Jeff Balazs

Have you driven it? And does it live up to your expectations? What else has been done to it? Brakes..and did the brake lines get replaced?....wiring.....clutch etc... Engine compression and oil pressure? How is the interior? Window rubber? All this stuff can really add up. It may be worth that kind of money....but it is very hard to tell from your photos. Kind of depends on what all has been done and how well it was done. The fuel tank may be a clue. Jeff

Has to mean the ring gear on the flywheel......only a handful of teeth on the starter pinion. Jeff

The location for the ground connection is not how they did it at the factory but it should work. The correct location for the ground cable from the batteryis the transmission cover. On a vehicle this age threaded connections like this may be corroded or contaminated. It is important that all connections be clean and free of contaminates that could affect conductivity. The use of serrated washers on all electrical connections is a good idea. If you have not replaced your cables yet they could be badly corroded inside the jackets. Hope this helps, Jeff.

If the battery is good and fully charged up you can do a very simple test. Leave the battery disconnected and make sure everything is turned off and then hook up the ground cable. Then just lightly brush the other cable to the other battery terminal........if you get any kind of spark then there is a load on the system. If this is the case then you need to isolate the item that is draining your battery. This is very old school but I have used it over the years with good results. Jeff

You do know that it is never going to run well at 12" to 14" of vacuum. I think I would try it at a timing setting that is close to 18" of vacuum. Then try and adjust the carb to get a higher vacuum reading. And then see if detonation and overheating are an issue. If they are then back the timing off a few degrees and try that. Jeff

You may also want to check what sort of vacuum reading you are getting at idle. Jeff

Paul; While they may have got their contraptions to move under their own power most were definitely not better than what the factories produced. If you had ever owned a real 50's era hot rod you would know what death traps most really were. And this is true of at least 99% of the cobbled together stuff. It might go fast......but some "nasty surprise" can almost always be found to negate all that hard work. Just because someone is creative.....doesn't mean their creation is good or even appropriate. If you want to understand the real refinement of automotive design and manufacturing you need to look more closely at the real automotive engineers that have shaped things as we know it. And if you want to look to outsiders that have contributed heavily......... much has come to us from the aeronautical boys. Jeff

If your vacuum reading is bouncing at idle then you have a bit of a problem. There are some very good tutorials online to help you understand what is happening. My guess is a couple of sticking valves.....but without actually seeing the gauge I am just guessing. Here is my take on a starting procedure. The first thing to verify is the quality of the spark you are getting. Take an old plug and open up the gap to at least twice the normal gap and use it as a tester to see what you get. You should see a nice blue spark. If it is a feeble yellow then the ignition system needs some attention before you go any further Once you have verified that you have a good hot spark then try pumping the pedal 2 or 3 times with the hand throttle pulled out about 1/4 of the way. You may or may not need a bit of choke. It should fire up immediately, Jeff

Brent; Can't say I blame you for being relieved. Me, my old truck and my grumpy little dog need some wide open space. Jeff

I have a 6 volt positive ground system with the Pertronix trigger and matched coil. There has been some naysayers.......but I have to say this set up is as good as it gets. It gets a big thumbs up from me. Mine has been absolutely faultless. Jeff

Having a matched coil is an important part of doing the Pertronix conversion. Most of the problems I have heard about with this conversion are caused by mismatched components and not following the instructions carefully. Jeff

There was a time when Pennsylvania crude oil was as good as it got for making lubricating oils. That reputation was based on the fact that this crude had almost no sulphur. present and given the early refining capabilities that meant no sulphur in the refined product. In those days if sulphur was present in the crankcase it would combine with moisture to form a weak solution of sulphuric acid which as you may imagine can cause problems with bearings and wear surfaces. Refining capabilities changed a lot in the late 60's through the 80's so it is doubtful if this means much with todays' lubricants but it meant something back in the day. Jeff

Fred; Those photos look like my commute.......except that it is on surface streets in a primarily residential area. And more people are pouring in every day. There is a huge building phase going on right now. And it is mostly high density housing. And there really isn't any new roads or freeways planned. It is going to be total gridlock in a few years. Me and my old truck long for the wide open spaces and relatively empty roads of a bygone era. Can't get that here anymore. Guess I need to head to Longmire country. Jeff

My daughter Kathleen and I took the old truck to a local antique swap meet this morning about 8 or 9 miles from home. Spent more time sitting at stop lights than actually driving. You may think there is something cool here.......but I assure it just sucks. Joni Mitchell had it right......"they paved paradise and put up a parking lot". Can't wait to get out of here. Northern Arizona just sounds better and better with each passing day. Jeff

Fred; I would prefer the hicksville drive any day............. Jeff

If the cap does not fit securely then that is where I would start. Jeff

Ha ha ha Mark. But I can SEE why the OP is upset. My local old time radiator shop cleaned, repaired and lined my tank for $200. Some of these proprietary type shops are way too expensive for the services they offer. Jeff

Oh Yes........I do enjoy the banter with Hank. I totally get where he is coming from.......he has a lot invested in his truck. I think they respond well to being used a bit harder...........but that is just me. Jeff

Hank is just jealous. When my 3/4 ton has a load in it it rides like a Cadillac. ( he is afraid to put a real load in his truck)

My satisfaction with the the ride quality and manuverability of my truck may have something to do with the fact that it is a 3/4 ton model with a 116" wheel base. I determined early on that this model was the most likely to give me what I wanted out of an old truck and never even considered any other model. If I were going to try and get a better ride out of a 1/2 ton model along with modern upgrades to the drive train I think I would look very hard at an entire chassis swap. I would think it would just be more cost effective as opposed to trying to mod what is there. That said it would be hard for me to do this with such a nice truck as a starting point. Perhaps you could sell the truck as it is and find a decent donor body? You could use the proceeds to augment the budget. Just an idea. Jeff

Am I the only one here that is perfectly happy with the stock suspension and steering ? When I put my 52 3/4 ton back on the road one of the first things I did was take it in to an old school alignment and suspension shop because I thought the steering effort felt too light for a vehicle of this vintage. It turned out to be just fine. Yes you have to use your arms a bit when getting into a tight parking space.......so what? Our arms are meant to be used.......use 'um or lose 'um. The suspension on my truck feels much better than I would have ever expected it to. Nice and supple with the addition of gas shocks. It handles pretty much everything I throw at it without a fuss. It does have a vintage feel to it. That is OK too.......after all it is a 60 year old truck and not an easy chair. The whole point of having an old truck like this is to feel like you are part of the journey. Change too much and well ......you might as well trade it for an new Escalade. I honestly think that these trucks were some of the very best of the day. Take that and build upon it instead of just putting the body on some modernized chassis. Make it as good as it can be within the limitations of the original design and then you will have something. FWIW. Jeff

Oh you are very welcome. I think you will find that the longer wheelbase gives a better ride. Jeff

Roland; It did work out OK. It is part of the joys of having a 3/4 ton........ There is just enough different about them to make things interesting. The stud size and wheel pattern is certainly one of these things. I did use a reamer on the drill press. After I pressed these over sized studs into the original hubs I decided to go to 4 wheels disc brakes and got to go through the exercise again. Jeff

Yes I have seen electrical knock out covers used for stuff like this and even for caps on the rolled tubes at the top of the bed sides. And they look odd and stand out to my eye. It doesn't really need anything there but I think if I was to address this a nice black rubber grommet style cap would be my preference over a metal piece. Less likely to get lost too. Jeff

Well "Herr Dr Frankenstein" it could be said that all the derelicts are headed for the scrap heap unless someone who cares intervenes, In the end mine will retain most of what makes it what it started off as.......and your creation will be a bit of a monster. I hope for your sake you get a monster with Peter Boyle's sense of humor. Igor.