That's one gorgeous truck... Welcome aboard! we love our pics on here so keep them coming...

 

Welcome aboard FTE!Where are you from, and I'm curious about your username.Your truck really is a keeper.

 

Wow....that is a nice find!

Welcome to FTE.

Dan

 

I'm from Brisbane, Australia originally but now living in Dallas, TX.

The user-name came from being called "Whitie" in school, my last name is White. I made myself 1 And Only Whitie early on and just stuck with it. Lol.

And thanks, I love the truck, just wanna get out there and drive it... needs a few things first though...

 

Here's my next couple of questions... and they are all where to source parts from...

I need:
- Exhaust Manifold Gaskets
- Radiator Fan Assembly (The whole thing wobbles with the motor running.)

 

Gaskets should be available at any local auto parts store, like NAPA. As for the fan assembly, you may have a warped or bent pulley. Check with Dennis Carpenter or Mac's Antique Auto Parts. You can also try Green Sales Co. They'll probably have it.

 

Well I just figured out what bugged me about this pic... Nice clean and complete interior... Looks very stock... Except I noticed that that isn't the stock interior mirror... Is it mounted to the stock arm? I'm missing my visors are those extra long ones on yours? But great looking... I hope my interior looks that good when I'm done...

 

Thanks man, this is exactly how it looked when I picked it up, I haven't looked at it too much yet, I've been stuck underneath it and under the hood trying to trace those little annoying problems old cars seem to have lol.

It needs a good clean but yeah, the interior is a nice place to be.

 

Very nice truck. I have 225R70/15 on the front and 235R70/15 on the back.

 

Dang...she is beautiful!

I am running G78-15 wide white bias ply, love em! The Cad caps don't look too bad either. I wish I had one to hang in the garage...too expensive though.

If I may ask, why would you want to go to radial tires? Is there a distinct advantage you are looking for? Cost aside in my opinion you cant beat bias rubber for these especially when you get wide whites. Radials look funny in white walls to me...

Have fun!

 

You mean other than the advantages of longer wear, safety, and lack of tubes? I will never have another bias ply tire on any vehicle I own. There's a reason they were replaced by radials...

I also like Cad hubcaps. Here's mine radials and all...

 

IMHO If you are going to do a vintage shop sign on the door why not look into big sticker that could be printed with the vintage worn look,or a magnet.
I would hate to paint over that nice painted door and regret it later.just a thought

 

Mine are tubeless. The wear...well, I am not sure about most people on here but my truck does not exactly get daily usage, it takes me some time to rack enough miles on it to hurt the tires. Bias tires do wear out faster because of how they are built, which I will explain in a second...

The biggest one that you mentioned is safety. I am not trying to start an argument for or against bias tires, but how exactly do you determine bias tires to be unsafe? If you are rolling a 35+ year old set with tubes then yeah I could see that. I am rolling brand new tubeless Coker Classics.

The reason they were replaced by radials is ride comfort...not safety. Radial tires have fewer plies in the sidewalls which provides a few distinct advantages...one being a slightly (VERY slightly) larger footprint, so there is your safety. In truth what it was, people wanted a smoother ride from their car.

Bias tires today are not the same tires your grandparents used...they have been updated thanks to companies like Coker who know people still want radial tires with modern safety features. They have much better rubber compounds (softer) that allow more flex to fit the road, they are made of much better ply material than they were 35+ years ago...otherwise they would not be DOT legal for highway use, and they grab! They hook up much better than my Coopers I had on my Ranger did. The downside is the softer rubber compound makes them wear a little faster.

The main difference between bias and radial is the vast assortment of shapes and sizes radial tires offer. Lo-pro tires are impossable with bias tires because of construction. Radial tires are cheaper to make than bias tires due to decreased materials (remember, for a 5-ply tire your sidewalls only have 2-3 ply on a radial)...which in all actuality makes a bias tire stronger. This may be why rock crawlers pretty much all roll bias ply tires.

The real reason they are not as popular as they once were is people think they are crap when in reality they are every bit as strong as radial tires if not more so. The decreased life is a downside and one to think about if you intend to drive quite a few thousand miles a year.

Here's mine with her crappy outdated bias shoes, bullet caps and beauty rings...


I am basing my discussion on a year of driving my truck with radial tires, and a year with bias tires. I like the ride and feel of the bias tires much better. I am also not alone...more people I have talked with want the feel and look of bias tires over radial on their old vehicles which is why companies like Coker Tire still make them. If it was as cut and dry as you think it is, nobody would make bias tires. Still, in the end, it is 100% personal opinion and taste...

By the by....Nice lookin truck GreatNorthWoods! I like the combo of satin and gloss finishes.

 

All the Bias ply tires I've owned have follow the road more then Radial tires... On old vehicles and on 4x4's... Just my experence... But that is why we all have unique rides... or we can go back to Henry's idea about you can have any color as long is it's black...

 

One thing that you need to consider is turning effort. Without power steering, I expect that radials will make for hard turning of the steering wheel. Four years ago I went with radials on my Fairlane. I immediately noticed how hard the steering became. Radials put much more rubber surface area on the pavement. It was so bad, I went out and bought about a $1,000 in stock power steering setup. I also was getting asked frequently by people if I lowered the car. I decided to go back with the original style bias ply tires from Coker and the turning effort was reduced by about 75%.

So, I would suggest staying stock with bias-ply tires. And if you find that you have any space issues parking that truck, you can leave it over at my house!! Good luck, Jag