Build thread 37 Dodge PU

[pepi]

Good job on the dash layout, noting the oil pressure cool, electrical fits with good access another plus. That shroud looking good, has all the correct clearances. Tight and up close will really pull the air thru the rad.

[Mike P]

Thanks Pepi. The oil pressure gauge in the old windshield crank hole makes it the easiest one to read.


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.




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[40FordDeluxe]

Very nice work Mike! You better check your compushift wire harness to make sure the valve body solenoid pack connector plug is correct. Mine was incorrect. Luckily I have a few from OEM rides we cut off in a you pull it. My harness was made over a year ago so maybe yours will be correct.

[Mike P]

I did run into the same thing on my compushift Ryan. I posted a little blurb about it in a previous post hoping you might see it.

".......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....."

A quick update on it....the supplied plug does go on, but it does not completely seal the receptacle it plugs into (meaning it's not water tight). Dave over at the machine shop did eventually come up with a source for new correct plugs (at about $40 a pop...... ouch). If you can keep finding them you might be able to make a few bucks on good used ones.


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[40FordDeluxe]

If you need one I can happily drop you one in the mail Mike. I have a folgers can with around 4 left and 8 or so neutral safety switch connectors as well.

[jerry clayton]

So your the guy who cut off all those wire ends at the yard?

[rspears]

So your the guy who cut off all those wire ends at the yard?

Which is just another way of saying "So you're the guy who beat me to all of those connectors at the yard?"

[Jack F]

The last time I went to the Upick yard for an electrical connector I cut off 4 just to make sure I got a good one. When I got home 2 worked and 2 were bad. Never hurts to have a spare


Jack.

[jerry clayton]

Sorry, but ain't none of them yards I do business with-------The people with no idea of how to do anything removing something usually will wreck/damage/completely destroy way more stuff-

[Mike P]

I see what Brent meant about losing some data and going back in time….appears a few posts are missing but at least most of it’s still here (and I’m very glad the sites back).

In between a couple more trips to the VA and keeping the grass mowed down I did manage to get a few more things checked off. I got the transmission cooler lines built and new rear brakes on the rearend so I could get the emergency brakes sorted out.

I’ve really wanted to hear what the exhaust sounds like, get the transmission and cooling system filled along with checking the power steering (and get those pesky leak checks done). So I got around yesterday and hooked up some temporary battery cables and fuel lines, filled the radiator and fired it off and filled the transmission. On the plus side the rest of the electrical checked out, there were no leaks and the PS worked. I was a little concerned about the size of the radiator (which is a good deal smaller than the one on the test stand) but the temperature held steady right at 180 (the thermostat temp).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLTrliBppmY


I found and joined this site 13 years ago shortly after I bought the 37 and at the time it was the hot project I was working on. Somehow it kept getting shoved into the back shed over and over again as I built 9 personal cars and trucks plus 2 motorcycles for my wife and me. I was really beginning to wonder if I would ever actually hear it run (and so was Bob ). Anyway still a ways to go ( brakes, front suspensions and fuel system ) before it’s actually on the road and then the body work starts. At least I haven’t bought any new project cars in a while so this should stay the center of attention.


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[Bob Parmenter]

I seem to recall you even let it go away briefly, but now it's getting there bit by bit. Yay!!!

[69Bee]

I have seen his project lineup in real-time over the years. Some sit so long, he looses interest and changes his mind...

[Mike P]

'.... Some sit so long, he looses interest ....."

Never lost interest, just changed priorities


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[stovens]

Me too Mike, the divorce tied up where to house my truck, and most of my finances. Luckily I'm moved into a new house I purchased in March, and as soon as I can clear up the garage the 48 will be coming home after many year hiatus in storage. For me I work on whatever is the current highest priority. This year it was purchasing a new home and fixing it up. Soon all of that will shift to getting the truck HOME!

[Jack F]

I here you Steve. Between getting a house ready to sell, selling, buying a lot, moving to a new state, finding a builder and then building a new house the 34 has been sorely neglected.. We have been in the new house, and shop, for a bit over a year now and we are still ironing out in the yard but the 34 is moving closer to the top of the list. Hope to be posting some progress pics in the not too far future.




Jack.