47-55.1 55 years ago I was given this USAF 54 3100

[VWNate1]

Ouch .

If you get no joy let me know, I know a guy in Az. who's very good with parts for Advance Design trucks .

You still have to watch out always .

My buddy went through similar headaches with his 1954 Chevy sedan, in the end I got him all the locks from a long abandoned 1954 Chevy sedan in the Desert, he had keys made up and his rig them was all on one key as God and Generous Motors Corporation meant .

[vintovka]

Thanks. Truck sits awaiting either new parts or altering plungers. On other forums folks reporting enormous problems with EBAY sellers and PayPal as we speak. Most are cancelling PayPal accounts and some are saying PayPal is actually refusing to allow them to do so. Calling Chase today and raising h-ll. Sadly seller has now closed down his account so not sure what is going on so heads up on all EBAY/PayPal transactions.

I contacted other lock vendors and all say that all new production locks are chinese made junk and finding NOS or rebuilders in US is tough. This EBAY/PayPal thing is really going to put the hurt on everyone.

[VWNate1]

I've not yet had problems with PayPal, I hope I don't .

E-Bay hasn't been the same since that air headed woman ran it, raised all the fees, gave herself a big raise then jumped ship .

You and I are old so we remember when Japanese meant junk, they can make good things if they want to, my son still has my 967 Nikon F 35MM SLR camera that's never been in the shop .

I have a wonderful pair of Japanese binoculars that have "MADE IN OCCUPIED JAPAN" stamped into them, $10 at a yard sale .

Many American vehicle door locks are not made to be taken apart for servicing .

The actual re keting is pretty simple, I've done it to many vehicles over the decades, getting the lock cylinder out without damaging the handle's pot metal parts is tricky .

Festina Lente here please .

I'm sure there are Auto Jumbles near you, make up a cardboard sign to hang on your back that says "1954 CHEVY TRUCK DOORS / HANDLES WANTED" ~ you'll be amazed at how many people come rushing up to you asking you to PLEASE take their "junk" away or sell you rusted out doors that have *perfect* handles, glass and latches in them, etc....

You ave to beat those bushes to find the things you want and need .

[vintovka]

May do that. Parts around here has been exceptionally scarce due to horrible ocean salt corrosion and what was extreme demand by restorers. The dark side of inflation means many cannot restore anymore due to cost and are starting to sell off parts and projects.

As for the locks the CC company verbally confirmed they are aware/overloaded by the PP and Ebay stuff going on it will be a while. Will put the orig stuff back together and wait. Guess i can still manage to climb over the seat to unlock the passenger side for a few more months.

[vintovka]

Ok. Took 54 out for a long drive up the coast north of Florence. No overheating issues so far and an 180 Thermostat seems to keep engine at 190F cruising at 55-60. Really nice not hearing the huge fan roar all the time. Even nicer not to have to keep one eye on the road and the other on the temp gauge. Did check fan function and it comes on 2-3 minutes after shutdown. The "fan on" light does help and is strongly recommended. What is really amazing is the new high torque mini starter! It quickly starts the 350 every time and is unaffected by heat soak so may run fan to Ignition switch and save juice and fan wear. Will never use a standard GM starter again - period.

Very nice when your project vehicle acts like a normal, reliable car!!

Well nothing but crickets to report from both Paypal and Ebay on the locks. I hear others getting same response from them so i don't see any more buys in the future. The CC company put it all in dispute and and gave seller and ultimatum. We shall see.

[VWNate1]

Lovely picture .

Don't be in a hurry to re power the fan, it's very important in hot weather, wait until next Summer .

Older GM starters work very well when in good shape and properly maintained .

There's a heavy duty version you may not be aware of and some rebuilders assemble cleaned and painted junk that isn't any good, I prefer to build my own GM starters using junkyard parts, then they work properly, quietely and for decades .

Th gear reduction starters are nice as they increase torque greatly and use less battery reserve but I prefer the higher cranking speed .

[vintovka]

Cruising ocean view 101 best viewed from the one piece 54 windshield. Gas prices have really cut beach traffic down especially giant motorhomes.

You're correct on badly rebuilt starters (and other parts). Local shops will NOT buy or supply Napa, Autozone or Oreilly rebuilt parts at all anymore which doubles or triples repair costs. If you bring one in they will not warrant the works at all. Did you see that a brand new standard GM one can top $1000 now??. The RED Head rebuilt steering box NAPA agreed to provide as a replacement for the last failed one seems to be fine.

About run out of mods to do but a cable or power operated hood vent seems attractive. I did alter the previous mod by adding a longer section and relocating the knob. Still tough for me to use while driving.

Have delayed the 3 leak repairs till rainy season and will enjoy as much good weather driving as long as i can.

[vintovka]

Need to make a correction. Its not "red top" but "red head gears". They also offer some custom modifications for 4x4 and steering assist hydraulics. Price is reasonable and very happy with mine so far.

https://redheadsteeringgears.com/2858

[VWNate1]

That looks pretty nice .

I've been pretty lucky in that I always managed to buy a truck with or find, a nice tight original steering box .

As long as you don't have over width tires they steer like power steering when stock ~ remember the AD sales slogan :

IF IT STEERS LIKE A TRUCK IT's NOT A CHEVROLET ! .

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

That looks pretty nice .

I've been pretty lucky in that I always managed to buy a truck with or find, a nice tight original steering box .

.

Most pre 1990 trucks (and cars) using the GM design i have encountered seem to have age problems like leakage or looseness. Newer ones appear to have less. Was discussing steering box issues and the "big box" auto store rebuilds came up again. Apparently some (like NAPA's) answer to the issues on all rebuilt products is to severely limit their responsibility for them. They state things like "must be professionally installed" yet most certified shops won't use them. Go figure.

[VWNate1]

I understand it very well ~ they're scared witless of law suits .

The Saginaw Gear Division made most of those old steering boxes, they all tend to leak out the gear oil .

The good news is : the sector shaft output seal is the same from the 1940's through the 1970 model year so any GM dealer usually has it in stock for about $12 .

Easy to change too .

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

I understand it very well ~ they're scared witless of law suits .

.

As said earlier when my last box blew the bottom seal out it was flat scary. Was on a metal grated bridge when it lost all the fluid and took everything this old bod had to muscle it home. NAPA absolutely would not answer my emails until i brought up liability issues.

[vintovka]

Made it to (and through) first Veterans Day Parade in Florence OR. Perfectly dry day before but rained all through parade and promptly quit immediately after. Surprised to see over 100 participants and crowds of over 1000. Got many complements and salutes along the route. The 54 ran fine and stayed at 190F most of time at idle speed of 5 mph or less. Fan kicked in when we were stopped but dropped temp fast. Prolly will go into hibernation until end of the monsoon season next year.

[VWNate1]

That's nice .

Consider using 'Rain-X' brand window cleaner spray on the out side of the windshield .

It's amazing stuff and regular use makes the dead bugs & glop easier to clean off and wipers work better if you even use them .

[dsraven]

I've used rains before and ended up giving away the almost full bottle. Yes, the water droplets run off the window when driving at highway speeds but in the city where you are stop and go and need to use the wipers I found it left a wax paper like look on the glass after the wipers pass. Yes, that went away in a second but then the next wiper pass comes and You are blind again for a little bit. I would say buy a small bottle to try it if you plan to go that way. We get rain deluge here sometimes so wipers on full isnt an option it's a necessity.

[vintovka]

It was raining intermittently so only used the new electric wipers as needed. I actually don't like them. I cannot reach under the dash far enough anymore to adjust them for full sweep. They are at about 80% right now. Almost miss the original vacuum motor ones. Am kicking self for removing the auxiliary electric vacuum pump i installed thinking it would help the power brakes. It didn't and sits on shelf to annoy me. Coulda used it to power the old vacuum wipers and switched it to turn them on and off. Hindsight bites again as had 3 vacuum motors and sold em thinking goodbye to junk. Have rain-x and forgot to use it.

[vintovka]

Well the rain has returned to coastal Oregon and the hibernation season has begun. Will still venture out on sunny days (if any) and start her up once a month. Stabil in tank and trickcle chargers are a must around here. Sadly gas prices finally dropped (for a while).

BTW i must advise those who purchase parts on Net sites like EBAY, a good credit card may be your only defense against todays serious floods of scammers. My recent encounter with an EBAY seller who sent wrong parts and demanded i pay to return them has ended happily. Simply placing dodgy transactions in "DISPUTE" Directly with your CC provider seems best and works. I can believe these scammers still make millions from those who do NOT file disputes.

[VWNate1]

It's nice that you have a garage .

If you start it occasionally, please remember to DRIVE IT EVERY TIME ! simply staring & running it awhile it is very bad for it .

[Rickysnickers]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

If you start it occasionally, please remember to DRIVE IT EVERY TIME ! simply staring & running it awhile it is very bad for it .

Why is that?

[vintovka]

I think it has to do with circulating all fluids and greases. I start mine back it out do a lap or so around neighbor hood and then home. This brings engine to temp. I also have learned NOT to apply emergency brake when parked for long periods. Seems it makes rear brakes stick for some reason and have to brake hard downhill to free them. Not good on gravel driveway!! Open to suggestions on latter issue.

[dsraven]

starting engine periodically
-it is good to start the engine periodically so it can stay lubricated, battery gets fully charged, belts get a work out so they dont get a memory, pulleys get moved across the belt surfaces so they don't get rusty spots, water pump seals get moved so they don't get a memory, seals get lubricated, fuel gets moved through the carb and fuel pump so inlet/outlet valves get cycled and carb srays full, or if fuel injected engine the fuel and injectors get cycled so the fuel lines stay full of pressure and the injector pintles get moved and don't varnish up.
it's good to drive the vehicle so the engine can get up to operating temp. this helps move condensation through the evaprorative system (pcv valve, hoses etc) and this may seem trivial but I have personally seen an engine in an old Tbird where the elderly owner had passed and the wife had kept the car as a memory of her husband. since he had made a point of running the car several times a month the widow also started it a couple times a month. the difference was she just started it and let it run for a few minutes then shut it off. when our shop got involved it had been bought at auction for super cheap because the engine started nicely but then the oil pressure light came on after a short time running. when we removed the valve cover we found the sludge was so much that oil would be pumped up to the valve train but then it couldn't drain back down quick enough so quickly the engine oil pump pickup sump area ran out of oil. running the engine to temp ensures the thermostat opens, the coolant gets circulated through the rad and thoroughly mixed and the system comes up to operating pressure.
driving the vehicle gets the transmission lube circulated and ball/needle bearings get to sit on a different spot on their surfaces so if there is any condensation etc there is less chance of rust starting on exposed parts. the rear axle fluid gets circulated and actually gets down the axle tubes to lube the axle bearings and seal surfaces. brake fluid gets moved, brake caliper or wheel cylinders parts get cycled, tires get moved so as not to get a shape memory. shock absorber shafts get moved through their seals so spot rust and pitting is less likely. park brake cables should be cycled and if a top hat style park brake inside a brake rotor then the park brake could be lightly applied and the vehicle slowly moved a short distance to move the cables and also shine up those drums. poweer steering vehicles also cycle fluid through the system.
thats just my thoughts on it. I have probably missed a few points. when I park a vehicle for winter or whatever I like to service the vehicle first, with a hot oil change, and also put some stabilizer in the fuel and run the vehicle long enough for it to get through the system. there is a different list for long term storage. doing a hot oil change helps get anything that will emulsify in the oil to actually be suspended when the oil is drained. this can be particulates and/or condensation. this can be more important for diesel engines because diesel has some sulpher in it. some of this can get into the oil and then when mixed with the condensation in the engine that can make sulpheric acid.

[VWNate1]

And, there you have it .

The sludge and acid buildup is serious, I only work on older vehicles so I get to see more than you'd think that were ruined .

DRIVE 'EM ! .

Minimum of 30 minutes driving or don't touch it .

[Rickysnickers]

Going to start a new thread in General area so as not to kill this one. Please respond there to my question

[Rickysnickers]

Here's the link to the discussion I made about starting and running the trucks, https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...86#post9153386

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

It's nice that you have a garage .

.

Yes except its a cold, air and water leaky metal shed that cost much more than the real, custom stick built one we had made in 2019 at our other place. All thanks to inflation created by current incompetents' CIC.