Jump to content

Jeff Balazs

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    4,314

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    43

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Jeff Balazs

  1. Jeff Balazs
    Uh huh. Making this tube out of steel definitely wasn't the brightest idea. I think there are many different levels of deterioration that can be found too. Mine came out in many small pieces. And then more was fished out of the water jacket with the head off using a magnetic wand. Photo does not include all the bits that I flushed out using a pressure washer and a small wand. I think the biggest single piece was about 4" long. See attached photo : These can only come out in one piece if they still have more structural integrity than a piece of swiss cheese. I think the majority of them are in better shape than what I started with......it just crumbled and tore every couple of inches. If anyone ever needed proof of how stubborn I can be this is it. I probably spent 15 to 20 hours on this lovely little operation. The patient survived and runs quite well....but the Doctor will never ...ever be the same. Hopefully you will have an easier time of it than I did. If not.....well at least you will know that there is one person out there who has cussed this adbomination as much as you have. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Or so the saying goes..... Jeff
  2. Jeff Balazs
    Hey that is great. You must be very happy with the progress now.......if you are not just think back. Jeff
  3. Jeff Balazs
    Some 3/4 ton stuff is a bit rare. The drums themselves with the 5 x 5 wheel pattern are very hard to find If yours need replacing. Hopefully not. Wheel cylinders, M/C, shoes etc. are not a problem to find but it is likely all need replacing. Be sure and replace all the metal and rubber lines with new. I suspect you will have $600 to $800 into the brake system.....if you are lucky. It will be more if any of your drums are past it. Pretty sobering stuff huh? You hit on a real issue when ordering parts. Most of these parts shops just use a computer. That is fine for newer stuff but if all they have is a generic listing for a part it could be and often is way off. When it comes to things like distributor parts you need to give them the actual info off the plate on the distributor or you risk getting the wrong stuff. There was more than one distributor model used on these truck. The old parts guys who knew these things are just about gone. Glad it is running. Jeff
  4. Jeff Balazs
    There is a possibility that your new ignition parts are not matched to the distributor or are sub-standard. See any sign of arcing at the rotor or inside the cap? Also you could be getting a short inside the distributor. These are the kinds of things that a few good close up pictures would help us....help you. Jeff
  5. Jeff Balazs
    Ah yes...well.. ...you have chosen a project which has tested many of us.....and a good many of us have decades more experience than you. Bringing one of these old trucks back to life is no simple thing. Done right it is very rewarding but make no mistake there are challenges in it for all of us. In fact pretty much every one of us has had to learn or re learn some fairly hard lessons. If you don't believe me read through a bunch of the older threads here. We have all been there. Hang in there man. Time to go watch the movie "the Rounders" Jeff
  6. Jeff Balazs
    From my own experience getting one of these engines tuned that has set a while can take several steps. You won't be able to do too much until you know that the oiling is OK and the cooling system is functional. There are many items that affect how well one of these will run. Even compression is certainly a big factor. Sticky valves or valves that are not seating well play into this as well. It may take a fair amount of running time to know just where you stand with all this. Once you have this engine so that it will run for an extended period of time you can begin to assess things. Some of the key things to watch in this period is water temperature and oil pressure. Also try to get it running as lean as possible to avoid oil dilution and plug fouling. Make certain the timing is correct and if you have a vacuum gauge hook it up to help assess adjustments. I would suggest you use the search feature on this site and read up on different topics. There is a real wealth of knowlege here and you can benefit from the experience we have all been through. Jeff
  7. Jeff Balazs
    As mentioned by others these engines are notorious for sludge build up. FWIW I never had any sludge in any of my chevys and the last one had 568,000 miles on it when I sold it. It is a very real proposition in one of these engines though especially one that has not been run in years. It could be that there is some sort of blockage in either the line into or out of the oil filter cannister. You could remove these to make certain they are clear and turn the engine over to "burp" some oil at the connection points. With the filter oil capacity is 6 quarts. The oil pump takes a special square section seal at the end cap......hopefully you had one of those. At some point you should consider dropping the oil pan. It will blow your mind when you see the sludge deposits if it has never been off and cleaned. With it off and a large drip pan below you can remove the valve inspection covers and flush and clean that area of sludge and debris. I have done this with my engine and I am still getting crud out of the oiling system. Hope this helps, Jeff
  8. Jeff Balazs
    Paul.... ....you must be an accident waiting to happen. I told you a while back to ditch that torch. I hearby retract my comment about you doing your own glass work. If you were to do it ,,,,,you would most likely need the torch as a first aid device......to sear the gaping wounds closed.
  9. Jeff Balazs
    Paul; What about the satisfaction of learning something new and doing the job yourself ? And hopefully the right way around........
  10. Jeff Balazs
    Crack in their syrup?.......now I've heard everything.
  11. Jeff Balazs
    Paul???? You are getting lazy in your old age. Putting a rear window in is a half hour job at most. Even the curved ones are not that bad when you have them prepped properly. With all the stuff you have tackled on your own I can't believe you didn't do at least this one yourself. Putting the glass in one of these trucks yourself should be a mandatory part of the Pilothouse experience. Shame on you...........and I bet you left the old WDT in place too. Tim must let anyone in to that BBQ. Jeff
  12. Jeff Balazs
    You may as well get cracking on that WDT. It won't get any easier with time and it could be restricting coolant flow to the rear cylinders. Besides removing a stubborn (aren't they all ?) WDT is the ultimate rite of passage into the L6 fraternity Some would say you have no way of knowing you are really alive until you have been through that experience. Jeff
  13. Jeff Balazs
    Paul you can modify the OEM knob to fit. If the new switch came with a plastic knob chances are it has a threaded brass insert inside the plastic. Crack the knob and remove the insert. Drill out the back of the OEM knob and epoxy the insert into place. Jeff
  14. Jeff Balazs
    All right. We definitely want to help you. All the questions and answers help us understand where you are at.. Using this site and all the help here should make things a bit easier for you. If you have a decent auto parts store in your area you may be able to get them to order stuff for you and just pay cash. Napa has some of the stuff in stock. I would suggest a complete gasket set from Best or Felpro. By the time you are done you will understand why. Again if it were me I would drop the oil pan. If not when you drain the oil .....you could at least put some kerosene in the sump and drain it out after it has had some time to soak. Do not turn the engine over just use the kerosene as aid to flush the pan. And you should not attempt to start the engine until you have proven that you have good oil circulation in the engine. There could be a number of things affecting this and you don't want to cause any unnecessary damage. Jeff And don't forget we are on your side. .I for one really want to see you succeed.
  15. Jeff Balazs
    OK so you have had the head off. What did the bores look like and have you done a compression test? Did you ever drop the oil pan? Do you have a complete gasket set ? There are lots of small details involved in putting one of these engines back into service. Trying to get a handle on what has been addressed and what has not......hence the questions. When you have time take some detail pictures from both sides so we can see plumbing etc.. Have you had a look through the manual? Knowledge and understanding is the most powerful tool you can have at your disposal. Jeff
  16. Jeff Balazs
    It is possible that rain water is the culprit. At the very least you need to drain the oil out. If it were me I would drop the oil pan to inspect and give it a good cleaning. Based on that one photo there is no telling what you will find if you have not had it off. To test to see if you are getting oil pressure you do not need to run the engine. You can either disconnect the oil pressure gauge line under the hood or remove the line to the oil filter cannister. Put a clear plastic bottle over it and crank the engine over with the ignition off. You should get a stream of oil fairly quickly. If not you have either lost prime on the oil pump....or have a blocked pick up screen.....or some other blockage. A good series of photos of the engine bay as it is right now would be very useful to those of us who want to help you make progress. Also have you spent any time reading the manual for this truck? I am old school and prefer a hard copy.....but it can be accessed on line. Either way it has some invaluable information in it and you would do well to familiarize yourself with the contents. Jeff
  17. Jeff Balazs
    Barry.....you could just mount them to a post or wall or something. My thought is that it is easier to work on them in the upright position. Ideally at a height you don't have to bend over too much. Jeff
  18. Jeff Balazs
    Can you post some photos of the components that make up your ignition system? After reading through all this again I am wondering if this is more than just a trigger replacing the points. If this system has a module that extends the spark .....that could be a problem. The basic Pertronix system does not....but who knows with the system you have? Just another thought...... Jeff
  19. Jeff Balazs
    We can help you with this but we need to know what you have done to it and see some good photos of the details as they are now. Here are a few questions. Have you read through a manual for one of these trucks? If not you really should. What all has been done to the engine? Did you drop the oil pan? Has the head been off? Have you done a compression check? Do you have a working oil pressure gauge? Did you remove and examine the oil pressure relief valve? Did it sit for a long time with no oil in it? Did you ever pressure test the cooling system? Jeff
  20. Jeff Balazs
    Better yet. Turn off the entire system. I put in a keyed battery switch mounted in the seat flange a short distance from the battery. Works great. One of my favorite mods. Makes working on the electrical system a breeze and it is a good theft prevention device. Jeff
  21. Jeff Balazs
    You guys are probably correct. Certainly with points it would at leas run with a lot of slop. I am just not certain of what effect this might have on a pointless ignition system which he has indicated has been fit on his car? Let's just say I am very curious. Jeff
  22. Jeff Balazs
    Well........." I'm not dead yet" At some point he will come around.......not a lot of options. I for one would really like to know if the original problem was caused by excessive wear in the chain. I have a feeling it was a big contributor. Jeff
  23. Jeff Balazs
    Davin; WDT strikes again! In my opinion the tool our friend in South Africa made is the kind for this job. He posted some photos a few months ago. Good luck and may the force be with you. Jeff
  24. Jeff Balazs
    Well no real surprise there......these engines use #6 cylinder for static timing. Trust me there is absolutely no chance the cam is 180 out. Line the marks up and all will be well. Don't perpetuate the mystery. Jeff
  25. Jeff Balazs
    You should have a look at the engine section of a manual. There could be several possiblities. First things first though. Drain the oil into a clean pan and see if you have any sign of seperation. If water is present then it is a good thing you were not able to get it running. If there is no oil in the filter it could be a couple of things. No prime on the oil pump as mentioned is one. Could be the pressure relief valve is stuck as well. Jeff
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use