Speed

Is it a '54? ('48-'53 style cab,with one piece windshield.) Sounds interesting,but I don't even have two nickels to rub together. (Plus it'd be a long trip to get it,and I can't easily make room for any more trucks until I filter out some other misc. vehicles and trailers I'm juggling.) Well,once again,I didn't do what I shoulda-I'm gonna work on the a little before tackling the one ton's fuel system. It starts and runs,usually,and when it fails me,it's not too hard to pull the fuel line at the carburetor and shoot a little air back through it to the tank,to clear the pick up tube. Once the is operable,safely,I'll go to work on the one ton. I decided my priority items on the will be brakes,wiper motor,mud flaps and hangers,seals for pinion yoke and input/output shaft,2 inch lift blocks on front axle,radial tires. I think I can live with the rest of it and still use the truck, and work on it a little at a time. Speed

"30 years ago you could walk into any truckstop and they had dozens and dozens of gear shift knobs on the shelf,all shapes,colors,and sizes. Now you just can't find them or they're outrageously expensive." These days it seems like it takes a concentrated search to even find drivers that can drive anything with two sticks! And the people working the registers at the truck stops don't even know what you're talking about when you ask them where the shift knobs and extensions are. Sheeesh!! Speed

It didn't used to be so bad,but then,as I hear it,some flakes started stealing people's older cars that broke down on Hwy 395 North of Reno and selling 'em to the scrap yards,so the laws got ridiculous. Now,NOBODY actually knows what the rules are ( as evidenced by the widely differing rules from one yard to the next.),so I think the scrap yards just spin the wheel to decide what we have to do to comply today. There HAS to be an easier way! Write me in for Nevada Governor,I guess. Speed

LOL-Actually,I've matured a little in my middle age;instead of a straight stack,I'm going with a burned out glass pack,then the straight stack.

Yeah-it's pretty much all little stuff;well-making it louder is kind of a big deal. ....... Speed

Hi all; Just thought I'd check in and tell you,my EH is back home!! I had it stored at a friend's place about 6 miles away,so I'd have room here at the house to get some other projects done. Today I drove the '54 GMC out to storage,swapped the battery into the and drove it home. The plan is to do some work on it to get it road legal,however marginally it may be. Some of what I'm listing might never happen,some things will be done a couple of years from now,or later,unless I get extremely lucky. Some of the things I want to get done are: *Eventually replace the windshield,and repair the opener. *Install mudflap hangers and mudflaps.Later,get some Mack ones. *Re-plumb the HydraVac,only prettier this time. *Kit the rear wheel cylinders,possibly the front too. *Pack the wheel bearings. *Change the dual air horns to a single one. *Engineer an air system,and plumb in a set of glad hands. *Straighten the left door frame and door so the latch works. *Replace the door glass and channels,fit power windows kit. *Correct the speedometer. *Change leaky seals on the pinion and the Brownie input yoke. *Change the lube on the boxes. *Find the right oil filter and do an oil change. *Install 3 inch lift blocks on the front axle. *Might need to replace a couple of U-joints. *Replace the heater fan motor. *Replace the steering wheel,if I can find one. *Install a windshield wiper set up. *Loud-up the exhaust a little. *It'll need a clutch,eventually. *Install 10.00R-20's,which I already have. *Get the left door graphics duplicated on the right door. *Build a top for the glove box.(Open cowl vent empties it.) As soon as I have the brakes working well,I need to go get the 40 foot trailer I have stored in Ryndon,which will involve swapping some wheels to different positions and installing the take-offs from the truck to make a passably matched set before I'll be able to move it,and tow it to where my other vehicles are located. If I have the air system worked out,this'd be a good chance to "smoke-test" it. Don't know how much I'll be able to get done,but if I set one thing at a time as a goal,it'll move along. Speed

Reminded me of my favorite parts store,in Stead,North of Reno,where I used to buy a lot of parts,not because of any similarity to that,but more for being the opposite. The owner got so tired of me requesting a part,him trying to look it up but it's too old to be in the 'puter,he finally got to where he'd just say,"Well,you know where the parts books are-come back here and look it up. You can probably track it down faster than I can anyway..." Most everything he normally stocked,he rarely even had to check numbers-he could just walk back to the shelves and pick it for me,and it'd be right! He kept asking me to come to work for him,but I was already working two jobs so I'd just fill in for him a little on weekends sometimes. (He said the only reason he even had the computer was that it was the only way he could track the inventory and automatically reorder parts he sold. A good parts counter person is the single most important reason I shop a particular parts store;I don't even mind paying more for a part if the person looking it up knows the books,and knows to listen to the customers answers when they ask for more detailed info. I also appreciate when the parts man or woman knows how to work with a non-original,transplanted or "cross-pollinated" vehicle,since probably 98% of everything I've ever owned was a ways from stock or original,often Ranch-Customized,and sometimes it takes a bit of a Detective to figure out what make of car or truck the needed part comes from,since it clearly isn't from the brand of rig it's on. I often had problems with parts people who thought my 1957 GMC pick up was a Chevy,so the 283 valve cover gaskets the book showed under "Chevrolet and GMC" HAVE to fit my stock GMC 347 Pontiac engine. Speed

I know what you mean about what the dealers stock nowadays. I've been running into the same problem on my ol' Harley;it's a '79 Shovelhead,and the last 4 Harley dealers I've been to had nothing in stock that'd fit it specifically,not even an oil filter! But they'd be GLAD to order parts,if they can find a listing on their computers for 'em. Even the little Mom-n-Pop scooter shops carry precious little for anything that's not an EVO motor or one of the new 120 inchers. Oh,well-screw 'em-I have my own books now,so who needs a shop? I pestered the Dealer here for a long time to find out why Harley couldn't produce an anniversary model of the '69 Shovel,the '57 Pan,the '47 Knuck,built as original except for better oil system,charging system and brakes. They'd sell faster than they could ever hope to make 'em,regardless of price,but it'd be all us old farts buying 'em,and that'd also mean they'd have to stock OLD PARTS!! (I did find a place that sells a vintage style kit bike that can use all factory parts,but is made with new aftermarket stuff. The main downsides are it can't be titled as a 1947 Harley,it'd be a 2010 Special Construction. Just doesn't sound as cool,and the insurance would be pretty huge. And the price for a do-it-yourself-motorcycle is about $14,000. I think the restore idea has a lot of merit though. there's a guy in California who goes out across the country buying VW hippie vans and restores and refurbishes 'em,then sells 'em for big bucks,I think I read they were starting at around 15K. Never has a problem getting 'em sold,either. Would an old restored truck bring on any issues with the DOT or the Commercial insurance carriers? A guy that used to deliver cheese to the distributor I worked for a long time ago drove a truck he built from a fairly late model(back then)Pete that was rolled,with a Caterpillar yellow B model cab and front group on it,with all the pretty stuff. He said he had a hard time getting any contracts because the clients just couldn't believe a truck that old could be reliable. He finally had to show the title to prove the drivetrain,frame and suspension really wasn't that old,then had to try to prove that NO,it NEVER breaks down. Luckily,he finally got hooked up with this dairy outfit who told him they'd take his word for reliability,and if it started missing runs due to breakdowns,the deal was over. Far as I know,he still runs for 'em. I went to the local KW dealer looking for an old style clear-with-glitter KW shift Knob for my BroncWorth,and the parts man couldn't even find a mention of it. He didn't even know who MIGHT have 'em. I think his words were something like,"Wow-damn,I can't even remember the last time I had to find parts for a truck that ran THAT kind of transmission!" A couple of days after that,I was helping a friend pull the engine/trans. out of a '48 GMC pick up,and it had just what I wanted in the glove box. Speed

Well,I talked to a "Higher-Up" at Nevada DMV in Carson City today about my "lack of title" problem on the '54. She says the registered letter is no longer acceptable. Also,the guy who had the truck before me can get in big trouble for giving it to me,because technically he didn't own it. (no title) It sounds like if I can just track down a relative of the woman who owned the truck before she died,he or she can get a replacement title by bringing all the pertinent numbers and info,and a death certificate and their authorization to conduct the deceased owner's business to DMV,so it looks like I need to do some detective work. Once all the elections are over,I'm gonna start working on the new "lawmakers" to improve the process in Nevada for getting titles on old cars and trucks. We can't even scrap an old junker from out in the hills without a title,unless we cut it up,to a point where it's "not recognizable as a car". Personally,I think that's a pretty loose criteria,extremely open to one scrap yard worker's personal judgement. I figure it's cut up enough when it can no longer be assembled into an operable vehicle;that,I assume,is their intent. I decided not to put too much more time into the '54 GMC until I have a title for it. I'll probably keep gathering parts for it though. Since I have some driveway open,I think maybe I should take the '54 out to where the rest of my stuff is stored,and bring the in,to work on some of the stuff IT needs done. OR,I probably should drop the tanks on the Chevy one ton and clean 'em out,swap in the good gas senders,replace the rubber lines,change the transfer valve and switch and install a new fuel pump,and hook up a choke,and fix the tach,and replace the speedo cable and some dash light bulbs,and tune it up,so it'll be reliable this winter (it has a KICK ASS heater! )but I'd rather work on the . This stuff on the one ton is all-well,ALMOST all,just minor stuff that's gone sideways in the time I've been abusing-driving it,but the stuff the needs is stuff it's been needing,and I've put off to work on other trucks I used almost every day. I just feel like it's time to attend to the 's needs. Well,guess I'll see how things look tomorrow. Speed

WOOOOOOEEEEEY-That's a recipe for disaster,and I know a lot about those recipes,having used many of 'em before... Speed

She'd have to be working School Zones etc.; Those ol' Harley trikes are only good for about 55-60 miles per hour tops (no pun intended). Speed

That's about it; I did a '53 GMC,an MG and an English Ford and it's really easy. Re-polarizing the generator reverses the ground through the charging system,and the Amp meter is the only gauge I needed to do anything to;the rest of 'em don't care which way the current flows.You can skip the amp meter,too,but it'll read a discharge when it's charging and vice versa,but the charging system will still work the same. I'm not sure on radio,none of my projects had one to worry about,but I don't think they're affected. Speed

Guess we're lucky around here. as far as I know,we don't see those spiders-too high elevation (5,200 feet),I'm told. we get some pretty big Black Widders,though,gotta be careful what you pick up out in the yard or in the shop,they hide behind stuff on shelves,in drawers,under boards etc. in the yard. As far as I know,they donn't kill ya unless you have a weak immune system (which I do,being diabetic)but they make you feel like you might prefer dying because it'd feel better. I'm not too fond of Bugs as a species-I don't mind killing most spiders (daddy longlegs and some garden spiders are known to be okay),all ants,earwigs,wasps,hornets,centipedes,gnats,mosquitoes,roaches and any bugs I don't recognize. anyway,glad you're on the mend,and especially glad your Wife did the right thing and you listened. Might be worth finding some of those bug foggers that kill the Recluse,and pop the cap on one and toss it into the trailer then go have a cuppa coffee before you go into the trailer to work. Start relying on the gun to protect you,the insurance company's gonna wanna know why they're suddenly getting all these claims for fixing bullet holes in furniture... Speed

I fooled with the charging system a little more,and by kicking the High beams on,the charge rate drops to about 20 amps at road speed;I tried smacking the regulator with the big screwdriver's handle,but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. Maybe everything is working okay-it's been so long since I had anything with a generator I've forgotten what their characteristics are,outside of "they don't charge worth a damn at idle". After puttering around town with the truck for a little while,the Clark doesn't seem too hard to get used to. The 2 speed is even more user friendly than I thought it would be. I moved a trailer for a friend today;it was a little more work than I wanted to get into,but was actually easier than I expected it to be. I took pics of it,so I can post one. Speed

16 inch,18 inch-once the barrel gets past a foot in diameter,it's all kinda academic,innit?

Hi all; I did a little more work on the '54 a couple of days ago,and got the charging system to charge. Acts like the VR is bad,though,charges about 5 amps at idle,and 50 amps at running speed. I'll try the "Whack it with a big screwdriver" treatment tomorrow. Anyway,I drove it around for about 10 minutes,got to use all the gears,though never had room to run it out in top gears. seems to shift well enough,and none of the boxes are especially noisy. The 2 speed shifts okay,but dropped out of High into "neutral" once,which I took to indicate it's leaking a little vacuum through a line somewhere. I'm working towards getting a title for it now;Dutch sent me some info he got on petitioning the court for title and ownership. If I can go that route,I pay a $49.00 filing fee,which is not refundable,give a letter to the Judge explaining how I ended up with the truck,what my intention is,and why I should have the title,and I'm given a court date. then,I appear before the Judge,and he or she either denies my request or gives me a document which I take to DMV and they put through for my title. So far,my options are this,taking the truck to Garcia Towing in Wells,paying $120.00 and leaving it for a couple of months then paying the other $120.00 to get a title,or going through another title outfit,many of whom get titles from other,easier states,which are regarded with great suspicion here in Nevada. The ID number doesn't show up in the system through Nevada DMV,so either it was last titled in another state,(I suspect California,because the rearmost driveline section was built by a shop in Sacramento,Ca.according to the sticker on it.)or it was only registered in Nevada from another State's paperwork,which I'm told was common years ago. I learned I could also file a civil action through Justice Court to get "Ownership and Title of an abandoned vehicle",for $275.00. (Don't see THAT happening) If I can get the name and some kind of address for the last registered owner on record,I can still do the registered letter trick,but there was NO info with this truck. I'll figure something out. Speed

I drove by one,once.

A little girl wrote to Sarah Palin and asked; 'How did the human race start?' Sarah Palin answered, 'God made Adam and Eve; They had children; and so was all mankind made.' Two days later the girl wrote to Michelle Obama and asked the same question. Michelle Obama answered, 'Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved.' The confused girl went to her father and said, 'Dad, how is it possible that Sarah Palin told me the Human race was created by God, and Michelle Obama said they evolved from monkeys.' The father answered, 'Well, Dear, it is very simple, Sarah Palin told you about her ancestors and Michelle Obama told you about hers.'

Yeah-it really is actually in pretty good shape;has a little rot in the cab corners,but unlike most everything else I have,at least the rot is in places where I can get patch panels. I worked on the truck some more today;checked the boxes and all were good except the Main box appears to be EMPTY. Speaking of that-where do they put the ID numbers on the Clark transmissions? I hope it's not on the right side,there's a shifter for the brownie and a big-ass parking brake bracket hanging off the right side. I also put the glass pack muffler on it,sounds much better. Checked the plugs,#4 was a little oily,but the rest looked good,but badly worn. Checked compression on 3 and 4;3 was 150#,4 was 145,so it looks to me like maybe it'll live. Apparently,there is no provision on this engine for a mechanical fuel pump. I expected to see a block off plate behind the electric fuel pump mount,but there's nothing back there. I may be getting my facts wrong,but I think I recall reading that some military 302 engines didn't use manual fuel pumps,so maybe this was a military engine. Tried re-polarizing the generator,but it still doesn't charge. I'll probably put an alternator on it later. I worked on the lights a little while I was checking electrics. I fixed the front turn signals,,four way flashers,traced the wiring back to where the tail lights will be once I clean up some connections. The wiring to the headlights and dimmer switch still needs some work;all I can get working is one high beam. No low beam,and nothing on the other side. I saw that all the accessory wiring runs through 3 terminal strips under the hood,and one little box by the regulator with 2 fuses in it. Part of getting the signals to work was loosening and re-tightening the turn signal wires on those strips,so maybe the same trick will work on the headlights. I probably should clean up the connections on the dimmer switch too. They're gonna be a bear to get to! Looked at the master cylinder,and it looks like it could be leaking;can't tell if it is or if it's wet from spilling brake fluid filling it. I'm going to wash the outside down with carb cleaner and bleed it a little tomorrow. I also picked up 4 badly used 11.00R-22.5's to try on the '57 GMC dump flatbed. They're junk tires,but they'll work okay just to check clearances;then,if it looks like they'll clear everything okay,I'll throw some effort (and money ) into getting some better used tires. I'm always amazed at how addictive a new project can be. Speed

My 2 speed is vacuum shifted,so I don't anticipate using it much-probably just leave it in High.(There used to be a conversion kit to make it electric,but I can't find anyone who knows anything about it or where to get one.) If it was electric,I might consider trying using it and the Brownie,see how THAT mix works out for running empty. I suspect I'll have enough reduction gears to do whatever I need to do,and,I suspect,a double overdrive. This may very well end up being just a recreational "Driver",so I probably won't get too serious about the shifting. Hell,just the main box shift pattern's probably gonna result in a lotta scratched gears before I get used to it. Just the little I've messed with it so far,it feels all non-synchro,too. BUT-first things first;I'm going to get the fuel system working right,get the brakes working right,and get the electrics and lights working right,and to a complete service on the truck. I need to find a set of West Coast mirrors to fit this,because I just don't like to drive a truck this size that doesn't have proper mirrors. I also need mirrors for my EH,for the same reason. Speed

Hi all; Okay-the '54 is home. I got a couple of pics once it was here,just don't have 'em downloaded yet. One of these is where I'd created enough space to park it,the other is on the road coming into town with it. Some things I discovered about it: STILL no brakes. On my list to work on that problem. Carb appears to be freshly rebuilt. very clean inside. Not much torque evident;Probably more fuel pressure,a tune up and some back pressure on the exhaust will help a lot. It has a Clark 5 speed;is there a difference in the shift pattern between the DD and the OD? I think I was told that 4th and 5th are reversed in the shift patterns,but that was 20 years ago,so The Brownie is a 5531,which was originally in an IH truck. The wipers don't work. It's tempting to put one of those hot rod wipers kits on my want list,but I'll probably just re-plumb it and rebuild the vacuum wiper motor,and add a big-ass vacuum tank. Stiff clutch-needs to be adjusted. Or replaced. Runs good-stays at around 165 degrees,holds 60# oil pressure cold,45# warmed up. Need to run a compression test. Generator isn't charging. Don't know if the generator needs to be re-polarized or the regulator points need to be cleaned. Fuel pump isn't pumping. Manual pump is missing,electric pump is going but no volume or pressure. I plan to use the manual pump off my '57 GMC dump truck since I'll be switching it to a 292 Chevy anyway. Heater blower works,both speeds. Horn works-sounds like a WWII Jeep horn. Gas gauge will likely work if I replace the toggle switch that switches from main tank sender to saddle tank sender. Parking brake works well,but is very sudden and really hard to reach and use while moving. Feels and sounds like all the boxes are dry. Another thing to check out while under the truck. Speedometer cable is missing,will have to be custom made,due to different trans. and aux. trans. Feels like the steering is fairly tight,steers good on the road. A little grease will make it a lot better. It's very LOUD! Only has about 3 feet of 3" headpipe,no muffler. I have a glasspack header muffler for it though. And I'll have to give it a stack. No knocks in the engine,no excessively noisy valves. Engine has a miss,but after sitting for over 10 years,it's probably a plug or wire,or both. A full tune up is in order. No coolant leaks,noticed the heater's bypassed. Rides and steers just like my EH,but with a softer seat. Come to think of it-it STOPS like my EH,too! Could really use an electric 2 speed shifter ;the dash mounted switch is going to be awkward to split gears with. No title. Not a problem,really,just a $240.00 expense I could do without. All in all,not a bad deal-I'm happy. Speed

Damn!! She must've been built by ! Too bad ya didn't get the option to trade the paperweight for the "spokesmodel",at least for a while.

I'm assuming those jackets are no longer being sold;if or someone still carries 'em,I'll have to work towards getting one. Very good looking jacket! Speed

Regarding the Legal Immigration process being excessively tough,I think a lot of what LEGAL immigrants have to learn and be tested on serve as a means of setting their resolve to completely walk away from the Country they're leaving. It's kind of a "mud test" to find out if they REALLY want to be Americans,through and through,or just want the title to show their friends. The laws say they must renounce their allegiance to their home country and the test they undergo proves,in part,their allegiance to their NEW home country. I don't believe it would be beneficial to make the process easier,but it WOULD be good to make it faster. It really is ridiculous for it to take over ten years for people to become legal Citizens,and there's no legitimate reason for it to be that way. By comparison,just stop insuring your truck,and see how fast THAT situation comes to a head! Whatever happens,until we close the borders and clear out the illegals,things can only get worse. Speed

07-27-10 Hi all; Well,I went back out to the GMC today with plans to pour some Marvel into the cylinders,try to get the brakes working,and do some serious cleaning on the truck. The plan was to let the Mystery oil have a few days to soak before I tried to crank it over,then do a one-day thrash to get it running and bring it home. I decided to move the truck to a better place to work on it,about a quarter mile down the road. I hooked my tow strap around the hitch on the BroncWorth and hooked the other end to the tow hooks on the GMC's front bumper,locked the hubs in and put it in 4-Low and it pulled the GMC out to the road,I stopped as soon as I had it pointed straight,put the GMC transmission in 3rd and the Brown-Lipe in high,tied the steering,and pulled it to where I could work on it without all the sage brush and goat heads to contend with. Since the engine turned over,I won't have to wait for the cylinders to un-stick. Next thing I wanted to do was get rid of the mouse crap off the floor,out of the glove box,and out from under the seat. The first two areas weren't as bad as I thought,but under the seat-it was PACKED with mouse crap and padding out of the seat! I got most of it out,once I have it home I'll wash it out with the garden hose and a scrub brush. In the process found a lug wrench that fits the lugs,two tail lights,two spare fan belts,half dozen reflectors,couple of screwdrivers,a ventilation fan,a spare starter and the most recent plates off the truck,expired in '92. The brakes didn't get much done to 'em because I couldn't get the master cylinder cap loose,but I do have a plan for next trip. It's a 3/4 inch square head,so I'll use my 3/4 to 1/2 adapter off my big ratchet,tap it into a 1/2 square socket,and break the cap loose with a hammer and impact driver. I'm about 80% sure if I can fill the M/C up and pump the brakes a while,it'll have brakes. There's still a little work to do on it to make it run, (The battery cable ends are junk,the fuel filter is missing,and it needs a couple of quarts of oil and some coolant)but I'm hoping to be able to drive it home next trip. I might even try to get a little video of it actually moving,if it runs. I decided,assuming everything is serviceable,to leave it pretty much as is,except for maybe some better tires,re-decking the bed and,of course,a stack,with a short glass pack just before it. Then,all that's left will be getting a title for it. I'll try to get more pics as I get more done. Speed