Well..... shoot

[Stocker]

The more I looks, the more I finds.... K20 hasn't been tracking too well since I got the new wheels & tires (255/85-16s on 7" Ford steelies). Let's align it but first eyeball the hard parts. Hmm, just a wee bit of play in both ends of the drag link. Scrape off years of crud and break loose the nut on the easy end (front) but of course I can't get it separated from the pitman arm. Do I need a pickle fork for this?

While I'm under the front end, I see a drip drip drip. Coolant all along the bottom of the radiator. I've been chasing a slow coolant loss for a long time, no success. Took it to a local shop and they pressurized it. Nothing. Found a few possibles -- one end of a heater hose (replaced), coolant recovery tank (cleaned) and its hose (replaced) then thought I struck gold. Radiator cap had a rotten rubber seal. New cap, all seemed good. Maybe. But now the drip in my driveway.

I replaced the OEM radiator 12 years ago. *Should* still be good, and the last thing I want to do is replace it again. Sigh..... guess I will have to pull it out and see what I have. Might need new supports & pads this time, and I think I'm missing a shroud clip.

All this because I want the cooling system tight before I flush it and put in new Prestone. And because I need to replace the drag link.

Gotta love old trucks. Why else would I put up with this?