Posted by Matt Wilson on Monday, December 27, 2004 at 12:06PM :
In Reply to: How much can I upgrade my 48B1.. posted by Rick on Monday, December 27, 2004 at 9:12AM :
I rebuilt the 230 in my '49 B1, and when I did so, I had it balanced (crankshaft, flywheel, pressure plate, connecting rods, pistons), and I installed a performance camshaft from Vintage Power Wagons (which is supposed to improve the torque at higher rpm's compared to the stock camshaft).
I also installed 4.89 gears in the front and rear differentials, in place of the 5.83's that it came with from the factory. I also installed locking hubs on the front end.
With these improvements, my truck cruises with no trouble at 55+ mph all day long. This is somewhere around 2800 - 2900 rpm, which is no problem for this engine. I've been driving it like that for the last 6000 miles or so.
I had also planned to install dual carbs and headers, but ran out of money (other expenses came up).
As for A/C, you can find units at places like Old Air Products and Vintage Air (I think those are the correct names). I don't know that they have a kit specifically for a Power Wagon, but I know they have helped people fit A/C kits onto Dodge cars with flathead sixes, so something similar should work on a Dodge truck with the flathead. I guess the trouble might be how much power the A/C compressor would suck from the engine (there's not a whole lot extra power there, you know...). It's worth looking into, though.
Good luck!
Matt
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