What in Tarnation?

It is pretty GD loud! I got home from my 'in town ' job at 3:30 this afternoon and enlisted my wife to help me hook up the cold start advance cable that is perculiar to these oddball cummins variants. It was hooked up in the beginning when the engine was mocked up on a junk chassis, but a wire from the alternator contacted the cable for the advance and started a fire last week. Just another **** show.... Dumped a half of a fire extinguisher on it and we were good...... But now it started hard. 6" of the cable was gone from the dead short and the clamping of it was nearly impossible by myself. My wife spent an hour and a half doing some nearly impossible wrenching, just to help me out. We used bent magnet wands and LED lights and thumbwheel ratchets and a few cuss words, but it is totally back to normal. Dang it I really like this smelly POS.
 
Been soundproofing inside the cab and under hood. Mostly peel and stick high density stuff like 'luxury liner'. It's very heavy per sq ft and 3/8" thick. Quite effective on the in cabin noise. I have ordered a rather expensive floor mat from Ecklers Industries and that should finish it off with even more dampening. I recently built a lumber rack trying to stay in period style. I had some really nice 1/4" wall square tubing which is stronger and much easier to fab with, but doesn't have the 'look', so I went with 2" pipe and angle iron. My plans also include a very heavy duty rear bumper from diamond plate with a big hitch and maybe a vice and angled braces from the bed sides. I have also run the extension cords to the four corners for turn signals and bought the signal staT column switch. Sure it's a bit smokey til it gets warmed up, but I'm really enjoying the torque and accelerating uphill, along with knowing it has seven 3" main bearings in a 210 cu in six. Staying cool so far and the paint is still cummins beige on the exhaust manifold after about 500 miles.
 

Attachments

  • smokey 1.jpg
    smokey 1.jpg
    83.5 KB · Views: 274
All these trucks ever want to be is useful, and that truck, in that configuration looks really useful.

432118
 
Well, it started raining and that doesn't make good video. Not to mention diesels don't have vacuum to run the wipers and I haven't converted them yet. But soon. Here's another pic of the rack.
 

Attachments

  • Hrack and bed 47 1.jpg
    Hrack and bed 47 1.jpg
    70 KB · Views: 64
What??? Like it WASN'T? If all I wanted was something to haul some 2x4s with I'd buy an '88 cheyenne 1/2 ton ok, an '88 F150. 1200.00 bucks and runs forever. Smooth, quiet, boring. :) I have this disc thing that the green bible calls a baffle on the short front 'intermediate shaft'. It looks like it was once pressed onto that driveshaft to shield the intermediate bearing from dirt road grunge etc. Well it has come adrift and it has taken me almost a month to track down that noise that gets ever worse. Picture a cup washer like 3 1/2" dia loosely spinning on the driveshaft. It drove me crazy, but last night driving home it occured to me and AHA! Giant, loose sloppy washer. Gonna tack weld it to the driveshaft for now. At some point I will have a shop build me a new intermediate shaft so I don't have a chunk of wood in there. It is about 1/16th inch out of true and not sure it that could wreck a bearing or U Joint, but I'm kinda liking this contraption and just may put a few miles on her.
 
I love this whole thread . . . keep us posted on your progress and take a few videos of it running and going down the road. I bet it will be a really good rig when you're done. Nice work and love your commentary. ;)
 
After work I was under it welding that ring onto the driveshaft. I had cleaned the metal off with an old worn out pair of boxers soaked with a can of carb cleaner anbd tossed it away. I have an old friend that comes up here for summers from LA. He has a run down shack about two miles away and is a retired NBC news cameraman. ... Well he came by while I was welding and pulled the flaming shorts out from behind me with a stick. I thought it was getting kinda warm behind me.... I swear on the bible and my Mama's grave I can't make this stuff up. Soooo glad some of you enjoy my rag tag '90%' old ford stuff.
 
lots of things can happen while you are hooded and in your welding project and only concerned about one little spot of weld. been there done that. paper towels are another thing that while they are handy, get rid of them once you are done. one spark and its a fire.
 
This same thing happened to my son in my garage.....the rag with carb cleaner was sitting on top of an air hose.....luckily he heard the air leaking as soon as the burning rag melted through the air hose as it was whipping around with the burning rag on the end of it. I got home a short time after and he was white as a ghost and still shaking......Mark
 
The reference to my comment "Looks like it was staged to me" refers to the section of staging cleverly used as a rack.Was I the only one who "got it"? HMMM.. Bill
 
^^^^ I'll have to admit I didn't get it either.....

Anyhoo; another "enthusiastic two thumbs up" here!
Really have enjoyed following your projects, especially this one,
being a big diesel fan. Practical and utilitarian, all at minimum
expense. Just the way it was done, back in the day....

You will love that early Cummins! Mine can sit for a month; just
a "bump" of the key and Circe fires right up. No muss, no fuss...
no smoke.
 
Bill said:
The reference to my comment "Looks like it was staged to me" refers to the section of staging cleverly used as a rack.Was I the only one who "got it"? HMMM.. Bill
Click to expand...


OK, NOW I get it! :) I never thought of your comment as negative in the first place. I have a friend who has spent a lifetime collecting antique metal working tools and he is highly skilled at using them. His shop is run on overhead shafts with wide leather belts. Everything, and I mean everything is in perfect order with a true museum like patina and quality. All of this is housed in a period correct wood framed shop. Even the lighting and switches are antiques. We laugh because someone once commented "All you care about is what this stuff looks like". He replied, Duh. I have a certain amount of his 'staging' influence around here, but we call his property 'Workmanlike Manor' and mine is perhaps better described as 'Dysfunction Junction'. The other kind of staging. :) Oh and Cas and Flatford, I need to keep those fires away. Gotta admit the air hose whipping around with a flaming rag melting onto it was a great (and scary) word picture.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top