Got home from work and cranked the truck, had to spend 20 minutes fiddling with the manual choke. I just can’t get it completely right. In theory, pushed all the way into the dash would be wide open choke. Pulled all the way out would be closed, with maybe a credit card or two gap. I just can’t get that right, and I’ve tried half a dozen times. I have tried setting the choke where I want it on the carburetor, and then fastening the screw that holds the exterior sheath of the cable exactly in place and you would think that would be an exact science, but then it just never is right. I was able to get it close again, since I had to take the carb off earlier to do the intake. It’s like 40° here and the truck really does not want to run. At all. Once I get the choke at the sweet spot it will run at about 1100 or 1200 RPM, but with the clutch fan pulling so much air, even blocking the radiator with cardboard. It will not get over 160 according to my new gauge. I drove it around the block and back, and it just wanted to die without the choke even after running for about 30 minutes.. I’m not really worried about that, it’s about to be 75 again through Christmas.
I’ve decided that the next major modification is going to be the Transmission. It’s just not fun to drive anymore. At first the novelty of actually having a 60s truck like I’ve wanted again for 25 years was so great that it didn’t matter how ****** it was. And I enjoy primitive things, I don’t have to have a lot, but some creature comforts are necessary. And to be fair, it’s not just the manual transmission or the three on the tree. It’s more of the fact that all the systems on the truck are just worn flat out. You can turn the steering wheel a quarter turn before it registers. The front control arm bushings squeak, even with grease. The driver side window won’t stay up, everything in the cab makes noise. It all needs to be gone through and tightened up and replaced and repaired. The dirty, rusty floor boards. The old worn out vinyl seat that everything slides off of to the passenger floorboard. The glove box that won’t stay closed.
I guess I could be called picky, but the fact is, I don’t mind old stuff, as long as it’s working correctly. Kind of like the headlight system. The headlights are great, now that I replaced the aiming screws and plastic bushings. I just want everything to work and look decent. That’s why I’m going to do the dash now, and I’m going to repair the cracks on my steering wheel and paint it as well. And then I want to have a local shop stitch some leather around it. Because unless I get some sort of eye candy inside, I don’t even care to drive the truck anymore.
But as soon as I get some cash flow from my next big job, automatic with overdrive. I really don’t care what it is, 700 R4, 4L80e, 200r4, whatever. That has to happen before floor boards, before the drop, before steering, etc.
Also, it is a pretty damn good oil leak from that old pan gasket upfront. I’m starting to wonder if my gasket and new oil pan are made for each other. I need to go back and find the part number for the gasket, and make sure it’s for that 60s engine. And I need to find the part number for the oil pan, and see what year it’s for. I mean, maybe they’re the same for the last 70 years, but then why would they have two separate oil pan gaskets? Anyway it’s definitely going to have to come out before I drive it much again.
I guess I see why these trucks command such a high price these days. I’m so used to square bodies, modern brakes, air-conditioning, power steering, all the systems aren’t completely worn out, it’s pretty easy to fix up a square body. Dealing with something two decades older, it just needs everything. And when you go through and replace everything, makes sense that you would be paid for it when you go to sell. Makes sense that I have $13,500 in this truck, and it still needs everything.
