1952 1 Ton Rebuild

[mechanixman]

Yes

[Coach529]

Does your battery have a good charge?

[mechanixman]

Yeah full charge, It seems the problem lies with the bearings, or something along those lines.
By hand, the flywheel doesn't want to budge an inch

[Coach529]

What does the battery measure?

[mechanixman]

I haven't actually hooked up a multimeter to it,
I have a DieHard Battery charger/engine starter and it's reading a full charge

[mechanixman]

Well I removed the intake/exhaust.
Of course Bag and Tag everything
The bolts on the flange were stuck, and I had no way to get the proper leverage to get the exhaust pipe off. I knew the pipe was a but rusted so I figured a bit of movement would break the pipe down by the frame.
I removed the manifolds, and they just dropped, I caught them in time, and pulled up. I didn't know the pipe had already rotted through so I pulled all that from the engine bay. Kinda felt like pulling a rabbit from a hat.

The bolts are really stuck on there. I tried to get them off, but I figured I'd save that for another day. So I thought, "if the pipe is already coming apart, maybe I can crimp it so much, that it breaks just under the flange."
I hit the pipe with a ball peen hammer, and thought I was almost there, but the pipe actually slipper out. In the picture you can see where I was hitting the exhaust pipe, and where it shredded

[mechanixman]

Great news!!!!
The engine turns over just fine!
I got under the truck, and told myself that I wasn't getting up till i could see the clutch. So I got a screwdriver, and pried it off. Turns out, the reason it was so hard to remove it was the rats nest. The picture doesn't show the sheer amount of crap that was in here. But I pulled 3 acorns out that were stuck between the flywheel and the block, and tried to spin it. A little stiff, but it works!!

[mechanixman]

So I just found out what happens when I go to the parts store with a hundred dollars......
I found out a piece of plywood on the frame makes for a great workbench.
So tonight I'm going to finish cleaning up the parts, and throw them back on the truck. I'll see if I can get her started tomorrow.

[mechanixman]

Just a quick update,
I Cleaned and painted some engine pieces. I replaced the coil. plugs and points. Hope to have it running by Thursday.
We'll see

[coralhead]

Did you make sure that the butterfly damper on the exhaust was free and working with the spring? That will help with the cold starts until the engine warms up.

[72smoker]

Glad to see that it will turn over for you. Sometimes it pays to be stubbron and keep at it. Keep at it and good luck.

[Chris.]

Originally Posted by mechanixman

Great news!!!!
The engine turns over just fine!
I got under the truck, and told myself that I wasn't getting up till i could see the clutch. So I got a screwdriver, and pried it off. Turns out, the reason it was so hard to remove it was the rats nest. The picture doesn't show the sheer amount of crap that was in here. But I pulled 3 acorns out that were stuck between the flywheel and the block, and tried to spin it. A little stiff, but it works!!

I just took mine off and it looked exactly like that. Haha
Posted via Mobile Device

[mechanixman]

Originally Posted by coralhead

Did you make sure that the butterfly damper on the exhaust was free and working with the spring? That will help with the cold starts until the engine warms up.

I played with it, not much play, How can I loosen it up? some penatrating lube and rocking it back and forth? What exactly does it do? I followed it through a line to the cab, where I assume it goes to the wiper motors.

Originally Posted by 72smoker

Glad to see that it will turn over for you. Sometimes it pays to be stubbron and keep at it. Keep at it and good luck.

Thanks! I'll try my best. It's great that I can get all this help and support from the forum. Really helping me get a handle of what to do/what's going on.

Originally Posted by Chris.

I just took mine off and it looked exactly like that. Haha
Posted via Mobile Device

Yeah, Amazing what these buggers can do. Isn't it?
Ha ha

[coralhead]

Originally Posted by mechanixman

I played with it, not much play, How can I loosen it up? some penatrating lube and rocking it back and forth? What exactly does it do? I followed it through a line to the cab, where I assume it goes to the wiper motors.

I used PB Blaster and a propane torch. It needs to turn freely. The spring on the end holds it in position to direct exhaust around the intake to help heat the fuel vapors until the engine warms up. As the enginge warms the spring will be affected by the engine heat and let the counterweight on the opposite end redirect the exhaust bypassing the intake manifold. you can check its operation buy using a hot air gun to make sure the spring is functioning properly.

On a side note. Sprucing up the engine is nice but I think you should make sure it is running properly before you shine it up. When I purchased my truck the PO installed a newer 235/ painted it up to match the truck scheme, changed out the gaskets and installed. I think that the For Sale sign was installed after he finally got the engine started and found it was completely shot. I bought the truck and pulled the engine and ended up spending $1300 on machine shop labor and all new inners minus the crank. Lifters that were apart and cam flopping in the journals.

Not to be a downer but I think you should get the engine running and see what you got before putting a lot of time in making it look nice.

From the movie "Christine" "You know Pepper, You can't polish a turd" even though I think the "myth busters" actually did.

Keep up the good work and stay focused.

[mechanixman]

Alright, thanks, I'll see what I can do with the flap. It almost seems like the shaft is bent on mine. The counterweight is just kissing the exhaust manifold.

[mechanixman]

Ha ha, Gotta love that Plymouth fury. But didn't the turd also polish itself after moochie and the gang trashed it?

The painting wasn't premeditated, this was more along the lines of what my thought process was:

- I need to take this off the engine, and make sure it's clear. I don't want to suck a nest into a cylinder.
- If it's off, I might as well clean it. It won't take too much work, and I hate working on something filthy when I could have just cleaned/washed it beforehand.
- Well, if it's off the motor and clean, and I put it back on, I'm going to have to clean it again... So I might as well just paint it now. Besides, I already have the paint lying around.

The mechanics all look solid. When the pan was off, I tried moving the camshaft and connecting rods, and everything is snug like it should be. My real worry is the electrical system. Just one big botch job.
Everyone has told me to take it slow, and I thought I was, till I realized that all I have been doing is trying to get it to run as soon as possible. Not even caring what could happen. But I've taken a step back, and now I'm going to replace a few of the really deteriorated wires, just to be on the safe side when I do start the engine.

[mechanixman]

Yesterday I managed to get the front clip off. Found a great place to put it. (I must say, there are benefits of not having a bed yet.)

I had the delightful experience separating the fender from the cab and running board. That may not seem that difficult, but someone decided to braze/weld the fender to the running board and cowl panel.. That's why it took me about 7 hours to remove it without damaging anything too much.
In the end all that was left, was the fender corners to separate, and I figured I would have to replace those corners because they rusted through, so I just decided to cut at the corners.

Today I power washed the beast. With a 2500 psi washer, I still couldn't get the grease of the motor. Although I did remove several pounds of mud and bits off the frame. So I guess that's good.

My next goal is to get at least the emergency brake working so I don't need to hold the chucks while I wheel it out of the garage everyday.

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by mechanixman

So I just found out what happens when I go to the parts store with a hundred dollars......

Uhhhhm, those are lawnmower spark plugs, are you doing a Briggs conversion??

[mechanixman]

Yes indeed. Now it will be an air cooled straight six. Ha ha
I went to O'reillys and found the champion plug replacement.
And I went to find the E3 replacement.
I love these plugs, we put them in a 4 banger, and got 4 horsepower. just by switching the plugs!
And we couldn't for the life of us find the correct replacement...until we looked at the lawn and garden plugs, and sure enough there was the correct plug.

[coralhead]

Originally Posted by mechanixman

My next goal is to get at least the emergency brake working so I don't need to hold the chucks while I wheel it out of the garage everyday.

Jim Carter was the only place that had the correct stock e-brake cables for a 3600. They run about $70 each side if you don't have ones that are working.

[mechanixman]

Alright, thanks for the tip.
I think I will need them, my cables have plenty of slack, even with an aftermarket tensioner on.
I went to look at the brake shoes/cylinder. and found out I have a full floating rear axle...
Was quite fun getting the drums off.

[coralhead]

Save the shoes and ge them relined at a full service brake shop. The 3600 shoes are hard and expensive to find. Relining is the cheapest/easiest option.

[72JimmyDiesel]

Dude, you got your self a 3800 1 ton. the back brakes differ from a 3/4 ton. I think the front of the frame and front spring are different as well. the rear portion of a 3800 frame is flat on top and does not raise up above the rear axle.

[mechanixman]

Ha ha thanks,
Yeah, I had my suspicions a couple weeks ago, but I didn't want to mention it, because I didn't want to be misleading.
My first clue was the straight frame, second was the foot e brake as opposed to the hand brake, and the 8 lug wheels/full floating axle
Plus it looks like it holds a 9ft bed.

But when its all said and done, who can tell the difference?

[mechanixman]

Originally Posted by coralhead

Save the shoes and ge them relined at a full service brake shop. The 3600 shoes are hard and expensive to find. Relining is the cheapest/easiest option.

Thanks for the tip! I didn't even know that was an option. I was thinking about buying them at NAPA, and getting back the core charge.

I don't want to sound like a "what it's worth" ad, but once I do switch out my axle, is it worth trying to trade at a swapmeet/sell on craigslist? Or should I just take it to the scrappers? I can't imagine such an old, HUGE axle being worth much.