Knee advice about my trucks drivabilty

[Isaiah92260]

Hello everyone and to those who are kind enough to reply to my post... I have a 1963 C10 that run a damn good, it is not perfect but it needs work like most of these trucks do when they are daily drivers like mine. I have a 67' 250 I6 in it. I recently installedd a Summit Racing alternator that works better than my girlfriends car(Loo)... And I replaced my valve cover gasket and cleaned up some areas that had a few leaks around the oil pan area, nothing serious, it's just and old motor... My valve cover doesn't leak anywhere near as bad as it used to be, but it still leaks a little on the back side near the bell housing, also I've Done my thermostat with a 180.. and burped the cooling system. In its best days it runs at around 190 all day and at around 170 on the cooler mornings... I still need to replace my HBalancer because it is obviously worn out because it has a little bit of slick on the pulley, I can wiggle the fan back and forth and it also slides off of the crankshaft snout about a inch... But the truck still keeps on running... Anyways after a replace the HBalancer... How would you feel about driving something like my truck 2 hours from Palm Sprimgs to Los Angeles? Considering all the things I've said about my motor. I feel very confident in my truck... I want to drive it to visit my family but I'm not sure if I should drive it out there yet, or even at all because it is an old truck. I drive it everyday on the streets to work and that's it. I also still need to adjust my valves because I hear a few of them when it's warming up in the mor I got but that's about it besides that HBalancer. Couple weeks okay I did hear a rattle can sound coming from somewhere near my fan but it never came back. It comes and goes only twice but since then I e havnt heard it.... Thanks everyone,

[Isaiah92260]

I e also changed the oil last week and put in She'll Rotella 10w-30 triple protection and I have nothing but good things to say.

[spacedebris]

What I do when I get a new(to me) truck/car is test it out to see how reliable it is. Typically I drive it locally for a month or so. Try to put as many local miles on it as I can. Then if everything is still going good. I take a few day trips with it. Usually about 150-200 miles out and then back. If those work out well and I dont have any major issues then I try a couple of weekend or 3 day trips. If I have not had any major issues by that time, then I will trust it to go anywhere I want.

My truck is not ready to drive yet but I have a '96 merc with over 200K miles on it and I would have no issues what-so-ever jumping in it right now and headed cross country. Now I'm always prepared for a problem. I know that it is 20 years old and is more likely to have issues compared to a new car, but at the same time, I know the maintenance I have done and feel that the chances of something major going wrong is very low.

So given what you have said. I do not think that a trip from Palm Springs to LA (day trip) would be out of the question. Especially since you will not be out in the middle of nowhere where help would be a long way off.

[chevy_mike]

What, the balancer is moving back and forth on the crank? If that is the case, I would NOT even start it. Having a balancer come apart at engine speed can be catastrophic to you, the truck and others around you.

[Isaiah92260]

Originally Posted by chevy_mike

What, the balancer is moving back and forth on the crank? If that is the case, I would NOT even start it. Having a balancer come apart at engine speed can be catastrophic to you, the truck and others around you.

Yeah but it doesn't come off, I know. I need to get to work, there isn't a good bus system out here. I'm gonna buy the balanced this week.

[chevy_mike]

Doesn't come off when you move it doesn't mean it won't come off. The bad news is, if the center part of the balancer is moving back and forth (and this is a press fit item), you might find the crank is too damaged to be able to use a new balancer. If it's the outer ring moving, then the crank is likely okay but still, it needs to be replaced ASAP.

Rent a car for the week or something. The balancer, mechanical fan and flywheel/flex plates are the three items on an engine you NEVER want to come apart.

[TJ's Chevy]

Here's one from Summit Racing that can get to you in 5 days.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rn...et?prefilter=1


I'd check/change ALL fluids...motor...tranny...rear axle...brake fluid....make sure your brakes are good. Check for loose hardware(get the balancer and fan fixed) and Bring a spare fan belt along! Be sure to have a spare tire and jack with the needed tools. Check over your electrical...headlights...brake lights ect...Make sure all the basics are good and be sure to have a Cell Phone! lol Make sure the rad hoses are good so they don't blow. Do a compression check on the engine as well...Inline 6's can run smooth as wine on super low compression...last thing you want are rings to break. So make sure your ok there. Other than that...long as I had someone to come get me an my truck Just incase...I'd do it!

['63GENIII]

Originally Posted by chevy_mike

What, the balancer is moving back and forth on the crank? If that is the case, I would NOT even start it. Having a balancer come apart at engine speed can be catastrophic to you, the truck and others around you.

Agreed. Had one walk off of the crank of my '64 Impala in high school. Had no idea it was loose. Thank God it did not come out of the engine compartment. It did look as if a wrecking ball was bouncing around in there though!

If your crank snout has a threaded center, make sure to get a bolt into it to hold that balancer on. Mine had an untapped hole. It took forever but I got it tapped with a 7/16 fine thread tap and bolted the new one on.