Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I got back to work on polishing the back case on my 6-71. Inside corners suck and that is pretty much all there is. My biggest challenge is once I get it ground down to good metal getting it flat again. My little HF mini 2" D/A sander works great for this because it gives me good control without gauging like the rotary tool does. So I made an extension for it to use a 1" pad. Then I turned down a 1" pad to a about 1/2" pad. This is a game changer. I have to keep the speed down which is fine. Also a bonus is I can make them out of worn out 1" pad and punch the paper out of worn out paper because the center is still fine. This will undoubtedly void the warranty on my $20 tool. Thank you for your time.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Pretty soon you'll be making machine tools to make your hand power tools Mick. Just sayin'...

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

So my wife has been wanting to purge our basement in prep for our up coming move. I dont normally haul crap in my '49 but it had to be done. so off to the dumps we went. My wife decided she wanted to go - its been over 10 years since she rode in the truck. And she enjoyed it !!! we stopped for burgers and shakes and made a great day out of a dump run.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Matt Dare is just starting on working with photography and was at the Adna Car Show and made this up for me just because he was impressed with my truck!!!

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Fun with an old truck - that's what it's all about!

Looks magazine-quality - the truck and the photos!

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I dug out my Eastwood contour and started cleaning up my passenger door so I have a clean area for my vertical cut line.

It did such a good job ma nature decided I had done a rain dance and we are getting a light sprinkle of moisture in the area.

That's the first step for extending my doors 9-1/4 inches.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Double posted.. Rain must’ve gotten in my router..

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

So you’re the one that had bare metal outside today. I wondered why it was raining here in the valley!
I’ve missed what you’ve plans are (if it’s all layed out here somewhere?) The doors are getting stretched- what else are doing to it?
Greg

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I'm intrigued. Please do tell what the plan is?

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

The plan is to stretch the doors 9-1/4 inches, chop the cab between 3 and 4 inches, Section the cab 3 inches and then run it on a GMC half ton long bed frame with it's stock short box.

My scissors shop image redo (can't do photoshop) of Cole Fosters old Salinas Boys truck as my concept image.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...720&fit=bounds

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Wow, that's going to be awesome.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Got my "year of origin" plate approved and registered. Now I need to get it done. I looked 10 years to find a near mint 59 truck plate. Wires are for the LED lights.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Wow that's really nice! This is the best I could do after about 4 years searching. We only run 1 plate now. Indiana didn't make a plate in 53 due to metal shortage so the topper was the hardest thing to find. We are not allowed to restore them. We have a standard plate for the sticker that you have to carry with you but not display. Both numbers are on the registration. I'm still polishing my blower case.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I had to put a new power steering rack on it. I got new tie rods as well. Lastly, I have LED headlight, front blinkers, and rear taillight/blinkers. I got tired of the slow and fast blinking. I got a flap wheel and cleaned off a couple of spots in the frame. I put two new ground straps on and now they seem to work as they should.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

sometimes the led lights need a different type of flasher unit because they draw such small current.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/ligh...-flasher-leds/

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

sometimes the led lights need a different type of flasher unit because they draw such small current.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/ligh...-flasher-leds/

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Yeah, Dennis, I had to buy two of them. One for the blinkers and the other for the hazard lights, but even after installing, they were still doing the slow-normal/fast blinking.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I think 1/2 of the wiring issues I have troubleshot or repaired over the years have been caused by a poor ground somewhere in the system. That or a bad connection due to a poor crimp on a terminal, wires imply stripped and twisted together, poor initial engineering/install or someones previous repair that didnt get any protection from the elements. Where I live, if the connection isnt inside the vehicle then it needs to be sealed/shrink tubed/coated with anticorrosion of some sort.even inside, why not protect it.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

would have loved to do that to 58 truk, by that point i was in the "just finish it" mode

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I couldn't agree more, with all you said. I was watching one of the car shows I like and they were talking about grounds and what they should be. I now have;

1. Cylinder head to frame
2. Cylinder head to transmission
3. Transmission to frame
4. Battery to frame
5. Body to frame x2

I think that ought to do it :)

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Ditto on the grounds. Even a functional ground that is poor will cause a functional item to operate poorly.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

that will probably do it as long as the lights are grounded to the frame or a body part that is directly grounded. on some trucks, the front lights ground to the surrounding sheet metal which may or may not be directly grounded to the battery through a cable. sometimes the lights only worked because the light housing was screwed onto something that was bolted to another body part that was bolted to yet another body part that was actually grounded. it's always best to run the light ground directly to a bare metal spot on the frame, with a star washer, then use some anticorrosion on the connection when tightened up. on newer vehicles you will find a ground distribution wiring diagram where several accy have been wired to a common ground wire that has a dedicated grounding area on the vehicle. there are usually several f these in the system.
a good way to check for a poor ground, if the lights are dim or the heater fan seems slow, is to use a long test wire connected well to the battery ground, then turn on the light or accy in question and use the test wire as a ground for that accy. if you get proper operation then the problem is a bad round. a test light can also be used if it is grounded like normal and then when the tester is touching the ground of the accy, if it lights up dimly then there is a voltage difference there so that indicates a poor ground connection for that accy.
sorry, that got long winded.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Always appreciate all your knowledge Dennis. Have a great day!!!!

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

A good week! I changed out the front coil springs, they were old and sagging. I bought coils for a big block Camaro and gained about an inch and a half so now the tires don't rub. I also got glass installed and am now working on hanging doors. What a PITA! The usual story, rusty bolts and worn parts. It's all fun.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Thought about it .

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Got the truck out and cleaned it. Getting ready for a show tomorrow called "Cruzin Colby"

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Got the panel truck out or its monthly milk run to the country store. The thing is amazing: a month between drives and it always fires instantly and idles smoothly. Really tired of Millennials disparaging carburetors because they don't understand them; this is much cheaper and simpler than my EFI car and runs just as good or better.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Agreed. Mine will start right up after 1-2 months of sitting. A well tuned carb will produce performance of EFI systems. I will say EFI systems seem to require less work in the long run. But, what fun would that be ;)

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I'm a millenial and would love for you to come by the house to show me how wrong I am by tuning up a couple of carburetors..make me a believer.

my indestructible Camry fired up after 1.5 years!

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Come on Glen, lets see some updates (=

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I suspect that Millennials are as afraid of carburetors as Boomers are of EFI!

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Hey wait! I'm a boomer and not afraid of EFI. Turn the key, it runs. Hypothetical question: (though not for me, I've lived it) If you live in MN during the winter months and have to go to work every day in a car that's parked outside, which would you prefer, carburetor of EFI? Time's up. Love EFI, don't want to go back. Can I tune one...uh....no. But I know someone who can. ;-)

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

definite boomer here and definite carb hater too
58TRUK is efi, i wouldn't have it any other way

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Nothing wrong with a good carburetor but I'll take EFI any day. Not a millennial or a boomer, I'm a pre-boomer who has owned and rebuilt many carburetors, but EFI is the way to go especially now that there are several easy ways to add it to older engines. I don't have any thing other than my lawn equipment that has a carb any more.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Don't worry fellas, cars will all be electric pretty soon and even you EFI guys will be dinosaurs.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Ok with so much talk of EFI, What EFI are you using and the what is the simplest to use on an old SBC that has stock wiring. I am assuming I would need a new fuel pump and tank

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I'm using the factory setup on my 2012 Cadillac, 2005 Astro van, and factory setup on my 1996 Silverado, and wouldn't want to go back to a carb. Never added EFI to an older car but a friend is using a Holly Sniper setup on a crate 350 and likes it. Other than wiring the fuel pump and oxygen sensor I don't think there's much wiring to be done. There's a few different kits available and they are getting to where they are easier to install and tune. Doubtful at my age I'll ever have another project but if I do I will add EFI to it if it doesn't already have it. I don't think most kits require a new tank as they are designed to retrofit older vehicles.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

I'm sticking with carbs. I'm not smart enough to second guess physics.

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

Hay Dave I put EFI on my current Project ;)

Re: What did you do with your truck today, Part 3
 

So we're 21 years into the twenty first century ...
and EFI is so twentieth century ...

Here is part of my fleet that is so twenty first century ...