Good luck, we're cheering for you! :clap:
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Good luck, we're cheering for you! :clap:
What yard did you visit?
The one you suggested in a different thread... I call dibs on the bedliner and running boards. Lol
Thanks for pointing me to them, the back edges of that yard has some really cool old steel being reclaimed by nature. I did see some cars that were decently clean and complete, but I have no room or money. :P
Dang, I missed the running boards....;) I'm still trying to find an OEM Mighty Max sport rear bumper so if you happen to see one around in another yard let me know. None of the Car-part.com vendors will ship me one.
The junker lives!
https://youtu.be/5M8hILgXXFM
Open header is no bueno when it backfires.
I buttoned up the last of the little stuff, the only things left is to put some form of exhaust on it, and deal with the broken bolts...
I'm not gonna lie, I'm procrastinating on dealing with those bolts.
Just kidding! I pulled the wiper arms off, pulled the cowl covers off and cleaned them.
There was quite a bit of dead leaves and other junk underneath there, and I vacuumed all of that out from underneath because I'm pretty sure that's where the blower pulls air from.
I cleaned all of the windows again, fixed the driver's side door dome light switch, and I cleaned up the wiper arms to get them ready for paint. I'm just going to fog them black.
I've decided that I'm just going to paint the A pillar covers, they're a little too powdery for my tastes and I just want them sealed more than anything. Most likely going to just do primer, one coat of plain grey, and then a couple coats of matte clear. And I like the idea of painting the skid plate red.
Sunday it's supposed to be nice outside, I'm going to try and get all of the painting done then.
Working on getting the truck running right, it's not firing on cylinders 1 and 2. Decide to pull the distributor out and clean it, find all sorts of crap inside it. Get it back together, go to put the new cap on and the black plastic spacer/ring/gasket falls apart.
Turns out half of it was missing, causing the cap to tilt slightly and keeping the rotor from contacting number 1 and 2.
Tried spinning the distributor without any spacer, the rotor hits the posts inside. Now I need to figure out where the hell to find that spacer.
EDIT: figured I'd post a picture of the problem.
Attachment 22172
I already found a new one on FB, but thank you for that link.
I got a ratchet on the end of the crank, rotated it until the timing marks lined up with the groove on the pulley, and put the distributor back in pointed at number 1. I took the pieces of that spacer and spaced them out around the distributor, as a temporary fix. I just wanted to make sure that was the actual problem, but when I tried starting the truck it just kept cranking without sounding like it was trying to light off...
After I started panicking a little I realized that I just need to rotate the crank 360 degrees for it to be TDC on the compression stroke for number 1 cylinder. I did a dumb.
By that point I had to get ready for work, so I'll fix that tomorrow morning and hopefully, :pray: it'll fire right up and actually run on all four cylinders. I'll get the timing adjusted close(ish) and get it out of the garage and over to the coin-op car wash. I'm going to spray it down and try to get as much of the grease and grime off the underside and engine as I can, because I'm really tired of working on a dirty truck.
Once I get the truck over to the on-post self-service shop, I will get a timing light on it to see how close I got and if it needs any more adjustment. While I'm there I'll take an oxy-acetylene torch to those bolts in the control arm and either get them out or knock the threaded inserts off the control arm and tack weld some nuts in their place. Then I'll see about pulling the torsion bars out, getting them clocked properly and maybe crank them up a bit. Then it'll just be getting the new tires on and driving it around until I'm confident that it's running fine.
So the guy I ordered from sent me his last one, and it's lost in the mail. :thumbdown:
I would just order it myself online, but I've had a small issue with the bank account and all of my extra money that I can spend is cash. So I haven't touched the truck in a couple of weeks, and dealt with a load of other stuff.
The reason I'm on here, however... Is because somewhere on the truck was a spider nest. It hatched last night and there were hundreds of tiny little spiders all over the damn thing. I got most of the ones on the outside of it with a can of starting fluid and a propane torch (exactly how it sounds, but without actually setting the truck on fire), but I don't know if any moved into the truck.
Outside of using a flamethrower, what's your best trick for genocide, I mean massacre, I mean getting rid of a metric shit ton of tiny little baby spiders?
Well, that is just BS dude. How much bad luck can someone deal with before going ballistic. I think you need one of those pretend professional pest control packs (the plastic bottle with the sprayer wand) and just go nuts with it. I have the joy of eradicating redback spiders from under my truck (think black widow but about 15 times worse). I break out a can of HD insect killer and gas them with extreme prejudice.
Attachment 22296
I think I got most of them with fire...
I was going to deal with the few spiders I saw while underneath the truck before something like this happened, but without the truck running it's difficult to get anything done to it.
But yes, an excessive amount of chemical warfare will be used with extreme prejudice and potentially extreme violence. And fire, definitely more fire. The truck might not survive, or the garage, but at least the spiders will be gone.
You could easily get a spacer 3d printed if you ask around
I actually hadn't thought of that... I've already emailed every Mitsu and CAT dealership in this state looking for this part so I might end up with a stack of them. lol
I'm choosing to take everything in stride, I've had a lot of practice dealing with bad luck and BS and this is nothing compared to some of the shit I've dealt with. I've already put enough time and effort into this truck, all I have left to do is wait.
Plus I've got to let the baby spider carcasses all over the truck sit there for a few days as a warning to the rest of them. lol
I forgot to mention that the brake booster is no longer functioning. It worked (ish) when I got the truck, but as I bled the brakes it just kept getting worse and now whenever I step on the brake pedal, I can hear it hissing. :bang:
Looks like I'm going to be making another trip to the salvage yard, or trying to find a decent used one...
I'm going to claim Murphy's Law, and all of these little problems and setbacks will satisfy Murphy's Law for a nice long while. http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin...bow/yellow.gif
You can have the booster from my parts truck if you want to come up and pull it off.
Big thanks to steve1814 for the brake booster, it works much better than my old one.
And in other big news, the spacer/gasket showed up today. I honestly did not know that it's actually made of rubber. Lol
https://youtu.be/EoJrkIjaeHA
IT'S ALIVE!!!! And firing on all four cylinders! Still need to get the timing adjusted, but I'm happy with the progress.
Oh, and I ripped the door cards off, because spiders decided to move into the doors. I'm gonna have to figure out something to cover the inside of the doors, at least until I can get new door cards. I'm seriously considering making new ones.
Glad it worked for you!
Door cards are easy enough to replicate. Mine had been slaughtered by the PO who thought putting the worst quality 6x9's in pristine door cards was a good idea. I made them pretty basic - thin MDF sheet pinned to the door skin with plastic scrivets wrapped in carbon fibre film.
- fixed running issue = awesome
- having working brakes = more awesomer
You got an exhaust issue somewhere by the sounds of it from your video?
Well the exhaust did kinda fall off... I haven't put any clamps on it yet because I still have to cut 3" out of it. It exits directly into the inside of the rear tire right now.
I did find a set of door cards in that junkyard that are in decent enough shape, so I'm thinking something slightly more temporary just to cover the inside of the doors.
Got a lot done last night. I took a chisel to the broken bolts in the lower control arm, knocked one of the nuts completely off. The other one was a little more time consuming, but I finally got a drill bit through it and got it out. Below are pictures of my sucess. lol
Attachment 22349
Once the new front shock was in, everything else kinda just fell into place. I got (almost) everything buttoned up, got the truck back down on all four wheels, and decided to make holes in the hood.
Attachment 22348
There's still a lot of cleaning left to do, and today I'll be taking the truck for it's maiden voyage around post. I've fixed the exhaust problem I had before, and aligned both torsion bars so the truck now sits level side to side in the front, and managed to raise the truck a couple inches in the front while I was at it.
I'm relatively sure that the spiders are all dead now, or at least mostly dead. I haven't seen any new webs or activity in a few days, but I'm still going to grab another can of spider killer and spray the underside again.
As for the door cards, I couldn't find any decent vinyl fabric or suitable card stock that didn't cost more than what I had available to spend at that time, so I'm just going to temporarily re-use the old door cards. I'm going to fold the vinyl back and leave the top of the door as painted metal, because the vinyl on the driver's side is too cracked to try and save, and all of the foam has turned to powder.
I think I'll just get an unmolested set of door cards from the junkyard later, I might try to grab them when I got to pick up that bedliner.
Right now I'm heading out to try and set the timing, deal with the last little details and take a video of it driving for the first time with Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30" (2001: A Space Odyssey theme song) playing, just for giggles.
Did the last few things I could do, been a busy week.
Horn button was full of corrosion and the foam isolator pad thing was gone, so I made a new one. lol
Attachment 22414
After fixing the button and cleaning off the contact points for it, I sounded the horn and was very disappointed. So I gave the truck some more bark to match it's bite.
Attachment 22415
Then for shits and giggles I mounted the cheapo off-road lights that came with the truck. One's already burnt out, but the bulbs are H3 and pretty cheap to replace. I think they look alright, maybe a little crooked in this pic but I've since tightened them down and fixed that. I still need to wire up a switch and relay for them, but that can wait for a little bit.
Attachment 22416
I still haven't moved the truck out of my garage, it's been a long week and I won't have time to touch it until Monday. There's only 2 things to do before I drive it, which is bleed the brakes (again) and set the timing.
It's supposed to be 8-10 degrees advanced when stock, with the Weber 38 and a header I'm thinking maybe another 2 degrees?
Ish?
I'm just going to do it by ear and if I notice anything weird while driving it I'll put a timing light on it.
Have a shot at doing the timing with the throttle open (once you have the engine turning over first try). The weber is going to try and over advance the timing - see if you can dial it in at about 2000 rpm. Idle rpm is going to be wobbly... So close to D day now. The work is finally paying off :grin:
Speaking of work, put in some more today...
Rolled the truck out into the driveway, hooked up the little electric pressure washer and went at it. As expected, it was woefully underpowered, but it did remove the dirt from the wheel wells and started peeling up some of the paint from the last paint job...
I ended up scrubbing the hood and roof to get them clean, and I had to use some very fine steel wool to get the chrome wheels cleaned up... I'll have to take them off and legitimately polish them at some point, but right now they're the nicest thing on the truck.
Attachment 22424
Attachment 22425
Attachment 22426
Attachment 22427
And I did paint the front skid plate... It doesn't match at all, but it's that extra little touch. lol
Attachment 22428
I still have to bleed the brakes and set the timing, but my second pair of hands had to deal with some other stuff today.
Looks like tomorrow is D-Day. lol
Looking good. This thing has come a long way in a short time! Nice work.
Keep it up. Like those wheels. Now you need to get the chrome marker lights front and back to match.
I do like the chrome marker lights, but I would want to get the chrome grille to match as well. That would make me want to make the rest of the truck look good to match, and there's too much rust and body filler in the body of this truck for it to be worth the work.
I would collect all of the chrome trim for a rust free truck that I plan on finding later, but not for this one... and I'll most likely put these wheels on that truck if it doesn't already have them.
Other than the wheels (optional), and the bumper on the Custom trim, there was no chrome on the '87 Ram 50.
I say keep the black trim :thumbup:
Actually, the Custom did have chrome marker lights and grille in '87...
http://www.mightyram50.net/vbulletin...am-50-Brochure
Do whatever makes you happy. Mine was all blue including markers and grill. Bought it with a busted grill, so I decided to start going chrome. Havent decided what to do with the bumper yet. Anyways you can pick up chrome markers on ebay for cheap and I think i paid $40 shipped for that grill new.
https://i.imgur.com/bcQtdZS.jpg
I stand corrected!Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
I have an extra chrome right side front side marker, but just the one. You can have it if you want.
I'm gonna keep it the way it is now, and worry about dressing up the next truck.
In the meantime though, I've gotten the bulbs for the off road lights swapped out for 100w bulbs, wired them up to a relay with a switch... They're so much brighter than the stock headlight bulbs it's comical, but they're aimed at the same height as the high beams so they should do pretty well with lighting up what the headlights can't.
I have 2 100 watt kc spot lots on the front of my crown victoria. Amazing how many eyes you see looking at you driving down the back roads at night with them on!
So I decided to take it for a really short test drive, even though the timing is still off and the cab needs adjusted for idle...
The test drive did not last long, since I had almost zero brakes and the parking/emergency brake did absolutely nothing.
So after about 20ft the truck was parked back in the garage. When I bought this truck I decided that until I opened them up, the rear brakes would be both functional and neglected at the same time.
They were not functional, so I decided to open up Schrodinger's drum brakes...
After a liberal spray-down of brake clean, the story told is sickening.
Driver's side
Attachment 22536
Driver's side front shoe
Attachment 22537
Driver's side wheel cylinder
Attachment 22538
Passenger side
Attachment 22539
Passenger side front shoe
Attachment 22540
Passenger side wheel cylinder
Attachment 22541
Note the adjuster lever, and it's position...
I'm reasonably convinced that these are the original factory brakes, simply due to the amount of rust and apparent age of everything. I had to use the threaded holes in the drums to get them off the axles, but from the look of everything It doesn't appear to have bad axle seals, and the wheel cylinders only leak when you pull back the rubber. I would love to find some intact backing plates for cheap, but I might have to go pull them myself from a junkyard/parts truck.
After this weekend (I work the next two days) I'm considering pulling the front calipers off and seeing if there are any major problems up front... I know the front brake hoses will need to be replaced, but they don't leak right now and I'd like to keep it that way. The rust on the rotors did start to wear off, so the pads are making contact with some measure of force.
The front brakes will (eventually) stop the truck, but it's a 3-4 pumper and laying into the pedal to do so. That might be because all of the pressure is going to the drums since they are practically non-existent.
Anyways, I got a free can of SeaFoam from AutoZone because I got a buddy that works there and always hooks me up with damn good discounts... I bought the biggest oil filter I could find on the shelf that would still seal onto the side of the block and a jug of 10w30 for after I do the SeaFoam treatment.
My plan is to use half the can of SeaFoam to decarbonize the engine, just by squirting it straight into the throat of the carb with the engine running. After that, I'll add a little bit of brake fluid (should make the rubber seals swell up just a little) and the other half of the can to the oil and let it run for an undetermined amount of time. Then drain, refill and new oil filter. I'm adding the brake fluid just in case there's some sludge/varnish that's keeping the rubber seals from leaking by taking up the little bit of clearance, and if the SeaFoam cleans all of it out I'll have oil leaking like crazy from everywhere. I do plan on doing all of the gaskets, but not all at once.
If you're still reading, thanks for sticking it out. I know I tend to ramble, but at least here I can get some advice or input from someone much wiser than myself.
Suggestions - engine oil flush. Some people say if it's never been done, it's already too late but I beg to differ. It'll bust up the sludge in the head and galleries, delaminate roasted oil on bearing surfaces and prolong your oil life by getting rid of some of the crap sitting in the sump. Seafoam? Don't know about it - some say it's Mother Theresa in a bottle while others say snake oil. I'd get a spray bottle with clean filtered water and a dash of methlyated spirits and pump it down the throat of the carb with the throttle open. Do it with the engine at operating temperature. The atomised water mix should end up being forced into whatever carbon is in there, turn to steam and make it swell. Once that happens the combustion cycle should do the rest and burn it off (possibly use a fuel system cleaner/additive as well). The 2 processes combined should restore some compression and free up the hydraulic lash adjusters/lifters in the rockers. If you have bad valve stem seals there is nothing you can do to remedy the build up of coke on the backs of the valves - it's off with it's head and into a machine shop for some reco work. The vast majority of oil consumption issues in Mitsubishi engines are bad valve stem seals.
If you have parts that need rust eaten off them but want the least destructive method, get a bucket of hot water and add citric acid powder to it then submerge the crusty relics. Leave them for a day or so covered, then scrub and rinse them with water. It will dissolve all but the worst cases of rust. *this is for ferrous metals ONLY - don't try it with alloys or plated metals ever (alloys will vanish before your eyes and something that was once chromed will give you a nice dose of chromium poisoning - yay)
The engine oil flush is kinda what I'll be doing, in a roundabout way... I haven't opened it up and smelled it yet, but I have a feeling Seafoam has diesel in it.
I was planning on using some diluted windshield washer fluid, since it's basically methyl alcohol and water, but since I got the Seafoam for free I figured I might as well try it... If it doesn't do anything worthwhile I didn't water any money on it. Lol
My rockers have the threaded inserts to manually set the valve lash, so I don't think it has the hydraulic lifters. And I haven't driven it enough to know whether it burns oil, but if I have to pull the head off I'm pulling the engine out and replacing every gasket and seal.
As for the rust removal, I think I'm just going to try and find better backing plates, mine are really crusty and bent in a few places.
I bet if you bottled your diesel/oil mix and sold it for 50 bucks, people would gladly buy it up geezer :grin:
Oh! I totally forgot.
Attachment 22542
Taylor Thundervolt 8.2mm plug wires, with "custom" zip-tie wire separators...
They were the cheapest low resistance plug wires I could find, at 40 ohms per foot (Summit Racing, $37).
Now I can confidently say that this is a "racetruk", because red plug wires. lol
...they already do - it's those little bottles of engine oil flush you get off the shelves. Figure out how much is in the bottle, look at the price and then work out how much diesel fuel you could buy for the equivalent amount. And the bottle isn't sufficient to do a decent flush. As a side note I ran into a young guy at the local fuel express who'd been doing the diesel flush as well, but hadn't gone as far as driving it for a day to get it circulating hot through the engine. He appreciated the tip :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Giovanni89
Warstryker - now you can say 'zombie racetruk' coz back from the dead :P
I'm stealing that. Lol
Been doing the motor flush trick for years now. It works.
After looking and pricing stuff out, I'm just gonna replace the shoes, wheel cylinders, and hardware. There's no need to go all out when I'm planning on swapping out axles eventually anyways...
The drums are just barely oversized, and the adjuster didn't break when I bent it back into shape, so I'm just gonna slap it back together and call it good. I'll buy new ones after they break.
chances are whatever axle you get is going to have crusty adjusters. Unless they are expensive or hard to get, I'd just swap them out while you have it apart. You can always put them on the new axle. If you mean the piece of sheet metal that pushes on the adjuster screw, that will probably bend back ok. But if you mean the adjustment screw itself, it doesn't take a whole lot of binding force to have the sheet metal pawl jump over the tooth and render it useless
It was the pawl that ratchets against the adjuster screw, it had somehow bent back past the teeth in the adjuster screw. I bent it back, cleaned everything and shoved it all back in there.
Attachment 22562
Attachment 22563
I took a wire brush to the backing plate, it's still solid enough in the places that matter. The drums are close enough that the adjusters will take up that little bit of slack.
I don't really want to go back in there. There's not much room to work, and some of those corners are sharp.
I rolled the truck back out of the garage on Monday, tried to get it started again and it ran really rough for a few seconds the first couple times. I pulled the coil wire off the cap and cranked it over, spark was kinda thin and yellow. I took each spark plug out, held each one against the block and each cylinder had spark. I tried swinging the distributor between fully advanced and fully retarded, I pulled it out and moved it a tooth at a time both ways, I even moved the firing order again. That's when it started spitting, sputtering, and backfiring without actually running. It progressively got worse until it wouldn't even kick, just crank. That's when I decided to give up for the night and pushed it back into the garage.
That's when I decided to test all of the components with a multi-meter and rule out all the possibilities... The electronic pickup inside the distributor had zero continuity. It's dead.
So now I have to decide whether to mod the distributor or not. I can buy the MSD magnetic pickup and grind/file it to fit, for the possibly distant future when I can get an MSD 6A box and all I would have to do is drop it in and go.
If I don't want to mod this distributor, I'm really tempted to get the cheapest pickup I can find that'll fit this distributor and try it. If it doesn't work I'm only out $15, but I don't expect it to last long if it does actually work.
On another note, I pulled the wiper motor apart to see why it only had one speed, EXTRA slow. When I pulled it apart I didn't expect to find it packed completely full of grease... When I pulled the armature out of the housing, one of the magnets was stuck to the armature itself, and the brush contacts looked a little burnt. I took some 600 grit to the contacts, but there are still some deep grooves in it. I also might have kinda accidentally dropped the little plastic cover that goes over the terminals and broke it...
I'm going to epoxy the magnet back into the motor housing, glue the plastic cover back together because that's where the plug clips into, and put the entire motor assembly back together. I'll test it before bolting it back in, but I'm not sure exactly what type of grease it will need or how much it will need. But I'm pretty sure it doesn't need half a pound packed into it...
Oh, and the parking brake lever sticks a bit now that I got the right length cable, but I haven't taken it apart and cleaned all the rust out. Hoping that frees it up.
Thanks again for reading.
The saga continues. To be honest I don't think the MSD ignition is worth it. The stock solid state coils have some serious bite when they're healthy and the ICM's are nearly infallible. It's stuff like worn distributor shafts and gears that can make them run erratically. As for the wiper motor you might be better off scrounging one from a yard - it sounds like the original is a paperweight now. I am not a fan of the hand brake set up in the Gen 1 so I can't imagine the Gen 2's to be that much of an improvement. I would like to ditch the whole thing and install a floor mounted lever but I haven't figured out how I'd pull that one off yet...
The distributor shaft has very little play, if any... And I'm kinda wanting to make this Blaster 2 coil work. I could check the resistances again, but I'm pretty sure it's still good. The big problem I'm having is trying to get the distributor back in the right position.
I kinda wish someone had a pic of the 2.6 at TDC for #1 with the cap off so I would at least know which post is supposed to be #1...
I'm also going to go through the wiring again, double and triple check that I don't have something connected to the wrong place. I tossed the old stock coil because it was cracked in multiple places and rusted, and the old ballast resistor burnt the crap out of me after trying to start the truck when I first brought it home.
I'll put the old ICM back in the distributor, put 12v to it and see if it sends a spark spinning the distributor by hand, but I'm not terribly confident that it will do much.
I don't think the original wiper motor is a paperweight just yet, but all I'm really hoping for is to have it work again and last long enough for me to get a good one.
I don't really mind the pull stick design, it's almost like pulling the chute... But a floor mounted lever could be made really simple with a bit of fab work.
The Gen 2's have a pulley right at the base of the mount bracket, which is also the throttle pedal bracket. If you had an extra bracket to cut up, you might be able to use the base to put a pulley on the floor next to the trans tunnel. From there it's just a matter of figuring out which hand brake lever will pull a cable in the direction you need to pull. It would need a floating pulley or two to get enough throw out of the floor mounted lever, but it's possible.
I don't know what this means, but here's a picture of my 2.6 with the cap off (if I'm guessing correctly which cap you're referring to), in case it helps...Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
Attachment 22643
^Warstryker meant #1 in the distributor cap.
Haha, ok. Wasn't sure what he was talking about. But hey, I learned something else today.Quote:
Originally Posted by geezer101
That's a clean engine though, looks much better than the sludgebox I've got. lol
So this happened...
Attachment 22714
Third time pulling the parking brake lever, I heard two pops and parts fell out. Both rear parking brake cables snapped at the lever, I tried pulling them out when I first got the truck but I couldn't get the nuts to budge and left it until I had new cables... guess I'm getting new cables sooner than I expected. I will be using a chock block until I fix it, I know what happens if you don't have a parking brake. lol
I also realized how dumb I am, I thought the firing order was 1,2,3,4 because of the Haynes manual, but I apparently can't read. Or look it up on here, or anywhere else on the internet...
I feel really effin stupid.
I'm going to (hopefully) pull the truck out tomorrow and try getting it started with the correct firing order. I'm going to try the original ICM first, then I'm going to try the new $15 ICM. If both work I've got a spare, if either is bad I'll be ordering another new ICM, and if both are bad I'm going to order a new OEM one.
On another note, I got the wiper motor back together. It's still only one speed, but it's much stronger in low than it was before. I'm gonna be making another junkyard run here in the next few weeks, try and find everything I'm needing...
I moved the off road lights to the "stock" position, they kept getting in my way while I was trying to work on the damn truck... I also cleaned up the wiring a little, I want to mount a distribution block for all of the relays but right now I have it pretty close to organized. Ish.
I also found one of the wires for the A/C was pinched under the ground bolt on the bottom of the battery tray, and I'm kinda tempted to just eliminate the coolant temp switch for the A/C. I fixed it for now, but I might change it later.
Does anyone have pics of their ignition coil wiring? I'm just wanting to make sure I know which wires are supposed to be connected to where, and if I've got extras I want to know where they "should" be connected.
Pictures are easy to understand. lol
Well you have been on a journey of self enlightenment! Before you go hating on yourself you haven't had to sacrifice your dignity and pay someone to fix your order of phuc' dup bad-lee. You'll get it sorted (nothing pays like perseverance). Hell, I didn't even know there was a sender switch to shut off the A/C condenser fan if the engine temp dropped below operating temps :rolleyes:
I've found a few pics that help, and I might have accidentally lost (thrown away) some pieces that I probably should have kept... :shrug:
I'm going to see if I can figure out a way to isolate the ignition circuit without completely rewiring the entire front half of the truck. I don't know what problems it might already have, but if I can start off with a known good setup, I might not have to chase down as many gremlins.
I'm realizing now that I am the cause of the majority of the headache I am experiencing, especially since I decided to modify almost everything before even getting the truck running. lol
I've been playing around with modifying the stock air cleaner for the Weber carb, and right now my progress is ugly and kinda hacked together... Lol
Attachment 22791
Attachment 22792
I figured it would be easier to use the existing Weber bottom plate as a template, and it's spaced away from the carb like that because I'm using the mounting points on the valve cover, the four studs on the Weber itself, and I'm thinking of making a bracket to hold a center stud for the lid.
Yes, that filter is extremely dirty and well worn, but it works as a placeholder.
And yes, I know that it's not the most efficient airflow design, but it'll work for getting somewhat cooler air to the carb. Maybe. If I actually follow through with it.
If you plug the mounting hole in the top of the air cleaner box you might not even need the centre bolt. It's primary purpose is to clamp the whole air cleaner assembly down to the carb but if the base of it is secured rock solid, you won't need to factor it in. Hmm, the Weber sits higher than the stock carb with the adapter under it - I didn't know that...
This will work better than the open element filter and maybe with some heat shielding in it (or even around the main intake duct as it's hanging over the exhaust manifold), it might aid intake temperatures further :think:
IT LIVES!!!!!!!!
I took it on its first true maiden voyage, and it did much better than expected. The brakes are terrible, the throttle is extremely sensitive, and it's loud as hell...
But it runs like hell and even chirped the tires in second gear. I'm happy with it.
Most excellent :beavisbutthead:...you really need to get the brakes thing sorted out before you end up beer canning all of your hard work.
Well, they do work, and the truck does stop... But I have to lay into the pedal to get it to stop quickly, and the pedal is almost to the floor by that point, but the brakes will still stop the truck.
Eventually I'll get the entire brake system replaced and it'll work great, but honestly just getting it back on the road and driving is huge for me.
It has been almost 10 years since this truck drove on public roads, and it's now back to being (mostly) roadworthy.
Update:
The front calipers are semi-functional, but the driver's side works much better than the passenger side. I haven't touched the front brakes yet, and I'm hoping they just need a decent cleaning and lubricated... The rotors aren't very pretty but there's still plenty of thickness in both sides.
That, and adjusting the throttle linkage so that it's less hair-trigger would be nice.
I can't tell yet if the timing is a little off, because it does diesel after shutting it off, but I haven't de-carbonized yet and it sounds like it's only one cylinder that's still firing after shutting it off. But considering I set the timing by guess-timation it is most likely off by a few degrees.
Outside of that, everything else on the truck works great. The trans literally just slides into each gear like butter, and I haven't had any issues with it making any kind of bad noise. I do want to add more exhaust to make it just a little more quiet, but it's honestly pretty tame as is. I still need to get the new tires on it, but I'm planning on holding off until I get the rest of the little stuff ironed out, and put the new rubber on when I'm actually ready to drive it any distance.
As always, I'd love to hear opinions or advice.
And obligatory pic:
Attachment 22852
After letting the truck sit for a week, I tried to start it and absolutely nothing happened. Battery was at 4.65v
I took the battery to AutoZone, after an hour and a half of charging it failed the ammo test. The machine doesn't have a readout, so I don't know how badly it failed but I don't really have the extra cash to get another battery.
Part of me hopes the battery is complete junk, and that there isn't a parasitic draw that's draining the battery... But the other part is hoping that the battery is just barely under the threshold for being "bad" so I can hold off on buying a new one at least for a little bit longer.
The truck is back in the garage now, I'm going to go through the front brakes and try to get the A/C working. I'm pretty sure it's just a wiring issue, the A/C was serviced a little over 10 years ago and there's no evidence of the UV dye that was put in. (There's a sticker with the info on the radiator support.)
Wish me luck, I guess. Lol
Electrical gremlins are a nightmare. Corrosion, wear and tear plus the dreaded DIY ghetto fixes of yesteryear can leave you tearing your eyes out in frustration. Fingers crossed you can get it sorted. :)
Thanks!
I went ahead and started pulling the front end apart, found one of those past "fixes"...
Once I got the calipers off, I noticed a little bit of play in the hubs. The driver's side auto locking hub was missing the spacer that goes behind the snap ring, and the lock nut wasn't even remotely close to putting any preload on the bearings. And the hub seal was bent, missing pieces and of course leaking like a sieve.
The passenger side still had the spacer, but the lock nut was just as loose. The seal did look much better, but it leaked too so it's getting replaced as well. The grease in both hubs was mostly black, with a hint of red and green here and there so I have a feeling they haven't ever been cleaned out.
This is the point in time where I start thinking the truck has a mind of it's own and broke itself repeatedly to keep me from driving it too much and getting up to speed... Because I'm reasonably convinced that if I drove that truck on the highway for any real amount of time the front wheels would have fallen off.
I'm really glad I pulled the hubs apart, even though it means more work and more parts. But honestly, all it really needs is new seals, grease, and that one spacer that's MIA. I could just switch to manual locking hubs, but I don't have those funds right now and there's slightly more important stuff that needs fixing first.
As for the wiring, I'm wanting to put in a couple of power distribution blocks, a battery +12v and a keyed ignition +12v. What I'm probably going to do is just put a multimeter between the positive battery cable and the post to see if anything is drawing on the battery with the key off. Then it's just a matter of pulling fuses until that draw goes away.
For the A/C, I think I'm just going to super-simplify it and run a single wire from the A/C switch to the compressor clutch. I know the ECU had some control over the A/C circuit, and without the ECU I think there isn't a connection between the switch and the compressor. I think.
Oh, and the caliper pins were bone dry and a bit stuck... That explains the lack of front brakes, and there's more than plenty of pads left on both sides. The rotors are still in good shape as well, the only thing I would consider doing is resurfacing. They're not warped at all, not even slightly. I don't know if I'm going to go through the effort of cleaning off all the rust and painting, but it depends on when I get the money for parts. It might be a while...
Now, aside from ordering the special socket for the lock nut for the hubs, what tools have others built/modified in order to get the lock nut tightened properly? I can't remember if there was a torque spec, but the hub shouldn't be able to slide back and forth on the spindle.
Thanks for reading.
The Miller/Mits P/N for the special socket is MB990954. A similar tool for Ford hubs will work if you cut off all but two opposing tabs to get it to fit the lock nut. A spring scale is very helpful to measure the hub's turning resistance which should be 1-4 lbs. The lock nut should be torqued first to 95-145 ft.lbs, loosened to zero, next torqued to 18 ft.lbs, then loosened 30-40 degrees to get the correct rolling resistance and to get the lock washer and nut holes to align. Also useful is a dial gauge. It can confirm that the hub's back and forth movement on the spindle is correct (.002" or less). More importantly, it will help you determine the thickness of the MIA spacer you need behind the snap ring and confirm that you have the correct drive shaft end play (.008-.020") on both sides.Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
Thanks!
I've been checking out various forums where a Weber swap is common. Some suggest when it comes to setting ignition timing, between 10-15 degrees BTDC @ 850 rpm with the engine warmed up and vacuum connected. Others say 7-9 degrees @ 900 rpm with the vac advance disconnected. I would try the latter method, then reconnect the vacuum advance and see what the difference in ignition timing is. Honestly, +/- 50 rpm at idle is negligible. Next ball park figure is 25 degrees BTDC on throttle (at a guess somewhere around 2000 rpm). You'll need to adjust the fuel mix if it feels like it's running rough on idle. The Weber is sensitive to engine tune and although a timing light will give you a ball park to play in, each engine will behave slightly different. Best way to get it pulling hard and smooth is by trial and error.
Well the second method sounds like the one shown on the under hood sticker, but just setting it at 7°-9° instead of 8°-10° BTDC.
As a matter of opinion, what idle speed do most have their truck set at? Right now this truck is idling at ~1250 rpm and I feel like that's way too high.
I still have yet to actually set the idle mixture to lean best idle. The instructions state that the idle mixture screws should be between 3/4 and 1 1/2 turns out and I just put them at approximately 1 1/4 turns out. I figure halfway is a decent starting point. The instructions did say that if the screws are less than 3/4 turn or more than 1 1/2 turns that a jet change is required, but I'm hoping that if I can get the idle mixture set properly I can get rid of the dieseling problem.
I need to do the Seafoam treatment as well, and then de-carbonize the engine just to eliminate any carbon deposits or hot spots that could be interfering with the tune up.
Once I've got the carb situated and the timing set properly, I'll be able to focus on all the oil leaks.
There is one thing that I'm mildly concerned about... The caliper slides on both sides seem to be seized inside the caliper brackets, and I don't know if I need to be super careful extracting them or if I can just hammer them out. If those slides are a lost cause, I might be looking for a used set of calipers with brackets. I don't want to buy new, because I can't bring myself to put new calipers on old pads and rotors, with an old master cylinder and original brake hoses.
1250 rpm is too high for my liking. On a cold start it should be no more than 1100 rpm (IMO). This may actually be the root of your engine running problems. Without a base line idle rpm it will throw your ignition timing out and dieselling is one of the symptoms. I would start from scratch - reset your cold start idle rpm and then adjust your ignition timing and fuel mix accordingly. Good luck!
Ok, so I'm pretty confident on the order of operations...
Set the idle to somewhere around 750-850 rpm at operating temperature, let it cool down completely and check that the cold start idle is somewhere around 1k rpms.
Set the idle mixture screws to lean best at operating temperature, and then double check that the idle speed is still good.
Set the ignition timing by ear for smooth running, then Seafoam and decarbonize.
Check the ignition timing with a timing light, adjust it until maximum smoothness is achieved throughout the rpm range.
Drive the truck and see if it's any better.
Throughout this process, I'm hopping that I fix the dieseling with one of the above steps.
Thanks to everyone who has provided advice or information, and shootout to Mr. Paco for hooking me up with new mud guards. :thumbup:
My experience with dieseling with a 32/36 on a 2.6, is that it cant get enough air to idle through the idle circuit. This forces you to crank in the idle speed screw allowing more air past the throttle blade and exposing the first transition circuit hole. I saw great improvements by drilling a small hole in the throttle blade and being able to back off of the speed screw. It still does it occasionally. I have an automatic, and if I shut it off in gear it never diesels. I set my idle speed to about 900 in park, but I only get about 600 in gear
Well I've got a 38/38, so I think that once I get the idle set properly it should have a little more airflow through the idle circuit than the 32/36 and that might be all I need to do to fix the dieseling.
I'm still hoping that someone has input or experience with the caliper slides that are stuck in the caliper bracket... I have a feeling I'm going to need new rubber boots, because I don't think they survive the extraction. Especially if they have melted inside the bracket and that's what is keeping the slide from moving freely.
Mine (also an automatic) runs at 1,100 in park, and 800 in gear. Is that too high? Should it be set lower?Quote:
Originally Posted by Giovanni89
I forgot you had the 38/38. Sorry about that.
Mr Paco, If i'm going to be sitting for and extended amount of time (traffic) I just nudge it into neutral. Not only is your transmission happier, but you will get more air and coolant flow with the water pump spinning faster. 1100 at idle is faster than I would run, and will make you more prone to dieseling. Idle speed was high when i first got the truck, and it slammed into gear and pulled hard when you first put it in drive. Much nicer to drive with a lower idle.
Ok so I'm kinda dumb...
I spent the past week or so away from my house and the truck and I was going off of memory for the brake questions... Apparently while I was taking them apart in the middle of the night I didn't get that good of a look at how they work.
I finally got another look and realized that the slider pins that I'm having issues with are in the caliper body, and the pin that bolts to the bracket is totally fine.
I guess the new question is do I try and get the slider out of the caliper, or is it a lost cause?
I got the caliper slide pins out (with a pair of vise grips and a hammer) and ordered new ones, along with new rubber boots.
I'm going to wait until I've got everything I need before starting the reassembly, and hopefully I can find a source for those spacers to get the hub axial endplay set properly...
I got the throttle linkage set up so that I now have wide open throttle, and it should also be slightly less touchy.
I'm also going to wait until after everything is back together before adjusting the idle, because I'm going to be doing the Seafoam at the same time and I'd rather not fill the garage with smoke. Lol
If you were 'kinda dumb' you wouldn't have figured this one out under your own reconnaissance, so you get another gold star for the fridge lol. I'd give it a clean, a blasting with WD40 and see how you go before sending it off for scrap. You may end up needing a replacement if the slider pins are all scuffed up from wear but you might get lucky and all it needs is some TLC to get it operational.Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
Attachment 22902
I'm gonna need new pins... Lol
The caliper itself seems to be fine, just the sliders were stuck. The rotors and pads seem to be totally fine as well, barely any wear on the rotors...
Now it's just a matter of cleaning everything and waiting on parts.
...err, yeah. I can see how that may slightly impact on braking performance. That slider is FUBAR
Well if it hadn't been stuck in the first place, I wouldn't have had to fubar it out....:shrug:
after all the years of neglect before you got the truck, its a wonder you were able to get it out at all...
Chunks of the rubber boot are still stuck to the slider pin... lol
Thankfully the passenger side was less stuck and didn't require vise grips to remove. The pistons do move inside the calipers, so they will work once I get everything back together.
The only things left are to clean and re-pack the wheel bearings, put everything back together and get back to driving it.
I got the new pins, but the boots that I ordered weren't the boots shown in the picture... So after a trip over to the local parts store, I've got another set of boots on the way and a new 75 group battery with dual terminals.
I did grab one of the cheap battery hold-downs, but I'm not a big fan of it. I thought it was made of some type of hard composite plastic, but it is in fact made of rubber and I think I might be switching it out for a sturdier battery hold-down. It holds the battery in place just fine, but I'm not really that comfortable with it as a long term solution.
I am picking up the (hopefully correct) caliper slide pin boots tomorrow, the 2 1/2" hub lock nut socket, (the Ford/GM one and grinding off the 4 extra pins), and while I'm there I'll grab some universal power distribution blocks and more electrical wiring connectors and ends to (hopefully) get the wiring mess figured out and semi-sanitized. Probably some other stuff that I won't remember I need to buy until I see it on the shelf.
I'm wanting to isolate the ignition wiring from the rest of the electrical wiring, and I'm wondering if there is another keyed +12v source I can use that is easily accessible and will potentially handle the possibility of up to 10 amps...
I'm going to do one power distribution block for battery +12v and the other for keyed ignition +12v. The battery +12v will power the fuel pump relay, the off-road lights relay, the 12v triple socket box I've got mounted under the dash and the tiny 100w sub behind the seat. The keyed +12v distribution block will run the electric choke on the carb, the signal wires for the two relays and possibly some additional accessories and/or relay signals.
The power distribution blocks I'm getting have a fuse for each output, and I will be running a 30a fuse maximum on the battery +12v block, and the keyed +12v will only have signal wires connected, nothing that will actually put any real amperage draw on the keyed +12v source.
I've got a buddy that has a seal installation kit, big ass torque wrenches, and a couple other tools that I'm likely to borrow. This upcoming weekend I've got 3 days off and I'm going to do my damnedest to have the truck back on the road by Monday.
What I did on my truck, was get a marine grade tinned copper junction block. There are 4 lugs on it. One to battery, one to alternator, one to the factory harness, and one that feeds into a 12v 100amp (or maybe 200) continuous duty solenoid. That solenoid is triggered by my original coil wire. The solenoid feeds a marine grade fuse panel. The fuse panel feeds my electric fuel pump, fog lights, ignition system, carb choke, auxiliary gauges, and power feed for my trailer lights.
It's a little bit hokey, but it keeps the load of all the new accessories off of the factory wiring. All of the wires between the junction block, battery, alternator, solenoid, and fuse block are 2 gauge. Almost no voltage drop. It's been going for about 60k miles/2 years with no trouble. I'll try and snap a picture today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WarStryker13
That random green wire is hooked up to the starter solenoid. My neutral safety ate shit this week, just been popping the hood and hitting something hot with it to start it. Once i fix the car I'll remedy the truck. Broken shifter cableAttachment 22946
I like your setup, and I'm digging the old style electric fuel pump.
I actually haven't touched the truck at all, things happened and long story short, I had to purchase a new vehicle for my wife on short notice.
Whenever I do actually get back to working on the truck, the first thing to deal with is cleaning all of the old grease out of the wheel bearings and hubs. I'm trying to decide whether to buy regular degreaser, mineral spirits, or some other specific type of solvent to dissolve old, gummed up, dirty grease out of the bearings and hubs. As it is right now, I can't confidently say that all of the bearings are not worn out or binding because they're still packed full of dirty, nasty gummed up old grease.
I really need to get the parking brake cables replaced as soon as possible, because I have been officially warned by my direct supervisor that I'm not allowed to drive the truck until they are fixed/replaced and the parking brake is fully functional.
I found the part number of the shim kit, MB241229, and it's even harder to find than the parking brake cables. I'm going to try the local dealerships and the one-man Mitsu parts warehouse that I know, I really hope I don't have to order the shim kits online, but I did find it on mitsubishipartswarehouse... Last resort would be Ebay but I'm not a fan of ordering from Australia or UAE and waiting a month.
Once I figure those two things out, the rest should go back together relatively quickly/easily. Hopefully.
Its the venerable carter P4070. being mounted above the tank, it requires constant flow to keep the pump primed. The fuel pressure gage is teed into the return line to the tank. I have a plug in the return line with a 1/16" hole through the center of the plug. This keeps the pump flowing about 5 gallons or so per hour
For really grungy de-greasing like that. I buy a paint can at the hardware store and fill it with kerosene. I'll soak the parts and then brush them under the surface of the liquid with a nylon or brass brush. Under the surface of the liquid keeps the globs of kerosene soaked grease from flinging all over the place. Diesel also works but smells a bit more. Of course mineral spirits and WD40 work well too, but the cheap bastard in me likes the 3 bucks a gallon for kerosene/diesel at the pump.
I got a $20 gift card for AutoZone, so I just picked up a 1 gallon jug of Purple Power, a tub of grease (I didn't have as much as I had previously thought) and a few other small things...
I've been busy with work and home stuff, so I haven't done much with the truck... I did start on the wiring, separating and organizing the relay circuits. I temporarily mounted the power distribution block, I still need fuses and connectors, and to figure out something for the keyed +12v.
I'm seriously considering doing what I had mentioned before, but modifying it a little... I would run a relay off of the coil wire, and use that to power another power distribution block to run the electric choke, the signal wire for the fuel pump relay, the hot side of the switch for the off-road lights (which is the signal wire for that relay), and to have an extra keyed +12v source for anything else I might add later.
Eventually, I would like to put together a system similar to yours Giovanni89, but make it waterproof. I'd be waterproofing the rest of the wiring in the engine bay at the same time (or at least making it water-resistant) and pulling out all of the extra wiring that used to run the stock carburetor and emissions crap. That's gonna be a little while, so for right now this should work just fine.
I'm going to go ahead and start putting the front end back together, even though I don't have the shim kit yet for the driver's side... I still need to replace the parking brake cables and a bunch of other little stuff before driving it again. I still have to figure out the A/C and mount the new tires before driving it long distance, but then again I need a little more practice with stop and go traffic. I moved the throttle linkage to a different position, so now I should have both wide open throttle and a less sensitive pedal at part-throttle.
I'm mildly concerned that the A/C is going to take quite a bit of troubleshooting and testing to get working again, but I'm determined to make it work. I did pull the ECU out of the truck, I don't know if it controlled the A/C somehow but I am willing to re-wire the entire system if necessary to get it to work. I'm hoping that it's just an unplugged connector that I didn't notice, but I'm well aware that one of the common problems is the module on the evaporator housing going bad. I'm just speculating right now until I can start testing for voltage with the multimeter, but if someone has an idea of where or what to start with, I'm all ears.
After I've got the truck running properly and reliably, I'm gonna need to figure out what to do about the lack of rocker panels. I don't know when I'm going to have the rectangular tubing and a welder to make the rock sliders I originally wanted, so I'm going to need a solution of some form to keep the jagged, rusty sheet metal from stabbing me in the legs and catching on my pants before I try driving it on a regular basis. Running boards would help a little, but not enough. I could try using the rocker panels I have, but I would need more tools than I currently have access to, including free use of a welder. I could order the correct rocker panels, but those are kinda expensive and I'm on a very limited budget. I could go to a junkyard and cut the rockers out of a truck there, but I'm going to want to grab quite a bit of stuff from there and those parts will add up very quickly.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading through my early morning brain dump. :thumbup:
Got everything cleaned, found a few problems. The cage on one of the wheel bearings is bent, soI need at least one new wheel bearing. One of the hubs is bent out of round and therefore is impossible to put a new seal in it.
I tried.
So now I'm gonna need another two seals, at least one but probably all four new wheel bearings, and both front hubs, because I kinda got angry and yeeted both hubs out of the garage into the driveway... They're junk now, so I need new ones.
Damn, the rabbit hole gets deeper. I hate bodywork, it is something that can break your plans after investing a ton of time and what little cash you have in your pockets. I have a donor truck that I can cut up to get decent rockers but I think I'll have to pay someone to do the actual repairs. That will mean paint as well :rolleyes: I am waiting so see what similar woes await me with my own A/C refit. None of the original A/C lines will connect to the new condenser, dryer and NipponDenso compressor I've used to replace 30 + year old set up in my Gen 1 and the wiring was CRAP. You might get lucky and find post 1990 front hubs for your truck (anything remotely newer is a bonus) and luckily you aren't restricted to only Rams for parts. You're made good ground so far. Keep posting your progress :thumbup:
A rattle-can paint job will be good enough for this turd of a truck...
I'm gonna be junkyard diving for the hubs, and I'm planning on picking up a bunch of other parts while I'm there. Might as well bring a sawz-all and liberate some sheet metal...
Are the post-1990 hubs different?
There shouldn't be any change in the mechanicals throughout the Gen 2's. The later the build date, the better. Good hunting!
I've seen some not-garbage driveway paint jobs using rustoleum through a cheap gun and rattle can 2K clear over it. Just coz it's ghetto, doesn't mean it has too look like it :)
Good preparation can make a driveway rattle can paint job look just as good as one from a paint shop. Well, at least as good as a MAACO paint job, or what most other cheap, high volume paint shops will do...
But I have been throwing around the idea of covering the entire truck in red bedliner.
My two cents the Dupli color brand is great for color matching and because the nozzle sprays in a fan pattern and can be rotated. If you are going to stop for a while turn it upside down and press the nozzle until it clears itself.
I recently painted mine and it looks good. I also did not prep the skirts very well as now that I have one off and have hit it with a hose and wet sand to do the edges the new paint has come off in one area that I apparently did not get sanded well enough for the new paint to grip it tightly.
Surface prep is about 85% of a good paint job, and if this truck was in better shape I would probably work towards getting it re-painted. As it is, there's too much rust and body filler to be worth the effort.
On a different note, I took another look at the dented hub... I could take a file to where the metal has been pushed inward and file those dents back down, and since the rest of the hub is still in usable shape all I really need is new seals and bearings.
I'm debating on whether I should just replace all of the wheel bearings, I don't really want to have to pull this all back apart again later.
I made some progress on the electrical system, I've got all the connectors and fuses that I needed and I can finish that tonight. I also got the steel battery hold down to replace the weird rubber one.
I still need to get the new tires mounted, debating on whether I want to drive the truck over to the shop to do that or just take the wheels and tires to the shop.
And I still need new parking brake cables.
I'd go the file route, but I'm a cheap bastard. Did someone stake in the last oil seal? I can't imagine a chunk of metal as solid as a hub has more than a small dent that can be ground off. I'd do all the wheel bearings too. Cheap peace of mind.
The dents are small, but just enough to prevent the seal from going in. I did end up getting all new bearings and seals, and they should be here this week.
The parking brake cables wont be here for another week, and I have to decide whether to go ahead and pull the old ones out, or wait until the new ones arrive.
I'm also going to be getting a used tool box from a co-worker as payment for helping him get his vehicle hauled onto post. He bought a little 99 Ford Ranger, and the title/registration is taking longer than originally planned so we're just going to put it on a trailer and haul it from the storage lot it's currently parked in to the barracks parking lot. He's feeling a little uneasy about leaving it parked in that part of town, and he's also got a bit of work to do to it, some cleaning and fixing little stuff.
I don't know yet if it will even fit the bed of my truck, but I'm still gonna take it, even if it's just to have it. His ranger is a step side, and the box is pretty narrow... If it's not wide enough to sit on the sides of the bed, I'm just going to fabricate brackets and mount the box so the top of the lid is flush with the sides of the bed. I can also figure out where I will need to cut holes in the bed to mount a roll bar while I'm doing that.
Once I'm done with the front end and the parking brake cables, I'm going to start driving it every day. Once the truck has been running problem free for a few weeks, my next priority is going to be getting a roll bar in the truck and fixing the rusted out rockers.
Hopefully I'll actually be able to get some work done on the truck and have an actual update within the next week.