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Jeff Balazs

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Everything posted by Jeff Balazs

  1. Jeff Balazs
    Yes getting the park feature properly adjusted can be a bit fiddly. You will want to bench test it several times before installing back in the truck. I just went through one of these this winter. A good clean up and fresh Mobil One synthetic grease made a very noticeable difference to how well the wipers work. Of course we never got much rain...... but it took care of what little we got. Jeff
  2. Jeff Balazs
    Sounds like you will have fun with it. If all the components are there fixing the parking brake is fairly easy. I suggest you obtain the service and parts manual as items are different from year to year and model to model. These books are quite helpful when starting to get familar with your purchase. Lot's of times you will find little changes over the original stock condition.......the parts manual comes in very handy then. Have fun. Jeff
  3. Jeff Balazs
    The wiper arms on the motor assembly want to be at about 10 O'clock and 2 O'clock respectively. If they are not you will have to open up the gear enclosure (s) and adjust them accordingly. The side with the power lead contains a cam operated / contact switch for the park feature. Hope this helps. Jeff
  4. Jeff Balazs
    Welcome neighbor. I am in the Irvine area. Nice to have another Pilothouse nearby. You may want to try placing an ad in the classified section on this site. Other options are trolling Craigslist and Ebay. Unlike some regions we don't really have wrecking yards that would be any help on this. Perhaps someone here has some of these they have salvaged and could check? Replacement parts for some of this stuff can be difficult.....but this site is your best option for answers. Jeff
  5. Jeff Balazs
    You may want to try Permatex thread sealant or event just #2 sealant on these fittings. I have used these products for years and they do the job. Check the brass fitting for thread damage when you remove it. Jeff
  6. Jeff Balazs
    They screw off. Jeff
  7. Jeff Balazs
    My math might be wrong too.......too many head injuries. Jeff
  8. Jeff Balazs
    When I built my truck I fitted a Grand Cherokee rear axle to take advantage of rear disc brakes (works great!) and a higher final drive ratio of 3.55. This ratio has turned out to be a bit too high for the fluid drive clutch. I think in retrospect a 3.73 ratio would have offered better acceleration and clutch life given the weight of this 3/4 ton truck. There is nothing wrong with the axle otherwise. Been trying to determine how best to correct this. I currently have P235/75 15 tires mounted. I wonder if I swapped in a set of 60 series tires if that would have almost the same effect as a rear axle gear ratio swap to 3.73? Jeff
  9. Jeff Balazs
    Where as Paul and his truck need to be kept as far from sparks as is possible......... .......
  10. Jeff Balazs
    She is liable to get an attitude.........
  11. Jeff Balazs
    Hey......I knew I had company out there. If at first you don't succeed....try try again. Jeff
  12. Jeff Balazs
    Even if it doesn't work the way you intended you are still a fabricator.......maybe not as accomplished as others?......but then there is always the possibility of a Mark 2 or Mark 3. Jeff
  13. Jeff Balazs
    She is indeed. I gotta say that the pictures of Dolly Dodge out in the wide open spaces has made me and my dog Buddy very jealous. He has been bugging me to go for a ride like that.......and is at my feet right now. Jeff
  14. Jeff Balazs
    Shocks are much like the situation of tire replacement. Should be changed as a set. Mismatching them is not a good or prudent idea. I feel for you...to a point.....but this is what happens when you play with fire Jeff
  15. Jeff Balazs
    Just an idea. You could simply remove the line from the block to the gauge and then turn it over without starting it. You should get a fair amount of oil there relatively quickly. If you do then you know for certain what is actually going on. Jeff
  16. Jeff Balazs
    Did you drive it? And did you like it? Regardless of what any of us say you are the one that needs to be happy with it. It looks pretty decent to me. I would think that if it is as solid as you say that it is probably worth more in your part of the country than a rust free truck here in Southern California. My gut feel for this model truck in this condition is $5 to $9K. And there is enough relatively easy stuff left to finish off that you can put your own brand on it by the time it is all done. This is of course just my opinion. Jeff
  17. Jeff Balazs
    Wonderful video!!! All I can say is if you don't just love Dolly Dodge there is something seriously wrong with you. This is what an old truck is all about. Jeff
  18. Jeff Balazs
    Yes the wheel bearings fit perfectly. These front discs along with the rear disc type axle and the modern M/C have made for a very good upgrade. Might not be a necessity in a lot of applications but this truck can stop in about half the distance you would expect. And without any fuss. Definitely some of the best money I spent on the truck. This is the first truck I have owned with 4 wheel disc brakes and it continues to amaze me at how well this combination works. Now if I could just find a close ratio gearbox to fit it with no OD and full synchro it would be perfect Jeff
  19. Jeff Balazs
    Just so you know the Rusty Hope caliper mount fits the 3/4 ton spindles.......got it mounted on my 3/4 ton. Have to use wheel spacers but it all works fine. There are significant component differences between the various models and this is what I was trying to point out from the start. Things might look similar to a newbie......but it isn't always the same when going from model to model. It is probably best if he knows this from the start. Jeff
  20. Jeff Balazs
    The OP is I believe trying to determine if this truck he is looking at is priced fairly for the condition it is currently in. It may or may not be? One of the things he should really look closely at is if it has body cancer. In his part of the country this is a very real possibility. No one has brought this up but I think it could have a very big effect on the over all value of this truck. I would be much more concerned about this than any future upgrades to the brakes etc. Depending on how and where he is planning to use the truck major upgrades may not be needed. Rotting sheet metal and leaks into the cab are another thing altogether. Jeff
  21. Jeff Balazs
    Hopefully the original poster isn't put off by this little tangent. I mentioned the brake drums only because they are unique to the 3/4 ton model trucks. There are a few other items like the wheels 5x5 x15" and the 9/16" diameter lugs that can become part of a protracted hunt as well if missing or damaged. These are things that need to be understood when looking hard at this model. I think they are worth the extra effort though as they have a very fine ride just as they are. Jeff
  22. Jeff Balazs
    Very cool! Ole Dolly looks right at home. Jeff
  23. Jeff Balazs
    Nicely put Greg. I was trying to say this in my earlier comment but just couldn't find the words. Fluid drive trucks can be a bit of an odd beast. Ask me how I know..... Jeff
  24. Jeff Balazs
    Jim; It sure sounds more like the clutch may be dragging a bit to me. Maybe your clutch needs to be adjusted? Having a fluid drive in these trucks can be a PITA sometimes. At least that is my take on it.......they are just kinda weird beasts and don't always act the way you would think they would. Jeff
  25. Jeff Balazs
    You are welcome. The 3/4 ton trucks have some parts on them that are unique to that model. Stuff like a bad brake drum as an example can be very hard to find. Also the fluid drive trucks have unique parts. Not as hard to find as the brake drums......but not too common either. If it were me after driving it I would ask him to do a compression test. Also if you can get him to put it up on the rack so you can have a good look-see. Quite a lot of the wear items are fairly easy to find......but don't take anything for granted. I think if it drives nice and seems fairly solid it might be a good buy. Jeff
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