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Been a while since my last post.
Lots happening with the holidays and hunting season.
With all that behind tried to focus on the 55.
Cold weather had me turn on the heater, then noticed a familiar smell coming from the engine.
Checked it out and the thermostat housing was leaking.
As always, nothing goes as planned.
Went to replace the housing, thermostat and gasket.
Reminder this truck has a GM 350
Gasket = No problem
Thermostat = No problem
Housing = Nobody has one, but can get one in a week. Crazy.
Anyway. One bolt out with ease, the other, no go.
Got to the point of breaking the bolt or stripping it out. So tightened it back up and called my neighbor. 50+ year mechanic and an awesome one at that.
He’s also been chomping at the bit to rebuild the carburetor.
I took the 55 to his shop and he got to experience the glory of POs.
Thermostat stripped a thread. No problem. Re-tap and roll.
Carburetor…rabbit hole.
Pulled off the carb and surprise. Spread bore manifold with regular carb.
Didn’t even line up and the gasket wasn’t sealing in the back.
Out with that carb and he put in a quadrajet. Solved the surging problem I had been battling.
Got the carb on, go to set timing…no timing marks,
He had to find TDC old school. Amazing. Arduous, but very talented.
Once found, remarked the balancer and good to go.
Got that going and heard an exhaust leak by the passenger side manifold and he couldn’t let it be.
Found it, fixed it and put in a steel gasket. Problem solved.
Not only a mechanic but an exhaust genius.
It’s not over yet.
My driver’s door has been sagging since I bought the truck.
When I Iooked at it, I thought the hinge pin needed replaced and that’s what I told him.
He said. Oh OK.
Picked up the truck and he had adjusted both front doors and they are now perfect. Freakin’ amazing.
So now on to winter project number 1.
Replace the beltline and window fuzzies.
Rock Auto Fairchild Part 01484X2 and 14574X2.
So I went to work on the pulling the old ones out.
Was much easier than an expected with my homemade makeshift tool. A knitting needle I altered years and years ago when working on my old Bronco. Worked like a charm.
Started with driver door. Bad idea. I suggest starting with a door you don’t look at every time you get in the truck.
Pulled out the old.
Sprayed everything I could see with surface shield, then cleaned it up.
Where there was a little rust, I used Rust Reformer to help with any future problems.
All in all, everything was pretty clean when I took off the old.
Then it was time to put in the new scraper. Measured, drilled and lined up the pins.
Pushed one in and it bent. Tried another, same deal. No go, so, I remember reading on MUD that you can use adhesive.
Well I just happened to have some left over from when I put on the weather strips.
Gave it a whirl and it worked like magic. I know it’s not the best way or traditional way…but it is way easier. Yes it will be a mess whenever it needs replaced, but so will pulling out all that sound deadener I put in there
Got all but 3 doors done today and I am really happy with the results.
Placed one more order to Rock Auto so seal up the drivers door for good.
Looks like that worked pretty good