Re : Gauges
 

It's dead simple to replace the floppy circuit sheet but me , I prefer to take the whole thing carefully apart and hand polish the contacts where the MPC goes , this removes 40 + years or built up oxidization & makes the gauges more accurate plus I always clean out the dust and spiders etc. so they illuminate better @ night .

90 % of the time , careful cleaning will get the entire dash back to AS - NEW working condition .

The clear face panel cleans up easily with Meguiar's plastic polish too , all the grime & overspray comes right off .

I'm going to look up some more multi - syllable words now...... :lol: .

Re: Re : Gauges
 

Now that's funny. :lol:

Re: Re : Gauges
 

Hey Nate,
What do you use to clean the circuit board? I may end up doing that so see if it fixes anything with the gauges.

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

I use any typ of brass / copper polish *BUT* you've gotta be really careful as it's easy to push too hard & loosen the thin copper strips loose from the plastic sheet .

If you do , just gently run in the one direction that presses them back into place , once clean wipe the polish residue off with a clean white towel , hold carefully in place as you re assemble everything .

I've done this to many oldies as I'm picky about gauges & lights working etc. plus I'm " Yankee Thrifty " (MEANS : cheap) so even though the sheets are available new & used & junkyards , I prefer to re use whatever I can , every time .

Like wise when replacing those always gone missing ground straps , use star washers to dig in and get 100 % grounding .

Gauges work on Milliamps and millivolts so a couple broken strands in a wire or some minor dirt on the connector , will make it read off ~ stock gauges are cheap crap yes but they're also very pretty and designed to be accurate .

Most of the time someone else has been inside the dash / gauge cluster before you and left out a screw or three , dinged a delicate connector , so forth & so on .

Because YOU care , you'll do a better job than any paid shop , it's not rocket science , just come look at some of the fine trucks built in the back yard then driven to our friendly meet & greets .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Thanks for the info Nate! You're right. My gauge cluster is looking good for the age but it doesn't work too well. However, the area where it is screwed in around the dash is cracked due to the previous repairs to it. So I wish whoever worked on it prior took more care doing whatever they were doing. I wish my dad cared more about it too. Oh well, it's time I fix it up and make it look better like you said!

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

InitialBoss, Id look around for any local buddies parting a truck & snag a good cluster for extra parts
that includes nice looking guages
In my experience, if the guages are free of rust, the circuit board is good too.

As for the bezel, they can be gotten new/re-pop for quite cheap and, once your cluster is in your truck
you'll be be glad you spent the $35-$40. The bezel makes the whole show as that's what you
see every day when you drive it! Been there and no regrets!




ET

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

What ET said ! .

My Son bought me the new face , it really does make the old guts look good as new again .

My ' glass ' was in terrible shape so I decided to try the Meguiar's Plastic Polish (I keep it in stock , great for old lenses too) and yes , I suppose a new one might have been better but......

The facia , there's two stock ones and many aftermarket color options to choose from .

I thought hard and chose the auto choke facia because I didn't want to have to modify the wiper switch harness , in retrospect I think having a manual choke would have been wiser .

I eventually bought a whole spare gauge cluster as I want to install this nice 12 volt 6 cylinder Jaguar tachometer I bought , in it .

When servicing the gauges , your most bang for buck , will be the facia .

Remember : those long sheet metal screws , some are chrome headed , a couple are black , depends on where they go ~ this typ of detail is where the " YOU CARE " part comes in .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

So I took my truck to my " buddy " at the GM dealer to see what he can do for my truck and he tell me it's going to cost me 2500 bucks to fix everything ! .. Almost **** my pants ..
He told me that i will need a new Carb 850 .. Distributor for 650 I need wires new brake cylinders power stearing .. I thought this but was my buddy but with a price like that idk

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

So if any of you or knows some one who can do the work on my truck please drop me a line .. i just had back surgery so i dont need it back soon so they can take there time and do it right . times like this i wish i could do the work my self , but i cant lol
Thank for the Help

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Dealer Mechanics ~ huh .

I was one and when the Service Writer said I had to do 1/2 @$$ed works , I bailed after fighting for a while .

PM me and I'll see if I can find you an Honest mechanic .

What part of L.A. ? .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

i live in El Monte its in the SGV but she runs and drive so i can drive it to where its needs to go . My Buddy is the writer , i used to do alot of machinist work for him . its funny how people seem to forget lol .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

What type of carb, distributor?

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

He didn't say he just said it was adjustable and from the dealer

Re : A Little Help
 

O.K. your ' buddy ' is a typical jerkhoff , unlike the good folks here on this forum .

I'll take the liberty of assuming you've got a 350 V-8 and TH350 slushbox tranny , right ? .

I already know a good place to do your carby , that's all they do is carbys .

First however , it'll need a proper & comprehensive tune up and add a GM HEI dizzy , nothing fancy nor Chinese , just a nice rebuilt stock one and AC / DELCO Parts House can get you for about $125 .

Just begin searching and asking for a 1975 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup 350 V-8 dizzy , ignire the chrome and " !! RACING !! TOTALLY KEWEL !!! crap , those are all tossers selling junk you don't need / want .

Are you up to installing the spark plugs your ownself ? . if so we/I can walk you through the basics , then have a place do the dizzy install and carby rebuild .

I know a good honest mechanic in Pasadena , on Colorado Blvd. if you just want to drive & drop it off .

Being a Journeyman Mechanic this goes against my grain but I'll help you however you want to go here , shouldn't need mondo $ to get your rig running sweetly .

Funny thing how when others need help you're a good buddy but if you need a ride to the parts store , suddenly they're too busy of forget your name .

It's not like that here ~ you ask , we help , simple as that .

If you want me to look up the dizzy , say so , I have (had anyway) the AC/DELCO parts catalogs in my links so I ko0w how to use it and what are the right parts to get .

:chevy:

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

I took my truck when I got it .. To replace my carb at a place called CarbXchange in El Monte , they did a bad job from the start I fought with them and tried to get a refund and they told me No . I just bought MSD wires , about 3 months ago and he told me the timing on my truck was so messed up that it messed them up . I do what I can but I need my truck running right caz my GF drives my 08 malibu lol ( I'm a nice guy ) once I can get back on my feet I wouldn't really have time to do they work my self ( work issues ) so I was just looking to take it somewhere and have it fixed right for once ! I'm sick of all the people saying they can fix it and it's never fixed but they still take your money. I don't mind paying I just don't want to feel like I got ripped off , for crapy work . It's and 350 crate motor with a Th400

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

O.K. , I'll get on it then ~ I had a Christmas card from him but SWMBO musta tossed it out .

I'm supposed to to to Pasadena to - morrow so I'll endevour to get the address and 'phone # then , O.K. ? .

My buddy use The Carb King there , he's ecstatic about how his truck runs now , I went by to purchase some basic Rochester carby parts and got hosed $10 for a diaphragm .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Thank you ! Once I get my truck running right and I can drive it I'll take you to lunch .. Really appreciate it

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Haha he just txt me and told me caz I'm picking it up he is going to change me 175 bucks for looking at it ..

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Nate...I thought your old face looked fine. The part about the old guts...I think you are mistaken. LOL

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Which face ? Mine or the C/10's :lol: .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Well this Saturday Morning around 7am were meeting up in La Cresenta for the Early Rodders meet if your interested.

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Wow nice friend. I just started reading this, what year truck is it? New Carb, 300+, New HEI Dizzy, bout 125+. Forgot the other things you mentioned but its a chevy so that quote he gave you was way overboard.

Re : SoCal Gathering 1/4
 

Thanx for the reminder ! .

I just wrote & asked my brother to take me , we'll see if he's not working .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Andy said he wont be able to make it, he is taking his neice and nephews to Disneyland

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

yup unfortunately i wont be able to make it on saturday. but im sure ill still have a goodtime at disneyland. be sure to take pics and post them

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Im sure a fe of us would not mind going to DisneyLand Uncle Andy.LOL

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

meet me at 8 when the park opens lol

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Have not seen any post, is the La Cresenta meet still on?

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

I'm Glen, near Thousand Oaks. A newbie to this board, and 4x4's. Every day I learn something new from this site; it's amazing.

Re : SoCal checkin' in
 

Did it Happen ? .

My ride didn't get home until 01:00 this morning so I'm stuck here in L.A. whilst you alls are out there in the sun having fun , slurping coffee and looking at cool old trucks .


Next time I hope ! .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

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Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Hey guys, I've run into a little snag with my truck. It appears to be leaking trans fluid or the fluid is spurting out of the fill tube. I noticed that there appeared to be fluid underneath my truck and on my cardboard boxes I put under it. I'm thinking it's splashing my hood because I notice a big stain on the underside of my hood near where the trans fluid dipstick and filler tube area is. I'm wondering if the previous mechanic created too much vacuum when he thought that was the reason why the truck was having shifting issues? He was trying to get more vacuum since it was only getting 6-7" or so and he said it needed 10-15" IIRC. Would that be a reason why that may be causing the fluid to shoot out of the filler tube?

Do you guys recommend a shop in the IE to have them check it out or should I take it to a trans shop? Once I get this fluid leak sorted out, I then need to make sure all my fuses are working and all my exterior and interior lights work. I still need to fix my funky speedo and fuel gauge too. I've been busy with a new baby boy so my time has been a little tied up. I really want this truck to be reliable but now it seems like one thing breaks and another does soon after.

I'm also wondering if it's worth fixing up the truck to potentially haul a car on a trailer? I want to pick up a classic mustang and I know this I6 won't be able to haul a 3-4k lbs car, but would it take much to fix up to haul one? Sorry for the long post guys but I'm getting frustrated with the fluid issues. I don't want to hassle with that so I can fix the other things on my list. These other "issues" always seem to cost more money.

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

ATF coming out the filler tube ? that's a new one on me , have you checked the tranny fluid level when it's HOT , truck idling on a *perfectly* flat and level place ? .

Off hand I'd say you need a new Mechanic .

As much as I love old Chevy trucks , this may not be a good choice for a working /towing vehicle as you're not a Mechanic and any 36 year old truck is going to need fairly constant fiddling to make it a reliable daily driver .

I'd love to have found it a few years ago when I needed a I6 powered automatic short bed .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Ha ha, yeah, this guy is good with repairing brakes and stuff but with other things, I wish I knew of another mechanic. It's weird because it wasn't leaking at all and hasn't been driven too much but it is old and seals wear out. Then all of a sudden I noticed a lot more drips and signs of liquid underneath it and on the cardboard. I'll check the level again when the ATF is warmed up sufficiently. I just remember seeing a little bit of the stain under the hood about 2 months ago. Then last Saturday, I noticed there was quite a bit more. The oil level is showing full, so I'm thinking that's ok.

I don't know why but for some reason, I wish the truck also came with a tach. LOL. I don't really need it I guess but it seems to be naked without it. Ha ha.

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Well ;

If you look underneath the truck right where the ATF fill tube fits onto the tranny , it'll often be wet ~ if so , the tube seal is prolly gone bad , it's very easy to replace , there's two types of tube seals and you'll want the " Top Hat " style one ~ look it up on NAPA's OnLine catalog then order it in (about $6) and be sure to clean al the accumulated ATF & grime away far around that side of the tranny BEFORE you replace the seal ! a tiny bit of crud falling into the tranny can kill it .

The tube has one bolted bracket holding it in place about 1/2 way up , remove this bolt and grasp the now squeaky clean tube near the tranny and twist it back and forth as you push it up and out of the tranny ~

Wipe the entire tube clean and down inside the tranny's hole too , then press the new seal in until the lip is flush then twist the tube back and forth until it pops into place , replace the support bolt and you're good to go .

The filler tube is delicate so DO NOT BEND IT ! you can twist it 'round in the hole as you remove or install it but that's it ~ using pliers, hammers or pry bars will almost always ruin it .

Have fun .

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Cool, thanks Nate, I'll check it out tomorrow, if I get a chance. I love learning how to do these fixes but when they come right after another it gets tedious. Ha ha. I'm looking forward to the time when I have all my gauges working, my lights work, and my seat is all fixed or replaced. Then I can just cruise!

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

It takes a lot of little fix ups to get an older vehicle in running order. Just do one thing at a time and just stick with it.
There will be a day, after you yourself get everything done correctly, when you will be able to cruise with a big smile on your face and yes then you can consider yourself a mechanic.

Dano

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Any one over do an A 5.3 swag and can let me know how much it should cost ... Any shops at round do it ?
Thanks

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

I think we should do a c10 meet on jan 24. Delmo is having a GPRS party at old crow speed shop. I think it would be cool if we showed up as well. I'll be there for sure it's from 5pm-??? There's always lots of cool cars at the parties at the shop, I'm sure he won't mind if we show up. It's an open invite so I hope Delmo doesn't mind me posting this up. I'm sure it's cool. Oh yeah and they have a taco guy!!! That's reason enough to go lol. And see some if his top secret projects as well

Re: SoCal checkin' in
 

Just where is this ? .

Why don't you clear it with them and then post a time to show up Friday 1/24 .