Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Went looking for grill options for my truck. Replacements are extravagantly expensive, in my book. But a "billet" grille, at $200, looks like a good price. Then there's the concern of mounting, which could be a can of worms. I made a stainless tube grille for my '68 Skylark, but I don't have access to those machine tools any longer.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I had a shop put on new rear E-Brake cables today. They R & R'ed the rear differential on my '68 C/10 Stepside last week but the E-Bbrake cables on the rebuilt Diff were for a long bed, and mine's a shortbed, so I had to order new cables from LMC. Today, they installed them.

Still need an alignment or frame adjust after getting whacked on right rear quarter in April. Steering wheel needs to be pulled 2 points right to go straight.
Also feeling a little ''lumpiness'' on coasting to a stop from 50 MPH. I hope that's just the new differential breaking in. Diff shop said to run 15 - 20 mile hops til 500 miles elapse, then flush rear gear oil.
I must be rounding the squareness off new parts.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

More than likely it's a GMC, they had the tu-tone interiors.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I've never heard of this before, do the gears howl, clunk or whine on decel ........

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

The picture I posted is of my Chevy didn’t remember the two tone haven’t looked at those doors in years as I got real clean ones . Maybe someone just liked the two tone

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Going back together so far no hiccups . The gas neck rubber that I got from Classic Bowties fit perfect and was very easy to install . Just let it sit in the sun little Fluid Film and it slipped right in . The dash pad I recovered when I bought it years ago . Think I’ll just dye it a darker brown

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Nothing audible. It's more a feeling. I think before I got the handbrake cables put on, the shop guy set my rear brakes a little tight.
After a 10 mile run to the shop downtown, he noted the drums were hot. When the left one came off, some black dust fluttered down. He said after a 10 mile run, the heat was normal. [It's also Summer in Tucson.]
Now after the new rear brake cables are on, it seems to glide better. But, after I change out the fuel sender float, I should do another 20 mile break-in run, and listen for anomalies.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

If you're talkin rearend gears, transmission/transfer case gears they should never make noise. Now if you are running a coarse tread set of tires they will make noise. Now, I have heard some pretty noisy camshaft gear drive gears make noise like crazy. Especially if they didnt get the idler gears installed right. lol

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

One exception would be the Muncie M-22, which sported spur-cut gears instead of the usual helical-cut gears. This was done to enable the transmission to handle greater amounts of torque. Noisy, so it was called the "Rock Crusher".

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

aaahhhh yes I forgot about the rock crusher. Guys around here used them in 80's series Camaros. Cool trans noisy as :cuss:

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Might want to take a close look at those billet grilles. They may make one, but I have never seen one that has or addresses access to your hood latch.

Mine was installed by the PO and the only way to open the hood was lay on the ground, hope you had arms like an Orangutang to reach the latch handle. Someone stated that they made kit, a rod that hangs down to help open it. You still had to get on the ground.

Here was my solution, a chunk of billet aluminum, a milling machine, a die grinder and some JB Weld....works for me!

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

:lol: Well, I actually do have orang arms. They go with my large feet and hands. Now, if only my legs were long enough to keep my hands off the ground... :D

Looks nice! I have access to a milling machine, but I'm not going to spend that kind of time (plus material costs) on a grille. Access doesn't equal skill, so I'd have to trade labor. I'd be better off just buying new, at that point. I'll just run what I have until something not too expensive comes my way. That might be never. :uhmk:

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Tires are highway treads
I took a solid hit in April. Dead center on the right rear wheel. KO'ed my old 12-Bolt 3.73 Eaton posi I had been running since Mid '80s. Made a boomerang of the old Panhard bar. I wasn't sure about the Trailing Arms, so I replaced them for GP. Got new bushings pressed in them and the replacement Panhard bar. A brother Board member helped me out with a lot of stock parts he still had. Only charged me for postage. He lowered his Stepside, so they were surplus to his needs.
So far, I've had the 12-Bolt rear replaced with an open 3.73, new bearings, shims ring gears, axles, etc. The Diff is to be broken in with 15 - 20 mile hops thru to 500 miles. Then I change the gear oil.
I got a new rim on my right rear now. Tire was good. I haven't had the other wheels balanced after the fact. Either the truck wants to pull left, or the steering wheel is cocked 2 points right. I did let go of the wheel for a straight run at about 45 MPH -- it seemed to track straight. But an alignment would not hurt.
Some body panels got jostled. And that's what I might be hearing. Realigned body tin, that hasn't self-adjusted yet. I need to R&R the right rear step fender. I have another '68 fender. Paint is the issue. It's Gold. It needs to become 516 Orange.
One step at a time.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

What I did today was R&R the brass float in the in-cab-tank Fuel Sender.
A friend sent me his not-so-old Fuel Sender. He went LS and has an in-tank pump, so the old school part was surplus.
When I pulled the Sender, I immediately found the gripe: the brass floatball was full of gas. That was why it read Empty at a half-tank.
I used a brass drift rod [so as not to spark] and drove off the lockring, pulled out the Sender and decided, the fastest thing would just be to swap float balls.
After the install, the original gripe was fixed. The needle pointed to half-tank again.
However, I was not off that easy. While whacking at the lockring, I must have hit the brass terminal stud and ruined its seal on the sending unit base.
When I did not get a long hiss on unscrewing the gas cap, I suspected trouble.
While it's supposed to be self-venting that gas cap has always been a Non-Venter.
Strong gas fumes in the cab are present.
Having just filled up, it will be another 200 - 250 miles before fuel level is low enough that I can work on the Sender.
I also want to get the Jeep part plastic float. AutoZone was unable to find it. Summit has them for $5.99, but add $13 for S+H and $1.30 for state sales tax and it got expensive.
Anything like RTV that would be fuel-proof and hold up to pressure?

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Maybe I missed it, but have you had the frame checked for damage? It sounds like it may bent - ??

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Not yet. I intend to get it checked.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Did you spray your dash with a spray can? If so you did a great job.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

No I used single stage urethane with a Tekna pro lite spray gun . I used the spray can for the column and the top of the dash

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Not much done today . After taking care of mom since last Friday -who is much better ,I now have symptoms and tested positive for Covid so I just put the tailight brackets and taillights on . I noticed the lenses on the backup lights aren’t the same one says 71 other 68 totally different design . Oh well .

I’m also wondering how to keep the area the star washers are from rusting. For now I sprayed them with fluid film.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I suggest using all SS Hardware, it will help some what.

https://www.mcmaster.com/ss-star-was...ock-washers-9/

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Yeah. Stepside Back-Up Light Lenses. Don't get me started. It turns out the Aftermarket only sells the '60-'66 style of Back Up lenses. They have parallel lines. Usually lateral.
The original '68 lenses were concentric rings [Fresnel Lens]. The Parallel line types look funny when mounted on the back of the later trucks, because they don't line up right. With the concentric ring lenses, it didn't matter. Being circular, what ever angle they set them on was good.
I have an OEM MY '68 original -- it's 54 y.o. and all cracked, but I'll shoot a pic tomorrow.
The '66 ones work OK -- at least keeping the elements out of your backup lights, but the ''Throw'' or ''Cast'' of the light is all wrong. The Fresnel amplified the way the light was projected.
PJ Moreland and I had a long discussion on this topic.

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

Mine are both NOS one lens has 67 on it the other 71 . So they must have had an update but the one that says 71 the box is marked for 71 Chevy Flat bed

Edit: just snapped a picture of the one that says 71 on it

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

It's all SS worried that rust will start on the bracket and ruin the paint eventually

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

I had a slight vibration in my driveline....I figure it was about time to replace the U-joint..
Attachment 2215585

Re: What did you do to your truck today.The 3rd chapter
 

That's the way I like my failures: obvious. No reason to even ask yourself if it is bad or not.