EdStewart

Thanks for the help. What fluid/grease is used in the box?

The Ross steering box in my 1929 Dodge Bros truck has a noisy bushing/bearing? in the upper steering column near the wheel. The bottom of the column, where it joins the steering box has a hex head- can this be unscrewed from the box to access the noisy part? Thanks for any enlightenment.

As I stated in a post on this forum this evening, I'm putting a DA140 truck together that was disassembled by a friend who has passed away. I don't have the original wheel cylinders, but he obtained replacements from NAPA that fit well. The pistons are of different diameters though, two are #UP949 with a bore of 1.25" and two are #UP37317, bore 1.5". The mounting in the backing plate is the same in all 4 wheels. Do you know if the larger bore is on the front brakes? (While pulling up the part info I just noticed that the brake line thread is different in these two models- 949 is 1/2"-20 and 37317 is 7/16"-20- I'll be going to Fallbrook to work on the truck in couple of weeks and will check the banjo fitting diameter on the rear.) Also, I need to find brake return springs- any formula on the proper length and tension? Brake drum inner diameter 14.5" or so. Picture below is with shoes in maximum retraction. Thanks for any guidance!

I'm putting a DA140 truck together that was disassembled by a friend who has passed away. I have a mention in his papers that it may have had 600x20" tires. I only have the bare rims which seem to be Firestone "O" rims, all 4 are the same size. The literature states that the 1 ton trucks were offered with optional rims- these are stamped 32x6 which are larger than the stock 30x5, and leads me to a 650x20" tire. Any idea of the proper size tire? Thanks!

Will do, heading to Fallbrook Monday

Sherman, do you know if the felt was glued to the bearing cap?

I'm restoring a 1930 Dodge Bros truck and am looking at replacing the tired brake lines. The existing lines are in a fabric sleeve that has become fragile. Is there a source for this material. The brake lines are 1/4" OD. Thanks for any help!

Is it glued to a groove on the crank/ bearing cap,?? Is there also felt in the groove in the pan? This has been there since Danny took the engine apart.

I’m reassembling a DA140 truck with a DA6 engine… I started the story on a thread “Dodge Bros truck”. The engine has been rebuilt and I’d like to get the pan on and set the engine back in the frame. I’ve searched a bit but have not found specific info on this engine; any help on the felt seal is appreciated, along with any general tips on getting a good seal on the pan. Thanks, Ed

Good to know on the fluid- fortunately all components have been rebuilt so I’m starting with a dry system. We’ll spend extra care on flares to make them right. Are all the rubber components in the master and wheel cylinders compatible with Dot 4 and 5?

Thanks Sherman, I’m going to clean up all the fittings after I get the engine in the frame. Some of my lines are kinked so I’m going to replace them all. Is there a source for the fabric used to sleeve the lines? Was there a special trick on the felt on the DA6 oil pan?

I’ll clean up all the brake fittings, can they be used again if in good shape? If not, is there a source? Is copper nickel brake line tubing ok to replace line? I have a good friend that has the flaring equipment. The tubing on the frame, and across the rear axle has a cloth covering, is this available anywhere? Do you use Dot3 fluid?

I haven’t seen the key for the slot in the axle to secure the rear hub, I’ll have to search for it. I have the castle nut- is there anything special about the washer that I imagine goes under the nut? Are there lug bolts that are pressed into the hub?

I forgot to ask above- is there a torque value for the oil pan bolts? Do the rear seals have a torque against the bearing? The front differential seal doesn’t seem to engage the segmented threads evenly, should they? I haven’t seriously fussed with it. Is there a circumferential clamp on the segmented thread, or only the bolt on the housing below the seal?

I’d like to get the oil pan on and get the engine in the frame- do you use RTV gasket seal on the gasket? If so, on one side or both? Should I replace the felt in the pan/crank seal? Any tricks to that?

I’m on the ferry in Washington now, we flew to Seattle this morning. I will be heading back down there in the beginning of March and will look for the Serial #’s… is the frame number on the left front outboard side of the frame rail like it is on my truck? The truck is inside on a concrete floor so it is easy to crawl under and around. I had a little time to sort through parts this week and wrote a list of questions to research before I return Fallbrook. I’ll try to get them posted tomorrow to start getting input. I’d like to get the engine mounted on the frame and sort out the brake system. I’m also going to get tires ordered so I can roll the chassis. I found a shop in Long Beach that can mount the Firestone “O” rims.

Thanks Sherman, that is very helpful. I'm trying to get over to the Steam engine museum to find the Graham truck but they have been closed due to mud everywhere. I found the Graham Bros truck at The Vista Steam Engine Museum- the body panels and interior look the same as our Stakeside. It also has a two piece driveshaft, but a little different from mine. The engine is different but sits in the frame metal to metal like ours, without the springs on the front bolts. It's a good reference that is nearby

Thanks Sherman, that is very helpful. I'm trying to get over to the Steam engine museum to find the Graham truck but they have been closed due to mud everywhere.

Hi All, I'm on my way from Washington back down to the truck in Fallbrook. We've had a very busy time since I've last been on the forum last October. I was able to visit Stakeside on one of my moving trips from SoCal to San Juan Island and was inspired by his truck and his work. Sherman, I will mount the spoked rim on the outer rim and get a picture. My goal this trip is to sort out the brake parts, wheel bearings & seals, oil pan gasketing, and tire fitment. I've been in contact with Coker and Lucas tire in Long Beach and and they steered me to Nate Jones tire in Long Beach for help in mounting these Firestone Type "O" rims- a call to them confirmed that they are familiar with the task. I'm not sure what size- Danny has 6 x20" in his notes, which is what Sherman has, but my rim code is different. I'll attach a couple of pictures to help. I'd like to nail down the correct width and get them ordered to make this a rolling chassis. Does anyone have a picture or help on the brake shoe retention? I'm used to the retaining pins that have the quarter turn slotted cup washer. Also the return spring layout/attachment. Any exploded view or picture of the shoes on the backing plate would be helpful. For some reason pictures are not uploading tonight, I will send asap. Thanks for any help.

I was able to put the rings on the rim without too much of a fight. Does the offset slot for the valve stem sit near or away from the brake drum?

Found this in a box- seems with the logo it may be for a car. It's a different size thread from the radiator too.

There are a lot of parts involved the driveshaft, it is a puzzle. I'll get some pics of the shafts themselves tomorrow.

This is the front diff seal, the part that slides onto the keyed tapered shaft is a little rough, it seems it may be hard on the seal since it will spin against it. Should parts like this be smoothed or polished to ride against the seal?

There is a washer with a fair amount of wear on the inner race of the inner bearing- there is also a thin metal washer and a felt ring, does this serve as the inner seal? There were two old seals with springs in the same box but I'm not sure where they came from. Danny also bought or machined two new outer washers that index in the slot.