Merle Coggins

I believe there should be a press on clip that retains the escutcheon onto the handle.

If you don’t have the proper press tool, or a pickle fork tool, a couple good sharp blows with a hammer right on the outer perimeter of the eye (where the stud comes through) will usually loosen the bond and they’ll pop right out. I found this video on YouTube that helps explain it better.

I believe Batteries Plus carries Duracell auto batteries. I believe I have one in my motorcycle and it is fine.

There are basically two ways to stake the pin in place using a center punch. You could use the center punch to make some dimples in the housing around the pin to swell the aluminum body and shrink the hole for a tighter fit. Or, I may opt to use the center punch on the end of the pin itself. A couple of well placed center punch dimples in the ends of the pin will mushroom the end of the pin making it a tighter fit into the bore. Maybe even combine both methods and then cover it all with JB, just-in-case…

My Westach still works, but acts differently, after installing Pertronix ignition in my truck. The Pertronix triggers the hot side of the coil instead of switching the ground side like the points system does. I believe I still have my tach connected to the + and - terminals on the coil. At lower RPMs it seems to read low now, but when it gets spun up it seems to come into line to where it should read. I’ve double checked it with an inductive pickup tach on my multimeter. I also find that after startup the tach won’t move until I rev the engine a little bit, then it’ll settle in and show RPM, but a little low as mentioned.

One of these things is not like the others…. 😁 Looks like it would be a fun day.

SWEET!!! Excellent score, Tom.

My thoughts are similar to what Los_Control said. I suspect it’s a connection issue, most likely the contacts inside the starter switch that is operated with your foot lever. I also agree with his observation about the battery cables. They look like ‘off the shelf’ cables from the local auto parts store. They are fine for modern 12v vehicles but quite small for a 6 volt vehicle. I also notice that you have an 8 volt battery installed. Once you get it running you’ll need to readjust your voltage regulator to ensure it charges properly.

I always just use a long punch, drift, or wood dowel. Run it through the hub, past the outer bearing cup, and against the inner bearing. It should only take a light tap with a hammer to pop the seal out with the bearing cone. I’ve also heard of the castle nut on the spindle trick, but I’ve never tried it myself.

Just because it’s a 1/2 ton doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll have a 3 speed. 4 speeds were also available in all light trucks.

Before tearing it all apart I would remove the grease zerks and dig around with a wire or pick to remove as much old caked up grease and gunk as possible, then see if they’ll take grease.

If it runs now don't turn your distributor 180 degrees. The fact that it currently runs tells us that the distributor is setup properly, even though it may not be pointing in the direction you desire. The timing may be off slightly, or the points may not be adjusted properly, but it's close enough to make it run. You just need some fine tuning from here.

Assuming it's a 3 speed... You may not be able to use your column shift trans cover to convert it to use the column shift, but if you're OK with having a floor shift trans it'll work. You'll just need to cut a hole in the floor plate for the shift lever to come through. If it's a 4 speed trans your bell housing may not be drilled to accept the mounting pattern.

I've heard of an alternative to having a puller it to loosen the axle nuts about 1/2 - 1 turn and reinserting the cotter pin. Then drive the vehicle around the neighborhood swerving back and forth. When you hear a "POP" that usually indicates that the hub popped loose on the axle, Then limp it back to the shop nice and easy and pull it off easy. I've never tried this as I have a puller, but I've seen it mentioned here a few times. Of course the vehicle needs to be drivable too...

Rich reminded me of the ‘Rusty Jones” treatments from the late ‘70’s or early ‘80’s. I remember seeing many cars with the “Rusty Jones” decal being rusted worse than other vehicles of the same era. “Guaranteed Rustproofing” … should have said, “Guaranteed Rust-Out”