My 1949 B-1 PW Project

[mageew]

Here are some pictures of my '49 FFPW project. I bought the truck in June 2010 and these pictures are from the day I "drove" it home. The previous owner towed me home (only about 4 miles away) using (I believe) a '69 W500!

Since rebuilding a burned-out hay baler on our farm when I was a kid, I hadn't lifted a wrench but I started taking it apart that afternoon. Before, during & after removing each part, I took pictures & video for reference & each "group" of parts has gone in a separate box.

I've had to take several "breaks" from the project but, as of now, it's completely disassembled and I'm having the frame powder coated this week while I work on the wheels & differentials.

I've probably read every post written on this site pertaining to 1 ton PW's and service procedures and have to say "thanks" to everyone who has posted their experiences and shared their experience. Just today I made an axle oil seal puller using a piece of 1/4" metal & 3/8" threaded rod based on a post with pictures I found on this forum!

I had intended to post pictures of the project as it progressed but it didn't happen. I'm going to upload a few every day until I get caught up. Enjoy!

I should mention that my plans for the restoration are to keep the truck as original as possible with the exception of electric wipers & conversion to 12 volt electrical system (conversion done when I bought the truck). I plan to drive it daily (if it runs!) and use it for hauling firewood, as a hunting rig & everything else you'd use a truck for. It's survived 60 years & I want to restore this truck to its original glory but I intend to use it!

[mageew]

More Picures

Here are some pictures of the bed. It looks pretty straight but the bottom edges were pretty badly rusted & it had been welded to an angle iron "frame" which was, in turn, welded to the cross members. The cross members had also been welded to the frame. I wanted the keep the original bed sides but ultimately decided to go with reproduction parts (from Matt Tisdale) so that the interface between the sides & bed would be reproduced accurately.

[W_A_Watson_II]

WOW, that's a great looking truck to start with. I look forward to your progress.

[IP66Pro]

Nice truck! When I finally get to go looking for one, that's pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. Definately in need of a restoration, but still in decent shape. Ill definitely be watching you post up the rest of your progress pictures!

[PWFFnut]

Nice truck

i have owned & driven My 1956 C3 PW 24 years ( since I was 17 ) it has been the best truck I have owned. I have used it for everything you can think of and it always dose a great job you will be very happy with it I am sure. Have fun & good luck

Thomas

[mageew]

WOW, that's a great looking truck to start with. I look forward to your progress.

It really was a great looking truck to start with. My original plan was just to repair the engine and have fun with it for awhile but I just couldn't resist. It may seem ridiculous to some but I figured, the longer I wait to restore it, the harder it would be to find parts.

[mageew]

More Disassembly Pictures

This first picture is literally on day #1 of owning my truck. All I owned at that point was a small tool box with a few wrenches. I bought a set of socket wrenches and borrowed a floor jack from a neighbor and I was off!

The second picture is what I believed at that point to be my transmission as viewed through the floor of the cab. I'd kill to know how many years of dirt and grease was accumulated on that transmission! This is when I knew I had to do a complete restoration - I just couldn't bolt a shiny, rebuilt engine to that thing.

The last picture is the engine coming out. Jerry (the previous owner) was kind enough to lend me his cherry picker for this job. Pulling an engine was no small feat for someone as inexperienced as I am - that was my first major milestone.

[IP66Pro]

I'm going to upload a few every day until I get caught up. Enjoy!

Yep this is definitely going to be my daily entertainment for a while! Good progress for the first day you owned the truck.

[JStinson]

Thank you so much for sharing. I'm really looking forward to this one.

Love the bed floor.

[W_A_Watson_II]

The second picture is what I believed at that point to be my transmission as viewed through the floor of the cab. I'd kill to know how many years of dirt and grease was accumulated on that transmission!

I thought that was they were supposed to look, I've found the same "coating" on mine as well.

Great start, keep it up.

[Bob2]

Welcome to the addiction.

Carefully put all removed fasteners in plastic bags/tubs with label, they seem to get mixed up by themselves if you don't.

Have fun and don't sweat the small stuff PWA community has the answers if needed, and Vintage Power Wagon has the parts your gonna need.

Bob

1966-WM300 16,246 miles
2004 Dodge 1-ton diesel 56,200 miles
2004 PT Cruiser 67,036 miles
1999 Toyota 4-Runner 602,000 miles

[mageew]

Engine apart, cab off

After pulling the engine, I borrowed an engine stand from a friend and learned the finer points of "balancing" the engine on the stand. I had to adjust the chains I was using to suspend the engine from the cherry picker several times to get the engine hanging "level" so I could mate up the engine stand bolts. Then I discovered what happens if the center of rotation of the engine doesn't match up with the pivot point on the engine stand. Finally I got everything adjusted properly and started taking it apart. This first picture is my first look under the cylinder head.

It was pretty fascinating to see the inside of an engine for the first time - didn't take long to get everything apart. Here's a shot of everything layed out, minus the camshaft.

After sending the engine off to the machine shop, I moved on to removing the cab. Once again, Jerry's cherry picker came to the rescue. I removed the doors and used a 6 x 6 as a joist to lift the cab. I cut a "socket" into the center of the 6 x 6 to receive the rectangular end of the cherry picker and drilled a hole in the side to bolt the piece of wood on. It was a little wobbly on the cherry picker wheels but I managed to roll the cab to the side where I set it onto a rolling dolly I made with some scrap wood and big rubber caster wheels.

[IP66Pro]

Nice work, I like the cab removal method!

[mageew]

More Progress

Well, the frame is finally completely stripped down & off getting blasted & powder-coated. After blasting, it's getting a phosphate wash, primer, two coats of powder & a clear coat to help protect against chips. I'm planning to treat the axle housing and steering knuckle flanges the same way. Haven't decided how to paint the rest of the wheel assembly - recommendations anyone? I made a dolly out of some 2 x 4's & caster wheels which has really been helpful to move the frame around my garage due to the limited space. It'll come in handy to protect it after it's painted, too. Made a similar rig for the cab.

Second picture is of my new leaf springs. The old ones were broken in multiple places and the main springs were worn almost completely through (broken bushings) so I had new ones fabricated by an outfit about 1 1/2 hrs away using the old ones as a pattern. New U-Bolts came with the package! The manufacturer painted them with cheap paint which I'm told will rust through within a year. Currently planning to have them disassembled and powder-coated by a local shop. May be overkill but I want everything to be as well-protected as possible.

Front wheels & steering knuckles are completely disassembled & rebuild parts are on order. New bearings, seals, bushings, etc. My inner axle bushings literally fell out during disassembly - not a good sign. Had pretty clear leakage of differential oil into the steering knuckle. After spending an entire day cleaning one wheel assembly, I broke down and decided to have a local machine shop clean the rest using their automatic parts washer & blaster. The last picture is a before/after overlay of the results - who knew there was metal under all that rust/grease!?! How would you guys paint these parts? Any advice would be appreciated.

Currently working on the front differential more pictures coming.

[IP66Pro]

Nice update, Looks like that truck came apart quickly enough! Cant wait to see it start going back together.