Just getting access to the truck was a project in itself. As it sat for a couple decades, the gravitational pull of an old truck in the weeds caused other items to collect around it, and who can resist a flatbed for old tire and parts storage? I spent a couple of weekends making room elsewhere on the ranch, and dragging things away with the loader.
https://twoheelers.tumblr.com/post/157062521419/relocating-yard-art-on-the-ranchEventually she was exposed as she sat, with only my rv in the neighborhood
https://twoheelers.tumblr.com/post/157317555024Not really knowing how to get a project like this started, I figured tires made good sense. This is how I cam to find the Stovebolt forum. All the tires were flat, and it had been parked over some telephone poles, so the truck was now resting on poles. I could not have dragged it out on the rims if I wanted to. The square lugs were making me nervous, so I did a google search, and found a thread here. Someone was having similar questions about the lugs, and the discussion led me to this link:
http://www.autoamenity.com/images/Stud-Pilot-System.jpgPretty helpful, and I also learned about left turning lugs, which was a life saver because I would have probably spun them off trying to turn them in the "correct" direction.
Even after educating myself with the thread, it was not as easy as it sounds to get the truck mobile. 20 years of rust, no power tools, trying to use a floor jack on dirt, and precariously perched on a telephone pole. I am lucky I only sort of injured myself. Using a lot of pb blaster, and a really long cheater bar, I was able to break loose all of the normal lug nuts. At the time, I did not have a square head socket or bar.
One or two tires held air, and I was able to jockey the spare and outer dually tires around to have at least one on each corner.
https://twoheelers.tumblr.com/post/157362858224/found-a-cheater-bar-in-the-yard-nearly-broke-myI hooked up the Dodge, and we dragged it off of the telephone poles. One tire immediately jumped off the bead, so I did not get far. It was far enough from the trailer to clean out the rats nest in the cab and the motor, and I found the original tire iron in the process.
I had someone re-seat the tire the came off the bead, and bought two new/used metric tires that I put on the front (could not find any used 9-22.5's) I educated myself on the square head lugs, dangerously propped the truck up on undersized jackstands in dirt, and managed to put tires in all the right places including the spare.
All ready to drag over to the mechanic slab, brush of the spark plugs, put in clean fuel, and take it for a test drive.
