Hi everybody There's lots of great stuff on here, and lots of knowledge. I have a dodge C-series pickup. It has a running 230 flathead 6 and 3 on the tree. I got it running and gave it a spraybomb paintjob with a crappy drawer pull grille for $hits n giggles. It is barely drivable right now because of brake m/c issues and I am thinking about putting some energy into it- at the end of Nov. I'm moving to a house with a nice garage so I can actually sink my teeth into a project instead of hoping I don't get crushed working on the street in the city. here's how it sat when I got it here's kinda what it looks like now I got some cheap steel rims (a/r soft 8 black) since this pic I saw a crappy chop on a b-series in my neighborhood recently, got my mind churning. I didn't think these looked as good chopped as some other makes with more massive front ends, but this one was pretty cool despite half finished seams, obvious filler panels, painted white walls... Actually the dude payed $6000 for the truck on ebay and got way ripped off, but the stance and proportion of the truck gave me hope for chopping mine. So who out there has seen a cool dodge pickup? Do you have one? Would I be better off taking the firewall and frame and making a cool flathead heap? Or maybe a 318/a833 swap? I have some '70's a-body mopar parts, but the flatty is just so cool to me... Please, any ideas and especially pictures would be helpful. I'm still in the dreaming stage of the project, but it's the truck I got and I gotta work with it. Thanks!
Sold this one back in jan. Big blk chevy. S-10 frame. 4.50 inch chop , sectioned hood, ect, ect........
If you like the flathead 6, keep it. The direction you go on this should depend on what you want the finished version to be. Give some serious thought to chopping that 54/early 55 cab, that windshield is very hard to find and very expensive. The 53 and older were flat glass (except the corner windows) and were easier to chop. The late 55s and newer had a wrap-around windshield with straight posts. I/ve been involved with 3 very different directions of builds with this era truck. The first was a 56 pannel. It had a 383 (mopar big block) with a 727 mounted on the original frame. It really hauled, but brakes were flat scary. That truck then recieved a warmed up 360, auto still retaining the original beakes and suspension. Still very scary. The second truck was a 54 like yours. That one was clipped with a cross torsion bar suspension and was lowered. It got a 360 with an auto, and was a great driver. That one is the teal green one in the pictures. The last one is a 50 (except the nose is the same as 49-53) that was raised up and put on an 80 Dodge 4x4 chassis. That is the blue one in the pictures. Were I to do another one, I would probably put it on a Dakota frame, they fit very nicely under these trucks. If you want to stay with the flathead 6, the original suspension and brakes are OK as long as they are in good functioning condition. www.rustyhope.com has a disc brake conversion you can put on your original axle if you plan on adding more power then the flathead, and I would highly recomend the upgrade. Upgrade the rear brakes while your at it, and a change to a 3:55 or a 3:23 rear gear (swapping to a 64 or newer rear axle improves the brakes, the rear axle shafts, and gets you a better choice of gears all at once) will improve highway rpms with the flathead, they don't like to rev very high. There are some guys here that have some very neat looking flathead 6s. Mopar used the same basic flathead 6 engine from the 30s through 60 in cars and trucks and then it was used in farming and industrial applications much longer.
Nice looking truck! I've got a '53 that I started work on when I was about 14 or 15, not my forefront project at the moment but I'll get there someday. I chopped the top 4" (not completely finished with that so its rough, just all the posts and channels, still more sheet metal work and doors to do). I also clipped it with a '66 fury to put the full torsion bar suspension and mounts for a big block 440 in it. The clip lowered the front pretty nicely and the wheelbase worked out pretty well. The chop would look a little different with the curved glass vs the flat windshield, but maybe this will help some. As far as the rest of it, don't make it a flathead heap please! But if the flatty runs, or close to it, I'd leave it at least for now. Very cool engine. Mine was hopelessly stuck so I went to the V8. Plus the new suspension should be more user friendly when I finish the thing.
my first shot at working on a car, as of right now rebuild the wheel cylinders. im having alot of fun and im learning soo much i just recently rebuilt the master cylinder as well, it was not as hard as i thought it would be haha
Awesome! Keep em' coming! If I went to 4-5" chop how hard would it be to use two panels of flat glass like a b-series? I was thinking the lower I make the roof the easier it would be to fit a custom flat channel cutting an angle across the stock curve. I can afford lots of mig wire and grinding wheels, but not multiple expensive hard to find windshields... Cheap Lowering strategies? How do these like lowering blocks? I think the u-bolts aren't the same as modern round axle tubes, what are some common solutions? I haven't had mine off yet to really investigate. Would I run into steering issues? Obviously if I'm keeping the stock leaf springs and straight axle I can't go too low, maybe 3" would be good. Sectioning seems a little ambitious- I might change my mind, but a little channeling over the frame would be pretty easy, and there is tons of room especially if I go to buckets. The stock seat is park bench sized! Thanks for the interest and ideas. Kevin
Here is my 48 Dodge Mustang II front, 9" rear. 468 bbc (hilborn intake).. still have lots to do before its hits the road
here are 2 of mine....nose has been filled. It's got a 400 chevy w/th350, 8 &3/4 moper rear axle w/3.23 gears, front disc kit from ABS power brake, raised floor w/s-10 buckets , big tach and ratchet shifter...turns mid to low 15's at 85 mph w/29" slicks.....generates lotsa smiles....bed is being restored w/ cherry and new stainless
Dude, nice freakin truck! I've never seen an early 50's dodge truck that slammed to the ground, and i dig it. Nice ride man.
Hey paul B how much is your truck chopped? and how, did you lay the window back or split the roof? thanks justin
Hello! I have a 50 that I built. Im sure that im going to step on toes here but im not a fan at all of chopping the top or putting chevy motors in them! The pics that are posted with those mods are sweet dont get me wrong but when you roll anywere people flip out on the fact that you never see those! and then when they see the flat head and orig. 6 volt wiring and your 40 to even 80 miles from home and you DROVE it there then they really freak! Im not done with mine, I finally got a guy to lower my strait axle for me and im going to flip the rear axle,change wheel color and wide whitewall it but never going to take a knife to the cab or change the motor to a other breed???? Im currentlly running 4 wheel disc manual brakes and a 308 gear that gets me down the road at 75mph.
Justin i chopped 5" out of it just below the back window at the belt line. Split the roof and kept the same angles on the pillars. My first chop. I just followed the guys here on the HAMB . as a guide. thanks to all that posted there pics. My son took pics of our chop but he's living in Fla now.
I want to be able to drive mine faster then 55 on the freeway so the original 6 was tossed.. not worth the time.. I may pull the bbc and swap in a newer efi HEMI motor now that they are so easy to find..
hers the one I'm woring on. volare subfram. 318 auto. I may take to running boards off. need bags for the rear too. put ford ranger springs on the back and they are too soft. the rear hits the frame I notched
i have a 56 c series long bed with the flat head 6. been thinking of sellin it. it is 98% complete, price is right i'll sell ... if not my plan is to chop 5 to 6 inches leave original front glass and tilt it back and if needed lower it into the dash alittle. s-10 frame air bags front and rear. depending on the condition of the flathead ... either keep it or drop in a 90's chevy 350 tbi
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