Carbs & HEI installed and tested

Wow! Its been almost a year since my last update. Can't believe time has flew by so fast. In my previous blog posting I said I purchased new carbs and HEI ignition system from http://stoveboltengineco.com/

I installed the carbs back in July or August and they have been running great since. The install was fairly simple, but required a modification of the fender support. Was easy enough to weld something up. At the time, the trucks ignition was working fine, so I just left it as is and drove it until March with the stock distributor. At this point it had started running rough, and the idle has always been a issue. So I went out and swapped the distributor. This was a super easy install. Took about 20 minutes and was done. The Coil however was oddly shaped and required a custom bracket. So I welded something together. Will get pics posted of these brackets soon.

I must admit, with these upgrades I was skeptical due to costs, however the truck runs better than it ever has! I am very impressed! And a Big thanks to Tom Langdon @ http://stoveboltengineco.com/ for making this so easy with the install guides.

Out with the old.....

After messing with the carbs(leaking, not running right, etc.), I decided to move on to something better. After talking with Tom Langdon(http://stoveboltengineco.com/), he suggested I upgrade to the Carter/Webber 2bl carbs & upgrade to a HEI ignition. So parts are ordered. Should be here in a few days. Hope that this will get my truck to a solid running/driving state.

:-)

Carb Tuning

Been trying to tune the carbs so they are not running so rich. Well after a couple days of messing with it, I was able to get it to a decent tune, but its not where I want it still. It would appear the return spring on the first carb is not strong enough as it is off by about 1/8 " sometimes. Not all the time, just every now and then causing it to idle high. A couple revs of the motor and it returns to normal.

Here are the pic of the linkage setup:

More Work!

April & May have been busy months for me and the old truck.  Finished Paint on Cab and front, just needs to be polished and waxed. Cleaned Bed and Blasted it. The painted it. Just today I got the bed wood installed, but I have been preping, staining and putting a nice clear coat on the wood since April. All windows are now installed, and the truck is street legal once again!!!! Yesterday was the first long trip I have taken with her, about 50 miles round trip! Was GREAT! Now just got to get the rear fenders installed. They are in bad shape, will take awhile to reshape, weld, patch, putty, and paint. Just hope they turn out well. Will likely wax her in the next week or so.

Looking back.....

This month, marks a year since I started this project. Reading the restore books they all warn about loosing the drive for something like this if you jump into it to fast or are not ready for the amount of work involved. I must say that I honestly thought I would of been driving this truck months ago, but things didn't work out that way. I had my moments after hours and whole weekends spent working on the truck, that I just stopped and looked at it and just thought..."What did I get myself into!". Restoring a truck like this is more work than I ever imagined. Especially if you plan on doing all the work yourself, like I have.

If your thinking about starting a project like this, its very rewarding, and I am almost able to drive my truck finally, but I must warn you... Think about your project long and hard... Read a few books about restores/rebuilds. Add the costs, the man hours, and everything you can think of.... And once your there, times it by at least 5.

I started this project thinking I was going to restore my truck to like new condition. I have had it and thought about it for over 16 years. Half way through I realized that doing a complete restore would take more time and money than I could invest at this stage of my life. Even though my truck is nearing the ability to be road worthy, there are a ton of things I will have to go back and revisit. But as I mentioned above, I have had this truck for over 16 years and its been in my family over 30 years, so no rush to restore, just enjoying the memories this old truck has been centered around.

Brake Issues Solved

Last night I was back out in the shop, determined to resolve the issue with the brakes. This time it was just a simple adjustment of the shoes as my dad suggested. Thanks Dad! Got plenty of brake power now! So it was a line issue, then a wheel cylinder issue, the a shoe alignment issue. Wow, what fun! lol

Did some more paint touch up work last night. Should be ready for a final light sand and buffing. Now I can get started on putting the glass in and accessories on. I was able to get all the shocks on last night as well. Truck feels a lot better. Not so bouncy.

For a side note, I find myself wanting to just get the truck on the road and come back to a lot of the work. Trying my best to resist rushing through a lot of this, but it is hard. :-)

Brake Nightmare's

Another weekend spent working on the brake system. At this point every part has been replaced. I purchased new wheel cylinders and installed them this weekend. I did notice the rear wheel cylinders were leaking when I was pulling stuff apart. After bleeding the brakes for over a hour, I was still getting bubbles. Granted these bubbles were alot smaller and less frequent then before, they were still present.

Giving up on the brakes I installed the front shocks. My 6yr old son was helping alot here, as it took small hands to reach into the frame rail to install the bolts for the new shock mount. Took awhile but we knocked it out as a team. I love having him out there with me like that. Makes me so proud! :-)

After we finished the shocks up front, I put the tires back on and took the truck for a ride. We backed out the driveway and into our road. Backed up the hill a about 50 ft and gave the brakes a test. The brakes are not able to stop the truck, just not that fast. They don't pump up, so air must not be the issue. I believe the brake shoes need to be adjusted out some more is all. Hoping that is the case, as I am getting very burnt out on brake work right now. Need to get that stage done, so I can move on to other things. Have a rack full of parts right now, and another order going thru in a few days.