Jeff Balazs

Chris & Hank; I think Tim Adams made some very good points in his comment. I will say it this way......each build type has different points to consider. If you are staying with the stock engine there are at least a few different Cherokee axles that may fit the bill depending on what you are trying to achieve. I went with a Dana 35 out of a 2WD 2000 Grand Cherokee. Since I am staying with the old flathead I feel that the axle is plenty robust. Big things for me was the 12" disc's, a 3.55 final ratio and the 5x5 wheel pattern. This axle allowed me to keep a pretty stock appearance on my 3/4 ton while giving me the better brakes and higher ratio. This is huge as far as I am concerned as this truck will be my daily driver. Easy fit too. Swap the shock mounts and it was a perfect fit. All I had to do to get my original 15" rims to fit was a bit of light grinding on the calipers and add some 3/8" thick wheel spacers. I believe the rear gained about an inch in overall width. This was the best option I could come up with for my build. Might not be the same for a guy with a 1/2 ton.....different wheel pattern? or the fellow that is stuffing a 440 into one of these trucks. You really have to look at each build carefully. Hope this helps. Jeff

Hi Karl; Ditto on what 4mula-dx said. Just needs to be close enough to get it to run. Any older engine can vary quite a bit on what the optimum settings may be. Things like the condition of the timing chain and valve train....camshaft wear....distributor wear.....and the overall condition of the fuel and exhaust system all come into play. But don't sweat it ....... you will find the proper settings easy enough. Your ear and a bit of road testing will tell you pretty much all you need to know. Old workhorse engines left in a "soft" state of tune are a thing of beauty all unto themselves. All you have to do is take care of their basic requirements and let them do what they do best. Jeff

That depends on what you are trying to do. If you want to work on the frame and the cab is off, then what I suggested is much faster and easier than separating them. 4 engine & bellhousing to frame mounting bolts and 4 at the rear U-joint. 10 to 15 minutes in or out. No alignment issues As far as safety goes.......at no point did I feel like there was any danger of injury or damage. Just have to have the right stuff to do the job and that is true any time you do something like this. You should never work at the extreme limit of the lifting equipment you have. Jeff

It can come out as an entire unit as long as you have a good hoist and some manpower. I removed my engine/ bellhousing and fluid drive 4 speed tranny as a single unit. Use the head bolts as shown earlier in the post and add a HD cargo strap to secure the transmission. Pretty easy with the cab off. Jeff

DD; That is way cool. I am sure it brings back a lot of pleasant memories to have a photo like this. A copy of it would not be a bad addition to the cab decor either. Makes me think of some of the old surveyors I worked with as a young pipeline mapper. Great guy's....not the most patient lot...but they sure had lot's of wonderful stories. Some of the cleverest and most resourceful characters I ever had the good fortune to work with. When I saw this it makes me wish there was a way to go back to those days. Didn't know how good I had it or how fleeting the experience really was. Thanks for sharing. Jeff

Hank; You are just trying to stir up trouble ............again. First Paul in another post .....now me. Jeez. You know I like Marks truck........but it is waaaaaay too clean looking for the likes of me. I am still trying to figure out exactly how best to proceed with the paint...........but I do know I require something sort of scruffy looking. Jeff

Mark; Just shut the valve off. Stop leak shouldn't cause a problem with a closed valve....and there is no point in flowing it through the heater core unless it has a leak. If you want to reuse the old coolant you may be able to decant it for a few days to allow the excess stop leak material to drop out. A very simple form of basic separation. Depends on how frugal you wish to be. I have used this technique to save a few tanks of gasoline that has had a slug of water, etc in it a several times. Very effective if you are careful not to shake it while decanting. Jeff

Mark; I would try the stop leak first. Then go over the area with the JB weld once the leak has stopped. You should be able to put a low pressure cap (say 4# or less) on temporarily and bypass the heater as well until it seals up. Once it is sealed drain the mixture out and decant it for a few days then top up with fresh coolant if you are worried about it causing other problems. By doing it this way you should have the best possible fix without pulling the engine. Jeff

Nice..........so nice. Love that Tach! Jeff

Mark; Just rub it in ...... why don't ya? Very cool. I am envious. Can't wait to go on my first long trip.............in my Pilothouse. Hopefully I will be able to do a bit better than 50. Otherwise it is going to take a long time to get up to Frostbite Falls for a visit. Hopefully it will be ready for the BBQ this next spring. Chassis and mechanicals are just about done.....Body is 99% down to bare metal......so if I can just keep at it like you did......there is a good chance. Thanks for the inspirational shots. Jeff

Thanks guys. I am just looking for the quietest arrangement with ouy going to an electric fan. Jeff

Anyone fit a flex fan on a pilothouse? If so is it quieter than the original style fan? Does it move enough air? Thanks for your input, Jeff

Hi Gary; Great looking truck. Love the interior shots. Have you had it a long time? What shape was it in when you got it? Jeff

That's hardly a complete picture.....I don't see clamps of any type....or a sawzall....or anything even remotely approaching a BFH! What no wooden blocks or wedges? Wheres the torch? Bailing wire? Duct tape for bandaging? How about a real pry bar? From this picture Paul is going to think he is going to be able to get by with a couple of 5 gallon pails........... Jeff

Hi Guy's; Has anyone come across either a clutch type fan conversion or a flex fan that fits a stock flathead 6 equipped Pilothouse? Thanks, Jeff

Paul; That's so cool. It is good to be handy. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of be able to build or repair things yourself. If it is mechanical and worth fixing I almost always give it a shot. You learn something you can use from every project you tackle. Even the unsuccessful projects. I am sure that a lot of the people in this group feel the same way. For me it is the desire to master these types of skills that make us who we are. Learn one skill and it will give you the confidence to learn another. Jeff

Mark; Good idea ( said like the toothless Eskimo in "Never Cry Wolf" ) You probably already know this....but another "good idea" is adding a ground terminal to the sender housing. Thanks again for the door check arms. Jeff

If we are talking a stock braking system (and I believe we are based on your earlier posts) then I think either the M/C is bypassing or there is some sort of blockage in the tubing close to the M/C. If you follow Dave's suggestion you should know very quickly. When I started working on my truck after it had sat unused for many years the entire braking system was a write off. As I dug into it I found that All of the hard lines and cylinders were heavily corroded and beyond saving. They did not look bad from the outside.....but they were a mess internally......so just keep this in mind if you are trying to reuse any of the old system. Jeff

Gary; PM sent. Jeff

Thanks Ed; It would be very helpful to see how this was done. I figured something like this existed. It is probably pretty simple......maybe even something that could be made up into a kit? Jeff

I have been thinking about cable operated hood locking system for a while. Seems to me it should be possible to use the same type of cable or cables we already have for the throttle / choke and cobble something together to disable the hood handles. It could be done so that it looks the period this way. Just an idea for now. Jeff

There appears to be a difference here when you compare the 108" wheelbase frames to the 116" wheelbase frame. I don't know the statistics but it seems to me that most of the 1/2 ton trucks were 108" W/B while the 116" W/B frame is the most common one used for the 3/4 ton trucks. I know this is not by any means an absolute truth......just my observation for what it is worth. Jeff

1'2 ton short bed versus 3/4 ton with a longer bed? Jeff

Very clever.....please update when you have had a chance to use it for a while. Jeff

B-3....Same as the one I have. Looks like an overbend but should fit fine. B-4 is a little different......narrower connector bar. Jeff