Yeah, I forgot to allow for gas stops. We'll get you out west one of these days.
Build The Clustertruck Rides Again - Refurbishing a 1975 Chevota
- Thread starter RWBeringer4x4
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- #1,602
Only if I’m testing how well my radiator cools in bumper to bumper traffic...
Which, I already know the answer to - and it’s “mediocre at best.” This summer in 90+ degree weather my engine was hovering just shy of 220 degrees. Another thing that doesn’t bode well for the trails...
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- #1,603
Finally getting back to doing some work on the truck - though the repairs have taken a severe detour into “up-armoring.”
A little over a month ago I decided I was going to meet up with the Keystone Cruisers to wheel the Clustertruck at Rausch Creek. This would mean a roughly 200mi round trip (on-road) plus a day of green/blue trails - so I started going back through, working out kinks, and getting it trail ready.
Last week I received my new rock sliders from White Knuckle Off-road - I’m very happy with the weld quality and workmanship. I jumped right in. I removed the running boards (again, pleasantly surprised by the lack of rust I found).
Fitted them up with clamps and jack stands (these things are HEAVY):
Once fitted, I drilled and tapped 24 holes in the frame. The kit comes with self tapping screws but after I ran the first one in crooked, I decided to invest in a ratcheting tap wrench. Best $15 I’ve spent at Harbor freight yet!
While I was drilling and tapping, I let the paint dry:
And then bolted everything back up, including the stock running boards:
The only thing you need to remove with the extension support bracket from the running boards, but they seem to handle my weight just fine off the body bolts.
A little over a month ago I decided I was going to meet up with the Keystone Cruisers to wheel the Clustertruck at Rausch Creek. This would mean a roughly 200mi round trip (on-road) plus a day of green/blue trails - so I started going back through, working out kinks, and getting it trail ready.
Last week I received my new rock sliders from White Knuckle Off-road - I’m very happy with the weld quality and workmanship. I jumped right in. I removed the running boards (again, pleasantly surprised by the lack of rust I found).
Fitted them up with clamps and jack stands (these things are HEAVY):
Once fitted, I drilled and tapped 24 holes in the frame. The kit comes with self tapping screws but after I ran the first one in crooked, I decided to invest in a ratcheting tap wrench. Best $15 I’ve spent at Harbor freight yet!
While I was drilling and tapping, I let the paint dry:
And then bolted everything back up, including the stock running boards:
The only thing you need to remove with the extension support bracket from the running boards, but they seem to handle my weight just fine off the body bolts.
- Thread starter
- #1,604
The carnage of what’s left of the original running board hardware - went about 50/50 on broken bolts - not proud of that...
After that I got under the truck and extended the rear differential breather - I ran the extension up to the frame, then across the underside of the tub.
I have no idea what these brackets used to be for but they worked nicely to run the breather extension.
I terminated the breather at a lawnmower fuel filter in the rear sill.
After that I trimmed about another 1/2 inch off all my U bolts - no pictures but let’s just say I left a far too generous portion of threads hanging the first time.
After that I got under the truck and extended the rear differential breather - I ran the extension up to the frame, then across the underside of the tub.
I have no idea what these brackets used to be for but they worked nicely to run the breather extension.
I terminated the breather at a lawnmower fuel filter in the rear sill.
After that I trimmed about another 1/2 inch off all my U bolts - no pictures but let’s just say I left a far too generous portion of threads hanging the first time.
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- #1,605
And last - I fabricated up a high-lift mount. Originally I was going to put it on the running board like everyone else, but inexplicably, my door collided with the jack instead of clearing it. So I built a bumper mount:
Two wing nuts on 1/2” bolts hold the jack on. The smaller 3/8 bolt is for a locking knob so my jack doesn’t wander off.
Two wing nuts on 1/2” bolts hold the jack on. The smaller 3/8 bolt is for a locking knob so my jack doesn’t wander off.
With my conversion I found it ran got when crawling on the trail at 650 rpm. The problem went away at 800 rpm. My solution (which might also help you) was a somewhat smaller water pump pulley (than the one on the formerly automatic transmission engine) to increase fan & water pump RPM. This has ended the running hot.
My tool of choice for taps is a cordless drill... smooth even rotation and not so much torque that it can sheer off a 1/2 bit...
- Thread starter
- #1,607
With all that accomplished - yesterday I drove it 100 miles to just North if Harrisburg, met up with the Keystone Cruisers, and got in line for this version of the Clustertruck’s maiden voyage:
We wheeled some easier trails (blues and greens) for a full day and honestly, I have no complaints with how the old rig performed:
Finally looks like I use it!
Really the only things I learned and will need to look into are:
1. The carb tends to flood when I park the truck off camber and shut it down.
2. The parking brake gave up about halfway through the day (again) so I need to look into why (leakage? Readjust?)
Otherwise - the truck carried me 200 miles on road, 20 miles or so off-road, and burned 30 gallons (yes, gallons) of fuel and never skipped a beat.
We wheeled some easier trails (blues and greens) for a full day and honestly, I have no complaints with how the old rig performed:
Finally looks like I use it!
Really the only things I learned and will need to look into are:
1. The carb tends to flood when I park the truck off camber and shut it down.
2. The parking brake gave up about halfway through the day (again) so I need to look into why (leakage? Readjust?)
Otherwise - the truck carried me 200 miles on road, 20 miles or so off-road, and burned 30 gallons (yes, gallons) of fuel and never skipped a beat.
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Glad to see you are finally able to get to use it after all your hard work. Economy seems to be a little low, but I’m sure you’ll get it figured out... and it’ll improve as it gets broken in. On a bad day I’m at about 10-13 mpg... off the top of my head you’re around 7... suffice it to say you have room for improvement.
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- #1,609
10-13 on the trail??? Granted I was in a line of mostly new wheelers so there was a lot of time spent idling. Right now I’m doing about 12mpg at best (traveling around 55-60mph). Even with the 283 and a freshly rebuilt carb I was only at about 13.5-14hwy. I’ve always been both impressed and confused but the mileage numbers you’re able to pull.
I’ve been meaning to tweak the jetting on the carb to see if I could get an improvement - I know there is some room since I can’t choke it out with the idle mixture screws (runs rough but doesn’t die) but it seems to run really well otherwise so I haven’t bothered fooling with it.
- Thread starter
- #1,610
With my conversion I found it ran got when crawling on the trail at 650 rpm. The problem went away at 800 rpm. My solution (which might also help you) was a somewhat smaller water pump pulley (than the one on the formerly automatic transmission engine) to increase fan & water pump RPM. This has ended the running hot.
My tool of choice for taps is a cordless drill... smooth even rotation and not so much torque that it can sheer off a 1/2 bit...
Part of the compromise I had to make with engine placement (due to lack of forethought) was I had to go down to a 17” fan. My shroud will take an 18” but the fitment is a bit close in places - to the point I worry engine/frame twisting would create conflicts. I may try running the 18” first - but a slightly reduced pulley wouldn’t be a bad idea either - didn’t realize there were different sizes, thought all small blocks used the same pulley size, the changes were just between long and short water pump versions.
As for using a hand drill to tap holes - you are a braver man than I am!
Also - clearance would have been an issue here as well - ended up needing to go to a mini impact wrench to get some of the holes drilled straight, as a standard hand drill wouldn’t fit.
Variable speed, lower torque... actually break fewer taps than doing it by hand.
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- #1,612
Resumed its normal duties as grocery getter today, mostly because there was a nice solid downpour to wash the mud off.
The puddles on my floor in the cab reminded me that I really, really need to address the top, doors, and windshield frame - all of which I’m pretty sure are rotted out and leaking like a sieve.
The puddles on my floor in the cab reminded me that I really, really need to address the top, doors, and windshield frame - all of which I’m pretty sure are rotted out and leaking like a sieve.
Sub’d!
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- #1,614
Picking up a ‘74 on Saturday, have to learn everything I can about 40s in the next few days 
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- #1,616
Picking up a ‘74 on Saturday, have to learn everything I can about 40s in the next few days
That’s what I was afraid of! Hopefully you can glean something useful from these ramblings. Once you’ve got the new rig, don’t hesitate to ask questions. Good luck!
@fireball - PS any pics of the 74? Will there be a build thread or is it clean already?
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- #1,617
It has been a while since I updated the Clustertruck thread. This summer has kept me busy with house projects and the 1 year old - so any “progress” has been limited - but I have been driving it! I went back to Rausch Creek with the Keystone Cruisers for another “green/easy trail” ride (whereas I was lead down exclusively blue/intermediate trails).
Had a blast - but unfortunately get to add some body work and new fender flares to the list of projects. I got smart and took my hubcaps off this time, then proceeded to thrash a quarter panel instead... I got a little too sideways going through a washed out section and slid into an embankment...Whoops....
Some more shots from the day:
Winter projects that are tee’d up (we will see if I get to them):
- H41 transmission rebuild/swap for my H42.
- Fabricate some steel flares to replace the fiberglass ones. Hopefully have them not look egregious.
Had a blast - but unfortunately get to add some body work and new fender flares to the list of projects. I got smart and took my hubcaps off this time, then proceeded to thrash a quarter panel instead... I got a little too sideways going through a washed out section and slid into an embankment...Whoops....
Some more shots from the day:
Winter projects that are tee’d up (we will see if I get to them):
- H41 transmission rebuild/swap for my H42.
- Fabricate some steel flares to replace the fiberglass ones. Hopefully have them not look egregious.
Nice to see it out! That's merely a flesh wound IMHO the rubber fender flares are best. They take trail insults and shrug them off. Steel, not so much.
IMHO the rubber fender flares are best. They take trail insults and shrug them off. Steel, not so much.
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- #1,619
Nice to see it out! That's merely a flesh wound
I've been going back and forth on this myself. The rubber flares will obviously flex out of harm's way which is nice - but I'd like something to take body damage and keep obstacles our of my quarter panels. The rubber flares would survive, but the quarter panel underneath would take the hit.
I'd like to think steel flares would be able to absorb or shrug-off an impact, particularly if I make them out of tube or sufficiently reinforced 3/16th - but my thought, like yours, is that they'd just translate a hit on the flare into the sheet metal. My only counter-argument is that in that area, the sheet metal is substantially reinforced because the flare mounts right where the wheel well mounts to the quarter panel, along with a couple of wheel well supports (except at the lower rear, exactly where I took the damage) where there's nothing structural to back-up the flare. It would be easy to install a frame tie in there if I was really concerned but then I'd have the body rigid-mounted to the frame at that point - and it probably isn't worth it.
Long story short - I don't think either style flare would offer much protection - and with the little skinny tires I run, they're basically just there to cover my hacked up quarter panels.
It would probably be best if I just avoid crashing into things - but so far in my inexperience I seem to be drawn like a magnet to trees and rocks.
I'm REALLY looking forward to the improved gearing of the H41 - as I think my 28:1 stock gear ratio is really forcing me to beat the clutch and fight hard to avoid stalls and maintain control. The truck just wants to roll really fast. The H41 will get me to around 45:1 in first gear. Still not great, but a good compromise between cost, street manners, and offroadability.
