Digesting the Pairs Testing
 

Hi Bob

Thanks for the further explanation of the pairs testing had to digest your pair testing experiment a little further. I've learned the hard way not to rush to a conclusion, what I try to do now is list all of the possible causes for a problem, then take that list and put it in order of easy to confirm or check to most difficult. Saves taking the carb apart to discover the gas tank is empty go ahead laugh I did it once fuel gauge switch was left and the selector valve was right and it wasn't till I had the top off the carb to figure out no fuel.

Concerning running the engine with valve cover off not a major problem, see engine test videos http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.c...ineTesting.htm Particularly video 1 http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.c...20001_0001.wmv or 3 http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.c...20003%20--.wmv just glue the gasket to the head with gasket cement it then acts as a cofferdam to keep the oil in. Generally you don’t need to put any gasket cement on the side to the cover, that way you can remove the cover without having to replace the gasket. I have a lexan side cover for the push rod gallery, which lets me see if the lifters are actually rotating.

But back to your diagnostic test, you are doing, it would be interesting to match your pair testing with the compression test figures and think about the logic of why the engine runs with two of the pairs but not the third pair. Of course replacing the wires with known good ones will also help clarify the issues. Hopefully the problem will completely disappear.

Sounds like you are going down the line of check the simple stuff first, which is why I was reluctant to suggest one possible cause, until I check that you can check it with out taking the engine apart. That problem is cam lobe wear below is a picture of two intake cam lobes on the cam that came out of my 235 the really worn one is .08" shorter than the other in lift. Before I mentioned this pain in the ass to repair issue wanted to be sure that their was a non-invasive way of checking. Does the manual you have this section on checking Lobe Lift?

Yesterday I did this check on the 216 out of my HUP, first step in determining how extensive an over haul it needs, biggest problem I had was getting the mag base of my dial indicator to really clamp tight to the head and be in the same plain as the push rods.

Forgot to put the rest of the phrase “64K dollar question” as from the quiz program but you got my point.

Back out to the shop temperature out side high 50s F, mud season just beginning, roads look like someone had been using them for mortar practice, some of the pot holes are so big they look more like shell craters particularly when there are bits of cars laying around after hitting them.

Cheers Phil

Running 235 without valve cover
 

Hi Bob

Well I was pretty much right about running 235 without the valve cover in place. When out lifted the cover off the 235 on the engine test stand and hit the starter. At 400-500 RPM no splash no drips but at 1400 RPM a few drops of oil start coming out and landing on the manifold.

Added some higher resolution video of the 235 engine running topless. http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.c...ineTesting.htm Click on 3-18-11 235 running 001
3-18-11 235 running 002 these don't work well with dial up work good on high speed internet.

Cheers Phil

Sunday, Muddy Sunday
 

There is not much to report from the barn. This weekend was fairly quiet. Bob headed to the sunny climes of southern Ontario to talk carbs (no, he is not on a diet), and maybe swing a deal to pick up a few more CMPs…I didn’t make it out to the barn until Sunday morning. It was a balmy 0oC with no noticeable wind to drive the temperature downwards. The sun shone brightly all day long, which turned the once frozen approach to the barn into the usual springtime quagmire.

The warmer temperatures over the past few weeks served to knock back the snow drifts and to reduce the amount of ice on the roads leading to the barn. This meant more water and mud, but like the return of the Robin (the flying type), they are welcome signs of a change of season. Later that morning, Grant arrived at the barn to perform some administrative chores. My first chore was to remove the accumulated snow from around my shelters. If left in place, the melt waters will gravitate to the shelter floor. Much like it did in “Club HUP”. Grant and I dug a drainage ditch to drain the water on the floor of the shelter.

The rest of the last day of winter was spent babying the HUP. After winching it out of its shelter, I spent the most of the morning fabricating and installing an electrical system kill-switch and mount, and then I changed the oil. The electrical work went well, although it is not hooked up yet…so the jury is still out on that one. The oil change was interesting. After running the HUP for about 15 minutes, I shut her down and prepared to perform her first oil change. With all due regard for the environment, the HUP was prepared for her transfusion. The oil pan bolt came out with no trouble at all – right into the oil container. After fishing the nut out of the oil container, I watched the dirty oil drip out, fascinated by how dirty oil gets with only about 10 hours of running time on the clock. After the dripping ceased, I replaced the oil pan plug (had you worried there, didn’t I?).

The next step was to remove the two oil filters that were hidden under the frame rail. Sometimes I am amazed at my physical strength. I put both filters on “hand tight”, but it took a considerable amount of positioning and grunting to get them off. After a five minute fight, I managed to get number one to twist ever so slightly. Encouraged, I gave a mighty heave and finally, the filter gave up its fight. But not before it dripped dirty oil down its sides. No problem, says I. My latex gloves will keep my hands oil free. After spinning the filter, off it came. Oil, I am told, has some slippery properties. Combined with latex gloves, it is like grabbing onto a greased pig. Needless to say, the filter slipped out of my hands and plunged directly into the container of oil previously bled from the oil pan. Now these filters are not the little ones found on your average small car – they are quite big and have considerable heft – judging from the cascades of oil that landed on my coveralls, the front tire, and the cardboard box used for a ground sheet.

After a 20 minute clean up, I tackled number two filter. No mistakes this time – it came off nicely and was gingerly emptied into the oil container. Next, I filled the new filters with fresh oil and screwed them on – hand tight of course… Both filters were then marked with the date of the oil change with permanent marker. The rest of the new oil was dumped into the opening in the valve cover. Not a good idea. Too much oil at any time causes a flood over the valve cover gasket and the oil seeks a way to escape. My valve cover has a few dents and dings in it and it does not exactly fit the gasket perfectly – as was witnessed by the oil oozing down the drivers side of the engine block. After a 20 minute clean up, I declared that simple task done.

Feeling like I had accomplished something, I decided to tackle a persistent problem with the accelerator linkage. The linkage binds when you first press on it with your foot, and then it gives way suddenly. This makes driving the truck very exciting. Grant and I studied the linkage and determined where we thought the binding occurred. After some tinkering and lots of lube, it was decided that the problem was the linkage lever that ultimately connected to the carburetor. The trick was taking the little rig apart. Off came the “C” clip. Attempts to remove the lever proved futile as the exhaust flange was in the way. Brilliant idea! Remove the pin that holds the lever. No go - still no clearance. Next, remove the exhaust bolts and lower the flange. Success! Off came the lever. Now, call it curiosity, or just plain stupidity, but I decided that the pin could use a cleaning. Out came the wrench and the pin was removed with no fight at all. My delight turned to horror, for as soon as I removed the pin, a torrent of nice green anti-freeze sprayed out of the block. It is amazing how your memory works (or does not work at the proper time) when faced with a crisis. In my mind, I recalled that I had seen this happen before – some fellow named Bob, I think, pulled the same stunt a few years earlier. Good laughs all round then…not so much this day. The pin was promptly returned to its home and left there.

After a 30 minute clean up, I took the lever to compare it to one of the engines in the barn. The lever configuration was somewhat the same, but the angles were different. It was then that it struck me – the engine was out of a North American commercial vehicle and the lever was actuated from behind the engine – not from the front. To fix this problem, I cut a “V’ into the upper portion of the lever and carefully forced the gap to close. A few zaps with the MIG welder later, the lever was ready for its test run.

The linkage was reassembled and it worked somewhat better. There still seemed to be a lot of resistance. This was problem was traced to the two return springs I had set up. I took off one of the springs and tried it again. Success! Giddy with excitement, I started up the HUP and tested the gas pedal. Outstanding! But what was that noise I was hearing? Oh yes, the exhaust bolts…After a quick shut down, the bolts and the flange were reinstalled. Now it was approaching time to go home. After driving the HUP back into her shelter, I bade her a fond good-bye, wondering where the day went…

Lever photos:
1st - "Normal lever config"
2nd - Comparison - after bending the original
3rd - Final product (less dressing up and paint)

Adventures at the barn....
 

Hi Rob

Sounds like you guys don't need me have fun and shower in oil and antifreeze.... sure Phil got a chuckle from that stunt has he did the sme thing once.

Think of buying a large oil filter socket that fits the bottom indentations of the PH 8 filters...cheap at CTC..... then I can borrow it..... or I might even have one soemwhere..... or Grant will find it for me and offer to sell it to me.....

Phil

Need to read the GM manual on using a dial indicator...... also need to pick up or order some spare cork/rubber gaskets for the valve cover...... Rob whenever we remove your valve cover will need to straighten out the edges flatter to minimize leaks....

Eventually will need to redo the balance test on Rob's truck and pay more attention to vaccum readings...... etc... then will need to repeat process on mine to see where that popping sound in the exhaust comes from....probably a miss adjusted valve.

Will try to do like Phil and make a video of the clattering valves.

I don't know if it is an illusion but when you watche the valve rockers in action..... they seem to do a series of fast flicker... then stop/pause for a brief moment.... then start again..... in a repeated cycle....

Phil... if I do not need to rev up the engine with the valve cover removed.... do I really need to fabricate an open top valve cover...? a good siliconed gasket as an oil dam may suffice...? enjoyed your video....

Also.... did you instal a fairlead on the front bumper of your cab 12... and if so do you have a picture of it...? looking at location in relationship to the vertical grill guard and the D ring bracket.

Bob

About that accelerator pivot bolt
 

Hi Rob and Bob

About that accelerator pivot bolt, whoever thought that going into the water jacket was a good idea need to have to work on the thing. In reading Rob's post about the thing binding I was planning to comment, but Bob beat me to it.

Yup my throttle linkage pivot crank seemed to bind. On my first major trip out with the new engine in BEAUTY the binding succeeded in walking the bolt all the way out going down the road. That sudden sweet smell as the antifreeze peed out on the exhaust pipe. Pulled over saw what the problem was waited for the engine and exhaust pipe to cool reinstalled the pivot crank with gasket cement and pulled out the wash up water hose from the shower in the truck and refilled the radiator.

I have the water hot water system for the shower set up with an outside hose so that I can use the hot water to clean parts in the shop 20' hose and you can also fill the radiator. Much easier than standing on the bumper trying to pour water out of a 5 gallon jerry can.

Nice work on the rework of the pivot crank, wish I'd though of that instead of spending a day making one out of bar stock.

Out to the shop now to run test the engine out of my HUP, already know the cam lift is even and inside reasonable limits from dial indicator test, now for a good compression test, know what the compression was 10 years ago, have to see what it is now. Also once the engine is running under controlled conditions on the test stand want to check the valve clearances to see how much they have worn, also got to see if I made an entry in the log as to when I last adjusted them.


Cheers Phi

Back to the rough running
 

Hi Guys

Yesterday I thought I had your rough running nailed and was going to be able to post a video with sound of my engine doing the exact same thing with cause identified.

The key was the sound track but all my camera picked up was the howl of the fan, and when I went out this morning with a good sound recording unit I could not get the engine to repeat the performance.

But let me tell you what I found and is this something you have tested for or ruled out. Excessive fuel pressure 8psi + caused a ragged running with poor acceleration.

How did I get to this, running the 216, out of my HUP, on the test stand suddenly it started running rough without changing anything setting started checking all the gauges and when I looked at the fuel pressure gauge it was pegged. Turned off the electric fuel pump which is hooked in line with the mechanical and as soon as the engine bleed the pressure down to 4-5 psi of the mechanical pump, engine smooth right out. Turned the fuel pump back on engine started running ragged again. Looked down the carb you could even see a difference in the fuel spray plus fuel leaking. Today when I tried to repeat the problem the fuel float valve worked perfectly and seal and metered the fuel correctly.

Just another one of those fun little gremlins to track down.

Cheers Phil

Fuel pressure.....
 

.... interesting observation....... we have no way of telling what pressure it is running at but will investigate..... he is running a standard mechanical pump with a removeable outbourd fuel tank.

When we described Rob's engine as running rough it may be missleading..... our choice of words may have been misleading.....

His engine developed a vibration..... that increses with rpm..... not strong vibration but a noticeable one..... as if something was out of round. Now the new spark plugs have greatly reduced that ill shaking....almost gone but not totally. I uspect that it would not even record on a microphone... the rough running vibration his much more felt than heard.

On the other hand my engine as a small persistent not regualr popping or puffing sound from the exhaust and can be heard an felt if you hold your hand by the outlet of the exhaust pipe.... I suspect a valve adjustment is needed....... hoping against all odds that I did not burn out or wear out a cam lobe on the start up......

On separate note...... I scored a spare Carter YF 966s carburator and I am having an elusive Zenith 28 228 carb rebuilt..... originally stock on 270 GMC.... it will be nice to see which runs best on the 261...... all of them will accept the stock 216 air breather. In time, pictures will follow.

Hang in there and thanks for the intellectual/mechanical dialogue.

Bob

Barn Update
 

Not much to report. Saturday was chilly but sunny. A good day for some interior economy. Bob and Grant puttered around the barn and the back field looking for accelerator linkage parts. I went through all of my spare parts in the shed and tried to improve the organization of the parts. I was quite surprised at the number of Ford parts I have laying about. They have to go...Later in the morning, the boys headed off to Embrun to visit the machine shop and to take in some lunch.

While they were away, I test fit the driver side door to the 45 HUP. There is an issue with the hinges - when the hinges are installed, the door won't shut. As previously mentioned, I think there were some assumptions made by the chaps who repaired my door and now the hinges do not fit properly.

Rather than tear apart a very nice 45 HUP door, I've decided to modify the hinges. I am not yet sure if I will have to lengthen the door side hinge arm or the frame side hinge arm. Time will tell.

As time was running out, I headed back to the barn to sweep out a winter's worth of dirt, mud, dust and sand. Not satisfied with that, I cleaned off the work bench and side shelf, which had become laden with parts from many small winter projects. Then, it was back to Ottawa. Funny thing, I was sure I could hear swearing coming from the direction of Hammond while I driving home.

I used wedge shaped shim on the doors
 

Hi Rob

I think by now all most all CMP hinges are bent from a little to unusable. On my two Pattern 13s I resorted to making wedge shape shims that fit between the door post and the hinge. Using these I was able to get the doors into proper alignment.

Picture below is of the drivers side top hinge on my HUP shims have been in since 1978 when you look close they are not as pretty as they could be. When I reassemble the HUP plan to make new ones that will follow the shape of the hinge lip.

I'll take a picture of the shims alone and post it.

The next step would be to make new hinges which I think can be done. On my Pattern 12 the hinges were so shot that making them was the only way to have doors that opened. Whats on the 12 Cab now work well but need to work on making them look more original.

Cheers Phil

Shimming!
 

Hi Phil,

As usual, you come up with such elegant and workable solutions! I'll try the shim solution this coming weekend. Bob had mentioned the possibility of shimming up the hinges, but I was fixated on how to shimmy the door side hinge, and couldn't see how it could be done. Just another example of not seeing the forest for the trees.

Hinge Pins
 

Hi Phil & Rob,

Any thoughts on worn hinge pins being (at least) part of the sloppy fit problem?

Brian

Yup the pins do wear
 

Good point Brian, and there is a simple easy solution, Chevy didn't change its pins or the T head bushing I've found them at the local auto parts store. If some body knows the year cross over that would help. But I just took an old pin and one of the bushings and had no problems.

I'll have to check all the hinges on my HUP to see if after 30 years they need to be replaced again, if they do I'll post the parts number once I find it.


Cheers Phil

Pins
 

Brian and Phil, Yes, the pins have some wear on them, but that wear is not the problem. When the hinges are bolted to the door and the truck frame, the door does not have the proper clearance at the hinge end to close. I am not sure that I am communicating the problem clearly, so I will take photos next trip to the barn.

I have a good stash of pins thanks to a previous purchase, but do lack the bushings. Phil, I am looking forward to your posting of the bushing part number and the parts source(s)?

Thanks, R

hinge pin part #
 

Hi Phil & Rob,

Thank you both for your replies.

The pins I got from Dirk Leegwater (LWD Parts) were:

CHEV / CAN LV7 / G.M.C.
32- 4023559
PIN, HINGE


Brian

My 5 cents worth....
 

Let me jump in this .......

Oddly enough the front hinges are in very good shape and the pins not loose.

The problem was created when the doors were reskinned and the alignment problem is where the hinge section fits inside the door panel itself......seems the pitch of the sheet metal was altered and pushed in or out.

If we try.... and we will.... to fit wedges of some sort they would have to be on the inge section that fits inside the door and the bolts are inserted from the outside..... the small cut out that allows the hinge to fit inside the door limits the thickness of the wedge that can be fitted.... or maybe we need to instal some wedges on both end of the hinge to split the thickness...

Pictures will make it easier to understand....

...and the weather is finally warming up for the weekend..... +7 or 8 C

Bob

Unhinged at the Barn
 

Oh, what luck! It was 2oC at 0730 hrs this morning, and it got up to 10oC by noon. Finally, we get to work outside without the fear of frostbite, or flying pests – unless you count being crapped on by over-flying geese. The geese and the muddy yard are true signs of spring, but there is still frost in the ground which forces the water to pool instead of seeping away. At this point, I’ll take soggy over frozen, thank you.

After finishing some maintenance on my car, I dragged the HUP out of its shelter. By this time, Bob had made his appearance, ready to do some carburetor work, but he had misplaced some of the fittings he needed to complete this task. His attention then turned to assisting me in determining the cause of the binding of the HUP driver side door. After discussing the merits of shimming, cutting hinges, or drilling new holes, we decided to do a study of the hinges themselves. It was noted with some surprise that the frame side hinges that I had were of two styles – one with a very small off-set, the other with a pronounced off-set. We attached both models to the door, but still had the same problem. The next step was a little un-nerving for me, but Bob, being the adventurous type, convinced me that surgery was required.

We took the door into the barn and determined that the leading inside edge that the hinges bolted to, needed to be relieved and bent forward. This would change the angle of the hinges, and could solve the problem. At that moment, Guy Vapeur made his appearance. After watching the proceedings, he glibly suggested that we weld a nut and a backstop onto either side of the newly cut gap so that a bolt could be threaded in to allow us to adjust the gap while the door was on the truck. Bob and I looked at each other, and did exactly that! It worked like a charm – much to Guy’s surprise and our delight. However, it was only part of the solution.

While the new angle of the hinge improved the situation, there was still a ¼ inch or more gap between the end of the top most hinge and the holes in the frame. The idea of drilling new holes in the frame was quickly pooh-poohed as there is a support strut inside the frame that would have been damaged if we drilled into it. So, after eliminating two solutions, we shook our heads and went to lunch.

After lunch, we had another look at the problem and decided to accept the fact that the door could not be further altered. The frame could not be drilled into, so that left the hinges. Initially, I was going to cut the bottom hinge in the center of the long arm and weld in a piece. The adjustment of the door edge made that an unnecessary step. That left the top hinge. The door side arm is very thick and does not present too many opportunities for modification. The frame side hinge was a different story. After measuring the difference between the hinge and the frame mounting holes, it was decided that we would modify the frame side hinge arm.

I now invite the “bolt-fascists” and self-indulgent “purists” who gird their loins and gnash their teeth at the thought of modifying things historic, to move onto another thread at this point. The modification was quite simple – weld a two inch piece of steel onto the hinge, drill new holes, fill the old holes and shape the new piece to look “almost” like the old piece. This went exceptionally well, thanks in no small part to Bob’s skills as a welder. The new hinge component was attached to its mate and the door was hung. The holes lined up, and things looked great! We took the door off the frame again and Bob welded the gap shut. After half an hour of grinding, the door looked no worse for the wear. I was delighted with this progress and wondered if there was anything else that could make this day better when Bob walked through the barn door with a beer in each of his hands! That answered that question. By the time the beer disappeared, time ran out and I headed back to the city. My hat is off to Bob for his advice and assistance today. It was well appreciated.

Photos attached to follow on postings

Door Surgery
 

Here are the first batch of photos of Saturday's activities:

1. The door in question
2. Lower hinge gap
3. Door pre surgery
4. Door post surgery
5. The Guy Vapeur Gap Adjuster (patent pending)

Hinge Surgery
 

1. The hinge prior to welding
2. The hinge post welding and quenching
3. Drilling new holes
4. Stitching up the gap
5. Finally! The new hinge provides for the necessary clearance to allow the door to open and shut without binding. The real nice thing is that the mirror mount will hide most of the extended hinge.

Nice or should I say elegant solution
 

Hi Guys

You know you taught me something that I did not know. The hinges are apparently cast steel not cast iron as I assumed all of these years. I had always assumed they were cast iron because of rough texture. Never had even thought of reworking them by welding them.

Yes, I know you can weld cast iron, but not with the apparent easy of your photos.

So I learned my one new thing for the day and now I can stop thinking for the rest of the day.

Cheers Phil

There In Lies the Lesson
 

Phil, Since we do not know what can't be done, we venture down may roads less taken. I guess our motto should read: Success by trial and (a lot of) error.

I cheated....
 

Hi Phil

I was not sure either.....but I ran a corner of the hinge under the bench grinder..... the sparks convinced me it was steel.... so I kept grinding a bevel on both faces...... wanted to make sure we had good penetration..... and we did .....they got red hot side to side.

I just did not know we could do it....

Bob

Sunny Saturday Satisfaction
 

Saturday was beautiful. The early morning mist cleared as the sun rose over the still frozen grounds. On the way out to Hammond, I noticed the local Liberals were holding a meeting, so I stopped to take a photo – see photo one below.

The road to the barn was still nicely frozen, so the drive in was fairly easy for my little car. By now, the sun was blazing in its full glory and not too soon thereafter the great melt started. My first chore was to drain one of the lakes that had formed near the shed. This involved digging a trench across the road so the water could drain into the gully. It wasn’t long before the surface ice melted away as the temperature was on its way up to +17oC. The HUP likes the warm weather. It started on the first crank and settled into a nice idle in very little time. After backing it out of its shelter, I let it sit in the sun to bring it up to a good operating temperature. By now Bob and Grant had arrived and took on the task of plumbing up Bob’s new carburetor. Guy Vapeur arrived to deliver a nice reduction motor to Bob. Bob will provide an update on his latest project. Shortly thereafter, we headed out for lunch. The trip back to Hammond was done with the windows down on the truck. Good weather had finally arrived.

This wonderful weather was well received, but it also heralded the arrival of the Hammond Air force. The mosquitoes started buzzing about by 10 AM. After lunch, I reassessed the driver side door fit. It was discovered that the lower hinge needed some adjustment to ensure that the door had a uniform fit front and rear. Bob recommended that I heat the longer lower hinge and bend it. He also recommended that I try bending a spare hinge first. As luck would have it, I had a very bent up lower hinge sitting around. With Grant’s help, I toasted the hinge to red hot and Grant applied the necessary force to eventually bring the hinge back to its original configuration. This worked quite well, so we tackled the original hinge – it too bent back into shape. We compared both adjusted hinges to a pristine hinge just to make sure. However, the bending revealed another problem – now the frame side hinge holes did not align with the frame holes.

Once again, it was decided to weld on some more steel stock onto the frame side hinge arm, fill the original holes and drill new holes. We ran into one small problem – our drills failed to cut the steel. Bob recommended heating the steel, burying it in sand to let it cool slowly so that the metal cools without too much hardening. While the hinge cooled off, I replaced the plug wires on the HUP. This seemed to make the engine run smoother. I guess the 20+ year old wires lost some of their effectiveness.

The next project for me was to start the process of reassembling the HUP’s side windows. The original metal frames were quite rusted and required a bit of welding, stripping and restoration. I painted the frames inside and out ensuring that all of the metal channels were coated in rust paint. This was quite messy as I had to pour paint into some of the holes in the frame and slosh it about until I was sure everything was coated. Once dried, all of the screw holes for the sliding glass tracks had to be tapped out to remove any remaining rust and paint. Once this was done, I replaced the original screws and painted the exposed portions of the frames with an olive drab-ish spray of paint. As usual, the day passed all too soon, and I had to head back to Ottawa. By now the driveway had turned to a deep gumbo that almost caused me to bog down the Corolla. I brought the frames home with me where they are awaiting their glass and tracks. I’ll get onto them on Monday after work now that working the garage no longer requires a parka and mitts.


Photos

1 - Wild turkeys near auto wrecker yard in Cumberland
2 - The door - off again - showing welding - which will be covered by liner
3 - The boys working on Bob's carby
4 - The boys working on Bob's carby - coats off
5 - HUP metal window frame

Some Interesting Ideas
 

Point setting tip:

http://rides.webshots.com/album/557190450brdpqh?start=0

Click thru the various pages for some more good ideas.

Changing carburetor....
 

We took advantage of the nice weather on Saturday and worked on fine tuning the C15a.

My first endeavour was to eliminate the original 1959 vacuum connection sticking out like a sore thumb for the left side of the intake manifold. The overall clearance between the intake manifold and the engine cover sheet metal is approx. 3/4 inch on my cab 11. The huge fitting currently on the 1959 manifold is sticking out almost 2 inches.

One option was to drill a hole at 90 degree to the current hole and pipe something from that location. Cloder examination of spare intake manifold showed that only the outside face of the intake manifold is full solid cast iron. All ohter 3 sides seem to have a void between the air passages inside and the outside surface. Remember that this part of the intake manifold serves as a chamber that allows exhaust gases to flow around the iar passages and heat up/vaposize the fuel mix. The only other option was to drill one or both sides of the rounded section somewhere between the 2nd / 3rd or 4th / 5th cylinders and tap for a brass fitting. I was afraid of unbalancing the fuel mix....... or even worst of introducing metal shavings into the manifold..... ( I was determined NOT to remove the good sealing manifolds).

So I copied what was originally done when they installed power brake boosters on early CMPs. I had a local machine shop make me a 3/4 inch steel spacer shaped like the profile of a carburetor gasket..... alsmot the same as the current black bakelite insulator exept a littel thicker. The 3/4 inch thickness allowed for drilling and tapping two 1/4 ID holes opposite each other for fitting brass fitting.... one forward for the PVC pipe one at the rear for the vacuum gauge and later the windshield wipers.

In the process if fitting the steel spacer I took advantage of swapping the rebuilt Rochester B carb for a newly rebuilt Carter YF suited to the 261. This one is not supposed to leak raw gasoline when I negotiate very step hills.... that has yet to be tested.

Not to waste the nice weather we also removed the valve cover and re adjusted the valves.... that eliminated the small ticking of one valve and stopped the puffing sound that was heard in the exhaust outlet...

Now idles nicely at 475 / 500 rpm...... never gets any hotter than 160 F.... and a very steady 22 inches of vacuum and 35 psi on the oil gauge.

Ran the engine with no valve cover.... found it utterly facinating to see the oil flowing from the rockers and the almost musical rythmic oscilation of these little rockers.......

So here are some pictures of the before and after. Don't be discouraged with all the rubber and vinyl hoses.... they will be replaced with proper metal tubing and /or rubber hoses as appropriate once we have worked out all the bugs.

where did the pictures go....?
 

First one is the offending connector which was fine for a larger engine bay of a 1959 truck BUT not for a cab 11.

Second from a different angle shows the large PVC pipe connection and the temporary vacuum lines.

Third one shows the new carburetor.... the shiny steel spacer. Notice the original 216 air cleaner fits perfectly on the Carter. We installed a thin craft paper (previously covered lightly with silicon sealer and alloed to dry overnight) gasket below and above the steel spacer....followed by the black bakelite insulator..... the usual slotted carb gasket on top of the insulator than the Carter YF. Luck would have it the throttle linkage was readjsuted an fitted perfectly. Because the rebuilder had flow tested the carb it was a simple "turnkey" operation to fire up the engine.... slight tweaking of the mixture screw and Voila !!!!!

Dig that brand new Carter fuel filter now installed.

The large brass pipe plug will eventually be replaced by a recessed Hex brass plug so it will not stick out.

Picture four.... the guages...... note the temp gauge is meant for oil but works fine for the coolant temp.... and I opted for a larger vacuum guage to see the needle fluctuations that I had when my manifold was leaking.

I may take the time to redo the valves again..... the original intermitent puffing from the exhaust has disappeared but I seem to detect some slight rumbling.... maybe it is trying to emitate a Ford V8. we build a hand crank for the engine to allow easier turning of the engine for the valve adjustment.
Just want to make sure we have it right..... not to tight to burn a valve and not too loose to sound like a Singer sewing machine...... besides it is good practice and a lot easier now with out the sheet metal.

I must mention that I had the able, patient assistance of Grant and the encouragement of Rob who was modifying/fabricating hinges for his HUP.

Must be doing something right as both the HUP and my truck now start at the flick of the starter lever.....

Bob

PS..... next time I will try out a rebuilt Zenith 28 228 intended for a GMC 270 c.i.

Cracked rocker.....
 

While doing the valve adjustement good old eagle eye Grant noticed a crack or cut on top of one of the valve rocker...... see picture below..... came as a total surprise.... when examined closer it is almost like a hacksaw cut rather than a crack.... and this rocker arm assembly was purchased totally rebuilt. It is running good right now but has me worried. all the valve push rods are turning properly and oil drippes out quite nicely.

Should I worry and replace it......??

Being a hoarder... I mean a well prepared boyscout ready for any eventuality I happen to have a spare fully rebuilt rocker arm assembly curtesy of EBay so doign a swap is quite feasible...... not sure yet.

I welcome your comments / suggestions.

Bob

Rocker Arm
 

Hi Bob

Looks like you have been busy, about the rocker arm, I think I would replace it only if I was pulling the assembly off for another reason. That side of the lifter is in compression so having a small cut on the top is unlikely to cause trouble unless you try running it in a NASCAR race and start floating the valves.

Glad the spacer solved the vacuum tap issue. Also make it easier if you decide to mount that brake booster.

Let us know how the carb works at the 60 degree hill climb, you really need a bigger hill something more like 50' tall.

Cheers Phil

Casting flaw..
 

Hi Bob..
It looks like a casting flaw to me and agree with Phil..run it..
:drunk::remember :support :salute:

Fast Times at the Barn
 

Spring is here! Or so we thought. It was 0oC at 8:00 AM this Saturday morning, but the wind chill hovered around -8oC. Given our recent high temps (approaching +20oC last week), this was a shock to the system.

I got an early start on my door hinge. Bob’s advice to let the metal cool slowly worked. Both holes were drilled with very little effort. The hinge was test fit to the HUP and looked the part. My major task this morning was to finish the preparation of my HUP side window frames. When I took the HUP apart, a lot of screws refused to turn, so I chiseled them off. Each window frame had about 4 headless screws in them. Some were long enough to twist out with vice-grips, others were broken off below the surface. The sub-surface screws were removed by center punching the top of the screw body and then drilling it out with progressively larger drill bits. The holes were then tapped and test fitted with some original screws. I think my success in this task was due to the fact that no “easy outs” were used. Bob then showed up to pick up some wheels to take downtown for replacement.

The next task was to fix one portion of a frame that had been caved in – there was no way in my mind to bang the dent out, so I used the grinder with a thin blade to cut across and under the dent. The surface was bent back into place and the cuts were re-welded and then ground down. I couldn’t believe how well things were going – figures…it was a short day for me.

Grant arrived as I was welding the window frame. He decided that Lucifer should be lit up to keep Bob nice and warm when he got back from his morning administrative run. I spend the remainder of the morning hunting for parts for the next phase of the restoration project – the dash panel.

Bob and Grant may have some more to add to this thread as they were at it Saturday afternoon and today.

Looking good....
 

Your new fabircated hinge looks very good.

We spent most of Saturday afetrnoon redoing the plumbing on the engine. Removing all the temporary rubber lines and replacing with steel lines. All went well until the bending tool broke..... got the PCV line done.... but I don't like it... once the tool broke our bends tended to flatten out... so that is for next weekend.

We also repalced the temporary vinyl steam line witha perfect copy of an original. I alwasy maintain that you cannot do a truck with out have a few others for spare. Well one donated the steam line and the bracket.... another donated the tiny clip that holds the gas and vacuum line fixed to the top of the water outlet. Grant found the right gauge of sheet metal and fabricated 4 steam line brackets.... why stop at one....will need them in the future anyways.

Funny how you can spend a whole day ficing a bunch of little things and when you look back you can hardly see what you have spent so much time on. ..... but we enjoyed ourselves.

One of the spare cab 12 donated a much needed 216 valve covers... this one is original and has the separate long tube spout in front for oil fill ups and the middle 1 1/2 inch tube to instal the small oil bath air filter on the valve cover.

Got a small NOS oil bath filter a while back from Andre Gibeau and found the sneaky studs/acorn nut/rubber grommelets that Stewart Loy gave me a few years ago.......that will allow me to instal the 216 valve cover on the 261... the disguise of the 261 is underway. Need to sandblast the valve cover and paint it..... will also need to epoxy the one remaining vent/slit in the valve cover to keep dust out of the valve train.

As any one else fitted a 216 cover on a 235/261...? any problem with the gasket.....??

Some stickyness was discovered on the throttle linkage.... gas pedal shaft seems to rub and bind on the brake pedal.... nice cruize control but not what I want. Will need to fiddle around that one as well. Want to make sure the carburator get wide open throttle when the accelorator button gets fully depressed.

Can any one explain why we have some 216 valve cover that measure approx. 25 inches and some measure 26 inches.... the longer one fits on a 261........ What is the short 25 inches valve cover for....?

Well next weekend is the opening of the Wabbit season..... hoping to get a big one with a large basket of Kocholate eggs.

Bob