Hello Fellow Bolters! I am the proud owner of a former 1955 6500- series 2-Ton,fire-truck,which is now equipped with a 14-foot flatbed/hoist. When I first acquired this (almost) gem, it ran pretty well, considering that the gas was at least 2- years old,(and Ethanol-un-leaded) to boot! My friend drove it about 10 miles, then called and said that it was running on 5 cylinders, and smoking badly. I removed the valve cover,and found 3 bent pushrods! Thanks to the great stovebolt support folks at PATRICK'S of Arizona, I found out that my truck is equipped with a 261c.i. block,with a 235 head. According to their knowledgeable staff, that's the equivalent of fuelie 202 heads on a 327! I was also curious about this particular truck not being equipped with an air- filter, especially since it was origionally used as a fire-engine. These industrial engines were designed to self-clean their oil through the oil-bath air filter, although I change the oil every 1,500 miles, just to be on the safe side. (I like my oil to look like honey on the dip- stick.) I had the head rebuilt, using PATRICK's advice of installing "lead-free" valves, to keep the carbon from building too much excess. That was the cause of my bent pushrods in the first place. I also replaced the gas tank,sending-unit, fuelpump,and rebuilt the carburetor, thanks to the GREAT folks at L.M.C. As soon as I figure-out how to submit pic's to your AWESOME gallery, I'll submit some photo's of what she looks like so far. Your site is BY FAR my most favorite on the Web! Thanks for all you do!
[email protected] Happy Holidays! . P.S.- If your truck is equipped with solid lifters, it is highly advisable to add "Z.D.D." or equivalent oil additive to prevent scoring of your lifters and camshaft, since most newer oil composites don't have sufficient zinc added, due to newer government standards. Happy Bolting!
