Old CWO

i'll take "things that never happened" for $600 Alex....

Did you check with Stockton Wheel? They are known to fab up custom wheels for many different truck applications, I bet they can make something for you.

I wonder if one could also make the S10 4x4 chassis work with that Code 504 kit. I think a B or C series Mopar 4x4 with some skinny bias ply mud tires would be a pretty cool rig too.

Sounds smart to me, using serviceable stuff already in inventory is always a time and money saver. I interpreted your original post as to mean you were buying an engine not on hand, hence the question. I'm sure a slightly warmed up 318 with an OD trans and appropriate rear end gears will more than get the job done. Might not drink as much fuel as the bigger brother when not towing so that's a plus. Looking forward to seeing pictures of the progress. I bet the truck will ride, handle and stop a lot nicer than stock with the S10 front suspension - my understanding is that it's essentially GM G body parts.

It sounds like you will have a very nicely updated truck when finished. I applaud keeping a Mopar powerplant. Question - why 318 instead of 360? Not criticizing, just curious as conventional wisdom would be that the torque of the 360 is better for towing.

I think you are on the right track with troubleshooting the PCV system first based on your described symptom. If you had valve stem seals going bad or other internal engine issues I would expect to always have the oil burning, not just when idling for long periods of time. High manifold vacuum at idle is supposed to keep the the PCV mostly closed to flow. In your case it seems something is keeping the PCV open to flow when you are in that condition. Most common is of course vacuum leaks or stuck PCV. You should also check the PCV ventilation; if it's clogged or insufficient it can cause high crankcase pressure that will also exhibit this symptom. As far as the "snake oils." I would read the MSDS/PDS for the products in question before I used them for engine cleaning. Most of them are comprised of light oils, some solvents and something to make them smell distinct. I think MMO is stoddard solvent and wintergreen or something like that. Will it help with cleaning sludge? A little bit perhaps, but at the cost of lubrication effectiveness. Would you pour a pint of paint thinner into your oil? That's sort of what you would be doing. Many people swear by it, but I am not convinced. The best bet is drop the pans and manually remove any sludge, then fix the root cause of the sludge. With unleaded gas and modern motor oils, sludge is fairly rare unless the PCV system isn't working right or oil change intervals are virtually non-existent.

Unfortunately the Blazer at the U Pull It yard is gone so no pictures or measurements of a factory A833 installation.

This is such a great photo.

Thanks for posting the images. yeah, the GM and Mopar windows aren't even close... Too bad. They both look great though!

I could be convinced to head down if there's usually a good selection of vintage Mopar stuff. My son goes to college nearby so it would be a good excuse to visit with him at the same time.

Well that's no fun. Glass can be cut down, but the shop I deal with sure doesn't want to do it on the curved windows.

Bob's in Oregon is showing new. No relationship with vendor so quality or service unknown. http://www.vendio.com/stores/bobsclassicautoglass/item/dodge-glass/1948-1952-dodge-truck-quarter-/lid=34408954 Price seems okay. $200 for the pair plus $30 to ship. Available clear, green or smoked.

The GM cab quarter windows are a lot easier to find. Anyone ever compare and see if they could be made to work?

A month or two ago I spied a Blazer with the GM version of the A833 at a local u-pull-it yard. It was the 4x4 version so I think that pushes the shifter fairly far forward (and up?) to clear the t-case adapter. I can try and get over there this week and see if it's still there by chance. Maybe some pictures and measurements from an OEM placement could help. Obviously the GM truck has a trans tunnel instead of a flat floor, but we can see how close to the sheet metal GM set the shifter body as a reference. I think the shifter itself was identical to the Mopar truck version, or at least very similar with a different lever. I'll post here with results if I can get them. This particular yard gets picked pretty hard so I am not hopeful it's still there unmolested. I thought about grabbing that transmission but ultimately decided it would be hard to flip the 4x4 version.

So the Pomona Swap Meet has been on my bucket list for a while. I have a trip planned for the next one this October. Any advice or tips from veterans? Thanks!

I would think the solution you see in SmokeyC3's photo is going to be the easiest to sort out. It appears the shifter is moved straight forward just like your option "A," but it looks like he fabricated a bracket to move the lever itself to the center of the truck. Not sure if that added leverage makes the Hurst type shifter mechanism any sloppier, perhaps he can chime in. I know the Dodge trucks with factory A833s have the lever in line with the shifter - mechanically sound, I just don't like the way it looks in the older trucks. Where would option "B" place the shifter mechanism? It looks like it might fall right in the center of the floor board which would be sort of difficult to cover up without a tunnel or gigantic boot. Both of those options sound unattractive and add work for no good reason. Kudos to you for tackling this! I have always disliked fiddling with external linkage shifters and tend to shy away from transmissions that use them.

Nice shop and cool ride. We lived at the OBX for a few years and my family loved our time in NC. The NC plate in my collection was on my wife's car when we lived there. Thanks for sharing.

Dang, I have one of those hanging up also. In danger of having too much junk I guess.. I never thought of trying to get plates from foreign countries back when I was travelling for work. In hindsight, that would have been a great idea as I had the opportunity to visit some interesting places and didn't really keep any souvenirs. Cool stories guys, thanks for sharing.

Very cool. I am jealous.

Anyone else dabble in license plate collecting? I finally got all 50 U.S. States + D.C. hung up in my garage. Started with a few of my own from different states I lived in and then did some swap meets, trades and eBay to get the rest. I don't really have any of the super desirable ones serious collectors want but that's okay, I think it's cool to just have all of them. My favorite is a Washington DC personalized plate that says "Hades." No better description of the place if you ask me! Currently working on Canadian Provinces but some of those are hard to get on the cheap. What do you have that's interesting?

Sexy. I would very much like to have a dual carb set up someday, but those triples are absolutely bringing the wow. Is that using the stock truck throttle linkage?

X2. Is that clutch or brake? Spill the beans!

Keep the rear tire diameter to 28" or less and I am positive you will have an enjoyable driving truck with that combo. Pretty much every four cylinder 5 speed small truck through the 80s and 90s had about a 13.5:1 first gear final ratio and cruised 65 MPH around 2500 RPM. They were never hot rods but legions of Ranger/S-10 fans would probably agree it was more than serviceable for a daily driven light duty pickup truck. Our trucks are similar in the power to weight ratio as those so I don't see any reason why they would be much different with the right gearing. Unfortunately I am currently sporting 30" tires and 3.55 gears in my 4 speed truck - no bueno... There is a rebuilt 4.03:1 first gear T5 at my house waiting for installation this winter. Hopefully fixes me right up! If it's still unsatisfactory the ring and pinion can easily be changed to something in the 4s. Years of being a Jeep guy taught me that you shouldn't "fear the gear." It's okay to go a little on the low side if you have an overdrive transmission. One of my favorite 4x4s was a 4 banger Jeep with 33s, AX5 5 speed and 4.88s. It was an absolute blast off road and around town. The only time you really knew it was under-powered was above 65 MPH which is faster than you should be driving a lifted Jeep anyway. Have fun with your truck Ken!

If you want some nice bucket seats that are reasonably easy to retrofit and don't look out of place in a vintage truck, check out low back replacement Jeep CJ seats. You can buy them brand new from the Jeep supplier places for less $ than having something else recovered.