Jeff Balazs

It doesn't look like it would make all that much difference. For the price seems like a good deal. Jeff

I stomped on a cockroach the other day that was big enough for signage.

Glad you found the problem. Jeff

After reading countless threads on the various fuel pump woes I decided to eliminate the mechanical pump altogether. I blanked it off and installed a full time 6 volt pump made by Carter. It is mounted back at the tank and has a large sealed canister filter directly ahead of it. I also added a Holley regulator with a pressure guage and another sealed canister fuel filter ahead of the carb. It works great and is easier to replace than the mechanical pump if it ever fails. I have a new spare under the seat of my truck just in case. May not look original but it delivers a clean and much cooler fuel supply than the stock set up. Jeff

Tod; You are probably right.........it is just going to take some time. I've never had anything with a foot starter before. A few cars with starter buttons but that is a different animal. No big deal on initial start . Just didn't feel natural when it stalled. Tomorrow I will put the 160 thermostat back in it and see if that makes any difference to how warm it runs in this heat. If it helps great .... if it doesn't then I am going to order the high effeciency radiator and be done with it. There has been no problem at all in the early mornings with just the mechanical fan. In the late afternoons even with the aux. electric fan going it is getting up to 200 or a bit hotter. And that is only a 5 mile drive. Jeff

Hank; You are correct it is a noisy world. This is one of those things that can probably be handled several different ways. I think my blinkers only operate when the ignition switch is in the on or accessory position. It takes a while to get used to driving one of these daily. I am still getting used to the position and feel of some of the controls. I find I have to think more than I would about stuff like the foot starter. The other morning I stalled it when it was still cold and it was dark. I reached for the ignition switch before it dawned on me that this wasn't going to do anything. No a big deal as there was no one around.....but in traffic it needs to be more automatic. Little stuff like that makes me want to change it to be what I am used to. If that makes sense? And because of the traffic around here and the fact that I am still getting used to driving this truck I feel like I have to plan every lane change. Driving one of these trucks is not at all like a modern "point and squirt" car. But then you already know that. I got in my Wife's Honda the other day and it felt like I was driving a go cart by comparison. Jeff

Which 6 volt ones did you use? I have Wagner sealed units that are supposedly halogen.....but they are nothing to get excited about. Jeff

Yes.....but when you did that those trucks were much nearer to new. One way or another I will get this sorted out. I got a feeling this is going to be another warm winter. There are a couple of things that I have done that has probably added a bit to the heat I am seeing. I covered the interior of the hood assembly with hush mat ultra......which quieted things down but probably holds a bit of heat in over bare metal. I like the quiet ride so I guess I will have to spend some more to solve the heat issue. Jeff

Paul; I would really like to get this taken care of with a proper fix if I can. It just seems to me that a more effecient radiator should take care of it. I don't know if anyone has tried one of these radiators ....... but I have run them in other vehicles and they have always worked well. Jeff

105 in the cab with the windows and vents all open. And thats with a very light paint color and a ton of insulation. I can just imagine what it would be like in one of the more typical dark colors. Running temp reached 200....maybe 205. I have been looking at a extreme duty 4 row conventional construction unit by US Radiator. So far this is the only aftermarket radiator that looks like an exact fit for my truck. Ain't cheap but if it will handle this heat it may make sense. Jeff

If it were me I would start by putting in fresh points and condenser, cap and rotor and perhaps plugs and wires. Do you know what plugs are in it and are they gapped correctly? Autolite 306 plugs gapped at .035" generally work well. Hope this helps, Jeff

It all depends on how you wish to use your truck.....and how authentic you want to keep it. You asked if more modern parts will work......Yes..... I have 4 wheel disc brakes on my 52. It is a bit of work......but boy are they nice. Can the old brakes be brought up to snuff? Sure but everything has to be fitted and adjusted properly using the correct tools and procedures. Spend some time and read through the old threads here on this topic....then make your decision. I too prefer to use local sources but it isn't always the best way to go. The quality of the parts offered by the big box stores varies and while some stuff is fine other parts they offer are not always up to the task. The specialty outfits like Roberts and VPW are often your best resource. They actually know these trucks and are in it for the long haul. Jeff

Don.......you crack me up. Hardly anyone here would know what a hand signal was......let alone respond in the desired manner. I am just trying to get all this right and maybe a light up high on the dash would work as well as a buzzer? (good idea Merle) And I am sure over time shutting it off will become more of a automatic reaction. I did much better today. Another stinkin' hot day here. And I got caught by most of the lights coming home. I think a Desert Cooler radiator is in my future. I really don't like to see the sort of temperature fluctuation I have been getting in the afternoons. It seems to me if the radiator is sized correctly it should run all day at a very steady temp once it has warmed up. It has not actually overheated but I am sure it would have been close if I had not turned on my electric fan. These systems are sort of weird. They take quite a while to come up to operating temp.......and then easily go past it when put under a bit of a load. My commute is less than 5 miles. Jeff

Ok so alignment and steering are good now. I had replaced the ball joints on the tie rod and they had worked a tiny bit loose in the sockets. That and a 1/4" adjustment to the toe in was all that was required to bring it back up to spec. Camber and castor were fine. It feels good and solid now. One thing on my list taken care of. Yeah! Next item is much more trivial. I need to find some sort of buzzer to remind me when the turn signal is on. I seem to only remember to shut them off about half the time. It is a little thing but it needs some attention. Jeff

I do have an infrared. But it is hard to use when out driving on the road. And it is the loaded condition on inclines I am concerned with. It was definitely better yesterday after the work I did on Sunday. On my drives to the shop from home it never heats up.........but it is all downhill. I came to that conclusion on the transmission a while back. And I may just have to learn to live with it. I just can't help thinking there may be a better alternative out there.......somewhere. Jeff

I have a PCV system installed on this truck to help prevent the build up of sludge and keep the oil and internals cleaner. That is why I have a 180 thermostat installed. If the cooling system is working properly I feel like it should be able to maintain a relatively steady temp reading. I have had problems with scale and rust still working loose from the inside of the block. Got some more out of the system on Sunday. This time it seemed to come mostly from the radiator itself. It ran pretty close to steady 190 yesterday on the uphill drive home. It has never gotten to the boiling point but was running up around 200 in this heat with the stock fan and a auxilliary electric fan going. The radiator I have has beeen recored with a modern 2 row core. It may not be adequate for the way I would like this truck to run in our climate and stop and go driving conditions. If it proves necessary I will upgrade to a desert cooler type radiator. They work well in this climate and provide a safeguard against overheating over a stock system. No doubt I will get more used to the gearing as time goes on. There is an issue of keeping up with the flow of traffic here that did not exist when these trucks were built. I am sure it would be just fine in a rural setting but I am not so sure it will ever be quite comfortable with all the rush going on here. I do know that making any realistic mods to this arrangement is going to be a challenge. At the moment at least it just feels like a different gear spread would work better. Jeff

Well flush etc.....seemed to help some with the temp thing. Another thing that would help is if it would drop below a 1000 degrees. Really sick of this weather this summer. Pretty much made my mind up to move to southern Coastal Oregon within the next 2 years. Reg; I can take off in 2nd even on a hill. No problem. Just runs out of acceleration fairly quickly and wants to go into 3rd. I guess I would have to say it is not quite an optimum gear ratio. I have not had it on the freeway yet but it feels like it will go 65 ok. Again it is all functional just doesn't feel optimum. Maybe I am looking for more than is practical from the stock set up? I feel like there has to be a way to get what I want out of it........but maybe it isn't worth the money it may cost to save and further modify the stock drivetrain? I suppose time will tell. Jeff

I hate to say this........but I sorta feel the same as Paul.

Don; I have thought about it.....but I am fairly certain I would have to lose the fluid drive and get a standard bell housing. Then there is the possible issue with the OD ratio of the T5 being a bit too high for the rear axle I already have in it. Just not convinced that it is worth my time and money to do this as it might not be quite right either. ??? Tim; You could be right....hopefully I will find out tomorrow. Jeff

Now that my truck is back on the road I thought I would start a discussion of what it takes to make one of these into a reliable daily driver for today's roads and traffic. Hopefully others considering this will benefit from this. To start off I would like to thank all of you who have been so generous with your time and advice during my build process. It was a long haul and I couldn't (and wouldn't) have done it without you. This forum is by far the most valuable tool anyone could have when attempting this. I definitely did some things correctly. As an example the electrical system I put in this truck has worked flawlessly. I really like the 6 volt alternator and upgraded lighting. And so far I only have good things to say about the Pertronix ignition module. The disc brakes are great too. No complaints there. Also all the work I did to insulate and soundproof the cab has already shown itself to be totally worthwhile. I can't imagine skrimping on this feature......as it is just so nice to have a quiet cab. It has been a real scorcher here this summer. and it has put the cooling system to test. I am not 100% satisfied with it. It has been running on the warm side. So I flushed the system out again yesterday.....put a new water pump on and drilled a 1/8" hole in my 180 thermostat.We will see how that works. If I can't get it to run in my comfort zone this way then I will look at getting a new HD radiator. It is hot here and I don't want to have to constantly worry about this overheating. I am taking it into a old school suspension shop tomorrow. The steering feels a little light to me at speed. Could be alignment? not sure....it doesn't pull but it does feel light. Not at all what I was expecting. Probably the biggest issue I have with it so far has to do with the transmission ratios. I have the 4 speed fluid drive option which kind of limits what can be done. And I would like to retain the FD. Even with the 3.55 rear I have these ratios other than 4th just are not really where the should be for optimum driving.. 1st is so low it is all but useless. Not sure what to do about it? but I sure would like something better. I will say that it is driveable the way it is just not optimum. I can't imagine using one of these with a 4.10 or lower rear though. OMG. Jeff

Have you tried cleaning the contacts inside the old regulator? Jeff

Very cool truck. Let us know how you progress. Jeff

Thanks. That box is real handy too. I have had it off a couple of times but it feels naked without it. Right No belt buckles and I could stand to lose a few pounds.

I had the truck in a warehouse next to my woodworking shop. I did all the tear down and build work there. Now that I am driving it I have it in the garage at home.

What can I say? I guess I have always been a fan of the Pocket Battleship concept. Since I was a kid I always loved the idea of packing as much punch as I could into a small package. Here is my truck in it's new home. It is a tight squeeze ......... but hey it fits like a glove. Jeff