I was driving my truck to town yesterday when I heard a thump. Suddenly the engine ran and the drive shaft turned but the wheels didn't go around. This is what I use to haul firewood up to the house, so I need to fix it.
I wonder if it has babbit thrust washers.
And al that talk about Dependable Dodge.. After just 61 years of service it starts breaking down, piece by piece
well, no plastic there - repairing the 'ol truck will pay off with many more useful years
About 50 years ago a friend who drove a souped up 1958 Chevy was about to leave my house to get ready for a formal dance that night. He tached it up to about 5,000 RPM, popped the clutch and the tires screeched for a second, then he just sat there. He let it wind down looked at me though the window and said, "I think I broke it". I looked underneath and could see that with engine running and in gear, the drive shaft turned, but no movement.
We jacked it up, removed the right wheel, pulled the axle shaft and fished out the broken off spline end with a magnet. We then jumped into my car, ran to the Chevy dealership (where we both worked at the time), grabbed a new axle shaft off the rack (and yelled we'll write a tag and pay for it on Monday), raced back to my house and put it back together.
He wasn't even late for the dance!
Henry, I've got a similar story about a '55 Ford at the stock car race in 1967 during the county fair. We changed the rear end between races. The I jumped on the trunk while my friend was driving it over to the front of the pit area to go out for the race. I never made the full trip. I slid off the trunk when he hit the accelerator while turning a corner. My tailbone still hurts.
But he made it to the race.
Steve,
I have the near-twin to you truck, except mine is the '53 model with stylized rear fenders & corner windows in the cab. So far the rear axle in mine is fine. however, when I put the newer engine in it, I adjusted the parking brake (it's on the driveshaft). Well, we took it on the test drive (fortunately UP the hill to Mt. Shasta (I was in Dunsmuir at the time.). All was fine, until I turned around and headed back down the hill. All of a sudden the truck started slowing down and was difficult to steer. Pulled over and looked underneath--that parking brake was smokin'!
Let it cool down and slowly drove back home and RE-adjusted that brake!
Mine is also in need of a paint job finally. Someday. . . .
BTW, it was my "adopted" grandfathers, he gave it to me when he bought a new truck--without Ethel's (his wife)permission! I don't think she ever forgave him for buying it! When I first drove it home, it smoked so bad I thought something was on fire--that's why the engine swap.
T'
David D.
Steve,
If I remember correctly you have a TT?
Use that for the firewood runs...
Larry
I think I'll have the Dodge fixed long before I get the TT put together.
Didn't you just fix the brakes (master cylinder) on that thing?
Yep, when I get it running again I'll be able to stop it.
maybe you just broke an axle.
Howza bouta update, Steve?
Yeah. While we're at it how did the log splitter engine work out?
Today I was going to jack up the rear end and examine the patient. But when I went to start the Suburban to pull the truck onto a sheet of plywood to support the jack, the battery was down. So I put a charger on the Chebby and moved on to some other chores. One of them was splitting a pile of wood I cut the other day. At least the splitter works. Maybe I'll find the truck's problem this weekend.
Beggin' for an update bump.
Ugly yellow wheels on a perfect truck?
You need to find some au-natural paint for those wheels.
Something came up that ate up my whole weekend (that's another thread), so I didn't get to the truck.
Fred, believe it or not that's green (or yellow-green), and it's the original color of the wheels. Maybe I'll paint the body too someday.
Fred, Steve's right; my original wheels are the same color (right now my truck is sitting on '34 Dodge wheels that look like wood spoke wheels. )
David D.
OK - Whatever you guys say but I still prefer the current color of the truck.
But you gotta remember I'm partial to T barn finds!
The body was dark green. The bed and running boards were black. Only the wheels and the pinstriping were light green.
Maybe its a u-joint. I think these trucks used the same u-joint as my 36 Plymouth sedan. The u-joint could fail inside the U-joint bell housing and leave the driveshaft still connected.
I shelled out a pinion in my 36, but it was my youth rather than the car's integrity that caused the failure.