Re: Restoring Rusty
 

I got my butt kicked that's for sure, but I learned a ton. This swap was supposed to take a weekend, but it took a week sandwiched between two weekends on top of that. Was it worth it, oh hewk yes!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

I talk about two leaks so far.

The first was from Mr Gasket valve cover gaskets that just did not fit properly inside my stock valve covers. I don't think there was anything defective in them they just did not mate well with my valve covers. I replaced them with cheapie cork Felpro gaskets that fit like a glove and so far no leaks.

The second leak was with a Felpro intake manifold gasket that was either the wrong one to marry an aluminum intake manifold with a cast iron cyliner head / block, or simply not installed properly by me. I replaced it with a different Felpro gasket and problem solved.

I don't think its that black and white where one manufacturer simply makes junk whilst another always shines. I believe there are just too many factors. One being guys not knowing how to use the products properly or deliberately cutting corners, etc. Another factor being using the wrong gasket/part for the application either intentionally to save money or by mistake.

I like Felpro too, as they always provide you with instructions.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

I've been following along but the pink wire trick? What is that all about and where is it in the pic?

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Thank you for following, the stock points distributor was connected to a yellowish wire I believe which spliced into a 9 volt pink wire with built in resistance that then ran to the wire harness block on the fire wall. The yellow wire continued to the starter. The pink wire is what I replaced with a brown wire in the end so that I would have full 12 volts to the new HEI distributor.

There is really no trick, the pink wire has nothing to do with the fuel gauge, it is for the ignition/distributor. It was simply happenstance that when I was messing with the wire harness box on the firewall that I moved or wiggled something that made the brown fuel gauge wire happy.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Greg, that's great that the fuel gauge started working again. If you're looking for something to do (ya right), you might want to pop that firewall connector block apart again, and clean all the contacts as best as you can on both sides. Unreliable wiring is no fun at all. I think a nail file will fit in there and clean crud off the female side. Emery cloth with small pliers should work on the male side. I think that's how I cleaned mine.

By the way, good on you to realize that ignition wire was resistance wire. It would have hurt the performance of the HEI if that were still there. when the engine is running, check that you have alternator voltage at the ignition coil. Should be 14.4V with your new wire. I was never sure on the early trucks if that resistance wire ended at the firewall, or if it went under the dash back to the ignition switch.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Oh oh oh. I forgot you had a points system. Either way I got some courage from the discussion. While I've got my engine out and cleaning up the firewall I should probably checkout the wiring harness block.

Thanks Greg and Greg.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Nice job, glad to see you got it running!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

I hate setbacks like that! But good that you got it going!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

yes, for sure, thank you

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

kinda strange coming home and not having a Summit package waiting on you, what nothing honey, not even a measly throttle bracket, LOL, jk

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Re: Restoring Rusty - The Door Panels
 

I know - I'll screw around with the door panels

Justification = I only got one key. One key period, and that's the ignition key, I aint got any door keys so I am not locking the truck at night (but don't get any ideas my pitbull sleeps in it at night for realz)

The Plan: Get a door cylinder lock out and take it to a lock smith fer some keys to be made

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

absolutely love working on this truck, now I've had some love / hate relationships with my vehicles [I'm looking at you my '85 2.8 Liter piece of ______ Blazer] but me and Rusty are still in the Honeymoon (don't fart around each other phase)

seriously a door panel held on with four philips screws, I mean who does that any more (they all use those forsaken clips that brake and make you cut your hands up, and scratch the panels or the paint

and I wanna see you BMW owners wash your electronic everything door panels on the front lawn with a garden hose

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Greg, I bought an ignition and door lock set, all keyed alike for cheap.

http://www.classicparts.com/1973-78-.../#.VNA2IpU5CM8

Re: Restoring Rusty - Door Lock Cylinder
 

ah there it is, the Money Shot, our crown jewel, we don't need no Mobile Lock Smith, we'll take this baby in tomorrow at lunch time and get us some keys

super easy to remove too

Door Lock Cylinder 1 - - - Cuts On Hands 0

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

what's that?

Am I going to take the door panel off the other side or risk having the world be off balance?

Shoot you guys know me too well. I am a Gemini after all

so here we go, how hard could it be?

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Very cool Jake, let's see if I can get three keys made for less than $24 bucks then? The place I am going to is a bunch of Ninjas best in town.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

sometimes when Rusty fights me like that I feel he's like a stray dog that lived a hard life before you found him and now he just don't know how good he has it, and he don't know to trust you yet

but how in the heck did that door handle rust so bad, it's on the inside of the cab for crying out loud, and it's made out of foam, LOL

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Gregski:

Sorry I'm so slow with this. You're moving fast and I've been busy.

Two notes on what I saw in my catching up:

1) Hook up a PCV valve on one side and a breather on the other. Two reasons. First reason: with nothing to pull all of the blow-by out of the crankcase, a lot of it sits in there, just a smoky, sooty environment, and when you turn off the engine, it condenses/settles in your crankcase and under your valve covers. This is where a lot of engine sludge comes from. Second reason: when the engine warms up, it pushes air out the breathers, and when it cools down, it pulls air back. Sometimes that air being pulled back in is humid air. Which condenses in your oil. Which puts water where oil wants to be. With PVC, the carb pulls the blow-by out, therefore no sludge, and it also pulls out the condensation the next time the oil warms up and the water evaporates. If you ever rebuilt an engine with 100,000 miles, the difference between whether it had PCV or not is not subtle. One is pretty clean internally, and the other is absolutely filthy. Looks like somebody dumped a couple pounds of crap in there. And with internal rust as well.

2) Looks like you have the vacuum advance hooked to timed vacuum, up on the side of the carb. That's pollution nonsense. I remember when it was introduced in 1968 together with AIR pumps and cats and all. The previous 30 years vac advance was always connected to full manifold vacuum. So hook the vac advance to full manifold vacuum. It's down underneath in the front by the PCV port (see Fig 7 on Page 7 of your carb instructions here: http://documents.holley.com/199r10331rev2.pdf). This will give you advance at idle (which you should have), and will allow a leaner mix at idle and keep the carb in the idle circuit at idle. You THINK it idles nice now. Move the advance line and you will see how good it can be.

Nice progress. Jeez, I turn around, do a consulting assignment or two, and you are way down the road.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Love your thread update style!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Rich I got to move fast cause word in this household is that dad has a two year burn out period (Motorcycle, drums, Mustang, sail boats, Rusty...) I honestly don't know what they is talkin'a bout... LOL

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Rich believe you me, I fully intended to use full manifold vacuum (I may have even remembered an old post of yours) but when I looked at the Holley glossy page color instructions they showed three vacuum sources on the carb:

1. Full Manifold Vacuum source (Pump diverter valve or cruise control)

2. Full Manifold Vacuum Port (Power Brake or PCV)

3. Timed spark vacuum source (To distributor vacuum advance)
~ this be the one they skierd me into using ~

I just went back to look at my instructions again and that don't even look like my carburetor none, take a look at what would be page 3 (had they even numbered their pages)

http://documents.holley.com/199r10416rev.pdf

All in all I totally agree with you and will change my vacuum connection, thank you very much for your time to write down that advice.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Thank you so much! Mom, mom is that you? jk

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Huh. I thought I had found the correct instruction sheet for yours. Ah, well.

OK, so you have the brake booster hooked to the manifold. That's good.

Looks like the larger diameter connection for the PCV valve comes off the passenger side at the back of the carb, so you can run a 1-1/2" to 2" long line out to a 90, and then go back along the inside of the valve cover to another 90 and out to the PCV valve at the back of the passenger side valve cover. That will be clean and you won't have a big hose across the front of the engine.

The smaller manifold vacuum line comes off the front of the carb, but you can swing that around inside of the valve cover and back to the distributor. Maybe a 90 in that one too to help it around that corner at the front of the carb.

I don't recommend teeing the vac advance off the PCV line, as tempting as that will be. That PCV line will have oil and crap in it, and when you shut the engine off, you don't want that running down into your vac advance canister.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

today in the time it took me to enjoy a meatloaf sandwich the boyz at Lock n Key knocked out two door keys plus a spare ignition key for $17 bucks, I call that a Win Win

they fit beautifully and give me that click click sound

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Good deal, That's a bargain!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

I know I said I don't paint in the winter but it was near 70* F today (and as long as Greg doesn't read this) we can get this done

Ever since I saw this Dupli-Color Minute infomercial seventeen minutes and seventeen seconds into episode 3 of the Hot Rod Garage video on them there YouTubes I wanted to try painting my interior door panels, just to see if I can save a buck or two, that and if it works for David Freiburger it's good enuff fer me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iIleaQjIz0

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

One is a left handed version and the other is a right handed version, didn't you notice that?

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

as with any paint job the prep work is the key, in my case first the door panels had to pass the scratch test whilst still having enuff meat on em to paint

so your door panels may be chalky, that's ok, take a green scotch bright pad and a bucket of lightly soapy water and wash/scrub them as best as you can

give em another finger nail scratch test if they still leave a mark, take some sand paper, I think I used 1000 grit cause that's all I had, you can sand wet or dry but I did it wet to make the paper go further

rinse, lather, repeat, hose off the panels and give em another scratch test, till your finger nails don't leave a mark

then I let them dry over night

the next day I sprayed them with this Dupli-Color Prep-Spray wax n grease remover, you can use Denatured Alcohol (probly cheaper from Home Depot, but I didn't have any and was too lazy to hit two stores) do NOT use Acetone or Mineral Spirits they are greasy and used for different purposes, they penetrate and do not lift plus they can destroy plastic

so the key is good prep and then Light Coats, I went four coats 10 minutes apart, yes it was difficult waiting in between coats, so I used a timer and kept myself distracted with other little tasks on the truck and in the garage

here are the initial photos plus the results after each coat

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Looks Great!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

I know I said I will treat myself to all brand new interior parts for my truck but with stunning results such as these (assuming they hold up and not flake or fade) it's difficult to justify the $170 for a set of new panels plus $28 for Shipping & Handling

If we do the math, forget the cost of new panels, I paid $16 bucks for these two cans of material, that is less than the cost of shipping of the new panels, the shipping

just wanted to let you know that as the paint was getting low in the can I stood the panels up some for the fourth and final coat, I really need to discipline myself to paint things in the vertical and not horizontal position, word to the wise

also I know I should have waited at least 24 hours if not a couple days, but I just had to scratch them there things after painting, and so I did, and did the paint come off, Heck No, this stuff works

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

yes, they have fair prices and do amazing work, well worth the drive cross town

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Ah yes of course, amiba-dextrus!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Thanks Jake, I think so too, can't wait to fit them on the doors, wait one must, paint dry shall

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

A man of many talents... a giant among men... a.. let me think... no, it will come to me... a... what were we talking about?

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

LMAO I think I need a jump suit!

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

Looks great, Greg! What the heck are you doing painting today? :)

I bought new panels from LMC for my truck, in dark blue. The paint is scratching off them, so I might need to try your trick come summer. As a warning for others, the LMC panels have a base coat paint that seems pretty tough. But on top of that they put a crappy coat of the colour you actually wanted. Doesn't seem to stand up, but then, my truck is a work truck, not a show piece.

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

good to know, what color is the base coat?

Re: Restoring Rusty
 

I'll have to check tomorrow when it's light out and see. Can't remember right now.

Re: Restoring Rusty