A Long Cold Winter C-10 Style.

[ll____b0t____ll]

Well snow fell tonight and I relized how hard of a winter this year is going to be.
Ide been working my tale off all summer to get the 72 ready but you know how that goes.
A brake pad and shoe replacement turns into bad wheel bearing and scrambling to parts houses for brake spring as the previus owner saw fit to use some from a completly different vehicle and the one on the truck are mounted wrong.
You know what I mean every job you try to tackle ends up being far more than you hoped for do to either very old original parts and time or the last person taking shortcutts.

Well Ide been tackling everything I could from new fuel system , new intake and carb,new exhaust,new alt and brackets,brakes, bearings,electrical and gauges,dash pad replacement, new heater ducting and outlets,new valve covers,new radiator and thermostate and even a new dome light and bulb.

All this in an effort to get as much done before winter comes and im stuck working outside in a parking lot on it.
My daily driver a 1987 Honda accord had been kicking on its last leg the last month what with replacing a CV axle and fuel filter and oil change and then fuel pump went out and finally she just gave up.
I had to realize I couldnt keep sinking money into both vehicles I just didnt have the money or time before winter hit.

So as of today my 1972 just got bumped up as my daily driver amd thats why its going to be a long cold winter.

Heres what I didnt get done:
Heater dont putt out heat , it blows good volume of air its just not hot by any means, this is going to be bad I can tell already lol.
Didnt get the weatherstriping around doors replaced so here comes the snow buildup inside cab , eek.
Reverse light we dont need no stinking reverse lights lol.
And while trying to get the stock worn to all hell springs replaced I had a lower spring perch bolt break the head off on the rear and couldnt afford help so its still ceased in there,and the worn rear springs remain with new shocks to go bad on account of them.

Its going to ruff but Ive had worse and overall I look back at this summer and have really got alot accomplished out on the ground and under the tightest of budgets lol.

So if you drive buy a fogged over windowed 72 step with a site sapport sticker in the back window and a driver showing signs of Hyperthermia give us a BEEP and wake me up lol.

Kudos to this sight and to all of you here and I hope your projects always go ATLEAST this good but hopefully better.

[nuke1]

If i was closer i would give you a helping hand getting that heater going and such, don\t freeze too much, and at least you get to drive one heck of a good truck!

[csa daddy]

Originally Posted by nuke1

If i was closer i would give you a helping hand getting that heater going and such, don\t freeze too much, and at least you get to drive one heck of a good truck!

dont mean to steal the thread but you anywhere close to moosejaw

[BIGBLU 72]

i FELT ur pain! drove my Jimmy a winter in KY with no heat and no seals lol! care of the ice that builds up on the floor pans....its slick!

[tcb-1]

that's why my truck was shivering last night.... she was an original Buffalo, Wyoming rig.

I love snow.... but I feel for you getting it this early!!!

[Lippyp]

Snow, blimey! I once drove my old MK1 Vauxhall Cavalier actually wearing a sleeping bag with the bottom unzipped, the heater quit working and the drivers window winder cable snapped so i had the wire tied off to the door handle to keep the glass up but sometimes it'd drop into the bottom of the door and not want to come up again. Cue on very long very cold winter (although not on your kind of scale). As for reverse lights jsut bolt an old spotlight on the back somewhere with a switch.

[72 cheyenne pdx]

Get yourself a Snuggie for your truck. I had a vehicle that my heater went out in the middle of winter and couldn't afford to get it replaced right away. Anyways, I drove that thing about 4 months and kept a wool blanket and towel in the car. The towel was to wipe down the windows. I later bought RainX de-fogger and that stuff worked great. Oregon winters are probably not as cold as Wyoming winters, but are still cold. Good luck and try not to get frost bitten.

[Wootdog]

Have to looked to see if you have a thermostat installed? That would be why the heater is only putting out cold air. You do have the water lines for the heater hooked up don't you?
Kerry

[Lippyp]

If you can't afford new I bet you could get some weatherstripping from a late model truck from the junkyard that could be made to fit. My truck didn't blow hot when I got it and all it needed was new levers in the control unit as they'd snapped so wouldn't open the flap to the heater and new pipes to the defroster vents on the dash. A couple of hours upside down under the dash and all was toasty and warm. If it is the controls you can just yank the cable to open the heater flap manually until you can fix it.

[68C15]

are both heater hoses hot or just one?

block heaters are your best friend. I have one on each side plus an oil pan heater. the outlet is wired to a dedicated circuit and a switch. I flip it on when I start my coffee, take a shower, eat breakfast, then get in truck. within that hour or so the thermostat is open and if I left the defrosters on last night the windows are clear. OH, I almost forgot. I have a winterfront on the front of the radiator made from a politician sign and another that I slide between the radiator and fan with hooks for easy removal. gotta keep the heat in the system ya know.

we get -20* on a regular basis so I do whatever it takes. nothing like driving around in a 40+ year old truck on those cold mornings and seeing newer cars dead.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by ll____b0t____ll

...snip...
Heres what I didnt get done:
Heater dont putt out heat , it blows good volume of air its just not hot by any means, this is going to be bad I can tell already lol.
Didnt get the weatherstriping around doors replaced so here comes the snow buildup inside cab , eek.
Reverse light we dont need no stinking reverse lights lol.
And while trying to get the stock worn to all hell springs replaced I had a lower spring perch bolt break the head off on the rear and couldnt afford help so its still ceased in there,and the worn rear springs remain with new shocks to go bad on account of them.

Its going to ruff but Ive had worse and overall I look back at this summer and have really got alot accomplished out on the ground and under the tightest of budgets lol.

So if you drive buy a fogged over windowed 72 step with a site sapport sticker in the back window and a driver showing signs of Hyperthermia give us a BEEP and wake me up lol.

Kudos to this sight and to all of you here and I hope your projects always go ATLEAST this good but hopefully better.

After driving rusty old MN cars of this vintage through many a pre-global-warming winter in MN, let me tell you what I would do.

#1 I'd purchase an in-line heater hose heater. Block heaters work better but you don't have the luxury of installing one with enough time to check it for leaks since this is your daily driver.

#2 I'd look at ALL the ducts from the heater core to the vents and bottom register. The crappy, 40 year old duct material is usually cracked and broken. Duct tape or similar can be used to hold things together until you can find/order a set.

#3 While instaling heater hose heater (#1 above) I'd take a shot a flushing the heater core - if you determined that the ducts are/were all intact. If the heater core is plugged, nine times out of ten flushing it will get the flow going again. Maybe 1 time out of ten this move is successful. It either plugs up right away again or you blow a hole in it with the flush and now you got a leak. I'd look for a new heater core BEFORE this flush and have transportation ready to get you to the auto parts store when you blow a hole in the heater core you are trying to flush. If no ride is available, attach the heater core lines together, fill the system with straight water, drive yourself to the auto store and pick up the core.

With #1, #2, and #3 are done you can forget about replacing your door seals because the heaters in these trucks really crank out the heat.

You really need heat to safely drive one of these things in the winter.

A good buddy lived in Lander, WY for years. There and more so in DuBois, WY you get the chinook winds in the winter that come in and heat things up. A day like that would be an excellent time to replace door seals mid winter - if Sheridan gets that type of weather. They glue on. Order the set and get a tube of 3M weather strip adhesive. When the temp is right, remove the old, goop on the 3M stuff, and tape the seal every foot or so.

With good heat and good door seals you'll be turning the heat down in there.

[prairewolf]

The other night my 72 Sub became my new Winter Beater,.... I am actually looking forward to driving it this winter..... heater needs some tweaking but I get to buy New tires for it. .... I will wash it as often as I can. ... the salt our Street Dept. puts down for Ice could burn a hole in my pant leg


good topic. ........... life is interesting and good,kent

[68lwb292]

Not to be an ass but we've been breaking records all week here in Florida. It was 95 yesterday with like 90% humidity. News man said "feels like 104" same thing today too. Send some of that cold this way cause it don't feel like fall here at all.

Damn Al Gore and his Global Warming crap.

[prairewolf]

we are said to dip into the teens the next few nights, ... winterizing the Motorhome waterlines and checking vehicle anti- freeze levels today.

Resident Pheasant opener highnoon tommorow, with chance of light snow in morning........ I am ready, so is dog.

[68lwb292]

I miss the pheasant hunts but not the cold. I used to go with my Dad when we lived in Iowa.

[dan42]

Last winter I had no heat in my truck, and man, it was tough - I had to wear a sweatshirt and carry a towel around in the truck! Seriously, though, I feel for you, and I would really prioritize getting that thing fixed, they are not brain surgery and it sounds like your electrical is O.K. so it should only take an afternoon - you know you'll get a few more days of warm weather before things shut down for good, so take advantage of it, or you'll be cursing yourself come January. Scraping ice off the inside of the winshield gets old real fast.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by prairewolf

we are said to dip into the teens the next few nights, ... winterizing the Motorhome waterlines and checking vehicle anti- freeze levels today.

Resident Pheasant opener highnoon tommorow, with chance of light snow in morning........ I am ready, so is dog.

Here in MN we're not prejudiced. Pheasants opens tomorrow for EVERYBODY at 9am, not just residents.

24 this morning. Still below 32 now at 9:45am. Weather man says snow flurries tomorrow morning in the Cities. Light dusitng of snow where I'll be at 9am. Tomorrow is THE best day of the year.

[prairewolf]

I just got back from MN getting my Deer License. ... I will get a MN pheasant license too sometime soon. .... gotta love the Midwest.

[Diablo de la Noche]

When I lived in Billings, MT, my car froze. I mean it litterally froze. The battery cracked and the stick would barely move to shift into gear. I don't know why the radiator didnt split, must have been too empty! It was stuck to the ground anyway, probably wouldn't have moved even if I got it started. I hated those mornings. I had a 63 International pickup at the time, I'll bet it would have started right up, but I gave up and caught a ride instead.

Today, the air conditioner in the house barely kicked on at all. We kept the back door open and enjoyed the 60* breeze. I did get a lot done on the truck. Removed the radiator, cleaned and painted parts of the heater stuff from under the dash, removed the alternator, hoses, belts...oh, sorry.

Oh, what's wrong with your heater, anyway? Fluid moving through ok? Probably be easy to troubleshoot. I took pix of the parts if you need reference, although I don't know if mine works either.

[Camper Power]

snow has fallen here, was hoping to have another car by this time but its hard with my price range, happy i replaced all my heater parts last winter, it still worked but the fan squealed and cab filled with the smell of coolant (one smell i abbsolutly hate!). as much as i hated driving the thing during the winter it was a great truck, warms up quickly, and would bake your insides even with the original heater parts. if you get a high volume blower fan like i did you wont need door seals, my window seals are bad and if the windows were covered in snow, i just needed to put the fan on high and it would literally clear my side windows lol.

x2 on the inline heater, one of the best things i put in my truck, ill be transfering it into my winter beater once i get one

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Snow heck we have barley gotten rain here..

[TonyJohnson]

There's snow on the ground today, here in Boulder. First of the season to stick. Of course my top's still off...

[ll____b0t____ll]

Update: Well from bad to worse .
Had a light switch blow out on me and went to get a switch the next day, switch in hand driving home we got in an accedent.
Everyone was alright except...for Morgan.
she lost a headlight ...yes and bent up the grille shell , lost her grille, bent her bumper, and bent her grill sapport brace.
My daily driver turned into an only daylight driver real fast.
Anyone whilling to donate some parts????? j/k
Happy Holidays to you all!

[special-K]

What year is your truck?Maybe we can get you some parts.
As ar as the heat goes...fix it.You need the defroster even if you can dress to kill the chill.It`s a matter of safety,not comfort.If you have air you should have heat.Either your thermostat is out or stuck open,crazy high temp t-stat,or worst case your heater core is clugged yet doesn`t leak.Did you feel both heater hoses to see I they both are hot?All engines "make" heat,it`s in there.Ya just have to get it to your fan.Just a line in,the core,and a line out.I it ain`t comin`out?There ya go,you need a core.

[dccarpenter]

I know this suggestion is the lazy man's easy way out..but hey the duct tape life requires that sometimes...I was at Advance Auto today and saw a heater thatt plugs into your cigarette lighter, it will work as a defroster, lets you aim it and gives you a little bit of heat. Even if your cigarette lighter doesn't work you could always run a piece of wire direct from the battery to power it.