John-T-53

Pretty pictures! Is that Mt Tom and Mt Basin? Can't wait to go back next summer! I know what you mean with the cold starts...It's only 40 here in the morning but the 20-50w oil didn't want to act as a liquid. I just went back to 30wt.

I bought my truck with radials on it with tubes. Gradually as each tire has needed repair, the shops have removed the tubes and added a new valve stem. So currently, I have 2 with and 2 w/o tubes on riveted rims, and the pressure holding is consistent with all 4. I'm not sure if the insides are painted or not. If you use any caulk on the rivet heads, apply it sparingly. The 3M seam sealer would work great here....also the "PL" brand polyurethane caulk available at your local lumber yard works great for autobody applications - dries hard, is paintable, and is a lot cheaper than the 3M stuff.

I had a similar problem last summer when I did mine, except it was with the mains. The bearings were one size too small, and it wouldn't rotate at all. Looking back, even placing the crank in the upper shells seemed tight. Did your shop hone the rods too?

Nice...I see you have the fresh air kit too!

Thanks Don...I read more than I write, and try to ressurect old threads whenever possible. Chances are by now, if there's a question, it's already been answered. But we can always talk about it more.... Thanks wallytoo for the response. I installed it this way yesterday, but as expected, I had a hell of a time gluing it down, and the vent is not seating correctly too. I'll have to wait for some nice weather to pull it apart again and figure it out.

I'm about to install a new seal from VPW....just out of curiosity, which way is up? There's a curved side and a flat side with a lip. The old rubber was way to far gone to figure it out. My guess is the curved side down, lip facing out since the channel bottom is curved...?

Ferry Building still standing tall...one century down, many more to come.

Maybe a 230 crank to start with (if you got a 218). More stroke = more torque. VPW has 'em in NOS.

Mike - looks great! Is that an all stock S-10 t-5? What gear ratios did you get? Did you use langdon's kit....with long or short input shaft? Were you able to drill the holes w/ the bellhousing in the truck? Metric bolts or did you go to 1/2"? Have you got a shifter stick picked out? I'm next in line with mine....if I could only get the new windshield in first! Sorry for all the questions....still planning it out.

Wow, the "opportunity of a lifetime". Bullet holes included? Or will they be taped over at least? WTF!

As brought up below, on a 5 window, this metal is flimsy and was intended to be trim only, as a "filler" between the door frame and corner window. It's held in place by a combo of small sheet metal screws and a couple spot welds. No matter how big a washer you put behind it, the whole thing will detatch in a split second with the force of a seat belt pulling on it (in a collision). I plan to design something in the future for this area, so I can mount 3-point belts. I think it might have to be a post going all the way to the floor, with a horizontal member connecting to the A-pillar somehow, to be structurally sound. Something like part of a roll cage, but only concealed. We'll see..

I have 9 year-old 235-75-15 Remington radials on my '53 1/2 ton, and it drives really nice and handles the curves great, even with the worn springs. Still a lot of tread left on them... I have 6.7 x 15 Firestone bias ply tires on my '55 Chevy Bel Air, and it rides and handles like crap. Follows the grooves and seams in the road and I have to take corners very slow. They have about 10,000 miles and are not wearing that well. I will be getting radials soon...

Not yet...is that a new one? Last time I was back there was one year ago, and Permium was what was being served up. Drank plenty of Schmidt's too. (burp)

I love Grain Belt Premium! Wish we could get it out here on the west coast... :-(

Wow...great lookin' rig! This is a great example of a mild modified resto. I love all the chrome - it really stands out nice against the red paint. Those wheels look great on there too. Great work Mike. Keep the pics coming.

Here's a '53 truck which I believe is for sale in San Clemente, where I used to live. My buddy sent me these pics. Looks like a short bed. Also notice the really small slots on the front wheel. The place it's sitting is called Classic Auto Sales, which has a revolving selection of old cars and trucks for sale, but I've never seen anyone around and the business never looks open. I think it's just a hobby or side business. Anyways, if it's still there, this is on the corner of El Camino Real and Avenida Magdalena, right by the golf course...if you happen to be driving through Nixon's old stomping grounds. San Clemente actually has three confirmed Pilot House sightings (by me), the most and only place I've ever seen them on the street.

Sounds like a good time over there at the car show. Is it still warm over there? By now I'll be all the aspens are yellow and orange...they were just starting to turn when I was over there 2 weeks ago. I'll guess your oil problem is either the cover gasket or the relief valve in the canister. The replacement cover gaskets that are supplied with new filters don't fit the lid, and if you don't trim it to fit, it'll never seal right. This happened to me a few years ago, and oil sprayed all over the engine compartment and a cloud of smoke followed me through town. If you have a filter like the one shown below, there's a relief valve in the cover bolt. In this model, oil flows up through the center tube and out two holes in the middle. If they or the filter become clogged, oil flows all the way to the top, into the bolt and through a spring-activated valve and out over the top of the filter, where it can exit via the return line. If it were to clog, there would be no flow and things might back up a bit. There's lots of different filters for these trucks though. What's yours look like?

Will do, and sure did! The scenery is very enamoring. Next time I make it over that way I will have a new tranny in my truck and won't have to rent a car to get over there. Haven't been to the Whites yet....but heard there's some really old bristle cone pine groves up there. Are they considered to be in Great Basin? ...Must feel a world apart from the Sierras yet only 15 miles apart.

An old dog and an old truck...a winning combo all the way. Looks great, especially with the scenery. I was just up there last weekend....backpack trip to Horton Lake. I'll try to post pics on here when I get them off the camera.

That's a tough one. The only way I know is through your state's dept of motor vehicles. I tried to find out the history of my '55 Chevy back in 1994 and even then the records only went back to the previous owner, mainly because it had not been continuously registered. If your truck has been registered its whole life, and if your state keeps records decades long, then you might have some luck. The only other way is to do detective work ad ask who you bought it from, who they bought it from, etc... Go to your local DMV office with your truck's VIN and plate # and let us know what they say.

I tried to get one from Roberts a few months ago, but he said they don't carry them. Not sure if they were just out or discontinued permanently. The one I removed from the truck was a bellows type cylindrical boot - not sure if original or not. I am still sans boot and have no issues - the new firewall pad backing felt seems to seal the opening good enough.

Nice. My truck came from Los Osos, just across the bay from Morro Bay. Lots of hippie type folk out there...and fog!

If you use distilled water + antifreeze, then there is no electrolyte situation created. Right? Is it possible or worth it to install a sacrificial anode bar into the engine's water jacket to prevent corrosion? Water heaters have something like this, usually zinc, to prolong the tank's life. Engine blocks have a lot of iron to corrode through before they become useless, so not really necessary here, but when we're looking at preserving our 50 year-old blocks for another 50 or 100 years or more, maybe worth it? Just a brain dump...

Looks like the Q-Ride panels have a smooth finish to them, like vinyl - at least from your pics - is that the case? Did they come with the edging? I installed their ABS firewall pad in my truck, and it has a coarse grain vinyl-like surface. It was a b*** to put in, but looks great and should last a lifetime. I'm not sure that pattern would look right on the doors. However I like the idea of ABS better than cardboard, for longevity sake. I think the Roberts cardboard version is also very expensive. And if you had to pay their state taxes, forget it. I was also very happy with Q-ride's insulation kit. I just did the floors for now. However, due to cost, I'm searching for the same type of materials in bulk and want to generate my own insulation kit for the rest of the cab. Greybeard (Dave) mentioned somewhere in another thread to use bituthene (the self stick black roofing membrane type sealant) which I think is an excellent idea for sound deadenin'. What about the foil-backed jute insulation...anybody have any ideas where to aquire that stuff in bulk?

Is the 1st and reverse lever hitting the floor board? That was my problem, but only because the floor got bend down slightly when the transmission access panel was out. I put a jack and 4x4 chunk under there and bent it up. Get under your truck and have someone shift it at the column, watching the travel. Disconnect the linkage at the transmission and shift it by hand and then compare the difference.