The 283 Rebuild Begins

[bubba327]

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=324250
63-64 bowties had this link in january 09-- '63 turn signals

[jason65]

Flashing break lights when they are not applied might be your boo switch being out of adjustment or busted. Please explain on t/s sticking on when brakes applied? Like hazzards or just one side? Just the back?

Trucks lookin good Mac.

[MacAttack]

Thanks Jason, the rear stop/turn lights both flash, as soon as the ignition switch is turned on - even without engine not running. Put the brakes on - they stop flashing and you can't hear the "clicker" can going off under the dash.

Flashing lights only effect the back - not the front of the truck.

Driving, put a turn signal on, right or left and they operate fine, front and back - until you apply the brakes - then whichever side it's set to - the light sticks on and won't flash until you take your foot off the brake.

Understand - the tranny shop did the final hook-up on the wire loom (click in unit) coming down out of the steering column. Also understand I FAILED Basic Electrical shop in high school, TWICE! But the teacher was a real P*%#k.

Mac.

[70 Suburban]

Could be a few things... I know its been said. But start at your light grounds... They will feed back if they is not a good ground.

[bubba327]

http://www.americanstreetmasters.com/Wiring_101_16.jpg
this is a helpful site .. the colors stay consistent through the years. Do you have the hazard 4-way flasher?
Power starts at the fuse ,then to signal flasher then goes to the brake switch on the orange wire and leaves the brake switch on the white wire which goes to the connector and up the column to the turn signal switch. the 4 signal lights (front/rear turn /brake) all leave the turn signal switch on 4 different colored wires.
your flasher only flashes when it has a load to pass power to. It sounds to me like your turn signal switch or column wiring has been damaged. Or mis-connected
good luck-- Bubba

[MacAttack]

Thanks Bubba - yes, the wiring was damaged and I bought a replacement unit that runs from the horn ring down to the first connector at the base of the steering column. Laid out next to the scraped one - they appeared identical. Something might be shorting out.

On the emergency flasher issue - my truck didn't come with them and I can hear the regular canister firing off, which makes both stop lights illuminate.

Mac.

[bubba327]

Glad you found it. I put a newer Gm tilt column in my 64 and added the 4- way hazard lights. It only took a extra flasher and one wire using the newer turn signal switch which was in the column.

[MacAttack]

Truck's Puking Oil.

Not bad - but on the brand new driveway - it's quite noticeable. A spot about 2 inches wide and 4 inches long. Noticed it when the kid put the truck in the garage yesterday. Haven't checked out the exact location, but its not tranny fluid or anything else and I'm taking it easy for the holiday - so I'll worry about it when I get the rig back from the electrical repair guy two Saturdays from now.

Typical.

More-than-likely the small I/D tubes I ran from the PCV valve from the original tube back by the distributor, up to the carburetor, aren't producing enough flow/suction to relieve the crank case fumes.

Based on the fact the spot is right in the center of where the truck was setting - it's probably a rear seal.

Oh joy.

[padresag]

there was a change in the wiring to the lights in 65 or 66 in regards to the frt parking lights remaing on with the tail lights. prior years the park lights were not on with the taillight when running. perhaps when they fix your wiring there may have been some confusion.
just throwing that in for thought Mac
ron

[MacAttack]

Thanks Ron - every little bit helps.

[70 Suburban]

Mine was a pan gasket on the front.. Hit the crossmemeber then made a spot right under the engine. I thought rear too.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by 70 Suburban

Mine was a pan gasket on the front.. Hit the crossmemeber then made a spot right under the engine. I thought rear too.

Hope so - maybe it was the rush job I did on the elcheapo gauge tubing off the fitting at the back of the block for the motor break-in. (Grasping at straws).

[MacAttack]

Now it's not that I'm a Drama Queen or anything (yeah, right), but I think I found the source of the leak: Fitting off the back of the block that feeds the oil pressure gauge.

The last guys that worked on my rig - putting the gears in the differential, new drive-shafts, brakes etc - also did some wire clean-up in the engine compartment. They put one of those flexible plastic wire sheaths over the bundle on the driver's side, but didn't secure it properly.

I got a few minutes yesterday and fired the truck up to see if I could eyeball the source of the dripping and discovered, as I pulled the throttle rod back, this loom was riding up and down on the rod - pulling on the plastic oil line that was bundled in with the various wires.

Every time you'd step on the gas it would give this line a good yank. So I took a Velcro wire strap and tacked the whole mess to the firewall and re-tightened the tube's fitting. I'll go back and clean everything up, but there was a fair puddle of oil near this fitting at the top of the motor - near the distributor.

Oh the Humanity!

Dropped the truck off at the electrical repair guy's shop before work this morning - so we'll see if he can get my charging system working. A 64' Impala with a monster, late-model Corvette motor was there for a wiring restoration, so I may have found a decent vendor.

Mac.

[4dranch]

Mac
Hope it solves your problem..

[jason65]

Glad you found your leak Mac.

[daverod]

Mac found his leak.

[shrunken66stroker]

Originally Posted by daverod

Mac found his leak.

He found his leak too. That's recycling at it's best.

[justcuz]

This is why I am glad I have the ability (time and knowlege wise) of doing these projects myself.

I get so dissappointed when you pay someone good money to do a job. Then when you get it back you find problems. It got to the point that I just started doing everything myself.

So far I have tackled everything but rebuilding an automatic transmission and setting up a rear axle.

I was going to add radiator repair, but not even the radiator shops repair much anymore, just R and R.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by 4dranch

Mac
Hope it solves your problem..

Thanks David – I’m just glad I didn’t have to change the smog plumbing.

Originally Posted by jason65

Glad you found your leak Mac.

Me too, Jason. Because of the leak’s position and me being such a gigantic mechanical whoosie, ready to throw myself down on the garage floor and cry, I was sure I had a D.O.A. rear seal. Guess I lucked out this time.

Originally Posted by daverod

Mac found his leak.

OMG. You didn’t actually post that?!

Originally Posted by shrunken66stroker

He found his leak too. That's recycling at it's best.

It has been a while since we’ve had one that funny! Unbelievable.

Originally Posted by justcuz

This is why I am glad I have the ability (time and knowledge wise) of doing these projects myself.

I get so disappointed when you pay someone good money to do a job. Then when you get it back you find problems. It got to the point that I just started doing everything myself.

Well, there it is.

And because I’ve got a back-up vehicle to get me to work, you’d think I’d just block out the time and learn to do everything myself.

The guy I dropped the truck off with is $98 an hour – with an hour minimum. In today’s economy – there are zero excuses not to at least try to do this stuff yourself and I’ll be looking at about four grand I didn’t really have to spend by the time this truck's finally done.

Impatience and listening to others (that clearly know little if anything about these vehicles) tell you how you should spend your dough is sometimes very silly.

$4,000 buys a Hell of a paint job.

[justcuz]

Between Autozones online program, which costs nothing to register, and sevice and shop manuals you can pretty much diagnose and repair anything.
You can buy a ton of shop manuals one ebay for a couple hundred dollars.

These older trucks are pretty easy, wiring schematics are pretty simple and diagnosing stuff is simple since it is so easy to see everything.

The newer fuel injection stuff is what is causing me some heartburn now.

[MacAttack]

Originally Posted by justcuz

Between Autozones online program, which costs nothing to register,

Had no idea.

[MacAttack]

Called the electrical repair guy a while ago - looks like I'm getting The Tan back tonight. Everything is supposedly corrected and a "tumbleweed of wires" and connectors pulled from under the dash. It's funny - out of the half-a-dozen old trucks I've ever owned, seems that "extra wire" has always been part of the purchase price.

Now obviously - I'm no electrician, but why do people do that?

(Now I can borrow my buddy's car trailer and haul my truck back to Alan's shop.)

Mac.

[4dranch]

Congrats Mac.....


Hey swing by and grab my truck on your way to Alan's

[MacAttack]

Will do, David.

[jason65]

Thats great Mac. So is it charging now?
Ok is on the way.