The 46 Dodge pickemup in NJ

[paintman]

Ok guys here we go again! I figured I would start the build thread here on the Chevy site since I couldn't really find a decent Dodge forum. Just as a warning though, this will be a LOOOOOOOOOOONG SLOOOOOOOW build! Mostly because i am still burned out from the 46 chevy build, and because this is inteneded to be a retirement project, but I am not yet retired fully. Also because I have been waffling on which way to take this project.

First off a little history on the truck. I purchased the truck from a fuy in Ct. who told me it was brought out to the East coast from the mid West by som kind of classic car company. He purchased it and then decided he didn't have the time to do the work. After I finished my chevy I really had no intention on doing another project. That's where the wife stepped in and convinced me I would be miserable with nothing to do after I retire. Soooooo seing as how this truck was in such soled shape I bit the bullet and drug it home. Mind you I had to not only rent a truck, but also a trailer from UHaul.

Off to Ct. with the wife..........


Truck was being stored in an old textile mill............



About 12 hours later back home and safely unloaded........



So this is where it has set for the first couple of months until I felt motivated enough to do something. Mind you I still had some small fixes to do on the Chevy. With winter setting in I didn't want to leave the ole girl out in the elements so I figured it was time to air least get the body up into the storage are I have above the garage.

So began the disassembly of all the body components. Fortunately I have storage above my garage for the bed, fenders, grille, etc. The cab has gets to live with the Chevy in the lower portion of our garage.

Of course when the paintman finished up the Chevy he never envisioned doing another truck so he cut up and burned the cab dolley he had

So the back of the cab will need the usual patch panel at the bottom because of rust. The beltline is in perfect shape!

And each door has a small rust hole just below the hing, otherwise thats it, cab corners are solid!

Of course the firewall is swiss cheese. But most of that will be cut out anyways for the engine. Hmmmmmmmm I wonder what engine??????????

The frame is parked in the weeds. Other then the 100 factory holes that will need to be filled, the damn thin is in great shape, just some surface rust!


So that was the staus quo throught the winter. Other then the frame, everything is being kept high and dry.

So everyone who kept up with my Chevy build knpws that I have a hell of a time making decisions as I tend to over analyze, and debate with myself, every last detail. This truck is no different! I havre spent the last 6 months going around and around in circles trying to decide which direction I want to take this project.


Chassis Direction 1
Keep the original chassis and do the typical MII front and leaf spring rear on lowering blocks. Or possibly Industrial chassis Dakota front cross member. Alot of welding and patching of hole in frame!!!!!

Chassis Direction 2
Dakota chassis with drop spindles.
The right year Dakotas are proving hard to find in NJ

Chassis Direction 3
S10 chassis. Planning to keep truck all Dodger if possible.

Still havn't pinned down a motor choice either. First of most of you know I like to be different! so originaly I had planned on going the same route as with my chevy, an inline six. Or more accurately a Dodge slant six. Soo I scoupped up a couple on the cheap.
The one on the right is a 1970 forged crank motor, and the one on the right is a 76 cast crank.


However after spending some time on slants.org I have some reservations about these motors and may be headed in a diffent direction. But I have know idea what direction that will be as there are far to many types of molar engines.

Stayed tuned............Paintman

[Cape Codder]

I had a few slant sixes over the years and they were reliable little motors but under powered for the Belvedere. the downside I see is they actually take up a lot of room in the engine bay as the right side is the width of a V8 but they are as long as a six. Plenty of room for steering linkage though.

[paintman]

Welcome aboard Cape!!! From what I have learned, the slant sixes have an inherent problem with the oil pump and cam gears meshing. The original stuff from the factory is bullet proof. The problem is when you use any brand of new cam or oil pump. The metals used today are inferior and the gears wear out. There seems to be the same problem with the plastic dizzy gears. There are a couple of work arounds I guess but they seem to be pretty involved. One would be to eliminate the cam driven gear and go with a sump style pump driven off the crank snout with a belt. Thats kind of a pain in the ass because I would need to make up some kind of front motor plate. The other is to just use the existing old oil pump and have the matching factory cam re-ground. To me spending 5-6K on a rbuild only to put a 30 year old cam and oil pump seems kind of stupid to me.

The dizzy gear is even more involved. First off MSD has nothing for the slants. So that means eliminating the dizzy and going with some sort of coil pac set up fired off a computer. That also means some kind of jury rigged crank trigger That is way beyond my ability or desire just to have a slant six in the truck.

I have looked into a Poly 318 but the after market support is ZERO. My other option is a standard LA 318.

I have also looked into a straight 6 4.0 out of a jeep. There seems to be alot of performance parts available. Only down side is I don't know what kind of automatic transmission I could run without using oall the computer crap.

The hemis seem to be out of the question because they are way to wide for the narrow frame. The Hemis look to be even wider then the slant 6.

If I wanted to follow the hip crowd I could just try and cram an LS in but they are just as wide as the the hemis.

There is always the endless choices of 273, 360, 440, etc. etc. etc. Now I know why everybody just goes the sbc route. Alot less headaches it seems.



The worse part is I have spent hundreds of hours of my free time on craigslist
trying to find something that would work.

[paintman]

Here is my inspiration for this project. If you look close and are knowledgable in the Dodge trucks you can see the cab has been moved back to allow more room for the motor. Also the nose has been pinched an lowered. All in all a really cool little truck. This is the path I will be following as best I can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_trtgiIILw

If you look close under the front fender at the 20 second mark you can see this is on some kind of either Dakota or S10 chassis. Whish the guy had posted more info on this truck.

[wileecoyote427]

I’m guessing you’re after the early year Dakotas 87-89by the sounds of it or will a 90-96 work I’ve seen a few around here in south jersey. While I think the slant 6 would be cool even the small Hemis are cool can’t go wrong with a la engine anything but a Chevy lol

[paintman]

Yea I need an 90 or older 2wd Dakota with a standard cab and long bed. Doing a Dakota chassis swap is my last choice. Only if I can find one real cheap like $220-$400. Reason being is I am not so sure that eventually Nj (and all states) will want matching frame serial and vin numbers. Lets face it, our overlords do not want us driving these vehicles. Eventually they will either ban them all together or make nearly impossible to register them. Fortunately NJ is very easy aas of now. No inspections just have a title and insurance in hand and away you go for your 2,500 miles a year.

Anyways, I think the best option would be the Industrial chassis front cross member, if they make one that will fit a 46 dodge. Still the remaining problem is finding the suspension parts in the junkyard, or buying a whole donor truck. I would still need a 90 or later Dakots to pull parts from. Then I would have all the left over junk on the truck. At that point why not just do the full chassis swap?
Heres one I have been looking at about an hour from home.....
Way to much money though
https://southjersey.craigslist.org/c...594240767.html

I have seen a few 46's done with a Fatman, so I know they have a cross member. Or I could just do like I did with my chevy and use a Scott's front end and eal with all that B.S.

[paintman]

[QUOTE=wileecoyote427;827552 While I think the slant 6 would be cool even the small Hemis are cool can’t go wrong with a la engine anything but a Chevy lol[/QUOTE]

I think the 318 is what I am leaning towards only not the poly. Although cool as hell with the scalloped valve covers, there's just no parts available. Aparently they even have special pistons in them. I do have my eye on this though, again about an hour from home.
https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/...590874047.html

[Russell Ashley]

Late 80's 318's and 360's had roller cams and hardened valve seats for unleaded gas, and all of the LA style engines weigh about the same. I like the slant six idea but a good running 360 would be nice in that truck.