Hound dog hauler

[Los_Control]

5 hours ago, JBNeal said:

figured out that my spark plug wires were off by one.

This could be, I have #1 at the 7:00 o'clock position, I need to pull the plug on the #6 cylinder and really dissect the timing. I rocked the crank back and forth with the fan blade, just watching how much play is in the timing chain. I admit there is some play, but not enough to jump out and say I need a new chain.

Unless something was assembled incorrectly .... of course I never payed attention when I pulled the wires off the cap.

 

1 hour ago, kencombs said:

If you have spark at the new plugs, review the firing order and distributor rotation direction. 

I thought that was worth checking after you mentioned it, so the only time I turned the truck over today, double check the rotation, it is clockwise and how I wired it.

 

What I did do today, and pleased with results.

I have ran into a issue with paint. I need to grind off the rust to bare metal, yet all I have been able to do so far is polish the rust.

Tried my random orbital sander with 80 grit, then got brave and tried the grinder with a flap disk, just polished the existing rust and not remove it.

 

Today I got the murriatic  acid out and it did good, it is nasty stuff, do not try this at home .... take it to a buddies house and do it there.

You have to be well ventilated.

But with a couple hours time, I  got 90% of the body rust off. I need to spend more time and get it better, but now I can actually use my sander and remove the paint to metal.

I have been searching for sandblasters in my area, have not found anyone within a hours drive one way yet, still looking, but now I can still move forward with what I have.

 

3 pics, when I was finished with the acid, I hosed it off to remove it, I just had to much rust to wipe it off. The front fender looked just like the bed. Then I did a second light coat of acid on the front fender, and used a clean rag to wipe and dry it off.

This should last until I am ready to sand, prime and paint.

Tomorrow is another day and will get more of it finished.

 

I never even turned the key on and try to start the truck today.

[Merle Coggins]

If you’ve been moving the distributor around have you taken the time to static time it with a test light? You may be close, but off enough that it won’t start. Get the timing dialed in and try it again. 

Also... I remember the first time I fired up my engine, I had everything right, even double checked everything, but it wouldn’t fire. I finally cracked the throttle open a little and it jumped to life. Turns out that my idle circuit wasn’t providing enough fuel to start. Once I got that sorted out all was good. 

[Los_Control]

Really not a whole lot done, not as much as I would like. I got the dog house off, rust removed and cleaned up. Have all the pieces stacked up against the wall in my office.

I was hoping to get them in primer, weather just not cooperating and to cold to paint.  What a dirty girl, will take until spring just to get the front 1/2 of frame ready for paint 

This will make things much easier to work on, Front suspension, brake & fuel lines.

I realize I need to order a engine gasket set, the wing nuts on the side valve covers are covered with gobs of silicone ..... I think this is called the snowball affect.

 

On 11/3/2018 at 6:24 AM, Merle Coggins said:

If you’ve been moving the distributor around have you taken the time to static time it with a test light?

That is very good advice and believe I will use it, just takes a few min to do this.

I did get the new carb last week and after 3 days sitting on my desk, I spent 10 min and installed it. No change no start.

After giving it more thought, the truck has 12 volt battery cables on it. We know this is a no-no

It does turn over ok, but not real fast, thinking this may be my issue ..... if the motor was in tippy top shape, I could sneak by.

As it is, just not turning fast enough to take off, even though I have started it several times in the past, mostly using starting fluid to get it to catch. Now the clamps may be getting dirty and need cleaned again. It turns over solid and for a long time with no complaints. Just not real fast.

When I get a chance, going to put a 12 volt battery on it, see if that is my issue .... I know it is something simple, this just may be it.

 

I need to figure out if I can run this motor for a couple years as is, or do I pull it out now that it is easy to do so. I need to know if I got the coolant passages cleared so it no longer overheats like it did.  So no more disassembly until she is running again.

[Los_Control]

Quick question on timing please ... If I rotate engine to #6 tdc on compression stroke, (blows compression out plug hole)

pull the plug and use wire to adjust #6 piston to exact tdc

 

Rotor should now be pointing to #6

Can I static time 2 degrees btdc the #6 cyl?

 

Or do I put #1 on compression stroke, then use plug on #6 to get exact tdc and then static time? Just a extra step to use #1

 

Does it matter if I use #1 or #6?

 

I bought and installed a proper ground from battery to trans yesterday, I turned it over and it turns over much better/faster now.

As it sits I have the dist rotated ccw as far as it would go, I may just be able to put it back to the middle and get it to fire now.

Same time, has been down in the mid 20's at night and running straight water to flush, not that interested in starting it and filling it up with water.

was 26 this morning, and now for next several days will be above freezing and will give it another shot.

[Jomani]

Since you have easy access and talked about changing out the valve cover gaskets, why not remove the front cover, watch the valve movement while turning the engine over by hand - you should see the exhaust valve open during the exhaust cycle (piston traveling up) then the intake valve open during the intake cycle (piston traveling down). After the intake valve closes, turn the crankshaft until the timing marks align to get TDC on cylinder #1. Doing it that way avoids any question. As far as trying to get the timing exact, that would be very hard to do. It should start and run at TDC.

[Los_Control]

Thanks Jomani, that would be a good idea. I wont have any problem getting #1 on tdc compression stroke.

Actually have done it before, I just never bothered to use the plug and wire trick to find exact tdc.

I just turned it until felt compression, figured it was close to tdc and pulled distributor cap. I was only concerned the rotor is pointing to the right side of the world, not thinking to be sure it was pointing to #1.

Was actually more in the 9:00  O'clock position, but was not exactly tdc and close enough I thought.   (face palm) Thinking either it was right, or it was 180 out, ... no in between.

 

I had no idea the oil pump could be removed and installed in a different order. I was counting on the oil pump being in a fixed position.

After reading many old threads yesterday, I found that I can rely on the oil pump, only if I followed the book and installed it correctly. As the installer, I would have the option to follow the book or not.

Could very well be, my #1 plug wire will be in the 9:00 position and not 7:00 like everyone else. I just need to finish my coffee then go check.

 

Got a new gas wall heater for the office delivered yesterday, Then spent the afternoon installing it. Will be my drying booth as I get the paint laid on, got to keep her warm 

[Los_Control]

no question now, it is off. Still not sure how much. Pull the pipe plug and is full of carbon, need to dig it out and can not see the timing marks, covered in rust I assume.

 

I used a piece of paper towel over the #1 plug hole, turn the engine slow by hand, until it puffs off.

This is only close to tdc, but rotor is one full position past 7:00, if I need to adjust the piston up slightly more, will be two spaces past 7:00

 

Time for breakfast  ?

[Los_Control]

Ok, the trick was to rotate the plug wires 1 position ccw, #1 is now 5 0'clock, fired right up and ran fine.

Now need to fill it with water and test the cooling system. Wish me luck, pretty obvious brains are not getting me far 

 

outside water is all winterized, going to be filling jugs 

 

 

[Los_Control]

I let it run for a good long time, eventually it did creep up over 190, we talking idle for 40 min in the driveway.

Now I need to flush it again, with all the crap I pulled out of it with the welsh plugs removed, maybe pull a bottom plug and flush some more.

Either way I made a lot of progress on the cooling system and again, hoping to use the engine for a year or two, while other issues are sorted, then tear in and do a engine rebuild.

 

I made a short video of it running, it has a ticking noise and using a wood stick, have chased it down to timing chain area. pistons and valves seem pretty quiet.

I showed my temporary temp gauge, glass is cloudy from years of storage, but it is sitting at 180. Took forever to get up over 160 And I do not have a T-stat installed at this time, that may also help .... radiator is shot and has leaks.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4VJ58jtkzc&feature=youtu.be

[Los_Control]

I find it impressive, how we have ideas on how we will spend our time, then life happens and shows us how we did spend our time.

 

I made another vid today,  you need to understand my thinking here. My goal is to make this a driver.

No concourse restoration here.

I plan to clean and then paint what is needed, my goal is to enjoy driving it, while saving it for the next generation. Let them restore it if they want.

 

I guess I am just looking for a sanity check here.I have been running compression checks on it in the past, none in last 6 months, each time they improve though.

Truck sat for at least 20 years before started.

There is some blow by, and smoke from the tail pipe. I am wishing, take it out for a drive and it will almost disappear. Maybe not completely, but be drive-able.

 

So my plan is to keep it as is, get it back together and drive it.

If there ever was a good time to pull a engine and work on it, now is the time. Does anyone else think the rings will seal up with a good drive? The oil pressure is good at hot/idle.

I guess I feel that with the new floor, brakes and other issues fixed, pulling the motor in the future would seem less intimidating.

But it would be so much easier now, just not convinced it needs to be pulled now.

Pulling it would require the purchase of new tools, cherry picker & engine stand.

 

pull it now, or wait and pull it later?

worried about project creep and end up with something that is a pile of parts also.

 

 

[Merle Coggins]

Much of that may be condensation and crap in the old exhaust pipes coming out when they get hot. If it runs good and has good oil pressure I'd run it for now and see what happens.

 

Now may be a good time for a valve adjustment though. Sounds like you have a couple ticking...

[Los_Control]

1 minute ago, Merle Coggins said:

Much of that may be condensation and crap in the old exhaust pipes coming out when they get hot. If it runs good and has good oil pressure I'd run it for now and see what happens.

 

Now may be a good time for a valve adjustment though. Sounds like you have a couple ticking...

Thank you sir for the sanity check.

It does start with no choke. maybe 3 seconds on the starter twice.  Second try it fires right up and idles.

Warmed up it starts instantly.

I did have one cyl down to 60 psi, then got it up to 80 psi , I bet it is higher now.  I really hope it just needs a drive.

other cyl are over 100 psi

 

I used a wood stick, I chased the tick down to the timing chain.

I have a engine rebuild gasket set, so when I pull the radiator will also pull the timing chain cover and look.

Also need to change the valve cover gaskets on the side of the engine. And of course check the valve clearances.

 

Just have these gremlins in my head, the left side is saying, pull it, re_ring and bearings and rear main seal now.

The right side is saying, drive it and have fun ..... sigh!

 

 

[Los_Control]

I have not made any post in this thread for quite some time (3 years). I have slowly been working on it.

Nothing very exciting .... pretty boring stuff painting .... ? ....

Just a few quick photos to bring it up to date. I took care of everything from the firewall forward.

First paint, then new shocks, brake lines, wheel cylinders. All the sheet metal is final painted black underneath, while still primer on he exterior .... Since it will be a daily driver .... a hoopty, or you might call it a beater with a heater.

I'm really not that concerned with the looks as I am with the mechanical parts.

 

t

 

 

I still need to do some body work, I can do this with the truck put back together .... I'm limited on space so happy to have the parts back where they belong & not laying out in the yard rusting.

3 years since adding to this thread for several reasons. I have made some progress though.

[Los_Control]

Past month I have been working some more on the truck.  I feel like I was getting burned out with disassembly & painting.

I needed to teach myself to weld to do the body patches ahead of me .... I blew up the engine in my wife car .... I think I took a year off working on the pilothouse  ... Anyways back at it with a bit of a urgency to put it on the road as a 2nd vehicle.

 

Most of the frame is painted & already dusty. Last part is under the cab. I have some welding to do on the floor before paint.

I have a patch panel in the back of the cab to make .... easy stuff to do. ..... I just have so many pieces scattered around that need paint and put away out of my work space. ... So I have been concentrating on those pieces just to get them out of the way.

 

 

I did the "farmer fix" on the side shovel strips. These are strips from a old bed frame the neighbor threw away.

I did drill out the old spot welds on the bed side, I spot welded the new strip in place .... I did not feel comfortable with the installation.

The angle iron is thicker, heavier, wider then the originals, I've already decided I'm going to run seam sealer down the edge. I went ahead & welded the edges also. Now I feel comfortable with the repair.

 

 

 

In my defense I'm repairing junk. This is not a concourse restoration .... This truck took a hit of some sort on this side.

The dent in the cab corner, the ripped & smooshed rear fender. the top rail on the bedside is bent, the running board is bent.

We call the rust a "Texas suntan" While we can deal with the rust, I used acids. .... Yeah it sucks but works.

Yet you are still left with pitted metal. .... Primer will fill most the pits .... why I'm using a few coats of primer.

Just asking to not be beat up for farmer fixes.

 

 

 

Just at a weird scheduling point right now. I need to start fitting the new gas tank to make the rear mount.

I need to patch the floor before paint ..... getting ready for rear brake line, tail light wiring .... wood for the bed ...

 

It is going together ... my wife is pushing me on it .... Just saying once I blew up the motor in her car. Then with current inflation I suggested to her it would be cheaper to fix the pilothouse since we already have the parts.

She is pushing me to get it on the road because she wants her car in the shop next.   ???

[Los_Control]

Today was probably not a good day for painting. It really was windy .... pieces in my paint booth were swinging around like wind chimes ...

For the most part, I only painted the interior of the bed. I plan to haul lumber, concrete, dirt ... I painted both sides of the tail gate .... there is a dent above the D ...  I call it character.  .... I may not ever fix it and add another dent next to it in my travels. I also figure this truck will be a project for the rest of my life ..... I just want to stop rust and put some sort of paint on it for now.

 

My mirrors I ordered yesterday .... suppose to be delivered tomorrow. .... another piece of the puzzle that needs solved.

 

 

 

I have not seen them yet .... I'm not interested in the cheap cheesy chrome mounting brackets.  I may make new ones & paint them. Just have to wait & see.

 

I woke up with a goal today to work on installing my gas tank & making the mount for it.

My wife woke up with the plans to wash clothes & use the dryer.  ... My welder & dryer share the same plug.

Just another day down & I got some things done, paint in the wind .... even if it was wrong.

[Los_Control]

Boy she sure is a dirty girl .... Think the primer is over 2 years going on 3 .... needs some love.

 

The mirrors I'm actually more satisfied then I thought I would be. The mounting hardware is "good enough"

The mirrors are made in Taiwan .... offshore, but better then some offshore.

They are the cheapest available on Amazon & called West Coast Jr's. $38 each.

I have them tucked in width & height as far as possible .... they are a little wider then I prefer .... I can live with them.

 

I imagine it with the final black paint, stainless trim & lights, AM radio antenna, dual cb antenna, A clean windshield

Right now it is sitting on jack stands 8" off the ground so it looks taller then it is.

I understand that this look or style is not for everyone, but I'm pleased with the direction it is headed.

 

 

 

 

[Los_Control]

Time for a update ... I needed to do some work on our kitchen .... the goal was to paint it, included some needed cabinet repairs & build a shelf etc... I waited til after Thanksgiving to start, then finished right before Christmas.

Like everyone we had a cold spell move over us .... I was able to get one day in & paint most the frame underneath before it froze.

At least I got the drivers side done .... Some work to do yet, but having this done I can move on to bigger fish.

 

Just getting that part done, Now I can install the fuel tank, run the brake lines, tail light wires, grease everything ... Big jump forward.

 

So I made the Fuel tank bracket. .... Only suggesting I need the bracket to go first because the plumbing & wiring pass through the bracket.

 

I want to express how ugly it is ... but it is very strong ... Thats what I want.

Also it was a learning experience. Just amazing how fun learning is!

I used old bed rails to build it. Really strong steel & welds up really well. & free!!!

The problem was when I needed to drill 4 holes to mount it & the tank .... no idea how tough the steel was.

 

I spent the whole day trying to drill 1 hole through it, all I did was dull my titanium drill bit. It is now 2" shorter from sharpening it.

I went to the store & bought a $17 Cobalt bit ... 20 seconds & it was dull needed sharpened.

 

I drug out my mini die grinder with a carbide bit.

 

It took about a hour but I did drill the 4 holes using this tool .... All cool right?

I used the same material for the bed side strips .... I still have 14 holes to drill.

 

 

Strong material & up to the job, sure wish I knew a better way to drill holes into it.

I suspect 2 more carbide bits, hope I do not burn out my small compressor in the progress.

 

I would cut the rails out at this point to get softer metal to work with. They are welded in too solid & would destroy the bed sides.

I'm stuck with working with what I have. .... Just amazing how much fun it is too learn new things.

[DJ194950]

Got an oxyacetylene torch?  Makes holes in hard metals easily.

 

Cheaper than buying new drill bits. Grinders also do mind hard/cheap metals much either to clean up the cut slag.

 

DJ

[Los_Control]

Sadly I do not have oxyacetylene .... something I'm not allowed to play with.

I do have propane with the yellow map gas bottle. .... no help there.

 

The metal does cut easily with a grinder & blade. .... I could easily cut a u shaped hole in the strip, then cover it with a washer.

Think I will try to use the carbide bit grinder first .... to drill a hole not cut it.

This is one of those moments, Just because it is free does not mean it is good.

[Los_Control]

As they say, a little at a time. I am excited to see the rear brake lines in place. The front was done 2 years ago.

I also went through the master cylinder & replaced all 4 corners wheel cylinders .... Needed rear lines to bleed the system & make it work. ..... Just been waiting til I got the bed off.

 

Last connections is at the master cylinder for front/rear lines. .... And the master cylinder is froze in place trying to operate it by hand.     I figure I could use my foot & stomp on it .... I'm going to pull it back out & go through it again. I have a rebuild kit here for it.   Then I will make final connections & bleed them.

I also have the bushing for the clutch pedal to replace.

 

 

I got the fuel line made, man I love the nicop stuff ... real easy to work with.

I just used the original line and taped the new line to it as I formed the bends by hand.

 

I still think I want to add a return line to the tank, to avoid future vapor lock issues .... now would be the time to do it.

Thats my update for today  

 

[Los_Control]

yesterday was a shopping day, almost a whole day ordeal & often takes a day to recover physically from walking around walmart.

I was able to remove the master cylinder yesterday afternoon & have it disassembled soaking in carburetor cleaner.

Kinda surprised it was frozen in place, it took a tap with a hammer to break free.

Last time I worked on it I just replaced the rubber piston cup .... I was concerned about the rear seal.

I bought a rebuild kit from DCM last year & just not afraid to use it .... I was looking for any excuse to do the job over.

 

Today I spent some time cleaning the garage, I created a couple double flares for the fuel line, I welded up a fender bracket that was broke.

Then I worked on a stress crack on the floor, My goal is to finish up all the farmer welds while I'm setup for fluxcore, then tomorrow hook up the gas & weld in a body panel or two.

Fluxcore is not pretty, but on the floor under carpet I can live with it.

 

 

I think the stress crack is from the body damage. A smart man may have removed the dent first, then welded up the floor.

You can see I have some weight off the floor .... The crack lined up perfect & was ready to weld .... so I welded it first.

Tomorrow I can work on the dent removal ... not looking forward to that either.

 

 

[DJ194950]

The welds most likely have locked in the dents and most electric sourced welds are harder metals (except tig which is less so).

 

May need some light to medium heat applied to get reasonably straight.

 

Being a floor board most people are not looking for perfection, me included !.

[Los_Control]

Just now, DJ194950 said:

May need some light to medium heat applied to get reasonably straight.

Yes it is going to be a issue for sure. As it sits, I tried hitting it with a 3 pound sledge hammer.

Just too much flex in that cab corner. When I hit it with a hammer, all the energy is wasted with the metal moving.

 

I HAVE A PLAN!!!

I have 3/4" plywood to go against the cab, 4"x4" blocks to sit on the running board bracket .... A tall log to sit against that mess. ..... Just saying a whole bunch of shims & I can lock that corner in place ... when I hit it with a hammer I may get results.

 

Just a idea what side of the walnut tree I dropped out of  ???

Just saying with a jack in-between .... it may be a swing & a miss, or get me to first base.

 

What I did do today was get it off the jack stands, start it up & give it a long needed bath.

I did get the rusted area cut out for my patch panel .... I would love to do a cut & butt here but just not possible.

 

 

Honestly it was a nice day out ... I washed my truck .... Doing some thinking in the process. 

I sure did smile when it started up faster then my daily driver sbc.

[kencombs]

If I were working on that cab corner, I think I'd first set up a way to push from the inside.  Porta-power or a small jack laid on it's side.  Most will work that way if the pump side is down.  Use some 2x4s to fit it in, probably push against the firewall.  Just a little push, not a lot, near the center but offset to one side, then tap, not a hard bang on the ridge around the dent from the outside.  Push a little, tap a little.  Repeat often.  Alternate from side to side.  

 

Pushing is much more controllable and less apt to stretch the metal even more.  And the pressure minimizes the bounce from hammer blows.

[billrigsby]

2 hours ago, kencombs said:

Pushing is much more controllable and less apt to stretch the metal even more.  And the pressure minimizes the bounce from hammer blows.

 

DITTO, hammer blows, each and every one will stretch the metal, 

it can be shrunk again, minimally with heat/cold cycles, but best

not to go that route if at all possible.