Jeff Balazs

I suggest you source a new rotor. It should fit snugly with no movement other than what is in the shaft. One I bought did not and one did. Some repro stuff is just not up to OEM snuff....but that is nothing new.....I have run into that with ignition parts on lots of later vehicles. With the Pertronix set up I have found it is best to make very small adjustments to the timing in order to find the optimum setting. Jeff

Well I just thought I would throw it out there. Often times I think I have a tendency to over think these sorts of things......only to find a simple answer staring me in the face. Hopefully you will find a solution that isn't too difficult to implement. Jeff

Any chance this is something simple like the balance of the front wheels and tires being out of whack? Jeff

Well that explains a lot.......

I tried several springs from them and others and never found a satisfactory fit. Got a whole collection of stuff that wasn't quite right. Once I found an old latch mechanism that still had intact factory springs I finally had handles that didn't sag down. Everything got a good coat of waterproof grease before going back in 'cause rust is the enemy for this item. Jeff

This is a tough one as far as replacements go. I tried many spring sources with no good results. About the only thing you can do is look for salvaged latch assemblies and hope you find some with these springs still intact. I managed to do so but it took a lot of hunting. Jeff

And for the most part they would all be too slow to drive much in todays traffic. Lot's has changed and has been changed over the years. And many of our trucks are not quite original anymore. Of all the mods one could make on one of these old flathead powered trucks this one (and brake upgrades) probably has the biggest effect on how useful the truck will actually be as time goes on. This topic is probably meaningless to the casual user or purist. But for those of us who really wish to get some serious use out of our trucks getting this right is a critical piece of the solution. To me this is a very useful discussion. I am not concerned with going to car shows or originality to the last nut and bolt. Simply put my truck is a recycling project and I am trying to use as much of it as possible to build something that will get on down the road. And It is very close to what I was hoping for. A few more little tweaks and it will do everything I ask of it. Jeff

Reg; You were totally clear in what you were saying. And If we all had the exact same truck this would get boring pretty quick. One thing is for certain this isn't a one size fits all topic or answer. Jeff

Reg; I don't doubt you at all. But it is what it is. And my 4050# 3/4 ton FD with a sort of tired 230 ......there is just no way a 3.0 rear would work in it. A lighter truck with more displacement sure. I have to think that even a fresh 218 would be working hard to pull hills with anything higher than around a 3.66 rear. I could be wrong...but I would have to see it to believe it. Jeff

Joe........yep. It is pretty quiet at speed though. I may end up just going to a lower profile tire instead of changing the gearing. I don't know as I need to make up full difference in gearing. Now that I have a year on it it does not seem as far from optimum as it did to begin with. Jeff

Been wondering if you got this finished. Verrrrrry cool! Jeff

Oh man.......you quack me up!

Roadrunner.......

I made a seat cover for my truck out of some cheap "Indian style" horse blankets. I have to say that for day to day use it is way more comfortable than the vinyl cover underneath it. Jeff

Alan; No the trucks have a different bell housing mounted arrangement. I think a late 90's Cherokee M/C for front disc & rear drums model would probably work best. There are lot's of threads here on the topic. Seems to me some I have read mentioned the attachment arrangement you mention. One thing I would have to say is if your lines and hoses are old you should probably replace them while you are doing this. Jeff

Oh Man is that cool. Jeff

I have a 3.55 and to be honest it is a bit too high for this combo. It is fine in the flat stuff but lugs some in the hills. 3.73 would have been a better choice. Jeff

I think a lot depends on how you intend to use it......and how much of the original character you want to preserve. You can make a safe driver out of it with few mods that don't really take anything away from the experience of driving a 60 year old truck. Disc brakes....seat belts...upgraded electrics and lighting.....and gearing changes are all popular mods. And they are all relatively easy and don't cost too much if you plan things out carefully. A lot of us have gone down this path and can point you in the right direction. Of course none of this will result in street rod type performance but it is an old work truck after all. I drive my 52 every day and I am happy with it. It has not left me stranded or been difficult to maintain. Jeff

I wonder what the bell housing and motor mount situation is like on these C series trucks? Maybe going to a V8 on one of these later trucks is easier than on a B series? Maybe not...... Cool looking truck though. Remember seeing it listed on C/L. Right on......you are in the right place now. Jeff

I fitted a M/C from a Grand Cherokee and changed out all the lines and hoses to 3/16". I did not fit a booster and at first thought the required pedal pressure was excessive. It took a few adjustments to the linkage and the adjustable proportioning valve and then some miles...... but now it feels great. No booster needed. Hth, Jeff

I have been using Chemtool Gas additive in every 3rd tank of gas as a way to reduce carbon build up. With the daily stop and go driving I face I have noticed a positive difference in the way the truck is running since I started using it. I also added Water Wetter by Redline to the coolant. It had an immediate effect of running around 6 to 8 degrees cooler than it was before adding it. These are products that I don't mind paying for. Jeff

Yes the 3/4 ton models had different wheels. 5 x 5" x 15" and 5 1/2" wide rims. Also the lug size is 9/16" for which there are no ready made replacements. When I did my axle swap and added disc brakes I ended up with new Dorman 5/8" lugs all around as several of my original 9/16" lugs were broken. Jeff

Paul; I am glad to hear you are not actually being flippant about things. And while I agree with you that these vehicles were built tough I would have to say that without the best in build quality and maintenance they could be a challenge to operate safely in today's traffic conditions. Recently I had some young tuner type pass me going like a bat out of hell and then proceed to run out of gas right after he jogged in front of me. Good thing for him I have disc brakes on all 4 wheels. Otherwise my truck would be wearing a hot rod Subaru as a hood ornament. He had just fitted some new turbo and was more interested in racing around than what might happen as a result. I am pretty certain that me and the fellow behind me made it very clear to him what a bonehead move he had made. Since he was out of gas he had to sit and listen to us. The bottom line is that we all need to do whatever we have to make our vehicles safe and reliable......and sometimes that means spending some money and even "fixing" stuff that ain't broke. Jeff

Paul; Ever since you made this comment I have been trying to put into words how I feel about it. We all have different attitudes about this. And it seems sometimes those differences are quite radical. As an example getting back home on the end of a hook is totally unacceptable to me. The only exception being a bad accident. Anything else? Well then it is time to hang my head in shame. Road going cars and trucks are not toys and should never be treated like they are. Period. I will agree that spending lot's of money isn't always the answer.......but then I don't think gathering up a collection of derelicts for parts is either. The object should always be to build the best most reliable and safest vehicle you can. Anything less IMO just shows a lack of respect for the cars and the people around you. Jeff

The 4 speed tranny has slightly higher ratios for 2nd and 3rd gear as compared to 1st and 2nd gear in the 3 speed tranny. This translates into a slightly higher top speed for a given RPM in each of these two gears. As long as the 4 speed you have is not one that was mated to a fluid drive set up it should fit up to the bell housing just fine. The only thing I can't say is if the drive shaft length will require modification. Likely not an issue but you need to verify this. Jeff