Finally, a complete truck

[wayneh]

So on the lower left side of the distributor there is the little tab for adjusting the timing. When you pull that bolt out (5/16" I think) you can remove the distributor. When you loosen it you can adjust the timing. Here is the picture of mine before I tore it apart earlier this year.

Wayne

[frippe123]

Finally back from a trip. Will start looking into this tomorrow if the weather and sunlight allows it. Thank you for the very clear picture Wayne.

[frippe123]

Wow, time flies.

My intention is to semiperiodically try to update this thread regarding my progress, findings and of course alot of questions. My progression will be slow as alot of other things takes my time.

Travelling, chores on the honey to do list and an ant invasion in the house have made me not being able to fokus much on the truck. I did however manage to play around removing rust with the help of electrolysis. I mentioned earlier that the oil filter setup was a mess with the squashed oil inlet hose. The different oil filter and oil filler tube together with the engine code and number which is D24-409059 makes me think that this engine started its life in another vehicle prior being installed the PW. Where Can I find out more of this engine? Does the D24 mean 240 ci? The engine

Fortunately I have my white pre 1950s chassis that has a sock type canister complete with oil lines. Due to the stuck valves on the white chassis the decision was made to harvest the goodies from it. The canister was removed, dissassembled and put in a bath with bicarbonate, a sacrificial anode and some water. A non intelligent battery charger was connected. After a few days the paint and rust was gone. The parts was covered in a black residue which was cleaned with some warm water and a brass wire brush. It was quite the work to get it clean. Is there a better way in removing the black residue?

I also managed to fasten the distributor and get the timing somewhat correct. The scale is very hard to read due to two reasons. The needle can't be seen 90-degrees from where you would normally look as the fan is in the way. The scale has some light rust making it hard to see. I have to purchase a dial indicator to find the true dead center. But for now it runs and it starts almost as quick as my "modern" cars.

Shifting gears is hard. I haven't driven much and has still not managed to downshift while double clutching. Upshift is a little easier but third and fourth gear is a pain to shift and I rarely get it right. Any tips?

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

It is coming along nicely, Thank you for Sharing.

[Brian Holt]

I see you have not posted in quite a while...let us know how its coming along would you. I live out in British Columbia and I own a 1947 PW and I would be quite interested to see how you are coming along with your old beauty.

[dad2nick]

Hi. Great truck. D24 is a 230ci. engine from 1946-1948 Dodge car. Check out T137.com for lots of helpful information.

[dad2nick]

Also, there is a plug above #6 cylinder. You can insert thin rod and turn engine by fan to find top dead center when rod is at highest point.

As for double clutching, shifting at the proper road speed helps a lot. I have never had trouble up-shifting. When down-shifting from 3 to 4, shift into neutral, rev the engine up to better match transmission speed, and then shift into 3rd. I almost never down-shift from 3 to 2. Usually just brake to a stop and then start out again in 2nd.

[frippe123]

Hi,

Sorry for not updating. I feel like I have let myself down as almost no progress has been made. I have hit a few snags and there has been alot of work to do on the husband to do list (as always). I have been trying to learn how to drive it though a few times totaling up to about 6 miles for all times. I have quite some issues with the double clutching part, partly due to inexperience, partly due to that the current exhaust system makes the cab resonate. Hearing the engine RPM is not easily accomplished at the moment and I don't have a feel for the engine just yet. I was thinking maybe of finding a cheap (inductive?) tachometer so it is possible to see the engine's RPM and learn how and when to shift easier.
　
At least the truck is at home and is running. I need a list of things fixed before it is possible to register it at the Swedish equivalent of a DMV and drive it legally.
I have struck an issue regarding the registration of the vehicle, something I have to blame myself for as I bought it unseen from across the globe. The truck was listed as a 1949 with rebuilt title. After the sale I received a Bill of sale for a 1949 truck with a VIN matching the frame. However, when the truck later arrived at my shipping agent I was sent the copy of the title and the title states that it is a 1952 truck and the VIN is an arbitrary number given by New Mexico. I could register it as a 1952 but that would mean that I have to remove the original VIN nr and stamp the arbitrary on the frame. I am currently waiting for the appraiser to se whether it is possible to wedge the system so it might enter the database as a 1949. I still might be forced to change the VIN but atleast the year will be correct. An alternative would be to get an updated New Mexico title with the correct year but the New Mexico DMV said no to that.
Apart from the vehicle "year"-issue there is a list om musts to do before the registration.

-Set the timing better. It is very hard to see TDC on the wheel at the front of the engine because you can't look at it straight from the top so I will try and do the #6 rod trick.
-Fix all electrical including

-Turn signal
-Brake lights
-Driving lights
-Parking lights? don't know if these are necessary
-Horn

-Fix the seat in the cab
-Brakes need adjusting and maybe new cylinders alternatively new shoes
-Another exhaust system that doesn't make the cab resonate
-Change transmission fluids
-Change differential fluids
-Mount cab door side glass
-Aquire and mount all weatherstriping
-Mount inside of doors
-Aquire and mount windscreen wipers (illegal without)
-Remove 50 mm hitch ball (Not constructed very well, Pintle hook stays)
-Depending how it goes remove the original VIN and stamp the rebuilt VIN on the frame.

There is probably quite some work items missing from the list but it should be the majority of it.

To complete the list I am currently scourging the Internet. The downside is that the Swedish currency is very weak at the moment. Another downside is that more and more sellers on Ebay are using EbayŽs Global Shipping Program to sell abroad. The problem with the GSP are many: It takes forever to get something delivered, the shipping costs for the customer is very high and you always have to pay customs fees which you only had to do from time to time fre GSP.

An internal ideological question I'm battling at the moment is whether I should pick the truck apart and start renovating it or if I should drive it for a few years. I have been searching for this truck for years and picking it apart means that I can't drive it for a few more years.
I haven't decided just yet.

[AK3936]

Personally, I'd do the minimum neccessary to get it to driveable condition. That way you can drive it and enjoy it while accumulating the parts needed to do your planned work/modifications. When you have everything ready for your restoration, then tear into it. This way you will avoid any delays due to shipping.

Besides, driving it for a while will help you decide exactly what you want to do to it.

[frippe123]

Progress has been slow. Last week I finally got the approval to register the truck as a 1949 instead of 1952. I'm really happy about this as I only have to put it through inspection once and not annually. The process has taken alot of mental time on my behalf which has meant that I have not been able to work on the truck much. I also have a gigantic husban to do list where activities keeps being added to ata a seemingly increased rate.

Last week I went out to the shed to start the truck but it was a no go. Fuel does not arrive to the carb. Time for some troubleshooting. Where should one start? How do I best test the function of the mechanical fuel pump?
　
Another issue that arised was that one of the hood hinge pins broke. It was previously welded. Luckily I have a new hood hinge that I got with the purchase of the truck. What type of rivets and dimensions should I use if I want a period correct look?

[Roald]

Hi,

Finally, after more than 4 years of search and dreaming I am the proud owner of a complete mostly original flat fendered Power Wagon from 1949 in NM. I found it on ebay of all places. The truck has begun its voyage and is currently in Phoenix, AZ at my agents place where some (hopefully) minor sheet metal work will be done to the cab.
When the sheet metal work is finished it will be loaded into a container together with additional parts I buy and trucked to the port of LA. From there It will be shipped over the atlantic and into my warm, gentle and loving arms after customs, fees and VAT har been paid.

The truck is complete for the most part but it will need a few parts to replace broken or in place of missing ones. Pictures coming soon.

I have managed to find most parts that I know I need at vintagepowerwagons and will place an order in a few days when I have browsed through the catalogue a couple of times more.
Some parts I know I need but have not found and some part I may need but don't know. I primarily two questions:

1. Is there any aftermarket availability of the 1st gen series bed rear pockets? What price would be expected? I could probably make someone local with a metal brake fabricate two for me but it would most likely be more expensive.

2. What seals, bearings and gaskets etc would you replace if you aquired a new old truck?

I can see you're from Sweden. In case you don't know the wm300 was used in the danish military and therefore you might also be able to find some spare parts in Denmark and save on the freight if you will need it at some point.

This one is for sale right now for about 4000$

[frippe123]

Hi Roald,

I have actually been to Denmark to look at a truck but it was unfortunately in a much worse condition than advertised. A 1200 mile roundtrip wasted. Well not completely wasted thanks to the excellent danish beer and food. :) The truck you posted looks quite interesting. Most trucks seems to be open cab. Where do I find parts and trucks in Denmark? I biweekly search on dba.dk and veteranposten.dk.

[Roald]

Hi Roald,

I have actually been to Denmark to look at a truck but it was unfortunately in a much worse condition than advertised. A 1200 mile roundtrip wasted. Well not completely wasted thanks to the excellent danish beer and food. :) The truck you posted looks quite interesting. Most trucks seems to be open cab. Where do I find parts and trucks in Denmark? I biweekly search on dba.dk and veteranposten.dk.

Yes, I intentionally wrote "spareparts" instead of truck, they are often rusty and the open cab model.

You can try www.dmkf.dk or www.milklub.dk (there is more activity on their facebook page "militærkøretøjs klubben"

When you search on dba.dk or guloggratis.dk, you'll have most luck with just searching after "Dodge" as most people overheres does not know what a powerwagon or wm-300 is :-)

Some time ago I found 3 tons of spareparts for around 700$ and a rusted but repairable closed cab truck for about the same, so they are around.

[frippe123]

Yesterday I removed all electrical cabling except that needed to run the engine. The majority of the cables were spliced about every foot and twisted together with a bit of electrical tape. I do have one issue with the current setup draws 0.3 Amps when the ignition is off. If I remove the circled connector on the alternator which is permanently connected to 12 v the power drain stops. I'm wondering if the alternator setup is not connected as it should. Any ideas or does anyone have a wiring diagram for a 12v alternator setup?

Been working all day today removing the hitch setup. Man they really destroyed the rear cross member mounting that thing. The welds had no penetration at all. They also pulled way to heavy stuff with it. I managed to heat and hammer it a little bit into shape (images). Will weld the rear part and hammer on it some more. The horizontal front crack was more than one inch wide. There are also many vertical cracks on the underside.

[frippe123]

By the way. A newbie question. What is the contraption in the attached image? I first thought it is was a fuel pump but upon closer inspection it seems to be connected to the rear axle. Pardon the bad image quality.