January 2009 Update

Work on the old beast continues. Santa Claus....aka my wife was great to me this year and purchased a new set of guages and complete wiring harness for the old truck.I spent most of December installing them. Currently the dash is functional, the harness is mostly installed. I need to re-attach the fenders and grill so I can finalize the wiring on the turn signal and headlights. The same is true of the rear. However with the new harness I was able to start the beast under it's own power.

To Do List:

1) fix water pump leak

2)Finalize dashboard wiring of the gauges.

3) Finish wrapping wiring harness with black plastic tubing for protection.

4) Couple of new rims and tires.......safety, safety.....

5) Floorboard work is needed....too many holes

6) Start re-attaching the sheet metal so it will look like a tuck again.....

That's enough for the next 6 weeks or so.

I hope to be able to have this thing licensed by April. Keep your fingers crossed.

This video was shot the same day as the first one. It it the first time I backed it out of the driveway.

This picture shows some of the detail of the motor. This is a 1953 Dodge flathead 6 cylinder, 237 cubic inches rebuilt sometime in the past bored out 0.40 over bringing it to about 241 ci. The block is the longer version of the era. It has the unusual "Spitfire" head. Pictures to follow later. It is actually one of the reasons I chose not to rip it out and replace it with a V8. Most of the engine work I have done is cosmetic. I left the majority of the internal alone. It's mostly wire brush and paint. I did rebuild the carb, replace the fuel pump, and redo the ignition system. It has now been converted to 12 volts with the addition of an alternator.

Many other changes from original have also been made including the following:

1. transmission-- 1989 BorgWarner T-5, 5 speed

2. Axle -- 3.5 ratio from a 97 Cherokee

3. Front Disc Brakes -- late model GM