New 66D100

[cowboy]

look 's like it all made , get all the weight out of the bed & she should ride a little better Enjoy ,I know we did here
Dave

[Grodr625]

look 's like it all made , get all the weight out of the bed & she should ride a little better Enjoy ,I know we did here
Dave

Hopefully I'll get to it this weekend, working 16 hour days 6 days a week really leaves me with no time for anything. I have yet to check to see if the windshield is alright and have yet to see it in the sunlight really. These pics were taken this morning at 6 am.

I love the rumble of the exhaust, a few things will need attention: No dash lights, battery is shot, no turn signals, wipers inoperable and left headlight is reaaal weak. I don't know if this means I need a new one or is wiring related

Before she gets on the road the scarebird disc brake setup will get installed. I figure I want to upgrade to a dual resevoir MC, so why not just take it all the way and upgrade to disc... right? And She will get painted as soon as my schedule opens up and I can coordinate with a shop. Arctic blue appears to be the factory color, so I'll stick with that.

I am just wondering why the engine bay and firewall were primed? Hopefully the shop can paint this without pulling the engine... is that feasible?

Lots to do, I can't wait

Update* Just ordered the scarebird brackets

[Grodr625]

How acceptable is it to run a carb with no choke? Doesn't a cold engine need less air and more fuel? Anyone else there running no choke? Are there any advantages? I can only get the truck running if I pour gas down the carb and it will only stay awake if i keep the gas down a bit. Once I let go it falls on its face and stalls

[cowboy]

trey can tell you how to clean the carb better then I can , I did fine that if you take the out side return spring loose it idels better but a bit high , trey removed the choke , & it never needed it here ,But like I told you I was leaving her set to long &only got to drive it around the block once in a while , around the block here is about 4-5 miles , not sire about the spare carb I sent you
Dave

[paffuffnic]

There is a TV show called "the New Adventures of Old Christine". When I got mine home I called her my old new truck, and then my new old truck, and I decided Christine was a good name, since we are having new adventures, so Christine (not the Steven King one) is her name, and cruising is her game. Bruce, Corona, CA

[Grodr625]

She's alive! Finally registered, insured and most importantly: drivable! I still have quite a bit to make it 100% reliable. So far the original hood was put back on after welding a nut into the hood mounting brace, rear brakes were completely redone along with purging all the old brake fluid out. Carburetor was rebuilt, full tune up. I replaced the front tires with 235/70/15. I am thinking of going a lot wider out back. I have 9 inch wide wheels, so I figure 295s are doable since they are less than 3 inches wider than my wheels. How wide is everyone going?

The main issue I am having now is electrical. When my dash gauges feel like working my alternator shows that its charging too much. The needle is way past the C mark. My turn signals flash way too fast. When my dash doesnt want to work which is about 70% of the time, the only gauge that works is the alternator and it shows half way. All other gauges do not register anything except for my oil pressure and my turn signals do not work. I can sometimes remedy the no dash situation by shutting off the engine and restarting.

Is this just a short somewhere or could it be attributed to a faulty voltage regulator?



Driving something of this vintage up in jersey is something else. Your average person is not used to seeing something this old being driven daily. I have been in too many truck conversations with strangers. It's great

[OldD200]

Grodr,

Great to hear! I’m just getting back in town and am taking your pulley to the PO this afternoon. Driving an old Dodge is a cool thing. I recommend the Mad electrical upgrade (search the site for the link) that by-passes the amp gauge all together and that you trace the wiring to ensure you don’t have a short behind the dash due to overheated wiring. Also check grounds, always an issue. Currently , all power flows through the amp gauge and they are infamous for burning up and shorts behind the dash resulting in really bad things happening when cruzing! Let me know if you have any questions.

Scott

[wideblock]

ok, let me tell you how to fix my old truck. first off, those wheels are 15x8 not 9, with a 4.25" back space. a 295 60 or 295 50 will fit. they have been on there before and didnt rub but they looked way too small for the fender well. the best street tire i had on back was a 255/70, the 70 series is much taller and fit the fenders much better.

on to the dash, it did that very thing when i got the truck. what i did was take the gauge plate from the dash pod, and removed the gauge cluster from the plate. it all grounds thru each piece till it gets to the dash frame ( power comes in and grounds to the gauge housing, housing grounds to the plate, plate grounds to the dash pod). i cleaned all the contact points to insure a good ground to the housing, and then i cleaned all the contct points where the gauge plate hits the dash pod to insure a good ground as well. while i was at it i cleaned all the wireing contacts to the limiter, amp gauge, etc etc. when it all went back togather my dash lights were incredibly bright (i also cleaned the glass) and i had no more issues in the 6 years i owned the truck. it would be a good idea to lube the speedo cable while your in there. its been sitting in a humid climate for a long time, ill bet your dealing with some serious corrosion at the contact points. while your under there look at the wiper motor, there is an extra ground wire i added that the factory didnt put on, if you ever have issues with the wipers, pull and clean that ground first, it has always made everything better.

as far as he choke goes,that truck never needed a choke. i drove it daily for years in all weather 110 degrees down to the low teens and she never needed it. i removed the butterfly but the choke cable was left hooked up to act as a fast idle setting so you didnt have to hold your foot on the throttle while she warmed up. i could always pump it once, set the choke cable to raise the rpm to around 1200, hit the key and walk inside. 5 minutes later id release the choke cable/fast idle and she would settle into the 550rpm idle and go all day. after the initial warm up she didnt need the pump or the fast idle for the rest of the day, just get in, hit the key and take off.

hope at least some part of this helps

[Grodr625]

Thank you Trey! I took my dash apart and cleaned like you specified, and voila! My dash is working beautifully now I also took your advice, Scott, and checked my ground for that weak headlight. I cleaned up the contact and replaced the terminal contact and now my headlights both light up real bright. Thank you sirs! I did a detailing as best I could and armored alled the tires. She is looking sharper everyday. I couldn't be happier to enjoy my roadworthy beast.

Trey, I am just wondering how a 295/70/15 tire would fit considering the wheel width and any clearance issues? I really want as much tire as I can get out back.

[surfnuke9]

looks like your green truck has a chunk repaired/cut out of its cowl area just above the rear of the front fender.....looks like I will be needing to do the same to mine soon. I have some rust through/bubbling under the paint.

Good work on the new truck!

[wideblock]

they will fit, i had a 33x12.5x15 on a 10 inch rim at one time...lol no way they will fit the front, but the rear has a lot of room. those particular wheels have the perfect offset to run as large a tire as will fit the fender, but, the 295/70 is a rare tire thats hard to find and very tall plus very pricey, its gonna kill the low end on the truck. btw, on those wheels a 255/70 will fit the front as well, they wont rub and give a hell of a mean bull dog look to the truck. if it were mine and i wanted street tires, id run a 255/70 up front and a 295/70 out back, i like to fill both fender wells as full as possible. a cheaper alternative to the 295/70 would be a 31 or 33x10.5 thats not an all terrain tread. they are out there and a lot cheaper then the 295/70 ever thought of being.

also, that truck used to get props at the ralleys and from other members for having the brightest lights they had ever seen on a swepty. if you pop out the rear light husings an give all the contact points a good cleaning they will brighten up considerably as well. i used to do it about once a year to all the lights (front, rear, and dash). on the truck i had after that one, i drilled a hole in the rear housings about an inch from the light socket and in the ones for the turn signals up front centered between the socket and the edge, with a nut/bolt, external tooth washer, some 18ga wire and a couple ring terminals i added a ground wire that went straight from the housing to the frame out back and from the housing to the core support up front, i had good lights from then on. use black wire up front or it will stick out like a sore thumb. the front signals will make the flasher go crazy if its not grounded well, and the way they mount thru the grill and rely on it for ground, they pretty much stay not grounded well.