Jeff Balazs

Well it sure sounds like a careful timing and ignition system check is in order. If it has always been hard to start then I would guess that it is not safe to make too many assumptions about how well it was set up when the engine swap was done. By that I mean you may have several items contributing to this hard starting. The only way you are going to get this all sorted out is by a thorough and methodical check of each system. Besides the timing..... check to see that each cylinder is getting a good spark. Make certain you are getting fuel to the carb and that the accelerator pump is working as it should. If it has been setting for a long time pull the carb and check function and cleanliness. If the gas is old it could be part of the problem. You can cobble up a temp supply and use fresh gas if necessary. Once you do get it running I would suggest putting a vacuum gauge on it and study the readings you get. You may have a vacuum leak or valves that are not functioning properly. You will be able to spot this and these conditions do contribute to hard starting. Hth and have lots of patience. These are simple engines but all it takes is a few settings to be off a bit and they can get fussy. Jeff

Congrats on getting it back from the frame shop! That has got to make you feel good. Jeff

Davin; Are you kidding? I understood every word you said mate. Grew up listening to "Tie me kangaroo down Sport" The serial number stamping is a funny one. Here I was thinking that you Aussies had done it up better than Detroit......but if it was covered up.... what was the point in such a nice stamping? I think ours were very faint from the get go but at least it wasn't covered by the sheet metal. When you have time do me a favor and take a close look in the area our serial number would be and see if there isn't some evidence of a stamping there. Jeff

Paul; Since you didn't really have it apart I think it is more likely to just be in 180 degrees out. Jeff

Davin; Nothing to be sorry about. I think we wish the factory would have done a better job stamping those numbers. You really have to hunt for them here as they are very faint. I wonder if they were there on your trucks and either got sanded off or just ignored? I am a bit curious about the location on your Oz frames. Since it is stamped on the top of the rail is there a cut out in the inner fender well sheet metal that allows a view of them? That spot is covered on our N/A model trucks. Jeff On a sidenote I just watched an episode of Wheeler Dealers (UK) that had an interesting segment on UTE's down under. I really enjoyed it......was sort of like a flashback to 70's off road truck culture here. Almost like a glimpse of a parallel universe..... He went with a group of UTE fans to a track to horse around which brought back memories of my buddies cutting it up back in the day. The only real difference .......the accents and the brand of beer.......otherwise it could have been filmed in the Mojave in 1973.

I would not expect to find it exactly where Davins photo shows. More likely to be on the side of the frame below this area.....and probably quite a bit fainter or harder to spot than the nice deep impressions his Oz truck has. Jeff

Drivers side on the outside of the frame behind the tire. Jeff

Bumpside; Have you tried Sutton Differential in La Habra? I think they are on Lambert......seems to me it would be a good place to talk with about a custom axle Just a thought. Jeff.

I would be interested to know how much the fluid capacity of the system would be affected by fitting one of these radiators. The published capacity of the stock system for my truck is supposed to be 17 1/2 quarts? With my re cored, non honeycomb radiator it is actually more like 12 quarts. And it seems to me I read somewhere that these aluminum radiators have a bit smaller capacity than the stock ones they are supposed to replace. Jeff

Don; I did but just had a 2 row core put in. Works but I had to refit the stock fan as it struggles with hot days and stop & go conditions with just the electric fan. Would like something more efficient....maybe lose the stock fan again? I am also considering relocating to northern Arizona. Bottom line I want something as close to bulletproof as I can get it. Jeff

If anyone here has actually fitted one of these aluminum radiators to their B series truck / L6 engine combo I sure would be interested in hearing your comments or seeing some photos. This upgrade is at the top of my wish list for our climate. Thanks, Jeff

Don; I can see where this drum upgrade would help alleviate the condition.....but what happens when the stock rear brakes are retained? Perhaps balancing the braking bias is less of a issue with the cars than it is with a truck? I suppose the difference in weight distribution is significant enough. I know I spent quite a bit of time getting the brakes just so on the truck. Last thing anyone would want is to do all this work and have something that tries to swap ends in a panic stop. Jeff

Don; So you were able to get a safe panic stop by simply adjusting the rear brake shoes? I am curious about this because even though I used a closely matched M/C when I did my 4 wheel disc conversion I still needed to adjust the Wilwood proportioning valve to prevent the rears from locking up ahead of the front brakes. Jeff

I should probably stay out of this......but I am very curious how one goes about getting a balanced braking system with this particular combination of modifications. I am really having trouble understanding how you would get an original type master cylinder to operate both types of brakes properly and how you would be able to adjust or balance the front to rear bias in the system? Are you able to back the rear drum adjustment off enough to accommodate a front disc brake bias? It seems like a bit of a stretch to me that this would work consistently over time. Wouldn't you have a better chance of getting a more reliable and better balanced system if you used a M/C that was designed for front discs and rear drums? Jeff

Doug; I will admit to having many flaws...... but fire bug isn't one of them. I don't like to tempt fate......have had too many close calls without asking for them. Jeff

I bought a brand new one from Napa.....think it cost less than $10. No need for a fire or nasty chemicals.There is a bonus with a new one too....when they are nice and shiny inside it is easy to tell how well your crankcase ventilation is working. Jeff

Dude.....you oughta see what it is like living here these days. Espanol is just bueno with me.....it is actually a big part of our history here. But all this other stuff? You can't go anywhere here these days where it doesn't remind you of the galactic bar scene from Star Wars. I am not kidding. Holy crap!!!! I never thought I would see the day when I felt like an outsider in my own country. A buddy is giving me the keys to his place in Payson Arizona to go check it out. It is real Cowboy and Indian country and it sure sounds good to me. At least there me and the Tonto Apaches can fight the menace together. Can you say Geronimo? Jeff

Paul; Is this the ultra rare optional heated wheel ? I suppose it is not all that rare.....it sounds well done. Jeff Glad to hear you are back on it.

Guy's I have enjoyed your comments. Some of the stuff that people believe they need just blows my mind. I really thought I had got this through to my daughter's ..... apparently not. My wife tells me that the kids just leased the Cmax.......so at least they won't be stuck with it for too long if it turns out to be a lemon. It sure seems to me to have a distinct air of being an experiment rather than a true production vehicle. I hope I am wrong. Honestly I am not opposed to certain forms of new technology. If it really helps me......and it works without breaking down all the time. But I am very selective about what I do go all in for. And it has to function the way I want it to.....not how some nimrod arbitrarily decides it should. I don't think cars or appliances need to talk to me. I want them to run when I decide they should run and shut off when I shut them down. If it won't work that way then I don't need it. Like Don I suppose I am a bit old fashioned when it comes to how controls function. I don't like or want multipurpose displays or switches. The word control actually implies that the device do what it is intended to do without having to run through a myriad of permutations. Items requiring driver input should do exactly what they are intended to do......another way to say this is one function requiring input should have one clearly labelled knob or switch. Period. If it functions any other way we end up becoming a slave to the technology. Jeff

Mark; Yes ..... and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Fortunately Kim is a model of responsibility so I am not too worried about her attention span while driving. But I got to tell you that this sort of vehicle is truly bizarre. I really question the practicality of designs like this. I have a good customer and friend who owned a first generation Prius and it truthfully was a reliable and very usable little car. It seems like it was a pretty well thought out design. This Cmax while quite a bit larger in appearance has several glaring deficiencies due to the size of it's battery. I will have to look a little closer at the mechanicals' but I suspect that at least some of the systems utilize "fly by wire" type technology which I really don't care for. I am not against hybrids.....but I do think the design parameters have to make sense. It seems like the people designing and building things today put too much emphasis on the bells and whistles and the say the heck with good practice. When is having no provision for a spare an acceptable way to design a car? Why do coffee pots have to talk to you? And why would you want them to. jeff

Last night I got confirmation at last that our oldest daughter was actually fathered by a space alien. I have suspected it for a long time but her new car selection has finally proved it. A Ford CMAX Energi ????? WtH???? Who buys a car you have to plug in every night? Especially one that looks like a small SUV but only has room for a couple of breifcases? OMG!!! We went for a ride.....and all you could hear is weird whining noises.....electric motors....electric braking system ....and me. Finally I asked if she left it plugged in and how long was the cord? "Dad you are not taking this seriously! I am averaging over 90 mpg". "Yes but you could do better than that on a bicycle"...... "Oh Dad.......look how cool this is......you can change the color of the interior lighting to any color you want" and "it syncs automatically to my phone" That is a good thing because your going to need the phone. There is no spare. "No bother it monitors the tire pressure and if you get a flat it injects sealant and pumps it back up" Oh ya? If you tear a tire up you won't be pumping it up any time soon......I'll just call AAA then! Dad don't you like it?........long silence....... You know Kim with all the features it has I noticed it is missing the one you need the most. Whats that? It won't park itself. I can't believe that any kid of mine would buy something like this. It couldn't possibly be farther from what I want from a vehicle. If she had only asked me first I could have found her a decent Pilothouse. Jeff

Joe; Not off the top of my head.....but you should really check the dimensions of your filter housing against a size chart. There is more than one size of oil bath housing. Jeff

Wow another story about these fuel pumps. After reading more than a hundred postings about them I decided to ditch mine in favor of a 6V Carter vane type pump mounted back at the tank. I like it and there is no chance I would go back to the mechanical pump. Just too many stories of how they can fail. Jeff

Yep.....Kudos go to Davin. I just copied him but found a K & N for a Toyota Supra that fit. Works very well and just one less thing to think about. Jeff

Hank; I suppose there are 3 or 4 possible solutions to the drag link mod. If you think about it the reforming of the link that Merle alluded to is probably the most elegant solution. The real issue would be getting that bend just right to compensate for the difference in required length. It certainly would result in the best solution though. They made these links with no adjustment feature for a reason. An adjustable link while easier to fabricate could loosen or go out of adjustment over time.....and I feel certain Dodge was trying to avoid that. I will take a look around for some walnut. 1/2" stuff has to be planed down from something thicker. If I have something I will PM you. Jeff