Just about there......

[Jeff Balazs]

Well I am 22 months into this recycling / resurrection project of mine. It has been a long haul to get it to this stage. I have tried to get something done on it every day since I have had it.......and I have only missed doing so on a handful of days.

 

For those of you who are new to the forum or have not followed the build it will be my daily driver here in SoCal. It is not bone stock but I have tried not to deviate too far either. The mods I have made are what I believe are necessary to make it a safe and reliable daily driver in the conditions I will face.

 

The major mods I have made include a Grand Cherokee rear axle with 3.55 ratio and 12" discs, a front disc kit and a grand cherokke M/C. I also added a 6V alternator, a 6V electric cooling fan and fuel pump and running lights. 3 point seatbelts and an extensive amount of insulation. I was fortunate enough to gather all the stock items to add the fresh air option to a Mopar truckmaster heater with defroster option. And finally a drivers door lock from the land of OZ.

 

It still needs a bit of sorting out but it is really close now. I have attached a few before and after photos. Hope you like it.

Jeff

 

[pflaming]

Jeff, been following your build. Now that is a real beauty. Will look for it at the April BBQ for sure. A job WELL done. 

 

You are in for alot of compliments. Get a note book and briefly write down the little stories you'll be hearing. I've noticed that the Spanish women really like my truck and I'm sure they will like yours too. 

Edited October 13, 2013 by pflaming

[GlennCraven]

What a fantastic build and a fabulous truck. Beautiful work. Take note of all the turning heads as you enjoy the drive!

[Jeff Balazs]

Thanks Guy's;

Here are a couple more photos. Wanted to get some of the new interior and the engine bay but of course the batteries in the camera went dead.

 

Jeff

[Merle Coggins]

Having seen it in person I've got to say, "You've done us all proud, Jeff." Atta Boy!!!

It's a very nice looking truck. You'll have a lot of satisfaction for your hard work once you get to use the truck for its intended purpose.

I'd love to see your customers when you deliver and install one of your beautiful doors with that awesome truck.

 

Merle

[Desotodav]

I have followed the transformation of your old truck 'Ramble On' from start to present day Jeff and have to say that I have enjoyed every stage of that journey. Your positive attitude and quality workmanship is no doubt the envy of many. I still struggle to find those 'minor imperfections' that you intended to leave on your daily driver. I am proud to have been able to assist you where I could along the way. I have seen a number of quality builds of these old trucks since joining this forum a little over two years ago and have to say that your work is certainly among them. I am of the opinion that work is never really finished on these old vehicles as there is always some small thing to do/fix or something to tweak with a view of making it 'better'. Now is the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Enjoy the driving and also the fond memories that your truck will bring to not only yourself but also to many other people. Your work in preserving a piece of history is inspirational to many a person. A job very well done sir.

[1952B3b23]

Awesome Jeff, looks great!! You should be very proud of yourself.

 

-Chris

[ggdad1951]

<tipping my hat to you>  Looks beautiful, great job!

[Barry Maxwell]

Jeff:

I can only reinforce the many fine comments above. You have done a truly GREAT job. Congratulations. It give many of us (me) something to shoot for. I am really jealous.

Barry

[Jeff Balazs]

Thank you Guy's and thanks to all of you who have helped and given encouragement along the way.

 

Davin I am certain you are absolutely correct in your assessment that the work is never really done. I found that out yesterday when I discovered that the engine block petcock had started to weep some. And when I tried to tighten it to stop the leak it broke of course. I had a brand new one to replace it with.......and I imagine it is just the first off many such items that will fail. This old beast has fought me throughout the process. You would think it would be grateful to have some life brought back into it....Right? Apparently not so much.

I suppose there is no reason to think that the battle is ever over ....... or that it will end anytime soon.

 

At this point I look forward to getting it out on the road. I am sure there are some great adventures ahead. I hope to meet up with a lot of you along the way.

 

Jeff

[Todd B]

VERY nice looking truck.  I really like the fact that it is a daily driver.  I used to use my b1b for hauling my tools for years until I gave it to my son.  One thing that sends me is when someone spends a small fortune on a truck and they trailer it to a show.  DRIVE IT! the bugs wash off.

 

Awesome job..

[Jerry Roberts]

 The battle is over ... you won . The before and after photos are stunning . 

[RodFru2u]

Great looking Truck Jeff, You did a heck of a fine job on that project. Hope to see it on the road  in the So Cal area soon.

[DJ194950]

Heck Jeff,
I want to see it person at next years BBQ at 48dodgers!   
Meet up along the way with other forum members?
pflaming arround Fresno, me in Modesto, plus some others??

Beautiful work on the truck!  

Doug

[HanksB3B]

Jeff,

 

22 months is about right on schedule if someone were to ask me.  Congratulations ! It's going to be a real runner.  I like your choice of nostalgic modernization.  If imitation is the highest form of flattery expect to be imitated by me on at least three items.  Thanks for being such a great contributor and a lesson to all about not loosing heart in the mist of discouragement. 

 

Hank 

Edited October 14, 2013 by HanksB3B

[48Dodger]

Beautiful...just beautifu!!!

 

 

Heck Jeff,
I want to see it person at next years BBQ at 48dodgers!   
Meet up along the way with other forum members?
pflaming arround Fresno, me in Modesto, plus some others??

Beautiful work on the truck!  

Doug

 

That would be awesome to see it in person! No doubt!

 

48D

[Jeff Balazs]

Thank you again Guy's;

 

Here are a few photos of my interior........I think it came out especially nice. Special thanks go to John Nida at Pilohouse Interiors.

And a couple of the engine bay. Hank please note I have a real fuel filter here and another sealed unit back at the tank....just ahead of the electric fuel pump. Ain't nothing but real clean fuel getting through these!

 

Jeff

 

[ggdad1951]

thought you had a heater in there? 

[Desotodav]

Good idea running that fuel filter away from the manifold Jeff - should prevent vaporizing that way!

Good looking interior too.

[HanksB3B]

Good idea running that fuel filter away from the manifold Jeff - should prevent vaporizing that way!

Good looking interior too.

 

I second that !

 

hank 

[Jeff Balazs]

Good idea running that fuel filter away from the manifold Jeff - should prevent vaporizing that way!

Good looking interior too.

Thanks. When I noticed how the fuel would percolate in the clear glass bowl filter that was fitted on my truck I just felt like I had to do something. This combined with a nagging oil leak at the mechanical fuel pump and the fact that even with a heat shield it still got too hot to touch made me go in this direction.

 

With this setup I have eliminated the hot fuel situation completely and and there is really no way for any crap to wind up in the carb. The filter mounted on the inner fender is a marine grade 10 micron filter with a water separation chamber and drain. I blanked off the pad for the mechanical pump and fitted a HD Carter 6V fuel pump back at the tank with a large sealed prefilter.

It is in my opinion about as bulletproof as it could be. If the pump ever fails it is about a 10 minute clean and cool job to swap it out. I will keep a spare pump and filter elements under the seat just in case.

 

I am sure this seems a bit over the top to most of you. I prefer to look at this as a way the original design could have evolved if it was still being built today.

 

Jeff

[Jeff Balazs]

Good idea running that fuel filter away from the manifold Jeff - should prevent vaporizing that way!

Good looking interior too.

Thanks. When I noticed how the fuel would percolate in the clear glass bowl filter that was fitted on my truck I just felt like I had to do something. This combined with a nagging oil leak at the mechanical fuel pump and the fact that even with a heat shield it still got too hot to touch made me go in this direction.

 

With this setup I have eliminated the hot fuel situation completely and and there is really no way for any crap to wind up in the carb. The filter mounted on the inner fender is a marine grade 10 micron filter with a water separation chamber and drain. I blanked off the pad for the mechanical pump and fitted a HD Carter 6V fuel pump back at the tank with a large sealed prefilter.

It is in my opinion about as bulletproof as it could be. If the pump ever fails it is about a 10 minute clean and cool job to swap it out. I will keep a spare pump and filter elements under the seat just in case.

 

I am sure this seems a bit over the top to most of you. I prefer to look at this as a way the original design could have evolved if it was still being built today.

 

Jeff

[wallytoo]

really nice work, jeff.

uh-oh. you used rubber fuel line. there's a group on here that doesn't like that, though i'm not one of them.

i hope you get a few decades of enjoyment out of it. looks sharp.

wally

[Jeff Balazs]

Thank you Wally;

I am not too worried about that rubber fuel line.........it is in a much cooler location than the original set up. I am also inclined to change all the hoses every couple of years just to be on the safe side. A 6' length of fuel line will reside in my under the seat repair kit just in case.

 

One of the major reasons I chose to do a vintage truck was to make it as simple to keep on the road is as possible. And I think that this truck will be pretty easy to maintain once I have it all sorted out. I have always carried some spares and a tool kit in my trucks. This practice isn't really effective on the vehicles being made now. How could one carry (or afford to) all the electronic crap that might be required to make a repair these days? With this old truck and the way I have put it together I should be able to deal with about 95% of any failures right out of my on board repair kit. That is the way I have to roll.......I just can't accept the new ways of relying on sketchy technology to keep things on the road. I don't mind having to change the points and condensor at regular intervals.....really no big deal.

 

I have a buddy who owned until just recently a full sized 2002 Ram truck. The last few years he had a lot of problems with the electronics and sensors on this truck. It cost him a bloody fortune to keep it on the road and he was constantly at the mercy of the dealership and other repair shops. It seemed like it was in the shop all the time and it was all ways some electronic or sensor component. He pulled in the other day in a new Ford. The Ram had refused to start in a parking lot across the street from a Ford dealer......some module had gone out....and he finally gave up!

And this problem is not isolated to any one manufacturer......another buddy with a Chevy is going through the exact same thing with his 7 year old truck. It seems like all this stuff being made today has a relatively short lifespan. I just won't accept that.

 

Jeff

[ggdad1951]

There SHOULD be a "rubber" fule line from near the rad to the prefilter on the pump.