Should I keep on with this?

[Howard78]

Since my last posting, where I tried to go for a test drive, and the damn thing wouldn't move, I have progressed a little. I took my spare set of 15x6 wheels to a local tire shop. After some haggling about thread depth and what was legal for him to sell, I got somebody else's old bald 235/15 tires, mounted, for $40. (Told him I wasn't going to drive it on the road.) Brought them home and mounted them up, and I was amazed by the difference. It sits much higher off the ground, and looks much better. Went for the much anticipated "test drive." Cranked it up, put in gear, felt the transmission engage, always a good sign, and went for it. It actually moved under it's own power! Now I can move it around the yard!

Let me back up a moment. The reason it wouldn't crank was that I had used the '78 engines distributor hold down clamp. It had this little prong, that fit into a slot on the distributor shaft. Which only let the distributor turn a very limited amount. I thought maybe the distributors vacuum advance can was hitting the coil. So I remove the coil. Still no progress. Turns out the distributor clamps were different. The '67 clamp didn't have that little prong. Cranked the distributor about another 20 degrees CW, and viola; it cranked. Set the timing with a timing light, and a little fiddling with the carb, and it ran pretty good. I must say that I'm amazed how well this thing runs with a 40 year old 318 with a half million miles on it! But still it has lots of problems.

One of the most pressing is that when I hook up the power brake booster, it pulls the pedal all the way to the floor. Does that mean the booster is no good?

Also the the water pump is leaking, as well as the radiator itself.

The power steering pump, and the hoses, need to be replaced.

I also ripped off one of the nipples on the heater core trying to get the hose off with a pair of pliers. (Please excuse me for a moment while I slap myself repeatedly.)

Lots of other problems:

The body needs extensive restoration.

Needs new tires, of course.

Well let me leave it at that, before I get too depressed! :D

[Mopower79]

Well... lets see some pics... I say if you gone this far.. It would be "criminal" to not finish

[Chump]

One of the most pressing is that when I hook up the power brake booster, it pulls the pedal all the way to the floor. Does that mean the booster is no good?
Sounds like Mr. Booster has seen better days.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/power-brake.htm

Also the the water pump is leaking, as well as the radiator itself.
Needs new/rebuilt water pump. Could try a stop leak in the rad but you may be better off having it fixed, used one, or new one from online that are usually pretty cheap with lifetime warranty.

The power steering pump, and the hoses, need to be replaced.
Usual wear and tear items. The return hose can be had bulk for around $2/ft but get it from NAPA or Carquest..the stuff from Autozone gets hard in 3 months.

I also ripped off one of the nipples on the heater core trying to get the hose off with a pair of pliers.
I hate nipple problems! :whackit: Need new heater core, if you have A/C it's kind of a pain to change.

Here's a couple of links for parts both used and new. If you need help finding something just let me know. :)
www.rockauto.com
www.car-part.com

[acton mike]

Sounds like a good winter project

When I am working on a project like this, I work on one system at a time: cooling, brakes, fuel, and on and on and on and on

But you get the idea

if you go jumping from one thing to another like a flea on a hot shovel you will get discouraged in no time

Bon Chance

[old tired rebel]

Sounds like a worth while project.

[Howard78]

Well, I guess I wasn't really considering giving up on the project. But I have been laid off for about six weeks, and money is getting very tight. Hopefully, in the next week or two, I will get another job. I've been working on this while I've been off, and it has helped me keep my sanity!

It's very frustrating, because there are about a dozen old Dodge trucks at the local pull-a-part right now (unheard of) but I don't have any money to go get parts. It sucks!

Another problem I failed to mention is that the engine won't idle when its cold. Could that be the exhaust crossover clogged up, like I've read about? The choke seems to work. Since the water pump needs to be replaced, I thought I would put a new timing chain set on there. Needs some other engine work too, like the valve stem seals replaced. Might as well do all that at the same time.

I had wanted to get this thing running for less than a $1000, but that seems unrealistic at this point. I wasn't planning on a complete restoration. But I'm such an a$$hole, I can't stand it when things aren't right. I guess I'm going to have to go all the way. But I just saw another truck on Craigslist that looked a lot better than mine for not much more than I paid. Here's something that really busts my balls: a van with a rebuilt 360 and a positive traction rear end for $500.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/pts/241558000.html

I guess I'm just rambling on now. I had dreams of burning rubber, and turning this thing into a hotrod. Seems I can't afford a 1970 Challenger any time soon.

Oh yeah, one more thing: I have been looking at the body, and not liking what I see. The trim is all old, and I would think not worth replacing. But it has these little "tits" that hold the trim on, on the fenders and the doors and bed. Could I just grind those off, and porceed with painting, or will those little prongs fall out and leave a hole?

Thanks Howard

[Howard78]

It seems that I've been obsessed with "tits and nipples." Well here's some pictures instead.

[Mopower79]

The trim is all old, and I would think not worth replacing. But it has these little "tits" that hold the trim on, on the fenders and the doors and bed. Could I just grind those off, and porceed with painting, or will those little prongs fall out and leave a hole?

Yeah .. The best way to do it is to grind off the "tits" & weld up the holes
A little more work but ..Its the only "real" way to do it...

[old tired rebel]

Looks like a good starting point.

Here's a picture of mine. I'm making small changes to the truck I bought as I go.