Time for a major update. Lots of stuff completed and lots of stories...it's me, there has to be stories. I'll break it into major sections.
Radiator
The radiator is in. It is a Champion radiator. I had a heck of a time finding hoses that fit. I couldn't understand what the problem was and one day decided to go to the company website and discovered that this radiator is for the V8 engine, not the 235. That explains why the hose necks were the wrong size. I have zero idea how I got the V8 version. The part number is the same for both, with the added "-6" for the 235 version. I've been storing this radiator since 2018, so I didn't bother trying to make an exchange. Since my engine came out of an Impala, the thermostat housing was already sized for the larger hose. Getting a pre-formed upper hose was easy. While I was changing out the housing, I went ahead and put a new 180 degree thermostat in and am starting fresh in that regard. The lower hose was a total goat rope. Long story short, I sparingly used the heat gun and warmed up the radiator end of the hose. Once warm, it actually slid right onto the radiator. Tightened up the band clamp and Bob's your uncle! The water pump side was already sized to fit. Hopefully, it holds and doesn't shoot off under pressure or burst. If it does, I'll look for a reducer and cobble something together. While the system was drained, I added the heater hoses. Those fit into the factory location with no fanfare. I also added the thermostatic switch to run the electric radiator fan. I decided to add the fan since the mechanical fan sits very low in relation to the radiator. I decided that I did not want to remove the water pump and add the relocation plate at this time. The pump is working, so I thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie. Given that the radiator is new and sized for a V8, I'm curious to see how the low mechanical fan performs. If the coolant gets too hot, the electric fan should do the job. If the electric fan comes on all the time, I may remove the mechanical fan and just use the electric. Time will tell.
Wiring
I decided to use relays for the headlights and electric fan. I'm not sure of what the advantage is, but everything I read pointed in the direction of using them. I hate to admit it, but this time I was going along. The wire harness that I bought years ago included directions for using them, too. Unfortunately, there were written errors in the wire harness instructions AND the relay instructions! It caused me days of delays while I tried to figure out what was correct. Learning this on the fly has it's downsides sometimes. Ultimately, I figured it out. However, before adding my headlight bulbs, I measured voltages at both headlight plugs for both low and high beams. The relays worked, as did my wire harness and headlight switch. The relay for the fan is also wired in, but I can't test it yet, as I still need to install the oil filter. Earlier, I had added a battery disconnect switch. I did this less as a theft deterrent and more as a battery saving attempt. It bothered me that the stomp starter was always hot, even without keys in the ignition. The disconnect solves that problem. It also gives me a convenient place to access battery power for the relays. The pics show a pretty significant rats nest of wiring. I really tried to keep it under control, but the relays really add to the mess. The excess lengths of wire indicate my lack of confidence in figuring this all out. (If I had to cut things out, I'd still have enough length to re-terminate wires.) So, the connections are all made and tested (except the fan) and everything works as planned. I'll try to corral the wires into some kind of neatness, but I'm keeping my expectations realistic.
Summary
I'm getting real close to being done. Next week (I never get time on the weekends...) I'll start the spin on oil filter installation. Bending the lines will be the challenging part for me. Figuring out the bends is always a mind bender. Today, when I snapped the pic of the headlights, that was the first time that I had seen that on my truck. When I bought it, the truck was still 6v and I did not have a battery to check out stuff like that. I have to admit, it feels really weird to be this close to being done with the "restoration."
