Posted by Clint Dixon on Sunday, April 29, 2007 at 20:59:36 :
In Reply to: Let me give it a shot posted by Clint Dixon on Sunday, April 29, 2007 at 20:37:51 :
Upon looking closer at an original driver's side taillight bracket for an early Power-Wagon (with first series four-stake pocket box) I came across a part number cast into the cast iron arm. (This is the bracket assembly that places the taillight bucket only 3/8" away from the side of the stake pocket, and places the bottom radius of the bucket tangent to the underside surface of the stake pocket.)
Shown on the image above is the part number 1188959. This is the part number for the cast arm only, not the number for the whole assembly which would include the cast arm, sheet metal transition bracket, and rivets. Here is a rundown of the part numbers shown in the early parts lists. All of the part numbers are found under Group Codes 8-55-75 through 8-55-111:
The Advance List Of Parts, #D-11112, dated December 17, 1945, lists the assembly: “BRACKET, Signal Lamp and License”, as part number 561650. It fails to indicate this assembly as having never been listed previously for Dodge trucks, so it is safe to assume that this assembly was already in use on other existing two-wheel drive trucks before the Power-Wagon. This would seem to indicate that, at least at the time of printing of the parts list, a specific bracket assembly had yet to be developed and Dodge was planning to use an existing bracket assembly for the driver’s side taillight on the new WDX General Purpose Truck. There is no listing in this parts list for a passenger side bracket assembly. Hopefully Eric B., or someone with access to a W-Series parts list, can verify that #561650 was an existing number in use on other Dodge trucks.
The 1946 Dodge Power Wagon (Preliminary) Parts List, #D-11091, dated December 1945, lists the same #561650 “BRACKET, Signal Lamp and License”, as the Advance List Of Parts from earlier in the month. It also lists another assembly: “BRACKET, Signal Lamp and License, Assembly (Left)”, as part number 1188 958. This number is indicated as having been not previously listed for Dodge Trucks and, as such, would indicate a new assembly unique to the Power-Wagon. It is interesting that this number is indicated in parenthesis as “Left”, but no part or assembly is indicated in this parts list as being a “Right”.
The Dodge Power Wagon Parts List Model Series WDX, #D-12004, dated February 1948, lists the assembly: “BRACKET, Signal Lamp and License, Left, Assembly (for express jobs only)”, as part number 1188 958. The text found in parenthesis “for express jobs only” would seem to indicate that this assembly was intended for use only on the trucks equipped with the pickup box and another unique assembly was intended for use on cab/chassis models. This notion is reinforced with the addition of a new Part Type Code number in this section of this parts list (previously referred to as “Group Code”). The BRACKET Assembly was still listed under the old 8-55-7 code, but a new code of 8-55-111 appeared for the first time to break down the assembly even further. It lists: “ARM, Signal Lamp and License Bracket, Left (Express)”, as part number 1188 959. This is the same part number as found on the mounting surface of the arm in the image shown above reinforcing the belief that the pictured assembly is in fact an original Power-Wagon driver’s side taillight bracket. The parts list indicates that this “part” number had not been previously listed for Dodge Trucks. This would normally indicate the addition of a new or unique part, but I believe, in this instance, that it indicates the breakdown of a preexisting assembly into individual parts for easier replacement. However, the sheet metal transition bracket part of the main assembly is still not shown with an individual part number in this parts list. The parts list goes on to list another part under the Part Type Code 8-55-111: “ARM, Signal Lamp and License Bracket, Left (all except Express)”, as part number 590 944. This number is not indicated as having never been listed previously for Dodge Trucks, which would seem to indicate that it is a part number for an existing arm used on two-wheel Dodge Trucks equipped without an express bed. It is interesting to note that two unique arms are now shown for the taillight bracket assembly, one for express jobs and one for non-express jobs. However, a complete bracket assembly is listed only for the express jobs and no assembly or parts are listed for the implied “Right” hand assembly needed to mount a passenger side taillight bucket, though it is apparent from the text, that a right side assembly was indeed available. (Sometimes the Dodge Parts Lists played catch-up to the actual parts used on the trucks as shown in the next listing below.)
The Dodge Power Wagon Parts List Supplement Models B-2-PW, B-1-PW, WDX, #D-13156, dated October 1949, attempts to fill in the previously empty blanks. It lists: “ARM, Tail Lamp Bracket (Express only) (right for dual installation)”, as part number 1189 555. It indicates this number as having never been listed previously for Dodge Trucks. It lists also: “ARM, Tail Lamp Bracket (except Express) (right for dual installation)”, as part number 590 998. This number is not indicated as being new and was apparently used previously on other two-wheel drive non-express jobs. Another number is listed: “BRACKET, Tail Lamp (right for dual installation)”, as part number 592 462. The supplement does not indicate that this is a new number, which implies that it was an existing bracket used on two-wheel drive trucks, and it fails to specify whether this bracket assembly is for an express, a non-express, or both, (even though the arm is clearly unique to the type of truck it is used on). Also listed for the first time in this supplement are unique tail lamp assemblies for left and right sides. All numbers listed here are indicated as being used on WDX model trucks.
The MoPar Dodge Power-Wagon Parts List For Series WDX, B-1-PW, B-2-PW, B-3-PW, #D-13864, dated July, 1951, clears up the picture somewhat. It lists the following:
BRACKET, Mounting (left for Express) 1188-958
BRACKET, Mounting (right for Express) 592-462
ARM, Bracket, Left (Express) 1188 959
ARM, Bracket. Left (except Express) 590 944
ARM, Bracket, Right (Express) 1189 555
ARM, Bracket, Right (except Express) 590 988
So, it appears that original early Power-Wagon cast passenger side taillight bracket arms should be found with the part number 1189 555 cast somewhere into them.
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