After buying my 1950, 3604 I decided to drive it the forty miles to her new home down the Tollway. After all, according to the PO he had been driving it the mile and a half to work on a regular basis for the past two years. Well the old girl, got me and my trusty dog about fifteen miles before her brakes froze up and brought the adventure to an abrupt halt. The rest of the way home she rode in style on the back of a brandy new International car hauler under contract to the Illinois Tollway.
Now the short distance that I did get to drive her told me a lot about what was in store for me. At any speed over ten mph the vibration and shaking was quite severe, she would start a speed shimmy that could only be stopped by slowing down. The wheel had to be worked through a 180° to keep it on the road and it sounded like a meat grinder inside the cab. Out On the Tollway at fifty mph, I thought my fillings were going to shake loose, even the dog was looking worried.
So when I got her home and off the hauler she went right up on jack stands and for the past eight months every thing underneath has been re-built or re-placed taken down to bare metal and repainted. All three U-joints, new motor mounts, all new steering, wheel bearings, brakes, tires, etc.
A couple of weeks ago I finally got to take her for a ride. Even though I still have the doors off for rebuilding, we took a spin round the neighborhood, open air. She felt like a brand new truck, no shakes, no vibration, no shimmy and shake, no drift, no grinding. It’s not the same ride as a new 2007 truck but she has the feel of a new 1950 truck, smooth and quiet.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
