9 May
WOO HOOO!! Got the valve unstuck! Now I just gotta discretely drain 17gal of gas somewhere, seal up a slight coolant leak and get it all back together.
A first for me… Got to use a handcrank to spin the crank shaft and work the valve train after dumping a bunch of solvent into the cylinders and onto the valve stems.
3 May
Looks like a stuck valve. Got a valve spring compressor, a couple cans of Wynn’s Xtend and ordered 12 push rods, a push rod cover gasket and plug seals. Gonna soak the valves and rings in the Xtend Engine Tune-Up for a week or so.
2 May
After a series of bad storms with tornadoes and almost constant rain I finally got out to the garage to wrench for a bit. Drained the oil, pulled the valve and push rod covers and discovered a bent rod and slight coolant leak. Gonna pull and clean the pan this coming week/weekend and order a new set of rods. Then when I have it all clean and I find the bind that bent the rod, I’ll fill’er up with a 5qt 80/20 mix of zinc heavy 20w-50 racing oil/Marvel Mystery Oil and also run a couple oz’s of Marvel thru the gas tank.
18 Apr
She’s leaky. I’ve gotta stop driving her for a while due to a few bad oil leaks. I think the carb also sucked up a bunch of 5-30 from the oil bath air filter so its smoking at idle … note to self: don’t park on severe slopes. I’m gonna try and do the filter, fuel line, fuel sending unit, valve cover and push rod gaskets this weekend.
UPDATE:
Rain, rain, rain. This weekend’s plans for the truck are off. …needs a full rebuild anyways. I think I fried a ring or two or something cause she’s smoking like a DDT truck.
…sept there were no kids frolicking in Bessie’s fog…
14 Apr
Finally got out and started gutting the cab of superfluous wiring and whatnot, and decided to take a stab at fixing the speedometer after pulling the dead AM radio. It’s a frickin 60 year old, brittle, cloth covered rats nest under the dash.
Looks like theres more body rot than I first suspected … In addition to the inner and outer cowls, and the inner and outter cab corners, it looks like I’ll probably have replace /patch both sides of the floor and the and the cowl to cowl plates below the door hinges.
I’m torn at this point… not sure if I should gut it and begin a full restoration or just get it cleaned out and keep it running, replacing only what really needs replacing.
I’m leaning toward the latter just because I’d like to use it for a few years til I put it outta commission for up to several years while it’s undergoing a full restoration.
Thought this was kinda cool … its the date that’s stamped in the back of the speedometer.
There’s no VIN on the truck, didn’t have em back then unless your particular state issued a series, but the body number says my truck came from the St. Louis plant and rolled off the line in August of 1951.
Also took some BlueMagic chrome polish to the dash paint. I figured it was a mild enough abrasive/polish that it might just work to get the rust/oxidation/60yrs of dust off … it did.
I also bleached the last 60 years of ass grime outta the vinyl seat cover and fixed the speedometer. It works but the needle was dry and warped and the tip broke off, so I ordered a load of parts to refinish the gauges.
…and while I was ordering those parts, I came across a matching 1947-51 oil bath air cleaner that I’m going to gut so I can run a paper or oiled fiber filter (K&N) but keep the original look. There’s nothing wrong with the one I have now but I think oil vapor gets sucked into the engine and causes it to smoke when it idles.
6 Apr
The clutch is in and she shifts like a 3OTT dream!
Shade tree repair #3:
Noticed the transmission mount is actually a cut of bias-ply truck tire tread with the bolt holes drilled thru. Decided to leave it be since the tread is way stronger and will last longer than the correct rubber mount ever will. Plus its one of those touches that give the old girl true character.
30 Mar
Mr. Brown standing guard over the toys in the clean new driveway.
Bad storm = big insurance claim = widening the driveway by almost 10′. I’m on the edge of the city and the driveways in the neighborhood are all roughly 10′ wide. Mine had retaining walls on both sides making it a bit claustrophobic.
Bessy is getting hauled off to a friends shop. Didn’t want to crack her open for a clutch and transmission work and risk spilling gear oil and whatnot all over the brand new driveway. Its good to have friends with lifts and tow trucks. 😀
…pay no attention to the lawn. Its collateral damage from the construction.
And for shits n’ grins an artsy shot of the hood ornament.
21 Mar
Been cruising in the ol’ girl as much as possible. Fast food, the hardware store, friends houses, aimlessly around town, you name it.
The more I get to know this truck the more I’m starting to notice the shade tree modifications and repairs that have been done over the past 60yrs. For instance, the rear bumper isn’t a rear bumper at all. Rear bumpers were offered as an option in ’51 and the farmer who originally purchased this particular truck opted not to get one. Instead, sometime later when they added the home brew hitch they used a ’47-53 fromt bumper and braces mounted to the frame at the rear as main supports. …it’s probably plenty strong but I don’t trust it and its all coming off in favor of the bumperless look.
Its actually pretty well made. Heavy steel, solid welds and even a license plate light.
The tail lamps are an interesting mess too. Not sure what the brackets came off but I’ll be replacing them with the correct repop brackets when I redo the wiring.
21 Mar
Every time I’d turn around he’s back in the cab wanting to go for a ride.
Co-Pilot Col. Paddington Brown reporting for duty!
