John-T-53

NICE!!! Original paint on the faces?

Yeah, price is too high, but usually these classic car dealers always are way too high on everything. They rely on inexperienced suckers for clientel. Not a fan of the dash/column mods. I hate billet!

Another trip to the desert and here's some pics: This 1950 Truck apparently sold at auction for over $8400. It was clean, had bigger rear wheels which gave it a downward rake. 1960 Dodge Dart Pioneer went for $18k. 54,600 original miles. Repainted but had original interior. I REALLY liked this one and would have snagged it if money would allow! When was the last time you saw one of these? And, a nice original 1958 Studebaker I spotted later (outside the auction) but for sale still. This was featured in Hemmings Classic Car in June 2011. Original everything but tires. Very good condition! You don't see these very much at all either...

Steele retooled their windshield rubber. I had installed their previous version, but when I heard of a re-do I called them and got a return authorization. Got the new seal and redid the windows. It's now legit.

The stock guides are the same for intake and exhaust. Valve stem dia's are the same too. The guides available are just too bid I.D. where they are supposed to be undersize so they can be honed for the right clearance. With the Chevy valves, honing the ex. guides is exactly the plan. We still need to cut the head and the tip though. Just need a spring retainer to mock up first! If anybody's got an old one sitting around...

Anybody have a spare spring retainer and pair of keepers they could send me? I aquired Chevy valves with thicker stems that I'm gonna adapt. My buddy is going to help me machine them in his shop, the only question remaining is will the keepers work with the mopar retainer? I need a set to mock up, and since I need my truck I can't easily rob the motor for parts. The Chevy valves have a shaft of .344" which should allow some room for honing the existing guides. The mopar valves are .340". Any help is appreciated!

Looks amazin'! Price seems fair. Would have been more in my area as the environmental regs and bullsh*t fees out here are putting a big squeeze chrome shops in CA!

Very cool. You're making fast progress on that thing. Yeah, who got ripped a new one?

Nice! Is that original grey paint under the dash? Looks clean and rust-free!

No, will weld in something for sure. It's an old paint job, and as I repair different areas it's beginning to look more like a quilt. So not worried about weld burn-through. Eventually the truck will get a complete (paint job). Just need mo money. Thanks,

This place won't let ya down... http://www.cheetahslasvegas.com/ private booth is extra!

Exactly. There might even be a way to get a piece of sq. tube steel in there that could be attached to the cab shell. I'll hopefully be doing it this summer, along with the drip rails.

Whoa.

Like Jim shows, the reinforcing at the B pillar is critical. The original sheet metal filler panel here is just tacked and screwed in place. A reinforcing plate/bracket should be securely attached to the body, fully welded.

This load of pavers and sand stretched the limits of the 1/2 ton chassis yesterday. I still had about 2" between the rubber bumper on the springs and the axle housing, but it was slow going on the way home!

Here's some VPW #s...they came through for me. NOS clutch fork bushings: Part #'s CC306770 and 50519. I used them for the bellhousing holes but could also be adapted for the brake pedal - might require 2 kits. NOS Power Wagon clutch fork, part # 561537 (same as B-Series)

Must be a lot of heat loss through the glass!

Tim, Thanks - great link. That wasn't me ('twas "John Teee"). There's another "JT" on here competing for the moniker. Ha! Anyways, I'll have to study that and see what's available. Replacing just the valves would be easiest, and I might have to change to a different keeper and spring retainer, but anything avoiding more machining is preferable. Even though my buddy down the street has a machine shop and available at my disposal...I will ask him about the bronze liners. On that topic, I might like that idea because bronze has very good wear properties...a lot of european makes have all-bronze guides. I did do some late night searchin on SBI's online catalog and found these: Potential replacement: http://www.sbi-e-catalog.com/PartDetail.aspx?PartNumber=01193+3&PartType=Valves These look like they'll need some lathe work to cut the relief area just up from the tip. OEM valves (for comparison) http://www.sbi-e-catalog.com/PartDetail.aspx?PartNumber=00298&PartType=Valves

I cannot find valve guides that are the correct ID. EGGE machine's guides are too big (by .002") which is out of spec. My clearance was .004" when it should be .0015 - .002". Usually guides come undersize which allows you to hone them out. Anyways, I've replaced the guides in my truck and ground the seats, and don't want to do it again. But the engine's still smoking and I'm burning oil (on a relatively new motor). It needs to be right! I'd like to find intake valves with a larger stem. Has anybody ever done any research into this, and would it be possible? Thanks,

Exactly! When the air is dry, no problem, but moisture sure makes the material (Bakelite??) rub off. I've gotten in the habit of keeping a set of mechanix gloves in the truck for mornings when the wheel is "dirty". I need to paint mine; it's been on the project list for some time now.

Same here. After 3+ hours with my foot on the pedal, my leg is stiff and cramped. When you have to react quick, there won't be time to push in the throttle! Anybody had a close call in their truck?

Kind of a let down, but oh well. Not too bad for the first season on the rebound. so much for a Harbaugh match-up, too..

Bringing this one back up top. On the subject of gas mileage, I'm getting 13 around town and anywhere from 15 to 19 on the highway. Not too bad (all things considered). This is with the T5 OD trans, but running a single barrel carb and everything else stock. What's the prevailing opinion on mileage/performance improvements by upgrading to a dual one barrel setup? I think this would be a cool project, and apparently I have the right cyl head (the P head w/ bolt hole for linkage). Thanks,

Jasco prime n' paint is the same stuff (phosphoric acid solution). There's another called "osh-pho" or something like that. Basically a metal prep - neutralizes iron oxide and trreats surfaces of bare steel to create a "bite" for the paint to adhere to better. It' won't react to paint but it'll stain it, and may damage it. If you have enough of the solution you can dip parts in it and remove rust completely overnight usually.

Originally these were 5/16"-24 (fine thread) with like u-nuts clipped to the floor panels. They were used with a peripheral tooth lock washer. Problem is new fine thread u-nuts are impossible to find these days.