Thanks man. The body was "the" big selling point for me. Impossible to find an original one in this condition here in the rust belt.

 

i know what you mean, i live in new york. traveled 8 hours one way to lower central pa to pick up a nearly rust free cab and front clip. i sat nearly because the only rust issues it had were some pin holes in the passenger side floor and rust right above the passenger side door on the underside of cab ( that part where if you open the door and look up. )

 

So with the newly rebuilt carb installed I finally got the truck running again.


But it died again after running it around for 10-15 minutes...
So, some success, but I'm still stuck in this Damn Field!

 

Today was a good day, I am finally able to begin working on the truck again after about a year of ownership. I was a little busy last year planing my wedding and remodeling my house after my renters moved out.

Truck was never fully neglected...I managed to squeeze some work in here and there.

New Master Cylinder and Brake Booster
Transfer Case Pulled, part time kit installed, and resealed
New U Joints
Carb Rebuilt
New Plugs
Timing Set...but it seems to be running rich

After sitting the entire winter I got in the truck today and it fired up. I was able to drive it even though most of the fluid managed to leak out of the transmission over the winter. It is still in a bad way...its had a hard life for sure, but it still runs!

I was able to get it into its new home and serious work will begin soon.



Plans are simple: Repair everything that is broke or breaking


Yeah its that bad

Here is my short to do list:
Fix rear brakes - No fluid is getting to them
Rebuild Power Steering System - Bendix style
Compression Check
Seal top end of motor
Seal Transmission
Install Headers
Complete tune up - all fluids and new thermostat
Remove Redneck lift kit
New Tires
Install a new wire harness
Remove AC/Heat Unit and replace with modern kit from vintage air

I will start tearing into her more later this week!

 

Glad to see you back

 

So I was back at it for about 2 hours today after work. Feels good to get some things done. Working on this truck is awesome...so easy compared to modern vehicles.





Ready to tear into





This make me sad...cant wait to take the grinder to it





One fuse is all you need!





looks like a .22 went through my fan shroud





yeah...crap





This is leaking worse than a BP oil platform








Grill is pulled...left over AC components are next.





Another fun wiring surprise!

 

The hole is drilled to stop the crack from traveling any closer to the radiator

 

Wondered why that was there, thanks. One mystery solved!

 

Got a little more work done:




Grille pulled





Condenser removed it was damaged and i couldn't save it.








seat is out of the way





found these nice treasures in and underneath the seat





Bonus plastic container complete with mold was tucked away under the seat cover





started to remove smog equipment and plug the holes





here is yet another example of why this i think I'm going to have to install a new harness

 

So I ran a compression test today and the results came out not so good.
Cylinder 1 was at 60 psi...
I filled Cyl 1 with some oil and got the same pressure reading so I may have an issue with the head.
Cyl 2 was @ 120 hopefully the rest are in good condition.

Stay Tuned!

 

I spent some time thinking about what I really wanted to do with the truck since I found the nearly dead cylinder.

Because the history and condition of the motor is completely unknown to me I decided I am going to replace the motor. Now the question is do I rebuild the one I have, or buy a remanufactured 390?

It looks to me like the motor in the truck has been rebuild at least one time already, for that reason alone I am leaning towards purchasing a remanufactured engine.

Can anyone recommend a good place to by a 390?
Right now the best place if found is:https://www.mabbcomotors.com/index.htm

So here is some progress from this weekend.





Fan shroud was completely brittle. I just tugged on it a little and it broke into three parts. Shame really.





Radiator drained and pulled.





Core support removed and engine is almost ready to come out.





Greasy.





General engine bay chaos





Is that an electronic fuel pump near the brake booster? Fuel lines are running to it, but it looks like the engine has a mechanical fuel pump as well. Can anyone explain this to me?

 

Great truck! Looks like you are on the way to a fun rebuild. Are you going to make it stock, resto-mod, or something in between?

 

Thanks!

Right now I'm shooting for something in between I think.
I want to keep and fix as many "original" (parts that were on the truck when I got it) parts as possible. Only replacing when it makes sense for performance or function.

As for the appearance I want to keep it just how it is! Is it rust or is it patina?..you be the judge.

 

Its raining outside so that means I have an excuse not to do yard work this weekend.

So the engine came out today

It came out real easy...of the 6 bolts that hold the bell housing to the engine only three were installed. I need to be sure and thank the PO for all the time he or she saved me this afternoon.

Anyhow PICS!





Removing the fender was a good thing





This style pry bar is great when separating a engine and trans.








I can't wait to start cleaning this engine bay up





No way is oil coming out of this hole...ever!








Next step is to start stripping it down

 

So I made a good deal of progress with my build this week. I also decided to go ahead and get the parts to convert my engine over to a 390.

Here is my basic build: Goal = Mild performance increase, favoring low rpm torque

390 conversion
Lunati Voodoo 701 Cam
Performer Intake
Mild port and polish
Headers
Autolite or Holly Carb
Ignition Upgrade - TBD

On to the pictures:
First the bad







I was moving my Engine and it just went over like a lead balloon





The clip let go causing the wheel to fall off and...well luckily it didn't fall on me





Waterpump Pully and fan mount took most of the fall





Also noticed that the top of my bell housing has a crack in it...going to see if I can get this repaired at a weld shop.

And now progress:




Engine cleaned up really nice...starting to think this motor doesn't have a lot of hours on it.








What? Why are there three washers on this rocker arm bolt?





Gaskets look pretty new





Cyl walls look pretty good all around





the pistons look almost new

So the reason I pulled the motor in the first place was because I had extremely low compression on the number 1 cylinder.
Check this out




The #1 connecting rod is completely discolored...





What would cause this to happen?





Ive never seen this before but perhaps some FE experts know what may cause this...

Also yesterday I picked up some parts I needed for my build.




390 Rods n Pistons, Freshly machined 390 crank, Performer 390 Intake...and...





another 360 core! All for $350.

So next step is to get in touch with the machine shop...stay tuned.