My Truck

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Rod Salter

And then I have found the reason for the leak in the water pump



rod

Your water pump appears to be the two hole type .Your engine block has the two holes in it ? Up to 1940 the engine blocks had a single hole for the water pump.

[Rod Salter]

Yes Mike 2 hole pump.

This afternoon I cleared the deck.

About 30 or 35 years ago I fitted Grampa's (mum's side) home made crane, I also fitted the Military wheels for better stability as it had only one civilian each side and that was fitted on the inside.



Where I was out west nothing ever rusted away, logs did not rot.

But here, metal vanishes in front of my eyes,
The rims were standing upright on the back tray but grass and leaves had gotten between them.
They have been there about only 15 years and ruined already !



front



rear

Oh well, it's done and I wasn't going to use those rims anyway, although I have 5 left.

I must have a dig around out bush for the other 2 chev rims but I suspect they got covered in silt during a flood, if memory serves me well.

Incidentally aluminium left on the ground here vanishes like it was dipped in acid

Rhetorically, I often wonder what chassis were cut up for the crane.

cheers rod

[Rod Salter]

I have been asked what the other truck lurking in the corner of my first photo is.



It is a Desoto. (Was my uncles)

Originally it had the Hannaford seed grader on it, Too much enthusiasm when loading saw the grader come adrift.

The grader is now dumped on the Big Austin. (Was Dad's main truck, seems like forever, I drove it a bit too. Has a big lever up through floor to help vacuum 2 speed diff to change. With a load of grain on if it got off the road it was a challenge to hold it and get it back on )

The little Austin is hiding in the grass nearby (Always was mine, put up some miles in it, rebuilt the motor and then could not afford the rego, they never caught me!)

What am I going to do with them? you ask

Well, beside talk to them regularly, I have ideas of tidying them up

Maybe the Chrysler powered flat head Desoto to become my old machinery rally truck.

The motors were all still running, although I haven't started them for about 4 years.

Sorry, The above have nothing to do with military, but maybe interesting.

Incidentally, heard from a seller he let a Chevrolet 4x4 V8 with a strange 2 speed diff (maybe have been international) in it, go for $400 over Christmas.

Lucky someone

cheers rod

[Rod Salter]

As I lay me down to sleep whilst on holidays, I kept awondering how much rust is in the cab of the truck

I have been home 3 days today and could not stop myself from stripping it down

So late day 2 and the chassis is exposed



But before it was completely dark, I also had the motor out and the chassis up on stands



There is rust in the four corners of the cab



The bottom of the fuel tank was non existant



By morning tea today the cab is stripped and ready for sandblasting
I will preserve the firewall as is and untouched



Now if only I had spent half the time it is going to take to repair and fabricate the rusted parts to build a shed 20 years ago I would have no rust, but thats the way my life crumbles some times

This truck is complete and should be easy to restore > after I fix that cab
Oh, and I may need to pump up those tyres cheers rod

Ps. now to load up more of that ford mining equipment and get it in the line