The Truck of Doom: An Occasional Build Thread

[Gary Lewis]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Gary Lewis wrote

Congrats!  🎊

<tangent> what the Heck is that, Gary? A piniata? </tangent>

Jim - I do NOT know.  Nor do it know from whence it came.  

Matthew - The AAA membership is a good addition when driving older vehicles.  And, by the way, you can have a vehicle towed 100 miles at a time.  So you can call them back for another tow.  It's been done.  

[Dorsai]

Gary Lewis wrote

Matthew - The AAA membership is a good addition when driving older vehicles.  And, by the way, you can have a vehicle towed 100 miles at a time.  So you can call them back for another tow.  It's been done.  

That's good to know...but if I need to have the truck pulled that far, I'll just call my brother - he's volunteered to come get me if needed.  Of course, I'm sure much of the reason he'd do it is so he could tell all his Chevy buddies that he dragged a Ford home...

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, they are out there lurking, just waiting for that to happen.  Instead, my experience is the other way 'round.  So wouldn't you be waiting, just like them?  

[Dorsai]

Gary Lewis wrote

Yes, they are out there lurking, just waiting for that to happen.  Instead, my experience is the other way 'round.  So wouldn't you be waiting, just like them?  

True!

I've never actually pulled anybody with my Ford, but I did once pull my dad's Silverado with my Lexus mall-crawler SUV.   There's even video somewhere, if I can find it...

[Dorsai]

Key updates:

• New starter is in, truck fires up like a champ. I'm sure the new relay, new battery cable, and freshly cleaned electrical contacts don't hurt the situation.
• After lunch the starter core goes back, and while I'm there I will pick up new A/C belts as well as a new power steering belt - the PS belt has to come off anyway to change the others, and it's the same age as the one that broke.
• The world's worst adjustable wrench has been safely disposed of.

Oh, and the PB Blaster presoak of the U-joints is underway. I'm betting those are factory originals under there:

[ArdWrknTrk]

Rear brakes next.  

Don't forget to give your favorite counter girl a wink and a grin!  

[Dorsai]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Rear brakes next.  

Don't forget to give your favorite counter girl a wink and a grin!

You're trying to get me beat up, aren't you?  And here I thought we were becoming friends...

[ArdWrknTrk]

Well, not with a crowbar!!    

Ok, be your nice civil self.
See where THAT gets you.  







LOL

[Gary Lewis]

Dorsai wrote

Key updates:

• New starter is in, truck fires up like a champ. I'm sure the new relay, new battery cable, and freshly cleaned electrical contacts don't hurt the situation.
• After lunch the starter core goes back, and while I'm there I will pick up new A/C belts as well as a new power steering belt - the PS belt has to come off anyway to change the others, and it's the same age as the one that broke.
• The world's worst adjustable wrench has been safely disposed of.

Well done! Both the R&R of the starter as well the formatting of the post.

I'm really glad to see someone else use the formatting. However, I think there's an easier way to do what you did. You can click the Formatting button and then the Bullet button. That puts code in that doesn't require going into HTML mode. And, you can then add line feeds between the bullets by hitting Enter whereas you need to use the "Line Feed" button in Formatting if you are in HTML mode.

[Dorsai]

Gary Lewis wrote

I'm really glad to see someone else use the formatting. However, I think there's an easier way to do what you did. You can click the Formatting button and then the Bullet button. That puts code in that doesn't require going into HTML mode. And, you can then add line feeds between the bullets by hitting Enter whereas you need to use the "Line Feed" button in Formatting if you are in HTML mode.

In most cases I'm sure you're right. But I've been writing HTML for so long that it's almost second nature for me to insert the tags as I go. Plus, I'd rather not type along, then have to click on the formatting button, then find the item I want, then click to get between the tags, and then click to get outside them...

[salans7]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Don't forget to give your favorite counter girl a wink and a grin!

When she says your total is $30 give her $60 and tell her to get something nice for herself with the other $30.

[Gary Lewis]

You obviously know more about it than I do.  So if you see things we could do better PLEASE tell me.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Pro Tip: It's  a little more casual if you hand her a $50 and tell her to treat herself.

The whole 3-$20's or a $50&10 for a $30 check is taking the creepy, cringy vibe to a new level.

[salans7]

To be honest, over-tipping is creepy to me in general, especially when a tip isn't really necessary. But that's another convo for the lounge.

[Dorsai]

Fortunately today seemed to be Counter Girl's day off, so I didn't have to worry about keeping a straight face while turning in the old starter and picking up the new belts.

The old starter is gone and the new belts are on the truck - and since I replaced the air pump belt just a couple of weeks ago, that means all my belts are new and freshly tensioned.  I wish I knew why that belt snapped - I couldn't find any damage to the pulleys, no sign of impacts, and the surviving belt was in near-perfect condition.  

The test drive went perfectly - no weird noises and the A/C was quiet and cold.  So I'm ready for the Scout project this weekend, and after that it'll be time to tackle those U-joints.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I hope your Scout's weekend in Atlanta is more comfortable than the forecast here for NYC metro.
Hovering around 100 with humidity between 55-75%. 🔥

Sorry Miss headlights wasn't around.  
I'm sure you'll need U-joints and a Carter kit next week though....

[Gary Lewis]

Well done, Matthew.  By Sept your list will be complete.  

[ArdWrknTrk]

Gary,
does the list ever end with one of these trucks?  

[Dorsai]

Fortunately for her, I ordered my U-joints online and I still have a leftover carb kit from when I last opened the carburetor 6-7 years ago.  Assuming nothing else breaks I may not have to bother her until late August.

It's not going to be quite that bad here, but it won't be pleasant, either...90 degrees and a chance of thunderstorms all weekend.  I'm just hoping we don't get rained out.

[Gary Lewis]

For me there are two lists:

1. Must Do For This Trip: I usually create a list for any trip of 100ish miles or more and check the truck over. But for a trip as big as Matthew's, or the trip from OK to DE & back with Dad's truck a few years ago, there are many things that need to be done to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip.
2. Want To Do Long Term: This is my "when I get time" list. For instance, I want to get Big Blue painted some year and all the rust fixed. Plus the headliner needs to be recovered and re-installed - with some sound deadening above it.