The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Status report: 1951 3800

We visited the Old Car Centre in Langley, BC yesterday and I just gotta tell you this: They have EVERYTHING!! Okay, maybe not everything, but they can get it, and they sold me a '48 - '52 shop manual for - get this - about 25% of what you'd pay for a comparable Harley manual. So I had to buy a new hood emblem, too.
The rough running 216 has mostly smoothed out, now, and the truck drives very nicely indeed if you can accept a 45mph "fast cruise", which I can, without difficulty. But I think I'll be putting up one of those reflective triangles on the tailgate so that when the rat racer piles into my back bumper because he (or she) is too busy on the cellphone to pay attention to their driving, I'll be able to say that I did everything I could to warn the idiots, except to abuse this venerable old grandfather.

There are still a couple of things to do. I'll use the lessons learned from the book to make the driver's door close like the other one, tighten up the steering box and fine tune the brake adjustment. Then there'll only be tires to replace before I get to put on a big load and see how she likes working. I may have found a set of slightly used 7.50 x 17 tires at the right price, but they're in someplace called Texas, which is way out there past Seattle, I think.

Today my friend John is going to install the carpet in the cab, and maybe we'll try fitting the headliner, too.

Bought some tremclad and did some of that instead while John did the carpet.

Lots of crud working its way through the fuel system. She was running rough again, stalling at inopportune moments. I thought it was the electric fuel pump on its way out, but it was just full of mung. Got a new glass filter, flushed 'er all out and now we're all better. Cost: $9.00.

I can sustain that kinda repair outlay.

Here's a before picture:

[img]http://thumb11.webshots.com/t/59/559/4/98/22/2231498220096215731YMAmEV_th.jpg[/img]

We've hung a little more paint; the box, back fenders and running boards - the rustiest bits - are all tremcladded now.
I lost control at the tire shop, bought used aluminum rims and mounted new 235/70R16's. NOW I can haul the freight.

Sounds like you are having fun hotshoe! I can't wait to hear my bolt run again.

Hay, thanks, 46.(Farmerspeak. Hay. Gettit?) We like responses. And I particularly like the sound of my 216 through its glasspack and long pipe. Is it the timing sequence that gives an engine its unique tone? I know a Ff.. a FFfff... Fuh.. a flathead V-8 made by another manufacturer in the same time period has, to me, a similarly pleasing exhaust tone, as do all DOHC 6-cylinder Jaguar engines. Apples and oranges, I know, but you can tell when they're at that perfect moment of ripeness.

For the moment, with the paint, we're covering exposed metal and leaving her battle-scars unaltered. This proud old warrior has so few of them, and she wears them well, I think.

Hopefully soon, I'll get to hear my 51 run. Glad to see you got your's going, looks great.

A couple of "on the way" pix here;

[img]http://thumb11.webshots.com/t/59/659/7/38/95/2922738950096215731cusvpc_th.jpg[/img] [img]http://thumb11.webshots.com/t/28/29/9/91/99/2918991990096215731ZMFhOU_th.jpg[/img] [img]http://thumb11.webshots.com/t/24/24/5/59/84/2572559840096215731lkzRUd_th.jpg[/img]

The tailgate paint is a family affair. None of us is a signpainter, but I just couldn't see doing a stencil thing. So we freehanded it. I did "ROLET", Sarah did "CHEV" and mom (Evelyn) supervised the process. Wad you think?

Don't look too bad to me.