The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 216 engine....roadtrip?

Looking to take my original 1940 truck w/ 216 on a road trip this august. I'll be traveling about 1200 mi. round trip...I know this isn't practical but it sounds fun. Anyway, what spare parts would you suggest that I bring along, and any tips or suggestion would you have involving this road trip, engine wise.

If all is 'good' to begin with, it should stay good on a 1200 mile trip.

I always ran my Fan Belts on the slack side, far as being nice to the Water Pump and Generator Bearings.

Make sure the Distributor Shaft Grease Cup has good Grease in it and give it a turn or two.

Oil the Generator Bearings...

All the old usual Lube Points, make sure Front Wheel Bearing Grease is good...make sure Transmission and Differential Oil are "up".

I put 230 thousand miles on my "216" 1946 One Ton Pick Up, some long distance cross-country trips, the rest Urban driving.

I do not remember any break downs ever.

Had one Flat Tire one time...if that counts.

One time I noticed my passenger side front Main Leaf Spring was broken, and I got that fixed, got a new Spring Leaf made, but, I had probably been driving it that way a while and just never noticed til I happened to be doing some routine Chassis Lube with the Grease Gun.

Clutches and Brakes tended to last a long LONG time on these.

Water Pump...might be one to keep in mind ( far as carrying a spare part or two ).

Make sure the Speedometer itself, and the Speedometer drive Cable Sheath are well Lubed.

You know all that...I am just blathering...but a long trip IS a great excuse to get those Lube-things done, if they had not been done recently.

You brought up a good point about the generator bearings, How do I oil that and what type of oil?

There is a little oil "cup" at the front and rear of the generator

Just regular Engine Oil...do you have an ( old fashioned ) Oil Can?

Might carry a spare carb if you have one, fuel pump, water pump and points and condenser, and a voltage regulator or cutout.
spare belt....
Doubt you'll have any problems.

John

As long as your taking spare parts, don't forget tools!

Ok I see those oil cups on the generator, now. Seems like I learn about a new grease fitting every time I log on stovebolt..haha

I'll start gathering those spare parts like every one has suggested

I know this sounds like a "very basic" question and I'll probably get teased a bit... but I'm trying to brain storm how I'm going to pack all this stuff and not scratch the bed of the truck, its kind of a show truck but I believe they should be driven and enjoyed as much as possible.

There is an oil cup on the starter too, but only one.

I figure I've put 10,000 miles on my 50 over the last decade and
other than scheduled oil change/grease jobs and tune ups I
haven't had to do anything to it. Figure it should make a 1000
mile round trip without breathing to hard.
Of course the entire running gear was the first thing that I
completely rebuilt and even though the engine was running fine,
with good compression, it was rebuilt a little later, primarily
to stop the oil usage.
In the summer or when the weather is good, I'll drive her a
couple hundred miles a week. So over a month sometimes I make
that 1200 mile trip with no sweat.

DG

A lot of good answers, I'll add to 'em.

Alot depends on the condition of your engines consumables, i.e. fan belt, radiator and heater hoses, soft fuel lines, soft vacuum lines, soft brake lines, tires oil & coolant retention systems.
If any of these consumables are old and/or appear worn, change them out now instead of having to so it on the side of the road.

I drive my 49 216 an avg of 100 miles a weekend w/one round trip avg'ing 50 miles and it does great. The only thing that would keep me from taking it on an extend cruise would be having to map out back roads to get to-&-fro as my 216 doesn't really like going over 45 mph. It'll do 50 for a spell and even get up to 65 to pass but 45 is it's sweet spot.

I do keep an emergency road kit in it which consists of, points, condenser, dist cap, plugs, oil, anti freeze, a combination wrench set, combination screw driver set, Channel locks, vise grips, needle nose, rags, 4 way lug wrench and a small hydraulic jack. I just changed the fan belt out so no spare at this time. I also have a good usable spare tire.
I keep it all in a wood box in the bed.
If your bed is really nice I would put down a good thick mat then put a spare parts/tool box on top of it and secure it so it doesn't move around in the bed.

If you get spots under your tranny and rear end I'd recommend topping them off and perhaps carrying a qrt bottle of 80w90 too.

Good luck
Dave

I have always stored a few items under the seat on my truck , you know , fan belt , fuel pump, accelerator return spring , etc, etc, just stuff that might make it easier if something goes wrong . Carried it all for about 80,000 miles , never used a single item.

Have a nice trip

Whenever this topic comes up, I think about what tools and parts do I make sure to pack when I drive on long trips in the vehicle which my wife made me buy, one which I have no idea how to troubleshoot. I don't bring anything but basic tools, and supplies and gear to survive the elements should it break down. The wife also made me buy AAA against my will. Not a bad idea, that one.
Carl

Thanks for all the advice! I guess I've had my fair share of breakdowns on short local trips that's giving me the jitters...

Its always been electrical problems too...Just this year, new years eve 2014 dist coil stranded me, then points later that week...and 6v regulator a few weeks before that. Its like one thing after another.

And its not like I buy junk parts usually its New old stock N.O.S. parts, that I used when I restored my truck...am I the only one that has these problems? haha

When I drove cross country in my 1946 one Ton ( San Francisco to Dallas and back )...I had rebuilt the Engine, gone through the whole Brake system, did a lot of remedial things, Greased everything well, and done a lot of small things, lubed the Door Locks, serviced/lubed the Speedometer and it's Cable Sheath and so on...so, I felt it would do fine, and, it did. I had no troubles.

Like Vollfandt mentions, mine was alto perfectly content to cruise at 47 MPH, and I did all I could to stay on old secondary Roads where 47 would be just fine.

A few years back a old friend and I drove his stock AD down to
KC from Chicago. We stayed off the interstate for the reasons
mentioned above and took the roads less traveled, (sorry bout
stealing your handle Don}. My partner wanted to stop and do
some fishin' along the way, but I was still living in the
hurry up and get there mode so we drove on thru. We got to
see a lot more of the country though on those back roads
and it really only added a couple of hours to the trip.

This year, if I can swing it, I'd like to make the trip again,
but in my half finished '50 this time. I'd take an even lesser
known route and head out west and swing in from the north. That
45-50 mph cruising speed sound real sweet Dave. That would make
a two day trip both out and back but it would be a welcome
vacation away from the grind of the last two years. My move
to a new and bigger place has just about put me under and I
think I've earned a break like a nice long weekend.

I think my only preparation would be to make sure the fuel
filters are clean, check the tires, spare included, jack and
spinner stored under the seat after checking lug nuts. Oil
change and grease job, touch up the points and plugs and bring
the brakes up to the top. As far as spare parts, I'd probably
take a spare headlight and taillight bulb, a fan belt and a few
hand tools.
The only reservations I have about traveling down to a meet like
the get together at KC with my truck would be when I got there.
As thin skinned as I am, I don't know if I could handle the
rejection I'd get because old Blue Bell is as plain as they
come. She's a driver, complete with her dings, dents, tears,
warped panels, bugs on the windshield, mud and rust covered
under belly, and worn and tattered house dress she's worn for
64 years. She's not a show truck and never will be. I suppose
I could just park out on the road for the two days where no
one could see the old gal.
But I would really like to take a short thousand mile trip with
her this summer, before I get to old and to destitute to travel.

Denny G
Sandwich, IL

Denny, I for one would pay an admission fee (modest one of course) to see your daily driver. I am not as interested in paint finish as I am in the details of the correct mechanical and hardware bits.
Carl

Here's my adventure

2 trips in this thread
...link...

Enjoy your trip

Carl, there are a million of them out there that are just as or
more correct than mine is. I'm slippin' a bunch lately, had to
throw in the towel on the Rochester 'B', it just doesn't
compare to the old Carter W-1 as Jon has been preaching all
these years. Then there are the wheels, Ford w/radials. Gotta
have my music so a cube for power and a sony ride along.
Painted the front suspension parts black, transmission
& steering box cast blast. Lots of little things like
that. Kept the clutch heads where they belonged but
never did pay much attention to the rest of the factory
screws, much easier and cleaner to use a new fastener.
So don't fool yourself into thinking it's anything
like Tim's trucks or Lonnie or dozens of others here
on the bolt who have a rolling museum piece right
down to the last detail.

I keep talking about a trip and I just might talk my self into
taking a ride in Sep. All ready got the nod from my "big old
wife", she'd be glad to get rid of me for a weekend.

DG

Very Nice Truck! I enjoyed reading that thread, and it has answered a lot of my questions regarding planning for my trip.

It also confirmed another question, I had...what MPG to expect? I thought I was going crazy when I saw my truck getting 18-20 mpg. although, that was only going 40-45mph...I doubt I can make it 55 mph going up a hill tho, Im assuming that I have either 4.11 or 4.5? (something) in my truck

I know I have a bad manifold leak on my truck, could that be a reason I cant hit those top speeds of 60 mph+ ?? Everything is rebuilt and it has new gaskets but still has a very obvious manifold leak

Intake or exhaust? Either way, it can cause engine damage. Fix it!

exhaust...after years of use, I know the metal either wears away either the manifold or the block, so Id have to determine if its worn away at the block or manifold then get it machined and squared up...if its the manifold its easy. Although if its the engine, I suppose the only way you can do it is take the engine out and get it machined... Honestly, other than that I don't see how it can cause engine damage

The hot exhaust gas erodes the metal of both the cylinder head and the exhaust manifold, creating a progressively bigger leak. Eventually the pulsation of the pressure in the exhaust system starts pulling cold air through the gap and can warp the exhaust valves from the constant temperature fluctuations. There's also a distinct fire hazard in case of the inevitable gasoline leak that running a Rochester carburetor presents. All it takes is one spark or backfire from a leaky exhaust gasket to burn the truck down.

Other than that, no problem!
Jerry

You got it Jerry. I burnt the valves due to an open manifold when the driver's side pipe fell off on the highway. Shortly after the pipe broke, I lost most of the braking on the 10,000 pound vehicle. Turns out the fuel pump (passenger side) was peeing gas on the brake rotor. Could have been a lot more exciting. I was a bit surprised when they handed me the bill for the pump during a "brake repair". At least a new pump was a cheap fix for the brakes.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention!

The leak around the exhaust manifold is near the 2nd and 3rd exhaust port.(I can see black exhaust carbon around this area) the bolts are torqued down well, gaskets are new...if I get the manifolds decked and it dosen't seem to fix the problem is there any way to deck the block with out removing the engine??

Someone mentioned that the ports may not be lined up correctly..what do they mean by that?

also, it only seems to leak at high RPM's when the accelerator is all the way down

A shade tree fix might be to take a portable belt sander to the head surface while the manifolds are off, but you'd need to unscrew the two dowel pins at the ends of the exhaust ports to get a full stroke with the sander. If you only need to surface it a few thousandths that might be a possibility.
Jerry

Excellent Idea, I will do that! Although, upon further inspection its possible that the leak might be coming from the little valve/ thermostat thing with the spring that is further down the exhaust manifold (not sure what that part is called) it appears that the flapper mechanism is stuck and the exhaust it coming out the side through there (or in addition too)

I would remove the manifolds, scrape the head and manifold surfaces clean, separate the intake from the exhaust, and remove that gasket and clean those surfaces.
You need to free up the stuck flapper, it is important that it functions properly.
Once everything is apart, clean and functional, you will want to put the intake and exhaust back together with a new gasket and leave the bolts/nuts loose.
Now install the intake/exhaust manifold assembly to the head WITHOUT gaskets and tighten the manifold-to-head bolts to specifications. Make sure that you have the three alignment rings.
Now is the time to tighter the bolt/nuts which hold the intake to the exhaust manifold. This will ensure that the two manifolds align with the head surface.
Now take a thin feeler gauge and try to find any gaps between the manifolds and the head.
If there are no major gaps, remove the manifold assembly and install the gaskets and drive it like you stole it (from a really slow person).
If there are significant gaps, put a straight edge on the manifold assembly and on the head to see where the problem is.
Carl

I just got done seperating my INtake and Exhaust Manifolds, and all the old Studs broke even though I heated them and so on and tapped on them.

Horrid old scale and irregular surfaces left on the two mating surfaces.

In my case, I had to get the Intake to be 1/4 inch Higher for it to align right with the Ports in the Head.

So, I just deleted the Heat Rise Box and Baffle, made some patches and Brazed it closed, and mounted the two Manifolds as "two" Manifolds, no longer Bolted together.

Anyway, if you remove your Intake/Exhaust 'unit' and clean the Port Faces of the Manifolds, you can Eye-Ball them to see if they are in the same plane or not, far as how they will fit against the Port Faces on the Head.

Check to see how they are in vertical positioning also, for their respective Head Ports.

Let us know what you find?

Do that first...before electing to seperate the two, since it can be a lot of work to correct things to get them back togfether again.

by the way what is that flapper there and what exactly does it do, I mean, is it even necessary bcs I see that those aftermarket fenton dual headers do not have them, so it must not be completely necessary part

The valve in the exhaust manifold is called a heat riser, and if it wasn't necessary, why would Chevy have manufactured millions of them over several decades? It's there to assist fuel evaporation during engine warmup by directing exhaust gas against the bottom of the intake, then routing those gases downward at normal running temperature to avoid overheating the intake and possibly causing vapor lock or carburetor flooding once the engine is warmed up. If you're willing to tolerate lousy performance during the first 10-15 minutes of operation after every cold start, go ahead and eliminate it.
Jerry