Merle Coggins

I got my windshield rubber from Steele. I did not have to make any additional holes.

OK... Yes, the center bar should have 4 holes for the screws that attach the inner trim piece to the outer piece.

I lost a hub cap on I-94 in Michigan a few years ago. I was on my way to the Detroit area for a WPC meet, in a construction zone, just crossed a rumble strip due to a lane shift. I heard a noise, looked in the mirror, and saw the hub cap spinning along behind me. It eventually hit the concrete wall separating oncoming traffic, then I couldn't see it any longer. There was no place to stop in the construction zone so I had to keep going. I had to go the rest of the week at the WPC meet, and show, with a missing cap. I took the other 3 off for the drive home. Luckily I had a spare at home that I could clean up and put on once home.

I may have a similar thing going on. When we returned from the WPC trip to TN I topped up the gas tank at the gas station near my house, so that I could do a full calculation of fuel use and mileage for the trip. For several days after that I would smell gas when I went out to the garage. I noticed gas dripping off the front mounting lip of the tank and realized that it was probably seeping out through fill neck area, thinking it was possibly a loose clamp on the filler hose. But now that I read this thread I'm thinking it was more likely the sender seal. I almost never park the truck with the tank that full, so I'm not going to dig into it right now.

Your windshield seal had holes in it?

LOL... And you doubled down on my idea...?

Your block may be full of crud. Try removing the block petcock fully. If nothing comes out after that you'll have to poke around through the crud until coolant flows. And if there is a lot you may want to remove the core plugs and flush out the block.

According to that diagram, the toggle switch would select if you want the overdrive to shift based on governor speed, or manually. In the middle position the lockout switch wouldn't be connected to a ground (earth) path, so the circuit would be incomplete. Switch one way connects the lockout switch to the governor. I assume this position allows the overdrive to shift based on speed. Switch the other way would give a permanent ground (earth) connection for the lockout switch. Would this keep the OD engaged all the time? I've never played with an OD trans to know how it functions electrically, but based on the other comments, and the way the diagram is drawn, it appears to be an "automatic" or "manual" selection of the overdrive.

Temp gun aimed at a spot on the head, right by the temp gauge bulb, would be a good place to start. Then work your way down the head towards the thermostat to see if there is a significant change. You can also shoot (aim at) the block along where you see the core plugs. It'll give you a pretty good representation of what's happening inside. You can also shoot the thermostat housing, the top radiator tank, and if accessible the bottom radiator tank, or lower hose outlet. Too much temperature drop from top to bottom of the radiator would indicate internal blockage in the radiator core. 10-15 degrees drop is normal.

When I did a manifold swap on my truck this summer there were 3 studs that came out with the nuts locked on. I was able to heat the nuts, to free the bond, and remove them from the studs. Then I put thread sealant on the stud threads and reinserted them into the block before putting the replacement manifolds back on. If you leave the nut on the stud, and reuse it that way, it won’t torque up properly.

I’m curious to see your air cleaner solution. I’m thinking an elbow/snorkel to a big @$$ K&N cone filter.

Jeff, Does the Grand Cherokee axle have a 5X5” bolt pattern, same as our 3/4 ton trucks? I believe I read that somewhere a while back. The regular Cherokee is 5X4-1/2”, like the 1/2 ton trucks.

What is the belt driven pump on the left side of the engine? Looks like a power steering pump, but it wouldn’t have that unless someone did a conversion. The side windows aren’t too bad to remove. There is a good description in the shop manuals. You may be able to download that section from the DEPTCA site. I would suggest finding a printed copy for future reference. You will use it a lot. You’ll probably need new windshield glass in the future too. It isn’t likely you’ll be able to clear up the frosted areas around the outside. It may be delaminating at the edges.

When they sit for a while the gas in the carburetor will evaporate away. So when you go to start it you will have to crank a while to get gas back in there. Best practice is to crank for short bursts, 10-15 seconds each, with a pause in between. This keeps the starter from over heating. After a couple of crank cycles there should be some gas in the carburetor, now give the gas pedal 1 or 2 pumps and crank again. If it doesn’t start that time try the same thing again on the next cycle. Option 2 is to add an electric fuel pump to help prime the carb after long rest periods.

Grandpa’s truck isn’t a 23” engine? It would have had a 23” 230 CID engine from the factory. If it has a 25”er then someone swapped it in a while back. Your Spitfire head engine would fit then. Go through it again and clean it up. It’ll probably be fine if it was stored inside.

Got it running?

That picture would seem correct to me. One on each side of the mount bracket so that it can flex wither way.

Yes, that clip is welded to the shaft

Try this decoder site for the older trucks. It’s hard to tell from that one picture, but I would guess it’s a 3/4 ton. 1/2 ton trucks were all pickups, unless someone converted it.

DCM Classics has new rubber bump stops for the door check arms. And I believe they have complete door check arms too. I recently replaced the rubber on my passenger side door. It was still in tact, but when opened fully it would bump my mirror and change the adjustment. So I went in and replaced the old hard rubber stop with 2 new ones. by doubling them up it will now stop before hitting the mirror.

I've been running Amsoil in my truck for years. Yes, it has a couple of small oil leaks, but I don't believe it's any worse than if I used conventional oil.

Trees are just starting to turn around here too. I would also agree that it seems a bit late this year. Some were starting to drop leaves a month ago due to the dry weather, but since then we've had a lot of rain and they perked back up. Edit: I looked back through some pictures from when I did a fall color run with my truck. That was Oct 1, 2011, according to the date stamp on the image file. As can be seen in this picture, some trees were full color, some were bare, and some are still green. I wouldn't expect any fall color down in the Carolina's until late October.

Well, don't leave us hanging... Did you ever get back to work on it, and get it running?

Maybe you need to adjust the points? With the rub block at the point of the cam lobes are the points still closed?

And if he connects his breathing hose up to the NOS bottle he'd probably be happier too. ?