Any clue what caused such minor damage? lol

My friend Tom is a professional engine builder (now in computer work cuz he hurt his back) and he offered a possibility....

The bent/sticking valve - it takes a LONG time for it to close - stays open long enough to get slammed by the piston, and all these parts moving around TOTALLY out of intended sequence could result in something like that.

We replaced two pushrods (other one wasn't nearly as bad, had to use vice grips the pictured one out) and dumped some ATF in there, I used an oil squirter can to try and inject it between the valve & guide in hopes of loosening it up.

We didn't do a compression test to verify anything, it could just be sticking for some reason in which case the ATF might help remedy that (ATF is high-detergent oil).

It runs a LOT better now (sounded like it had a big exhaust leak when he first pulled up) but we'll see for how long it stays. A valve job might be in order....

Finally, after all these years, got some new parts from LMC to hang my spare tire under the rear of the bed. When we first bought the truck from the original owner, the spare was mounted on the front bumper. After that when we sold the Camper he had in it, and just threw the spare i the bed.

I would just like to echo what ctubutis (Chris) said earlier.

He and his friend, Tom, did an amazing job working on my truck and it ran ten times better when I pulled away. Made it all the way home, stronger than ever, though I was also being much more careful and not allowing it to rev up so high before shifting.

Chris is truly a class act and one of the most common-sense, 'backyard' mechanics I've ever met. Using three fairly strong men to pull a bent pushrod out was quite a sight.

Nothing quite like someone who does things the old-school way. Alot of mechanics nowadays only know how to do things by the book....but there's still some out there like Chris who have some tricks up their sleeve. :-X22



Yesterday I finished up repainting the small-style seatbelt retractor cover panel. It was originally tan, then repainted a flat camo-ish tan; I took some steel wool to it and cleaned it up then hit it with the same red anodized aluminum spray paint I used on my gauge cluster panel. Three coats made for pretty decent results.

Then today I finally swapped out a broken tailgate cable on my factory tailgate for a good one off my flow-through tailgate. Now my factory one sits level and I can let people sit on it. lol. I also took a bed full of firewood to my pastor's house from the lake...he estimated it was about 500lbs of wood. And this is a street truck doing the work.... :D

Where my truck has been sitting so long, the tires were badly dry rotted & would go flat in under an hour. yesterday i got all 4 changed. :) I also bought an engine stand. I'm on vacation this week and hope to have the motor out by the end of the week.

Interesting thing happened today...

I was at Wally world, gettin ready to hop in my truck to head out, when this gorgeous Spanish woman in her 20s comes up to me and tells me her keys are locked in her car, and she needs to borrow my radio antenna so her friend can try and get the door open with it (by sticking it through the gap between the door and body and pressing the unlock switch). I was a little hesitant at first but then I remembered that girl was gorgeous, and I gladly yielded my antenna! LOL

Thing is, I didn't do it the right way and unplug it from the radio, then pull the whole thing, cable and all, out of the fender....I just cut the wire off. Sooooo....no more radio reception for me for now, unless I'm using my FM transmitter for my iPod, then it works fine (since it's close range)....

Oh well, I was wanting to remove the antenna for a more streamlined look anyway....I just needed an excuse, and I had one today lol

Well did she get the door opened? Did you watch her closely to learn?

You do realize that the antenna mast just unscrews from the base, right? :-X24

Let me see if i understand....

You CUT the antenna cable so you could remove the antenna to let a stranger you met in a parking lot use it to try and unlock their door?

Man.... Did you think you were gonna get some or sumthin'???????

A more streamlined look includes a hole in the front fender????

Um, Kirby.... have you been keeping up on your medication?

After the overheating incident 3 weeks ago I haven't had a chance to drive the truck much until today, and the couple of times that I did drive it the radiator seemed to need a bit more coolant. Today we took it to "the big city" shopping and drove it ~60 miles. When we started out the system was full and the overflow tank half full. On the highway the temp stayed between the C and the bottom of the NORMAL range, but when we got into stop and go traffic it climbed to the O and then back down to close to C.

When it cooled down for an hour I checked and the radiator needed a quart as did the overflow tank. But, on the way home it did the same thing, and when we pulled into the drive it was gurgling at the 'stat and spitting steam into the overflow. And, when it had cooled it was down again both places.

Thoughts? Mine aren't fit to type.

@okiepc1 I watched the guy, he couldn't get it though cuz the gap wasn't big enough.

@newrider3 not mine...dunno why...

@ctubutis I told you she was fine!!! Lol I wasnt thinking, I know...

The hole ain't so bad...lol I'll either get another, smaller antenna or get it filled in. Lol

What meds, btw? I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about... :-missingt

Now son that is damn funny. Chicks will do that to you. }>

Yep lol....I'm just glad she didn't ask for anything like a tire or a valve cover :-missingt

Or your wallet?:-X21