Get ready, King Of Trucks is coming...

Ok boys, victory is mine (for the most part and so far). I got it running and drove it around the neighborhood today. I was giggling like a retard.

Here's what has happened to get to here from the last post. I had several issues all combining to equal running like crap/not running. First, the distributor. The bushing in the distributor case (where the wire goes from the negative side of the coil through the dizzy case and on to the points) was worn causing a short. I fixed that with a new distributor. I had a $30 credit at the parts place and a new dizzy was $43, so I pulled the trigger on that just to insure no more headaches. It also came with new points and new condensor and even though I didn't need those, it made the bargain even better. I set the rough timing with the old "pull the #1 plug, spin the fan, feel for air, line up the ball" method. I also made sure the new points that came installed in the new dizzy were gapped correctly.

Second, the carb was dumping too much fuel causing it to run very rich. Now with the previous tuning someone else had done, it ran ok this way (at least until the plugs fouled) and the wiring started deteriorating just by looking at it. I adjusted the mixture screw to 1 1/2 turns backed out and installed new properly gapped plugs.

I got my timing light out and fired it up. I had a little bit of a rough idle so I backed the mixture screw out another 1/2 turn (2 turns backed out total) and that fixed that. Unfortunately, my timing light is a piece of shit and only works when it wants to. Today was not one of those days. So without getting it timed perfectly, I took it around the neighborhood for a few minutes. It did fine, except the timing needs to be advanced a little. With the absence of a good timing light, I'm gonna do it with the "accelerate in third on a slight hill and advance til it pings then back off a bit" method.

Now with all that said (and this was a major victory for me), I still have just a couple of wiring issues. I am still getting a poor ground on my headlight switch causing the battery to drain. It is currently grounded to the back of the dash (and should be grounded to the dash just by being installed?). I'm going to have to change the location I guess to try to get a good ground. Also, the ammeter was a little jumpy towards the charge side but only when on the throttle, not at idle.

There was one other electrical issue, but I'm not sure if it's a "real" issue or not. I've got an aftermarket chrome universal turn signal lever that I installed. It has three lights on the housing, one red to show it's working and two green for each turn signal as an indicator. The "issue" is with the red light. When you turn the key on, the red light comes on. When at idle, the red light is on. When you're on the throttle, the red light flashes and makes a clicking noise like the green turn signal indicators. The turn signals and turn signal indicators all work normally. The reason I'm not sure if this red light deal is an issue or not is because I don't know if this is normal or abnormal. Anybody know?

 

Oh, and sorry, but no real pics for now. Nothing really exciting enough to look at, lol. And I want to say thanks again for the help I got during this whole rewire and timing debacle. You guys helped me keep my sanity and look at things objectively and keep from setting the whole pile on fire when I'd get fed up. You guys are THE BEST. Holler if you ever come to Concord, I'll buy you a beer. Thanks.

Also, next up after the couple of small wiring issues is the install of the split exhaust and two carb setup. So right after I get it running and driving again, I'm gonna go through all the trouble of tuning two carbs, lol. I wanted to have a good running baseline to eliminate any unneccessary questions when I tune the two carbs. Shouldn't be hard, I've rebuilt Rochesters before and I've got a complete kit (as posted before) with a video to help with tuning. This will for sure start just after Christmas/New Years, I'm still waiting for the split exhaust to replace the one that arrived cracked.

 

Congrats on taking it for a spin. Nice when you work out some of the bugs and it pays off!

 

You should've seen me bouncing up and down in the seat just a whoopin' and hollerin' like a full on Simple Jack, lol. Driving my truck m-m-m-m-m-makes me happy.

 

That shit made me laugh. Simple Jack hahahaha!!!!

I might be thrashing on my Father In Law's Coupe this Saturday you should stop by!!! I am giving it to him Sunday!

 

This brings back the memory of my 56 chevy stepside. I was driving and my dad was with me and it was raining like crazy. All of a sudden the truck lit up like an arc welder inside. The truck got struck by lighting, dad looked at me and I looked at him as we were both amazed. Then the defroster motor went to squeeling like a stuck pig! Took it apart and it burned the grease in it to what looked like carbon. Regreased it and good to go. Weird............

 

Fuck I love this thread... just found it today.

I have had this pickup for 2 weeks now and can't get enough!
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From 1959 Chevrolet Apache 1/2 Ton</td></tr></table>

 

I totally would but we're going to Raleigh to see my grandparents. Sounds like a super fun time though. I bet you can't wait to see your father in law's face when you hand it over!

 

Lol, lightning? That sounds like a real trip.

 

Thanks I'm glad I could entertain you with my heartaches. You've got a nice looking truck there. What are your plans?

 

I bought it to be a daily driver. The brakes have been completely rebuilt. It still needs seatbelts, radiator re-cored, heater re-cored, some electrical stuff (wipers, heater motor, taillight work, etc). It needs a major tuneup and a carb rebuild.
Maybe paint it 2 tone red-oxide and white. Paint the wheels and the letters in the grill red-oxide, too.

I'll probably pull 2 leaves out of each corner. Build a new bed floor with marine plywood.

Then when I get bored with it - find a late 60s Cadillac donor car with a 427 and swap the entire drivetrain and front frame clip..

Those early pix that you posted are crazy man.
- Joe

 

Still a sweet looking truck,Yes you can rebuild him.The bionic truck,Seriously I would do it the same as your pictures,Real period that way.....Good luck ,I always wanted one of those or the fleetside carrier models .

 

Lol, your truck looks way too nice to need all that work.

Thanks. I have big plans. I'm really glad I got this truck while my dad is still around. He's really diggin' on it too. He and mom travel to warmer climates during the winter. I hope by the time they get back in April that I've got some major progress to show. I hope to have it lowered, hopped up engine, and at least have the interior painted by then.

 

Give em hell terd!
Finally got the sledus maxximus back rollin today and ran a tank dry!Hope you did the same

 

It is pretty damn nice... Goozgas did most of the heavy lifting. The stuff it needs is all small potatoes. Mostly things to make it safe and reliable for every day use.... and a couple of things to make it mine.

go man go - It's really good to hear that you have it driving!

- Joe

 

Lol, I'm trying as hard as I can. I've still got to get the timing fine tuned. But yeah, I'm gonna drive the wheels off it.

Thanks Joe. I thought I recognized your truck. I saw it when it was for sale here. I got my truck from Dirty Ed. He already did the brakes for me. I'm glad too, cause drum brakes aren't my strong point. For mine, it's all down hill from here. The total rewire was definately the most difficult thing I'll have to do. I'm glad it's over. Everything else is nuts and bolts gravy.

 

Nuts and bolts gravy is my favorite. My granny makes it for every holiday dinner.

Mmmm gravy.
- Joe

 

Glad to see you got it running.

 

Me too!My son still ask me when is mater comun home!lol

 

he he he...

 

SUCCESS!!!!!





I've done it. I got it timed as close to perfect as is humanly possible. It runs pretty good again. I've been driving around all morning with a retarded smile on my face.

I've still got a couple of very minor issues to take care of. The speedo isn't working like it was. It's reading way fast, maybe the cable is in a bind. I'll take the cable off the gauge and reattach it to see if that's taken care of. Also, I need to finish wrapping my wires with the plastic wrap and stow the flasher and turn signal wires under the dash neatly now that everything is working properly.

I'm picking up a proper seat soon. It's out of a '60 apache and folds forward. The one in it now is from a '70s car, is totally ugly, has ugly plastic, and doesn't fold forward. When I swap the seats, I'll get the fuel sender wired up and grounded. That's the last hurdle to finish up the rewire. No gas gauge til then.





I want to say thanks again for all the help and advice in my other threads to help me get this rewired, running, and properly tuned. I'll need it again when I go to set up my dual carbs, lol. You guys are the greatest! Thanks!

 

FAIL!!!!



Good news and bad news. Bad news first. I'm getting an intermittent fuel delivery problem. The symptoms are as follows: Idles great all the time. Runs great most of the time. From time to time with no warning, the engine seems starved for fuel. It bogs while driving when you try to give it throttle. It will still idle fine.

Factory shop manual says it could be burnt or stuck valves, improper plug gap, or trash in the carb. Plugs are good for sure. The carb could probably use a kit, but I was hoping to make it til I could install my two pot intake and split exhaust. I've got a couple of other tricks to try in the mean time. I'm going to pull the fuel sender out and check the filter on the pickup as well as check for trash in the tank. I have a new filter sock at the ready. Another common fuel line failure is the little rubber elbow between the hard line on the tank and the hard line going to the fuel pump. I've read these can get old and collapse under suction. I have a new one at the ready. At the same time I check those two issues, I'll blow out the hard lines.

If those two things don't cure the problem, it'll be on to the fuel pump and then the carb. Unless I can get my split exhaust manifold first. In that case, I'll just go ahead and swap the new carbs once I make sure the fuel pump is good.



Now on to better news. The truck came with an ugly, no make that hideous, old car bench seat. It makes me sick to even look at it. Not to mention the springs are worn out and it's terribly uncomfortable along with plastic pieces and headrests. It doesn't slide and it doesn't fold forward, lots of rips and tears as well. It's totally wrong in every way. I picked up a seat out of a '61 Chevy truck today. It's in really good shape and sits really nice and comfortable. The best part is it looks so much more period correct. The color is wrong for my final plans, but it will certainly do for a good long while until I get to stitching up a new cover on down the line. All in all, an awesome score for $60.

I also got a slow leak in one of my tires fixed. It was leaking around the bead and at the valve stem. Just another small headache cured. The seat came around at just the right time too. I was going to have to pull the other seat out to get to the fuel tank to check the sender and hook up the sender wire I never got to during the rewire to make my gas gauge work again. Perfect timing, although I'll likely have to drill a couple of new holes. It's gonna be super cold around here for the next little bit but I'm going to try and get the seats swapped out along with the sending unit/fuel line deal done over the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

 

have you cleaned out the tank? new filters? (just reread your post) unlikely its the fuel pump if its not leaking.... i had to blow out my fuel line once or twice- my truck sat for many years- i still need to clean and reseal my tank, but as i'm sure you know, the list is long... also, i'd suggest sticking w/ a single carb til you get everything else sorted... rebuild kit is cheap and easy.... i finally got all engine, chassis, and brakes sorted- took it for a first drive only to have a whining saginaw... i now have a cab sitting on a frame!! so, i guess its a good time to start cleaning and painting the frame!! good luck!!

 

I haven't cleaned out the tank yet. I got it as a "driver". I drove it for a couple of weeks until the old factory wiring made it impossible. The specifics are in earlier posts in this thread. Since I got it driving again, the fuel issue has shown up. It may have been there all along since it's not a constant problem. I'd really like to keep the single carb until it's running right all the time, just to keep the diagnosis easier. If I don't find anything in the tank, I'll do a carb kit. I've rebuilt a Rochester BC before, it's gotta be about the easiest there is when it comes to rebuilding carbs.

I'll be doing the same cleaning and painting the frame when I get to lowering. I'll pull the bed off and do the back. Then I'll probably pull the doghouse off and do the front along with cleaning and painting the firewall and engine.

 

sounds like a good plan- my fuel issue didnt show til tank got low- so there's something floating around in there... i siphoned all the old gas out, but never properly flushed it... definitely pull the dog house and bed off when doing the lowering... i didn't and it made it much harder, especially with a c-notch... i'm kicking myself now since i pulled it apart anyway!! i had the doghouse off in about 15min- 6 or 8 bolts and flipped it forward on a dolly...

 

My fuel issue has shown up with the tank full and empty. Most likely makes it a carb issue. But, if there's trash in the carb, it's probably in the tank and lines too. It certainly wouldn't hurt to flush the tank out while I'm messing with the sender.

I saw your truck in your album, looking good by the way.

 

When you take your gas cap off do you ever get a WHOOSH sound ?
Reason I ask is my 57 had gas cap that wasn't vented and it would build up a vacuum on the tank after driving for a while and literally suck that gas back out of the carb. It would idle and run fine for a little and then running down the road it would bog like you turned off the key.

 

........ also had a condenser go bad and did somthing like that. Would idle all day but try to take off first gear.......second gear.........third BOOOOOOOG. I pulled the carb off four times before a guy told me to replace the condenser.
BUT that was on a flathead Ford,dont know if Chevy has that problem.

 

elrusto may have something with the venting- see if it happens w/ the cap off... the carb rebuild and tank flush is a good idea anyway-if the tank looks original. who knows what could be in there!!... and put a new filter before the carb(add one if you don't already) and another between tank and the pump...

thanks on my truck- still a loonng way to go... i was actually looking for a 55-57 step side(still want one) when i found mine, but couldn't pass it up at the $$... similar plan to you- small budget, reasonably stock w/ some custom touches... dropping the front end was my biggest expense, but was so worth it... do whatever you can to get it lowered soon... it will make you very happy!!

 

A little more inspiration for you perhaps. Cool project!