Who here knows anything about Old Trucks...Like a '58 Dodge D100?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

T.C.

Contributor
Messages
1,914
Reaction score
995
Location
Ft. Hood, TX
# of dives
500 - 999
Hello all,

So, I'll start off here. Way back in the 70's some guy in South Dakota bought a used '58 Dodge, drove it to Ft. Carson, met a girl, drove them both back to SD after getting married, and parked his great truck in a garage because he needed a family car, because he had a son on the way. Fast forward 30 years or so, and that truck is there as my parents prepare to move.

I don't want to see it sold. I think it has great potential to be restored. It's a great truck, allegedly still runs, and besides some rust and apparently a cracked frame my dad fish-plated together with 1/4" steel (which to me seems like a fix that'll outlast the frame), it seems in good shape.

But hey; what do I know. I'm not a car guy. I'm not much of a mechanic unless it's a cranky M1 tank. But I know hand tools, and how to bonk myself on the head with a crescent wrench (and more importantly how to select the right tool to avoid head-bonking).

So my questions: How easy are these trucks to fix and restore? Pretty expensive? Best left to professionals? I don't have a garage, as the Army likes to make me move. I don't know what could be wrong with it; what are some common problems? I know that paint and upholstery is something I'd have to have done, but what are the possibilities in your all's collective wisdom of working on this myself? I know nothing about restoring vehicles- but I do learn quick.

I'm open to any questions, sadly I don't have pictures. What's your recommendation?

Thanks for your time!
 
Mechanically, these are easy. Keep in mind, that these trucks were actually designed to be worked on without computers, $250,000 in shop tools, or any manufacturer designed specialty tools. The basic $200 set of craftsman tools will do 99% of anything you need to do.

How long has it been since it ran? It may be locked up due to sitting, but these engines are tough. Pull the plugs, give it a squirt of transmission fluid, Marvel Mystery Oil, or any light oil and walk away for a few days and let it work, then break it loose with a wrench on the crank bolt. I just brought a 1960 ford back to life that I wouldn't have sworn would need a full rebuild.

Are you trying to do this in ROK? I have no idea what parts would be like there. In the states, autozone and oreilys will have most of what you need, Amazon and EBay will have most of everything else. Some of the parts will be a problem, but the internet is your friend.

Rust is evil....I can imagine that South Dakota salted roads have been easy on anything metal. But if it's all there, other than the hassle of moving it around as you move, I'd say go for it. Most bases used to have auto shops for service members to work on their cars, don't know if that is still the case or not, but a cheap set of tools will be most of what you need anyway. Local car clubs will be a good resource for parts, knowledge, and help when needed.

I have a 56 Ford 1/2 ton that has a lot of sentimental value too, so I get what you want to do. It's going on a 30 year restoration...but that's another story.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. Thank you for your service.

Jay
 
Mechanically, these are easy. Keep in mind, that these trucks were actually designed to be worked on without computers, $250,000 in shop tools, or any manufacturer designed specialty tools. The basic $200 set of craftsman tools will do 99% of anything you need to do.

How long has it been since it ran? It may be locked up due to sitting, but these engines are tough. Pull the plugs, give it a squirt of transmission fluid, Marvel Mystery Oil, or any light oil and walk away for a few days and let it work, then break it loose with a wrench on the crank bolt. I just brought a 1960 ford back to life that I wouldn't have sworn would need a full rebuild.

Are you trying to do this in ROK? I have no idea what parts would be like there. In the states, autozone and oreilys will have most of what you need, Amazon and EBay will have most of everything else. Some of the parts will be a problem, but the internet is your friend.

Rust is evil....I can imagine that South Dakota salted roads have been easy on anything metal. But if it's all there, other than the hassle of moving it around as you move, I'd say go for it. Most bases used to have auto shops for service members to work on their cars, don't know if that is still the case or not, but a cheap set of tools will be most of what you need anyway. Local car clubs will be a good resource for parts, knowledge, and help when needed.

I have a 56 Ford 1/2 ton that has a lot of sentimental value too, so I get what you want to do. It's going on a 30 year restoration...but that's another story.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. Thank you for your service.

Jay
Thanks! To clarify a bit; I don't know how long since it's ran, but my dad is a mechanic and I doubt the engine is locked up; at the least some basic maintenance and I'm pretty sure it'd start.

Hell no to doing it here! :):):) I've got less than a week in country, and wouldn't if I had 5 years. I'll be back in Ft. Hood in a week.

There is significant body rust; however, I don't recall anywhere where the skin has rusted through. The body is quite thick; and I'd have the paint shop sand it down and paint it, but that'll do for it. The rest of the frame isn't too bad, as I recall.

I do have a good set of tools, what I lack is a place to do the work. I've never used the autoshop, so I don't know if I could leave it there for a long period of time. I do plan to find a local car club.

Thanks for the help!
 
Instead of fully restoring it, I’d get it running and drive it as a survivor.
It’s totally hip and cool now to drive around old stuff that has grown a stylish “patina”, I’m not joking!
I’ve been doing some jobs lately in conjunction with an outfit called Cotati Speed Shop (google them) where we are taking fully restored hot rods, early 30’s Ford’s, and making them look old with faux rust and old worn away signs and pinstriping.
We have one client that had us do two for him so far.

The first 15 years of my working life was spent as an auto body man and painter. I’ve done everything from full restorations, to show perfect and customs, to standard collision work on new cars on the line.
I can tell you that as far as auto body work goes, please leave it to the professionals. It takes a lot of know how and a lot of $$$$$.

The engine will probably need some tune up parts and hoses/ belt, new battery, etc. Get the compression checked to make sure you don’t have a flat cylinder, etc.
Unless it’s rusted out so bad that panels are flopping around on the bottoms I would just drive it and enjoy it.
 
Search rat-rod that might be a fun route to go with it.
 
I can tell you that as far as auto body work goes, please leave it to the professionals. It takes a lot of know how and a lot of $$$$$.
Thanks. I would like to fully restore it, and eliminate the rust. While I appreciate the rat-rod look, it's just not for me. I think that returning this truck to the condition that it was with a beautiful navy blue exterior would be best. I do intend to have a professional do all the exterior body work, as I possess neither the skills or equipment to paint it.

Thanks for your advice! If I do go ahead with it, I think that the hoses belts, battery, etc will be my first point, followed by things like the brakes.
 
If it's been sitting that long, the odds approach 100% that the brakes are locked up from rust between the shoes and drums (or shoes and pads if disc-brake equipped), and inside the brake cylinders (and calipers, for disc). Likewise, the master cylinder might have considerable internal damage. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and water causes internal corrosion. So, be prepared to find replacements for all the brake parts except possibly for drums and discs, which in that era were thick enough to resurface if you can find a shop to do that.

Since it's a Dodge, be aware that some cars and trucks of that era from Chrysler/Dodge have left hand threaded lug nuts and wheel studs on the left side of the car (IIRC). They might or might not be marked with an "L." An awful lot of those have been broken or stripped by people trying to remove them and assuming they have a right hand thread. (Boy, these are really stuck! Get me a pipe for this here breaker bar and grab me another beer, willya?!) Usually, there is enough thread showing to see whether they are left- or right-hand threaded. Consider whether to leave them that way, if you have them, or replace the left hand threaded studs with right hand threaded studs so the next tire shop guy doesn't break them on you trying to get them off with an air impact wrench.

After playing with it to see if it can be made to drive, a full restoration should be done from the frame up on a car that old. This isn't as scary as it sounds, since there are a lot fewer things to worry about than with a recent model. As others have said, these trucks are dirt-simple. It's also more expensive than you think to do it all right, but probably not as expensive as your imagination might make you fear it could be. The little things add up, like gaskets and seals, wheel bearings and tie rod ends, and bulb sockets.

There are, I'm sure, boards devoted to restoring cars and trucks from the 50's that will provide lots of information. Usually, those people are even friendlier than divers and offer good advice.

Good luck!
 
I have restored two trucks from the late 1940s and one dump truck from the 1960s.

How easy are these trucks to fix and restore?

They are not difficult compared to other vehicles. Dodge is less popular in the hobby than Ford and Chevrolet which means parts are not as abundant, but they are still available, unlike the situation with minor makes and imports. 1958 is in the sweet spot for restoration -- late enough to be reasonably driveable while stock, and early enough to predate the emission controls era with its attendant complexity.

Pretty expensive? Best left to professionals?

Body and interior repairs drive the cost of restoration, not mechanical work. Typical full professional restorations run around $10-$20,000. Most shade-tree mechanics don't like to do body and upholstery work and don't have the skills and space for it. Since that's what's going to drive your costs, that's where you can save money.

I don't have a garage, as the Army likes to make me move. I don't know what could be wrong with it; what are some common problems?

Cars/trucks that have been sitting usually need "the usual." Expect to replace (or have rebuilt at a machine shop) all brake components including steel lines and rubber hoses, gearbox seals, fuel tank and lines, battery and cables, speedometer and other instruments, all electrical components except starter and generator, tires, front end components, shocks, water pump, fuel pump, and front and rear main seals on the engine. Some carburetor work is common but you may luck out.

Typically it's necessary to overhaul the engine and transmission in order to replace the seals even if they are functionally OK (rings, bearings, gears, etc).

If you're doing it yourself, usually the brake work ends up being the most expensive because of the substantial parts cost.

I know that paint and upholstery is something I'd have to have done, but what are the possibilities in your all's collective wisdom of working on this myself? I know nothing about restoring vehicles- but I do learn quick.

I'm open to any questions, sadly I don't have pictures. What's your recommendation?

Thanks for your time!

There are a few Facts to Consider:
  1. While this can be a fun project, you will not be able to recoup more than 50% of your costs if/when you decide to sell.

  2. Think carefully about what you're going to do with it. 1950s pickup trucks are not especially fun to drive. They were geared low with a practical top speed around 50 MPH, lack air conditioning, no power steering or brakes, do not handle especially well or have a smooth ride, hard to shift, etc.

  3. It is not unusual for completed restorations to have nagging problems that are difficult or impossible to solve completely due to weaknesses of the original design or unavailability of parts. By way of example, one of my projects had chronic problems with the carburetor float leaking. Replacement floats were unavailable at any price and the only fixes were to keep patching it or to replace the entire carburetor with a non-matching aftermarket carb. On another project we kept having fuel pump problems because the only fuel pumps available all came from the same source and had diaphragms of poor quality.

  4. Think about where you're going to store it when you're not driving it. Restorations deteriorate quickly in sunlight and weather.
 
There are fans for everything including old Dodge trucks and Powerwagons. The good news is, you can fix or replace anything on that with hand tools. No computers and proprietary diagnostics needed. And there are probably catalog houses that can sell you brake lines and whatever else it needs, or fab them to order.

But when it is done, will you use it as a what? Show car? Daily driver? Ranch truck? Weight that against selling it to someone who really craves it, bearing in mind the time and money that a restoration can eat, unless the rstoring itself is going to be your hobby.
 
If it's been sitting that long, the odds approach 100% that the brakes are locked up from rust between the shoes and drums (or shoes and pads if disc-brake equipped), and inside the brake cylinders (and calipers, for disc). Likewise, the master cylinder might have considerable internal damage. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and water causes internal corrosion. So, be prepared to find replacements for all the brake parts except possibly for drums and discs, which in that era were thick enough to resurface if you can find a shop to do that.
Brakes...Yeah. Those might be important. I might have to work on those too. :)

Since it's a Dodge, be aware that some cars and trucks of that era from Chrysler/Dodge have left hand threaded lug nuts and wheel studs on the left side of the car (IIRC).

What the.... Whose bright idea was this? That's great information. I would have never guessed; and proceeded to break them all off.

There are, I'm sure, boards devoted to restoring cars and trucks from the 50's that will provide lots of information. Usually, those people are even friendlier than divers and offer good advice.
Thanks, do you know of any? I haven't been that successful in finding any. Yet.

Body and interior repairs drive the cost of restoration, not mechanical work.
Yes, that was another area I know I'm going to need to 'outsource' for sure. My uphostery work is limited to applying duct tape to keep the padding inside the TC and loader's seat on my tank. :)

It is not unusual for completed restorations to have nagging problems that are difficult or impossible to solve completely due to weaknesses of the original design or unavailability of parts.
I'm not terribly worried about 100% restoration; if I need to install a different aftermarket part for greater reliability, then I would. That said, is it usually possible to find parts that can do the same job, but stronger?

Think about where you're going to store it when you're not driving it. Restorations deteriorate quickly in sunlight and weather.
Good point. Truck cover? I don't think I'll be owning a home soon.


While this can be a fun project, you will not be able to recoup more than 50% of your costs if/when you decide to sell. Think carefully about what you're going to do with it.
But when it is done, will you use it as a what? Show car? Daily driver? Ranch truck? Weight that against selling it to someone who really craves it, bearing in mind the time and money that a restoration can eat, unless the rstoring itself is going to be your hobby.
Thanks. I had not really considered this. While I don't think I would use it as a daily driver, I don't like the idea of selling it either.

I don't know, maybe to show off; drive around for the appreciative looks? :)
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

Back
Top Bottom