Build thread 37 Dodge PU

[53 Chevy5]

That's quite a drive from SW AZ to Illinois and glad you mom is doing well. I know at first it didn't go well for my grandma when she went into a nursing home,but then she loved it because of all the fellowship there.

[Mike P]

The day I took the 37 in for an alignment 3 months ago the starter started acting up, so changing that out was added to the top of the to do list.

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.

hemi starter by M Patterson, on Flickr

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 do a postmortem on the starter I took off and if it's repairable reinstall it. The new starter is a little dusty and has some shelf wear but for now I'm calling it good.



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[NTFDAY]

Never been into a Mopar starter. Are the brushes as easy to change as a GM? Is the solenoid on the starter or remote?
Good luck Mike, like you I hate to throw away a good part or one that is rebuildable.

[Mike P]

".....Are the brushes as easy to change as a GM? Is the solenoid on the starter or remote?......."

Ken, they are kind of the starter equivalent to the Rochester Quadrajet....a bit on the overly complicated/engineered side......when they work they work well. Once you have gone thru one or two and know the appropriate words to use they aren't too bad though.

Repairing vintage Chrysler - Plymouth - Dodge starters



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[53 Chevy5]

Do you have a list of those appropriate words? Those starters do have a unique sound to them but they kept me from buying a Dodge

[jerry clayton]

Back years ago there was adapter kits so you could modify a Mopar starter for other engines to take advantage of gear reduction-I'm going to look thru things, think I may even still have one------


But, of course----my favorite starter is the radial aircraft one and the adapter to the upper blower pulley------------that is because they did away with the push starts

[34_40]

Do you have a list of those appropriate words?

I think that list was started by George Carlin? Wasn't it??

[Mike P]

It’s been kind of slow progress on the 37 the last couple of weeks. Other little projects and a twisted up back have eaten up most of my time. I’m still shooting for having it ready to take to our “big” car show in town the middle of October, and sent in my pre-registration last week.

Now that it’s registered and insured I have taken a couple of short test drives, mostly to set up the kick down cable. The truck feels really light and the 4.56 gears are going to be a lot of fun.

Somewhere along the line a previous owner decided it would be a good idea to remove the glove box liner and hack up the door to install a radio in the truck…..at least he didn’t butcher the dash.

glove box 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


I’ve been keeping an eye out for a replacement door, but so far have come up empty. For the mean time I decided to go ahead and just have a plaque made to cover the hole.

glove box 2 by M Patterson, on Flickr


and put a data on to cover the inside hole.

data tag by M Patterson, on Flickr

It will do for now.

Cade stayed over again last night so today will pretty much be taken up working on the Mustang II. With any luck I’ll be able to get the cut out cables on tomorrow and then move on to hanging the front fenders back on it.



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[stovens]

Progress is progress! My daily drivers are all giving me grief between registrations, and smog certificates, and most recently two new O2 sensors and new catalytic converter. They don't leave enough meat on the budget bone for anything else!

[40FordDeluxe]

Nicely done Mike! I'm sure the 4.56's will be fun for sure!

[Mike P]

No Cade this weekend but his brother and sister stayed over Friday night and most of yesterday. When Austin woke up yesterday he decided we should get the tot rod out so he could run it around the yard for a while. Of course that entailed getting the battery out of the 37 to power it. I let him get on the bed of the truck and take the battery hold down off . He’s still working on the whole left right thing so we’ll wait a bit for the lefty loosey righty tighty thing. I didn’t get a picture of him with a wrench in his hand, but here he is running down the 37s battery.

Austin TR by M Patterson, on Flickr


Anyway I started getting the exhaust cut out cables in Friday and with no Cade I decided to go ahead and try to finish them up. I'm using Dorman PTO cables as they are really heavy duty with a stainless steel core. Because they are so stout the bends have to be reasonably gradual so the core doesn’t bind. Getting them in the cab wasn't too bad, but the knobs are kind of big. This will do for now but and at some point I’ll probably replace them with smaller red metal flake knobs (fortunately the knobs are threaded so that won’t be a big deal).

Cables Cab by M Patterson, on Flickr


Because the cut outs are almost directly below the firewall I had to make a large loop in the cables to get them down to the cutouts. I ran the cable thru the firewall, under the intake and looped them around the front of the engine. The passengers’ side was pretty straight forward but I was afraid I might have some issues clearing the PS pump on the drivers' side . After a couple of attempts this is where the cable ended up at. As the fender covers the pump and cable I’m calling it good.

Cable L by M Patterson, on Flickr

The cutouts actually seal pretty well. I may still install the caps just to keep the local constabulary happy. Now that the cutouts are done I can move on getting the front fenders on (hopefully for the final time) and finally start getting some miles on it.





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[40FordDeluxe]

Very nice Mike! The tot rod is still serving well I see!

[34_40]

LOVE the Tot Rod!! The pickup is ok too!

[Mike P]

I had a VA appointment Monday and other stuff to do yesterday so it was today before I got back on the 37. I spent most of the morning and part of the afternoon getting the fenders and hood back on it. I think this is the first time I actually put all the bolts in and brackets on in the 15 years I've been working on it.

37 A by M Patterson, on Flickr

I spent the rest of the afternoon getting the throttle position sensor for the trans controller hooked up. Tomorrow I'll get some gas in it and hopefully get the speedometer calibrated and transmission dialed in.



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[53 Chevy5]

Dang I love that pickup, it would look nice next to my new Dodge just an idea for you.