paint on the engine side on the radiator and at a glance even the aluminum radiator won’t be to noticeable.
The heater core turns out to be from a KIA Sportage. The valves are available new from a couple of companies and my cost on it was well under $10.
Now that I’m going to be waiting on the fan shroud for a couple of days, I guess I’ll get started on doing the wiring on the nose.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/11/1602:16 AM
I got the shroud ordered, and while I was waiting on that to get here I went ahead and got the grill shell wired. I’ve always enjoyed building my own harness. It’s probably not a whole lot cheaper than buying a ready made harness but like I said I enjoy doing it. Of course when I checked my box of terminals I needed to restock that and I only had about half of the colors and gauges of wire I needed.
I was actually planning on using the headlights that were on the truck but my luck was holding true and it turns out they were 6 volt. Knowing that the truck is going to be taken apart for paint and body at some point I decided to go ahead and use plugs for everything so the harness won’t have to be cut and spliced back together to get the lights out.
The harness itself was fairly simple (headlight, turn signals, parking lights and horn) and really didn’t take that long to build. I terminated the harness with a 6 circuit plug just a little bit past the grill shell so that if I ever need to take the grill shell out it’s just unplug the one plug.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/21/1601:24 AM
The radiator and fan shroud got in so I spent the last few days getting the cooling system done.
I was pleasantly surprised when the shroud came in to find out it was metal (I was pretty much expecting fiberglass). It fit the radiator well and except for having about a 1 ½” gap at the top (which was easily remedied) couldn’t have been better for the project.
I got the grill out and was working at a pretty good clip on Saturday afternoon.
Then the electrical substation up the road decided to go out. It was 103 degrees outside when the lights and coolers went down. Fortunately the last time the power went out for any length of time a couple of years ago I got around and wired my generators in. This time it was just hook up a battery to the generator throw a couple of switches and I had power again. My generator is enough to power the house, but a too light for the welder and compressor, so I just kicked back in the house for the next 14 hours until the power came back on.
The radiator and shroud is a tight fit in the grill shell, but it does fit, along with the transmission cooler.
It would have gone a bit easier and (and would be a bit easy to service if I have to in the future) if I had set the engine back a couple of inches further or used the short BB Chevy water pump instead of the long one, but it is what it is. I’ve got enough room to get to everything and I’m very happy with the depth of the fan in the shroud.
There is a lot of room between the top of the radiator and the grill shell (that I wish I could have found a taller radiator to fill). When I get some time I will probably find or build an overflow tank to fit up there.
I’ll probably get around and order the controller for the transmission later this week so I can go ahead and do the wiring next.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/21/1601:49 PM
nice job on the radiator install ! you may want to consider a way to panel off the area above the radiator to the top of the grille shell similar to the way the bottom of the shell meets the bottom of the radiator. this way, a lot more air flow will be forced through the radiator core instead of being "washed over" and bypassing the radiator altogether. i believe this would help cooling immensely, and be a big assist to the small confines of the grille shell width wise.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/21/1602:10 PM
mike, you said it was "only" 103* when you lost electricity. i thought you guys were supposed to get around 120 ? keep cool for sure ! my problems dictate i work early in the morning or stay up all night, and my shop only has a couple of box fans. it has been around 80-85 here lately, and i'm just about dying. what you guys are going through now would be the end of me for sure ! what makes me mad is i really like the heat. i'm not sure what i'm going to do this year for carlisle. the docs say i'm getting a little worse. and to think i worked 42 years in a machine shop that hit 110 regularly during the summer months.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/21/1606:06 PM
"...... "only" 103*....."
It's early in the year yet
Actually I south of both Phoenix and Tucson and at 4500 ft so it's usually a bit cooler down here (although it's not all that unusual to see 110 here on occasion). This old 37 Dodge will be the first one I've built for myself in the last 30 years that won't have AC in it.
Every time I start thinking I have it bad, I just remember growing up in an old farm house with no AC and then baling hay in the summertime when it was in the high 90s with humidity in the 80% range.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 06/25/1603:02 AM
With the cooling system done, I got started on my electrical a couple of days ago. I'm going to be controlling the 46RH with a Compushift mini and pretty quickly figured out that that I needed to have the unit on hand so I could incorporate that wiring into the harness I’m building and figure out exactly where to mount the controller. I got that ordered yesterday and it should be here next week.
I also pulled the trigger on an Autometer electronic speedometer as long as I had the card out. When I initially set the dash up a few years ago I bought a mechanical speedometer……I could still run a cable and use that, but I was running into problems finding the recommend driven gear for the 4.56s (and knowing that the recommended one would probably still be a tooth or two off to actually get the speedometer to read correctly). The electronic speedometer I put in the ram 50 kind of spoiled as far as the ease of calibrating it by just pushing a button.
I’ve got the components outside the cab installed (lights, horn, senders, relays etc). With that done and waiting on the rest speedometer and controller to come in, I’ve been plugging away at some of the wiring. The work bench currently looks like a bomb went off, but I got a couple of minor changes made to the fuse box to make it compatible with the Chevy turn signal switch in the steering column and all the wires labeled. I also got some of the wiring on the turn signal plug done.
I decided a while back that I would mount the fuse box, ignition box and transmission controller inside the glove box to make it more convenient. There was no glove box liner in the 37 when I bought it but surprisingly they are being reproduced. The original style glove box liners are extremely deep however and they wouldn’t clear the heater I installed. My solution is to make a liner out of some old stainless I had left over from doing the floor.
Hopefully I’ll have the liner built this weekend and at least some more of the wiring done.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 07/05/1602:14 AM
I've got to go in for some surgery on my arm this week so I spent the last couple of days getting most of the wiring taken care. Knowing that I’ll be taking the truck completely apart at some point I made it so the wiring looms could be unplugged for easy removal and reinstall. Having just 2 plugs to undo to get the gauge cluster out will be especially nice.
I ordered the Compushift mini to control the lockup and overdrive on the 46RH. The electronic speedometer also came in……cause you know what’s a few more wires.
Actually the hookup on the Compushift was pretty straight forward. The only minor issue I had was getting the three pin plug that goes into transmission to go in. When I contacted the company I was told the correct plug is no longer available and they supply a GM plug (I did some checking for the correct plug and couldn’t find a source either…… and my buddy at the tranny shop didn’t have one and couldn’t source one for me either). Anyway I finally wiggled it just right and it did go in.
The Compushift also uses a throttle position sensor (in my case cable operated). I was able to find room under the dash to mount that and connect the cable to the gas pedal instead if adding one more thing to the carburetor linkage.
In the back of my mind I figured this one would be pretty simple to wire (and relatively speaking I guess it was). Jut the handful of circuits I needed to run still ending up being a pretty good size pile of wires by the time I got everything pulled into the cab.
The glove box I built turned out to be quite bit shallower that I had planned in order to clear the heater. There was still enough room to mount the ignition control box in it but I elected to mount that on the inside of the firewall up under the dash (it’s still relatively easy to get to). At least getting to the fuses and the control box for the Compushift will be a snap.
I’ve still got to get the fuel pumps mounted (the wiring is already there and switch installed) and hook up the alternator and ignition but that’s pretty much just 4 or 5 wires that are already run.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 07/29/1612:38 PM
My arm is healing but not quite to the point where I can crawl under the truck to run the cooler, fuel and brake lines so I’m getting some of the other things taken care of. I did find a source for headliner and interior panels and I’ll be ordering those in the near future. In the mean time I figured I’d at least get the stereo mounted. There is not any real good place to mount the unit in the dash (a previous owner had mounted one in the glove box door at some point…..at least he didn’t butcher the dash but I still need to find a new door). Anyway in keeping with the late 60s early70s build theme I found a shaft mount AM/FM/Cassette player with analog tuning. I had bought some overhead consoles 25 years ago when I was going thru my Ford Truck phase and had one left over so I used that to mount the radio in the roof. It’s not my first choice, but it shouldn’t look too bad once I get the headliner in it. While finding a place to hang the radio was a bit of a challenge, finding places for speakers was pretty easy and when all was said and done I installed a total of 6 throughout the cab. It doesn’t have the sound of some of the higher end systems I’ve installed in my other vehicles but at least I’ll be able to hear it over the exhaust.
I also finished up getting the keg gas tank ready to install. I had already built the cradle for it and installed the fitting for lines and gas cap but still needed to make hold down straps and get a sender for it. Rather than use a sender with a swing arm (that would have put the float directly under fill hole) I ordered a vertical float sender.
Everything was pretty straight forward. Once I get it back in the bed of the truck I’ll drill holes thru the cradle and bed and run the bolts thru the bed cross-members. When I take the truck apart for paint and body I’ll purge the tank and send it and cradle out for powder coating but for now this is good enough.
It also gives me an excuse to use an old decal I had.
In spite of having a bit of down time due to some stuff I had done at the VA hospital I got a couple more things checked off the to do list.
The cooler lines for the transmission lines were run and I went thru the rear brakes and got the emergency brakes figured out and hooked up.
I wanted to get the transmission and cooling system filled along with checking the power steering so I hooked up some temporary battery cables and fuel lines and fired it off. Every thing functions as it should and no leaks
I still have the the front suspensions, service brakes and fuel system done but it's getting closer.
Not a lot going on with the 37 right now. I got the parts in to redo the front suspension and upgrade to bigger front disc brakes, but then had to go back to the mid west to take care of mom for a bit.
One of the projects I work on when I’m back there is going thru the old family pictures. This trip I came across this one which I had never seen before…….it's my Granddads truck that he used for his barber supply company (the picture is from around 1940).
I can’t see enough detail in the grill to know specifically what year it is but it is definitely a 36-38 Dodge Humpback. With the route he serviced he would have put a ton of miles on this old girl.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/05/1702:43 PM
Now that it’s warming up a bit I’m back on the 37 again. The Mustang II front end was already installed when I bought the 37. The previous owner had used a burned up Mustang II as a donor and transferred the suspension components….. worn out ball joints, bushings, calipers, springs and all to the truck.
I kept putting off rebuilding the front suspension using the excuse that I wanted the full weight (engine, transmission etc ) on the front end so I could get the correct front springs in it. Anyway I’ve run out of excuses so it’s time to rebuild the suspension. Rebuilding control arms is not my favorite job by any stretch of the imagination but being basically cheap and having the time and tools I ordered bushings and ball joints rather than a new set of control arms.
My luck held true to form. One of the upper control turned out to be bent. Of course I didn’t pick up on that until after I had spent an hour knocking the ball joint and bushings out of it.
I had another set of used control arms so other than wasting time on the junk one I'm not out anything and the arms are ready to go back on.
Today will probably be spent getting the holes cut in the upper spring pockets so I can get the ride height adjusters installed.
Once that’s all done I’ll be able to get it back together and do the brake conversion. I’m going from the 9” rotors to 11” which should finish up what I need to do on the front suspension.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/11/1711:40 PM
I worked on the front suspension on and off this week. Installing the ride height adjusters was pretty straight forward. My hole saws center with a ¼” drill bit so the original hole for the shock stud was too big.
The simple fix for that was to tack weld an appropriate size washer to the hole.
Then cut the hole for the adjuster.
Drill the holes for the mounting screws and bolt the adjusters in.
I put the new caliper brackets on while the spindles were off then bolted everything together, put the rotors on and checked ride height.
Then it was take it back apart and cut a coil off the new springs and put it back together again and recheck the ride height. Removing the one coil seemed to do the trick so everything was tightened down and the alignment was roughed in (it will be going to a friend’s alignment shop after the fuel and brake lines are run).
I really figured I’d get started on the brake lines next so I could at least move the truck around under its own power but I think that will be moved down one place on the to do list. A couple of weeks ago I ordered the interior panels for the truck figuring that I’d get around to installing them at some point after the truck was drivable. The kit includes the headliner, back panels, door and kick panels and are ABS plastic reproductions of the original cardboard pieces. The problem is they take up so much room I don’t have a place to store them.
I guess I’ll spend next week getting them installed just to get them out of the way. I’m even debating sending the seat out now to get it upholstered (problem is I can’t decide what color so it may wait).
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 03/16/1712:52 PM
The interior panels are in the truck and out of the way. The installation of the headliner would have been a bit easier with an extra set of hands but wasn't really too bad once I figured out how to hold temporarily it in place while I marked the holes I needed to drill for the overhead console.
It turned out the kick panels needed some work to get them to fit. Getting the first one correctly trimmed took some time as I was only taking out a bit at a time to make sure I didn't go overboard on the material removal. After I verified it would also fit the other side it was just mark what needed to be cut on the other panel and trim it down.
Once they were fit and the holes drilled for the retaining pins I was able to get the speaker holes marked and cut and finish up those.
The one area that I wasn't happy about was where the headliner and windshield post trim (part of the kick panel) meet (or actually don't meet). It probably wouldn't be too noticeable if I just painted the area black but cutting a couple pieces to fit out of the left over material from the speaker holes sounds like a good job for one of those days I'm bored.
The rear panels are like the originals and don't completely cover the back of the cab. I'm going to be using the original bench seat so that is not a problem for me. If I ever change over to bucket seats (not currently the plan) I would need to figure out something to cover the back of the cab.
I'm missing the window regulator for the driver's door and so far haven't had much luck finding one. I do have a pair of regulators from a 1940 Dodge truck I think I can make work if I have to (it will move where the window crank handle will go however). So not knowing where the window crank hole would need to be I just ordered the door panels without holes and for now just cut the one for the door handle.
Overall I'm pretty happy with the interior kit. In spite of a couple of issues the overall fit is pretty good and sure beats starting from scratch. For now I'm going to leave the panels as is. When it comes time to do the upholstery (after paint and body work) I have a few options;
1. Leave them as is (black)
2. Paint them a matching or contrasting color (I'm kind of leaning to a buckskin color at this point, but who knows what I'll end up doing). I've had good luck painting ABS interior panels with the SEM paints and this is what I will probably end up doing.
3. Upholster the panels and headliner.
Anyway that decision is in the future.....way too much other stuff to do before I'm at that point.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 04/04/1702:31 PM
I decided to work on the door glass rather than crawl under the truck to run brake and fuel lines (just can't seem to get excited about that job).
When I bought the 37 it was missing the driver’s door window, regulator and track. I’ve been keeping my eye out for a replacement regulator since I got the truck (and got serious about finding one over the last 6 months or so). I've had no luck finding a 36-38 regulator but several years ago I did find a pair out of a 1940 Dodge truck that I bought “just in case” (and if I remember correctly I only paid $25 for the pair).
I already had enough window channel felt and cat whisker left over from other projects to do the doors, so I sent the one side window out to the glass shop to have another window cut and decided to see if I could make the later regulators work.
The 39-47 window regulators (top) are a completely different style than the 35-37 regulators. It would have been nice to find the correct regulator but in reality the 39-47 are probably a better unit (and I can find a bunch of them to include NOS if I ever need another one).
While the doors won’t interchange the dimensions and inner panels between the 2 doors are reasonably similar. After a lot of measuring and a bit of tweaking I drilled the four 1/4" and one 2" hole and got the first one mounted in the drivers' door.
The window crank is moved down a little bit and I had to extend the window crank shaft a bit to prevent the crank from rubbing on the door panel but that's all minor.
I suppose someone makes an extension, but I couldn't find any when I did a quick search. As the window crank and door handle shafts are 3/8" square, I just bought a couple of cheap 3/8" socket extensions. I heated the extension red hot and let it cool to take the temper out of (makes it a lot easier to drill the roll pin holes). Then it was just grind the shaft down to a 3/8" square.
This was before I drilled the holes for the roll pins (which went pretty easily after the heat treatment). If I do decide to upholster the door panels at some point I'll have to make up a set of 4 for the door handles and window cranks to clear the upholstery but like I said that's pretty simple to do.
I still have to do the passenger door but after figuring out the drivers' door that should go pretty quickly.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 04/30/1701:58 AM
I've been making a bit of progress on the 37. I was to the point where I needed to get a floor in it before I could do much else. The 37 originally had a metal floor in the bed (big selling point for some back in the day). Somewhere along the way the floor was cut out and by the time I bought it there was only a badly rotted piece of plywood kind of covering the bed. Fortunately when they cut the bed out they did weld in bracing to support a new floor.
It's still up in the air about what it will end up with when the truck is painted and pretty. I've kicked around putting a steel floor back in it, using aluminum diamond plate or doing a wood floor. For now I just decided to go with wood and ordered a set of bed strips.
I didn't want the floor to look too good at this point so it just got a light stain and some Thompson's water seal.
With the floor in I got the gas tank mounted and fuel lines run and pumps and filter installed.
That left putting the battery somewhere. It was originally located under the passenger side floor in the cab. I figured that I would either keep it there or maybe move it under the floor of the bed. The dual exhaust pretty much eliminated both of those areas. That just left mounting the battery in the bed of the truck. Until I get the paint and body work done I kind of figured a shiny new aluminum or stainless battery box would look out of place .......and I knew I'd hate the look of a plastic one. I was going to fabricate a battery box out of some old painted metal I had to make it look a bit aged. But came up with this idea of using an old tool box if I could find one big enough. I found a decent one on E Bay they didn't want an arm and leg for that I figured would go well with the rest of the truck.
It's even big enough that I can throw a hand full of tools.
With the tank and battery done, the truck was finally able to move under its own power for the first time. I was just going to back it out of the shop so I could clean the bay out (really ).
Of course that turned into taking a couple of laps around the arena :LOL::LOL . I still have a ton of stuff to do but at least it moves under its own power.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 04/30/1706:24 PM
The wood looks good, personally I don't like the looks of diamond plate except on a piece of excavating equipment. Good Idea on the battery/tool box , fits right in and looks good.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 05/05/1703:00 PM
I temporarily set the front fenders back on the truck so I could check how I liked the current tire sizes one more time before I buy new ones and start getting the alignment dialed in. I ended up deciding to step the rear tires down one size to get a little more clearance on the fenders and take a bit of rake out of it.
I also put together a downsized front bumper to see if I liked the looks of the truck that way.
Next week will probably be getting the pipes for the exhaust cutouts tack welded in before I pull the fenders back off.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 05/05/1706:52 PM
".......... i like the look of the front bumper !........."
"......... Sorry, .....I don't....."
Yeah, me too.
If Arizona was a state that required a front bumper, or a front license plate (which would mean needing a place to hang it) I would be absolutely sold on it. As neither applies here I'm still kind of up in the air as to whether it stays or not. Sometimes when I walk out and look at it I really like it, other times I think it would look better without it. At least the whole thing can be removed in about 30 seconds.
With the current state of the paint/patina on the rest of the truck anything freshly painted or chromed stands out way too much. Fortunately silver paint (especially spray can stuff ) seems to age fairly rapidly. The current plan is to pull the bumper and bracket off and set it out in the Arizona sun and rain for a while to take a bit of the shine off of it.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 05/11/1702:15 AM
I was figuring out my new video editing program today and did a short video on the 37......it's not very polished but I thought some here might get a kick out of hearing the truck run.
Still have to get tires and alignment but it's getting closer.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 05/24/1702:00 PM
That's neat. I love the wrecker winch in the back.....I played with a similar idea for a while. Is it driving or are you still building?
Mines getting closer to being on the road. It got it registered and tagged yesterday and I have an appointment at the alignment shop a week from today.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 05/24/1709:48 PM
I cruise around it it, it always draws tons of attention its over cammed so it really thumps through the open exhaust. The rat rods are tons of fun... I've never washed it yet.... lol
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 05/29/1702:55 AM
I've got the front fenders back off so we can do the alignment on Wednesday. While I've got a bit more working room I decided to get the radiator overflow tank built and installed. With the old Hemi in there there's not a whole lot of room to mount a tank in any of the more conventional places. There is however a pretty good space above the radiator.
While trying to come up with a tank that would fit I came across this 1/2 gallon go cart gas tank. I figured the curve in the front would match up pretty well with the curve of the grill (which it did).
I made a couple of modifications to the tank (sealing the fill hole and adding a 90 degree barb fitting to act as a vent/overflow) and got it mounted this afternoon.
Basically it should work fine by just filling the radiator to the top and letting the tank hold the expansion (and suck it back in when the truck cools). If it turns out that I want/need to add a fill port to the tank I'll probably pick up a flush mount motorcycle gas tank bung and cap.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 08/29/1712:22 AM
As has become the norm for this project it got back burnered for a while. I got it in to the alignment shop abnd the alignment came in there I wanted it. That left getting the exhaust cut out cables in, reinstalling the front fenders and getting a few miles on it.
It's a long story but after 3 months I'm finally able to get back to work on the Dodge. When we took it in to the alignment shop the starter started acting up so that was the first thing I needed to do today.
Nothing screams MOPAR like the sound of the old gear reducted starters Chrysler used in the 60-70s. I didn't have one of those on the shelf but I did have one of the newer "mini" starters MOPAR started using in the 80s. I had bought it to use when I built the clutch linkage on the 57 Plymouth and ended up actually having enough room to use the old style instead so I was only on the 57 for a month or so.
After sitting on the shelf for 10 years I decided that what the heck and put it on.
I miss the sound of the old starter, but don't mind the smaller size, lighter weight and the way it turns the engine over.I may to a postmortem on the starter I took off and if it's repairable reinstall it, but for now I'm calling it good.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 09/28/1704:57 AM
With the starter changed I was able to take the truck around the block a couple of times and got the kickdown cable adjusted. In between other things I got the cables run to open and close the exhaust cut outs and finally got the front fenders and hood back on it.
With luck tomorrow I'll be able to get the speedometer calibrated and the transmission controller dialed in.
After 15 years it will be good to finally put some miles on it.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 09/29/1711:16 PM
Thanks Morarx, usually for me the real fun part has always been putting them together. After there “done” I usually get bored with them in fairly short order..
I did the first real road test today. I drove out to my friends machine shop so I could get the speedometer calibrated and start dialing in the transmission controller. The truck did good, it goes down the road straight and is not quite as uncomfortable as I thought it would be. The engine temperature runs right at 190 degrees. By the time I drove out there and back and went to the gas station I’d put about 15 miles on it.
The 46RH was a good choice at 65 MPH it drops the engine from 3300 RPM to around 2200. I’ve still got some fine tuning to do with the kickdown cable and controller but that shouldn’t take too long.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 10/15/1701:48 PM
I’d been shooting to have the Dodge done enough to make our local car show for the last 6 months or so. I still had some stuff I wanted to get done Friday but at the last minute ended up babysitting a couple of grandkids. Fortunately none of the things were show stoppers and I did make it to the show.
I put it in the under construction class because of the body work and interior that need to be finished up. The old truck got a lot of attention and while there were a couple of “when are you going to paint it” comments, the majority seemed to lean towards the “leave the paint just the way it is”.
I’ve got to admit that leaving it has a certain appeal, it does kind of look neat the way it is. I sure can’t complain about the prep to get it ready for the show either. If I had taken my 57 Plymouth instead of the Dodge, I would have spent about 2 days washing waxing and detailing the car before the show and about a ½ hour once I got there dusting it off and other little detail stuff. On the 37 show prep consisted of cleaning the windshield, checking tire pressure and blowing the dust off with an air hose. When I got to the show it was take my chair out of the bed and open the hood.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 12/20/1806:58 PM
"......Been a year, any further updates to your cool truck?....."
No not really. Everything is pretty much the same as a year ago, just some more miles on it. Spent some time working on the 57 Plymouth last spring, and then my wrist got pretty bad (go in for surgery on it in Jan).
Glad to have it around though, even just a few miles driving it is a good stress reliever.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 12/25/1807:11 AM
X
Originally Posted By Mike P
"......Been a year, any further updates to your cool truck?....."
No not really. Everything is pretty much the same as a year ago, just some more miles on it. Spent some time working on the 57 Plymouth last spring, and then my wrist got pretty bad (go in for surgery on it in Jan).
Glad to have it around though, even just a few miles driving it is a good stress reliever.
Coming down your way for the Zip Tie Drags. Maybe we’ll see your truck then.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 12/26/1812:29 PM
"....Coming down your way for the Zip Tie Drags. Maybe we’ll see your truck then......"
I'd like to go up for that but it's not real likely. I'm having surgery done on my wrist (removal of one of the bones) the week before and I suspect I'll be home bound and grumpy that weekend.
Re: 37 Dodge PU - Change in Direction - 12/26/1805:56 PM
Originally Posted By Mike P
"....Coming down your way for the Zip Tie Drags. Maybe we’ll see your truck then......"
I'd like to go up for that but it's not real likely. I'm having surgery done on my wrist (removal of one of the bones) the week before and I suspect I'll be home bound and grumpy that weekend.
Yeah,I had that done several years ago. Right thumb joint. I was down for the count for 8weeks. Left had now giving me fits. I was telling my wife yesterday I need to get the left hand done this summer. Good luck with that surgery.
heres a pic of my 38 has a 81 dodge mirada drive tran 360/auto posi 3/55s
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, 
Ernst,selling yours?
)
sounds like a good plan because you know the quality of the work involved.
). 
and the world goes 'round...... 
not a problem ray !
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.JPG "RatRod 3-17-12 2012-03-17 018 (Medium).JPG")
That left getting the exhaust cut out cables in, reinstalling the front fenders and getting a few miles on it.
congratulations ! now go have fun and drive the wheels off it !