Alright...i need some suggestions..i have this 42 dodge pickup old firetruck...i dont have much money...so im not going to restore it or anything...i just want to get it running and driving well... This is my question...im debating if i should lower it or leave it alone...another question i have would yall leave it a fire truck or take the junk off??....just give me your thoughts....thanks everyone!!
Get it running with some tall skinny military tires and leave it alone. If it was the average 1/2 ton truck, then i'd say go hog wild... but old fire trucks, 3/4 ton - heavier, tow trucks and old semis should be left tall and proud. Just my opinion. Cool truck. Edit: I'll contradict myself a bit and would lose the gumball on top, and find a different spot for the siren. But that's just me... that stuff looks like it was just tacked on as an after thought...
thanks everyone..i will get some better pictures of it tomorrow...show you what im really working with....remember im not going to touch the body what so ever...only thing is to get the engine running driving and stoping and cut some glass for the windsheild and such...my deadline is Feb 20, 2010....so i dont have all that long...this is the truck that make me want to lower it... here is the link..let me know if it dosnt work http://www.flickr.com/photos/24249582@N02/2315266817/ do yall have any kind of info on that pickup.? Thanks again!! p.s. does anyone know where to get parts for this old truck??
Cool, that is the second one of those that I have seen, several years ago I purchased one from a guy about two hours north of me. The truck had been disassembled for restoration and the bed frame and drive train had been lost in a shop fire. I purchased what was left for 200 bucks. The truck had 8000 miles on it. Sad. I sold most of the parts , still have some little bits and pieces. It was a military truck to start but was purchased off the Canadian military by a small fire department. No idea why it had been disassembled with such little milage but that is the story old Bob told me. Have fun with her. Keith
yea...the previous owner of this truck said this truck only had around 15,000 miles on it...im not sure how true that it or not...but the steering is super super tight not any play what so ever and all the dust sheilds/brush gards are still in place under the truck...he said it was a brush truck so they only drove it in the woods during fires..
Most likely it does have low miles on it. It appears they may have mounted a tank in the back to work with the pump. It fairly obvious that this was and up perhaps in house. It fix her up and get her running, look for some Indian tanks and a couple of copper fire extinguishers to cherry it out. The bracket on the drivers side look like it was to hang a hard suction hose for the pump.
Leave it as is! If it was an old brush truck the mileage is probably accurate. As a firefighter though I can tell you those are some hard miles! If you really don't want to keep it as is, find a firefighter to sell it to, any firefighter with any kind of mechanical inkling wants one. One of these days I'll get one myself. There were never a lot of these, although I suspect a large number of them (a far higher a percentage than regular old trucks) have been preserved since the fire service is so big on tradition. Still, it should be preserved in all its former glory.
Leave it. Get her running and stopping as safe and reliable as can be. Let her character shine. Horn should be on the fender top, not obscuring the parking light.
I know the truck. I would lose the firetruck stuff. Just a hacked pump and an ax on the bed. It would be way better in its own right.
thanks everyone...yea the firetruck stuff it pretty hacked..he said that a "local shop did it in the 40's" who knows...
Hi, I'd do what you can at present to keep it original as a daily driver, then maybe later funds will be better to do more to it. But then I love these old 39-47 Dodge Trucks and have owned a couple of the fire trucks, still have 39 Dodge / General fire truck with 9000 actual miles, sitting inside waiting $$ to restore it to original. Please come join us on the Yahoo 39-47 Dodge Truck site and give us the serial number for the registry. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/39-47Dodge/ If you go back to Flickr you will also find a group just for 39-47 Dodge Trucks, full of photos. If you need any help or want other info on this truck, please visit the group or contact me direct. Good Luck - keep us posted! Nollie [email protected]
If you keep it a firetruck, which I think you should, you need to put something in the back. Maybe a watertank or something.That would help it look more realistic. I think the gumball light and siren look ok. We have a 41 GMC firetruck here at our dept and it has very similar equipment.
well im sorry to say...but i think a v8 is going in....i cant find parts anywhere reasonable....i found a water pump for $189.00...thats the cheapest... This hobby is no longer for anyone...only for the rich it seems... i can buy another v8 for $200...i dont see paying $189 for a water pump.... let me know your thoughts...thanks everyone!!
well..here is a update on whats going on...ive decided to put a 318 in it with a 4 speed behind it...i also decided to do away with the fire truck theme...ive lowered the truck ...everything is moving along pretty well...ill get some pictures as soon as my girlfriend comes back with the camera...thanks everyone!
Dude, you gotta post some pics Some of that old stuff gets pretty pricey but after working on some late model stuff the price difference isn't all that much. Usually I find parts get the cheapest between 1975-1995. Any thing older or newer the stuff starts to get a little steep.
Hell, slam it, smooth it and leave the pump in. Bound to be a BIG hit on those hot summer cruise days...
ok i almost have the truck going...but i have one major issue.....the clutch itsnt working....it is way easy to push...i dont thing the throwout bearing is pushing the preasure plate.....the fork it moving and everything....there just isnt any tension....please help me if you can...thanks eveyone... i really just dont wanna pull the trans out
i got the clutch working....the driveshaft cut and fitted... a little off but i think it will work...fuel tank mounted and everything is going good so far.i got the steering column cut down and the steering box mounted i need to get a cheap radiator, brakes and find out how im going to mount my master cylinder....a little ods and ends and she will be ready...i will post pics asap...thanks everyone!!!
Stock was 6.5x16, or about 215/85-16LT if you want new radials. They are tall, about 29 inches overall. I think they look good on an old truck, and the folks at the Pilothouse site like them.
I have a 42 WF-32 2-1/2 ton truck, bone stock. I love driving the thing!! 72k on the speedometer, original motor never been apart.
my truck has 15's humm i was told that only the half ton and full ton trucks had the 16's....my truck is a 3/4 ton...they said it would have 15 inch wheels.....am i wrong?
15s or 16s both work fine. I think everything before 1948 was 16" (?) but it really doesn't matter. They might have been replaced with newer wheels for consistency across the department or something. 15" is easier to find tires for and the LT tires can ride a bit rough; if you are strictly cruising you can go with passenger tires. What are you going to do for steering / front end with the new motor in? Can you get a steering column to the steering box? Or will you get a new box, or put some u-joints in the steering column? (More pics!) If the suspension is like the Dodge cars and some lighter trucks of the era, you might be able to fab up a mount for a '85 Cavalier front steer rack (manual or power) for rack and pinion steering.
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