These Trucks Are Diehards!

[special-K]

I was posting on another thread about going for two years on a bad starter and it brought a couple other experiences to mind.I was running about 30 miles to my jobs in my`71K/30.One summer it got hot and I had to pull over and let it cool.I can do alot of routes to get home.Usually about 5 miles of country 2 lane to I-70(20mi.),then 5-6 miles of country.I get off the 4th exit up 70.When this hot problem started,I found the next day,If I didn`t run hard up 70,got off the second exit,and took the country roads I could make it home.On the country roads,just when the temp started climbing,I`d start rolling down through a cool river valley and the temp would drop.Also,just the on it/off it nature of country driving seemed to work just fine.My final approach takes me down into another cool valley and I`m home.After doing this for most of the summer,I finally took the time to really check into it.I found,looking up under the shroud(truck was lifted w/37"tires),I saw the flex-fan was about non-existent.I know this makes me look dumb,but I owe it to my truck.That thing got me through a tough time when I was so stressed and busy,I couldn`t take time out for my own needs.I try to avoid that now.

[special-K]

Then there was my`70 CustomCamper/30 I used to work out of.It was a big ol`thing with an 11`service body and a 15`ladder rack.It had a 350 4bbl/TH400 and dual wheels.If I gave it alot of gas it would sputter-out.It didn`t matter`cuz it wasn`t going anywhere any faster than 1/2 throttle.But,sometimes I`d manual shift it and she`d move out pretty good.Whenever I was going up a big hill all loaded up I had to watch my foot.If it started sputtering,I`d ease up.When I ran it hard,it would down right starve-out and I`d have to get over and crank some more gas up to the carb.Then off I`d go.I kept some extra q-jet filters in the glovebox and once in a while I`d swap one in if it got too bad on hills.When I bought the truck the cab smelled all fumey and I told the seller I wanted it fixed.I guess he poored crap in the tank and it kept finding its way into my filter.After about a year it stopped.Then the rear-end started clanking.So,I pulled the cover and saw a chipped out tooth on the ring gear.I had bought another newer truck to have an alternate while service was done on the other.Well,that truck kept giving me heck and I had to keep runnin`the`70 with the rear-end clanking.I ended up driving it this way for a year,never got any worse.

[GloryHound]

Try buying a truck that sat in a fence companies yard for 8 years without being started. Get it running and drive it 300 miles home with just a fluid change. Started pulling the engine apart since it was smoking and didn't sound good at all. I ended up finding 2 broken rings and when I removed the timing chain cover the chain fell off. I put another engine in the truck, but still have the old 350 I plan on over haulin and stroking it.