Geekay

Thanks ralph. i didn't know these existed, but would look great on certain vehicles.

Excellent! Love the pic of the motor. One day that is how mine will look too.

Could a rubber coolant or heater hose developed a balloon and popped?

Yep, and perhaps why there is no cigarette lighter in the dash. Yep, down under in Oz we are smart enought to know the liquid fuel we put in cars is from a oil petroleum product and hence called Petrol Neither is it a gas and is not made from natural gas or LPG and hence not called Gas.

I had a really good go at trying to find any remant bits yesterday. Used a magnet in the lower welch plug holes and retrieved lots of sand like bits of steel/iron. Not sure if from the WDT or from the block casting. Also one bit like a piece of string about 5 inches long, definitely from the WDT. Given it a hard blast with water and then with compressed air. Thanks all for "persuading" me to make an effort and remove the WDT.

I still REALLY want to know how common the seats are in my Suburban van so here are some more pics. One shows the passenger side ( I am in Aus so for you US folks that is on the left ) the seat tilts forward. Behind that seat on the floor INSIDE the van is the fuel/gas filler. In Desotodav's model there is a covered pipe that goes to the outside of the van. Nothing like some fuel fumes in the cab to give one that real automotive experience.

Keep checking each item and you will find the answer. Get the plugs query sorted first. When I get completely flumoxed I walk away and come back the next day with a clear head. From another Suburban owner, do you have any pics?

Thanks Martyn.

Sucess, the WDT is out (in pieces).

Well said. The Vet Vets had a rough time here on retuning but thankfully now fully supported by all. We down under are about to "celebrate" ANZAC day 25th April (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) which covers all wars and even though most of the WW1 & WW2 veterans are no longer with us the crowds attending the dawn services continues to grow each year as we realise how much we owe them. My dad served with the Australian Infantry in Papua New Guinea against the Japanese WW2.

Great post. Nearly 2 years later and i am experiencing the same issue. Great to be able to go back in the Forum and see what guys had done and the tools they used. The engines are the same and so are the issues no matter what year it is and there are always newbies like me coming along that need some guidance.

Bent a hook on the end of a piece of quarter inch rod and sharpened it with a point to retrieve the WDT. It goes all the way into the tube but even with encouragement from a hammer it wont budge the tube. Although i am not certain it is hooking the slot in the tube or inside the block wall. I will have another attempt at spraying some de-rusting compound into it and try again. So far about 5 inches has now been torn off the front of the tube so I suspect that I am going to end up with a collection like Jeff's (nice photos). Today I went to order a new tube from my Dodge bits supplier in Aus Jim Robinson t. He said he has been having trouble getting stock of WDT from the US at a reasonable price and is waiting on a shipment. Price he quotes ex delivery is AUD$89 or about US $79. Success though with removing the 2 rear swing doors by drilling out the bolts in the hinges. They were well and truly rusted in place.

The WDT. Ah, another unespected challenge, but as one of our recently departed Prime Ministers once said "Life wasn't meant to be easy". Yesterday i vigorously attempted to remove the WDT as per the Tech Tip using pointy nose pliers and multingrips compressing those and a hammer. All i achieved was tearing off small pieces of the WDT (bear in mind the motor is still in the van). So out with more WD40 and spray liberal amounts of this into the front of the tube and used my air hose to blow this into the far reaches of the WDT. Today will have another attempt using the tip in Tech Tip to "Take a piece of 1/2 wide flat bar stock and gently drive it into the block between the thin straight side of the tube wall and the block etc etc". In fairness to Prime Minister Malcom Fraser I should add that the quote in full was "Life wasn't meant to be easy, my child, but take courage: it can be delightful" Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser was also famous for losing his trousers in a seedy Memphis hotel in 1986. How this happened remains a secret.

The wife? Don't have one, well legally anyway. Have been living with Teresa for 20 years so I guess she qualifies Anyway, it's my money and she has no say.

Okay, point taken. Always prepared to listen to people who have "been there, done that". What are the "tricks" to getting one out that appears to well and truly rusted in? I have only tried pulling it out with a wire that has a hook on the end. Perhaps I need to make a stronger steel plate version as per the Tech tips that wont bend when I apply a bit more pressure.

I was referring to the "cylinders" in the brakes...probably the incorrect terminology.

Brakes: Now have all brake components removed including backing plates, master cylinder, lines (steel and rubber) and taken them to the local Brake man, who fortunately is a Chrysler fan, and has actually done this sort of restoration work. He has since said all the cylinders will need re sleeving, which I expected, as the pistons were all seized and system all dry of fluid. I will get him to make new lines too. Below is a photo of the lines I removed and put back together for him to replicate Welch plugs: Have received new brass plugs from Jim Robinson and will install these next week. Water Distribution Tube: Have not been able to remove it. The front section is quite rusted and I suspect the rest is in poor shape too. Later on when I get around to a full recondition of the motor (when ever that is) I will tackle this. Spare bits: Desoto Dav put me onto a gearbox on eBay and I bought it for A$28.50 about US$22. The guy was great and GAVE me two spare windscreens, 2 6V starter motors, 4 spare rims. He was happy that they went to a restorer and not a re-seller/collector. The plan I intend to get the mechanicals (motor, gearbox, brakes, diff, cooling, oil etc)and electrics to a point where it is safely drivable. Then deal with any suspension, steering issues. I have access to trade plates so will be able to legally drive it around a bit. I will need to replace most (if not all) the window rubbers. Next will be some basic panel work. It is quite straight with a few rust areas like bottom of rear quarter panles and front guards (fenders for you US folk) where the bolts are up high near the doors. Door locks and window winders need some attention too (i.e they don't work). Apply some Ankwor wax (thanks again to Davin) to protect the petina (still really don't know what that word really means???). The aim will then be to get it to a road worthy state and get a Club Permit Registration. It will then be a Rat Rod! Eventually (how long is a piece of string??) after enjoying driving it around locally for a while and doing minor repairs (I hope) to keep it going, I will start on a more complete restoration of the body and mechanicals. This maybe 6 months or 2 years...depends..... Still enjoying the journey........... .

Another beer I have to find and try...wonder if it is available in Oz.

It does sound like an air leak. I had a similar problem. I put some gasket sealer on both sides of the diaphragm edge where it sits between the two halves of the pump before I bolted the sides together again. Also the cork gasket in the bowl had a crack so replaced this. Once I did these it pumped.

'.....don't trade a dog for a cat!!" I know there is a message there but it escapes me. As one of our famous Politicians once said (Desoto Dav knows who she is)...."Please explain......?"

Thansk all. Dav, that post no5 by shel is great. I was going to leave it in there but will have another go at removing it. I assume a new WDT does actually do what it is supposed to.

As the van is up on blocks with all wheels/brakes/bearings etc off I cannot start the motor and play with that so decided to tackle the cooling system. Previously had the water pump off and know the front welch plug (aka freezer plug) is rusted through. Had temporarily repaired this. Now have removed all the plugs, one at front, anf 5 along the side. The gunk that came out of the lower middle one was incredible. About half a cup of black sludge. Stuck the garden hose (we have very good pressure) in all the plug holes and gave it a good flushing. Now wil get some flushing additive and do that again. Luckily the radiator is in very good condition. Next I need to investigate and possibly remove this "tube" thing that runs to the back of the block. Need to do some reading on the forum to see how this is done.

After listening to some "experience" on this Forum I decided to completely overhaul the braking system. Have removed the master cylinder which was dry and seized. After some lubrication it now "works".Also removed all backing plates after finding every piston was severely seized. Have removed the pistons and all brake lines, metal and rubber (the rubber ones were blocked). Will replace all the lines too. All this to the local brake guy soon.

Okay, how about I add a sub-section to this thread. Here in "down under" (that's Australia, which actually is not under the USA) we have a pet hate: The Americanisation of our language!!!!!! Our car "boot" is soemtimes being called a "trunk". Elephants have trunks, and even they are at the FRONT! We have "mudguards" over our wheels, not "fenders". Our engines have "welch plugs" not "freezers" or any other name. Over our engines we have a "bonnet" not a "hood" We used to have "blinkers" but now they are officially "indicators" Aussies do not have "pick ups" we have "utes", which, if you cannot work it out, is short for Utility. And do not get me started on football. Suddenly we have commentators talking about "quarterbacks" in our Aussie Rules Football. We have Full Backs, Centre Half Backs, Bank Flankers, Back Pockets, but NO Quarterbacks. Better stop now before my head explodes