Markeb01 Build Thread

[markeb01]

I discovered yesterday I hadn’t tightened the petcock on the radiator sufficiently a few days ago when I changed the thermostat, and had a drip making a mess of the garage floor. I’ve kept the existing valve way too long, only because I liked the outlet tube on the end that allowed attaching a hose to direct the coolant flow into the drain pan. Unfortunately the drain is under the fan bracketry blocking the view when opening or closing the valve. Due to its age the ears were bent over towards the radiator, making it very difficult to determine if it was tight or not – or to even get a grip on it.



The other problem I experienced virtually every time I drained the radiator, the hose plugged into the end of the extension would stick in the tube and rotate around upside down and shoot coolant over the top edge of the drain pan, fundamentally negating the value of the hose extension!

So I went through my brass fitting tote last night and came up with a short extension to move to petcock away from the radiator, and turn it 90 degrees. This allows the coolant to drain directly under the lower radiator hose and into the pan without need for a hose extension, and provides easy access to the ears for opening and closing:



It took me a while to remember where the new drain came from, as I’ve never purchased one individually that I can think of. Then it occurred to me, this was the valve off the bottom of the compressor. I always remove those and connected a ball valve to the tank for easy release of the moisture buildup.

Of course now that I’m intending to leave the 165 degree thermostat in the engine perpetually, I probably won’t need to use this again for decades!

[markeb01]

Had an interesting adventure this morning, not exactly truck related. Since it’s supposed to get up to nearly 100 degrees today, I got up early and went out to photograph my wife’s corn crop. I started a few weeks ago to record the growth progress. Here it is in the beginning, and what it looks like today:





An hour later I’m showing my wife the pictures, and she points out what appears to be a rather large snake in the foreground. She thought I was messing with her when I suggested it looked like a Gila Monster (since I’ve done a diorama of the movie by the same name). Then she realized I wasn’t kidding, and we forwarded to the next photo, and although I never captured the full image, I must have parked my tripod nearly right on top of him!





I routinely set up the tripod within 12 inches into the lawn from the near side of the edge blocks before the rocks. He either slithered between the legs of the tripod or right against it. And I’m standing right next to it in shorts and sandals! I generally pride myself on my acute awareness of any potential threats in my environment, but I’m normally looking for two legged creatures, not snakes. Looking at the pictures I was in disbelief how close I was to this thing and never saw it once. I have no idea what kind of snake this was, but it appears to be about 3-4 feet long and 2.5-3” in diameter. It may be a pet that got loose, or the start of the next monster movie serial!

If anyone knows more about snakes than we do, I’d sure appreciate some input as to what kind it was and whether or not they are poisonous.

[Ta2Don]

not a snake I am familiar with but appears to be a boa or python, and my guess is a loose pet

[1963c-10]

Looks like a spotted python. Would be hard to say without better pics of the head.

Have a buddy whos big into reptiles and he passed the info to me.

[dean jendro]

Nice garden, Mark. That snake must be a gardener snake

[markeb01]

Local opinions range from King, Bull, or Corn snake, which are all similar in specifications. None or poisonous, they all bite but kill by constriction. Looking at the photos again we're thinking the thing was more like 6 feet long as well. We've also read that they make great pets, but are famous for being escape artists so it probably was a pet.

[joedoh]

hey markeb, saw this and thought of you.

http://fortsmith.craigslist.org/cto/5074437999.html

I saved the pictures to my photobucket if the link goes dead.

[markeb01]

Excellent, thanks for thinking of me! I do like those 73 beds and still haven't given up on the idea for my own truck yet. I'll be sure to save the photos too. Thanks again.

[markeb01]

Okay, here’s a small truck related item. After making a few more minor changes in the interior (again) I spotted an item I just couldn’t live without. A Remove Before Flight key chain tag. After my time in Vietnam working around airplanes, I just thought they were too cool to pass up:





Embroidered on both sides, it not only looks pretty cool hanging in the ignition switch, its actually changed the way I’ve carried my keys for over twenty years. Retrieving the truck keys from my pocket has never been easier. Here’s what the tag look like from the vantage point of the GoPro in the back window:



And another mediocre video production with our new GoPro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guXC...ature=youtu.be

All of these videos are with the camera microphone. I need to get a plug in version as it makes a huge difference in how the sound comes across.

[1963c-10]

Trucks looking sharp as always and great looking key chain. Had a buddy at Langley AFB a few years back who worked on F22's...used to get them off him.

Also thought I'd share my garden visitor that I literally stepped over Sunday night at 9:15pm. I have no problem with non-venomous, but this dude was 2ft long and venomous (Copperhead), so I dispatched him.

[markeb01]

That can be disturbing for sure! Long ago in Vietnam I was leaving the head and stepped on a rat the size of a house cat. I was wearing shower shoes and perhaps a towel at the time. I darn near fell over from twisting my ankle, shined my light on him and he was none too happy about the experience either! He gnashed his teeth and snarled at me. I wasn't armed at the time so he just waddled off and I was glad to be on my way without any bite marks!

[likaroc13]

That's too crazy about the snake being practically right under you & not knowing until seeing those pics. Kinda gives me the heebie-jeebies!

I dig the key chain tag, & it compliments your interior nicely. The truck sounds great as well! I noticed the blue steering wheel in some segments. Did you temporarily switch back? Oh, & nice job on the brake pedal pad.

[markeb01]

I gotta admit seeing the snake in the photos kind of gave me the willies too! When I saw the pics, and realized I was standing there in sandals and shorts, it kind of set me back. Especially because I'm a former Marine and pride myself on always noticing everything I my environment. I was in disbelief I could miss something so big, so close, and moving!

Yep, I switched the steering wheel again recently, and the shift knob. At this point it appears the original white Hurst knob will remain permanently, along with the two red safety covers over the left hand toggle switches.

I prefer the blue wheel, while my wife and every woman that has ever stuck her head in the truck likes the red one better! I also like the black wheel (as do most guys), but must admit it looks rather harsh with no color at all (just black and chrome). So for now the red wheel will stay, until I get sick of it again and go back to the blue one. It's less than a ten minute job to switch them, so I can do it whenever the whim hits me.

And since my wife really likes the red version best, I even made up a sheet for her explaining exactly what to do to put it back in - in case I'm not around and she needs to reinstall the red wheel at some point in the future!

[markeb01]

Well it doesn’t look like our record breaking heat is going anywhere soon. Spokane in June was the hottest month on record since 1922, and July hasn’t backed off at all. It’s forecast at 100 today, and near or above 90 for the next two weeks already. This weekend is the annual swap meet, and the Good-Guys car show is a couple weeks away.

With the electrical system squared away, and the dual Spal electric fans performing flawlessly, it seemed a good time to address the radiator again. I bought an aluminum Be Cool radiator years ago from Summit. Although it cooled exceptionally, it also leaked and didn’t fit well as it was a crossflow design that placed the lower hose connection above the passenger side frame rail. Long story short it never went back in, and I’ve relied on my original 1958 Impala V8 radiator ever since.

The problem with it is simply cooling capacity. With ambient temps in the 80’s it won’t hold a temperature cooler than 190. When the ambient climbs to over 90 degrees, the engine runs at 200+. And with temps at 100+, the truck sits in the garage for fear of cooking the engine. And with my new A/C, fans, and alternator, I want to drive it all the time especially in the summer.

So last night I broke down and ordered a Champion 3 row radiator for $200 rather than another Be Cool for $750 or a Griffin for even more.



There are a number of posts on this forum about quality and reliability of the Champion radiators, and for the price and amount of driving my truck sees, I was willing to take a chance on a product I could actually afford.

Today we picked up some fresh antifreeze and a new Napa molded upper radiator hose to work with the new radiator which has the upper outlet centered on the tank:



The radiator is due to arrive next Wednesday, so by the weekend we should be cruising in reliable comfort for the first time in several decades.

[1Bad62Pro/Street]

Originally Posted by markeb01

Well it doesn’t look like our record breaking heat is going anywhere soon. Spokane in June was the hottest month on record since 1922, and July hasn’t backed off at all. It’s forecast at 100 today, and near or above 90 for the next two weeks already. This weekend is the annual swap meet, and the Good-Guys car show is a couple weeks away.

With the electrical system squared away, and the dual Spal electric fans performing flawlessly, it seemed a good time to address the radiator again. I bought an aluminum Be Cool radiator years ago from Summit. Although it cooled exceptionally, it also leaked and didn’t fit well as it was a crossflow design that placed the lower hose connection above the passenger side frame rail. Long story short it never went back in, and I’ve relied on my original 1958 Impala V8 radiator ever since.

The problem with it is simply cooling capacity. With ambient temps in the 80’s it won’t hold a temperature cooler than 190. When the ambient climbs to over 90 degrees, the engine runs at 200+. And with temps at 100+, the truck sits in the garage for fear of cooking the engine. And with my new A/C, fans, and alternator, I want to drive it all the time especially in the summer.

So last night I broke down and ordered a Champion 3 row radiator for $200 rather than another Be Cool for $750 or a Griffin for even more.



There are a number of posts on this forum about quality and reliability of the Champion radiators, and for the price and amount of driving my truck sees, I was willing to take a chance on a product I could actually afford.

Today we picked up some fresh antifreeze and a new Napa molded upper radiator hose to work with the new radiator which has the upper outlet centered on the tank:



The radiator is due to arrive next Wednesday, so by the weekend we should be cruising in reliable comfort for the first time in several decades.

M͛a͛r͛k͛,

I͛'m͛ g͛e͛t͛t͛i͛n͛g͛ t͛h͛e͛ s͛a͛m͛e͛ r͛a͛d͛i͛a͛t͛o͛r͛. L͛e͛t͛ u͛s͛ k͛n͛o͛w͛ y͛o͛u͛r͛ r͛e͛v͛i͛e͛w͛ i͛f͛ i͛t͛.
I͛ h͛o͛p͛e͛ i͛t͛'s͛ a͛ r͛e͛l͛i͛a͛b͛l͛e͛ r͛a͛d͛i͛a͛t͛o͛r͛.

1B͛a͛d͛

[markeb01]

Got some good news today the radiator is due to arrive a day early on Tuesday. The continued stifling heat has kept me house bound for several days, but I just couldn’t stand it any longer so went out in the garage and spent a couple of hours remounting the coolant recovery tank several inches higher. The near 90 degree heat in the garage made me sick, but it’s amazing how much a person can put up when they’re having fun!

I’ve read many times the recovery tank needs to be mounted at the level of the top of the radiator to work most efficiently, but when I recently swapped over to the dual Spal fans, I must have forgotten my good sense.

Here is the height compared to the radiator with my old Black Magic fan:





In this orientation, the recovery tank kept the radiator completely full. When the radiator cap was removed on a cold system, coolant would be at the level of bottom of the cap.

Stupidly, I mounted the tank much lower (for no apparent reason) when the new fans went in. This is a lousy photo, but indicates the top of the tank in relation to the radiator. This far down, the recovery system fundamentally didn’t work. Removing the cap when cold, always showed the coolant level about a ¼” below the rim of the cap neck.



Here’s where it’s mounted now:



And the mounts are attached to the fan mounting brackets, so nothing will be changed when the new radiator is installed other than fabrication of a custom steel tube to connect to the new radiator neck as it points to the passenger side.

[Ta2Don]

Stay cool my friend! Our summertime heat is deciding to show up this weekend, With the highs forecast to be 99/100 and the heat index pushing 110, the heavy air makes breathing difficult at best.
Will be limiting my outside activities to the pool...

[markeb01]

Stopped by the Spokane Swap Meet at the fairgrounds this morning. Found what we expected considering it rained the entire time we were there. About half the normal turn out of sellers and less than that with buyers. And half of the sellers had their stuff covered in tarps, so there wasn’t much to see.

There were only two of our trucks in attendance. Both had rough bodywork, but the fleetside with skirts offered an appealing presentation:











That’s about it, other than my son, grandson, and I all had a good time in spite of the weather. It was fun just having somewhere to go hang out for a while and look at car stuff.

[markeb01]

Will do. I see there are several other forum members that have the same one, some for several years with good results. I hope mine are the same.

[markeb01]

The new Champion radiator showed up today, and was installed in reasonably short order. I was surprised to recognize it was completely polished, something I actually applaud. The only issue I had was the drain petcock being on the front side of the radiator on the driver’s side. It interfered with the horns, so I sealed it with a plug. Should I need to drain it sometime in the future I’ll simply remove the lower hose:







Driving over to Walmart tonight, the engine never climbed over 180, with the ambient being 85. This is something the radiator has not done in many years.

[clemdaddy]

hey Mark, just backed up a few pages to get caught up on you. like all the mods you've done especially the brake pad. i'm sure everyone has their opinion but i gotta go with the girls on the red steering wheel, nice to have the options though.

haven't tried the champion radiator yet but the price, the polished look and your review make it very appealing.

thanks for all you bring man... i'm a big fan

[1963c-10]

Pedal mod looks great and I've had my Champion since 2009 with no issues.

Funny story about the rat.....I don't know if I'd rather be bit by him or the snake if I had the option. Rather not be bit by either. I'm an avid hunter and consider myself pretty good at keeping up with my surroundings, but when these snakes are right off a woodline their camo kicks in and they can be hard to see. Was also shortly after 9 which is dark at this time of the year.

[McMurphy]

Mark I was both surprised and disappointed when I did not see you or your rig at Car d'Alene. But then as hot as it got that weekend, maybe not so surprising.... LoL

We need to hook up for lunch again, this time my treat tho...

[markeb01]

Hi Mike, yep I found out about the Car d'Alene thing about the time it was over. Not sure why I never pick up on that event before hand. Maybe next time. Glad to see you're back among the living!

[markeb01]

We went to Goodguys Spokane this morning. It was a pretty anemic turn out compared to what Friday is normally like. Very few indoor vendors were on hand. It was difficult to tell if the limited turnout was due to the questionable weather, or if lackluster enthusiasm has turned things south. I guess tomorrow will tell. At least there were a few trucks to share: