Vehical Inspection report

[R@nger]

Haha Dean that is so very true.

Well update: I finished everything a couple minutes ago and then took the truck for a spin. The steering tightened up a good bit which is always great. The real problem was the tie rod end, although it didn't seem bad, when I got it off it was evident it needed to be replaced.

jku72 thanks so much for all the tips..they helped out a great bit.

[jku72]

No prob. The emissions test will be next. I mentioned drygas, which is usually either alchohol or methanol. It doesnt produce the hydrocarbons like the gas and bit of oil your likely burning. The 93 octane thing wont do a bit of good, octane has nothing to do with how clean an engine will burn, octane is a measurement of detonation resistance.
This is anecdotal, but a good high speed (engine speed) blast really can "clean out the carbon". It does two things, one is creates a high fuel flow which can clean the carb ports a tad, and the other is burn off old carbon deposits in the combustion chambers. I remember as a teen driving a clapped out 69 stepside with a 6/3. It sputted and ran pretty rough, till one night, I raced a Chevy Citation, (and lost) all the way home. It ran a lot better after that, to the point my Dad drove the truck, noticed it ran a lot smoother, and right away knew I'd raced it. Simply because it ran better.
The downside to this approach is that you are risking the engine, your money from a ticket, and you run into that dad-burned flaming death thing again.
The fellow who said retard the timing a smooch is probably right. Thats basically what every car manufacturer did in 1971 to meet new federal emissions regs at the time. I'm too lazy to do that, so I wind the drygas to it. So far, it has worked.

[R@nger]

Well today I took my ol truck back to the emissions place...all steering issues fixed and with a little carb adjustment. Suprising it passed !

[70 shorty]

Helluva great feeling isn't it? I took my truck to a guy to see if it would pass safety inspection the other week. In VA if you drive an antique and have it registered as such it doesn't need inspeciton, but then you're liimited in your driving of it. Well, I''ve found myself driving the truck a lot more than I should on antique registration. Anyway, here's what I was told. Windsheild needs replacing, it's not cracked, just cloudy about an inch in all the way around. Leaky header gasket, High beam indicator not working, needs lower right ball joint, holes in cab corners must be patched, (fumes could get in was the explanation), gas smell in cab, steering wheel smaller diameter than stock, right wiper blade no good, left outside mirror cracked (it has a vertical line from top to bottom about in the middle, not cracked). Needless to say, I'm keeping the antique registration for now. I'll probably fix what I condsider to be true safety problems, the ball joint, and the gas smell, and probalby the header since it just bugs me. I defintely have a hard time seeing where a windsheild with a little cloudiness is aproblem, since you don't even look through that part, and I can't see the cab corners being a fumes issue either since I ride with the window down 90% of the time anyway (yes the exhaust comes out behind the cab)

[R@nger]

Oh man thats strict!

Thats a bummer, good luck fixing everything.

Oh and yes it feels great to have it pass!