1966 c20 [Archive] - 6066 (1960-1966) GMC Truck Club

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Hantke

December 24th, 2014, 12:02 AM

Okay, now that I have a new-to-me truck, it's time to get started with the fun stuff!
First day in the shop:
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It looks like a SM420, its a 4 speed with the reverse on the left, and a 250 I6 from what I've found so far.

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Hantke

December 24th, 2014, 12:11 AM

Info on the kick panel:
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No spin!
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I think it's a 250 I6
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GMCDAC

December 24th, 2014, 12:49 AM

Thanks for the update on your new project. It looks like a good cleaning will bring back some of it's former glory! I sure hope you keep us posted.

Is this truck running? Looks like it may be. I brought one in similar condition back from scrap status a few years back, a '55 GMC half ton. The engine and tranny combo is nearly identical. Near as I can figure it is about a 1966 230 I-6 someone put in it many years ago. Was a non-runner but 5 years later I am still pleased with the driveability and mileage that engine gets.

Like you I hope to own a 6066 GMC with the V-6 someday.

I Would dig more pics!

DAC

Hantke

December 24th, 2014, 12:53 AM

Hantke

December 25th, 2014, 07:55 PM

I'm compiling my list of things to do. Trying to decide if I want to keep the 250I6 or not, it's not the original engine so i won't be messing with the character of the truck, but I think I want to keep it for now.

So far we my todo list includes:
(Not in this order)
Weld new floor panel in (inside along rockers on the driver side is where the hole is)
Rebuild Carb
Get air intake filter
fix or replace headers
replace exhaust (same time as headers)
get windshield wipers
clean all the paint
fix dents
Bondo dents not fixable
paint with rustoleum
Primer with a good filler primer
Paint truck
Paint inside of cab
get new bench seat
Remove rotten plywood and bed wood with mushrooms growing out of it (sorry, but I don't need a mushroom farm in my truck haha)
Remove the bed
Sand the frame
Paint the frame with rustoleum to protect it
Replace the shocks (springs front and back? I was surprised to find springs in the back)
Remove tires / wheels and repaint the wheels
Get new wheels (I dislike the current steelies, though I might keep them and paint them black)
New windshield and windshield seal (not as important right now)
Fix factory A/C (it's got hoses going to the AC box in the back of the dash. But it seems like it's missing something.
Test the cooling system ( rad hoses get hot, needs to be topped off and overflow added, then verify flow to / from heater) (also need to replace the heat / cool panel insides(

So I've got a lot to do it looks like! The main thing for me right now is to fix the floor when I can afford to, and get it licensed to drive and insured, and definitely that exhaust needs to go!

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Hantke

January 2nd, 2015, 03:52 AM

Okay, so I've decided on my first project to be undertaken, fixing the lights! Both headlights were working, then only one, and now it only works as a high beam. I'm not sure if this is wiring or if it is just bad headlights (though my assumption was that when a halogen went out it was completely out, not just high or low). The tail lights work (but are extremely dim, perhaps a bad ground?) and the blinkers light up. Unfortunately the wiring is kind of hacked up from the engine swap and there are a lot of wires I'm not sure about. But I think making it street legal takes precedence over any other projects I have in mind. If you have any input, that would be great!

Hantke

January 2nd, 2015, 03:56 AM

I'm also going to look into the parking brake cable, as mine is currently disconnected. (These parking brakes are cool!

ron david

January 3rd, 2015, 05:26 AM

have you washed it yet?
ron

Hantke

January 3rd, 2015, 07:32 AM

Not yet, just a bit with a hose which took a lot of the stuff off, I spent the last few days moving and just finally got a break. I ended up at a friends house this weekend that i haven't seen for a while and visiting with another good friend who is on leave from the army now, but he's shipping out to Baghdad here pretty soon so I decided visiting them was a bit more important. I did get everything ready before leaving, so when I get back on Sunday (or maybe Monday) ill pressure wash her clean and rebuild the carb, that should help a lot, and I've got till the 6th off, so I've got a bit of time. I'll definitely add pictures after a good wash though.

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GMCDAC

January 4th, 2015, 12:04 AM

Yep she runs alright, I have a spare carb so I can rebuild it and that should fix the small issues it has. I just need to weld a panel on the floor and fix up the rust hole. Then I'll hit her with a power washer and repaint her eventually!

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My 230 had the Rochester Model B carb on it like that one, as well as a 250 engine I got later. They seem to be pretty good carbs, but both of them require a throttle cable to keep fast idle when the choke is opened. I fell into a deal for 3 Rochester model M parts carbs that "set" the fast idle with the choke cable so you just "kick" it down when desired. I was able to build one out of the 3 and like it much better.

Looking forward to seeing your Chevy all cleaned up!

DAC

Hantke

January 7th, 2015, 05:45 AM

Hantke

January 7th, 2015, 06:08 AM

Also, are those hinged gizmos by my feet a cold / fresh air vent for the cab?

GMCDAC

January 8th, 2015, 02:17 AM

Sorry I haven't been updating, but for some reason the Tapatalk app won't load this forum, and my iPhone won't open it either! (unfortunately all my pics are on the iPhone, so ill have to sort that out late).

So, the headlights! i spent about an hour and a half drinking with my volt meter testing the headlight wires every foot to a few inches from start to finish, didn't find anything. Finally looked closer at the headlight (like i should have in the firs place) and found that it was broken and full of water. replaced both lights with two new ones, and, LET THERE BE LIGHT! not a single issue in the darn thing! now unfortunately my volt meter crapped out on me, so I'm hoping the tail light on the same side is the same issue (a new tail light bulb is only like $3.50 anyways). my right rear blinker works, but some idiot cut the wires on the front blinker between the fire wall and the hood, no left blinker at all.

I'm still having the startup issue though. I bought a carb rebuild kit thinking i would rebuild it (it turned out to be a general rebuild kit, so a lot of spare parts and i was lost!) so about half way through i decided I would just brake clean parts of it, replace the jet and needle, then replace the fuel filter and gaskets and i would just put it back together. Now it leaks gas through the gasket and it STILL doesn't start!!! when i get some time (either in the morning tomorrow, thursday, or some time friday) I will take the carb back off, and (depending on how motivated i'm feeling) either take it apart again and carb dip it (costs money that i don't have) or just trouble shoot it as much as i can.

things i know so far:
1. when fuel line is put in a bottle and the starter is turned over it will squirt fuel into the bottle
2. fule filter is clean
3. the carb will be getting an air filter soon
4. Motorcycle carbs are NOT, i repeat, NOT the same as these carbs!
5. i changed the bottom of the float to the float bowl measurement from 1 7/8" to 1 3/4" as the instructions said to.
6. if i dump even a little gas into the carb it starts up fine with no issues
7. I will be removing the choke line and just adjusting it by hand until the truck is warm, then I can go and drive somewhere. (choke cable keeps binding)
8. I wouldn't mind (at all) if i could just put a small edelbrock or holley carb that i understand how to use on here, but this one is kind of fun to tinker with (though i would appreciate being able to afford to think more)

any tips on carb work? its a rochester monojet "B" series (B for basic?? lol) i found some videos on youtube, but the guys on there seem to have some bad habits.

Also, are those hinged gizmos by my feet a cold / fresh air vent for the cab?

Yeah the B is pretty basic, but like all old carbs a good bath in carb cleaner should be the first order of business. Since you said gas is leaking around the gasket, I am assuming the gasket between the top plate/air horn and the float bowl body. That means the fuel bowl is overfilling and normally stuck or damaged needle and seat or binding floats cause that. Too high of a float level can too but you said that you went with the lower measurement.

The model B has two connected floats and they must be parallel or flat with each other and must not rub on the carb body anywhere through up and down travel. Like I said in my earlier post your model B may need to have a throttle cable as well as the choke cable to keep the idle high enough to run while the engine is warming up. That is why I built a Rochester model M, choke cable is all that was needed.

Many of these V-6 folks here have knowledge of other 1 BBL carbs, but I'm not qualified to say. Most seem to do a 2 BBL.

Pics of my Model B carbs and of the Model M that I put on my 230.

Oh yeah those hinged gizmos are fresh air vents.

DAC

Hantke

January 8th, 2015, 02:54 AM

Now that's a pretty engine! I have a second carb as well that in tempted to test, both need a rebuild and a carb dip but they are waiting on my broke college kid budget for it! Lol I'd trade em both for a working replacement to save the hassle of doing it myself. Thanks for the tip on the vents, one was kicked and is broken, but I'll fix that when I get there. I still haven't got the ash tray out yet! But I'll get there. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll get the chance to go and rebuild it properly. Or there is a guy near me that rebuilds them for $100 + materials, if I can't do it right I think I'll ask if he will take the other carb in trade for rebuilding mine.
I've got some serious clean up to do! Random stuff sticking out of the engine is throwing me for a loop right now.

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Hantke

January 8th, 2015, 02:57 AM

GMCDAC

January 8th, 2015, 04:00 AM

Even your valve cover doesn't have a random hole in it plugged with rubber. I also noticed the dip stick says fill - add, but even higher up there is a big E on it. I'd like to pull the valve cover and paint it so something looks pretty haha.

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I think the random hole is the oil fill, same spot as my screw-in one! College kid!---I have one graduated and another that will be next spring. That's cool, not many of them interested in old trucks. Between the full and add lines is all you need to be concerned with on the dipstick.

The ash tray deal is kinda funny to me. My wife bought a non-running '64 Chevy pickup a couple years ago to help out the owner. 300 bucks. Glitch was they told her it was a GMC. I went to pull it home and it was a Chevy. Anyway while I was parting it out, the ash tray would not open. I finally just pried it and a pair of fingernail clippers had wedged into it just right to hold it firmly closed!

Just to give you a little incentive on cleaning up the engine, here's a pic of my 230 the day I got it and cleaning and painting the engine cost me less than 30 bucks. That was only because when I scraped the grime and rust out of the freeze plugs I hit water! They were rusted out.

DAC

Hantke

January 8th, 2015, 04:50 AM

I think the random hole is the oil fill, same spot as my screw-in one! College kid!---I have one graduated and another that will be next spring. That's cool, not many of them interested in old trucks. Between the full and add lines is all you need to be concerned with on the dipstick.

The ash tray deal is kinda funny to me. My wife bought a non-running '64 Chevy pickup a couple years ago to help out the owner. 300 bucks. Glitch was they told her it was a GMC. I went to pull it home and it was a Chevy. Anyway while I was parting it out, the ash tray would not open. I finally just pried it and a pair of fingernail clippers had wedged into it just right to hold it firmly closed!

Just to give you a little incentive on cleaning up the engine, here's a pic of my 230 the day I got it and cleaning and painting the engine cost me less than 30 bucks. That was only because when I scraped the grime and rust out of the freeze plugs I hit water! They were rusted out.

DAC

I thought the top of the valve cover where it said OIL was the fill, if you look closely between the fuel line and vacuum hose you can see it, it looks like a screw through a rubber hose then was jammed in the side of the valve cover!

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top down view:

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So i was going to show you a better picture, but photo bucket decided it wasn't going to work for me (go figure) so i can't upload any new pictures because they don't "click" with photo bucket.

I noticed the inside of the oil cap was milky (actually, it looked like a kid blew his nose into it) and was concerned, so i pulled the dipstick (which ironically took the entire tube with it) and the oil had a slight smell of gas to it (very slight, maybe nonexistent and i just thought that because I was standing next to a gas tank).

So my goals for tomorrow (before class)
bring pressure washer with me so I can wash the truck off (finally)
re-attempt carb rebuild. Probably dis-assemble the carb then put it in the carb dip. I'll come back to it tomorrow morning.
put the other carb on the truck and see if it runs smoothly (if so, I can back it out of the shop and wash it, if not, i will wash it tomorrow).

and yes, i'm 20, 21 in 6 months, I guess that makes me a young-un doesn't it? I love these trucks though, coolest body styles of any truck is the 1960-1966 Chevy / GMC pickups, plus no emissions laws anywhere I go, no legal limits on motor swaps (apparently they have laws regarding engine swaps in newer vehicles in oregon) makes these trucks the perfect puttsing around vehicle for me, and hopefully it will be a good reliable work truck / cruiser for me pretty soon. :thumbsup:

GMCDAC

January 9th, 2015, 02:57 AM

Hantke

January 9th, 2015, 03:10 AM

Ok sorry to insult you since it says "OIL" on it!---LOL! I did miss that protruding out of the side of the valve cover obviously. Neither of my I-6's have that, so I couldn't tell you if some did or not.

Yeah 20 darn-near makes you a grand-young-un to me! I prefer driving older trucks too, my newest is a 1991 GMC but I only use it when the wind chills are around zero or lower, or over 90* or so as the A/C works good!

Keep us posted---DAC

Well, being productive in class right now, I got a bucket of carb dip from a very nice person this morning, so tomorrow I will roll it out the door and pressure wash it nice and clean! then i really hope it will start up right finally!

ever use that royal purple oil treatment? its supposed to help with low compression and high mileage engines. I'm thinking about giving it a shot when I replace the oil.

I really have no idea why that hole is there, but I would like either a new valve cover or a better plug, I've been able to pull just about every part right off the block. I have NO idea how it made it this far! but I'm determined to make it last for another infinite amount of years.

bigblockv6

January 9th, 2015, 05:25 AM

The rubber push on "OIL" cap was introduced in the early 70's mainly around 1973 depending on which GM division it was. GMC introduced the rubber cap in 1973 on the all their gas V6 engines. Looking at the pic of the 250 inline six it appears also to have the newer style valve cover as well so that could put it as a 1973-74, possibly someone may have just changed the valve cover but definitely not a 1975 on up as those engines had an integral cylinder head and intake manifold.

Hantke

January 9th, 2015, 05:52 AM

Cool, thanks. The truck was originally a 327 V8 then converted later on. Do you know what that plug is for?

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Hantke

January 9th, 2015, 06:12 AM

Cool, I know it was a 327 V8, then swapped to a 250 I6 afterwards. I still want to figure out about the hole, though I really need to find a better plug for it and fix all the random loose stuff. Thanks for the info!

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Hantke

January 9th, 2015, 06:13 AM

My phone is jacking up, not sure if any of my previous posts went through or not, but I'll check in tomorrow and fix anything that is messed up.

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Jeannie

January 9th, 2015, 01:38 PM

ever use that royal purple oil treatment? its supposed to help with low compression and high mileage engines. I'm thinking about giving it a shot when I replace the oil.

Hantke,

Marvel Mystery Oil is a common additive for low compression issues. Many members report good results from it. If memory serves it is around $24.00 per gallon at major Wal-Mart supercenters.

-Jeannie

6066 GMC Club

bigblockv6

January 9th, 2015, 03:46 PM

Cool, thanks. The truck was originally a 327 V8 then converted later on. Do you know what that plug is for?

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You mean the plug on the side of the valve cover? That was used for the hose and pipe that ran into the air cleaner, basically the breather for a closed ventilation system. It would be a good Idea to route one up to make it complete before you blow out a main seal.

Hantke

January 9th, 2015, 06:02 PM

That's good to know, I know it will fall out if you so much as look at it funny right now. Would it be OK to put one of those little breather filters on it? I don't have an air filter yet, so I can't hook it to that yet.

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bozzhogg

January 9th, 2015, 06:03 PM

In respect to your head lite's have you tried replacing the dimer switch. I had the same problem on my '72 GMC dump truck and that's what it turned out to be. Ross Durham, NC '66 GMC with '12 flat bed, '72 GMC dump.

Hantke

January 9th, 2015, 06:05 PM

It turns out the headlights were shot, I replaced them both and they both work fine now. I'm lucky that was the issue, because my multi meter just broke!

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Hantke

January 10th, 2015, 12:17 AM

So I finished the rebuild today, and WOOOOOHOOOOO it started with the first turn of the key! But now it's definitely leaking gas and I'm not sure if it's the carb gasket or if it's the new fuel filter. The carb doesn't back fire, but when I turn it off it does smoke for a couple minutes.

The whole carb and obvious wet spot (all gas)
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The wet gasket (wet along the edges)
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Bigger picture
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Before the fuel filter was just screwed in, so I removed it and added a rubber gasket (neoprene) in between, and it still leaked! I'm not sure where it's coming from and I don't think it would be the gasket, though it's a definite possibility. I'm going to re-adjust the floats to sit lower in the bowl and see if that fixes it, if not, I'm lost.

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FetchMeAPepsi

January 10th, 2015, 12:32 AM

Do you have someone that can jump in and start it tomorrow after it's all dried out? That way you could watch and see where it starts.

Hantke

January 10th, 2015, 12:42 AM

That was my plan, now that it starts easy. I did take the top half of the carb off and scrape it a lot. I might take it all off and sand it a little to make a better mating surface

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Culver Adams

January 10th, 2015, 07:18 PM

Hello Hantke,

My Rochester carb experience is limited to the "Model B". Your "Model 3M" shares the same "brilliance" in the design of the joint between airhorn (bowl cover/top) and bowl (bottom). Older Rochesters are known to leak at this joint.

Following is a discussion regarding this problem with the "Model B". Hope it helps you deal with your "Model 3M".

---
ChevyAD-Carb-RochesterB-LeakRepair-CarburetorShop

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Subj: [oletrucks] Re: Leaking Rochester 1bbl. Any cure?
Date: 1/27/04
From: To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? (Dave)
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Re: 1950 GMC 1/2 ton.

We just rebuilt the head on the 235 six in the truck and got a replacement rebuilt carb from BFCI in Burbank. As soon as we bolted it together and idled the motor for several minutes, the main body gasket began getting moist and slightly seeping.

This is the third remanufactured carb we put on here. I checked the fuel pump pressure - 6 lbs. Shouldn't be too excessive for a brand new needle and seat. I spoke with Jim Carter's about it, and they admitted that most of the remanufactured carbs they sell will leak there too. Almost ever one of those old carbs have been rebuilt several times already, and over-tightened and warped slightly at the mating surfaces. This allows those leaks.

Any solutions, short of sealing it up with JB Weld??

Dave Destler

oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959

--
Subj: RE: [oletrucks] Re: Leaking Rochester 1bbl. Any cure?
Date: 1/27/04
From: To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? (Larry R. Kephart)
To: To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? (Oletrucks)

This is a posting from Jon (The Carburetor Shop) on the stovebolt site from last year that may help with the leaky Rochester problem:

(Posting from "Carbking" To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? on stovebolt.com forum)

Had Rochester only used 8 screws instead of 4 to hold the airhorn/bowl cover to the bowl on the "B" series carburetors, this would not be a problem. As they didn't, warpage from heating/cooling cycles causes an internal vacuum leak in the passage controlling the power valve, causing it to stay in the open position (too rich).

Double gaskets may work for awhile, but will hasten better repairs.

The procedure we use is very time-consuming, but also very simple and I will post here for do-it-yourselfers.

First obtain some scrap iron plate at least 3/8 inch thick. Drill holes in the plate to align with the airhorn/bowl screws; also machine the plate so that it can be placed flat on either the bowl or the air horn (or use two plates).

Now, screw the airhorn to the plate (snug, but do not tightened. With a feeler guage, measure the clearance between the airhorn and the plate. Take another plate and place on top of the airhorn; and using a rather sophisticated fixture (C-clamp), clamp the two plates together, squeezing the airhorn. Tighten the C-clamp to remove 0.003 inches; NO MORE. Set the assembly in an oven and heat to 400 degrees F. Allow to cool naturally. When cool, the C-Clamp will probably be loose.

The heat and tension reverse the warpage process. Repeat until warpage is gone. Repeat for the bowl.

Of course, in another 15 years, the problem will return.

Filing or milling the castings flat obviously removes metal, and the repair will be very temporary, and ruins the castings for proper repair. Best to take the time and do it right the first time.

Oh, one other thing, best to not use the oven belonging to your significant other!

Jon.

Larry Kephart
1955 1st 3100 Chevy (BillyBob)
1991 Jeep Wrangler (Renegade)
Boca Raton, Florida
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Date: 1/28/04
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Someone suggested: after a rebuild, soak the carb in a coffee can full of gas overnight before installing it.

I did just that with a leaking Rochester carb off my '49. It has been two years now and it still does not leak.

Brian

--
Subj: Re: [oletrucks] Re: Leaking Rochester 1bbl. Any cure?
Date: 1/28/04
From: To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? (tim)
To: To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? (Ole Truckers)

Brian Davis wrote:
> ...after a rebuild to soak the carb in a coffee can full of gas overnight before you install it... <

It's been a while since I took a class on Materials, but I'm having trouble seeing just what that would do.

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1954 Chevy 3100 Pickup "Peanut"
1954 Chevy 3100 Panel "Being paid for"

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Date: 1/28/04
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Hello Ole Truckers,

On the Rochester "B" overnight gas soak matter, I asked Steve, who operates our neighborhood service station. (He repeatedly says the worst mistake he ever made was to sell his 1949 AD 3100. In my book, that puts him in about the top 5 percentile of all service station operators. He'd be in the top 2 if he had kept it.)

He suggests three things could happen:

1) The gas, full of ethyl alcohol and butane additives, not to mention molasses mistakenly pumped into the railroad tank car somewhere up the line, eats through both the carburetor and the coffee can. In the morning it's all gone. If you're like me, you figure the thief needed what's gone more than I do: you buy a new carburetor and try to get on with your life.

2) The same gas, with the same stuff in it, softens the gaskets and saturates them with a good dose of gas varnish. The soft gaskets conform to the Rochester's twists. The varnish seals things up. No more gas leak.

3) It's called luck--kind of like hitting the oletruck's frame with a two-pound hammer to fix an electrical short you can't find. When it works you think the hammer is the best electrical tool ever invented.

Anybody know if Steve is on to something?

Regards,

Culver Adams
1951 Chevy 3100

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Date: 1/28/04
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I had leaky Rochester's.

The ultimate cure was to switch to 1bbl Carters (Stovebolt).

However, I was able to dramatically reduce--and on a couple of occassions completely stop--leaks by:
1) installing a fuel pressure gauge (NAPA) and running the pressure at about 2-1/2 to 3 lbs. (made a big diffence on leakage and no problem on performance).
2) disassembling the carb body and machining absolutely flat, and then polishing, the mating surfaces--both tops and bottoms. Then I put them back together and torqued the screws to get an even pull on the gaskets. It was expensive but it worked.

Steve G.

--
Date: 1/28/04
From: Cadamsarch
To: IDPHR

Hello Steve,

I like your thought--and results--about limiting fuel pressure to the carb.

Is there an easy way and are there off the shelf parts to do this?

From your experience, what is it about Carter carbs that makes them less leaky than Rochesters?

Thanks and Regards,

Culver Adams
1951 Chevy 3100

--
Date: 1/28/04
From: IDPHR
To: Cadamsarch

I have a '51 3100 which initially had a '54 full pressure 235.

I went with the Offy dual intake w/ Fenton headers, dual exhaust and a Mallory dual point ignition. Everything was great except the carbs were leaking and sometimes they would load-up and actually overflow. I rebuilt them and had pros rebuild them but still I had problems.

I asked the AD world for help: the fuel pressure suggestion seemed reasonable so I went to my local NAPA store and bought an adjustable fuel pressure gauge and intalled it between the fuel pump (I have a stock fuel pump) and the carbs. It reduced my problems immediately.

The other idea was just the result of deductive reasoning. Why does a carb leak? It leaks because fuel is able to seep through the mating surfaces or other holes in the carb. I studied mine and determined that the primary leak was between the air horn and the carb body. I had it taken apart machined absolutely flat and polished then put it back together taking care to properly align and torque the screws. It stopped the leaking. I've also considered epoxying the mating surfaces instead of gaskets. They do that a lot on Quadra-jet 4bbls.

As far as Carters are concerned, I have a lot of respect for the guy who runs Stovebolt Engine Co. He's a former automotive engineer for GM. His contention is that the Rochester's are not properly sized for the 235: they're to big. His solution was Carter 1 bbls: smaller, same performance, better gas mileage and no leaks.

Well, I had just purchased a rebuilt "58 235 for my truck and decided to try the Carters' (relatively inexpensive about $65. each). A great decision: all the things he said would happen did: the truck runs great, no leaks and I get about 18mpg (I got 12 with my 2 Rochesters).

Hope you're successful in solving your problems: let me know how you do.

Steve G.
1951 3100 PU
1952 Suburban Carryall
1970 El Camino SS 396

---
Regards and Hope this helps,

Culver Adams
Minneapolis, MN
1961 GMC K1500

PS: On my 1951 Chevy I replaced Rochester with Carter and have been happy since.

Hantke

January 10th, 2015, 09:32 PM

Good tip, thanks! I'm not sure if I want to jump into any serious repairs right now (mostly the $$ reason, my current income is about $20 more than what I spend on gas, so it will take time to accumulate the tools and other needed materials for a serious repair). My thoughts currently are to go to a parts store and get a thick sheet of gasket material (similar to the double gasket idea) and make my own custom gasket, so when I torque it down it will compensate for any differences in thickness, and while it won't provide a permanent fix, I think it should last until I can afford a proper fix (or even a carter style carb. Aren't those like the weber or Holley carbs now?). Do you think this would be a plausible temporary fix?

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Culver Adams

January 10th, 2015, 10:04 PM

Hello Hantke,

Were it mine, I'd follow FetchMeAPepsi's advice to find out where the leak is (or where the leaks are). Then you can solve the problem (or problems), rather than just trying a lot of potential hopeful solutions.

If the carb is leaking at the gasketed joint, I'd set each part on a cast iron table saw table (or similar flat surface) to see how much it is warped. If it is warped a lot, it's likely to leak regardless of gasket thickness. If it's warped a little, a standard new gasket might work, though you will still probably get some leakage and orange varnish build up on the carb's outside.

You rebuilt your carb so you can do just about anything: way to go.

See if you can discover where it leaks and keep us posted. I'll work from this end and try to keep Minnesota's recent chill away from Texas for a while. No point in freezing your fingers while fooling with carburetors.

Regards and Good luck,

Culver

Hantke

January 10th, 2015, 11:33 PM

I found the leak, it's along the front of the gasket under the fuel filter, I would have to remove some of the parts that I can't remove, but I will see if my friend can let me use one of his mill tables, it's a work thing so it's a 50/50 shot, i would much prefer it to be done right, it just runs me back to the whole money issue. I'm thinking I might take some of the sand paper wheels (the ones with the flaps) and run it along the mating surface before I check the edge, I think that would work well, and I can probably run an engineers straight edge and adjust from there. Lots of ideas! I'm actually in Oregon, so no worries on freezing here! And I got permission to use my works shop space and what not (yay heated shop!). When I get back home I'll tear into it again and see what I can do! I'll keep this thread up to date with prepress and what I did, and what works (or what did work, if I have to).
Thank you guys for the info!

-Hantke

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FetchMeAPepsi

January 10th, 2015, 11:51 PM

A flapdisk might be too aggressive for aluminum and you'll wear down creases and holes very fast. If you want to smooth it with sandpaper (not a bad idea!) just go slow with your hand and smooth it down. It shouldn't be too far off anyway, just enough to gap. Are there any screws nearby that you can tighten?

Don't get too aggressive with them too because if they're like mine they are aluminum and they'll break, but you can tighten them down a little more than snug without worry.

Hantke

January 11th, 2015, 12:20 AM

I was going to get a really high grit flap disk, similar to the ones I used for rebuilding CAT Diesel engines, with a low RPM dremel it's really not too much more aggressive then using my hand, and since I just got out of a cast and finished PT it's still kind of rough to sand stuff unfortunately, but I've got plenty of 400-800-1200 grit kicking around that i could use!

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Hantke

January 18th, 2015, 03:12 AM

So I got bored and tore into it again. Spent hours custom cutting my own cork gasket with sub par tools and got 'er done. Still leaked, so I added 3 rubber washers to the fuel filter and it stopped having issues entirely. Now I can turn the key, and it starts! After disconnecting the choke cable, I noticed that when I put it on full choke and let it heat up on its own it will slowly open the choke (presumably the spring is unraveling? Perhaps it's just luck and vibrations?).
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Hantke

January 18th, 2015, 03:12 AM

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Hantke

January 19th, 2015, 09:52 PM

So I finally got around to pressure washing, it looks a **** of a lot better than I expected!
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Hantke

January 20th, 2015, 01:18 AM

Now to fix the wipers! I've got a bit more work ahead of me... Why did the previous owner have to cut all the wires when he removed stuff? Just tape up the plugs and move it, don't cut the plugs off and leave it there...
Since nobody makes these switches anymore (other than classic truck places) I'm going to need to jimmy rig this until I can afford better. Is anybody here good with wiring? My fuse wire is gone, can I skip it?
I have the black, dark blue, and light blue wires, presumably either on off ground, or power high low. I always assume black = ground so I need to figure out which will work. I'd like to use a simple on / off toggle switch if possible for now.
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FetchMeAPepsi

January 20th, 2015, 11:42 PM

I don't know the wiring, but I bet you can do a three way switch to get the high, low, and off running.

She looks great all washed up!

Hantke

January 21st, 2015, 04:25 PM

I had assumed mine was a single speed, but now that I think about it, I bet it is a multi speed wiper! I'll have to find some diagrams and see what I can fab up.

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Hantke

January 21st, 2015, 05:53 PM

Culver Adams

January 21st, 2015, 05:57 PM

Hello Hantke,

Fine looking truck, fresh out of the wash, dressed in patina and standing tall.

You write about, "Skipping the Fuse".

The guy who invented truck wiring thought electrons are like Husky dogs: eager to pull a sled all day on a piece of dried salmon. They're not. More like cats. Hard to herd. They prefer to run for the battery from whence they came. One short between wire and truck metal and they are on their way. They push and shove and get hot under the collar. Hot enough to melt insulation onto your legs, drop sparks into your shoes, and try to celebrate Fourth of July early. (Don't ask me how I know about this: I'm too busy trying to get the hardened vinyl out of my jeans.)

Fuses discourage this behavior. A fuse on each circuit makes life more enjoyable when a short somewhere drains the battery overnight: pull the fuses until the problem circuit is found and the search for trouble is reduced to a few feet of wire.

Fusing a circuit costs me a few minutes and a couple of dollars. I saves me a half an hour of taking various names in vain and gives me more truck driving time. I'm a fuse fan.

Regards and Enjoy that truck,

Culver

Hantke

January 21st, 2015, 06:08 PM

FetchMeAPepsi

January 21st, 2015, 06:46 PM

I just got offered a complete 350 V8 W/ automatic transmission for $250 from my girlfriends dad, engine needs a rebuild (bad head gasket so he got coolant in the oil), and I could rebuild it myself given the time and money. Not sure if I want to put a 350 V8 in my C20 or not though, it's a 90's Vortec engine.

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Alot of those 90s vortecs have 300k miles on them now. I'd take it if for no other reason than putting it in the garage for a future project. :thumbsup:

Hantke

January 21st, 2015, 06:48 PM

I can't store it in a garage right now, it would be in the back of the pickup because I don't have a cherry picker! Lol! Th engine had 220K on it before he replaced all the wrong parts and it blew on him. Simple rebuild should do the trick!

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Culver Adams

January 21st, 2015, 10:02 PM

I don't particularly want to skip having fuses, but I needed the wipers to work for the weekend, and I'm not entirely sure that then fuse panel is even wires correctly. There are so many cut wires and missing pieces and parts (presumably from when it was swapped from a 327 to a 250) that I'm a bit lost.

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Hello Hantke,

The bigger the current electrical mess--the greater the opportunity (and incentive) to re-do things better.

Good background info can be found at:

M.A.D. Enterprises
P.O. Box 675
Springville, CA 93265
(559) 539-7128
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Their tech. info, "CHEVY Main Electrical Power System 1963 thru 1971 Chevy" gets you started and has a photo of the Horn Relay Buss Bar.

For quick and dirty wiring the windshield wipers, when you don't know how the fuse box is wired, you can connect Windshield Wipers Power Lead to the Horn Relay Buss Bar--with an inline fuse installed in your Windshield Wipers Power Lead close to the Horn Relay Buss Bar. Follow M.A.D. Enterprises' advice about clean, tight connectors. This is quick and dirty wiring because the Horn Relay Buss Bar is powered whenever the battery is connected--leave the wipers on and the battery drains even though the ignition switch is off--not good. Now you have fused power to your Windshield Wipers Power Lead. Install a switch in the Windshield Wipers Power Lead. To get you through the weekend, almost any switch will do. If you have a 2-speed wiper motor and your switch only handles a 1-speed, pick the one speed that makes you happiest--this is quick and dirty, as in temporary. Connect the switch to Windshield Wipers Power Lead and Windshield Motor. Connect Windshield Motor to Ground. Truck manufacturers call sheet metal Ground. Trucks older than a couple of years don't. Spend your weekend enjoying your windshield wipers, not cleaning sheet metal to frame and frame to battery rust. (Take a few minutes to install a copper ground wire to the bolt securing your battery ground wire to your starter, or something similar. Don't just do a wire wrap-around--install a connector with eye, or whatever fits.)

Now you are good to go for the weekend.

Chevy has wiring (I call them connecting) diagrams in their manuals. They are a starting point. M.A.D. Enterprises discusses improvements--a big one is a better power buss bar than the Horn Relay Buss Bar--another is installing relays on higher amp. things like headlights and electric radiator fans.

There are better fuse boxes than Chevy provided. Lots of fuses, visible and numbered, shorten investigating time. Many working/cruising boats have good systems.

Regards and Hope this helps,

Culver

Hantke

January 21st, 2015, 10:07 PM

Awesome! Thanks! I'm going to grab a roll of wire and solder some connectors up and test the motor off the original fuse box, if that doesn't work I'll have to pull power from somewhere else for now. Thanks for the info! I would love to re-wire the entire truck and do it properly so I know the wiring is good, now is just a really bad time for me. I will definitely do everything properly when I have more time to tinker and test each part for sure!

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Hantke

January 22nd, 2015, 08:58 PM

So I drover her home today, DEFINITELY not ready for the highway! I get a loud slapping in 3rd gear on occasion and 4th when I'm revving. Presumable something loose under the hood. On the bright side, with a full tank of mid grade gas she starts with zero issues and runs ALOT smoother. On the not so bright side autozone tried to sell me the wrong lock 3 times so now it's sitting without a driver side lock on my street. I'll be moving it back to the shop tomorrow to complete some work on it. I also found that I can't seem to go much faster than 45 MPH (at least that's what the speedo showed and my tail driver told me that as well). The speedo decided to go hay wire on me about 1 mile down the road anyways, so let's add that to the "needs fixing" section.

I think I've decided this truck will be getting the 350 V8 (haven't decided about the auto transmission that comes with it) after the rebuild. This 250 is awesome and all, but I need to go highway speeds.

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GMCDAC

January 23rd, 2015, 01:27 AM

Not trying to talk you out of the 350 at all but the 250 should easily push that truck highway speed. Something else is up causing that 45 mph top end.

The 230 in my '55 GMC will run down the highway 75 mph no problem but I keep it 60-65. I need to get a tach someday. The slapping sounds like something in the drive train.

Just guessing that the speedometer cable probably needs cleaned and lubricated. When they get sticky they kinda wind up and release causing a very erratic reading. Truck looks great, thanks for the updates.

DAC

Hantke

January 23rd, 2015, 05:41 AM

I figured it was the 4.11 gears with the SM420 originally paired with a 327 V8 then converted to a smaller 250 causing the low top end speed, I might get the 350 and rebuild it in my spare time just for the experience, plus I'll have a spare engine (if I can get the highway speeds out of the 250 there will be no point in replacing it). Here around me the fastest highway is 65, and most are only 55. I'll look into the the speedo cable tomorrow while I replace the door look with the correct (hopefully Napa pulls through, auto zone is failing) cylinders. And the Tach needs to be fixed. Also realized my fuel gauge is stuck at half full no matter how much or little is in there. The other major thing is that the brakes pull hard left when I hit them. I'll also have to update the steering as it's extremely loose. (Probably just a U-joint or something). My though with the slapping was that it might be the old choke cable that is currently just sitting on the brake fluid reservoir.
I would much prefer not to drop the 350 in (I'd love a 327 to convert it back to original) because that's a complete cookie cutter truck if I do. Though if I go that far I will just go on ahead and put a canopy on it so when I start contracting I have a work truck. It would be a good excuse to buy a GMC pickup to use as my own personal vehicle! Though I would instead prefer to get a panel truck to make my work vehicle out of.

On the bright side, I did decide on the final colors for the truck, I'm thinking of a dark forest green with a white cab and fawn interior (all white and orange W/ white cab were close seconds).

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bigblockv6

January 23rd, 2015, 07:08 PM

Would that be the GM code 505 Woodland Green which is correct for that era?

Hantke

January 23rd, 2015, 07:18 PM

I'm not sure, in thinking for now I will use rustoleum high gloss enamel and see how I like it, and then in a few years down the road when I can afford all the tools I'll do a proper base-clear paint job on the truck. But for now the enamel will be great because it's easily fixable from any scratches or anything and being my only truck, it's gonna get scratched at some point at work.

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Hantke

January 23rd, 2015, 07:21 PM

The GM Woodland green is nice, but I'm not sure k want to go quite that color compared to the forest green, but we'll see as time goes on.
Woodland green:
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Forest green:
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The forest green is still wet, it dried darker.

And don't mind all the extra spray marks on the cardboard, I was trying different things like direct on cardboard, double coating it, one coat on primer, etc. most of it was off to the side but that's where I set the ash tray for a color test.

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David R Leifheit

January 23rd, 2015, 07:26 PM

I figured it was the 4.11 gears with the SM420 originally paired with a 327 V8 then converted to a smaller 250 causing the low top end speed, I might get the 350 and rebuild it in my spare time just for the experience, plus I'll have a spare engine (if I can get the highway speeds out of the 250 there will be no point in replacing it).

Just curious, how did you determine it was a 327 originally?
Does the VIN start with CS, CE, or CT?
Or is it a C2### ... (C 2 number, number, number?)
I find two different sites for VIN decoding for 1966.
The 250, according to what I can find, was the "new" engine for 1966.

Unless you have an overdrive transmission, top gear is usually 1:1. At which point engine RPMs determine the top speed (when deciding between engines with the same transmission/axles).
From my motors manual the 250 horsepower is 150 at 4200 while the 327 horsepower is 185 at 4400 rpm. So both motors pull their "best" horsepower pretty close to the same place, rpm wise. So at "peak" the 327 might move the truck a little faster, but the 250 will still get close. Running empty you shouldn't see any difference at all.

Basically speaking the 250 will move the truck at highway speeds.

The advantage to the 250 in a truck over the 327 is the 250 develops its torque (235) at 1600 RPMs while the 327 (305) at 2000 rpm, meaning that the 250 develops its torque lower, getting a load moving and up to speed "faster" than the 327 will.

That is with all things (engine condition) being equal/new.

I went looking for the rear axle combinations available for 1966, but the manuals I have are a bit lacking for Chevrolet. The Motors Manual doesn't list, that I could see, the ratios available per year/motor.

*If* your rear end is 4.11:1, then both engines will move it at lower speeds than if it were 3.08:1

FetchMeAPepsi

January 23rd, 2015, 10:40 PM

Hantke

January 23rd, 2015, 10:41 PM

I was told that the original motor was a 327, and that the gearing was 4.11 as well, I haven't had the time to verify what they said. the original owners son pulled the 327 for his own use and a 250 I6 was put in in its place, and a lot of the wiring and the jerry-rigged A/C hose setup agrees with that entirely.

Maybe I'm running into another issue that I haven't identified yet, perhaps the fuel filter is too restrictive or something else is causing the engine to not accelerate to the proper RPM's. Now knowing that I can keep the 250 I6 I see no reason to replace the engine. I know the exhaust is basically Ghetto, it's half way welded together and has gaps in it, I believe one of the manifolds also has a leak, but I have yet to remove them as when I do I would like to sand them down / clean them up and repaint them. It would be nice to do everything at once so I don't have to worry about removing it again later and replacing the gaskets again.

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Hantke

January 23rd, 2015, 10:43 PM

Man too bad you're not closer to me. I'd let you play around with my paint gun and see how it looks. The Blonde is forced to fly to Portland pretty often but my air hose won't stretch that far. :poke:

I've got a nice Matco professional paint gun that I will use for the final coat, I just don't have an air compressor any more! I used to paint heavy equipment for CAT, granted that was all enamel, my mentor taught me some base clear techniques to.

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FetchMeAPepsi

January 24th, 2015, 12:36 AM

Sweet! You got skills I could use. I guess everyone on the boards can shoot paint but me :lol:

I'll have to fiddle with it some this summer and get my 'larnin on.

For the other thing, those 4.11 gears are loooowww that's what I got on Cecilia I believe. You can't goose that squirrel over about 55-60. Your best bet is to swap them for 3.08s or so like David said. It's not supposed to be a tough swap if I remember reading right. I think Ron was good at that kinda stuff and identification of the rear ends.

GMCDAC

January 24th, 2015, 01:34 AM

That 3/4 ton truck probably does have 4:11's but still should run higher speeds. My '72 3/4 ton GMC also has that ratio. It's a 350 but will run all day at 75 mph fine. Sucks a little more gas than at 55 -65 for sure though.

If you go to a 350 find a set of 327 valve covers and they will look identical! If I remember right the 327 was a 4" bore just like the 350 anyway.

There probably isn't a u-joint in the steering column, so have a helper turn the steering wheel back and fourth just in the "play" range and start studying the steering box and flex joint, pitman arm idler arm and tie rods to see where the steering response reduces or stops moving.

The left front brake is grabbing harder then the right causing that pull, and possibly the LF isn't functioning at all.

That cable could be slapping around so just tie it somewhere and try driving again.

I like both of those greens but go with what you like.

Hantke

January 24th, 2015, 02:22 AM

Thanks guys! I'm out for the weekend for my girlfriends birthday, so I won't be back to the truck till Sunday, on the bright side I got a new lock cylinder for the driver door from a friend! No more unlocked truck (after it gets here...) I want to tear into it and verify what gearing I really have, I may actually have 4.56 gears contributing to my speed issue. On Sunday or Monday I'll know for sure I think. Thanks for the help guys!

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bigblockv6

January 24th, 2015, 03:25 AM

[QUOTE=GMCDAC;56668]That 3/4 ton truck probably does have 4:11's but still should run higher speeds. My '72 3/4 ton GMC also has that ratio. It's a 350 but will run all day at 75 mph fine. Sucks a little more gas than at 55 -65 for sure though.

If you go to a 350 find a set of 327 valve covers and they will look identical! If I remember right the 327 was a 4" bore just like the 350 anyway.

Issue with going to earlier 327 valve covers is they don't have the oil cap in the valve cover so you need the corresponding intake manifold with the oil neck and PCV fitting, that is if you want to be period correct.

GMCDAC

January 24th, 2015, 03:36 AM

Hantke

January 24th, 2015, 05:29 AM

Awesome, I'll keep that in mind! I might be looking at getting a 327 engine that someone offered up when I have some extra cash to buy it! But we will see how it goes, I'm looking at another part time job to cover expenses and fixing the truck so I can get some spending money.

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Hantke

January 27th, 2015, 12:46 AM

Had to clean out the cowl today, didn't realize how bad it really was!!! Now I know better.
I also got the wipers working, worked the arms loose and kept working them until I got them fully extended and the connection between the arms and the motor popped back into place, i sure am glad I got that figured out!
After a few scoops of mud and needles:
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After a quick rinse:
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And a kind of cool look at the old paint layers
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Hantke

January 29th, 2015, 01:09 AM

Looks like I should have the wipers on Thursday or Friday, $24 for the set from O'reillys seems like a good deal! Now I just need a new windshield at some point in the future.
As for the slapping sound I've isolated it to coming from the left side near the floor, I believe it is the exhaust which comes down the left side and exits right behind the driver door. When I started it up with the clutch in and in neutral I still heard it so I know it isn't the transmission. If I have time tomorrow morning / afternoon I will go through and see if I can find anything, right now I already know the exhaust is kind of ghetto built anyways.

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Hantke

January 30th, 2015, 06:53 AM

Looks like I got a new driver side door lock! I have yet to see any info or tutorials on how to install it though. Any tips would be great! It's one of those button locks from LMC (a very nice "investor" bought it for me). So I will tackle this Friday!

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Hantke

January 30th, 2015, 09:46 PM

Okay, this was fun! I got my lock installed (upside down from what I wanted, but I really didn't want to modify the handle).
Step 1: remove the inner door panel (you must first remove the handle, latch handle, and window crank).
Step 2: remove the outside handle (two small screws inside the door, not hard to reach at all)

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Step 3: remove the old lock
First you need to remove the ring on the inside, mine had just a small piece of wire.
Second remove the assembly (I hit my button with a light tap from a hammer and it popped out in my hand)
Step 4: Cut the new lock flanges to match the old ones.
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Now take a sander and your cut off wheel and work it down smooth until it fits
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Step 5: insert the assembly and test fit
Step 6: swear at the snap ring they gave you because it DOES NOT FIT.
Step 7: make it fit
Step 8: re-install the handle with the lock inside of it
Step 8: smack the button while it's locked to make sure the snap ring doesn't break (it is a lock, after all, you don't need people getting in that easy!)
Step 9: re position the snap ring with a screw driver because you are too lazy to remove the handle again and bring it back inside. (Repeat steps 8-9 until it works, I only repositioned it once because I didn't like the way it looks)
Step 10: replace the inside door panel, handles, and crank.
Step 11: get dirty looks from your neighbor because your truck doesn't fit their idea of perfect
Step 12: rev the engine on said truck and embarrass their 6 cyl mustangs coffee can exhaust.
Step 13: sit in your truck for a few minutes with a smile and just enjoy being there.

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Hantke

February 1st, 2015, 01:05 AM

And the wipers are a go! I found out that the generic wipers CANT work right on the wiper arms with an adapter. With about an hour and a half of time in the parts store they finally found and got me some "classic" wipers. But hey, they work!
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Hantke

February 1st, 2015, 01:41 AM

I have come to the realization that my tail lights no-longer work! not even my brake lights! I'm not entirely sure what's going on yet, as far as whether it is wiring or what, but i even tried wiring my blinkers in and the only working lights on the entire truck as of now are the headlights. at least i have wipers now though.

New update, apparently they work, but they are very very dim! easy to see at night though. When i turn on my left blinker my right tail light goes out, right blinker / off position does nothing. i used to bullet connectors and re-attached my cut wires for the front blinker harness to no avail, no front blinkers either. When i get the chance I'm going to try and tear into the switch and see if it's easily fixed.

On a happy note, O'reillys has a fuse block with the same number of fuses as my stock one for around $5.00. I wonder how hard that would be to wire up.

GMCDAC

February 1st, 2015, 10:31 PM

Hantke

February 1st, 2015, 11:40 PM

Hi Hantke, you have really been getting a lot of stuff done on the old truck! It probably wouldn't hurt to pull out your inside fresh air vents as there may be a bunch of pine needles and debris collected down there too, judging by what you cleaned from under the cowl.

Check all the grounds on your rear lights as that is a real common problem on old rides. Make sure the sockets and bulb contacts are clean also.

If your old fuse block isn't burned up I really don't think you would need to replace it.

Thanks for the updates. Glad you are having fun with the old truck!

DAC

Thanks, good call! I pushed the hose all the way down the vent and started flooding the cab (I had NO idea the fresh air vents came from the cowl, I thought it would pull up from under the engine bay or something). Luckily my doors were open so I caught on pretty quickly. I ended up pushing it down again and ran it till it was just a clean water stream. probably just means all thats left is the really tight packed nasty stuff!

I've heard about the grounds, but I wasn't really sure where to look. I've been hearing everything from the dimmer switch to just screw a wire in on the frame and on the body. or attach a wire from the light housing to the body / frame. I'm going to load up my tool box again and spend the afternoon working on it and deciphering the wiring (still no Volt-O-Meter, but i got a test light!). I've still got a roll of wire and I need to bring those plugs into the house and solder up some better connections for my wiper motor! i'd also like to get some black wire since all I have currently is red. I did notice a new issue last night going down the road, all my lights went out! i did a quick double tap of the bright switch and they flicked right back on, so i'll have to figure that one out one of these days!

I'm actually really enjoying working on this truck, my neighbors think im crazy because I'm out there at odd times ranging from 6 AM to midnight, The work shop is now down for the count so I'm working in the street in front of my house now. :lolsmack2:

My fuse box is a horrible mess right now and i'm afraid to take it apart, i might not get everything wired back together! though i'll have to get around to it one of these days. I also looked into the BUS-bar replacement for the fuse box, do i need to use inline fuses for this? it seems weird to me.

I've been eyeing the digital shop manual on a CD for $30 from LMC, 63-66 manual plus all of the supplements seems like a not-to-bad deal. perhaps my budget will allow it one of these days.

GMCDAC

February 2nd, 2015, 12:29 AM

You're welcome, Hantke! I currently don't own one of these trucks so I don't want to get too detailed about the electrics and normally when I get done writing what I know my explainations become clear as used motor oil!

My '55 GMC grounds through the frame and sheet metal, so on a lot of the stuff, there is no ground wire. It is the negative side of your battery. Without a ground or a dirty ground electrical components will not work or in the case of lights, resistance in the ground will make a dim and erratic light. The dimmer switch does sound like it is dirty or corroded since you were able to get them back after the double-tap. I think they are pretty cheap. I haven't had to buy one for quite awhile.

A bus bar sounds like a "jumper" to eliminate the fuses and I sure wouldn't recommend it and yes if you used it all electrical components would require individual fusing. Your test light won't do a great job finding bad grounds but it can be done. An ohm meter can tell faster if grounds are bad.

Do you have a Harbor Freight Tools store in your area? Sometimes they have Volt-Ohm-Amp meters like this one free with a coupon but normal price I think is around 10 bucks. I rely on HF a lot.

That shop manual would be a good idea probably but I really can't say there.

DAC

Hantke

February 2nd, 2015, 12:41 AM

Yeah I've gone through about 5 volt meters from them, I'm really missing my fluke one from a few years back. Kicking myself pretty hard for selling it right now. I just didn't know how the lights grounded, basically I just need to figure out how to ground it properly. I've got the wires now, so I can at least wire my wiper motor thankfully! I just got a notebook for the truck and once I find my straight edge I'll get to work on drawing up what I know about my current wiring as I go. Sometimes it helps to see it on paper

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Hantke

February 4th, 2015, 07:03 PM

FetchMeAPepsi

February 4th, 2015, 07:14 PM

Thanks, good call! I pushed the hose all the way down the vent and started flooding the cab (I had NO idea the fresh air vents came from the cowl, I thought it would pull up from under the engine bay or something). Luckily my doors were open so I caught on pretty quickly.

:lol: :lol:

That got me rolling! Man you're really tearing through the projects. Makes me feel all motivated and stuff! Come on, spring! :thumbsup:

So no real progress as of yet, been home sick and doing homework. One of my awesome (read obnoxious) neighbors decided they don't like my truck and have been repeatedly calling the sheriff to report it abandoned (mind you, it's sitting in front of my house where they used to tell all their visitors with loud fart can Hondas to park). I think someone is getting a little jealous now! Sheriff was nice, he stopped by while I was gone and had common sense to realize it is registered to the address it is sitting in front of (who would have thought???). So for now that's this weeks update. Hoping to take it to my friends birthday this weekend now.

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Those are the best neighbors, aren't they? Mine was like that to our previous owners. When we moved in I invited them over for Pizza and we've been "friends" ever since. I even helped them unload a big desk the other day.

Maybe you can catch them outside and if they're older, ask them if they've ever had an older truck like this. You might get a story out of them.
Or ask them if they can hold something for you to get them involved. Might work. Then again, they might just groan at you and wander off muttering about global warming and soy bean farts. Oregon ain't what she used to be. :(
At least you tried.

Hantke

February 4th, 2015, 07:35 PM

:lol: :lol:

That got me rolling! Man you're really tearing through the projects. Makes me feel all motivated and stuff! Come on, spring! :thumbsup:

Those are the best neighbors, aren't they? Mine was like that to our previous owners. When we moved in I invited them over for Pizza and we've been "friends" ever since. I even helped them unload a big desk the other day.

Maybe you can catch them outside and if they're older, ask them if they've ever had an older truck like this. You might get a story out of them.
Or ask them if they can hold something for you to get them involved. Might work. Then again, they might just groan at you and wander off muttering about global warming and soy bean farts. Oregon ain't what she used to be. :(
At least you tried.

I'm trying to be nice here, but I know who did it, one of my neighbors (the one with the V6 mustang) thinks he is a drag racer and drives 40 MPH through the neighborhood and tries to "drift" corners and do burnouts infract of the house at 2AM on a regular basis, but we are unincorporated so the cops don't care. He used to have his obnoxious friends park in front of my house and they have no respect. He would also regularly park partially blocking my driveway as well, so i just parked the truck there and suddenly he couldn't do that anymore. Plus one of the neighbors called the cops him and they talked to me last, then as he pulled in (it was great, he came around the corner onto our street with the engine red-lining getting ready to try yet again to peel out until he saw the cop) the cop went to go talk to him so he's been regularly accusing me of stupid stuff. at one point he actually called them claiming I was "storing illegal activities in my garage". Now, I don't know how you store an activity, but I really don't care. I showed the officer around and offered to let him look through the cabinets or boxes or whatever and he politely declined and we talked about dune buggies for a while then he left. Out of the whole development there is literally one house with nice neighbors, the rest are out at midnight or later yelling and screaming at each other to shut up while they are blaring loud music so they have to yell louder to yell over it. it sucks.

FetchMeAPepsi

February 4th, 2015, 08:29 PM

I'm trying to be nice here, but I know who did it, one of my neighbors (the one with the V6 mustang) thinks he is a drag racer and drives 40 MPH through the neighborhood and tries to "drift" corners and do burnouts infract of the house at 2AM on a regular basis, but we are unincorporated so the cops don't care. He used to have his obnoxious friends park in front of my house and they have no respect. He would also regularly park partially blocking my driveway as well, so i just parked the truck there and suddenly he couldn't do that anymore. Plus one of the neighbors called the cops him and they talked to me last, then as he pulled in (it was great, he came around the corner onto our street with the engine red-lining getting ready to try yet again to peel out until he saw the cop) the cop went to go talk to him so he's been regularly accusing me of stupid stuff. at one point he actually called them claiming I was "storing illegal activities in my garage". Now, I don't know how you store an activity, but I really don't care. I showed the officer around and offered to let him look through the cabinets or boxes or whatever and he politely declined and we talked about dune buggies for a while then he left. Out of the whole development there is literally one house with nice neighbors, the rest are out at midnight or later yelling and screaming at each other to shut up while they are blaring loud music so they have to yell louder to yell over it. it sucks.

I thought you meant crotchety old people. I HATE punk kids (or 40 yr old kids) that act like that. Not much you can do but move unfortunately. I guess you could seed the road with roofing nails and wd-40 (drift that, punk!) but that might be considered illegal. :poke:

The house next to me is for sale. I'll split the moving truck with ya!

Hantke

February 4th, 2015, 08:45 PM

Yeah he's in his 40's, that's the worst part! Not even a punk kid! If he was my age I could set him straight, but MR. Midlife crisis is out of my reach

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Clyde

February 4th, 2015, 11:03 PM

That is what they make lime for.

Hantke

February 4th, 2015, 11:05 PM

I'm just going to stay out of it, I don't need to be getting into trouble with someone like that, they will just drag me down to their level and beat me with experience.

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GMCDAC

February 5th, 2015, 02:11 AM

So no real progress as of yet, been home sick and doing homework. One of my awesome (read obnoxious) neighbors decided they don't like my truck and have been repeatedly calling the sheriff to report it abandoned (mind you, it's sitting in front of my house where they used to tell all their visitors with loud fart can Hondas to park). I think someone is getting a little jealous now! Sheriff was nice, he stopped by while I was gone and had common sense to realize it is registered to the address it is sitting in front of (who would have thought???). So for now that's this weeks update. Hoping to take it to my friends birthday this weekend now.

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I thought you meant crotchety old people. I HATE punk kids (or 40 yr old kids) that act like that. Not much you can do but move unfortunately. I guess you could seed the road with roofing nails and wd-40 (drift that, punk!) but that might be considered illegal. :poke:

The house next to me is for sale. I'll split the moving truck with ya!

I don't know if I could actually live in a regular neighborhood after 42 years on our little acre. We have neighbors of course but everyone minds their own business quite well. We have older single women living on either side of us. One of them yells at her dogs alot and the other one says she don't mind my parts stored behind my shop. All in all good folks! The county is another story---now they are saying my driveway isn't up to their standards. Never heard of such nonsense in all these years so I tore it up and threw it in the garbage where it belongs. I have two unlicensed outfits in the back yard but so far no issues-------

I did yet to yell "Get off my lawn" to a kid last summer though! He was riding a little dirt bike through my driveway and across part of my lawn repeatedly and I finally caught him in the act!

DAC

David R Leifheit

February 5th, 2015, 02:49 AM

:lol: :lol:

Oregon ain't what she used to be. :(

Hey now!

It isn't just the neighbors. Out here almost all neighbors have a "project" vehicle or two or three. I'm even across the street and down 1/2 block from the wrecking yard.
City was on my case for years (I dared sue, and lost, over something they did) and it was the city, not my neighbors who were giving me grief. The claim was that anonymous people were driving by my house and complaining
-that after I pointed out none of the neighbors were complaining and the city response of " the wrecking yard doesn't like you being in competition " when the nuisance officer checked he found out they -loved- me taking the wrecks they didn't want, and they wouldn't take anything I had... which pissed the city off because how were they going to make me get rid of them when the only wrecking yard doesn't want them!

It all came to a head when the city attorney passed away and the city manager and police chief announced they were retiring. Some referred to those three as running their own kingdom here. At that point they got a search warrant, without a docket/case number, (I was almost finished with the privacy fence) so they could cite me for having 14 inoperable vehicles in public view... and arrested me for it. Who knew owning a bunch of trucks was an arrestable offense? My parents bailed me out (which irked the city manager and judge) and my court appointed attorney kept putting the pressure on them to either charge me in court or drop it... they drug it out for a while before dropping all the charges (since when do you need a search warrant for something in public view?).

So let me tell you about life in Oregon. Its great as long as you don't run afoul of an egotistical city manager... :)

Been bliss since he retired.
And his replacement (who he personally taught) was charged with embezzling city funds.
Now if they would just get rid of that jerk they have doing nuisance now. Too much power, and he loves to use it.

Upside of the story, when all was said and done, not a single GMC went away due to their actions. Most of my other projects stayed as well. End result, city zero (well, my bail and fines) and me back the way things should be. Being left alone! Which is the way this city used to be.

-GMC Content-
Gave a truck to a young guy I know. He loves it, got it running and is only scrounging my extras for parts to keep it running. And he may be laid off so he wants to know in what order I want my projects fixed. I just gotta find money for parts!!!

Hantke

February 5th, 2015, 03:23 AM

Awesome! I would totally work on someone's projects in my free time if I could!
I'm glad you ended up getting off Scott free though. I came from the country to the middle of the city and I hate it.

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GMCDAC

February 5th, 2015, 04:15 AM

Cool stories of getting one up on the powers that be! I read somewhere, (facebook I think) that some free-thinking politician in Oregon is trying to get a law through that folks could have a choice between ethanol and non-ethanol fuels? We can still get non-corn gas here but pay out the nose for it even now.

DAC

Hantke

February 5th, 2015, 04:29 AM

Yeah our non-ethanol fuel is around $5.17 a gallon last time I saw it. Basically, I don't buy it.

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Hantke

February 14th, 2015, 01:03 AM

So I managed to tighten up my steering a little, and must say it definitely makes this truck more driveable! Now I still need to get the brakes / blinkers figured out.
Starting a new job Monday, and I think that I want to get those LMC LED brake lights. I'm not sure about the resistors, but I'll probably need to get two of them wit my luck, unless somebody knows if I need one or two, I'll give them a call though.

Are steering boxes meant to be wide open? Here's a picture of mine:
 To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? 

It seems fine now. But appears to be missing a ball bearing and it seems odd.

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Hantke

February 14th, 2015, 01:15 AM

Oh and it would appear that I have 4.56 gearing in my rear axle.

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GMCDAC

February 14th, 2015, 01:18 AM

Although I don't have one of these trucks right now, I am sure that there is a major problem. I wouldn't drive it anywhere until a different steering box is installed.

DAC

Hantke

February 14th, 2015, 01:22 AM

Okay, I figured it didn't look right. But I don't actually know anything about these trucks, im just using applied common sense lol.

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GMCDAC

February 14th, 2015, 01:52 AM

Okay, I figured it didn't look right. But I don't actually know anything about these trucks, im just using applied common sense lol.

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Bearings should never be exposed and the full rack of bearings should be there, like you were thinking. All the lube is gone. I bet that isn't a difficult box to find at junkyards yet. Good exercise in common sense!

The 4:56 will definitely take more away from your top speed but it will pull anything! I would think 55 mph is still realistic though.

DAC

Hantke

February 14th, 2015, 02:13 AM

That's what I figured, I get my first paycheck in two weeks, so I'll have to go and see what I can find, I have no idea how to remove one though, guess I'll find out!

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Culver Adams

February 14th, 2015, 02:51 AM

...
Are steering boxes meant to be wide open? Here's a picture of mine:
...
It seems fine now. But appears to be missing a ball bearing and it seems odd.
...
Sent from ...

---
Hello Hantke,

I've seen a couple of GMC/Chevrolet steering boxes but I don't know that much about them. I've not heard of GMC/Chevrolet designing and building one with open-air-flow cooled ball bearings. If you are sure you have one so designed and built, remove it from your truck as it is too rare to be driven upon the roadways. If you are not sure that is what you have, follow GMCDAC's advice posted at 07:18 PM today.

Please don't let the lady behind the windshield in your earlier posted photo (and others) ride in this otherwise good looking vehicle until it becomes safe.

Regards,

Culver Adams

PS: In my GMC Trucks Maintenance Manual X-6023, on page 575, Figure 2 shows "Typical Steering Gear Construction". My copy is smugged. Your similar manual for your truck likely shows (more clearly) a worm bearing thrust screw, or something related to that, accompanied by some text, that might be helpful as you motivate the front wheels to head in the direction you want to go.

Hantke

February 14th, 2015, 02:56 AM

---

Hello Hantke,

I've seen a couple of GMC/Chevrolet steering boxes but I don't know that much about them. I've not heard of GMC/Chevrolet designing and building one with open-air-flow cooled ball bearings. If you are sure you have one so designed and built, remove it from your truck as it is too rare to be driven upon the roadways. If you are not sure that is what you have, follow GMCDAC's advice posted at 07:18 PM today.

Please don't let the lady behind the windshield in your earlier posted photo (and others) ride in this otherwise good looking vehicle until it becomes safe.

Regards,

Culver Adams

PS: In my GMC Trucks Maintenance Manual X-6023, on page 575, Figure 2 shows "Typical Steering Gear Construction". My copy is smugged. Your similar manual for your truck likely shows (more clearly) a worm bearing thrust screw, or something related to that, accompanied by some text, that might be helpful as you motivate the front wheels to head in the direction you want to go.

Thanks, i honestly wasn't sure how it was meant to be, especially since there have been some oddities working on this truck already. It doesn't appear to have any mounting abilities for a cover or anything of the sort on the bottom, which is why I asked. I'll make sure to find a more appropriate working steering box or replace it and opt for power steering, which seems to be a cheap upgrade anyways, sooner rather than later.

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GMCDAC

February 14th, 2015, 03:51 AM

If you would clean and de-grease the box back down to the iron, it should be evident that some type of welch plug or threaded plug probably what Culver Adams was referring to once resided in that hole. More pics from other angles will help everyone walk you through replacing it. All that greasy stuff on the outside used to be on the inside until that cap or plug left the scene.

DAC

Hantke

February 14th, 2015, 03:54 AM

I'm out of town unfortunately so I'll have to wait till Monday to do any work on it, I tried wire brushing it and that's as far as I got, it also got a good bath in brake clean (maybe that will loosen it up before I get home). I'll work her down the rest of the way over the week, but it's midterms this last week and next week so ill be pretty well swamped.

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Hantke

March 11th, 2015, 10:05 PM

Okay, well, on to the next problem! My starter this morning was spinning pretty quick, then for some reason it decided not to engage and was spinning freely, so I turned everything off and it kept going for another 5-10 seconds as it was slowing down. I went to turn it back on and try it again, but the starter wouldn't spin, so I popped in my car and headed to school, I'm hoping to diagnose it tomorrow, but any input would be appreciated.

Thanks! Sorry for the lack of updates, finals are around the corner and I've been paying off debt / working a lot so I really haven't done anything. Looking forward to some body work and welding this summer though!

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Jeannie

March 11th, 2015, 10:24 PM

Hantke,

That sounds like the solenoid. It is an easy remove and replace. Replacement part should be any 1970s Chevrolet 60-65 series trucks with the 366 or 427 engine. NAPA versions often carry lifetime warranties. For the full starter NAPA part number is 46-4078. The starter for the V6 is part number 246-4078, however it is usually more expensive.

-Jeannie

6066 GMC Club ( To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? )

Hantke

March 11th, 2015, 10:54 PM

Thank you! I'll be calling my local parts stores and seeing what I can find

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OLDTRUCKHAULER

March 14th, 2015, 03:43 PM

Hantke

Nice truck for a survivor. I've had a few like it.
My 2 cents, the brake pull can be misadjustment on
left front, the wheel cyl sticking out, or contaminated
shoes.
You said the gear ratio was a 4.56. I found mine all came
with 3.73's in the 12 bolt axle, stock. Yours may be the optional
gear ratio.
When I tired of working on the supplied carb, I took all my beverage cans
in and bought the clifford Research weber carb kit with intake and header.
Pricey, but worth it, in the long run. May take a few more cans on your
budget.
The hole in the side of your valve cover is supposed to run to the air cleaner.
I tee'd it in with the PCV line to the manifold next to the carb base, with a
grommet and 90' fitting. No leaks or pressure issues. Your engine looks like mine, a '73 250. The serial # should be down by the starter on a machined pad.
Mine is a '65 1/2t short step. I'll get a thread going on it and the '65 1502 series shortly
Sorry for long wind. Was holding my breath while reading the thread.
Mike OTH

Hantke

March 14th, 2015, 06:55 PM

Thanks! Sounds like a nice truck! A friend of mine has a '63 shortbed stepside that I was originally going to buy until I got my truck in a trade, I like those models for the 2wd trucks. Only seen one shortbed stepside that was a 4 x 4 in person though, and it was a pretty nice truck. Anyways, hope to see your thread soon!

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Hantke

March 19th, 2015, 04:57 AM

Ongoing debate of the day, how can I test my turn signal switch? it used to blink fine, then it was a little slower, and now the blinkers don't even come on at all. I replaced both bulbs, and I noticed nothing changed. The only things I can think of is either A) When i hooked up the front blinkers the system short circuited. B) there is a bad ground C) The switch is acting odd, I push up it clicks, i push down it clicks, but it no-longer has a definite left, neutral, right positioning, it's fairly floppy.

I am debating on taking the bed off in a couple weeks, and sanding down the rust while i'm at it (My boss said he will most likely let me take the left-over sand paper and palm sander from a job over the weekend). I figure that would be a good time to re-wire any bad connections, and make sure everything is in good shape. anything else I should check into while i'm there?

Another question, I have a very small red wire coming off the positive terminal, it feeds in behind my headlights and disappears, are these trucks positive ground? or is this another "jerry-rigged" contraption? I'm thinking about ordering the digital copy of all the owners / maintenance manuals and supplements from LMC and the wiring diagram, has anybody purchased or used those? I think it could be very helpful.

OLDTRUCKHAULER

March 19th, 2015, 08:57 AM

Hanke,

It sounds like the turn signal switch is just flat worn out, if it feels that
sloppy. Pick up another signal relay like the one that should be plugged
into your fuse block and see if that makes a difference. Inspect the complete
wire harness run under the truck for breaks or grounds. these trucks are
bad for grounds coming off the tail lights. You may end up running a separate
wire to a frame ground from the body of the tail lights.
The small gauge red wire you're looking at should run across the radiator
support to the voltage regulator on the left inner fender (on chebbies anyway)
or the horn relay, mounted under the wiper fluid tank at the left side of the
radiator, if I recall correctly. They both have 12 volts going to them.
Just thought about the floppy feel of the lever. The screw that holds the
turn signal lever to the switch assembly may just be loose. Pull you wheel
and look at it, tighten it up, replace the screw with the next larger sheetmetal screw. I had to do that with my '65 short stepper.
My signal/tail circuit is acting the same as yours, gotta do the same steps.
If the harness is mucked up, it isn't hard to rebuild/replace.
I picked up the switch assembly from LMC for small money. It was identical
to the installed unit when I compared them.
Sorry for the long wind. Sitting here watching Adult Swim on Spike with not
much better to do at the moment.
Pick up a set of carriage bolts before you pull the bed. Not all of them
will be coming out in one piece.

Mike OTH

1965 1502 GMC ramptruck
1965 Cheby short step
1965 1000 series for parts
1985 3/4 t GMC hybrid dually
1962 willys p/u on 37's

OLDTRUCKHAULER

March 19th, 2015, 11:15 AM

Hanke,

In the middle of his build thread, APHaynes has pics of the horn and turn
signal issues that you are into at the moment. I thought I'd read about it
earlier than tonite.

Mike OTH

Hantke

March 19th, 2015, 08:07 PM

Thanks! I'll have to look into it this weekend, had some issues with the truck today, got a gas leak and it caught fire. Not too bad but I have to get towed home later

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Hantke

March 20th, 2015, 04:48 AM

Well, looks like the vacuum hose on the carb was the culprit. It's all burned to ashes and the fire was located all around it. No serious damage, but o should probably try and make the spare carb work and see if anything else is having issues

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Hantke

March 22nd, 2015, 09:32 PM

So are there any other carbs that will bolt up to the 250's intake? From what I see, hear, and read, those to heaters are garbage anyways. I found a couple conversion kits, but a $300 intake requires the use of a $300 set of headers + a carb + an adapter plate. Seriously? Got to be a cheaper solution!

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bigblockv6

March 22nd, 2015, 10:00 PM

Try TransDapt for a carb adapter, I've seen 1-2bbl adapters before. That way you can upgrade to a Rochester 2GC, Stromberg WW or Carter BBD 2bbl.

Hantke

March 22nd, 2015, 10:02 PM

Awesome, thanks! I wonder if they make an adapter for the little holly's... Well off for some more research!

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Hantke

March 22nd, 2015, 10:10 PM

Try TransDapt for a carb adapter, I've seen 1-2bbl adapters before. That way you can upgrade to a Rochester 2GC, Stromberg WW or Carter BBD 2bbl.

 To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? 

#2041 Holley 2bbl to chevy straight "6" adapter.

I think this is the answer to my needs! drop a holly 350 and she should be up & running smoothly!

Thank you!

***** EDIT *****

Holly 350 ordered be should be here in two days (Tuesday), adapter should be here tomorrow afternoon. In the mean time, gonna pull the existing Rochester and the intake manifold off and clean her up!

Hantke

March 27th, 2015, 07:24 AM

Well, got the intake mostly painted. But the adapter doesn't quite fit right, I have to modify it then try again once I find my dremel (which walked away somewhere, go figure).

Some progress pictures:
(I know the I6 was blue back then, but mine is already orange so I'm just trying to match what I have)
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bigblockv6

March 27th, 2015, 06:10 PM

Moly Orange was generally the right color on engines of that era. The 60-62 235 six was blue but that was a totally different engine from the 194, 230, 250 and 292. In 1977 all GM engines were a switching over to Corporate Blue. There was an odd looking green that was used on Chevrolet pickup truck engines around 1965-66 but it was mostly on the 283 engines.

Andice

March 28th, 2015, 03:31 AM

The 230 that was in my '64 was orange. My truck had a 305 in it when new but sometime before 1977 that engine was replaced with the 230. A 305 went back in a couple years ago.

Hantke

April 2nd, 2015, 06:00 AM

Cool, guess I'm not out of the era then! Got my exhaust removed from the manifold today after alot of brake clean, a dremel, and an extra pair of hands. Not I just have to clean it up and paint it then re-assemble it all!

Unfortunately my transdapt adapter has needed a lot of modification to fit properly, so I'm still just finishing that up. Some progress pictures should be coming in a day or two

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Hantke

April 2nd, 2015, 06:00 AM

Hantke

April 3rd, 2015, 02:56 AM

Is this supposed to be exposed?

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GMCDAC

April 3rd, 2015, 04:20 AM

Well, no, but the 230 in my '55 GMC is in the same boat. someone neglected to install that shield. Been driving it that way for 5 years. I will take care of it when the engine has to come out eventually. No time tonight but tomorrow afternoon I will show a pic of my other engine with the shield in place.

Hope you replaced that steering box.

DAC

Hantke

April 3rd, 2015, 04:27 AM

I'll replace the steering box for sure, right now my priority is to get it out of the driveway at my moms house ASAP so she can have it back. Just need to drive it down the street and park it, but it will most definitely be replaced once it is up and running again

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GMCDAC

April 4th, 2015, 12:39 AM

Hey Hantke, I decided to man-up and get the shield off of my spare engine. Here are pics of it so you may get an idea of what to look for. Now maybe one of these days I will get the matching flywheel pan and this painted up and spend a an hour or two on the hoist at work swapping it out on the '55 instead of waiting what may be years before the engine has to come out!

Pic1-approximate view in place similar to your missing pic.
Pic2-flywheel side
Pic3-engine side

DAC

Hantke

April 4th, 2015, 03:28 AM

Cool! Thanks! I can't wait to have this thing running again! It's gonna be great to take it out on the road and know it'll be reliable

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Hantke

April 11th, 2015, 04:54 AM

Little by little she's going back together! I want to replace the old bolts, but right now I'm content with just making it all fit back together correctly To view some links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Maybe you should introduce yourself with a new topic? 

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Hantke

May 1st, 2015, 04:57 AM

Is there a way to bypass the ignition and make the engine turnover? I'm trying to isolate a wiring issue and see if I can get it to start again soon

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OLDTRUCKHAULER

May 1st, 2015, 03:24 PM

Hantke,

Make a starter switch with a push button and 2 wires with alligator clips on th end of them. Take one wire to the positive wire on the starter solenoid, and the other wire to the top left small stud on the starter solenoid. This should let you turn it over from under the hood without starting. If you go to the lower right small stud, it should start. Make sure you are clear of the fan, in case I'm thinking backwards.

Hantke

May 1st, 2015, 08:13 PM

Awesome, thanks! It's got no carb actually attached to the intake, I'm going to test fuel flow and all that first, then I'm hooking everything up and going through the wiring. Gotta get this behemoth out of the driveway!

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Hantke

May 2nd, 2015, 04:40 AM

Hantke

May 2nd, 2015, 04:45 AM

So I tried the positive to the left stud, nothing happened. Tried positive to the right stud, it sprayed sparks.

*update*

Disconnected battery and messed with some wiring, tried again and still nothing. I think now that the starter is just fried, it was already on the fritz anyways.

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Hantke

May 9th, 2015, 04:09 AM

So I got the starter tested and it failed horribly, two different stores (gotta double check, right?) had it just make a loud thump then nothing. So I got a new starter thinking it was a good idea. The gear on the new starter is set so far back I don't even know how it could possibly connect if I wanted it to, and, the housing around the gear is actually between the gear mesh (go figure) so it will need to be trimmed. Is there a way adjust the positioning of the gear on the starter? The guys at the part store kept the booklet and the box to take my old core

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Hantke

May 9th, 2015, 04:10 AM

New starter positioning:
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And I just learned what shimming a starter does, sounds like I have a new project. Unfortunately I only have two spots to attach the starter instead of three because someone broke a bolt off in there and left it

Hantke

May 9th, 2015, 10:58 PM

So I got it all cleaned out and the new starter installed (after a lot of work, new starter had bad thread in one hole and didn't want to fit quite right). Anyways, after everything was setup, I try to turn it over and all it does is make one solid click. Not sure if this is the spacing or what, both the starter and the battery are brand new

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David R Leifheit

May 9th, 2015, 11:37 PM

Yeah our non-ethanol fuel is around $5.17 a gallon last time I saw it. Basically, I don't buy it.

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Local station sells non-ethanol. Costs more than the 10% fuels, but not a lot more. Put it in the motorcycles, they run better with it. And with their small tanks, it doesn't really cost more (more mpg as well).

David R Leifheit

May 9th, 2015, 11:39 PM

Hantke

May 10th, 2015, 05:47 AM

Thanks!

So I got my starter to work after shimming it, took a total of 1/8" of shims + a 1mm shim all on one bolt! Seems really excessive, but it works so I'm not really sure what to think. I also got the carb installed, and also got my throttle cable mostly hooked up, tomorrow's project is to properly connect the vacuum lines and throttle cable and see what happens. I tried messing with it and it wouldn't start, even with gas in the carb, but I'll dig into it more tomorrow.

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Hantke

May 11th, 2015, 12:40 AM

After a little bit of messing around I found out the float bowl had almost no fuel in it, after raising the float level it runs great, idle is way too high, but I'll fix that later today after I re install the exhaust properly

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Hantke

May 15th, 2015, 04:06 AM

ron david

May 15th, 2015, 05:59 AM

Does anybody know of a good steering box rebuild kit or a parts list? I'm debating between trying to get all the parts and rebuild mine or just replacing it, it's a heft replacement with the cheapest up front being around $330 and I get a $125 core deposit later on after shipping it back, I haven't found anywhere with a rebuild kit but it seems that people are doing it. I also wouldn't mind upgrading if that's a feasible option as well. But right now I am stuck back in the driveway with basically no steering. (It went out moving it from the driveway to the curb, and I barely got it back without hitting anything).

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this fellow should be able to help you one way or another. he deals in chevy power steering stuff. if anyone will know he will
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ron

Hantke

May 15th, 2015, 06:06 AM

Thanks, I don't want to convert to power, I'm fine with manual but I'll still check it out

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ron david

May 15th, 2015, 06:43 AM

Hantke

May 15th, 2015, 07:24 AM

did I say anything about you converting to p/s?. I think that the steering boxes are the same. cars, trucks even corvettes used basically the same hydraulic assist setup.
he will know where the parts are to rebuild your box
ron

Fair enough, everywhere else I've looked people point me to power steering setups so I assumed that's what you meant.. But thanks., website looks good, I'll try and call him when I can during business hours and see what we can work out, looks like he really knows about steering gear boxes

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Hantke

May 30th, 2015, 04:35 AM

So I got a pretty good deal from performance online and got my new steering gear today, installed, and went for a cruise. Gotta say it doesn't get much better than this! It runs great, turns great, could do a bit better on the brakes, but hey, can't win all the time!
I've noticed be only issue I have is that my idle doesn't smoothly go back down after hitting the gas, it kind of "works" it's way down. Other than that, I should probably increase idle speed a touch (low idle feels kind of rough)'and I should be good to go!

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TJ's GMC

May 30th, 2015, 03:20 PM

The slow back down to idle thing happened to me several times. You have some type of air leak somewhere is all I can say. Also some valves being a tad tight will cause that. Best thing to do is plug All the ports off on the carb and if that helps more than likely your PCV is not sealed correctly. Engines hate air leaks...especially 2 stokes.

Hantke

May 30th, 2015, 05:15 PM

Thanks, I may have missed plugging a vacuum port on the carb, I think I got em all, but I'll double check. I may just need to replace one of the old vacuum hoses as well, and that's pretty simple too.

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Hantke

June 18th, 2015, 01:08 AM

I've been extremely busy with finals and now I'm switching jobs, but I adjusted my idle and and got it dialed in and I don't appear to be having any more issues like previously stated, the new steering box is wonderful, and doing great! Now my blinkers work about 50% of the time so I need to get that issue figured out, I've been told to add a ground directly to the frame but I'm not exactly sure where on the wiring I would add that. I'll be looking at a wiring diagram this week / weekend, any ideas?

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ron david

June 18th, 2015, 04:05 AM

you should have a ground from the eng to the body(short one, back of the eng to firewall) and 1 from the frame to the body. make sure that there is good contact
ron

Hantke

June 18th, 2015, 04:06 AM

Okay, cool, thanks! I took the ground to the engine off and scrubbed it clean with a wire brush and re installed it, I can't say I've found one from the body to the frame yet thoufh

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jrmunn

June 18th, 2015, 03:53 PM

I didn't look back in the thread to see what lights are involved, but I can tell you how I fixed my intermittently working signal lights.

The rear lights were poorly grounded because of rust on the screws and in the screw holes that connect the lights assembly to the body (this also affected stop and tail lights), which also provides the ground connection. The front turn signal light sockets needed to be removed and the metal parts cleaned to make good contact. I also used some sandpaper in the hole where the socket fits into the hood. And the metal bulb holder needs to be fully inserted. All lights are now working.

Before doing the above, I had already put in wires between the body and frame to ensure a good ground connection.

These trucks were built tough to handle loads, and the electrical system is not complicated. But electrical components and connections seem to be a weakness, with rust being a major problem.

JRMunn

Hantke

June 18th, 2015, 06:47 PM

Awesome, thank you! I pulled that little blinker fuse and it rattles pretty bad, I'm gonna buy a new one and see how it sits, if it's still got issues I'm gonna go through and do all that, probably gonna do it anyways. Thank you!

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Hantke

June 29th, 2015, 12:43 AM

So the blinker fuse was indeed the issue, and it's all good now, but I noticed after driving when I shut it off it sounds like running water and I believe it to be fuel. It drained my tank a lot quicker than normal and it believe it to be the cause, the tank isn't leaking and nothing smells like fuel but any insight would be great.

Thank you!

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Hantke

August 10th, 2015, 04:14 AM

Just an update:
So I have the same persisting fuel issue, 5 gallons at the gas station and I drove home where after two weeks my tank was bone dry again. Still can't figure it out.

On the other hand, I sold my car, and bought a a new-to-me truck. 2004 GMC Sierra 2500 with a 6.6 dura max turbo diesel!

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