Jeff Balazs

It is worth trying. I think I ended up using one that I had removed during a rebuild. I suspect the tip material.......but poor tolerances could allow the needle valve to cock some and that could be causing the problem also. I dunno.....these days with all the parts coming in from offshore the simple things are not as simple as they used to be. We may have won the wars......but we are surely losing the battle. Jeff

Phil; I had some very similar problems with mine a while back. It took several attempts to finally solve the problem. I had to keep trying different needle valves until I found one that seated properly all the time. Fortunately I had several to try. It was odd as most would work for a while and then fail or work intemittantly. I have a regulator and gauge on my electric pump which I have set at 3.5#. When this first happened I thought the regulator might have failed. Not the case. And dirt was not the problem either. Can't say for certain but I suspect that the compound of the material on the tip of some of the needle valves is to blame. Jeff

Mark; Sounds like you will have to wait until there is 7' or 8' of snow on the ground before you can actually work on any of your mopar projects. Come to think of it .......maybe not........the snow plow and blower duties will probably keep you busy then. I am starting to look hard at moving out of SoCal. I would really like something a bit rural.......but there is no way I want to be married to grounds keeper duties. That would just ruin it for me. We have to be careful because it is so easy to bit off more than we want to chew. Good fishing and not freezing my tookas off are both very high on my priority list. Jeff

I think if it was mine I would try and find a replacement for this starter motor and try that instead of messing with the one you have got. I really don't think it is the 12 volt conversion that is causing the problem. Lot's of guy have done that with no problems. You may just have one that isn't a good fit. These old motors are pretty tough. I bet if you find the right one your problem will go away. Jeff

Have fun.......you an have the yard work.

Smokey; What rear axle ratio do you have in your truck? How does your truck perform with the OD? I know a lot of folks here would like to hear more particulars. Jeff

I do understand. Several fellows have 3.73 rears and can do 65 no problem. The real question is how tall you can go before you begin to exceed the power to weight ratio needed to really use an OD? I have a 3.55 rear axle and a 54 truck 230. My testing so far would seem to indicate that I would need a substantial boost in power to make use of gearing that was any higher than this. Remember that the trucks are heavier and less aerodynamic than their auto counterpoints. My guess is that combination would probably be kind of a dog in one of these trucks without boosting the compression and fitting a performance camshaft etc. You might want to do the axle swap first and drive it some to see what it is really like. Jeff

Maybe all you need to do is a rear axle swap if you what you want to raise the speed at a given rpm. I am not sure what the advantage of adding an OD would be if you could make the same gain with a higher final ratio? Seems to me it would probably be a lot of work and you would still be married to the old axle and drums. Just something to think about. Jeff

What gramps 1951 says is so true. Having a good plan is essential. That rear window is much easier when started in the correct direction....ask me how I know... And a good helper or two makes all this go a lot easier. When I put the windshields in I got two friends to hold them up in place from the inside and it only took a few minutes to complete the installlation. I found it was also very helpful to use plenty of masking tape to hold the gaskets from moving about during the install process. If you do this yourself you can save yourself some money. And it is money that can be put to better use on something else. Also you will have the required skill and knowledge if any of it ever needs replacement somewhere down the line. Jeff

Sorry. Was teasing not bashing. Just don't be afraid to use it. Every time you do you will be paying homage to Great Grandfather. Jeff

Too funny. Great Grandfather is probably rolling over? I am not suggesting that he abuse it........but it is really good to see them doing a little work and getting a bit dirty. Besides that will give him an opportunity to polish it up again. I have a lot of really old tools and machinery in my shop and they get used most every day. It is good for them and for me. My circa 1930 jointer still does a great job trueing up boards. It is an old friend and I can't imagine life without it. It also serves as a reminder to all that we used to build the greatest machinery on earth. None of this would mean much as a static & pampered museum display. When you use it all the time it puts a different perspective on it. And if it gets a bit dirty....no big deal. Jeff

You notice he did not respond to what Great Grandad would have thought about the truck getting a little dirty.........

After I tore a corner window gasket I had to call Steele to get them to send me another. While I had them on the phone I asked if tech support knew anything helpful. Surely I was told ......they are the best in the business. Ya right. All the tech guy could say is" those are a real bugger" And nothing more. That told me all I need to know about that company. Jeff

I wonder what Great Grandad would think if he heard this? I am guessing he didn't give much thought to getting it a little dirty. It's a truck....Ain't ya 'spose to get um dirty?

Yes it does......I was just teasing a few our friends here. And I pretty much never pay someone else to do anything I think I can do myself. For the most part this is a budget stretcher. Other than the paint and some welding I did everything myself. Those are things that I could have attempted.....but I know folks who have it mastered. The corner windows are the toughest job as far as the glass goes. And it really helps if you have a reliable helper. They go in from the inside and you need to start at the edge closest to the door pillar and lever them into place. Because of the shape the gasket will move around as you attempt to put this glass into the opening. It really helps to use a fair amount of masking tape to hold it in place. Once you get it in you can get all the masking tape off so it is no big deal. I tried doing it without the tape and tore the gasket on my first attempt. And soapy water in your friend on these. With one guy on the inside pushing and another on the outside to work the gasket into place with the string and his fingers these are still a chore. Turning the last two corners of the glass and gasket is a wonderful feeling......but the air may get real blue until that happens! Jeff

As a youngster I bought one in the free port Ensenada back in the 60's. A fairly large one (6"-7") and the only one they had with a green handle. My Dad had a friend whose family owned about half the town back in those days. It was always fun when he would take us around to the various shops. As I remember Mom confiscated it shortly after our return home. I will have to look through her belongings to see if it still exists. Jeff

I don't think I could actually call it "my truck" unless I put all the glass in myself. If fact there are a few items on these trucks that really should be done by yourself in order to qualify for true ownership. Installing those corner windows and replacing the steel WDT are two top jobs that come to mind. If you are not willing to do these yourself.........then I say . .

Actually the winshield is pretty easy but you will need a couple of helpers. You put the rubber on both pieces of glass with a string around the perimeter. It goes into place from the inside. Helpers hold it in place while you do the string from the outside. Needs to be well lubed with soapy water. The actual install only takes 10 to 15 minutes if you don't count the time it takes to put the trim pieces back in place. Jeff

Thanks that is good to know. Jeff

DCM ? Who is that?

Here are a few shots of my modified military surplus HumVee jack. It is about as versatile as it gets......and very good quality. I think I paid around $70 on ebay. It is a big 'ole beast but that is ok with me. I really like the large baseplate and the ratchet handle. Perfect for the job. Off road here is the Mojave Desert and places like it. There are hundreds of miles of good dirt roads and jeep trails that this truck should be able to handle. I will be taking this truck out there to do some camping and riding this winter and hope to even visit Death Valley with it. Flats are more common in this sort of terrain than on pavement. Lots of sharp rocks, cactus and mining debris. Been there.....done that....and forget about AAA. You need a good set of tools and plenty of spares and water on board. As long as you are not in a hurry there is a ton of neat stuff to explore......and it is probably much safer out there than on our freeways. I have a GoPro and will post trip videos later this year. Jeff

One of my favorite too. Lots of great laughs and a glimpse of a truly interesting character. Got to love his conviction. When it first came out my folks had just moved into a retirement home. On Saturday evenings they had movie night in a large auditorium. My Dad asked me to get involved with the movie selection and find something that the old folks would really enjoy instead of the mundane stuff they got from the staff. Now you have to picture a room full of very proper little old blue haired ladies and a few old gents sitting down to what was usually nap time.....and you will have an idea of the crowd. On this particular evening everyone stayed up and laughed through the whole show. It was a big hit and got put on the regular play list. Who would have guessed? Jeff

I just couldn't resist. If you lob one over the plate I am going to swing for the wall every time.

Break jobs? You mean a snack and a nap?

I just looked at both of my vent windows and the glass when properly fitted into the frames should protrude about 3/8" past the top and bottom ends of the frame. Hope this helps you. Jeff