Projects 52 Dodge B3B Hemi Project

Having owned several early Dakotas, I suspect your brake issue is probably a dragging caliper, or a messed up rotor.
If my 94 sits very long, the front brakes tend to want to lock up at low speeds for the first few blocks. I have a slight pulsation in the brake pedal, I suspect one or both of my rotors are deteriorating to the point some rust is building up when it sits. Mostly I drive this truck once or twice a month to run across town to pick something up. I was hoping I could replace it before winter, but I may be buying rotors before that. Gene

 

Could very well be, I haven't gotten around to pulling it apart yet, but I will soon and report what I find.

 

The main delay in working on this thing is that I just bought a vertical band-saw and am going to get a mill /lathe this coming weekend. Next week I have travel to see my sister in ND whose health is failing.

 

Many years back (decades...?) I had an issue with a phenolic resin piston in a caliper. It absorbed a tiny amount of brake fluid (moisture..?) and hung up in the bore.
Not sure at what year MaMopar stopped using them but just something to eliminate.

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Good to know, I plan to take it apart today hopefully.

 

Phenolic pistons are hygroscopic, they can and will swell slightly, they typically have more clearance to accommodate the normal swelling, definitely a possibility


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Thanks, I will be looking into it.

 

Well I have pulled the wheel/tire and had a look. I cannot find anything obviously wrong. The rotor spins freely, so if the caliper piston was hanging up it has retracted.

I am wondering if somehow it was building line pressure as I was driving it? As I mentioned, I had that happen on one of my Harleys but attributed it to a bent rotor (they are pretty thin). I don't think this is the case here, the rotor seems good, doesn't rub in any one spot more than anywhere else.

 

...refresh my old memory, did you use the Dak system as-is?

 

Yes, I used the entire front clip to include the brakes. I did replace the rotors and pads however. Its a manual brake system that actually works pretty well (when its not on fire...)

 

I did discover that the tire was not seated on the bead correctly, I always wondered why that tire always looked low... Having your own tire machine, balancer and brake lathe comes in handy once in awhile.. All of the wheels were pretty rusty when I got it and I have chased leaks around the beads forever, in several tires I have tubes, but I have managed to get a couple to seal. With this wheel, I decided to mount it onto my brake lathe and then using a variety of tools to include a small file, sandpaper and a wire wheel chucked up in a drill (that worked great), I was able to get the wheel in decent shape. Here are kind of the before and after pics, in the "before" pic I actually had already started to work on the left side.

 

Tire sealed up to the bead nicely this time. Of course this has nothing to do with the brake issue, but it is one thing that needed to be fixed. Going to take it back out today and see what happens since I couldn't find anything wrong with the caliber. I had my wife jump in and pump the brakes, they gripped and released as they should, the line wasn't collapsing, so I don't know what is going on.

 

Drove the truck around today, brakes behaved well. The more I drive it the better the EFI/motor runs. Got a lot of positive comments as well

 

I know it has been awhile since I posted on here but in truth I have not done much with the truck for awhile. A lot has happened over the last several years (as it relates to me personally) but probably most notable is that I am for all intents and purposes retired. I still do a few contract things but pretty much I am doing what I want to do only, and that is working in one of my shops building cars.

Over the last year or so I have building a 69 Ply wagon for a friend and not long ago agreed to build a 70 Road Runner for another who lives in Australia. Also, last year I fell into a smoking deal on a 71 Charger via a very good friend down AZ way. This will be my next personal build and will not be featured here as it is too new I think but more to the point is that it will have a G3 Hemi in it and I know how this site feels about that.

I both sad and happy to report that my buddy in AZ recently purchased the 52 from me as he really wanted it and I know will drive it far more than I ever did. He is very "old school" so he will fit right in here at the HAMB. He tells me that he intends to continue this thread as he takes delivery of the truck and begins the next phase in its life. He has a different vision that I did/do but that is fine, the truck will be better off for it.

I don't know if I will do about old truck but never say never! I have 3 projects currently waiting their turn to be built but then again my interests vary greatly and if I found a deal on an old truck you never know. I will say that if I ever do another it will most likely get a modern drive train or perhaps even a rebody by putting the old sheet metal on top of something newer.

Anyway, I really want to thank everyone who helped me with this build, offer advice and comments and those who just enjoyed following along.

 

Retired huh....now you'll be busier than ever.
Good to hear that the truck has an eager owner.

 

That is absolutely true already, I have more to do now than ever, the difference is that they are things I want to do vice have to do.