Of course if you've been following you'd also know we spent a TON of time troubleshooting the fuel system to get it running. It was like one of those Troubleshooting Tests where they hide some problem and you try to start it up.... Well, our "hidden" issue was a kink in the flex line from the tank line to the frame line - about 4" long and tucked up under the cab. So about 15 hours later I finally thought to check it. Kinked like a folding table. So I rebent and adjsuted the steel lines and relieved the pressure on the flex line portion. Fuel is now flowing!
Regardless, it still needed the carb to be rebuilt. And it needed a new fuel pump. Really, it needed.....a ton of LOVE I guess! So after all that spilled gas and wrenching, it was time to re-clean all the components that got all that love and attention.! First up was re-applying the Golden Cad from Eastwood, which does a good job re-creating the cadmium plating carbs got.
Dropped it back on - all tuned and measured, the floats now set and finally - had it running! Can you tell it's running at about 2500 rpm in this pic?
Now here's where the "issues" start appearing.... A while back, when I was doing the rear brakes, I got around to the front and noticed when I removed the Left Front wheel and drum that the shoes where new-ish and the brake cylinder looked good. the owners son happened to be there, so I asked if I should leave them as is and he said "yes", so I did...... You KNOW where this is going.... ;(
So, when working under the truck a few days back, we noticed brake fluid coming from the RIGHT front wheel. Now that the thing is running I decided to pull it and see...and sure enough the brake cylinder was gushing fluid . Another thing that needs resto and shoulda been done! Now it is. Once the wheel went back on, I put a light coat of semi-gloss on the wheel and left it overnight to dry. Perfection. So, that leaves the LEFT front corner the ONLY bit on the entire truck that wasn't completely restored. That'll happen tomorrow for sure.
What else needs doing you ask? Well, the rear signal lights, turn signals, horn and more are all on that steering column harness that was so unceremoniously cut off - so I'll try to find one of those connectors. Once the engine gets run up you find a lot of leaks, and while we dealt with most, there's still a couple pesky ones - one at the heater core (I hope it's not the core itself...), so I'll deal with those. Bought new window cranks- that's take a few minutes. As well, the front licence plate holder has to go under the bumper - so I have to remove the entire bumper to get that item on. a bunch of other wiring to - the accessory block and heater fan come to mind.
Once all that is complete, I'll machine polish it, detail it and then hand the keys over to the owner. I'm sure I'll be sad to see it go.
Don't forget to check out the website at www.E-tekRestorations.com ! Special thanks to www.Eastwood.com and www.CarCraft.com !
