Daily driver.........first impressions.

[Jeff Balazs]

Just finished swapping in the spare wiper motor I reconditioned. I reckon I did a good job as it works even better than I had hoped for. That is more like it.

I have been using the old beast. Here is a picture of it with a load of doors in it. We took a couple of loads like this over to the wide belt sander this week. I figure this is a 700# to 800# load and it handles it no problem. Got several thumbs up at the sanding shop and along the way back and forth.

It feels good to put it back to work.

 

Jeff

[cavisco1]

I really like that rear bumper.

[Jeff Balazs]

I really like that rear bumper.

Thanks. It is a period step bumper that was on it when I got the truck. I had it narrowed down some and shot it with bed liner. It is very functional.

 

Jeff

[dpollo]

I put a passenger car overdrive  (R 10 ) in my 52 Fargo by inserting a 3/4 inch adaptor between the transmission and bellhousing

and altering a couple of bolt holes. The adaptor is machined to retain the front transmission bearing and the truck clutch release bearing

collar bolts to the front of the adaptor. Alignment of these items is critical and must be done in a lathe.

There is no reason why the longer input shaft and collar from a passenger car fluid drive will not

work with this setup.   The fd shaft can be fitted to the passenger car overdrive.

 

The driveshaft needs to be shortened about seven inches and there are issues with the park brake cable which is very important with a fluid drive vehicle.

With some modifications the column shift adapted nicely.   I have not yet driven this truck at speed but expect good results with its 251 engine, 3.9 rear end 

and 15 inch radial tires.

[Jeff Balazs]

I put a passenger car overdrive  (R 10 ) in my 52 Fargo by inserting a 3/4 inch adaptor between the transmission and bellhousing

and altering a couple of bolt holes. The adaptor is machined to retain the front transmission bearing and the truck clutch release bearing

collar bolts to the front of the adaptor. Alignment of these items is critical and must be done in a lathe.

There is no reason why the longer input shaft and collar from a passenger car fluid drive will not

work with this setup.   The fd shaft can be fitted to the passenger car overdrive.

 

The driveshaft needs to be shortened about seven inches and there are issues with the park brake cable which is very important with a fluid drive vehicle.

With some modifications the column shift adapted nicely.   I have not yet driven this truck at speed but expect good results with its 251 engine, 3.9 rear end 

and 15 inch radial tires.

That is an interesting solution you have come up with. I don't suppose you have any photos of this during the build?

 

Jeff

[dpollo]

  sorry, no photos.......  perhaps if I have to take it apart again   ( hope not )

 

  at the time I did this, I was unaware of this forum and did not suspect  there may be others out there

 who share my madness.

[Jeff Balazs]

No problem......just thought it would be another option to some following this thread.

I have not decided exactly how I want to address this situation in my truck yet. Right now I feel like going for a bit more power out of the old flatty.......and then maybe have the 3.55 ring and pinion swapped to a 3.73 if that is not enough of a boost. The other option would be to pull the old stuff out and swap in something more powerful and probably with an automatic. After having driven this truck for a while I really don't see why it could not handle a healthy V8. It rides and handles much better than any other solid axle truck I have ridden in.

 

Jeff

[HotRodTractor]

I found this thread very enlightening. I come and go from this forum as time permits, but a dream of mine for a long time is to assembly a Pilothouse for a daily driver - this gives me encouragement as I believe I have just located the perfect start for my project. I already have many of the parts I need from collecting (hoarding) over the years and several parts trucks. When I get this new acquisition home (and all the associated parts that come with it), I'll make a thread.

[Jeff Balazs]

It's been a while. Moved and been driving the wheels off the old truck. It has been great! What a good little workhorse this truck is. No problem keeping up with traffic here anymore. Guess it just needed to be pushed hard and a bit of MMO to get the rings to re seat. I think I even startled some yoyo in a Tesla this morning when he was poking along in front of me. Too bad......wonder what he was thinking as my grille loomed close?

For those of you who want to use one of these trucks as a daily driver.......It can be done without too many mods.

Jeff

 

[wallytoo]

jeff,

i lost track of the thread for a while.  are you stating you didn't do anything to the truck beyond your initial fixing, and as you've driven it, you've decided it can handle the traffic conditions you encounter?

 

wally

[Jeff Balazs]

Wally;

No there is definitely some items that need to be altered to use one of these trucks the way I have been. Gearing and brakes are at the top of the list. I went with a 3.55 ratio on the rear axle. Initially I thought it was too tall. But now that I have been really using it I would say it is spot on. The brake thing is a matter of what your local traffic conditions are like. Certainly drums would be fine if they are in tip top conditions and you use the truck in light traffic. I went with 4 wheel disc brakes and with the type of traffic, speeds and hilly conditions I face they are perfect. There are a few other details that are more than worthwhile when planning to use one of these trucks as a daily driver. Upgraded lighting....seat belts.....and good cabin insulation make it much safer and more pleasant to use. What doesn't need a lot of messing about with is the basic engine configuration, suspension or even the 6 volt electrics.

People are blown away by the ride and comfort level of this truck. Not a day goes by when I don't get several thumbs up's or someone asking about it. If you take your time and put one of these trucks together carefully they will reward you with rock solid performance and reliability. They are well worth the effort.

Jeff

[wallytoo]

nice.  thanks for the "reupdate".

[Jeff Balazs]

Wally;

You are welcome. I just wanted to share some of my experience with this aspect of building one these trucks for daily use in todays world. They really do make a very use able truck without too many mods. I have been very impressed by how nice the little flatty runs and how flexible the fluid drive 4 speed set up mine was fitted with actually works. Very sweet indeed. I wasn't too sure I liked it to begin with but I have changed my mind the last couple of months. Definitely no need for any further mods there. What a great little engine these are when they are dialed in.

Jeff

[Mikec4193]

Have not been here in a little while but I get notices when you post on this thread....you are making me want to rethink things and go find a Pilothouse...not much where I live that I can afford...hmmmm....

You do have a sweet ride for sure...

MikeC

[Jeff Balazs]

Mike;

Mine started off as a $1000 non running derelict. I did pretty much everything but the paint myself. And other than the paint I never spent more than a couple hundred a month on it during the build. I knew from day one that I wanted it to be a daily driver. So my build always kept that in mind. I made a lot of subtle mods as I progressed but I also tried to retain as much of the original stuff as I felt I could make do with. I am very happy with the end product. These truck were obviously a good design when they were made and most of it still works well today.

I will say that when one considers something like this they need to be realistic about how it should perform. Change too much or ask it to be like an Escalade and it will lose it's real charm very quickly. These are just work trucks....... plain and simple. Keep that in mind and you should get good results.

Jeff

[John-T-53]

On ‎6‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 9:07 AM, Jeff Balazs said:

It's been a while. Moved and been driving the wheels off the old truck. It has been great! What a good little workhorse this truck is. No problem keeping up with traffic here anymore. Guess it just needed to be pushed hard and a bit of MMO to get the rings to re seat. I think I even startled some yoyo in a Tesla this morning when he was poking along in front of me. Too bad......wonder what he was thinking as my grille loomed close?

For those of you who want to use one of these trucks as a daily driver.......It can be done without too many mods.

Jeff

 

Welcome back to the forum, Jeff. Did you mange to escape from "behind the Orange curtain?"

Agreed on the daily driver aspects. I've had my truck out of storage since April and been giving it weekend workouts doing a side job in S.F.

It's a primitive vehicle, but fun to drive.

[Jeff Balazs]

Hey John;

No we wound up about as far behind the curtain as one an get.  We bought a house with our oldest daughter and son-in-law in Coto de Caza. So now the old truck lives in a gated community. Wasn't exactly what I was up for........ but it is pretty nice. I think there may need to be a boat in the very near future as I and my dog are a little too rough around the edges to hang with the locals. A small trawler would make a nice getaway from all the rules and pomp........

It takes a while to get comfortable using one of these trucks in heavy traffic. It isn't so much that they are primitive as it is just feeling at home behind the wheel. From the beginning I didn't give myself any options so it isn't that hard. And I did pay close attention to a lot of the small details. I went over the top on soundproofing and insulation so it is about as quiet as a modern vehicle. A decent sound system doesn't hurt either. Overall I have been very impressed with reliability and ride quality. They definitely can be used as I had hoped. And it makes a dandy little hauler. What more can one ask for?

Jeff

[John-T-53]

Wow, you're in DEEP now...no escape, haha! Congrats on the move. I can picture the folks in that community being more of the 'shined up' type, like they just got off a cruise ship.

There's some back roads 'round there at the base of the mountains that should suit your truck very nice, and some 'ruffer' locals to boot.

These trucks do make great haulers and are reliable. I would like to add more sound proofing, though.

[Jeff Balazs]

 

Oh yes way deep. And I think most of the guys get manicures...... But I have got lots of thumbs up too. (I think) Just not from the Audi/Tesla and Maserati folks. Imagine that.

I told my daughter that I was thinking of joining the polo club and getting an old burro. I would love to do it just to see the reaction it would get. There is also a pretty large water feature in our yard that would be great to raise crawfish in. Maybe going door to door in a burro cart with a big simmering pot of crawfish gumbo would be a good way to break the ice with the neighbors?  

[Don Coatney]

45 minutes ago, Jeff Balazs said:

 

Oh yes way deep. And I think most of the guys get manicures...... But I have got lots of thumbs up too. (I think) Just not from the Audi/Tesla and Maserati folks. Imagine that.

I told my daughter that I was thinking of joining the polo club and getting an old burro. I would love to do it just to see the reaction it would get. There is also a pretty large water feature in our yard that would be great to raise crawfish in. Maybe going door to door in a burro cart with a big simmering pot of crawfish gumbo would be a good way to break the ice with the neighbors?  

Glad you are back Jeff. You gave me great full belly laugh that hurts.

[ggdad1951]

just drop a 2 ton in the front yard and start into the project...

[JBNeal]

have a nice day 

Edited June 28, 2017 by JBNeal
off-topic information removed

[Jeff Balazs]

18 hours ago, ggdad1951 said:

just drop a 2 ton in the front yard and start into the project...

Dude;

That would never fly in the neck of the woods we are in now........... I had to throw away most of my "good" wrenching tee-shirts just to make it in the gate. Wealthy yuppie haven. Not sure how I wound up there? It is going to be interesting. I find it almost impossible to not be somewhat provocative when given the opportunity. I am sure my buddies have a pool going to see how long me and my gangsta dog will last. We are already on double secret probation.

Jeff

[ggdad1951]

3 minutes ago, Jeff Balazs said:

Dude;

That would never fly in the neck of the woods we are in now........... I had to throw away most of my "good" wrenching tee-shirts just to make it in the gate. Wealthy yuppie haven. Not sure how I wound up there? It is going to be interesting. I find it almost impossible to not be somewhat provocative when given the opportunity. I am sure my buddies have a pool going to see how long me and my gangsta dog will last. We are already on double secret probation.

Jeff

push the envelope!  I know you can do it!  Just put a pretty man cave (you never use) up as a distraction...

[Don Coatney]

I agree, push the envelope. If you do so others will follow.