Jeff Balazs

Welcome Rod; Very cool. I have a 52 B-3-C and am down in Irvine. Have fun with it and dont be afraid to ask questions. You found the right site here. Jeff

For the very first time I know what it's like to have a fluid drive!!!!!! Very cool feature. Even with the 3.55 rear end the old girl has plenty of grunt. Up til now I had some idle issues that prevented the fluid drive from working properly. I managed to find two items that were causing this. The first was an incorrect gasket between the carb and the manifold. Changing this helped but did entirely solve the rough idle. That went away after I plugged off the PCV connection. Apparently the old valve that I got from VPW is malfunctioning. I just need to find a better replacement for this and it should be good to go. With it plugged off vacuum is steady at 19". Engine is running smoothly and warm starts are a snap. What a relief. Now I can resume assembly with some confidence. That is really huge. Thanks to all of you for the suggestions. This truly is a wonderful feeling. Jeff

Paul; You show off! You know that I would have gone that direction if I had any paint to begin with. Glad to see you are out and getting some use with it. Jeff

Merle; It does look nice on that year truck.........but it is a very different body style. To my eyes a Pilothouse just looks like the classic old work truck....at home on a farm ...or ranch.... or hauling a load down the road. There was clearly much more emphasis placed on functionality than styling. You called it right the first time......... the last thing an old work truck needs is WWW. Jeff

Davin; Assuming he is able to produce these springs and they work in our latch's ..... I would be happy to distribute them over here at actual cost. I would like to do this LH door lock conversion. It does look like a relatively simple modification. And one that just makes a lot of sense for the way I will be using my truck. If you are willing to part with one send me a PM. Btw; Have you made any progress on your engine? Jeff

Merle: See ??? I bet they make his truck go at least a 100mph faster..................... just like one of them high maintenance women when they break a nail.......or worse...... when they get a run in their pantyhose :P Jeff

Thanks very much Reg. Jeff

Paul; I'm right there with you on the wide white walls.........it's funny........for some reason when I see them it always makes me think of high maintenance women. On the other hand I kind of like the look of the welt on the nose section. I've actually been wanting to see what that sort of treatment would look like. Might go nicely with the black accents on my truck............................................................................Mark? It is a nice truck though.......a truck in similar condition sold locally for around 14K earlier this spring so I am not surprised this one did not sell. Jeff

Reg; A while back you posted a photo of the mirrors you have on your truck. If possible could you post some close ups of them that show the mount? I really like those and would like to try and find a similar pair for my truck. Thanks, Jeff

Davin; That looks really great. If it works as good as it looks then it will fix a lot of sagging door handles. I would be happy to import a quantity of these here and act as the US distributor once you guys get costs, production, etc figured out. Jeff ps; I know a guy........who know's a guy ............who will test them in US doors and report back immediately!!! .

here is another question. How thick are the pads that go on top of the brackets that attach to the cab in the cowl area? 1/2" ? Thanks, Jeff

Keven; Ya right...... ..... I don't mind spending money on some things. That one is not going to happen. I got something figured out for this......we will just have to see if it works. Jeff

Hank; Yes I have pop riveted the lacing on the same way you have......even added the additional one. For my "recycling" project Functional is first and foremost. I will try to keep it looking more or less correct.........but when it comes to fasteners I am using ones that I prefer over what was done at the factory. No disrespect towards anyone...but I am the person who has to keep this one running. Also I am not really building this truck as a hobby. It will be my daily driver. This little reality has to be considered as I put this truck back together. I have and will continue to make changes and modifications here and there that I feel will enhance the reliability and/or daily use of this truck. I have no plans to ever take it to a car show. As I look at the fender filler I got from Roberts I have trouble seeing how it can be fastened in place with any type of rivet. It does not seem to "reach" far enough across the fastening surface to be properly secured in this fashion. Keven surprised me with a piece of the Dennis Carpenter filler which appears like it would be fairly easy to secure. The material itself is very spongey though .... so I can see why one would want to use the type of material that Roberts uses. It sure would be nice if some of this " small stuff " was a bit more straightforward. Jeff

Hi Mark; Thank you. Where did you get that lollipop shaped seal? Was it part of a kit or did you have to hunt these down individually? All this stuff was missing from my truck when I got it. It is very frustrating when you don't know what things are actually supposed to look like. The parts book is not a lot of help on some of these items either. It sure would be nice to be able to go to one source and order a kit and have what you need to complete the task. I am pretty much ready to put the rest of the bodywork together and being held up by a few pieces of mystery rubber is almost too much to bear. It isn't any big wonder you don't see too many of these trucks completed. Jeff

Ok.........then what goes down the jamb side? I know whatever it is get's riveted on....but I am not sure what it looks like. None of this stuff actually looks like the illustration in the parts book, Filler 12-02-6....but then it looks like it was a Tee shaped single piece extrusion. Jeff

Muchas Gracias Guy's; So that second one....the fender filler..... seems kinda small to be riveted on. Does anyone have a close up of how it is supposed to look when attached. It isn't the piece that seals the gap at the cowl though is it? Jeff

Hi Guys; I am a bit confused about some of the rubber pieces that are associated with the front fenders etc. I have attached two photos of a couple of different pieces that I am not absolutely certain as to where they go. Especially the item in the second photo.......................... If any one can shed some light on this it would be much appreciated. Thanks, Jeff

Don; That thought had occurred to me too. It is an old gauge that I have had for years. I will have to borrow a couple and see if there is any difference. In general it is running pretty well........and since it is my first Mopar flathead I really don't know what to expect. My ultimate goal is for this truck to be as bulletproof as is possible. It is going to be my daily driver and my only form of 4 wheel transport. So it needs to assembled properly and run right. Jeff

Hi Guy's; Anybody out there have a pattern for the side window glass ? I had one..... but lost it some how I need the type for doors with the vent. I have all the rest as patterns and just need one of these to get new glass made. Thanks very much Jeff

Thanks Mike; I need to do a compression check when the engine is warmed up. Just have not had the time. I used components from VPW to build this PCV system......and yes it is piped up correctly. I will see what sort of results I get with the compression check and then go from there. I don't mind that smell either........but then I rode 2 stroke dirt bikes for years that used Castor based oils....and I have been told that is an acquired taste Personally I loved the smell of Blendzall in the morning!!!! Jeff

Davin; Well if you were to send one.......I am not afraid to make a few mods. The current arrangement leaves something to be desired. Please let me know on the springs......I am happy to import some here, I "made" a substitute that is working for now.....but it would be good to have the right item. Jeff

Paul; Keeping things simple is a good advice. I went ahead and did the PCV as an upgrade.....and I am not sure if it is actually causing any problems.......just wanted to bounce it off others who have one installed to get their insight. I went ahead and ditched the mechanical fan in favor of a 16" electric pusher. It is an easy swap.....much quieter .....just as effective.....and not like to mangle any fingers. Sticking a timing light in there got a whole lot easier and safer too. Check the seal around your fuel pump........after a few hours running time mine had a little oil drip that went away as soon as I snugged up the two mounting bolts. Jeff

Keven; So as it turned out the first blanks you recommended were the correct ones for my locks. The little ones with no slot on one side. Yeah!!! I now have a functioning door lock......wish it were on the drivers side....but oh well. Thanks, Jeff

So here is a question.........how much of an effect do you suppose a PCV valve installation has on vacuum readings? I am getting a small amount of bounce (about an inch) in the vacuum readings and am wondering if it could be the PCV valve? Thanks for your input. Jeff

Hi; One thing I always use is a spray-on copper coat gasket compound. It helps seal any minor imperfections in the mating surfaces but will not solve any major imperfections. You might try that when you get any other issues you have sorted out. Thread sealing compound like Permatex is a must anywhere you have threads going into the cooling passages also. Jeff