My defroster covers interior with moisture

[special-K]

That truck is sweet! A great example of how the camper rigs make great survivors. The '71 Cheyenne Custom Camper/20 I had was from the same type of owner, only he didn't live as long. He was a stickler, I could tell. In the camper compartments were band aid boxes with all the bulbs the truck used wrapped in paper towels, a box with extra tear drop lenses for the camper lights, as well as tail light lenses, all this was labeled, all the paper work since purchase, looked like it never sat outside, ash tray never used, all 5 tires matched, etc.

I remember seeing the GVW and net weight shown on right front lower bedsides on trucks in Missouri and other states west of the Mississippi in the '70s when I'd drive out west. I came back East and painted it on my truck and everybody asked about it. I never asked here if members knew what that was about, but figured it was required.

Is that step bumper chrome? Looks like a chrome '72 GM bumper. I think the offered them chrome in the accessory catalog.

[larryboy_3t5]

Thanks to all for the congats. The coolant is green and smells like a fresh mix of antifreeze. Oscar was anal about maintenance so I can only assume it was changed regularly. I am planning an oil change, coolant change, PS fluid change, and a trans service.

I know, some will cry "Sacrilege!" that I would change anything on such a low mileage truck, but I'm anal about being safe. My wife and kids will be riding in this truck. And considering the upgrades Oscar made I think he would make similar changes if he were still the caretaker of this rig. So....

Planned upgrades: Disc brakes, three point seatbelts, electric fans, fuel injection (FITech?), MSD electronic distributer, quick ratio steering box, poly cab mounts, and suspension rebuild. Probably LED bulbs for the brake lights and backup lights. And way down the road, when I recover some funds, maybe a Gear Venders overdrive. Or a 4L80E? Not sure.

I will box and preserve all of the original parts for the future caretaker just in case he is one of those preservationist collectors. If I'm 92 when that day comes, this truck will be 84 years old.

And I'm hoping to find a model of BedRug that fits in the bed. I had one of these in my 2002 Dodge Dakota and it is the only thing I've seen that will save the paint in the bed and allow you to use it like a truck. They only make them for late model trucks and they will not do custom. There has to be one that's close enough to make fit with maybe slight modifications by an upholsterer. Has anyone out there done the research?

[larryboy_3t5]

BTW, Jerry, you were right as usual. The gear ratio is 3.54. Do you know what model dana that is? 60?

[larryboy_3t5]

Sorry Spec-K, didn't read you question before my last post.

The rear bumper is chrome. The diamond plate on the step is painted silver. I don't think it's GM. It has a decal on it that says "Transport Supply Co." There are phone numbers for Berkley, Ca. and West Sacramento, Ca. Both are less than an hour drive from me, ironically.

I plan to change it to a factory chrome bumper with a class IV hidden hitch.

The spare looks to be original bias ply. There are still nubs on the tread and the size matches the build sheet. The wheel is silver. My guess is the broker had the wheels powder coated white and put new radials on. I can see some pitting on the edge of the rims under the paint. Does anyone know if the original wheels would have been silver?

Jerry, the diff has a 10 bolt cover. Is that dana or eaton? I thought the Dana's had a 14 bolt cover. Box 17 on the build sheet is labeled "AXLE" and has the code "BJ".

BTW, the build sheet, box 58-59 "WHEELS" has code "HR2" for both. Then "RP9 F950X165X8 N" and "RP9 R950X165X8 N" are listed in the options which I believe are the tire sizes. Does the 8 in there mean 8" wheels?

[cleszkie]

If I were you, I would get a spare truck to haul stuff around in

[larryboy_3t5]

If only I were that flush with $$$$$$$.

[Ed F]

Beautiful truck! Congratulations and welcome. Other may correct me but I think the 8 in your tire size would be 8 ply or 8 ply rating

[jerry moss]

Larry,
you are correct, it's a dana 60. we had a 69 CST shortbed fleetside in the shop yesterday for some a-c work and parking it next to yours would have made a sweet calender cover picture. his is solid black, lowered, factory buckets and other goodies and straight as an arrow. original and custom side by side. he goes to most all the local car shows so maybe you two will see each other and get that pic !!!

[special-K]

I think that bumper company must be the one who supplied GM for the (one year only) factory '72 step bumpers. Your wheels would have been silver originally, as '69 used silver in place of white on bumpers and wheels. Do what suits you with your truck, but I highly recommend you reconsider the poly cab bushings. You want the cushion that the OEM rubber mounts give. Just get new ones, the only thing wrong with yours is they are 47 years old.

[jerry moss]

Originally Posted by special-K

I think that bumper company must be the one who supplied GM for the (one year only) factory '72 step bumpers. Your wheels would have been silver originally, as '69 used silver in place of white on bumpers and wheels. Do what suits you with your truck, but I highly recommend you reconsider the poly cab bushings. You want the cushion that the OEM rubber mounts give. Just get new ones, the only thing wrong with yours is they are 47 years old.

Tim,
i agree with you 100% on using rubber cab bushings, poly bushings throw everything out of alignment AND remove any flex between the cab and frame. as far as the rear step bumper goes, my parents ordered a 69 CST from our local dealer and it had the same bumper as Larrys truck. i remember polishing that bumper before one of our deer hunting trips, my brother was following us in the dark and he had to stay far behind us because he was getting blinded by his own headlights.

[special-K]

I think I saw those bumpers in chrome when I lived out there in the '70s. Both trucks that had them here were pre-72. GM only did that style for the one year (painted), which is not typical for Chevrolet. The design is the same as '73-up, except those are 8" tall, not 4". These are the only stamped bumpers made the way the c-channel style that GM offered in the years prior were. Same in that they drop 4" bringing the top of bumper lower for an easier "step" that allows room for a foot between dropped tailgate and bumper.

Back to your steam problem. I'm curious to learn what you find. I'm stumped till then. It seems it has to be a seal of some sort, since the heater system is sealed from outside "air" and anything that blocks air will block water

[larryboy_3t5]

So were those bumpers dealer installed items? I was going to sell it. Maybe I should store it.

I will bow to your collective wisdom regarding the cab mounts. I was thinking poly for longevity. I wasn't aware they caused other issues. So any advice on who I get the mounts from? Are there good and bad ones out there?

It sounds like the heat/defrost and fresh air systems are separate. That was going to be one of my next questions as I didn't know. I thought there might be a possibility the heating system drew air from outside. If that's the case, I'm leaning towards a small leak in the core. I know I'm not smelling it but like a pipe smoking detective once said, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."

[hdff]

Nice truck!!!

[larryboy_3t5]

Thanks, HDFF. I didn't have time to read more than the first page, but I'm sure this fix was there somewhere. A buddy told me about ground pepper as a stop leak. I finally believed the heater core was the culprit so I put two table spoons in my radiator before a took a 150 mile trip this morning. Put the temp to full heat so coolant would circulate in the core the whole trip. Ran defrost on high when I got home. NO FOGGED WINDOWS! Apparently the pepper will fill and expand in small pin holes but won't clog other stuff like the tubes in radiators. He had a pin hole in the radiator of his Mustang and tried this trick. Said he's been driving it for 5 months without a problem.

So, all you guys who voted "heater core" were right. I couldn't smell any coolant but my theory is that it was a very small pin hole that was spraying a very fine mist in the box. I hadn't run the heater enough since I bought it to notice the loss of coolant so it fooled me and others into thinking it was something else. I'll let you guys know if it returns in the rain but for now it appears to be fixed. Now for the leak down issue in the carb.

[jerry moss]

Originally Posted by larryboy_3t5

Thanks, HDFF. I didn't have time to read more than the first page, but I'm sure this fix was there somewhere. A buddy told me about ground pepper as a stop leak. I finally believed the heater core was the culprit so I put two table spoons in my radiator before a took a 150 mile trip this morning. Put the temp to full heat so coolant would circulate in the core the whole trip. Ran defrost on high when I got home. NO FOGGED WINDOWS! Apparently the pepper will fill and expand in small pin holes but won't clog other stuff like the tubes in radiators. He had a pin hole in the radiator of his Mustang and tried this trick. Said he's been driving it for 5 months without a problem.

So, all you guys who voted "heater core" were right. I couldn't smell any coolant but my theory is that it was a very small pin hole that was spraying a very fine mist in the box. I hadn't run the heater enough since I bought it to notice the loss of coolant so it fooled me and others into thinking it was something else. I'll let you guys know if it returns in the rain but for now it appears to be fixed. Now for the leak down issue in the carb.

i guess if you start sneezing you'll know for sure

[special-K]

I guess red pepper might plug a leak but would make it run hot, huh?

[larryboy_3t5]

UPDATE

The pepper worked until a couple of days ago. The core started leaking like Niagra Falls. Luckily it was coming out of the drain in the cowl and not in the cap. Just a little drip in the cab. Bypassed the core for now. It's in the triple digits here now so won't be an issue. My 08 Ford F-250 is for sale. When that goes I'll have the $$$$ for the Vintage Air upgrade. I'll save all the stock parts in case the next owner want's to return it to factory original. So maybe under dash vents.

TTFN