When I bought my truck, I asked the guy I got it from a LOT of questions. Since it was just outside Seattle and I was in Indiana, I clearly couldn’t see it. So I had to rely on his word. He was a nice guy, but he wasn’t overly descriptive. And once I received the truck, that quickly became clear. For example, I asked “does it have any rust? His response? “Just a little here and there, but nothing major….” To clarify, I asked “So the drip rails and floor pans are all solid?” That got me a “yeah, they are….”. Well, it turned out that the drip rails have a lot of rust, the driver’s side door has a lot of rust, and the driver’s side floor pan is half missing. But, I honestly don’t think he misled me on purpose. We just had different standards.

Warning…. what follows is a long, truck-related update on some recent work I did. If you don’t want the specifics, you can just click on the before and after pictures and get an idea of what I did. =)  Read the rest of this entry »

Well, this is my first post of the new year and new decade! Hard to believe we’re in the ’10s now. What will be really weird, though, is when we get into the 20s, 30s, and 40s. That’s because I’ll (hopefully) be of the age where I’m still talking about the 1920s/30s/etc. It’s kind of cool, really. I always thought it was neat to live at the turn of a century, and by having been born in the early 70s, I’ll get a good dose of each. When I was born, the 50s and 60s were still in the rearview mirror.

And speaking of rearview mirrors and things of the past (like that segue?), I’m getting ready to start the new year off by diving into the truck a little further. Back in December, I had an issue with the charging system that REALLY gave me fits. The battery was not charging, so with the cold weather my trips were kept to only as far as the battery would let me go. The battery was good, so no issue there. My alternator tested “bad” (according to NAPA), so I replaced it. No dice. I was advised you should just replace the voltage regulator at the same time, so I did. No dice. Hmm…. maybe it’s the starter solenoid, I thought, since my old one was pretty cruddy. So I replaced it and the starter cable, which was partially stripped. STILL no luck. I was about at my wit’s end when some of the fine fellas at fordification.com FINALLY picked up on the fact that I had recently installed an electronic ignition. As it turned out, I had bypassed a resistor wire which in previous discussions was considered to be a one-purpose wire in order to feed 12v of electric to the starter coil. Well, that little ‘ol wire also told the voltage regulator when to let the alternator charge the battery. Oops! A little splicing, and that’s good now. But what an adventure!

Well, not long after that I found that the old truck just wasn’t stopping very well anymore. And it was loud, and losing power. I like to rely on my brakes, so I’m not digging into that work yet. But a local shop was more than happy to put new shoes all the way around, a new drum on one wheel, a new adjuster kit, and to fix an exhaust leak that had developed. All that done, it IS quieter (for a truck with dual glasspacks) and stops MUCH better now! I was told I was basically stopping with one wheel before that!

But now I’m STILL losing power. The cold weather hurts. It takes a long time to warm up, and seems to drink gas while stumbling along. Discussion has resulted in the diagnosis of carburetor icing and a lack of warm air. So I’m back-tracking and replacing the big 14×4 air cleaner I installed when I first got the truck with an original style “dry air” cleaner with a snorkel and air riser from the manifold. I’ll also be installing new valve covers and gaskets, a heated carburetor spacer, new heater hose, new lower radiator hoses, and a new thermostat. In the end, it should look like this (but not that clean). And of course, the big deal (for me) is that I’m going to attempt all of this myself. Wish me good luck and good fortune!!

Finally, I’ll end this (somewhat lengthy) post with this… some folks wonder why I mess with this old truck. Why would I want to drive something thats 43 years old and lacking many of the modern “luxuries”? Well, it’s not that I wouldn’t want something new(er). I do. But I also ENJOY driving this truck when it’s running well. And working on it has been a great learning experience for me thus far. I’ve mentioned before how it reminds me of when I was a kid, and my summers on the farm. Well, it still does, and this song by Alan Jackson really describes the feeling well:

(from “Drive”)
Just an old half ton shortbed ford
My uncle bought new in ‘64
Daddy got it right ’cause the engine was smoking
A couple of burnt valves and he had it going
He let me drive her when we’d haul off a load
Down a dirt strip where we’d dump trash off of Thigpen Road
I’d sit up in the seat and stretch my feet out to the pedals
Smiling like a hero that just received his medal

It was just an old hand-me-down Ford
With a three-speed on the column and a dent in the door
A young boy two hands on the wheel
I can’t replace the way it mode me feel
And I would press that clutch
And I would keep it right
And he’d say, “a little slower son you’re doing just fine”
Just a dirt road with trash on each side
But I was Mario Andretti
When daddy let me driveI’m grown up now three daughters of my own
I let them drive my old Jeep across the pasture at our home
Maybe one day they’ll reach back in their file
And pull out that old memory
And think of me and smile and say It was just an old worn out Jeep
Rusty old floorboard, hot on my feet
A young girl two hands on the wheel
I can’t replace the way it made me feel
And he’d say, “turn it left and steer it right,
Straighten up girl, you’re doing just fine”
Just a little valley by the river where we’d ride
But I was high on a mountain
When daddy let me drive

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQe3DKDQRRs

I’ve never been the most mechanically inclined person. Sure, with my grandpa looking over my shoulder and “instructing” me on what to do, I did some things back in the days on the farm. But I haven’t done much on the farm in several years, and any “skills” I had are rustier than that car they unburied in Oklahoma. So naturally, when I bought my truck with the proclamation that I intended to work on it myself as much as possible, I raised a few eyebrows.

Well, to anyone who doubted me, this post is to let you know that while I’ll probably never be mistaken as the prodigy of the Car-Talk brothers, I have made progress! With some late-night study sessions and a very helpful message board, I completed a complete tune-up last Thursday and Saturday! This included:

* replacement of old mechanical “points” ignition with Pertronix Ignitor II electronic ignition
* replacement of old ignition coil with Pertronix Flamethrower II 45,000v coil (low resistance)
* splicing and running new wire from ignition to coil to bypass stock ballast resistor wire
* gapping and installing new platinum spark plugs
* replacement of old spark plug wires with new Pertronix Flamethrower “stock look” wires
* replacement of distributer cap and rotor
* oil change

Let me tell you… after all of this, the truck fired right up and runs like a top!! No doubt, I learned some lessons. I still have some learning to do, and still need to get a grease gun and other tools to do this more effectively, but I did it all myself, in the confines of my own garage! A far cry from when I got the ‘ol truck in 2007 and paid a dude $50 to replace my spark plugs!

After all, one man’s molehill is another man’s mountain! =)

I almost forgot to announce… my truck turned 40!! That’s right, it may be just ”over the hill” in human years, but it’s a certified “antique” in car years. In case you haven’t seen it already on this site, I recently received a document from Ford (for free!) which provides some of the details on my truck. One of those details is that it was “born” (aka “rolled off the line”) on May 18th, 1967. It also contains some other nifty details that were generally known to me based on deciphering the VIN, but are still pretty cool to see “officially” on paper from Ford. 

As a special “birthday treat”, the old truck recently got a new (well, rebuilt) transmission! That wasn’t cheap, and it also was not done right the first time when it was in the shop for 2 weeks. After spending a MONTH (4 weeks!) in the shop the 2nd time around, and having a new throttle literally reproduced, I finally got it back a little over a week ago. I’m pretty thrilled to say that it now shifts almost like brand new… or at least, what I would imagine “new” would have felt like 40 years ago. lol!

To celebrate, the Song of the Week for this week (and next) is a “song party”! I have removed all of the previous SOTW’s, and replaced them with FOUR songs from 1967! This includes the #1 song on May 18th, 1967, which according to Billboard was The Rascal’s Groovin’. I have to say, I’m surprised by how many hit “classic” songs were released in 1967! Everything from Alice’s Restaurant to Mrs. Robinson to getting A Little Help From My Friends! I own several of these, but in addition to Groovin’, am giving you faithful few readers a dose of The Turtles Happy Together, Procol Harmum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale, and Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth (aka Stop, What’s that Sound). 

Enjoy taking a ride back to 1967, courtesy of my truck. =)

That’s what I’ve been lately… just trying to keep up with the pack. I was on-call last week (and take it again starting Friday), which always keeps me hopping at work. Then we were out of town last weekend visiting my wife’s family. I chased that with a quick first mowing of Spring on Monday night, which I finished in the dark. Followed that up with a late night and a 2-mile run last night. Yada yada yada…

Right now, the ‘ol truck in in the shop. I took it in last Thursday to have the carburator inspected and possibly rebuilt, which would have cost me around $200. Although it smells very fuel-rich, it turns out my engine is in GREAT shape and is actually putting out less emissions than some new cars! Timing was precise, as was the spark. BUT, it was noted my transmission was bogging down, which I had noticed as well. I rolled over to a nearby transmission shop that came well-recommended, and that is where the truck sits today. Turns out the trans needed to be rebuilt, which is setting me back $850 — pretty much the remainder of my budget. I hope this shop does a good job, however. It’s kind of like sending your kid off to a new place for the first time. You know they’ll come back and will likely be ok, but will they act better or worse when they come home? Yeah… I wonder that about my truck. Hopefully I’ll know more tomorrow afternoon.

According to the National Weather Service, it’s 69°F outside right now. And sunny. The expected high today has now been revised to 81°. So nice! In fact, Emily and the kids are going to the zoo today.

But according to my calendar, it’s still Tuesday. That means I have to work… inside… all day. I have so many things I want/need to get done outside, or places I want to take my truck for “consultation” that would be great to do on a day like this. In fact… uh oh… I think I feel the flu coming on. haha!

But the weather has been pretty awesome lately. Friday was really nice, Saturday wasn’t bad, Sunday was better. Emily and the kids rode with me in the truck to get a newspaper and gas, and then up to my parent’s house to show them the truck (my dad hadn’t seen it yet). I even had two guys at Meijer ogling the truck while I was gassing it up. lol! I took my dad for a ride while the kids played, and that was about it. It was Emily’s first time riding in it, though, so that was fun. I also took it out last night to pick up something for dinner. That was the first time I’ve driven it at night since I fixed the lights, and they worked great!

Outside of that… I need to get back into my workout routine. I’ve been really bad lately with my eating habits. Seems someone is always bringing in donuts or buying us lunch here at work. The trousers are feeling a little snug, so I need to slow it down a bit and get back into my workout routine. Things just got so out of whack, and it seems to be one thing after the other. Right now I have an ingrown toenail — and that feels great when you’re running (not)!  

That’s all for now! That is, unless you want a good laugh…

I’m happy to announce that, as of when I left the garage at 11pm last night, I once again have DASH LIGHTS in my truck!!  

What did I do to fix it? Well… the truth is, not much. I stared at the dash for a few minutes, then hit all the fuses on the panel with my tester again (for about the 5th time). At that point, I still had no juice on the dash panel fuse. I wiggled and jiggled all the wires under the dash, but still did not have anything.

Then I popped open my hood and stared some more. I traced some wires back to my solenoid and two of them had “in-line” fuses. I popped one open, and it looked fine. I put it back. I popped the 2nd one open, and it was a little white. So I replaced it with another 20amp fuse.

Then I went back to the fuse panel and had… nothing! On ANY of the fuses. Crap! What did I do? Oops… my tester wasn’t grounded very well. I re-ground the tester and tried again… and had power on all fuses! INCLUDING the elusive dash panel fuse. Moved on to the light switch… got it there, too! Moved on down the line to the “cigar lighter” light and dash panel plug… still had it!

SO… I plug in my dash, and as suspected, I have dash lights! Problem solved! I then plugged in the flasher for the blinkers and, wait… no blinkers?! On that one, I’m not sure what the heck happened, but it scared me for a minute. I went back through the process of testing everything, then unplugged and replugged all the connections, and they started working. Whew… good enough for me!

So there you have it… end of a long saga (at least for now). It only took me about 4 hours over 3 nights to get this fixed. lol! Here’s hoping the next time I drive my truck my dash lights don’t go out again, or I might just go “David Banner”, turn green, and rip out every wire in the thing.