Items needing fixing - suggestions? steering box, heater, radiator, shocks etc

[centuryhouse]

I bought my first GMC pickup (72 Sierra Grande long bed w 350 4-barrel, factory AC, etc.) last week and have done a few repairs already, but have lots more to go in order to even get it moderately drive-able. Suggestions appreciated.

1) radiator has a tiny leak where the upper hose attaches. Someone tried to putty over it, but it still leaks a tiny bit there. Radiator shop wants $165 to braze it, or $50-ish if I take it out and bring it in.

When is it worth replacing vs fixing? Is it likely to have more problems if I fix it, given it's age?

Also - mine has two metal hoses going to it (automatic transmission I think), the upper and lower hoses, an overflow hose, and one other hose on the passenger side that is capped off. What is it for?

2) I replaced the leaking power steering hoses, but there is still a leak, albeit smaller. It *appears* to be the steering gear box (?). Neither hose connection is leaking, yet there is a puddle underneath and the gear box and adapter just above it (between it and the steering column/shaft) are both wet.

I don't know how these work. What could be leaking in that gear box or the round plate (rag joint, I think it's called)? Best to just replace both? Difficult to do? Suggestions on parts or can I just get a direct replacement at O'Reilly or wherever?

3) the shocks look ancient. Any suggestions on replacing all 4, or will any O'Reilly's available part do well? Any fit problems typically, or hard to do?

On my Jeep XJ I just installed Monroe Sensamatics and they seem to ride well. Good choice for this?

4) The plastic door panels were 'parchment' and look grungy. They seem to almost crumble if you scrape them. Better to replace with new, or refinish? Tips or suggestions?

[centuryhouse]

And also, when ordering parts there are a lot of options for this year, which I don't understand.

Mine is a 350 4 barrel, but when it asks 'vin', what am I looking for in the VIN? My VIN starts with TCE_______, and T isn't an option.

[87Skier]

Most parts interchange, but some don't. All the interior stuff is the same, engine stuff is the same, there are some brake differences, axle differences and shock differences. Your best bet is to always get what you think is right, compare it before you put it on and return it if necessary.

1.) I would braze the radiator myself. I'm assuming its brass. Brass radiators are great and as long as they aren't plugged up or beat up they last. They might get ugly though.

All you need to braze the radiator is a propane torch, good steel bristled brush, and some solder. Check out youtube to learn how if you must, but for around $40 you can do it yourself and get some new tools.

2) It sounds like your steering box needs to be rebuilt, or the leak is from elsewhere. Could it be your brakes leaking down on the shaft?

3) Any shock will do, but I almost never recommend heavy duty shocks if you aren't hauling daily or even weekly.

4) If the plastic is still in tact and holding up you could repaint them.

[centuryhouse]

Great info, thanks!

I do have a propane torch but I've never used it. I may try that!

I hadn't considered looking at a potential master cylinder leak - I'll look when i'm home again.

Just picked up four Monroe-matic Plus shocks (part # 31000 and 33033 at O'Reilly).

[michael bustamante]

itd be better to replace or have the steering gear rebuilt. my front shaft seal leaked as well. i replaced it and 2 years later the shaft seal leaked again, good thing it came with a lifetime warranty
i had the monroe sensatracs as well and i loved em.

[centuryhouse]

Another radiator question:

There is a plugged outlet from the radiator on the passenger side near the top, under the top transmission cooler line.

I have read that there is a 'heater nipple' on some radiators, so i think that's what this is.

What should it go to? I have two cut hoses coming out of the firewall, which I believe are from the heater core. I'm just not sure what they should be plugged in to for my heater to work.

[87Skier]

As far as solder goes any should work. I typically do electronics work so I have a lot of rosin core stuff around. Any size will work but you want thicker stuff for torch work.

Your heater core hoses should go directly to your engine. There should be an outlet somewhere on your intake manifold, and another on your water pump.

[LockDoc]

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If you just need something temporary for the steering box get a bottle of "Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak". I put some in my White '67 when I was on the road and that thing never leaked a drop for 2 years....

You can use the outlet on the radiator for one of the heater hoses or you can cap it off and connect both of the hoses to the engine.

The Parchment door panels are the worst for deteriorating. If they are pretty bad I would try to find some colored replacements. The colored ones are generally in much better shape.

LockDoc

[centuryhouse]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

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If you just need something temporary for the steering box get a bottle of "Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak". I put some in my White '67 when I was on the road and that thing never leaked a drop for 2 years....

You can use the outlet on the radiator for one of the heater hoses or you can cap it off and connect both of the hoses to the engine.

The Parchment door panels are the worst for deteriorating. If they are pretty bad I would try to find some colored replacements. The colored ones are generally in much better shape.

LockDoc

Good info, thanks!

I did put some of the Lucas in but it kept leaking.

I figured out that the heater core lines normally plug in on / near the manifold, and the water pump. Instead, someone just cut both hoses, and then looped one hose between those two connection points (manifold and pump).

[Freddo]

A couple of things to consider on the radiator: I'm not sure how things work now, but when this truck (and radiator) was built, most of the radiator shops used a 60-40 type solder and they cleaned the surface to be soldered with 'soldering salts' or some type of cleaner for this purpose. Then they would apply a tinning compound which helps the solder stick to the tank and the outlet. The 'proper' repair is likely going to be to melt the solder around the outlet, remove it completely, clean it, tin it, and completely resolder it. You can try to patch the leaky spot and you might get it to hold...Maybe even for quite a while, but usually the hole just expands to another area on the outlet.
How is the radiator doing keeping the truck cool? If it's the original, it's pretty old. One benefit to taking it to a radiator shop is that many of them (Not all) have a machine called a 'flow tester' which will tell you how many gallons per minute of coolant your radiator is flowing. For example, if the radiator was capable of flowing 20 gallons per minute when new, and is flowing 14 or 15 gallons per minute, it's probably not in too bad shape. On the other hand, if it is flowing 8 gallons per minute, it's plugged up pretty bad and not what you would want to use to do some heavy working on a hot day.
Many radiator shops will flow test them for you at no charge if you bring them in.
Things have changed quite a bit in the radiator business since the 1970's when my dad owned a radiator shop. (Plastic tanks etc), but maybe worth calling the shop to see if they can and will flow test it for no charge if you bring it in. A good flowing radiator that the radiator guy says is in pretty good shape might be worth spending a few bucks on to do a long lasting repair. If it's 50% plugged, drive it around, watch the temp gauge and try your hand at soldering the leak. Hope this helps.

[centuryhouse]

I took it to the radiator shop. They patched several small leaks they said, but advised replacing it. They quoted me $600 to rebuild it.

I don't know if it's running cool, because my temp sender isn't working and I can't find a correct size replacement.

[leftybass209]

$600 is a very high quote. I was quoted $480 and passed in lieu of an aluminum radiator.

[69Tom]

While not a truck person up until now, I have, however restored and followed classic cars for years and can give a few pointers from that perspective.

I guess the 1st question is, do you want to keep your truck original as it came from the factory, or don't you care about that stuff and you want to mod it and update items. If the former, you're always going to want to try and retain and repair/rebuild the original items as much as you can. If not, then replacement with aftermarket products is generally cheaper and easier (although not always the best thing to do in terms of quality--a lot of modern parts are junk in comparison to old. not all, but some)

1) So for the radiator, I'd say if this is something you're going to drive all the time, depending on your stance as questioned above, either replace it with a new one, or get it recored. I know GM cars used Harrison radiators, and depending on the model, some go for a ton of $ now. So it can often be worth having the original rebuilt. Not saying that's the case here, but it's something to decide on. Either way, I've found that merely patching an old radiator will only temporarily fix is, as internally it could be messed up as well.

4) I'm guessing those panels are shot. The plastic, once it starts to dry rot, is really hard to restore or get looking great. You can try and shoot come plastic paint over it to encapsulate the flaking off particles, but it will probably look fairly crappy after doing so. You're better off going on Classic Industries site or another truck parts supplier and finding some reproduction panels.

[Freddo]

The radiator on my 67 is running pretty warm on these hot days. It appears to be the original radiator and I would really like to have it recored. The quote I got from a local shop was about $500. When you can buy a brand new radiator (even if they have plastic tanks or are aluminum) for $200-$300, it's pretty hard to justify paying that kind of money.
I've owned my truck for 2 years and have slowly been doing things to it to make it road worthy. It had a temperature gauge, but no sending unit on the engine and the sending unit wire had been cut. After springing a leak in a hose.(unnoticed on that hot day) and getting the truck hot (and making me and my wife walk home...Ouch...She doesn't have much trust in the truck now!), I saw the value in a working temperature gauge, found a sending unit, wired it up and now I keep an eye on that gauge.
If you plan on running it with that old radiator, maybe a good idea to get the gauge working.

[centuryhouse]

I wont be a strict originalist, as 1) too many things were changes before I even got the truck, and 2) I don't have the funds to completely restore it. I will drive it occasionally, though not daily.

I'd prefer to keep things original wherever I can though.

[69Tom]

Originally Posted by Freddo

The radiator on my 67 is running pretty warm on these hot days. It appears to be the original radiator and I would really like to have it recored. The quote I got from a local shop was about $500. When you can buy a brand new radiator (even if they have plastic tanks or are aluminum) for $200-$300, it's pretty hard to justify paying that kind of money.

Originally Posted by centuryhouse

I wont be a strict originalist, as 1) too many things were changes before I even got the truck, and 2) I don't have the funds to completely restore it. I will drive it occasionally, though not daily.

I'd prefer to keep things original wherever I can though.

Totally agree with you. It is pricey. Basically, if low on funds, I'd buy a new radiator and keep the old one in storage. Then if you decide the new cheap one is junk or want to make your truck as stock as possible, you can always have the original one rebuilt. Maybe truck radiators will never become valuable. However, some original car radiators have become absurdly expensive (over $2K), so I always use caution before chucking something old. lol

[centuryhouse]

Good idea. I could absolutely keep it stored until such a time as a rebuilt is possible.

[69Tom]

Originally Posted by centuryhouse

Good idea. I could absolutely keep it stored until such a time as a rebuilt is possible.

And who knows, even if you don't end up getting it rebuilt, if you go to sell the truck one day, you can give it to the new owner. I know I would have been psyched to get original parts with the old vehicles I've purchased in the past. Would have saved me a ton of time and money sourcing parts.

Regarding your steering, the box may need a rebuild. Not a big deal. It's that or there's problems with the hoses you received.

[Freddo]

The radiator on mine is a Harrison Radiator and the radiator guy I spoke with pointed out the 'tab' on the tank and said this was how he was able to tell that it was original or at least appeared to be. He also said that these radiators are starting to gain a little value and worth hanging on to even if you did replace with a new one.

[centuryhouse]

Originally Posted by Freddo

The radiator on mine is a Harrison Radiator and the radiator guy I spoke with pointed out the 'tab' on the tank and said this was how he was able to tell that it was original or at least appeared to be. He also said that these radiators are starting to gain a little value and worth hanging on to even if you did replace with a new one.

Which tab is that?

[Freddo]

You asked: Which tab is that?
Here is a picture of it. It is located about 6 inches from the top of the radiator on the passenger side.

[centuryhouse]

Interesting. I'll have to go give mine a look!

[hdff]

i just replaced my steering gear, not to bad of a job, it really helps to have 2 people cause the gear box is heavy. i used a red head replacement. it seems to be well made

[Justin@EntropyRad]

Good and cheap repalcement:

http://www.speedcooling.com/1967-197...r/prod_38.html

LMK, and i'll get discounted shipping for forum members

[centuryhouse]

Originally Posted by Justin@EntropyRad

Good and cheap repalcement:

http://www.speedcooling.com/1967-197...r/prod_38.html

LMK, and i'll get discounted shipping for forum members

I've bookmarked it and very well may go that route when I get the funds in hand.