Gary Lewis

Wow! You had some problems. But I'll bet it starts easily now.

Yes, some times you just have to bite the bullet and say "while I'm in there...". And to me the brake system is one of those. If one side is bad the other has been used the same number of times, so replace it as well. Good luck!

I went through something similar on Big Blue. See if this post, and maybe the preceding several posts, help: https://forum.garysgaragemahal.com/Hydroboost-Planning-tp7474p51319.html.

Glad you got the lights working. But on the brakes, I wouldn't do it one piece at a time. If you have to replace one wheel cylinder I'd replace both. Then you only have to bleed the system once.

Yes, the Bullnose visors are a poor design. The later visors fix that. I highly recommend them.

Dave - Sorry to see that, but hope you get the money you want for it. And hope you'll come back - soon!

Cool! That is a really nice truck. It even has seat belts. So, tell us more about what it is and what you plan to do.

Thanks, Jim! We did. It was really HOT, but we had fun anyway. Will post pics and results tomorrow.

Pete - I'm glad you are safe! We missed you, but you made a good decision on turning back. Hope you get it fixed soon.

We had a great day! It was HOT, but fun nonetheless. Will report on it tomorrow.

Your how-to is looking good! But is this the link you need?

That's an interesting trick! I've not adjusted one of those switches, but hope to remember that if I do. Glad you got it working!

Scott - I've come to a decision on both. The $50 gift cards will go to the winners of Best Paint and Farthest Driven. I figure those guys need it most. (And there's no way I can win either.) And the tee shirts will go to the winners of the classes, although they may be too big for them. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion. I just don't think I have time to rig up a drawing at this point. But that's a good idea for next time when things don't match up quite right. Heinz - Wish you could be here! Maybe next year.

I wish you could, Heinz. Maybe next year? We will do our best to stay safe. The biggest issue is the heat - it is to be quite warm today, but there's a chance of rain as well so maybe it won't be too bad.

Espy would be the star of the show, for sure! Can't wait for the pics - and an audio of the exhaust.

Good luck, Mike! At least you know what needs to be done. And what parts are needed.

Wonderful!!!! I’ll bet you are one happy camper!!!

Thanks, Dave. Very good info.

I try to keep the cold level in the reservoir at the middle where the windshield washer side takes off. It is a handy reference point and if the level starts dropping from there I know I have a problem. But it doesn’t hurt to fill up the radiator either. Yesterday, getting ready for the big trip, I filled the radiator to the brim and filled the reservoir to that level. I suspect that when I check it on Sunday after driving it tonight and Saturday around town it’ll be a bit higher than the mark, but not much. And I know it’ll be full.

My experience is that the later reservoirs, like yours, do a better job of keeping the radiator as full as possible. But after several hot/cold cycles the level usually stabilizes at 1 - 2” below the radiator cap.

Sorry you had to go through that, but glad that you got to keep the truck. It is certainly a good looking truck. By the way, that 2CV sure is cute.

I like it! That is going to be helpful. But, you have the ground as Pin 15, and all the Bosch relays I've seen have pins 85 and 86 to the coil. So if you put Pin 86 to power wouldn't it be Pin 85 that is grounded?

That's not as easy as it sounds. First, if I remember correctly, you'll need to change the front spindles, brake rotors, and calipers. But I think Dave/Fuzzface2 did that so I'll tag him. Second, you'll have to change the rear axle, or at least the axle shafts, as well as the brakes. I think the easiest thing to do is to buy another truck, swap the parts, and then sell the parts truck.

The 351M in original guise was not a very powerful motor. I had an '82 w/a 351W that had a lot more oomph than Dad's did. But I bought Rusty, that's now up for sale by Clay, and discovered what a well-built 351M could be. Night and day difference. But I also discovered that Rusty's engine had been built at a time when you could get decent pistons for the 351M. That is no longer the case as all you can get are ones that'll put you at 8:1 compression. So while you'll gain power by installing a straight-up timing chain, you'll not gain due to compression. The better solution, should you have to rebuild it, is to find a 400 or at least the crank from a 400. They bolt right in and you can find a wide range of 400 pistons from Tim Meyer so you can get the compression ratio you want. Anyway, hope you can get it to break loose w/o breaking a ring. So just keep working on it.