Los_Control

Dave you are probably correct ..... I can not find the build date .... bunch of numbers in the glove box that look like a serial or vin # .... no idea how to read them. While I said yesterday there was a insert that reinforced the firewall ..... There is a 3/16" u shaped bracket behind the firewall .... the insert means nothing. I was able to remove the insert & now the MC sits flat & it is fine ..... I just did not realize last night it was removable. Because the clutch worked great last night, Last night I started it a few times just to run it through the gears while on jack stands .... Told the wife I would drive it to the grocery store today. .... Make a shopping list. Today I have the clutch issue completely behind me .... It goes through all the gears perfect .... the MC sits flat & perfect ..... Clutch is done. I'm ready for my test drive, all cleaned up & going to town. ..... It won't start. It will not crank if you do not use the clutch .... safety switch. It is acting as if the safety switch is not hooked up .... battery shows 13.8 volts. 19 days in & the clutch is finished ..... now I have a electrical issue. ..... OMFG, seriously? I just need a break today then will put my electricians hat on tomorrow. Somewhere I have a loose connection ... can be under the dash, on the transmission or anywhere in between ... Sigh!

That is a plug to locate tdc of #6 piston. .... 1 & 6 both are tdc at same time, while one is compression stroke other is exhaust stroke. They will fill up with carbon ..... use a nail & hammer & punch it out While you have the head off. I punched mine out with the head on, then when I started it the carbon chunk got caught in the exhaust valve seat & sounded terrible until it was pushed out through the exhaust ..... I would not recommend or do it again myself ..... maybe drill it out into small powder.

I like the video sniper showed .... as stated it is technology that was used over 50 years ago ..... You have a sharp young machinist 30 years old installing them in your engine ... It is old school tech. Just not expected they would know how to properly install them. The rubber plugs have mixed feelings ...... Some say they are great to do a roadside repair to get home then fix properly. Others say they been running them for 15 years with no issues. Your car your choice.

Wow 18 days to replace a clutch .... ??? .... It is nice to be retired. I'm still not finished. The MC/slave kit I bought is Sachs ..... It just fits so poorly I have been messing with it for a couple hours & it still is not right. Here is a photo of my old MC for reference. On the new MC I had to take a carbide burr & hog out the mounting holes so it would slide on to the studs in the firewall. Now there is the center barrel that slides through the reinforced firewall .... The Sachs is just to big ...... messing with it for 2 hours, I have it really close. The bottom is tight but can run a fingernail through the top ..... just not sitting flat against the firewall ...... I can drive it like this, but eventually will break the ears off the MC because it is not securely mounted flat against the firewall ...... I will take it for a quick run to the store tomorrow. Then I will spend another couple hours massaging the barrel on the MC so it will sit proper & flat ...... Sigh, if they only sold us parts that fit.

IMHO, it is the thin leading edge of the seal that does 90% of the work. Good job on finding it, sure a new seal will make a difference.

I think you are more correct then I, they are probably closer to flat .... yet they have a optical illusion to me to look concave ..... like they go past the 1/2 way point to rest comfortably. It will be a job. When I did my truck I pulled the front sheet metal off & just the motor sitting in the frame, easy access. I still pulled the distributor & the oil fill tube out for access. You can maybe .... I have never worked on a car like yours so just a guess. Remove the drivers front tire then the inner fender. This will mean removing a whole bunch of stuff that is bolted to that inner fender. Tie everything up & suspend it in the air .... wire harness & whatever else is there. To pull the inner fender. You will then have a easier access & room to swing a hammer .... while still having a bunch of crap in the way .... but doable is my guess. It would probably take me a full day just to get it jacked up & inner fender removed. Another day to replace the plugs, then another day to put it all back together ..... It will be a job.

Good find on the NOS Kevin. Rockauto also list a switch for $18 ..... they just look like they are built cheesy .... I wonder how long they would last. Which Is why I would like to put the original back together if I can ..... I think I can. I like the idea of using the Peterbilt switch, it looks identical to our switches except for the bullet connector wiring. I am rewiring the truck sooo I like this one made by Standard Motor products. $20.97 Replacing the Headlight Dimmer Switch on your 1977 Peterbilt 282? The Standard Motor Products DS-40 is a genuine replacement, with the fit of an Original Equipment part. Robust design and high grade materials meet the stringent demands of today's service professional. Copper alloy conductors ensure superior electrical conductivity with low resistive losses. Our parts are 100% tested to verify both mechanical and electrical switching performance.. Decades of research to meet all of your needs. As a global manufacturer of original equipment ignition products, we maintain complete quality control throughout the manufacturing process from componentry to finished product.

Is exactly what I'm saying. I'm no expert, I will use a 1" diameter water pipe 3" long. Then use my 3 pound sledge hammer to give it one mighty smack & invert the welsh plug. They are often called expansion plugs ..... when you invert them they expand. ...... These were the very first examples & the newer models changed over the years. Smack that Biotch with a hammer.

Well the wife was right again this time, she suggested to just order the kit from RA & be done with it. I wanted to see if I could repair it by just replacing the line. I quickly found out the line is metric .... my extra replacement line is S.A.E. ..... So I walked down to the local parts store in 108F and asked if they could get just the line. They wanted $110 for just the line, I would get it in the morning. Rock Auto sells the complete system pre filled no bleeding required .... just bolt it into place for $115 .... same price as just the line by itself. I could have bought just the line from RA for $40, if I have to wait a few days for delivery .... I'm buying the complete new system ..... suppose to be here tomorrow. I will have a spare MC/slave cylinder boxed up sitting on a shelf for emergencies. Note to self, double & triple check straps before lowering transmission. At least I have time to take care of some other needed maintenance chores while waiting.

Well it's go time .... you only get so many days a year you can enjoy your cars ..... slap it in there & run it ..... hoping it is not too much of a issue to swap the tail shaft. I wish you good luck. In a few months you will have all the time you need to do a proper rebuild.

Thanks for the great info. .... One of my biggest fears was if I had all the pieces for it. I did not take it apart, it fell apart & I just searched for the pieces. I feel more confident with it now, after your post. .... I had it as you say & it kinda sorta seemed like it would work .... operating the button by hand. I still had not snapped it back into the case, it was loose & sloppy .... had not lubricated it yet .... My ADD kicked in & I just started welding in the floor pan, get back to it later. I think I can get it, but happy to know older semi trucks used the same style & can replace it if mine does not come out as hoped. Thanks for the tips.

I feel your pain. If this is something new that has never happened before ..... anything exterior like linkage adjustment, clutch ..... If you are fully engaged in gear & it sounds like it is missing teeth & popping out of gear ..... It is internal and your first thoughts are probably correct ..... transmission is pooched. I hope it can be repaired, probably a good chance you can rebuild it ..... The sooner you pull it apart for inspection & repair it, the less damage will happen while trying to drive it. I recently made a post about a strange squeal from my clutch on a OT vehicle ... hoping for some suggestions that do not include pulling the transmission ..... My mind was just not ready to accept I now have to pull the transmission on this vehicle & fix the clutch .... It worked perfect 5 minute ago & now it does not. Someone please tell me it aint so! If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck ..... you got a duck. Helped me to drink beer & sleep on it .... in the morning I knew my job was to prepare to drop the transmission & go from there. Sorry to hear this is your current job, looking forward to hear progress on it to see how much if any damage is done & if you can repair it or possibly replace it .... they are not growing on trees but still available.

Might be worth the price of admission just to have the deer whistle. A friend recently totaled his truck hitting a deer at night. Really pissed him off, was a 2015 GMC & only had a few more payments left on it. Had a grill guard on the truck & almost zero body damage .... blew all the air bags so the insurance company totaled it. Now he is driving a 2022 & 5 more years of payments ?

When you say the welsh plug just tips out ..... reminds me of the mistake I made when I installed mine. The plugs are concave with the bubble facing in the block when installed. I installed my plugs the same way as the photo the side showing is the outside. This is backwards, this plug you see is the inside of the plug with the bubble facing outside. When you smack it with a hammer to install it, the bubble inverts to the inside expanding the diameter of the plug to make it a tight fit. Some people will use a silicone sealer to help glue in the plug also. ..... Might help if you have pitting & wear around the holes. Just saying that is how I installed my plugs (backwards) They do not leak or cause a problem yet ..... I'm still only yard driving & not on the road. I know my plugs are going to fall out some day, I already have a replacement set here .... I will change them before putting it on the road. Your radiator cooling kinda sounds normal if you have a small radiator? I wonder if you have a 2 or 3 core radiator? ..... Maybe a 4 core? Just my opinion, our old engines had big ol honkin radiators with lots of water capacity & good flow. Newer modern vehicles with a better engineered cooling system use smaller radiators with less coolant capacity. Old cars need more imho. My truck has a used aluminum radiator, same H-W dimensions as the original except it is 3.5" thick .... I say it is a 3 core, it might be a 4 core I dunno. It will idle in the driveway for 1 hour & just maintain a steady temperature. I can watch the gauge move up from 160 to 168 or so then the T-stat opens and brings it back to 160 again .... actually below 160. Then after several minutes it goes up & T-stat opens ...... I believe this is normal operation & the radiator has enough capacity to cool the engine long enough for the radiator to cool the hot coolant down before it is needed in the engine.

I have some old cab lights for the top of my truck, the real heavy amber glass lenses ..... chrome is shot. Only option to me is to paint them & they look ok at 15' away.

Life is fun In the photo the clutch line is lying on top of the transmission & the strap is holding it tight to the transmission. I damaged it when I lowered the transmission down. I found the issue too late, I hoped there was enough slack in it so would not damage it ...... Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. So I got it all back together & everything seems good. No strange noises, was able to shift it through a few gears .... pedal soft & needs bled. I bleed & build pressure now it leaks. ..... I can not see where it is leaking .... it is all wet around the bottom of the master cylinder so it is up high. I tried to take the line loose so I can inspect it. ..... It was installed at the factory & it is so tight, I'm afraid will damage the mc trying to remove it. I will have to remove the whole assembly from the truck & work on it on the bench ........ Not a big job. 4 bolts & 1 cotter key & I can remove the whole thing. My small work area is so tore up after completing the clutch swap .... I cant find my needle nose pliers to pull the cotter key. Time to slow down, grab a cool beverage clean & put away tools, haul out shipping boxes to the trash .... run the pressure washer for a minute. Maybe do some yoga for a minute .... No victory lap yet for me .... could be a very easy thing to fix .... I have extra line correct size leftover from doing brakes on the 49 .... or maybe I order a complete new sealed system mc/slave/line pre-filled no bleeding required. <---- Wife choice. Wait a few days for it to arrive & $150 ..... Or repair the line $0

If your cheap like I am, you can sand it down then use some fake chrome spray paint on it ..... will look better til you find something better. My truck am thinking to paint them fake chrome ..... they are painted anyways never were chrome ..... just call it a day.

That does tidy things up just a bit.

If it was me, I would try to actually remove the rust & bring those spots down to bare metal. You already have some gray primer showing, maybe just shoot some gray back over the bare metal. I would be interested to see what a paint shop would charge to color match some paint? Have them put it in a spray can .... would not need much to hit a few spots. I get a kick out of these kids, they did a good job making this video .... Think they did some comparison of 2 products & give their opinion. Might be worth watching to see what Dan covers .... He has welded in patches then color matches & spray bombs them .... keeping patina. I just do not remember if it is this video or a different one where he compared VGG product to linseed oil ... VVG won.

Hot Dog, maybe I just learned something new

Good idea to back off & think about it ..... You add heat to the line & will do more damage to the thing you are trying to save. I would probably try vice grips to get it loose ..... either way may be time to replace the line also & not just repair the cylinder. I have used vice grips in the past & had no issue using it again ..... they worked fine & were beaters with a heater ..... just saying it works. Up to you to decide what you really want to do.

Your Amazon.com order of "Slippery Pete Fluid Pump...". That's right fellas I have me a peter pump on the way ..... ??? Is a pump that fits on quart size bottles to pump fluid into transmissions .... will arrive in the mail tomorrow afternoon. I worked on the tuck 6.5 hours last night .... 1 hour I was ready to install the transmission ..... over 5 hour I worked on installing that transmission ... on & off the jack 3 times to reset. I was so close but not good enough ..... I slept on it & had it installed within 20 min this morning. ...... Oh what a feeling! So now I'm just cleaning up & getting organized, everything bolts back together easily .... except for some welding in the morning. So now I'm taking the time to re-pack adjust the front wheel bearings .... rotate the tires, change the fluid in the rear end, engine while doing the transmission oil. I could probably have it on the road today if needed ..... since I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my peter pump .... will just stay busy til it arrives .... anxious to try it out ?

I buy cheap phones, I use them out in the shop & take them with me when going for a longer drive .... I have gone through 4 phones in the last 6 years. Every phone I get takes photos to large for the forum. I just go into phone settings and adjust the size down .... then all photos are fine for the forum. The phones seem to use the higher setting for a improved photo .... the lower settings look just as good. Just saying if you adjust the phone, you will not need to resize them later.

I vote for nicop line for replacement (nickel/copper) Is what all the cool kids are using now days. Very reasonable on price, will not rust, is pliable enough you can bend it by hand ... a tool still works better .... easier to make good flares ... better line all the way around. Also is rated for fuel, brake, auto transmission use.

@keithb7 I saw the fan belt ..... was going to mention it but ..... thought just leave it alone. I also like farmer list of first things to check ..... My first choice is points loosening up & closing .... or the plastic arm on the points wore away. The air bubble in the bowl is maybe unusual. A small pin hole in the fuel line so it is sucking in air would cause the issue. Could be many issues, just need to go through & verify all possibilities are covered ..... so less chance to happen again in the future.