The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Help with repairs

Having no mechanical ability, I am looking for a shop in the Tampa Florida area that knows old trucks. Mine is a "66 250 c.i. three speed. I don't mind paying a fair price, but the last shop I used ripped me off. What I really would like is to find someone who would teach me how to repair my truck. At this time I need to replace the rear main seal, and clutch.

Robber, you are at the right place. There is plenty of talent here that will help you. Do you have a repair manual for your truck? Do you have tools? Doing it yourself isn't always cheaper. There is always a tool, or tools you will need to buy. Then there is the cost of the mistakes you'll make, we all do it. Get a manual and start reading. Post questions, you'll get answers. Good luck. Mike

Shops usually won't teach you...that'd put them out of business!

Try a local community college, sometimes they have auto repair classes pretty cheap. Some even have advanced topics like engine rebuilds or body repair, where you can bring your engine in.

My favorite approach is to know a couple guys who have done this kind of thing before. I help them with projects at their place, they help me with my truck stuff. My cousin's a mechanic, so he's got all the right tools too.

-Boyo

A couple of years ago I needed a clutch on my '62 2 ton dumptruck. Shops for trucks that age and size are even more limited than yours. I checked the local papers and there were several guys advertising doing clutchjobs in your driveway. These old trucks are not brain surgery and if you keep an eye on the guy you can make sure he does what he says he will and learn at the same time.

Doing a clutch is really easy, if you have the jacks and basic tools that you need. It's just a matter of separating the engine and transmission, changing the parts, and putting it back together. I recommend just getting the manual and doing it yourself, unless you live somewhere where they won't let you work in your driveway. A basic clutch job takes 4-8 hours for beginner.

Well that would be a beginner with some mechanical inclination. Some people are best off not to crawl underneath jacked up trucks...

I paid like $200 including parts to have this guy do it for me.

Who says you have to jack it up? Just take off the running boards and it's easy to slide under there. Just don't drop a SM420 on your chest.
The first clutch I ever did was on a BMW. It was quite cramped between the top of the bellhousing and the firewall, and I have big hands. I had to use 4 extensions and 2 u-joints to get to the top bolts, which were reverse torx.