Jeff Balazs

Well just for the heck of it.......why would you? These engines were designed to be low compression....slow turning... workhorses. Could you spin them up higher? Boost the HP? Sure you could but not without completely sacrificing the characteristics that it was actually designed for. It is supposed to be a reliable plodder. I guess what I am trying to say is that there are plenty of better candidates for this sort of treatment. I have a post war Brit Bike that was built to a very high standard for the day. In many ways it's engine is similar to our L-6.....It was developed to a be ultra reliable every day beast of burden. It is a direct descendant of their mid 30's design with just a few improvements. Time of production was about the same.....early thirties to the mid sixties. The basic design started off with huge flywheels and a long stroke producing quite a lot of usable power at slow engine speeds. Almost like a locomotive. Over the early years these were renowned for their dependability....almost silent operation....and truly amazing low end grunt. Many of these bikes were fitted with sidecars and quite a few pulled trailers. All with just one cylinder. They were used for commuting....as tourers....military dispatch bikes.....and won many 6 days trials and scrambles. In later years the management pushed the racing development of the old design to the extreme.....eventually turning into something very unlike the original animal. High rpms almost no flywheel and 12-1 compression took its toll though. There was almost nothing left but the look. And although they succeeded for a while....they lost the reliability and great characteristics that made them famous......and went under as a result. If a factory tried and failed....it seems to me there is a lesson to be learned here. Jeff

Another distinguishing feature of the fluid drive trucks is the dashpot equipped carb. Usually a model DTG1 Carter B & B. I have a 52 3/4 ton with FD 4 speed. The arrangement works very well when the carb is properly adjusted. In my opinion this option does complicate things though. The longer bell housing and fluid drive specific elements limit what you can do as far as transmission swaps if you wish to retain the feature. The extra rotating weight and mass seem to compliment the general characteristics of these engines nicely giving it a bit more of the "flywheel" effect.....which I really like. I would sum it up like this......I am glad I have it.....but it is a bit more work to restore a truck so equipped. I will probably use it most often taking off on hills and inclines where it has some decided advantages over the standard arrangement. Jeff

Hank; Your eyes must be a heck of a lot better than mine. I am sure you will get it close. You might be able to find an old school brake shop that would do this for you if you bring them in? I know there is a shop in Long Beach that does amazing things to drum brakes for vintage racers. You could really impress 48Dodger with a set of drilled and race tuned drums. From what I understand they would probably as good as disc's. I have made a lot of parts with a vice, a hacksaw, the drill press and files. So I do appreciate what can be done if determination is applied. It may take a few attempts to get things just so........but then you can say I did it myself. And that is a good feeling. A few weeks back my son-in-laws Grandfather was here for a visit. He retired as the head of R & D for Boeing and has been around machinery his entire life. He could not get over how quiet my truck was. My favorite comment of his was " I was around when these trucks were new.....I remember them clearly and they were never that quiet". He kept wanting to know what all I had done to get it this way. Made me feel pretty good about going the extra mile on some of these details. Jeff

Tom......regarding the random cut out issue. You might also want to check your connections at the coil as well as the lead to the distributor and the condition of the wiring insulation and connections inside the distributor. You can see things better if you remove the distributor to check the internals. Jeff

Tim; The traffic laws don't seem to be enforced at all here anymore. Especially tailgating and speeding. Blacked out windows..... no turn signal ......... on the cell phone.......these are all things I see every day.......over and over. The State of California would never again have any money problems if they would put an automatic 500$ fine on all of these and enforce. Maybe I can rig something up that will get the message across? How about a cable operated figure of Yosemite Sam that will pop up over the tailgate and scream "Back Off you Varmit". In the mean time I need to get some working back up lights going. Jeff

I still need to add this feature to my truck. I have a large step bumper so perhaps fog lamps would work as backup lights and an anti- tailgater feature. Tailgating is totally out of control here. I just need to come up with a fingertip control that makes this feature easy to use. If I could I would just have Yosemite Sam ride shotgun with me. Jeff

Davin; First off as the originator of that excuse.... oh yes it was me ....let me just say that it really happened. It didn't go over well 50 years ago....and I caught hell .... until I brought a letter from my Mom the next day. "Patina" Paul unless I am much mistaken quite a lot of that flat black you are seeing now may just be soot from the fire. I am not sure you could get away with a clear coat over soot as it is likely to be soft and may even react with components in the clear coat. To get an idea of what the surface is really like you might try cleaning an area with a maroon scotchbrite pad and good old Johnson's paste wax. I suspect quite a lot of the old patina surface is still there under the soot. You might even find lamp black useful as a touch up agent in the most heavily damaged areas. Jeff

I am curious how you are going to arc these shoes accurately? Mind you it is not something I have to worry about.....but I am curious. Jeff

I got the new Borg Warner switch swapped in. All is good and it does not seem to even get warm in use. I will keep an eye on it but I feel much better about the quality of this component. NOS...... Made in the USA .....when that meant something. I would urge all reading this to check the condition of the components like this in their trucks and cars. You may be surprised at what you find......it may work......but put your hands on it while it is and see how warm it gets. If it get's too hot to touch chances are there is a problem that needs attention. Mike I am of the same opinion as you regarding this. I don't really care if people think I am being overly cautious. Rather be safe than sorry. When the battery is disconnected less stuff can go wrong. I installed a HD keyed battery switch in the truck and I will use it religiously. Jeff

Paul; Glad to hear that things are moving forward. Best to get it behind you. Perhaps it won't be too bad? When you get a chance to get a close look......look for what has melted and in what area of the truck. That should tell you where you have the worst potential damage. That the fuel system didn't get going and three of the tires are holding air may mean the damage while severe looking is of a more superficial nature. It is really going to depend on what was subjected to the most heat and how hot things actually got. This is sort of a "band of brothers" and you are a worthy brother. Jeff

Well I suppose because it is so dry here I never saw it on the shelves until this last year. Prior to that I used a product that Mercury Marine developed years ago. The PB stuff is a better deal though at about 4$ a can. Jeff

It is pretty much bone dry here.......so corrosion isn't really an issue ........ but then you never know where it is going to wind up either. That PB corrosion guard is neat stuff .......penetrates and lubes as well as the protection it offers. If I lived in another region.....say your neck of the woods....I would always have several cans of it. As it is I am glad to have it in my bag of tricks. Jeff

Paul; Well?.......I try not to look anymore. Maybe I should have chosen another word. I will just say it looks like it belongs there........at the very least it is covering up some holes that were already in the hood. When I first got the truck I wasn't going to bother with one. But over time it sort of started to seem kinda important. It is after all an Iconic symbol of these trucks. And when I found a nice one for $30......well I just said what the heck. Now mind you mine isn't as pretty as Mark's ........ but the neither is my truck. It doesn't look in mirrors either. Jeff

Mark; My take on the rear tank mount is that it allows the frame to flex and twist without putting strain on the tank itself. These mounts I believe are an area which should be maintained and checked routinely. I have sprayed mine with PB corrosion guard. Maybe someday someone will rig a camera up to show us all just how much these frames flex and twist during actual use. Based on my observations during the straightening process of my frame I would bet you would all be a bit surprised. In particular the center bolt in cross member see's a lot of external forces transmitted to it. Jeff

My 52 hood had holes but when I got the truck it did not have an ornament. The holes looked to be factory made and were slightly elongated for and aft. Since my truck is a deluxe cab fluid drive and already had the holes I figured it must have came with a hood ornament. Found a decent one on ebay for around $30..... it fit so it is there now in as found condition. At first it took some getting used to......but I am used to it now. I think it would look naked without it. Jeff

The quality of a lot of electrical components is definitely not what it used to be. A couple of the faulty components I ran into when putting my truck together were made in Mexico. And I have already replace a couple of bulbs.......one chinese Wagner......and the other the manufacturer was so proud of it had no name or point of origin? Where ever possible I have bought American.........but it is getting harder and harder to source. I really brought this up to remind people that it is not a bad idea to check electrical components from time to time. I guess what I am trying to say is just because something operates doesn't mean it problem free. The amount of heat I felt at the terminal of the one old switch I tested was way too much to be safe. I am glad I burnt my finger and not something else. Jeff

In view of recent events at Paul's house I think it wise to mention something I had occur recently. I had installed a new twist knob rheostat type switch to control the fan for my heater. It never really worked smoothly and had continuity dead spots in it's movement. The other day I decided to investigate. This was the second such new unit I had purchased and both had similar quality issues. It is the most common one you see on ebay with the light up knob. I also had an old unit that I had gotten from a member here and had cleaned up but never used. It is a 3 position switch. I decided to try the old switch and it worked but got very hot in short order. When I say hot I am talking to hot to hold onto. And this was a couple of minutes after I had shut it off. The others were just warm by comparison. So out it came. I know electrical item's like this can and do produce some heat but this was more than a bit scary. The quality of the reproduction stuff that is available is also very questionable. These sorts of items are something that we should be able to trust. They should work smoothly and operate consistently. I went ahead and sourced an NOS Borg Warner 3 position pull type HD switch that looks to be of excellent quality as a replacement.It is of an entirely different type of construction and looks very substantial. Hopefully it will give good service and operate properly.....and without a lot of heat. I will report back for those which may be interested. The vendor has more of these. I brought this up to make all aware that there are potential fire starters in our old vehicles ........ little things like this switch...... which could result in something horrific. We all need to be very careful when it comes to things like this. Frequent checks into these things is a good idea. The whole experience made me feel very good about the master battery switch I have installed and use religiously. Jeff

I actually didn't start this thread to get y'all stirred up. Was trying to keep it humorous. I thought the first example was a bit over the top.....and the second one? Well..... way over the top. This is obviously an area of much debate and we all have our opinions. My 3/4 ton is at standard ride height and that is fine with me....and where it will stay. If I were to mess about with it ....... it would probably get about 2" taller in the door glass area. For me that would result in an optimum ride height and all around best road visibility. That is my take on it and It isn't about how it looks to me. Jeff

Paul; I really like your buffalo analogy. I have often thought they should have been selected as the symbol of our nation. Your determination and resilience is an inspiration to us all. As i read through your postings I know you are going to be OK. Perhaps a bit bruised and scarred like our old trucks.......but I feel confident you will motor on. Best wishes on a speedy recovery. When you do get around to assessing the truck please post a list of the items you are going to need. I don't have a whole lot but you can have any of my spares you need. Jeff

Tim; I certainly don't have any problems with chopping or modifying any purpose built race car. Believe me I totally get that. Not sure I would chose a Pilothouse to build a salt flats racer.........but I get the irony and spirit behind it. And the name "the Brick" is so true. I just think people get too carried away with mods on road vehicles. Looks are one thing but when the mods restrict the functionality it just doesn't make any sense to me. As I was putting together the interior on my truck I started to get concerned that perhaps I had made a mistake building this truck for myself. It seemed like it was going to feel a bit cramped and I wasn't real happy with the visibility either. At around 6-1 the roof seemed awfully close. I can't even imagine what it would be like chopped. I ended up making a few small mods to the seat frame which really helped. Then I found an aftermarket extended view rear view mirror I really like and now it is all good. The smaller conventional mirrors that these had fitted kinda suck in my opinion. With the clip on unit I now have I not only get the full view out the rear window but also both corner windows.......and I got to say I really like that. Best 25$ I have spent in a long time. The one criticism I have of the basic cab design is the height of the door glass. Another inch or so taller would be more to my liking. But not to worry ......I am not thinking about a stretch job. We will leave that to someone else. Jeff

Paul; Glad to hear no one was injured and your home is ok. That is the main thing......everything else can be repaired or replaced. The flame patina thing might be a bit over the top. When you are ready to repair the truck I got a few extra items you can have including a rebuilt fuel pump. Hang in there my friend we are all thinking of you. Jeff

Tim; I am not a fan of any extreme treatment on these trucks. If I am being totally honest the lines of these trucks are a bit "homely" and messing about with them too much really doesn't help. I kind of look at it this way.......either like 'um the way they are ..... and I do.....or find something else. And I totally agree with you on the chopped top thing. They were known as Pilothouses for a reason......chopping the top totally negates that whole aspect. I can't say about other parts of the country but I see the drawbacks of having a lowered vehicle almost every day. There are quite a few around here and besides the obvious drawbacks there is another one that seems to be never mentioned. They actually pose a type of traffic hazard. I can't tell you how many times I have been stopped behind one stuck at a bump or dip that a normal passenger car would have no problem negotiating. In our traffic it is just plain ridiculous. Bad enough when it is a Ferrari or some rice burner.........but when it is a truck? That is just wrong. Jeff

Oh Paul; My heart goes out to you and your family. Are you guy's all right? Will be thinking of you. Jeff

Tim; I will agree with you that the "creators" of these trucks got a carried away......the second one in particular. But a toned down version of the first example ........ well that makes much more sense to me than lowering them. They are trucks after all and I just can't see having to stop at every little bump in the road in something that was intended to go over them. I say if you want a low rider start with a car........and don't take the Truck.....out of the truck. Jeff

Hank; I covered the ps question as best I could. Now if you talking about flushing the block in place then really about all you can do is pull the tap and the welsh plugs and hope for the best. I did all this last year and while I got a lot out ...obviously it is not all that effective. There is just too many places inside the block for it to settle into. In my situation I think about the only way to really reduce the rust particles left in the system is going to be a fairly frequent drain down and flushing. I have a large plastic tray that they sell at Home Depot that is used for mixing concrete etc... I will just keep draining the system into it. I can filter and reuse the coolant mixture and flush with water until I get it as clean as I can. I don't see any other way at this point. I did not anticipate this much effort........but it isn't that big a deal. And it doesn't really cost anything. Jeff