wallytoo

my 1.5-ton was converted to 12 volt before i bought it (2007). original starter is still in the truck and works fine.

the filler in my 1.5-ton with the 237 did not have the bracket when i acquired the truck in 2007. i drove it a lot with no issues. it isn’t a load carrying member or structural piece; it’s a fill pipe.

a new cable shouldn’t require lube, but the speedo might. i seem to remember an oil wick on the back of the speedo unit.

seems to have deleted them...

that’s some steep ground in your area!

or, in my case, a jeep ornament:

looks like someone cut the mirrors off of a truck, along with three patches of door skin, and transferred it to your truck at some point. might have come off of a road tractor that was handy.

i posted about the same thing in my update thread a few days ago, although it was the plug in the head. and i surmised it wasn’t put in correctly.

pretty sure i pulled my original, measured it, and purchased one of similar length for a jeep. has worked fine for years now, and much cheaper than finding an oem version.

chased down a plug (i bought two) from a bit away. when i opened the hood (it was daylight, whereas when the problem arose it was almost dark) i could see that the plug did not have a hole in it or any sign of corrosion. i could see part of the lip of the plug proud of the recess along a portion of it. so, i used my rubber hammer to seat it back in place. replaced the coolant that had spewed out, and no leak. drove it back to my old house, still fine. there it sits until i get a ride to bring it back. i surmise that numerous heat/cold cycles, and the difference in the materials (cast iron head vs steel plug) allowed the plug to gradually work its way upward until it finally leaked. anyway, i'll keep a close eye on it for a bit to see if it stays in place, leaks, or migrates upwards again. i've got two spares if it does. when i get it home, i may give it a bit more solid whack with a blunt drift using my drilling hammer to expand the plug a bit more firmly.

was driving today when i noticed water droplets on the hood/vent. could also smell coolant. pulled over, shut it off, and opened the hood. coolant geyser from the top rear of the head; coming out of the freeze plug. parked it on the side of the road (a gravel road, in fact the road where i grew up and my mom still lives. it's off in a turnout, so not in the lane or shoulder at all. low, low traffic. no issue there. ok, i'll need to replace that head plug. 251 engine. looks to be a 1 3/8" plug. we'll see if the decent regional parts store has one tomorrow.

if it runs better the way you have it set, i wouldn’t worry too mucn about it. as long as you have adequate throttle response, and not a lot of black smoke (unburned fuel) out the tailpipe, run it.

the one on my truck was there when i purchased it, back in 2007. i drive it all year, which means snow and salt. no idea what brand, but i have no complaints. about 10k miles by me.

NH? do you have the dates yet? since i live in central NH, i’d really like to make it. edit, i see in your post just above that it is the third weekend in sept. ima put it on my calendar.

now that i can help with: the sheathed cable is what the button on the shifter moves, and it operates this valve on the firewall. the tube towards the camera runs to the manifold. the tube on the side away from the camera runs to the rear axle shift diaphragm. in this pic, you can see the one tube that runs back to the axle. the other tube runs to the brake booster, while the one for the shift vacuum source has been removed. the axle and brake tubes attach to a union splitter on the manifold itself. here is the split/union on the manifold (sticking out of the left of the carb base on the manifold - below the governor) rear axle area: a good look at the brake booster: edit: i can see how that diaphragm on the axle looks like a brake booster, and i guess it functions similarly, so you would need that on the rear axle to actuate the shift lever (with the spring around it).

yes, it does. the knob is threaded onto the end of the rod.

???? there isn't a booster for the 2-speed shift tubing.

no reservoir/booster. it doesn’t use much to shift.

the 2-speed does not use the brake booster for vacuum. it has its own dedicated plumbing.

i'm with jeff on this. no need to make one if there is one available at a reasonable price. it will outlast the next few owners.

i bought a waterpump last year over-the-counter (well, on-line, but whatever [i think it was rock auto]); so far, so good. hasn't leaked, and all the holes aligned correctly, etc. edit: i guess the water pump was earlier this summer, not last year... i also purchased a new master cylinder a year ago (via Roberts Motor Parts) also on-line. again, it fit correctly, works correctly, and doesn't leak like the old one did. i don't have a generator. the truck had been converted to 12v when i purchased it, and i'm happy with the one-wire delco alternator in it.

yes, it has the eaton 1350 2-speed vacuum shift. i like it a lot. makes the truck more driveable. i should mention that the carb is the one from the 237; not sure why the starts aren’t as “instant”.

c'mon, brent. that's a great deal. DO IT!

back in late june, i finally got around to replacing the exhaust manifold gasket. the new one that i installed with the replacement motor got blown out - my fault, i didn't torque the manifold nuts properly, so it was a bit loose - and i was tired of hearing the loud exhaust. of course i forgot that the long through-bolts on the exhaust manifold enter the water jacket, so i dumped a bunch of coolant before i could get the bucket under there. oh well. install went well, made sure the special nuts/washers were in the proper place, then torqued everything properly with the torque wrench. ta-dah! no more exhaust leak at the manifold. much quieter drive now. best part was i got it done in time for the "cruise-in" at a local restaurant later that evening. sure was a hot day, though, in the mid-90s. and, a month and a half later, still running quietly (as quietly as a spur geared, low ratio (5.83/8.11 2-speed rear), medium duty flathead truck can run).

mine has been running great since getting it back on the road a year ago. missed it for those 3 years after the rod end went through the side of the block. but, it has been worth the wait. i've put almost exactly 900 miles since then according to the odometer (more actual miles, because the odometer drops out regularly in 4 speed hi-range), so likely 1100 to 1200 miles in reality. the replacement engine (251) runs nicely, and clearly has more power than the 237. it does not start quite as nicely as the 237 did after sitting overnight, but once it has been started, it will restart quickly the rest of the day.