Funny truck stuff from the board members

[Big Kev-O]

Originally Posted by FleetsidePaul

I hear you. The last couple of bunches that I got were complete garbage. I would gladly pay a little more for something that actually works.

It's like Ziploc plastic bags. I always buy the best because the cheap ones will leak and make a mess in the fridge.

The cheap stuff doesn't save you any money.

I have seen a few members refer to Harbor freight as Harbor Fart or Cardboard Freight and if you are buying zip ties from HF expect them to fail. Complete waste of money.

Thomas & Betts Ty-Raps are way superior to anything you find at Home Depot or Lowes. They cost more but are made in the USA and wont let you down. make sure to buy the black ones with the UV protection. The white ones won't last in the sun.

[special-K]

I must have always bought good zip ties, they always do their job. The only time I had some break was with really old white ones. I'm talking over 10-20 years old.

[FleetsidePaul]

Originally Posted by Big Kev-O

I have seen a few members refer to Harbor freight as Harbor Fart or Cardboard Freight and if you are buying zip ties from HF expect them to fail. Complete waste of money.

Thomas & Betts Ty-Raps are way superior to anything you find at Home Depot or Lowes. They cost more but are made in the USA and wont let you down. make sure to buy the black ones with the UV protection. The white ones won't last in the sun.

I am guilty of buying the cheap HF ones. I always figured a zip tie is a zip tie. But I guess it's like anything, if you buy junk then that's what you get. I will look into the Thomas & Betts. Thanks for the tip.

[Redneck Rydes]

I remember a electrician friend of mine uses on that have a metal tab in them,so they won't fail and come apart

[special-K]

I rotated the tires on my Suburban today, which has hubcaps. As I was popping them back on I remembered a funny thing that happened last flat repair I had last summer. I use a great tire shop that is out in the country back a wooded lane. They are top notch. A bunch of younger (than me) guys who can handle anything. Hanging in the shop while they booted the tire I said something about I hoped they knew how to remove and install hubcaps without ruining them, that I bet they don't get many of those. "We change them all the time", and he points to center caps on a truck. I told him that was a different animal. So, he finishes up with popping the hubcap back on. They didn't have a hubcap tool. Honestly, I never had one until a couple years ago and did just fine. These are the aluminum 76-91 Chevy 8-lugger caps, they get stretched and distorted. The lip is a rolled bead that gets funky sometimes. Anyway, I drove home and when I got home, guess what? Hubcap was missing . All I could do is laugh and go grab another. I can't wait till my next visit when I tell them

[cwcarpenter98]

Tim, what hubcap tool do you use? Now that I've got hubcaps on my 15x8s, I'd like to use something that hopefully won't damage the hubcap or surrounding paint.


A funny thing I did yesterday, but found out today: I installed my upper control arms on the wrong side, so it made the front end impossible to align

[special-K]

Back to the drawing board, ey? You reminded me of a doomkoff move I did in a '71 relating to "alignment issues"

Here's a picture. Just search hubcap tool and you will see offers to purchase

[cwcarpenter98]

Thanks, Tim. I just have to wait for the rain to stop and then flip the arms back to the correct sides. Live and learn

[special-K]

On a '71 K/20 I had, the hand brake spring broke. How expensive is a spring? But I was getting by with pushing in on the handle while I pushed the pedal down. Worked like a charm.

I lived in a farm house in the middle of cow pasture. Had a cattle gate at the road and the old house was fenced in. The lane followed a stream and you cut up the hill to the house. The lane also continued down to some outbuildings. The friend I rented with had a wood recycling business and in the buildings was stacks of beams and lumber.

We always parked facing the house on the flat of the hilltop. One morning I was heading to work. I backed up from the fence and was turning to head out when I remembered something I forgot. I set the brake, truck idling (manual truck), the truck was facing down the hill. I'm going through the gate to the house when I heard the familiar sound of the hand brake pedal popping up. The truck takes off, boards over the tailgate bouncing, lights on in the early morning light, headed straight for the outbuildings. There was a pretty good drop-off at the lane (about 4'), then flat (about a truck length), then the building. The truck jumped off the drop-off, landed, and as it was bouncing up busted through the wall from the height of the hood down. It went in as far as the windshield, the siding touching that. A huge stack of beams kept it from running through the building, but that did move a good bit.

I thought I was pretty lucky since it fit just between two posts of the buildings framework and the windshield didn't break. It did have white paint rubbing on it. Truck was still idling, I hopped in, backed it out, and headed up the lane still on time for work. It felt like it steered a little funny going out the stone lane, but it was a rough one. Got on the paved road and it wanted to go left and right but not straight, tires screeching. So I turned it around, headed back to the house, and called out for work.

Everything looked ok, but when I looked really close I could see on the steering knuckles , the arms that the tie rod ends attach to had rust flaked off. They were both stretched. Apparently both tires hit the huge stones those posts it fit between were standing on. I had to order two Dana 44 steering knuckles. The good news was they came loaded with ball-joints, so it was an easy install. The bad news was while I was waiting for them to come in we had a big snow storm and I was without my 4wd. And that was the only snow we got that winter. I still laugh about it. What a sight that was to see. I was bummed when it happened but once it was fixed I was laughing

[Steeveedee]

In a car-

In March of '73, I was driving back to Illinois from California for my Navy "A" school, Machinist's Mate training. I made the mistake of driving too far north before heading east. I ended up on the road heading into the Denver tunnel, late at night. Snow was so bad that people were being turned around. I got out to ask the state trooper if I could help, me being a "military trained" person, having recently made it through boot camp. As I was talking to the trooper, somebody yelled about my car (a '69 Camaro) sliding downhill on the ice. The wide oval tires with, at that time, no chains weren't holding the car still, with just the park brake. I ran back to get in and take control, my ears burning when the trooper told me that it looked I needed help, and he didn't.

[Sheepdip]

Happened to a friend of mine....He was a volunteer fireman in a small town up in the Gold Country.
They got a call out to a ranch where they had to pass thru a gate just off the highway upon reaching the gate, he and the guy that was with him BOTH jumped out to open the gate he turned around just in time to see the nose of the firetruck going over the edge of the highway and thru a fence.

They had to get a wrecker to pull it back up onto the highway after emptying all the water out of it.

I would remind him every now and then when I was riding with him to set the emergency brake when he shut his vehicle off. For some reason he never saw the humor in it I did.

[truckster]

You reminded me of a story about my daughter. While she was still in high school she came to me and told me the car she was driving (a Subaru Legacy) wasn't working right. It was really struggling to make it up the hill to our house and had a funny smell, according to her. I told her to show me what it was doing and got in the passenger seat. She started the car and put it in drive, and it was struggling...

I reached over and released the emergency brake (located between the seats) and all of a sudden the car had its power back. She was a bit embarrassed, but I appreciate the easy problems.

[special-K]

Great e-brake stories there! I have another similar to an e-brake story, and truck taking off, but is about a recently installed tilt column I must not have tighten down to the shift column well enough. It was fine for a good while but eventually slipped enough to where it appeared to be in park but not quite all the way (apparently)

I used to keep my '71 Cheyenne Custom Camper parked on the slab in front of my barn. I wanted to ride my Harley and that meant the truck needed to be started and moved forward a bit. I put it in park and also set the e-brake, just not really hard. It was still idling high when I straddled the bike, ready to start, and I hear the idle of the truck moving away. This was the day the shifter decided P was more like R. I run out just in time to see it roll down the 2' (angled) drop to my neighbors lane, which gave it more speed. It drops off again to the meadow. I'm running along it about to jump in but had to jump back just as the rear end dropped off the ledge to the stream bed. The rear tires were still being driven in place as I hoped in, put it in neutral, and shut off.

The thing is, the camper was just sitting on there not tied down and the bumper was not slid out. When it went over that 2' drop-off the camper slid back a bit. When it went down into the stream, that slammed it forward hard and caused a great deal of only visible up close serious damage. I was so bummed, this was an original paint rust free body. The one corner of the camper was crushed, the front bed panel got bowed, and worst of all the right bedside pushed into the corner of the cab and kinked it at that level where it is double. That put a kink in the SRW frame as well. The door's upper molding got pushed forward, undamaged, so I removed that so the door could open. The door gap was so close there you'd expect it was pinched. But the door still opened and clicked shut effortlessly as it should.

I had all the body men I know look at it and the solution was find a N.O.S. back panel, cut the corner out/weld in a donor section, or find a rust free cab to replace that one. I did buy a cab at Carlisle that came out of El Cajon, CA. The truck still functioned as it should and you only saw the damage up close when the camper was mounted. I rebuilt the corner of the camper where you could not tell. Had an RV place order the same skin material. We still used it as the family camper with plans to restore the truck at some point.

I know, this isn't really funny. It's quite sad in fact. But whatcha gonna do but laugh? I still do, picturing myself running next to that truck like a cartoon, and I laugh. I ran and grabbed one of my 4wds, with the '71 idling in gear pulled it up where the tires were not quite out of the ditch spinning, put it in neutral, and pulled it the rest of the way out. I was so full of adrenaline I bet I had that thing sitting on flat ground like it never happened in less than 5 minutes. No one else ever saw it down in the stream bed. Oh yeah, I almost forgot...

[Palf70Step]

When my daughter first started driving she had an 82 C10. She had the habit of leaving the liughts on all day at school, so she got real good at how to get a jump. She was having another issue where I need to work on it, so she had been learningg to drive the 3 on the tree of my first 70. She wasn't good, but she asked if she could take it to school. I asked if she could handle it and she said "All I need is reveres and 2nd, School is about 3 miles and most of the trip is 25MPH, so off she went. What did she do, leave the lights on all day. So, she had some football players helping her to push it out of parking space so she could get a jump (real short cables). She made the comment to me that the center of the football team was telling here the thing wouldn't go into to park. "Dad, he didn't even notice the extra pedal on the floor. " All dad said was, "Don't date him." She never did.

[Rich84]

My daughter was recently in Italy where she rented a car. She called me because she could not get the car to start. She said " I am pressing the start button but nothing happens." Naturally, her reaction when stuff doesn't go right is to totally freak out. I told her to put it in reverse and press on the gas pedal. The car backed right out of the parking spot. It was a hybrid that was in full electric mode. The car had trouble moving down the road because she also forgot the emergency brake. Turns out she loved driving that little thing. It was a Renault.

[Boog]

^^^^ totally new concept. You know it'll likely happen to lots of drivers too.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by Rich84

My daughter was recently in Italy where she rented a car. She called me because she could not get the car to start. She said " I am pressing the start button but nothing happens." Naturally, her reaction when stuff doesn't go right is to totally freak out. I told her to put it in reverse and press on the gas pedal. The car backed right out of the parking spot. It was a hybrid that was in full electric mode. The car had trouble moving down the road because she also forgot the emergency brake. Turns out she loved driving that little thing. It was a Renault.

My wife has a Highlander Hybrid. I hate driving it. I know when my Blazer is running (so do the neighbors) but her car makes you wait until it tells you it's ready and then beeps at you to let you know you can go now.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by truckster

My wife has a Highlander Hybrid. I hate driving it. I know when my Blazer is running (so do the neighbors) but her car makes you wait until it tells you it's ready and then beeps at you to let you know you can go now.

Permission from the robotic overlord to drive...

[LT7A]

Originally Posted by special-K

I rotated the tires on my Suburban today, which has hubcaps. As I was popping them back on I remembered a funny thing that happened last flat repair I had last summer. I use a great tire shop that is out in the country back a wooded lane. They are top notch. A bunch of younger (than me) guys who can handle anything. Hanging in the shop while they booted the tire I said something about I hoped they knew how to remove and install hubcaps without ruining them, that I bet they don't get many of those. "We change them all the time", and he points to center caps on a truck. I told him that was a different animal. So, he finishes up with popping the hubcap back on. They didn't have a hubcap tool. Honestly, I never had one until a couple years ago and did just fine. These are the aluminum 76-91 Chevy 8-lugger caps, they get stretched and distorted. The lip is a rolled bead that gets funky sometimes. Anyway, I drove home and when I got home, guess what? Hubcap was missing . All I could do is laugh and go grab another. I can't wait till my next visit when I tell them

Yezzi isn't on here much but he is a big time squarebody guy and what you have are squarebody hubcaps. What he recommends is getting two hook tools, kind of look like dentist picks. Then drilling tiny holes on opposite sides of the hubcap. You can put the hooks in the holes and pull the hubcap edges apart and the hubcap off. I haven't tried it because I hate the idea of drilling holes in my hubcaps, but probably will. I'm definitely beating them up by prying them off. The hook method saves dinging up the hubcap and the wheel by prying. But maybe that hubcap tool works just as well?

[special-K]

It does work well and causes no damage, if you know what you are doing. I only bought that hubcap tool recently, and I have run wide steelies and hubcaps since I've been driving. I always used a cats paw (carpenter's nail puller). That's what guys around here call them, but I call them lambs paws since cats don't have cleft hooves . Works like a charm. Might chip some paint, though. That's why I decided to try the hubcap tool

[LT7A]

We call it a cat's paw up here too. So the hubcap tool doesn't chip the wheel paint then?

[special-K]

Not so far. The pressure from prying is put on the rubber knob. With the camel toe () I would turn it to the side some and pry. It all takes a feel and watching carefully to see if the cap is moving or the rolled edge is getting crushed. The 76-91 caps being aluminum make removal/installation a delicate thing. I look and feel, and if it's not moving out I move to another point and try. I think it's when you are between nubs that the cap will distort, not budge and stretch. I have to be really careful installing to assure they seat well, as well

[Steeveedee]

Yup, make some kind of not-obvious mark by one or all nubs so that you're not tweaking the hubcap. I look back on how many hubcaps or wheel covers I removed without regard for how they may have been damaged, and hang my head. But then they were just cars and trucks. We (at least I) had no idea what these things would be worth, 30-40-50 years later!

[special-K]

Originally Posted by LT7A

Yezzi isn't on here much but he is a big time squarebody guy and what you have are squarebody hubcaps. What he recommends is getting two hook tools, kind of look like dentist picks. Then drilling tiny holes on opposite sides of the hubcap. You can put the hooks in the holes and pull the hubcap edges apart and the hubcap off. I haven't tried it because I hate the idea of drilling holes in my hubcaps, but probably will. I'm definitely beating them up by prying them off. The hook method saves dinging up the hubcap and the wheel by prying. But maybe that hubcap tool works just as well?

I just noticed those picks are Milwaukee brand. They look to be nice quality. I never knew Milwaukee to offer auto mechanic tools until recently when I needed a long handle 1/4" drive ratchet wrench. I just received it last week and I am impressed with it's quality. I'm going to look at what they have to offer and, with crossed fingers, hope to find by some rare chance they are made in USA. I know, I'm such a dreamer

Originally Posted by Steeveedee

Yup, make some kind of not-obvious mark by one or all nubs so that you're not tweaking the hubcap. I look back on how many hubcaps or wheel covers I removed without regard for how they may have been damaged, and hang my head. But then they were just cars and trucks. We (at least I) had no idea what these things would be worth, 30-40-50 years later!

So true. As I recall, back when wide steel wheels were run on cars and pickups, most ran open black wheels, maybe chrome lug nuts. California had the nicest styled vehicles and you would see color matched wheels or painted white to look stock, with dog dishes. On my first '72, in '73, I run black reverses for a while. The idea was gain a tough look. Then I decided I wanted a more refined look, so I painted them white and put '55 Chevy car dog dishes on (with all the bowties and white background). That truck was a Highlander (I didn't realize then) and I popped those Monte Carlo wheel covers off day 1
Many guys with trucks would pull the caps off because they were just a nuisance that would get ruined anyway. Most not removed got ruined. I've been amazed at how many nice 69-72 caps have been offered for sale since they caught on. I never could find any 20 years ago. Well, really hard to find. I think so many survived by being removed day 2 and stuffed in the garage. Most of the N.O.S. came from Hicktown truck dealerships.

[72c20customcamper]

Interior trim removal tool works well for hubcaps . Not the cheapy ones but a good brand plastic doesn't chip paint I have a craftsman set . I've also used a mini pry bar wrapped in electrical tape .