Danny Boy is BAACK! w/ '55 Big Window

[57 3100]

hey dan, i got my alternator swapped to the drivers side finished today....
it was a little bit of work, having to modify the bottom spacer because of my long water pump, but it all worked out.
you can check out pics here....

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...30#post4808230

take care.

leonard

[Dan in Pasadena]

Leonard,
I posted on that thread in response. Good job!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Ok, its confirmed that I'm an idiot. The confusion over the coil wires? Turned out I had 2 of 3 wires in the right place. But I stupidly had both the red AND the black Pertronix wires connected to the negative side of the coil. Took the shop 5 seconds to see it and change it and the truck started right up. At least I didn't fry the Pertronix gizmo!

[57 3100]

yea dan, we all do stuff like that from time to time, you're not alone...
glad you got it figured out.

[Dan in Pasadena]

I have a question for your guys about door weatherstripping. In removing the last bits of rock hard weatehrstripping on my doors I notice whoever installed it used some kind of adhesive even though it had the anchors plastic anchors. Is that correct?

I thought the w/s hung on just by the plastic anchors and the metal strips along the bottom of the door?

As it is I will have to remove the door to get all the old adhesive off, prime, paint the door edges and THEN hang the new weather stripping. And "while I'm in there" I'll pull the door panels, install anti rattle strips and Peel 'n Seal inside the door, paint the window frames (or buy chrome if my OCD takes over), put in new vent glass & rubber, and paint the whole door. Man, one thing leads to another.....dozen!

[Daze57]

some ppl use adhesive also on the doors to make sure the rubber stays on - if the li'l clips break off ( plastic) although i have seen a lot of doors sans adhesive - i guess it all depends on how the rubber is made and if it is a good quality and if the fit is good and solid . Some ppl use clear silicone as a glue -others use black or yellow 3m ''death'' adhesive - either way whatever you use dem fumes is lethal be careful.
also you may want to drill a 1/8 inch hole in the door hinge to cab as an aid for door realignment - puttin dem back on and gettin them right can be a pita - been der done dat also - good luck and truck is lookin real nice.
once the door is re-hung use the drill bit to realighn the holes and hopefully the door will be correct.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by Daze57

some ppl use adhesive also on the doors to make sure the rubber stays on - if the li'l clips break off ( plastic) although i have seen a lot of doors sans adhesive - i guess it all depends on how the rubber is made and if it is a good quality and if the fit is good and solid . Some ppl use clear silicone as a glue -others use black or yellow 3m ''death'' adhesive - either way whatever you use dem fumes is lethal be careful.

Yeah, looks like the remnants of the "yellow death" on my doors. I'd never heard it called that before but it is appropriate. That crap is STRONG!

Originally Posted by Daze57

... also you may want to drill a 1/8 inch hole in the door hinge to cab as an aid for door realignment - puttin dem back on and gettin them right can be a pita - been der done dat also - good luck and truck is lookin real nice.
once the door is re-hung use the drill bit to realign the holes and hopefully the door will be correct.

You smart guys really annoy me! Where's the fun in doing it the easy way without all the cussin' spittin' and hair tearin'? Kidding of course.

I'd actually read your advice somewhere in the murky past (old guy, memory is the 2nd thing to go!) and forgotten about it. I was thinking of scribing lines but your advice is a LOT better. I'm defintiely doing that. Thanks for reminding me how not to be a moron...again!

[OrrieG]

Yellow death? Out here we call it gorilla snot.

[57 3100]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Yellow death? Out here we call it gorilla snot.

LOL. yea, we use to say something along that line...

Dan, i dont have nay experience with the weather stripping... good luck.

leonard

[Dan in Pasadena]

Originally Posted by 57 3100

... good luck.

leonard

Abandoned in my time of need!

I'm going out of town for afew days so there won't be any new trucks news or photos for awhile. WIth Daze57's suggestion of drilling a holes thrugh the hinge to locate it when I replace the door...I'm thinking I should drill BOTH the top and bottom hinges when I do it. Sound right, or unnecessary? I'm planning on removing the two bolts that hold the hinges to the door frame and never unbolting the hinge from the door itself.

[Daze57]

dan

using the drill bit is the way to go & your choice of doing top and bottom is great .

as far as bein' a smart guy? naaaaaaaa just tryin to help a fellow ol' truck lover get it on da road .
as far as being a moron? uhhhhhhhhhh no ! believe me i know a moron - i see him everyday when i get up and look in da mirror - LOL

REMEMBER FELLOW OL' TRUCKERS - outside of a book - a dog is mans best friend . Inside of a dog - it;s too dark to read !

[Russell Ashley]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Abandoned in my time of need!

I'm going out of town for afew days so there won't be any new trucks news or photos for awhile. WIth Daze57's suggestion of drilling a holes thrugh the hinge to locate it when I replace the door...I'm thinking I should drill BOTH the top and bottom hinges when I do it. Sound right, or unnecessary? I'm planning on removing the two bolts that hold the hinges to the door frame and never unbolting the hinge from the door itself.

Dan, you are going to find that there are three bolts in each hinge. You might consider removing the hinge bolts from inside the door instead of the ones in the door post. The door will slide off of the hinge and the hinge position on the door post isn't changed. I've never done it but you probably could use the drill trick on the inside part of the hinge also.
The first time I removed my door I had to remove the hinge from the post because the lower hinge was welded to the door.
The door are heavy if the glass is still in them. I used my engine hoist with a strap around the top of the door to remove mine.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Wow, thanks for the additonal advice Russ. I'll need to study on it a bit before deciding which approach I'll use. Whichever is less work I suppose.

I don't have an engine hoist so I guess its gonna be the sheer animalistic power of an old guy that get it back on! A wonder to behold with the red face, cursing and eye popping!

[Kim57]

Dan
I used my floor jack to put mine on. You just have to balance the door on it. Made it a lot easier for me and I have a bum back.
Kim

[Daze57]

floor jack works well - you can also ratchet it down for better stability

ya dont want that metal fallin on ya

[Dan in Pasadena]

Both good ideas. I'd thought to put a rope on the window frame and hoist it from one of the joists in my garage but the floor jack idea is better. I don't have to move stuff around to do that! I think I'm still going to scribe the edges of the hinge locations and I'll use the drill bit if I can too.

I'm nowhere near final painting this truck but I want an extra clean driver while I get it totally mechanically squared away, so I can't stand to install the w/s without sanding/priming/painting the door edges before I put it on. That'll end up making me do the same for the whole door and put some Peel 'n Seal inside and make each door as tight and rattle free as possible.

[Dan in Pasadena]

I'm kinda stoked. Drove my truck the other day and realized on the way home (after dark) I CAN'T be driving it as is with nothing but the headlights working. A friend referred me to a local auto electric guy he raved about to fix the tail/stop light issue so I dropped it off. He just called me and will fix EVERYTHING electrical for $225-250:

Tail/stop/signal lights w/a disconnect for when I remove my bed
New signal assy on column-gives me hazard lights
Front running/signal lights
Trailer connector on rear
Dome light
Dash lights
Glove box light
Install a cigarette lighter for phone charging
R&R any wiring with cracked/questionable insulation and grommet holes

This alone will enable me to drive the truck a lot more than I have up to now. Bit by bit guys!

[57 3100]

wow dan, thats a great price for sure. and well worth it to not have to mess with the wiring yourself. i hate tracing down bad electrical issues.
good luck.

leonard

[Dan in Pasadena]

Hi Leonard, Yeah my point exactly. Replacing any "bad" wiring alone is worth it. The other stuff I coulda done but it'll be nice to have it all done at once.

What's new with your truck?

[Kabwe]

Dan,
Keep up the good job, it looks like you are having fun fixing this truck. Don't you sale this one.

[57 3100]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

Hi Leonard, Yeah my point exactly. Replacing any "bad" wiring alone is worth it. The other stuff I coulda done but it'll be nice to have it all done at once.

What's new with your truck?

got the alternator swapped over and drove it about 30 miles last weekend. got a slight belt squeal between the crank and water pump pulley when stabbing the throttle in park. creep up on the rpm's and no problems. only on sharp throttle snaps. might be looking for some factory pulleys soon if it dont go away.
got my rear roll pan in and will need to measure for cut outs, since i want to also retain my factory bumper.... then i need to get serious about ordering a radiator and a/c unit..

[Dan in Pasadena]

Nothing too special to anyone else but I'm REALLY pleased. ALL lights working, horn working from horn button, cell phone charging (yeah, heresy for an old vehicle). New dome light (still yellow though-I don't like that. New cigarette light knob made me take 000 steel wool to my rusty old ones, my dash cluster trim too. They came out better than I'd imagined so I installed the new rearview mirror I was saving, I moved on to my headlight trim rings, front bumper. Chrome is a bit "pecky" on this stuff but will do nicely for awhile for a driver til I go for final paint.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Finally, a decent non-cell phone picture of my new rear bumper and taillights plus the overall truck as she sits tonight. More work coming this weekend.




Oh and when he repaired the wiring I had him install trailer wiring for the future:


And a disconnect so I can remove my bed to work on the frame without cutting any new wiring. He also put all my wiring in loom (plastic, but what the heck!)

[Daze57]

very nice work - keep it goin -lookin great !

[57 3100]

looking real good dan. its amazing he did all that wiring work for a few hundred dollars.
i love the wheels on your truck, and hope to one day get me a set. are yours american torque thrust D"s or torque thrust Originals ?

leonard