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47 Dodge Transmission upgrade??


Guest Tomjack

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Guest Tomjack

I am restoring a 1947 Dodge WC pickup and would like to make it a bit more road-worthy than the current low gear ratio, 3-speed manual transmission. The top speed is about 50-55 and an effort to get there. Is there any reasonably simple transmission upgrade available? To complicate matters, this truck had the engine replaced long ago with a Plymouth Deluxe (1946-1948) flathead six. I assume the transmission is the original Dodge-truck 3-speed manual.

The most obvious, to me, would be to find a 1946-1948 Plymouth passenger-car transmission that would match the engine. I am not going to use the truck for any "hard-use" ...like the 3-speed gear box intended. Would the passenger car transmission hold-up? ...is there a better alternative such as a more modern 4-speed?

Thanks,

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You can look at this a few ways.

Swap out the diff, to a more modern Mopar 81/2, with a gear ratio of 3.23 to 3.55, that is what I have in my 1955 Fargo pickup, with a 4speed, whether its 3 or 4 speed, the final drive ratio is 1-1.

You could convert to Borg and Warner T5 trans, this would drop your RPM in 5th gear, and still aloow you the off the line trhust with your stock diff.

Go to P15_D24 and do a search, and check ut the PilotHouse truck forum board, good luck......

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I use to have a 47 1/2 ton with a 65 ford 3.0 complete rear end. It's ,in my book,a simpler modification than a T5 and the bolt pattern is the same as your truck wheels. Yes,visit...... Pilot-House.com Forum - www.P15-D24.com for other rear axles that will work.

My truck also had the long block bigger truck engine installed so the truck could carry this camper or tow my boat even with the 3.0 rear gears.

MVC-005F.jpg

My4757RedFish.jpg

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  • 4 years later...
Guest Garrett hersh

Hey reg Evans I have the orange and white Evans truck now I got it from my uncle Jeff 

Hershberger in 2012 truck is now in Texas the old flat head was locked up I have an old Plymouth 23 inch motor I was thinking of putting in there get ahold of me if u can thanks image.jpeg

image.jpeg

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On 2/3/2012 at 2:06 PM, Tomjack said:

I am restoring a 1947 Dodge WC pickup and would like to make it a bit more road-worthy than the current low gear ratio, 3-speed manual transmission. The top speed is about 50-55 and an effort to get there. Is there any reasonably simple transmission upgrade available? To complicate matters, this truck had the engine replaced long ago with a Plymouth Deluxe (1946-1948) flathead six. I assume the transmission is the original Dodge-truck 3-speed manual.

The most obvious, to me, would be to find a 1946-1948 Plymouth passenger-car transmission that would match the engine. I am not going to use the truck for any "hard-use" ...like the 3-speed gear box intended. Would the passenger car transmission hold-up? ...is there a better alternative such as a more modern 4-speed?

Thanks,

Have a late 40s overdrive. Call me at 209-613-1199. 

Thanks

Dave

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  • 1 year later...
Guest Garrett hersh

Update on my 1947 dodge truck

since my last post I have got the truck running new wheels and tires new brakes system the motor was locked I pulled the head freed the valves and truck gas the bigger truck motor 236 and 1965 mustang 9in rear end after I finish the stock suspension think about putting a t5 behind the flathead as there very plentiful in Texas but only time will tell 

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Guest Garrett hersh
On 2/9/2012 at 6:07 AM, Reg Evans said:

I use to have a 47 1/2 ton with a 65 ford 3.0 complete rear end. It's ,in my book,a simpler modification than a T5 and the bolt pattern is the same as your truck wheels. Yes,visit...... Pilot-House.com Forum - www.P15-D24.com for other rear axles that will work.

My truck also had the long block bigger truck engine installed so the truck could carry this camper or tow my boat even with the 3.0 rear gears.

MVC-005F.jpg

My4757RedFish.jpg

Here the truck in its current state running I may add prob won't be pulling any boats or campers with it though  lmao

IMG_2384.JPG

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Hey, thanks for the photos !  I have wondered what ever happened to the "Ice Cream Truck" as we called it.  I owned it from about 1991 until 1998 and sold it so I could buy  more building materials for the house pictured.  The truck served me well.

Looks good !

What are your plans for it ?

 

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Keson Place with Ice Cream truck..jpg

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Guest Garrett hersh
55 minutes ago, Reg Evans said:

Hey, thanks for the photos !  I have wondered what ever happened to the "Ice Cream Truck" as we called it.  I owned it from about 1991 until 1998 and sold it so I could buy  more building materials for the house pictured.  The truck served me well.

Looks good !

What are your plans for it ?

 

47dodgesnowedin96.jpg

Keson Place with Ice Cream truck..jpg

 

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Guest Garrett hersh

Well my plans were to get it running and I finally did the valves were stuck when I got 

put those 2012 challenger wheels on it "20" 

keepin the flat head motor at all costs sounds so cool it's gonna be my Sunday driver was thinking about putting a five speed in it but haven't decided yet there plentiful 

question is the rear end a mustang 9 inch or is it an 8 in from something else 

pimpin out the truck 

Next will be the bed gonna use some red oak I think that's what it was gotta ditch the plywood 

 

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I was told by the man who built the truck that the rear end was a 3.0 from a 1965 Ford.  I use to regularly drive the truck over Donner Summit (7200' elev) from Grass Valley, Ca. (2500' elev)  to Reno, Nv.  The engine he installed was a transplant from a low mileage fire truck.  I used the truck daily in my construction business. It use to have a lumber rack on it and hauled materials to my job sites.

I was so impressed with that setup that I installed a 251 Chrysler and 65 T-Bird 3.0 rearend in my next old  '52 1/2 ton in 1998.  I'm still driving "Old Yeller" today. 

 

Old Yeller.jpg

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Guest Garrett hersh

Wow donner summit to grass valley I'm impressed  I guess I shouldn't be so scared of driving it a little further than the bar down the street yeah I really want to make it my daily driver but it's all over the road it changed lanes on me  "I didn't do it" was scary luckily I was in the middle lane and no one was next to me lmao also missing a couple of things like the windshield crank also missing the wiper blade assembly and the lights don't work but that's it  shoot me a text r call some time 8177338367 Garrett Hershberger

 

 

ps love ol'yeller beautiful truck just love them old trucks 

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Guest Garrett hersh

Prob so Jeff Hershberger I picked up the truck in Nevada city up in the mountains after he passed away in 2012 along with a 1933 dodge roadster pickup and a 1950 Cadillac that looks like an elcamino 

yeah the paint wasent quite that nice when I got it but believe it or not it was sitting out side but it's still on there with the exception of a little bit of damage on the left rear fender that was already there I started compounding and polishing on it not finished but the orange came back up like new I got plans to fix it up as Much as possible without spending a bunch of money i had to change the seat the back was really Rotten used a 3rd row seat from an expedition fit like a glove 

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Guest Garrett hersh

Also making new panels already have the lower kicker panels done fitted the with some 5 1/2 in infinity putting some 4 x10 behind the seat and thing about putting one 10" sub under seat 

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  • 3 months later...
Guest Garrett hersh

Well I've been really busy running the shop  but I've got some of the interior done started working on brake lines they were shot and split still have a miss on cyl #5 not sure if i bent  a valve when I was un sticking them they were stuck really hard or if I just need to adjust the valve lash haven't got back to it yet it it's getting really close I got all the light working again the wiring was kinda jicky and all the grounds were rusted out fixed all that so to be finished gotta get the  miss out and finish up brakes fixed the steering too the drag link was totally worn out getting closer every month keep it touch 

 

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