June is here and some good work done.
I put the new window crank handle on. I still do not like the way it fits and should have bought the handle when I bought the regulator but hindsight is 20/20.
Near the end of the month, we went to our
second car show. People seem to enjoy the old truck and claim they love the patina and it's originality. That's is exactly what I was going for.
Some people tried to convince me to paint it, re-chrome it and so on but I held firm, and this is the payoff.
Looking back I wish we would have changed out the rear gears to get a bit more horsepower.
I drove the truck for 10 days without issue. By the first week of September, I needed to re-adjust the valves settings. Just not right yet. I spoke with Craig to get some feedback to be sure I am not doing something wrong but thus far it has gotten quieter but I have a backfire issue still.
Well, mid-October the truck was running terrible. First it started out as a tapping noise from a lifter. As time progressed, the noise increased and the power curve worsened considerably.
I tried to adjust the valves and carb but to no avail. Craig discovered a broken valve spring. That may be the tip of the iceberg. Frustrating as the engine has about 700 miles on it.
The truck was going back to Chicago.
At a minimum, I will need to replace the valve spring(s) and possible rocker arms. We hope the valve did not break and pieces fell into the cylinder or piston.
The news is bad and the costs will be extensive again.
When Craig got the truck back to Chicago, he took the rocker shaft out and sent it to California to be rebuilt.
FX engines wanted permission to use a new style rocker arm oil connector on the rebuild. The new connector forces oil all over the head rather than the current one that kind of just drips out on the head.
Obviously, I thought it was a great idea. It will cost more money but it'll certainly push oil all over the place on top of the head and will be a winner.
While the truck was there, Craig removed the seat and fixed the gas tank float so the gauge works correctly. He was in the midst of doing this last time when I yanked the truck from under him due to the shippers schedule.
By the end of November, Craig reinstalled the head, torqued it down. All new gaskets for the head, exhaust, intake, and valve cover. He pulled the side cover and double check the lifters before going forth.
First of December, Craig sent me a video of the engine running again and the sound is completely different than what I remember. I am not sure if it is the quality of the phone he is recording it with or with the new tighter, taller valve springs that is the way it will sound until everything breaks in again. Either way, it was great to hear it running again and I await more detail.
Craig agreed the engine sounded different - more like a sewing machine.
On a shake-down drive, Craig stopped to get some fuel and the fuel gauge works!
How ironic that the engine lacked lubrication at one point now has all the oil it can handle.
By the end of December, Craig said everything he had to do is done. He is just driving it now to ensure all the bugs are worked out.
He adjusted all the brakes and corrected the emergency brake issue. He fixed the connector at the dome light to make it work. He changed the
on/off switch for the heater. I had an OE type of switch which was plastic but ineffective. Craig figured out a better way to operate this switch and fixed it once and for all.
He changed the oil and added the zinc additive and is watching the oil flow 100% better.
Now, that the new valve springs are in, and the new oil connector tubes are moving oil better, the engine sounds better.
New exhaust and intake gaskets, and a valve cover gasket. The lifters looked good and everything should be as good as it can get.
I tried to buy a used trailer recently to go the truck to bring it home myself but the deal fell through. So, the same guys who shipped it before will bring it home.
Lastly, the cylinder head was once again rebuilt.
