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

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by losdudes

Just read your thread, great job on the truck. BTW USAF, Okinawa 72-73

May said earlier that USAF "MO-GAS" receipts from the early 60s were found behind and under to old in cab tank. Some were from Kadena AFB and other from Pusan AFB Korea. I have been to both but mainly stuck in Thailand

[vintovka]

Trucks been running great. 101 ocean cruises every day it doesn't rain too hard. Went out to garage earlier today and UH_OOH!!!, Green drips all over under trucks front!!!, Drug out the creeper and what do i see? Coolant and rust coming out the water pump weep hole!!!!. Took a screwdriver an scraped the the area around the weep hole and got another nasty surprise. My "brand new" water pump is not "Brand new" but the 24 year old one form the original engine just repainted.. I can see the weird red anti rust i painted on in 1996 under the new black. The narcotic addicted "mechanic" is now long gone along with the $ i forked out. Good news is found a brand new pump on line for under $30 shipped. Hopefully The new pump plus about $160 in labor will make the leak history. Paying twice for something is painful.

[MiraclePieCo]

I always enjoy the "Oregon pothead mechanic" tales of woe!

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by MiraclePieCo

I always enjoy the "Oregon pothead mechanic" tales of woe!

Sadly its spreading to all aspects of life. From contractors to surgeons the trust factor is dissipating and the cost in dollars and life is growing. One might even think its the plan.

[MiraclePieCo]

Nah, I think it's just the way things have always been in Oregon. It's kinda the Appalachia of the west.

I once bought a new Toyota 4WD PU. I took it to a canopy dealer for a new camper shell. They installed LAST YEAR'S model that didn't fit right - had a noticeable gap between the canopy and the cab. Dealer tries to tell me I can just fill the gap with silicone - maybe some duct tape, right?

That's just the way we rock here.

[vintovka]

Bad car work can cost you money and sometimes your life, if a critical part fails. Brakes failed on locals just after passing the worse and treacherous section of 199 from Brookings to Grants Pass. 2nd time for this one and heard they fired pothead and filed paperwork with workman's comp to help prevent anyone else hiring him. Ever. Owner may sue the guy as well if a court issue. In Oregon bad reps last for eons and we wonder how long the shop will stay open. Was a AAA rated and lost it. Insurance companies also may not pay for claims work either. The states have no idea of the ramifications of legalizing a Federally illegal addictive and life destroying drug. Oh, No problem you the taxpayer will cover it. And now back to AD's
My New Pump is here and i mean brand new delco!!!. Off brand rebuilt parts have been really bad lately . Just replaced a bad power steering pump as mention in earlier post. - even NAPA is checking each one before they sell any rebuilt part. You should to!! but sometimes hard to tell until after its installed.

[vintovka]

New pump has been correctly and expertly installed and working great, I noticed its running cooler. Even sounds better!! The old pump and hose were confirmed as originals. They were just repainted and reinstalled for the purpose of fraud. Cops and Bureau of automotive repair and licensing agree and following up. They do remind to always get take off parts back and a detailed bill with part numbers and cost clearly listed.

Another 101 ocean cruise is planned in AM. Best with Moody Blues blasting away on a bright sunny day!!

[vintovka]

Some ocean cruise pics.

[MiraclePieCo]

Originally Posted by vintovka

Some ocean cruise pics.

Nice pics. I was over in your neighborhood last week for some hiking and beachcombing, and happened upon an impromptu car show in Brookings hosted by the Curry Coastal Cruisers.

[vintovka]

I heard about that but was unable to attend. Many here are fed up with the phony virus stuff and the governors gestapo tactics so there may be more. Trying to go to the rescheduled Azalea day parade on the 17th in Brookings but not sure it will happen as we hear "Brown" is upset we had firework shows in Curry County and wants to punish us.

[joedoh]

I bet you get all the looks driving that around!

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by joedoh

I bet you get all the looks driving that around!

You know its kinda weird, Certainly not a show truck but it get honks and waves just about everywhere.

[VWNate1]

I hear you .

I just replaced the weepy original power steering box on my brothers 1979 Dodge D200 long service bed crew cab beast, one of the threaded holes on the cast iron part was clearly stripped and full of SWARF ~ I guess no one bothered to properly look at the core first .

RockAuto.com is very good about this sort of thing and sent me a call tag and as soon as I shipped the bad part they shipped me another, good one, I had it installed by the time they received the defective part .

I'm going to return the old weepy pump as good cores are getting hard to find and this pump fits a million or so old ChryCo products .

Glad you didn't go off that bridge ! .

[vintovka]

Been busy last 6 months with our move. Restoring a 70 year old cabin during the faux-demic put every thing else on hold. Need a new garage for the 54 and contractors now want 2.5 times as much as last garage we built just two years ago at other house where it sits today. Most likely get a metal one instead of a 55K+ (!!!!) stick built. Things here are beyond dismal. No shows, parades or anything just grumpy masked morons. Will be flying flag upside down next time i drive it

[vintovka]

Well a year has passed. Not a very good year at that. New garage is built and the Cabin on the Siuslaw River front is almost done. Too cold and wet for taking the 54 out but adding some old and new pics. The first are back in 1985 when it was still on original frame with a 235. Pic shows it just out of the shop with a brand new metallic silver grey paint job. My Kid in pic is now 42! The pic with the lady is my now 96 year old mom. Good times pass quick. Bad times drag on.

[VWNate1]

The good thing is : you're still here and have good memories .

Somewhere I have a picture of me sitting astride my 1965 Harely-Davidson Pan Had Motocycle holding my new born son .

He's now 43 and I just visited him and my grand kids, life is very good indeed in spite of the last two years .

[vintovka]

Time fly's doesn't it? Also i asked mods to move the thread to the projects section which they did. Also need to update title to "52 years ago" !!!!

[VWNate1]

Yes, time certainly has a way of sneaking behind one's back .

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana .

[vintovka]

Too true. Come spring i hope to drive the 54 as often as I can. Time slowed some when we moved to Oregon from the ranch in Placerville. Still going too fast.

[vintovka]

Well i backed out of the garage. Turned wheel to left and the power steering box literally puked all its contents out of the lower seal. I have less than 1000 miles since it was installed. The previous one lasted 2 months. Bad news is they are both NAPA Gold remanufactured by Cardone boxes. Good news is they both had "lifetime" warranties. Maybe 3 is the charm????????????????????????

[VWNate1]

Yes, this is a concern .

I didn't know Cardone offered a lifetime warranty, that's good .

I just ordered and received a rebuilt power steering pump for a '79 Dodge, I checked it out before trying to install and discovered one of the threaded holes in the back for the bracket bolts, was stripped and they'd ignored that , overhuled the pump and shipped it out anyway...

Good help is very hard to find these days, why I'm still doing most repairs my own damn self .

[LostChord]

Absolutely love your truck, very cool.

[vintovka]

Me too (when its not puking out one fluid or another).

[VWNate1]

AHEM :

Your truck is NOT puking out fluids, it's operating the clever "Flow Through Lubrication And Anti-Rust System", good design as it's still working as well as it did when new....

[vintovka]

Poor old thing is incontinent