Double Dingo's 1965 3/4 Ton "Crusty Biscuit"

[DoubleDingo]

What I found on the suffix code JD, 1964, 283, Powerglide, 195hp, 2 barrel, Chevelle. Looks like I have myself a gem that needs to be polished. The heads may have been replaced, but they also may be factory. There is a small bit of orange on the back of the driver's side head, but the rest of the engine is blue. So they may have just painted over the orange with blue.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Now time for breakfast.

 

[HotRodPC]

Just looked up the casting number, it's a 283 with either 195 or 220 hp.

See there. Damn thing has the same hp ratting as a TBI 350. Now the 350 likely has more torque of course. But there is nothing wrong with a good old 283. I'll assure you, it'll outlast any TBI 350 build and also turn more rpm and tolerate more bottom end abuse too.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Life has been crazy lately so I haven't had a chance to work on the truck. I am strongly considering postponing the front disc swap. I have an interview in a few days, and if I get that job I have a lot of moving to do. I will need to approach hopefully one property owner to buy their empty lot, buy a double-wide and have it relocated, move my stuff including vehicles and junk I've accumulated over the years, and then fix up the house to sell it. I need to look through the photos I posted up because I think I found some ball joints in one of the totes I opened up. Those ball joints are for a '65 and they can be used until I swap in the front discs. As I wrote that I made my decision, the '65 ball joints are going in and the front disc swap can wait for a few months.


Checked through the photos, didn't see any ball joints, but I recall seeing some when I was digging around. I need to dig them out and put them into service.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Here are some photos I took the other night when I was feeling buzzed and artistic. Big brother and little brother hanging out in the driveway...and me trying the finger thing to cover up the license plate

 

[DoubleDingo]

A simple carb swap turned out to be a semi-big project. I didn't know that the Carter AFB was a square bore, so the intake needed to be swapped too. I had an Edelbrock 2101 out back so I cleaned it up and slapped it on. Now the temp sending unit interferes with the coolant neck and needs to be relocated to the head. But that actually helps get better readings, so it's not a bad thing. However, the new sending unit I bought came with a plastic piece for the connection but no connector. And every dang auto parts store said they don't have them. Even went to radio shack and some other specialty stores. COME ON PEOPLE! I know they make these things because here is proof in my hand!! Finally after 3 hours of driving around in 106* heat and no AC I went to a different NAPA, and they had what I needed so I bought 2. Now I need to lengthen the wire and rout it to sending unit so it won't hit the ram horns.

To me the engine just looks better with a quadrajet sitting atop the intake. Just looks right. After firing it up last night, minus the sending unit being relocated, it fired right up, fast idle was a tad high, and I finally got the fast idle to kick down to idle. Then I saw gas pooling on the intake. CRAP!! Added more pvc paste to the fittings and tightened them a little more, and that fixed the leak. But then the engine wouldn't settle down when I started it again. I suspect the intakes gaskets didn't seat properly. I will check that out tonight after I relocate the sending unit. In any case there is a massive vacuum leak. Another oddity, the factory air cleaner housing I bought that is supposed to fit a 68 truck, the bottom of the air cleaner housing hits the throttle arm of the carburetor. So I may need to find a different housing. If I do I need to find one with the air intake on the driver's side so I can run the air intake hose to that side instead of under the battery tray. There isn't any room under there. I need to get creative for the air intake hose and how it draws air in from the front of the engine bay. I may go with something like I see on my Subaru, a long thin opening that the hose attaches to. I just know I want the air coming from outside the engine bay.

Here are some pics of the new carb and intake on the motor.

 

[foamypirate]

Good work there, sir. It's always the "simple" projects that turn out to be a PITA, isn't it?

 

[firebane]

UH if your fitting on the fuel inlet is leaking you need a new gasket. That paste won't do much good lol.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Good work there, sir. It's always the "simple" projects that turn out to be a PITA, isn't it?

Thanks! Ain't that the truth! When my stepdad was still a mechanic and I would ask to use his bosses shop on a Saturday for a 2 hour job, I learned really quickly not to say it would be an easy 2 hour job. Every time I said that it took all day.

Shoot, one time when I was around 21, I asked to use the shop starting early Saturday morning to swap out the 283 for a 350 in my old '65. With 4 of us working on it, it took all of both days. That truck fought us and fought us. My dad that is not mechanically inclined at all, asked what he could do to help, we all barked out to go get some beer!

 

[DoubleDingo]

UH if your fitting on the fuel inlet is leaking you need a new gasket. That paste won't do much good lol.

It is a fresh gasket. I add a little extra sealer on the threads for good measures because I hate leaks, and I just switched over to the paste from teflon tape about 3 weeks ago. I heard that teflon can get in the carb when the strings come loose. Have never had it happen, but didn't want to chance it either. The paste says it can hold up against fuels, oils, etc. I've found it's best to let it set up before starting the truck. Each time I got anxious and didn't let it set, it leaked, but after it set all was well.

 

[DoubleDingo]

Last night I got the temperature sending unit relocated, but not wired up. The truck runs way cool with that new 3 core radiator and new shroud, but I cannot let this go unwired for too long. The huge vacuum leak I had was an error by little ol' me. When I fixed the leaky inlet I forgot that I pulled the pcv hose from the carb. Pulled it to better see where the leak was coming from and didn't slide it back on for the second start-up. DUH SHANE!!! With the sending unit relocated I fired it up and it idled fine. As a precautionary thing, I did spray some cleaner around the intake and carb and there was no change in rpm's, so that's a good sign. Found out what was hitting the throttle arm on the bottom side of the air cleaner housing. It's an air tube that I am guessing goes to a vacuum canister or pcv valve. I wanted to make sure the engine was running cool so I inserted a thermometer in the radiator and it was all good.

The descriptions for the pictures are:

Checking the gauges (Sans temperature) after installing the carb.

View of the engine idling.

Found what was hitting the throttle arm, and 1/2" spacer fixed that.

View of thermometer after the engine was idling in summer heat for a half hour.

 

[MadOgre]

It is a fresh gasket. I add a little extra sealer on the threads for good measures because I hate leaks, and I just switched over to the paste from teflon tape about 3 weeks ago. I heard that teflon can get in the carb when the strings come loose. Have never had it happen, but didn't want to chance it either. The paste says it can hold up against fuels, oils, etc. I've found it's best to let it set up before starting the truck. Each time I got anxious and didn't let it set, it leaked, but after it set all was well.

Thought you might like looking at these

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[DoubleDingo]

That's a nice truck!

When I was up for my first interview on June 15th, I was driving around showing the GF the town since she had never been there. I saw a completely stock 64-66 short bed 4x4 parked in an alley... ... and a nice 80's square that used to belong to a friend of mine right next to it...

 

[DoubleDingo]

In two weeks I an going to be rebuilding the manual 3 speed w/OD with the help of my stepdad. He mentioned getting a pan. Those of you that have done transmissions before, what kind of pan did you use? A flat one with a low rim? One with a high rim? Suggestions please.

 

[DoubleDingo]

I am excited to rebuild this transmission because I have never seen the inside of a transmission, let alone rebuilt one. Got a kit off ebay a week back from a place Vancouver Washington for $100 and the kit for the OD for $40, and both shipped together for $10.

Between now and then I will be replacing the clutch, and cleaning up the 3 speed that came out of the parts truck, and will run it in the interim. It doesn't have OD so driving on the highway to get up to the parent's place ought to be slow going with 4:57 gears. With the other 3 speed in the truck I can clean the 3 speed/OD so it is ready to go for rebuild. I figure while the truck is down waiting for the flywheel to get turned and 3 speed without OD to get prepped for install, I can replace a couple items under the truck like the rear control arms. And if the panhard bar bushings are bad I can do those too.