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Jeff Balazs

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Everything posted by Jeff Balazs

  1. Jeff Balazs
    I am going on 4 years of daily use of my 52 B-3-C. I did a 4 wheel disc system on it because I was concerned about the ability to stop quickly and safely in heavy traffic here in SoCal. This is certainly one of the best decisions I made during my build. I used Rusty Hope up front and a 2002 Grand Cherokee 3.55 rear axle with 12" discs in the rear. Also used a matching M/C and a proportioning valve with all new 3/16" lines. This set up has performed absolutely flawlessly day in and day out. Best feature is the extremely effective "panic" braking without ever locking any of the wheels up. Try this with drums.... Driving a vintage truck in the kind of traffic we have here all of the time would not be much fun if it won't stop like a modern vehicle. Jeff
  2. Jeff Balazs
    IMO these engines were built in a time and in such a way that build up or deposits of carbon, varnish etc are going to happen. Particularly around the valves. It is kind of the Achilles heel of these old engines. To my way of thinking the best way to keep this in check is to run a good detergent oil and use something like MMO in the fuel. MMO definitely has some ability to dissolve varnish etc. I know that there are many who will disagree about using a detergent oil....but I say they are worried about things which are not really likely to happen. I think it is actually critical to maintain a clean supply of oil and fuel to the valves on these engines. Running a modern detergent oil is the best way to insure this is the case. Beyond that you can help things a bit by using a fuel additive designed to keep things clean. This is my take on this based on my experience driving one of these trucks every day for about 4 years. Jeff
  3. Jeff Balazs
    I agree in principal with Mr Coatney. Had it happen on an old car I bought years ago. But it could be ignition based too. Lets start a guess tally. Hope Don is correct 'cause that is an easy fix. But I gotta go with an ignition fault. Failing condenser...bad coil or perhaps a worn out or dirty ignition switch. Had that last one more than once since I was old enough to work on cars trucks and boats. Works after it has had a chance to cool down. Jeff
  4. Jeff Balazs
    That 1/32" is probably all it takes to turn one of these engines into a roaring beast........? There has to be times when we all dream of just a few more ponies. I have a few steep hills on my commute where I thin even one more would help Jeff
  5. Jeff Balazs
    I put about 4oz of MMO in my gas tank every other time I fill up. It really helps with the fuels we have these days. We have a winter fuel formula here in SoCal that makes for harder starting if I forget to dose it with MMO. My daily driver has a 230 that I revived rather than doing a full rebuild. I change the oil about every 2000 miles and use MMO in the fuel. Over 20k miles and it does not smoke or let me down ever. Jeff
  6. Jeff Balazs
    I have a housing similar to the one in your righthand picture and believe me it will work just fine. I simply went to Pep boys and got a pre-formed hose with a 45 degree bend in it and cut it down to fit. Works perfect. Jeff
  7. Jeff Balazs
    Hey John; How ya been? Try Young Ed.......pretty sure he knows about these parts. Jeff
  8. Jeff Balazs
    Glenn; You are welcome. Like I said it all works just fine. I insulated the living daylights out of my cab. As much for sound as heat. I can't run my heater more than about 10 minutes before it gets too toasty in the cab. Of course that is here is SoCal and anything below 60 degrees feels cold to us. ? I really added the heater to gain the defroster. It can get very foggy here ........ Saturday afternoon visibility was down to less than 100" where I live.....and it was raining. Jeff
  9. Jeff Balazs
    Glenn; I had the same concern you had about the flow when I set mine up. Not sure I ever found anything on it. I just went ahead and used the fitting on top of my water pump to tie the other end of the system in. The real world answer is it works just fine. Used it this morning in defroster mode. While it doesn't get too warm the first few minute it does do it's job. Takes between 5 and 10 minutes to start putting out some noticeable heat. After that I usually have to turn off the fan. Also I don't think you will see much heat when that cable operated valve is closed. At least I don't. Hth; Jeff
  10. Jeff Balazs
    Glenn; I have that manual valve on mine to be able to isolate the heating system. Got to have a fitting there anyway...so why not a valve? It gets real hot here so no need for a heater except a couple of months this winter. Not needed that past 3 winters..... Jeff
  11. Jeff Balazs
    Jocko; I don't remember if mine has those slits. I don't think they would have much effect on the system though. Could even be there as a sort of "Freeze" protection for the system? I have another manual shut off valve on top of the water pump housing so the system can be isolated during the hot months. The whole things looks and functions period and for most of us that is good enough. Jeff
  12. Jeff Balazs
    The valve you have was a commonly available item back in the day. Heaters were an option item as well and could be installed by a dealership or local garage. I would venture a guess that most were added after the factory had sent the truck out to the dealership. I added a heater and a fresh air kit to my truck during my build. Glad I did this year. ? The defroster has been particularly handy. I have the same valve you have and it works just fine. Been using it every morning lately. Jeff
  13. Jeff Balazs
    Can't say for certain on 1 tons but my 3/4 ton had 9/16" studs originally. 9/16" studs were not available from any source. I ended up getting 5/8" studs and bored out the holes in the wheels. I believe Dorman was the source I ended up using. Was a PITA but it all worked out. Jeff
  14. Jeff Balazs
    I have a 3.55 in my B-3-C with a later 230. Would not go any higher ratio than that. It is fine for the freeway but when there are hills it could use a T5 with a better spread. There are Cherokee rear ends out there with 3.73 ratio that would probably work perfect for your truck. Just my opinion. Jeff
  15. Jeff Balazs
    The weather we have been having let up enough on Sunday to clean and wax the cab. The old truck definitely did not sustain any damage from the impact with the tree during the storm. Amazing considering the impact of hitting the tree top going that speed. It sure sounded like there was going to be some damage. All I found was a few pine needles stuck in the passenger side cab roof light that I had added when I put the truck together a few years ago. No dents or scuffs. Some people doubt that these trucks can be used daily but this episode is just another example of how wrong that thinking is. With a few tweaks these old trucks can be extremely functional transportation. I have had this one on the road for 4 years now and it gets the job done. Might not be the fastest thing out there but it has been pretty much rock solid reliable. As the old Timex commercials said "Takes a lik'in and keeps on ticking" Get out there and use um, Jeff
  16. Jeff Balazs
    I bought them online from Napa or one of the big box stores. Don't remember the brand but they came in black or chrome. Here is a photo. They work well....and will fold away on impact. Jeff
  17. Jeff Balazs
    Thanks guys. No pix....happened in the dark and in a downpour.....and the only evidence was literally a few pine needles. I drove past there on my way home last night. The tree must have been 50 to 60 foot tall judging from the ones around it. Looks like the slope it was on is super saturated and it tipped over in the wind. Lucky it was just the top of that tree because what was left that I saw was about 10" to 12" in diameter. Probably would not fared as well with that much trunk. Jeff
  18. Jeff Balazs
    Just a little side note on this. And a nod to Reg. When I built my truck I installed a pair of aftermarket mirrors similar to the ones on Reg's old yellar. Not only do they work better than the stock type mirrors but they fold away in an impact situation. I caught a bit of flak from some purists on this. But based on what happened today my passenger side mirror took impact and folded away. I am pretty certain a original mirror would have caused some sort of damage. Jeff
  19. Jeff Balazs
    Pouring down rain this morning. Flood watch in effect. Headed to the shop in the dark when out of nowhere a huge fallen pine tree is hanging into my lane. At 45 mph it hit the roof on the passenger side near the corner of the windshield. Was expecting broken glass and significant damage. Nada.....zip....nothing. Not even a scratch. Got to love that old Detroit Iron. I am positive an impact like this would have messed up a newer truck. And yet the only evidence is a few pine needles. And an elevated heartbeat..... Old Pilothouse trucks RULE! Jeff
  20. Jeff Balazs
    Snap off or strip is a distinct possibility in this location. Lot of weight hanging on these. And subject to metal fatigue etc. IMO leaks are not likely. Breakage is. Play it safe while it is an easy job. Jeff
  21. Jeff Balazs
    May or may not be pertinent but you will have to re torque all these after a few heating cycles on the manifolds. To me this is a more significant issue with these studs. Not leaks. It is a pretty easy job if the manifolds are off. Rather do it then than to have one break or strip later. Jeff
  22. Jeff Balazs
    You can sometimes find NOS carbs on Ebay. I was lucky enough to do so a few years ago. Price was around $125 +/- for a fluid drive B & B that had never been mounted. Got to be patient though and ready to pull the trigger. Jeff
  23. Jeff Balazs
    I don't think it is possible to over filter fuel these days. Also if you have deleted the mechanical pump in favor of an electric then it is a good idea to have a real good filter ahead of your electric pump. I have been using large sealed canister filters on my truck and they get changed at 10k mile intervals. Seems to work very well. There is often a lot of crap suspended in under ground storage tanks. You definitely want to do what you can to keep it out of your carb and engine. Jeff
  24. Jeff Balazs
    Mark; You appear to have taken my observations as a personal attack on yourself. It is not. Please continue to do as you wish with your trucks. And pardon me for expressing my dismay about not using running boards for the actual purpose they were made for. What was I thinking? Jeff
  25. Jeff Balazs
    I use mine daily.......and I almost always step on the running board. It is what they are for. Stop fretting over normal wear and tear and use your trucks like they were meant to be used. (You car show guys just crack me up) I sprayed mine with a black bedliner product to help reduce slipping. Guess what it works....and I bet if it were around back then Dodge would have used it on our "Job Rated" trucks. These are Trucks...not cream puffs. Jeff
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