Gary Lewis

I've never seen any of them, but I've not worked on a diesel either.

Scott - Did you see a calibration code on the valve cover? Or is there a sticker near the radiator support? I ask because I wonder if that's a California-spec system? Some of the West Coast trucks were made and sold in CA and had the CA spec's, even though registered in Oregon or Washington.

Glad your clutch fits! On the gear ratios, Big Blue had the 5.11 1st gear version of the T-19 and 3rd was too low. It wasn't useful on the road. Once you'd dropped into 4th you really didn't want to have to go back to 3rd as the engine would be wound up tight at highway speeds. That was one of the reasons I wanted the ZF5. However, with the 460 there was little need to drop back to 3rd, even pulling a trailer. But still.....

Bo - I posted this in your other thread as well. I think it would help it sell if you told us what you want for it. I think I found where you said "Millington. TN just 15 miles north of Memphis." Is that correct? Also, pictures would be very helpful as well. I looked through your posts and it looks like you've had problems posting pics. If so, email them to me and I'll post them for you. I'd like to help you find a new home for it.

Bo - I think it would help it sell if you told us what you want for it. I think I found where you said "Millington. TN just 15 miles north of Memphis." Is that correct? Also, pictures would be very helpful as well. I looked through your posts and it looks like you've had problems posting pics. If so, email them to me and I'll post them for you. I'd like to help you find a new home for it.

I toyed with the same approach on the fitting, and the only deviation would have been that I have an 18 tpi thread file. But you got it working, and you are right - it just needs to hold the o-ring in and resist the force pushing it out, which it will do. On your new clutch, does the pressure plate bolt to your flywheel? That was the problem I had - the HD clutch came with an HD pressure plate that had a different bolt pattern. So now I have a new flywheel.

Yes, it is a "feature", and maybe a safety feature. The flasher is designed to flash at the correct rate given the current of all the bulbs. But with fewer bulbs, meaning less current, it doesn't have enough heat from the current to cause it to flash. So the bulbs stay on. If you replace the flasher with one designed for toying a trailer, which means you'd have more bulbs, or for LED's, which means there'd be less current, then it'll flash at a given rate no matter how many bulbs of what kind you have. But with the stock flasher you have to have all the bulbs to get it to flash correctly.

That's really good progress, Bob! And those welds are excellent. I wish mine were that good. On the strength issue, I agree with you, it'll be strong enough - assuming that the way you put the piece on top of the 4x4 prevents the 4x4 from rotating. Let me say that another way. As long as all of the forces are in the vertical plane then it is strong. But imagine if the piece on top was just a thin piece and you placed it on the top inside edge of the 4x4 and started lifting the vehicle by pressing on the bottom outside edge of the 4x4. The 4x4 would want to rotate and it would bend the rocker out at the bottom. So you need the piece on top to be wide enough to reduce the rotational forces on the 4x4 enough so the inner rocker won't bend. Does that make sense? I don't think I explained it very well.

Been there, done that. Lotta work. Good luck to you!

The carbon may be from the break-in idling. And if you don't get it out on the road for an extended period it probably won't burn off.

You might be interested in this comment in the Hydroboost Planning thread: "But the Chevy hose, #366630, doesn't fit. The fitting for the hydroboost end is metric, with a 1.5mm pitch and a .700" OD while the one that came off the hydroboost has an 18 tpi pitch and measure .680" OD."

John - That's 'cause the info doesn't appear to be on the site. But here 'tis and I'll add it to the site. First, the illustration so you can see what the basic/generic part numbers are: And now the full part numbers for the "stator", aka "pickup":

Janey thinks I have too much credit. She pays the bills each month.

Man, those are tall gears when that AOD locks up. The calculator says with 30" tires you'll be turning 1500 RPM at 65 MPH, which is marginally low for being able to pull hills, even with a 300. But if it does you'll be sipping gas.

I like the dash. Big improvement. But I'm not sure I like the tires & wheels. They seem a bit small. Or "new". Something just doesn't seem right with the patina of the truck, although I can't quite put my finger on what it is.

Shaun, I've certain considered this same issue, and I would probably end up having a seizure with the same OCD...lol. I'm not 100% sure I would like a Bullnose swapped Brick, but this particular truck checked a few boxes as a good candidate...it is a 4X4, short wheelbase, manual trans, has been carb swapped already, good solid cab (supposedly), and it has front end damage, so it is already in need of a new front clip;). Still, I won't know until I see it. Your point is well taken though. Jim, My goal is something to do...lol. My Flareside is basically finished. It needs a few odds and ends, but for the most part it's just shine and go. I absolutely love the truck, and I love all the praise it gets when I take it out. That makes all the hard work so worth it. But I need more to do than just shine and go. The winters are long and I need something to occupy my time. As much as I love my shiny truck, I also enjoy the cutting grinding welding sand blasting part that makes old junk look nice again...there is a lot of satisfaction in that. The RV has filled that gap all through this winter and more importantly kept me busy during the Covid lockdown, but it too is mostly finished now. So I've been thinking about another Flareside, but a 4x4. Not one to fully restore or anything...but just something to beat around in. Something that will keep me busy mechanically, but not something I need to worry about (scratching or getting dirty). I want to be able to haul stuff, and put a trailer hitch on it...and maybe even take on a dirt road...lol. Problem is, I'm cheap, and based on what I want to spend, I need to start with junk...and what I've been finding mostly is a little too junky...lol. So finding something...anything, is a challenge around here. I went to a new cruise night last night at a place called the Masstown Market. It's a tourist hot spot as it is right on the main TCH in the middle of NS. It's 75 miles away, but I went for a change of scenery. Two different guys that stopped by my truck told me there was one like mine sitting in the grass in a town not far away (on my way home) so I stopped in to check it out... Alas it was not for sale, but I had to check anyway. Something like this I would buy so quick (and actually pay good money for...well above my current budget) but the guy was just not budging. This stuff drives me crazy, because it's been there for years obviously. Anyway, I'll keep looking...but it's all really just something to do. Jim - I'll keep you in my prayers. I hope you can find a place where you can do the needed work on your truck, and that it'll go easily and safely. Cory - It really is frustrating when people let things just rust away and won't sell. That looks like a very good project. But others will come along. And I fully understand about having one to "shine and go" and one to "get dirty". Makes good sense to me. Keep on looking!

Although it's totally possible, and I've done it, I can't say that I would want to do it again. But I probably said that when I 4x4 swapped my old F150. And I know I said I was done cutting rivets when I did dual shock towers on that truck. But then I found myself cutting even more rivets on the F350, and 4x4 swapping it too. If you can live with the wrong dash, the wrong A/C box, and other differing factors, then you're golden. But I've found I can't live with stuff like that, I have an obsessive compulsion for symmetry and if I bullnose front clip swap, the rest of the truck has to be bullnose as well. Cory - Have fun on the maiden voyage with the "new" RV. Hope everything goes well for you. And, I hope you find the "right" next project. But I'm with Shaun - I don't want a Bullnose front clip and Bricknose interior. (Sorry, Bill.) However, it might be right for you, and it is your project.

In the immortal words of Bob Dylan, The Bard: Concours? Hardly.

Well, that certainly explains why you used the Bullnose lines. But it doesn't explain what someone was smoking when they teed into the hose. Anyway, glad it worked out for you.

You are exactly right. In the very left hand side of the pic below you can see the joint that the hose makes with the hard line. Left of and above that doughnut is hose, and right/below is hard line. And that flared-out section is supposed to be where the orifice is. And to disconnect that hose from the hard line Brandon had me order this set of tools: ABIGAIL Air Conditioning/Fuel Line Disconnect Tool Set suitble for GM Ford and Chrysler. He said he probably has at least a dozen sets of tools supposedly for those connections, and this one works far better than any of the others. And for $7.99 and delivery tomorrow how could I go wrong? But the next issue will be removal of the orifice tube. As said, his fancy removal tool doesn't always work, but he suggested several ways to get it out.

Yep, I agree. But there's really nothing to the evaporator or the condenser in these trucks. They are just aluminum tubes with fins welded on. So as long as they don't leak they are good. Brandon just called and said the orifice tube is in the hard line after the hose I'm holding in the pic. And there's a tool I need to take the connector loose to get the hose off the hard line. He just sent me a link and I ordered a set for $7.99 from Amazon and they'll be here tomorrow! He also said that his orifice removal tool doesn't always work, so I may have to use his trick of a 1/4" lag bolt. Not going to re-use the tube anyway. But hopefully it'll come out easily.

I agree with Jim. It is doubtful the rings are fully seated. But even if they are the carbon can be leftover from before. Anyway, glad you found the wires that were fully seated.

I think you should see if the brackets will fit. And I don't think you'll have to drill holes. I hope. But I agree that drilling holes is not the way to do it. Most of these trucks have reinforcement for where the seats bolt in, so I don't think it is right to just drill a hole in an unsupported place.

Yes, it is good progress. But I'm confused on why you didn't use the lines off the donor truck instead of changing the fitting? They should have just gone right on with no changes needed at all.

Made a bit more progress today. Started with cleaning out the condenser. It was initially plugged completely with junk in the ends of the inlet/outlet tubes. I cleaned them out and it it with compressed air and the air flowed - reluctantly. So I put quite a bit of brake cleaner in it and took it outside and hit with air. Awful stuff came out! So I hit it with more cleaner and tilted the thing back and forth to ensure the liquid got to all of the tube surfaces, and then put air through it. More bad stuff but it was now flowing. So I did that over and over until the flow was easy and what came out was clean. Sent a text to my nephew and he suggested I get some A/C flush and run through it 'cause some brake cleaner corrodes aluminum. Pretty sure O'Reilly's doesn't, but I got the flush and ran it through several times, tilting it back and forth and then blowing it out. Since the condenser appears to be good, I used a "comb" and took out several dings in the fins. Then I started installing it. But I'd removed the sheet metal nuts to have the radiator support painted, so I rounded up the right nuts and bolts and tried to install the condenser - and ran into two problems. First, one of the sheet metal nuts broke - inside the support with the bolt stuck in it. So I got the Dremel and couldn't quite get to it. Given that, I got the bolt cutters out. It took both arms and everything I had to cut the bolt. And when it did cut it the bolt cutters smacked me in the forehead! I originally thought it had broken my nose, but it appears the blood came from the forehead. But, I got the bolt off and the condenser on: However, I did discover some interference where the condenser hits the support, so I need to do some trimming. It hits where the red mark is, although it is hard to tell. Then I turned to the evaporator and tried to flush it. But I can just barely get air through and I can't get much of the cleaner out w/o just turning it upside down. So I came to the conclusion that the expansion valve might be involved, and turned to the 1995 FSM. Here's what it says: So, apparently it is in here? How do I get it out?