This posting is one in a series. If you have not yet read the earlier postings in the series, you’ll need to, as this posting won’t make much sense without having done so! Just do a search using the word “SLURP”.
Randy and I are waiting for the custom-made leaf spring ends which are needed to attach Red’s new mono composite leaf springs to his chassis, I have only small parts to paint while we wait for them (we don’t want to install the engine and tranny until we have the axles under the chassis again, so we can track stance accurately). So, I’ve had time to actually stop and think for a bit, and I realized that Red has taught me a lot in just the 3 ½ months that I have had him, and the 2 ½ months that I have actually driven him.
Some of it has been funny, but much of it has also been thought provoking:
- You don’t NEED as much engine power as you might think you do, IF the engine power curve is well thought out. Red delivered only a bit more than 120 rear wheel horsepower (after the tortuous path through the early cast iron automatic transmission and 10-bolt rear end), which technically gives him a worse power to weight ratio than my wife’s Honda Civic, but I never felt seriously short of power (just short of a FUN level of power!). The biggest reasons for this are that Red’s hotrodded 261 inline 6 engine had three features the Civic lacks: lots of cubic inches, a torque and power curve shape that produced power throughout the rpm rnage versus concentrated at high rpm, and gearing that placed that power nicely at your disposal at highway speed without any downshifting being required. Red always felt “relaxed” with the 261, and NEVER downshifted merely because he encountered a hill – even the epic 16% grade on Austin’s County Road 2222.
- Chevy Stovebolt engines (of which Red’s hotrodded 261 was a prime example) are perfectly capable of running at 3000 rpm for long periods of time - at least the ones like Red’s which have been balanced during rebuild, are. The engine never felt the slightest bit strained at that speed, which with Red’s gearing and tires translated to 64 honest mph.
- Cab doors that don’t seal at highway speed, for whatever reason, add a notable combination of road noise, rattle, and squeak to a vehicle. In Red’s case, the problem was door hinges worn a little too much over the course of 53 years. The driver’s driver could be properly closed by applying a slight upward pressure when closing it, but the passenger door could only be held properly closed by LOCKING it after closing it (by pushing the interior door handle forward). If I forgot to do this, the door would actually unlatch and go to the ”safety” position, in which it could rattle with deafening amplification, and in which it scared the beejabbers out of passengers who naturally feared it would open entirely at some point! I had no problem getting passengers to buckle up as a result! (No, this is NOT why Red is getting Simpson 5 point racing harnesses as part of his safety upgrades) During Red’s body and paint work, he’ll get the new hinge rebuild kits I had already purchased. This leads me to make the observation that worn or unmaintained door seals can make ANY vehicle louder than it should be at speed.
- Power steering is not the “essential” that most people, including me up to now, have assumed it is. For manual steering to be practical though, it helps if the weight of the vehicle, and especially the weight on the front axle is lower (Red IS light compared to most modern trucks and even most modern cars), if the steering geometry and wheel offset minimizes “scrub” (Red’s does), if the tire air pressure is PROPERLY established and maintained (I do that), and if a prior owner has not unwisely put unnecessarily wider tires onto the front axle (Red’s prior owner screwed up here, but I will fix that later in this refurbishing program). Driving Red with manual steering also showed me how some bad habits had crept into my driving over the decades, including turning the steering BEFORE the vehicle was moving. I had been properly taught by both my Dad and other driving tutors during the mid 1960s (when manual steering was still fairly common) that not only is it much easier to turn the wheels when the vehicle is moving even at only 1 or 2 mph, but it also dramatically reduces tire wear, but I guess I got into “jumping the gun” on turning that wheel in my modern haste to get things done!
- HVAC is usually regarded as an essential – and I still DO regard it as an essential, but after Red’s antiquated heater core spring its final grand scale leak, and dumped engine coolant into the passenger footwell (hmm, what a smell), it had to be plumbed closed temporarily (since it would be foolish to repair something we are about to replace with a new modern HVAC unit). I drove Red like that for a couple of weeks at least before we dismembered him, and it was not the major inconvenience I had imagined it would be. There’s one obvious big exception: when the conditions make for fogging of the windshield, you are definitely unable to drive!
- Properly engineered and set up solid axle leaf spring front ends do NOT bump steer. I had been braced for all manner of unpleasant behaviors based on what people had told me before I bought Red, but I have to say, I have found the steering very pleasant and it has exhibited ZERO bump steer.
- Pickup trucks, especially those with leaf springs, are often described as having suspension that is too stiff. I guess I might be qualified as a masochist, because I actually though this is the first vehicle I have owned whose suspension does not seem a bit too mushy for my taste (and that list of prior vehicles includes 3 Corvettes and several pickup trucks including 4-wheel drive). I guess it’s all those years on motorcycles, and especially on that Norton . . .
- Pegging the speedometer is always a thrill, even when the speedometer stops at only 90 mph
- Red’s fuel mileage with that hotrodded 261 was not that great when analyzed accurately. Red did deliver an honest 15.3 mpg at 65 mph on a 124 mile measured leg of the trip from his previous owner’s home to mine. However, his average over the next 1248 miles of use over 21/2 months or so was only an honest 11.99 mpg ( I logged EVERY single fillup). Now in fairness, that included some vigorous baseline performance testing (humorous), hauling donkey feed when needed, hauling his new engine home in the cargo box, and two incidents where I parked him on a significant side slope with the passenger (gas filler) side DOWN, where he dripped gasoline out of his filler cap as a result of siphoning action from his fuel tank. (The second time I did it, I figured out what was happening, and started parking Red with the gas filler side UPHILL). So, he may actually have done a bit better than the raw number indicates, but he was no fuel miser, despite his huge weight advantage over modern pickup trucks (the lightest fullsize Chevy pickup is now over 4500 pounds).
- Red has no sound system and not even an AM radio, and you know what, I never even notice it. My predecessor owners apparently felt differently. Randy and I have forensically determined that at one time or other, Red has had up to at least three radios SIMULTANEOUSLY – presumably short range 2-way radios for use in his first “ranching” career. I think David Horner’s politely silent question when he picked up the body parts for body and paint work was “What’s with all the antenna holes??” Maybe I’m just overreacting now with my “an unbroken dash surface is beautiful” thinking. . .
- Red has no cup holders or ANY places to store a drink, and despite all the bad press we give cup holders, THAT I really do miss. Since Red has a bench seat, there are no natural crevices to stuff a water bottle into, so when I get a bit frisky in my driving, the water bottle plays hide and seek with me.
- Overall, Red’s cab is a perfect ergonomic fit for me – which is good because the degree of adjustment in the seating and control is limited to fore and aft movement of the seat, with just a slight degree of tilt built into that movement. However, GM can apparently make some stunning ergonomic errors. I know GM introduced that cast iron automatic into the truck series very late in the run (1954 – shortly before introducing the 1955 ½ new “Task Force” truck design), but to place the column shift lever right where it neatly blocks off the 50 to 60 mph speed range on the speedometer, seems like a terrific oversight! I actually found myself driving Red “by tach” (aftermarket tach, not factory!) versus by speedometer much of the time as a result!
- After 2 ½ months of driving, I have to say that Red’s slightly more than 3000 pounds of vehicle weight (before coming additional mods) seems to me to be just as effective as the 4500 pounds or more found in a modern pickup truck, in terms of getting things done. I have hauled people, donkey feed, a car engine, and numerous other things, and have never felt “underequipped”.
- An old truck with an obvious need for body work and new paint can be just as effective, or MORE effective, than a Corvette Z06, a blinged out Mustang convertible, or a Chevy SSR (I’ve owned all of those and more) in terms of attracting both attention and conversations. I cannot believe the number of waves, tooted horns, stares, and conversations I have attracted driving this modest little truck. For those who don’t want to spend a lot of money on a vehicle, but still want something that expresses their personality, there ARE alternatives.
- It’s kind of neat being able to roll down onto the ground and roll under your truck anytime you want to take a look at some chassis component or another, without needing a lift or a jack. Randy and I have spent some quality hours doing that. Yes, I DO want to lower Red a bit, but given the ease of inspection and service, and my unimproved rural Deere Run driveways, he’ll never be a weedwacker. Accommodating a 3 inch exhaust system for the new 6 liter engine is going to be NO problem!
- Maintenance is a snap, especially once you replace the inline 6 with its short oil change interval with a modern engine, and there is SO little on this truck to begin with, that the opportunity for random failures goes WAY down. No ECM or army of sensors, no power accessories, and no complex retractable roof mechanisms to be concerned about. None of the thermodynamic issues of a Corvette in city traffic. I may have more time to just DRIVE . . .
So, anyway, those are a few of the things that Red has taught me in only 2 ½ months of actual driving. I’m looking forward to the continuing education . . .
Jim G
