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Thanks, and you’re right, it was a can of worms. Unfortunately, I really didn’t have much choice. Like many of our fellow bolters, I’m trying to restore a 68 year old truck back to a reliable status that has been cobbed together by PO’s that owned a hammer and an adjustable wrench, and actually called themselves mechanics.

The biggest shocker was that engine was rebuilt by a supposedly reliable engine shop (and I have 1,800 dollars of receipts by a PO to prove it), and it would not hold oil pressure. I tracked down and spoke to the owner that had the engine rebuilt and he said that right after he got it back, a main bearing froze up. He removed the engine, sent it back to the shop for them to fix it. After reinstalling, the engine oil pressure would drop to less than 5 lbs when it got hot. The poor guy didn’t have a mechanical aptitude, so he hired somebody to do the work. After the low oil pressure issue, he gave up, the truck sat in a shed in his back yard for five years, then he sold the truck. I spent over a year trying to diagnose the issue hoping for an easy fix. When I finally gave up trying to fix the problem with the engine still in the truck, I discovered the fix the shop had done. They added .010” worth of shims to every main bearing cap, so its no wonder why it was dropping pressure. The work was so sub par, that I had to have the entire engine re-machined by a reliable shop.

Hopefully when I finally get the engine and drivetrain reinstalled, I will have a reliable truck. Thanks again for your interest and support!