I was stymied last weekend because I could not adjust the distributor enough to line up the pointer on the flywheel housing with the timing mark on the flywheel. I thought I would have to remove the distributor and rotate it one tooth - a tricky operation.
I posted my problem on the Stovebolt.com forums and it turns out all I needed to do was loosen the clamp that holds the adjustment scale and recenter it. I did that this afternoon and timing took about 10 seconds.
I reconnected the vacuum advance, made sure everything was returned to its operating condition and took her out for a maiden voyage.
With Sharon and the kids watching, I took her around the block and back into the garage. She ran like a dream.
Then, even though she doesn't have seat belts, we loaded the whole family inside and took another swing around the block.
It was awesome.
We have a running truck and I have a permanent grin on my face.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Close but no cigar
Last weekend I ordered a new fuel filter, distributor cap and a full engine's worth of new gaskets. I was worried after last week that part of the problem with having to run with the choke closed was due to a lack of gas getting to the carburetor. I replaced the old filter with a new paper filter unit and the difference was immediately noticeable. Gas was SHOOTING into the filter.
After using full choke to start the cold engine, I noticed that it started running rough and was threatening to die. I was confused at first, until I realized I might have been right :-) I pushed in the choke valve, and the engine smoothed out and roared to life. After adjusting the the idle valve and the throttle set screw the truck idled well with no choke at all. Mystery solved.
* Note: It is at this point that I should point out that Carter warned me that he thought the carb was not getting enough gas weeks ago. He thought it might have been the fuel pump, but I have to give him credit. It looks like it was the old degraded gasket on the fuel filter limiting fuel flow into the carb. *
Then I got realy excited to finish the timing. I pulled the Subaru's battery again, and clipped on the timing light. The first thing I saw was the Triangle that I had cleaned and painted last weekend. Yay! I figured I was golden.
But when I tried to adjust the distributor to line up the pointer on the flywheel housing with the ball in the flywheel I ran out of adjustment before I could get there. Argh! I could see the "C" and part of the "U" of the "IUC" mark, but could not get to the ball.
I'm not sure if the problem is with the distributor or something else, but I will have to do some research this week to see if I can figure out what the problem is, and try to solve it next weekend.
After using full choke to start the cold engine, I noticed that it started running rough and was threatening to die. I was confused at first, until I realized I might have been right :-) I pushed in the choke valve, and the engine smoothed out and roared to life. After adjusting the the idle valve and the throttle set screw the truck idled well with no choke at all. Mystery solved.
* Note: It is at this point that I should point out that Carter warned me that he thought the carb was not getting enough gas weeks ago. He thought it might have been the fuel pump, but I have to give him credit. It looks like it was the old degraded gasket on the fuel filter limiting fuel flow into the carb. *
Then I got realy excited to finish the timing. I pulled the Subaru's battery again, and clipped on the timing light. The first thing I saw was the Triangle that I had cleaned and painted last weekend. Yay! I figured I was golden.
But when I tried to adjust the distributor to line up the pointer on the flywheel housing with the ball in the flywheel I ran out of adjustment before I could get there. Argh! I could see the "C" and part of the "U" of the "IUC" mark, but could not get to the ball.
I'm not sure if the problem is with the distributor or something else, but I will have to do some research this week to see if I can figure out what the problem is, and try to solve it next weekend.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Small amount of progress
This weekend I got about 3 hours of work in on the truck. I tried to fix the doors so that they shut and latch, but was only partially successful. I adjusted the door hinges and was able to get the driver's door to partially latch, but could not get the full latch. Oh well, at least now it will not swing open on a right hand turn.
I also pulled the flywheel cover and cleaned the fly wheel. I found the timing mark and the letters that I couldn't find the last time I tried to time the truck. I am a little confused though because the timing mark has the number "2" next to it and the letters "IUC". I'm not sure if the number 2 means that I am supposed to time the engine off the number two spark plug wire? And I'm not sure what IUC stands for? You can see what I'm talking about in this picture:
Nice camera work from under the truck huh?
The triangle is the timing mark for Top Dead Center. The ball embedded in the wheel is the timing mark for the correct advance of the spark. You can see someone put some orange paint on the ball at one point. I put white paint in the lettering and white on the ball. I will hopefully get a chance to try to time the engine again next weekend.
It also looks like most of the engine was once blue. Currently everything under the truck is black, but when I cleaned years of accumulated grime off the flywheel cover a blue matching the engine was revealed:
Who knows what the rest of the engine and drive train will look like once I clean it!
I also pulled the flywheel cover and cleaned the fly wheel. I found the timing mark and the letters that I couldn't find the last time I tried to time the truck. I am a little confused though because the timing mark has the number "2" next to it and the letters "IUC". I'm not sure if the number 2 means that I am supposed to time the engine off the number two spark plug wire? And I'm not sure what IUC stands for? You can see what I'm talking about in this picture:
Nice camera work from under the truck huh?
The triangle is the timing mark for Top Dead Center. The ball embedded in the wheel is the timing mark for the correct advance of the spark. You can see someone put some orange paint on the ball at one point. I put white paint in the lettering and white on the ball. I will hopefully get a chance to try to time the engine again next weekend.
It also looks like most of the engine was once blue. Currently everything under the truck is black, but when I cleaned years of accumulated grime off the flywheel cover a blue matching the engine was revealed:
Who knows what the rest of the engine and drive train will look like once I clean it!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Ugh .. frustration
In order to time the engine I pulled the 12V battery from my Subaru to power the timing light.
After finally getting the engine to start, I tried to find the timing mark on the flywheel with no success. After reading some more about it, I should be able to see a triangle and the letters UDC stamped into the flywheel and then as I advance the distributor, I should see a small ball embedded into the flywheel. I'm supposed to time the engine so the pointer on my bell housing lines up with the ball.
I searched a number of times, for about 1/2 hour each time trying to find anything that looked like a triangle, letters, or a small metal ball without success.
The good news is that the engine ran (poorly) the whole time I was searching.
It still will only run if it is almost completely choked. I will probably need to pull the spark plugs and clean them before I try again.
I plan to pull the inspection cover off of the flywheel so that I can clean it, and try to locate the timing marks to at least confirm that they actually exist.
I had high hopes for this weekend. Failing to even locate a timing mark is pretty frustrating.
Only working 4-5 hours per week on the truck is also frustrating, but I got to ski with my kids all day today, which I would not trade, even for a perfectly tuned engine :-)
After finally getting the engine to start, I tried to find the timing mark on the flywheel with no success. After reading some more about it, I should be able to see a triangle and the letters UDC stamped into the flywheel and then as I advance the distributor, I should see a small ball embedded into the flywheel. I'm supposed to time the engine so the pointer on my bell housing lines up with the ball.
I searched a number of times, for about 1/2 hour each time trying to find anything that looked like a triangle, letters, or a small metal ball without success.
The good news is that the engine ran (poorly) the whole time I was searching.
It still will only run if it is almost completely choked. I will probably need to pull the spark plugs and clean them before I try again.
I plan to pull the inspection cover off of the flywheel so that I can clean it, and try to locate the timing marks to at least confirm that they actually exist.
I had high hopes for this weekend. Failing to even locate a timing mark is pretty frustrating.
Only working 4-5 hours per week on the truck is also frustrating, but I got to ski with my kids all day today, which I would not trade, even for a perfectly tuned engine :-)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
More progress
So I pretty much made it through the list of things that I wanted to get through, with one major exception. This weekend I completed the following: I vacummed the accumulated dirt and rust that was hidden underneath and behind the gas tank
While the tank was out I also decided to take out the seat rails for the bench seat and clean them, with the intent of getting them moving easily again. When I pulled them out and tried to move them about a pound of sand fell out. It was like coming home from the beach after walking around with tennis shoes on
After blowing out the rails with the air compressor and some liberal use of WD-40, the rails were moving again.
I also cleaned out the gas tank, installed a new flexible gas line, installed the new sending unit, and put the entire fuel line back into the truck
I recharged the battery and after turning the engine over for a while, re-established fuel flow to the carburetor. Once we had fuel, Sharon helped me get the truck started and running. With the choke most of the way closed the engine idled consistently, if a little roughly. I let the truck warm up and was excited to try out my timing light and get the truck well-timed, but either my 6V battery won't run the light, or the timing light is broken (burned out bulb, etc).
I will have to wait until my next free moment to try the timing light on my car to see if it will run off of a 12V battery.
While the tank was out I also decided to take out the seat rails for the bench seat and clean them, with the intent of getting them moving easily again. When I pulled them out and tried to move them about a pound of sand fell out. It was like coming home from the beach after walking around with tennis shoes on
After blowing out the rails with the air compressor and some liberal use of WD-40, the rails were moving again.
I also cleaned out the gas tank, installed a new flexible gas line, installed the new sending unit, and put the entire fuel line back into the truck
I recharged the battery and after turning the engine over for a while, re-established fuel flow to the carburetor. Once we had fuel, Sharon helped me get the truck started and running. With the choke most of the way closed the engine idled consistently, if a little roughly. I let the truck warm up and was excited to try out my timing light and get the truck well-timed, but either my 6V battery won't run the light, or the timing light is broken (burned out bulb, etc).
I will have to wait until my next free moment to try the timing light on my car to see if it will run off of a 12V battery.
How old is that nut?!
While shop vac-ing the truck I found a number of interesting items, but the best was this walnut:
It was behind the gas tank on the passenger side. I have no idea how long that nut has been back there. Walnuts are pretty tough, so I'm going claim that it made it's way back there in the 60's or 70's and has been waiting all this time for me to find it.
It's probably not that old, but its fun to imagine.
It was behind the gas tank on the passenger side. I have no idea how long that nut has been back there. Walnuts are pretty tough, so I'm going claim that it made it's way back there in the 60's or 70's and has been waiting all this time for me to find it.
It's probably not that old, but its fun to imagine.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back
Ben Carter came over on Saturday to help me on the truck. It turns out that the distributor was so loose that the only reason that the truck would run at all was because the spark plug wires kept the distributor in roughly the right location.
Once we started messing with it, we kind of lost the recipe. We think we got the distributor back close enough to correct timing but by then the battery was drained from trying to start it.
Ben also noticed a small fuel leak from the carb. We pulled that off again and put some RTV on the gasket to try to cut down on the leaking.
He also thought that not enough fuel was getting to the filter. He was concerned that the pump was not working well enough.
We called it a day and I got ready for the FD banquet.
Today I decided to check the entire fuel delivery system. I pulled and cleaned the fuel pump:
Shiny! Again when I worked the lever manually it seemed to deliver a pretty powerful stream of fuel from the discharge.
I started to remove the gas tank, but it was too heavy with all the gas, so I started siphoning it out. Then I got under the truck because I was worried that there was a gas tank hold-down bolt and I should probably unscrew it. I found a bolt underneath just as I suspected and unscrewed it. It turns out that it was the gas tank drain. Gas poured out all over me, my work light, and the garage floor! It was a mess.
With the help of my newly discovered tank drain, I got the gas drained and the tank removed:
The space behind the gas tank really needs a shop vac:
I had to call it a day as we were hosting some business associates visiting Colorado from Switzerland. Turns out one of the guys has an old Jag so he was interested in seeing the truck :-)
So the next order of business for the fuel system is:
1) Clean the gas tank inside and out (I'll use carb cleaner in the tank to remove the gunk)
2) Replace the sending unit
3) Replace the flexible line that connects the tank to the main fuel line
4) Reassemble the fuel pump to the engine
5) Vacuum out the cab, especially behind the gas tank
6) Recharge the battery
7) Try to start it and back to square one with timing.
Hopefully I can get the timing close enough to allow the truck to run long enough to warm it up so I can see if my timing light will work.
Once we started messing with it, we kind of lost the recipe. We think we got the distributor back close enough to correct timing but by then the battery was drained from trying to start it.
Ben also noticed a small fuel leak from the carb. We pulled that off again and put some RTV on the gasket to try to cut down on the leaking.
He also thought that not enough fuel was getting to the filter. He was concerned that the pump was not working well enough.
We called it a day and I got ready for the FD banquet.
Today I decided to check the entire fuel delivery system. I pulled and cleaned the fuel pump:
Shiny! Again when I worked the lever manually it seemed to deliver a pretty powerful stream of fuel from the discharge.
I started to remove the gas tank, but it was too heavy with all the gas, so I started siphoning it out. Then I got under the truck because I was worried that there was a gas tank hold-down bolt and I should probably unscrew it. I found a bolt underneath just as I suspected and unscrewed it. It turns out that it was the gas tank drain. Gas poured out all over me, my work light, and the garage floor! It was a mess.
With the help of my newly discovered tank drain, I got the gas drained and the tank removed:
The space behind the gas tank really needs a shop vac:
I had to call it a day as we were hosting some business associates visiting Colorado from Switzerland. Turns out one of the guys has an old Jag so he was interested in seeing the truck :-)
So the next order of business for the fuel system is:
1) Clean the gas tank inside and out (I'll use carb cleaner in the tank to remove the gunk)
2) Replace the sending unit
3) Replace the flexible line that connects the tank to the main fuel line
4) Reassemble the fuel pump to the engine
5) Vacuum out the cab, especially behind the gas tank
6) Recharge the battery
7) Try to start it and back to square one with timing.
Hopefully I can get the timing close enough to allow the truck to run long enough to warm it up so I can see if my timing light will work.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
It moves
I rebuilt the carburetor today. I used a ton of carb cleaner so I have a squeaky clean carburetor. It is really amazing how that stuff cuts through grease and varnish. It is so powerful I am pretty sure that I have given myself some strange kind of cancer just being around it.
Only problem: the base gasket that I bought does not fit my carb so I have the old base gasket on the carb.
The truck started up again and will run at a nice idle with the choke 1/2 way closed. It still dies if we put the choke all the way in.
Just to see what would happen, we used reverse to back up the truck about 3 feet and then 1st to move it forward again. So the truck is capable of moving under its own power. At one point, my inability to engage the clutch and the slope of our garage seriously threatened Sharon's car parked in the drive way. She moved both cars and I was able to drive the truck forward, back into the garage. Disaster averted!
Now that we can get the truck idling fairly steadily, I will attempt to tune the timing and valves and see if that affects the truck not running with the choke open.
All that will have to wait until next weekend though as I am flying out on business tomorrow :-(
Only problem: the base gasket that I bought does not fit my carb so I have the old base gasket on the carb.
The truck started up again and will run at a nice idle with the choke 1/2 way closed. It still dies if we put the choke all the way in.
Just to see what would happen, we used reverse to back up the truck about 3 feet and then 1st to move it forward again. So the truck is capable of moving under its own power. At one point, my inability to engage the clutch and the slope of our garage seriously threatened Sharon's car parked in the drive way. She moved both cars and I was able to drive the truck forward, back into the garage. Disaster averted!
Now that we can get the truck idling fairly steadily, I will attempt to tune the timing and valves and see if that affects the truck not running with the choke open.
All that will have to wait until next weekend though as I am flying out on business tomorrow :-(
Monday, January 4, 2010
Work/Life/Truck Balance
Now that I've burned through my Christmas vacation I don't have endless time to spend on the truck. Sharon has been awesome about it so far, but I can see that if I run off to the truck every free minute I get, I am going to be pushing limits. I already spend too much time running off to the fire station.
I received parts that will allow me to work on a couple of fun and necessary tasks:
1) Carburetor rebuild kit - I definitely need to take a second shot at this, and I think the new gaskets may make a difference.
2) Filler hoses for the gas tank. Now I can safely remove the gas tank and give it a good cleaning. I also have a new sending unit on the way which may mean that I can get the gas gauge working again.
It has only taken 40 years, but I think I have started to grow up. Ok - that's probably wishful thinking, but I find myself learning from past experiences and actually making decisions based on my earlier mistakes. In line with that claim, I think I am going to relegate wrenching on the truck to the weekends and save what little time I am home during the week on Sharon and the kids.
It's going to be tough though ..
I received parts that will allow me to work on a couple of fun and necessary tasks:
1) Carburetor rebuild kit - I definitely need to take a second shot at this, and I think the new gaskets may make a difference.
2) Filler hoses for the gas tank. Now I can safely remove the gas tank and give it a good cleaning. I also have a new sending unit on the way which may mean that I can get the gas gauge working again.
It has only taken 40 years, but I think I have started to grow up. Ok - that's probably wishful thinking, but I find myself learning from past experiences and actually making decisions based on my earlier mistakes. In line with that claim, I think I am going to relegate wrenching on the truck to the weekends and save what little time I am home during the week on Sharon and the kids.
It's going to be tough though ..
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Gonna need some help
It looks like I might need some help understanding carburetors, idle, choke, throttle and all the things that help or hinder the truck from running steadily.
I have not received the carburetor rebuild kit yet (due tomorrow) but I thought I would break it down, and take a bunch of pictures to get ready for the rebuild. I found that the throttle cable (from the throttle knob inside the cab) was broken and was not attached to the carburetor. The choke cable (from the choke knob inside the cab) was still attached and working well.
When I got the carb off, there was a small puddle of gas in the bottom of the intake manifold. I'm not entirely sure what that means.
Carburetor off and disassembled:
I blew out all the passages and used a carb cleaner to get the bulk of the gunk cleaned out.
The carb was surprisingly clean. The gaskets also looked pretty good. The lower gasket had a tear and was pretty worn, but didn't look too bad.
So I reassembled the carb and put it back on to give starting it another try. Sharon helped me again. With the carb fully choked, we got the truck to start and after some rough running for about 3 minutes the engine warmed up and we were able to close the choke down to about 1/2. If we closed the choke down below 1/2 the engine would stop.
Even after running for 5 minutes, we could not get the truck to start or run without 1/2 choke. I tried adjusting the idle, without any success.
I'm wondering if the broken throttle cable has any effect. The gas pedal still works, but the throttle cable may work in conjunction with the gas pedal in some way I'm not seeing.
I think I am going to have to bribe some of my more knowledgeable friends to come over and help me understand how it all works.
I have not received the carburetor rebuild kit yet (due tomorrow) but I thought I would break it down, and take a bunch of pictures to get ready for the rebuild. I found that the throttle cable (from the throttle knob inside the cab) was broken and was not attached to the carburetor. The choke cable (from the choke knob inside the cab) was still attached and working well.
When I got the carb off, there was a small puddle of gas in the bottom of the intake manifold. I'm not entirely sure what that means.
Carburetor off and disassembled:
I blew out all the passages and used a carb cleaner to get the bulk of the gunk cleaned out.
The carb was surprisingly clean. The gaskets also looked pretty good. The lower gasket had a tear and was pretty worn, but didn't look too bad.
So I reassembled the carb and put it back on to give starting it another try. Sharon helped me again. With the carb fully choked, we got the truck to start and after some rough running for about 3 minutes the engine warmed up and we were able to close the choke down to about 1/2. If we closed the choke down below 1/2 the engine would stop.
Even after running for 5 minutes, we could not get the truck to start or run without 1/2 choke. I tried adjusting the idle, without any success.
I'm wondering if the broken throttle cable has any effect. The gas pedal still works, but the throttle cable may work in conjunction with the gas pedal in some way I'm not seeing.
I think I am going to have to bribe some of my more knowledgeable friends to come over and help me understand how it all works.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
It's alive! (sort of)
Thanks to Jon Fearnow's tools, PB Blaster, and my near-autistic ability to focus all my energies on futile tasks, I was able to finally coax the last of the clutch-head screws from the cap of the sending unit in the gas tank. I'm pretty sure this is the original sending unit:
When I pulled it out, the opening of the tube leaked a blackish tar. I fashioned a bit of wire into a small facsimile of a pipe snake and started pulling chunks of tar out of the uptake tube. I spent about 45 minutes on my little roto-rooter job and finally ended up with a mostly clean tube - I will put a new sending unit on order tomorrow.
I put the now open sending unit back in, replaced the clutch-head bolts with phillips head bolts and called for Sharon again.
After some trials, and checks that fuel was coming out of the pump, and then into the filter, Sharon laid on the starter. VROOM!! All of a sudden the truck was running on its own. LIFE!!
Gray smoke poured from the exhaust for a bit and there were a couple backfires. The engine was really racing. I was a little concerned and was about to ask Sharon to turn the key when it slowed down and smoothed out on its own. I asked Sharon if she turned the key off. She said no, but she did take her foot off the pedal. Yikes!
I should have explained to her that once the truck started she could lay off the starter. I hope we didn't cause too much damage with that full throttle first start.
The engine died and I had her start it again. It fired right up. It was clear the idle probably needed to be adjusted because she had to give it a little gas to keep it running.
I was starting to grin like an idiot when fluid started coming out of the carburetor. It started smoking and I had Sharon kill the engine before it caught on fire:
I have a carburetor rebuild kit on order, with all new gaskets. It looks like I'll need to rebuild the carb before I take it on the road.
All-in-all a pretty exciting evening. I can't wait to get back at it. I feel like we are close to getting the truck running and I can't wait to take it on its first drive.
When I pulled it out, the opening of the tube leaked a blackish tar. I fashioned a bit of wire into a small facsimile of a pipe snake and started pulling chunks of tar out of the uptake tube. I spent about 45 minutes on my little roto-rooter job and finally ended up with a mostly clean tube - I will put a new sending unit on order tomorrow.
I put the now open sending unit back in, replaced the clutch-head bolts with phillips head bolts and called for Sharon again.
After some trials, and checks that fuel was coming out of the pump, and then into the filter, Sharon laid on the starter. VROOM!! All of a sudden the truck was running on its own. LIFE!!
Gray smoke poured from the exhaust for a bit and there were a couple backfires. The engine was really racing. I was a little concerned and was about to ask Sharon to turn the key when it slowed down and smoothed out on its own. I asked Sharon if she turned the key off. She said no, but she did take her foot off the pedal. Yikes!
I should have explained to her that once the truck started she could lay off the starter. I hope we didn't cause too much damage with that full throttle first start.
The engine died and I had her start it again. It fired right up. It was clear the idle probably needed to be adjusted because she had to give it a little gas to keep it running.
I was starting to grin like an idiot when fluid started coming out of the carburetor. It started smoking and I had Sharon kill the engine before it caught on fire:
I have a carburetor rebuild kit on order, with all new gaskets. It looks like I'll need to rebuild the carb before I take it on the road.
All-in-all a pretty exciting evening. I can't wait to get back at it. I feel like we are close to getting the truck running and I can't wait to take it on its first drive.
No fuel = No run
I got the new oil lines around 4 today.
Installed them, hooked up the battery, put Sharon in the driver's seat and gave it a shot - but no dice.
The engine will turn over and even run for a little while on starter fluid, but even after 2 minutes of trying to start it, no gas in the filter bowl.
Since I pulled the pump off earlier and it seemed to be working, I can only assume that there is some kind of blockage between the tank and the filter. Maybe sediment in the tank, or gunk in the lines.
I am heading down to the station to pick-up some clutch-head bits from Jon. Hopefully with them I will be able to pull the cover off of the gas tank and take a look-see.
Then I will look at the fuel lines and make sure they all seem to be clear.
Installed them, hooked up the battery, put Sharon in the driver's seat and gave it a shot - but no dice.
The engine will turn over and even run for a little while on starter fluid, but even after 2 minutes of trying to start it, no gas in the filter bowl.
Since I pulled the pump off earlier and it seemed to be working, I can only assume that there is some kind of blockage between the tank and the filter. Maybe sediment in the tank, or gunk in the lines.
I am heading down to the station to pick-up some clutch-head bits from Jon. Hopefully with them I will be able to pull the cover off of the gas tank and take a look-see.
Then I will look at the fuel lines and make sure they all seem to be clear.
Pics
Still waiting for the new oil lines to be delivered today. Thought I would post some of the full truck pics for those that have not seen them.
The day we brought it home (12/20/09):
Proud papa:
A little bit of history:
The original owner bought the truck in 1954. He was a machinist and welder. After one of the bed boards broke, he welded a steel plate into the bed. He also made the tool box mounted in the bed.
In 1976 he gave the truck to his son who took it around the Northwest as a daily driver and to pull a horse trailer. At some point he replaced the engine with a 235 from a 1959 truck. The son eventually ended up in Colorado and stopped using it regularly. The truck has been garaged for the last decade.
We bought the truck around Christmas as a project for our family and as a light work truck to haul landscape materials, lumber and anything else we can't fit in our yuppie mobiles.
We are waiting until we get the truck running for his/her personality and gender to emerge before we decide on a name.
The day we brought it home (12/20/09):
Proud papa:
A little bit of history:
The original owner bought the truck in 1954. He was a machinist and welder. After one of the bed boards broke, he welded a steel plate into the bed. He also made the tool box mounted in the bed.
In 1976 he gave the truck to his son who took it around the Northwest as a daily driver and to pull a horse trailer. At some point he replaced the engine with a 235 from a 1959 truck. The son eventually ended up in Colorado and stopped using it regularly. The truck has been garaged for the last decade.
We bought the truck around Christmas as a project for our family and as a light work truck to haul landscape materials, lumber and anything else we can't fit in our yuppie mobiles.
We are waiting until we get the truck running for his/her personality and gender to emerge before we decide on a name.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Shootin' for Wednesday
The oil line parts are on order and should arrive on Wednesday. The new battery is installed. I will try to start the truck once I get the new lines installed and new oil in the engine. It is going to be tough to wait!
I also ordered a Carburetor rebuild kit with all the gaskets I'll need. I think I'll wait until I see if we can get it started before I start the rebuild.
I also ordered a Carburetor rebuild kit with all the gaskets I'll need. I think I'll wait until I see if we can get it started before I start the rebuild.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Oops - Missed that!
We took the seat out of the truck today:
Sharon tried to get the seat runners cleaned out and free of dirt so that we can slide the seat forward and back. While we had the seat out, we could see daylight coming into the cab from behind the gas tank on the driver's side. We poked our heads back there and saw that a pretty big section of the bottom of the cab has rusted through:
I missed that when I looked over the truck before I bought it. We will need to remove the gas tank to get a better look at the extent of the damage. I'm no body man so I would not mind some advice on how to deal with it.
Sharon tried to get the seat runners cleaned out and free of dirt so that we can slide the seat forward and back. While we had the seat out, we could see daylight coming into the cab from behind the gas tank on the driver's side. We poked our heads back there and saw that a pretty big section of the bottom of the cab has rusted through:
I missed that when I looked over the truck before I bought it. We will need to remove the gas tank to get a better look at the extent of the damage. I'm no body man so I would not mind some advice on how to deal with it.
First Setback
This morning while removing the oil filter canister, the oil line connecting the oil filter canister to the bottom of the case broke.
You can see the broken line still attached to the oil filter canister. The line was really brittle so it is probably a good thing that it broke now instead of on the road somewhere. I assume that I should be worried about other flexible lines as well. I should probably check what others exist on the truck.
And you can see the small stub of the hose still attached to the crankcase. Luckily I had already drained the oil, so we did not end up with a giant mess under the car!
So our plans of trying to start the truck today are on hold until we can get replacement hoses. It looks like most of the sites that carry replacement parts for the old Chevys have the lines. Now it's just a matter of shipping time. I also need to get clutch-head screwdrivers to remove some of the original fasteners:
http://www.sizes.com/tools/screw_drive.htm#Clutch
The kids helped out today, but it was so cold that they were driven inside fairly early. They are great helpers though.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Lets start by getting it running
OK - the first thing we are going to shoot for is just getting the truck running. The truck has been garaged for a few years and while it has been started occasionally, it won't start now, and it has been a while since it has really run.
Here are a couple pics of the engine compartment:
The tags on the spark plug wires I added to help make sure I knew which wire went to which plug.
I have removed the blow-by oil air filter from the top of the carburetor
My plan to get the truck running is this:
1) Change the oil
2) Drain and clean the fuel tank
3) Drain the fuel lines
4) Replace the oil & fuel filters
5) Clean or replace the spark plugs
6) Replace the battery
7) Try to start the truck and troubleshoot from there
I have already drained the fuel lines and pulled the spark plugs. I have also confirmed that the fuel pump is operating. The spark plugs were a little black:
I'm not sure if they are black from burning oil, or from the repeated starting without running the engine hot. Anyone have any thoughts?
For now, I have cleaned them and put them back in. I plan on buying new ones in the near future, but I should be able to start the truck with them now that they are clean.
Tomorrow I will change out the fluids and give it a shot!
Here are a couple pics of the engine compartment:
The tags on the spark plug wires I added to help make sure I knew which wire went to which plug.
I have removed the blow-by oil air filter from the top of the carburetor
My plan to get the truck running is this:
1) Change the oil
2) Drain and clean the fuel tank
3) Drain the fuel lines
4) Replace the oil & fuel filters
5) Clean or replace the spark plugs
6) Replace the battery
7) Try to start the truck and troubleshoot from there
I have already drained the fuel lines and pulled the spark plugs. I have also confirmed that the fuel pump is operating. The spark plugs were a little black:
I'm not sure if they are black from burning oil, or from the repeated starting without running the engine hot. Anyone have any thoughts?
For now, I have cleaned them and put them back in. I plan on buying new ones in the near future, but I should be able to start the truck with them now that they are clean.
Tomorrow I will change out the fluids and give it a shot!
Old dog - new tricks
Like anyone else that has heard that phrase, I have somewhat indignantly wondered "Why can't you teach an old dog new tricks?"
While I do not quite have one foot in the grave I think I qualify as an old dog, and while I work in a high tech industry, I certainly feel like blogging is a new trick for me. Hopefully this will either disprove the phrase or prove that I'm not quite an old dog.
I also like the juxtaposition of using a tool that belongs more to my kids than to me to help me capture our attempts to restore a tool that belongs more to my grandfather than to me.
The purpose of this blog is two-fold: Firstly, to chronicle the thoughts and feelings of the Underwood family that accompany the physical changes to the truck and secondly, to allow friends and family to provide advice and encouragement - because we really have no idea what we are doing or how much we have bitten off.
While I do not quite have one foot in the grave I think I qualify as an old dog, and while I work in a high tech industry, I certainly feel like blogging is a new trick for me. Hopefully this will either disprove the phrase or prove that I'm not quite an old dog.
I also like the juxtaposition of using a tool that belongs more to my kids than to me to help me capture our attempts to restore a tool that belongs more to my grandfather than to me.
The purpose of this blog is two-fold: Firstly, to chronicle the thoughts and feelings of the Underwood family that accompany the physical changes to the truck and secondly, to allow friends and family to provide advice and encouragement - because we really have no idea what we are doing or how much we have bitten off.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
