Inherited this from my grandfather.. although my uncle had been using it for the past 9 years, hence the un-grandfather-like wheels and such.
'85 Ram D100.. 318 w/ 3-speed slushbox.
What is it with me and light blue vehicles?!
Not a big fan of those deflectors, but it's in really good shape. Nice score............. under the cirspoogestances.
Ok...ahem...I'll be the first stump-jumper to say it:
That thing got a Hemi? ;)
do it have good old 318 in it :)
I'll be taking the bug deflector off today.
OK, so I know jack and shiznit about Dodge engines, transmissions, etc... but from what poking around I did last night, it *might* be possible to give this thing a 5.9L Magnum (360) and a 4-speed slushbox. The 318 in it now is kinda tired.. leaks some oil and water.. and I wouldn't mind ditching the carbed setup in favor of EFI from a later truck, if that's also possible. Anyway, if I were able to secure an entire wrecked (from behind, I would hope) newer Ram and pull all the relevant guts from it, my thinking is that I could clean that up.. swap over.. and then clean up the 318 as a spare engine. (my grandmother's van also has a 318 in it, similar age) Respectable but not outrageous setup, I would tend to think.. IF it's possible.
Primary projects are still the Fox-bodies, though. Have to unload the '88 T-bird now because the yard's too full of vehicles.. and I still don't know what I'm going to do with the '88 Mark. I'd still like to see someone make a decent car out of it.. but it's looking more and more like it'll end up as spare parts for the '89.. and probably stripped (with the parts put into storage) and hauled off.
Those old Dodges are tough dudes. Good luck with it.
Already got the bug shield and the non-functioning fog lights off of there. Looks much better.
You know, carbed 318's are extremelly reliable, and very easy on fuel. My brother had one in a 74' (ish) Tradesman 200, and he put it in a powerslide with two dead holes.
Well, it would at least leave the option of propane conversion open.. :p
Hmm I would just keep it clean and drive it.
Going to need a rebuild at some point. That's what I'm generally planning around. Driving it as-is for some time to come, barring any major mishaps.. but I like to plan ahead.
Now with the LSC and this truck, I can take one or the other off the road if something does go wrong with either.
dude...my uncle has a 74 dodge D200 with the 318 and the 747 transmission dana 60 with 4.10 and friggin big tires.............thos 318's when wored over right can kill anything just think my uncles truck only has had a valvejob, a new cam, and has been punched over .30 it would run 13-14 if the truck wouldnt fall apart.....
and it only has a 2 barrel
I *think* that the 318 had efi in the form of the 5.2 magnum. You could put a 5.9 magnum (360) in if ya want. I think that the 318 and 360 are differnt (ie 302 is slightly different that a 351 in deck height) though so you'll probibly need the parts from a 5.2 to make your 318 efi. Or if ya had some money to blow ya could just get a 440 Six Pack:D
318 and 360 are the same block...should be able to swap
Took one more pic (after removing the fog lights and bug deflector) before it got dark.
Got two bits of info from the sticker under the hood. First, it says it has a 2.94 axle ratio. Second, it says it's a "Chrysler 8.25 rear". I guess my next goal is to find out how durable these 8.25 rear ends are.
I'm not looking to make a monster out of this thing. I'm not even looking to do anything to it anytime soon. I figure, when the time comes that the 318 needs serious work, I will try to see if I can find a hopefully readily-available engine/trans/etc. out of one of the more popular newer Dodge trucks and use that. I'm guessing the 5.2 Magnum will be easier to find than the 5.9 Magnum.. but either would do. I would most likely leave it at "new" engine, trans, and rear gear to take advantage of having overdrive. (numerically higher, I mean.. to match current highway RPMs) Maybe headers (it already has exhaust work done to it, minus headers) while the engine is out.
The research gives me something to do to take a break from this Mturk website. Doesn't cost anything to read up on what I'm thinking about. :p
I does look a bunch better without that bug flector an dem foggy lites... :hick:
My Lightning has a bug deflector... Ronnie installed it to mainly to help hide a place on the hood that wasn't preped very well when it was painted. Guess I've gotten used to it, never even notice it now... It's supposed to have fog lights but they were missing when Ronnie got it...
BTW yea its possible to install a later FI 360 or 318... Neighbor down the street did just that to a '87 Dodge P/U.. He's since gotten rid of it and swapped a 360 into a '93 Ram Charger... Now that he's got a supercharger on it It's almost as fast as my Bird... Gotta look out though, he just got a 408 stroker for it...
Thinking about using the LED driving lights I won from here on the truck, since I already have a set of driving lights on the Mark.
Also thinking about blacking out (or, more accurately, darker-graying-out) a good portion of the non-chrome trim on the front end.. probably something in the neighborhood of the gunmetal- or graphite-colored paint I've used in the past. Like I did with the LSC's grille, I'd tape off the chrome parts so they remained, and just paint the flat gray areas like the headlight surrounds. Might wait until I can find a second grille and do only one grille like that, so I can change it back if it comes out shiznitty.
Truck looks nice.
My dad has an '01 Ram with the 5.2 (318). It runs good but it's not really that fast. Well not nearly as fast as my cousins '00 4.3 silverado.
That being said, I read in one of the Mopar magazines once that you could take a 318 block, get the magnum performance aluminum heads and a good Mopar cam, headers, full dual exhaust and it will turn out faster than a 5.9 R/T Dakota. I'm sure theres a lot more to this and I read it a good 5 years ago so...
Take a look in the Mopar section of the Jegs or Summit catalogue and you'll see how this stuff is interchangable between the 318 and 360.
Now if I could swap a motor in that thing, I would do a newer truck HEMI. They are pretty fast and that would be too cool. For that matter even one of the newer 4.7 V8's would be better than the 318. More powerful and efficient than a stock 318.
Bird351,
Man, that is a clean truck, no matter what name is on it. I actually like the older generation full-size trucks with single cabs and long beds. And there are worse engines than a 318. Hey, to the Mopar crowd, that's their 302. I think it's been around every bit as long. I've got a friend who's an ex-demo derby driver, and he swears by a 318. He says you can't kill one, even without coolant. I think you can "rod" a 318 with the equivalent parts that a 5.0 could be built with (cams, intakes, heads, headers). I know that if you drop in a 360, you better be ready to spend a lot of time at the pump. And I wouldn't go dropping any late-model Dodge truck/van auto OD in it. I have yet to hear of anyone who's bought a new Dodge truck or van in the last 10 years that made it to, say, 20000 miles before needing to be replaced or rebuilt. They (the OD trannies) are complete junk. I think I'd keep a gool ole' 727 in it, which is probably what it's got right now. I'd put some cool wheels and rubber on it, get the motor tuned up, install some tunes, and just have a nice old (1985 isn't really that old) truck. Like somebody else said, a Dodge truck is tough as nails. Good luck!
Fordman3
Fred, a little more info on that conversion. You can't put magnum heads on a non magnum block. The magnum block oils through the pushrods while an old non magnum oils through the block. Kind of a weird setup the old ones ran.
Ben, Fordman3 is correct about the reliabilty of these engines and transmissions. Working at autozone I can say that I sold more rebuilt dodge magnum engines and the transmissions that backed them. I certianly would not drop a motor and transmission out of a late model unless I knew for certian it was in proper working order. If you do come across a good deal stay away from the 96,97,98 years. More parts sold for those than any other. Anything later than that and you have a better chance of getting a good one.
The first 318s were around in the mid/late 50s, In '67 they brought out a whole new series of small block V8s that included the 273, 318, and later the 340 & 360. To the best of my knowledge no parts interchange between the '66-earlier and later 318s...
So the modern 318 has been around longer than the 302 which was first available in the '68s. Of course the 302 is based on the 289(introduced mid '63) which was based on the 260 and 221 which came out in '62.
At least I probably have a couple years to work out the details.. heh.
For now, I have to cut down the oil usage. Lost a little over a quart of oil just getting it down here. (about 130 miles) Also have to chase down a minor water leak. Have an exhaust leak to deal with, too. Smokes when you first start it up after sitting awhile, (valve stem seals?) and smoked a bit once or twice when I would accelerate on the highway. (could see a bit of haze in the headlights of cars behind me) Needs a tune-up, too. Once I get the leaks and the tune-up taken care of, it should be good for awhile yet.
I'd remove the bezels and grille to do that painting. It'll come out way better, and no chance of overspray.
Yea smoke on startup is valve seals, or maybe just the oil drains in in the heads are plugged up...
I had a 289 ('64 Galaxie 500FB) that used next to no oil, first thing I knew consumption was up to 200 mi qt. Replaced the seals and it went back to using less than a quart in 3000 mi... Was kinda for naught though, within a couple months I had swapped in a 390 :D
That's generally how I do it these days. If it can be easily removed, I remove it to paint it.
I think it's a split on the oil usage.. valve seals, and leaking gaskets.
According to my uncle, it needs an oil pan gasket and both valve cover gaskets. He got the valve cover gaskets (but didn't put them in before I drove it home) but not the oil pan gasket. I see another potential problem in the cutouts in the valve covers themselves. There's a flat plug on the driver's side that has oil around it, and the oil filler neck on the passenger side has oil all around the base as well. I was told by a friend who has had Dodge trucks before that there are gaskets for those two items.. so I think I'm just going to go ahead and pull the valve covers and replace all of the above gaskets. (might paint the covers while they're off, too) Perhaps a new PCV valve while I'm up there wouldn't hurt. I'm guessing that's what I saw in the middle of the driver's side VC.
Well dodge went over kill on all there motors.
318 is hard to kill, A buddy of mine has a dart and use to get 318s from s yard spray out of them for a few weeks then get another one. It seems 250 shot is limit of the bottom end on a stock 318 LOL.
One thing with dodge motors is size of bolts they used.
You look at GM rod, main and head bolts then ford and then dodge.
GM cheaped out and ford was better but dodge wins hands down.
See, I knew there was a little more to it. Actually when I posted I was assuming he'd get a newer block but I never thought about the difference between the magnum and non-magnum318. Thanks.:)
I meant to come back to this once I had a decent pic. I'll have to settle for the following instead. :p
So what's wrong with what's on it now..?
OK, I realize this isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I thought it funny and it's the first time I've ever personally seen it:
The 318 has a 1-barrel carb. Never seen a 1-barrel carb on a V8 before. Oh, I'm sure it happened plenty of times.. but it's the first time I've seen it up close and personal-like.
Even if I keep the 318 with a rebuild in its future, I think the 1-barrel will have to go. :p
i like the baby moons thats the first thing i noticed
My uncle put some good tires and wheels on it. There's a few tiny rust spots on the smoothies, (looked on Summit for matching wheels, that's what looked the most like what's on there) but they're overall in great shape. The tires themselves are in pretty good shape, and he estimated they probably have another 30k miles left on them, so I won't argue with his estimates. I think they were 255/70R15s.. don't feel like going out to check. :p Anyway, they just happened to be really dirty when I drove the car home. They're a lot better off than they look in the first few pics, and even in that last one.. where I just grabbed a dirty rag and wiped 'em down with Armor-All Low-Gloss.
I never seen a one barrel on a V8. You gotta snasp some piics of that!
Um ben that should be a two barrel carb. Autozone.com doesn't list a 1 barrel. If its anything like a rochester two barrel it is perfectly round, unlike a motorcraft two barrel wich looks like it has two barrels. Only the leaning tower of power got a 1 barrel.
Anyone happen to know offhand what, if anything, Dodge's version of an EVTM is called? I've got seven vacuum lines loose under the dash at a plug that disintegrated. Might as well try to get literature on this truck for cases like this. Probably pick up a Haynes as well.
Giving it a bit of a cleaning up today. Sprayed this funky spray penetrating grease (got it from my uncle.. supposedly industrial-strength stuff.. comes in a red can with a black cap) into all the door and tailgate and hood mechanisms. Noticeably easier to latch the doors now, and the hood takes about a third of the effort to open as it did before. Even the hood release cable moves much easier.
Might put the LED driving lights on it today, too.
But did you double check what kinda carb you have?
Not yet. :p Every time I go out to look, (and I need a step ladder half the time) I get sidetracked with other stuff.
My woman just got a job at Starbucks, so she's been bringing home these evil drinks with double-shots of espresso in 'em, and I've been like this since yesterday: http://ualuealuealeuale.ytmnd.com/ :p Can't focus on anything for long until I come down from the caffeine buzz. :p
It should be a two-barrel, as CougarSE says. If you were to remove it from the intake you'd be able to see the two venturiis from underneath - from the top it simply has a single, round choke plate. Heck, IIRC you should be able to look into the opening and see the two venturiis.
Now that I have a Haynes for it, (just got back from AutoHole) I can see the exploded views of the carb. Yeah, it's a 2-barrel. Not going up there to look, though.. my step ladder is too rickety for me to be that high up on it. :p
Guess there's a 4-barrel and new manifold in my future. :p
hell, you can tell by the width...... 2 barrel carbs tak up less space than 4 barrel carbs
it most likly has a 2 barrel.........seeing how its mainly stock and dodge put 2 barrels on them....
I.E.
2 barrel
(http://www.holley.com/data/products/pictures/large0-4412Sv2.jpg)
4 barrel
(http://static.redjupiter.com/images/65Comet/carbHolley600.jpg)
save you some money....... stick with the two
[note] my uncle owns one of these! [/note]
After a brief interlude to put new plugs in my mom's ZX2, got back to work on the truck. Put the LED driving lights on it, but haven't run the wiring yet. Painting the light gray non-chrome surfaces on the headlight surrounds in Dupli-Color TV&SUV T414 Storm Gray Metallic. Think it'll look good.. it's about the same as gunmetal. Should have some pics tomorrow.
Preview pic: Left surround is untouched.. still has the argent-like faded gray intact. Right surround has had 2 coats of Storm Gray Metallic and 2 coats of 500 degree clearcoat. Should get much better pics in daylight.. this camera sux.
looks good....... keep up the good work.....
I would stick with that 2 barrel. Who makes it though. Is it a thermaquade variant or is it made by rochester? I know the 4 barrels those trucks had were quadrajets not thermaquads, only in the 80's though.
its a carter carb
Then it should be a good one right. Working at autozone I never had anyone come in to replace one.
yeah they're like the 318 lol bullet proof .......but you can burn the out of one (we rebuilt this one over here because of running rich and catching fire)
https://www.rockauto.com/
Painted the headlight surrounds and hooked up the driving lights:
Couldn't resist attempting a night shot to show off Carmen's work. As always, my digital camera sucks cbuttstuff water.
(someone, and I'm not gonna say who, forgot to put the male connectors on the lights, where they plug into the harness.. fortunately I had a few left) :p
Unfortunately, for the way I have them now and what I have them on, they don't do much good while driving. You can't even tell they're on when the headlights are on, at least from the cab. I think if I had them mounted under the bumper instead of in the holes the original fog lights were mounted with, I'd probably see more of the light on the ground. I'm thinking it might have something to do with the light distribution limitations of LEDs vs. normal lights. I know I had at least one person flash their brights at me for having them on along with the low beams.. which we had just aimed downward a bit. Any issues here are my fault for reusing the old mounting location.. maybe in a few days when I'm bored I'll try them under the bumper. Anyway, if you're considering buying some of Carmen's lights, I would recommend them.
Already had one guy ask me how much I wanted for the truck.. heh.
OK, here's the part where I make some people cringe. (more than usual)
I decided I would be doing some painting on the engine soon, since I had to pull the valve covers and chase down some oil leaks. I already have a blue engine, a black engine, and a red engine.. all Fords.. so I wanted the Dodge engine to stand out from the rest just a little bit more.
Asked my fiance to come along with me and help me pick out an engine color from all the 500 degree paints at AutoHole. She nabbed plum purple. OK, a little odd, but I can deal with it.
Now it has me wondering if, when it comes time to paint this truck again, maybe I should really fix it up nice and then paint it Plum Crazy Purple. Same wheels and tires, (smoothies and RWL tires) no change in ride height, no other external changes except maybe tinting the windows with a basic black/dark charcoal tint like I have on my Lincoln. I mean, I like light blue and all, but three of my vehicles are light blue.. and the ones that aren't won't be around much longer.. and it's not like Plum Crazy Purple is a totally random color to put on a Dodge.. :p
Anyway, here's the first lil' bit of purple. For now, the engine will probably just get this paint on the air cleaner and the valve covers.
How's the wind-noise? My grandfather owns an '87 W100 and it is ridiculously noisy on the interstate.
Does the A/C work?
Your engine bay has some Pleasantville action going on.
A/C is intact but non-functional. My uncle doesn't remember what they said was wrong with it when he had someone look at it, just that they wanted a lot of money to fix it. (surprise surprise) I have a few months before I have to worry about fixing it.
Wind noise is significant but not unbearable on the highway. Hell, I drove it home 130 miles with no working radio (fixing that problem this week) and didn't kill a single person from noise-induced insanity. :p Makes a lot of noise around the backs of the doors.. could need new weatherstripping.
The newer vehicles usually also have a second piece of weatherstriping near the edges of the doors, that greatly cuts down on noise... You can get some stick on weatherstrip material at Lowes or Home Depot...
Better than that cheap square stuff you can get in rolls at Wal-Mart? (I hope) If it's a lot better, I might just go pick some up. That cheap stuff doesn't stick worth a .
Dunno if its any better, but I would think it would stick as long as the door is clean and dry...
yeah dude, thats a great truck..... very powerful when you get a little money involved......
on the paintjob theme you have there plum crazy purple would look crazy if you painted the cab roof a flat vynil looking black and put some ralley rims on it
"rims"? You trying to give Chuck a heart attack? (if he ever reads this) :p
heh, nah man.....
.......
....
..
.
(chuck keels over)
........:-P
So these would be the infamous Slowmasters, huh? (or a cheap imitation thereof?) Would explain why this truck is so loud when I step on it, I guess. Not crazy about this exhaust setup, since the two pipes are so close together I don't think I can hack in a cheap generic H-pipe kit.
Also threw in a shot of the cleaned-up tires and wheels, since in this shot you can see my '89 LSC in the reflection on the wheel. :p
Nothing really new to see here.. just decided to take some pics after I pulled the bedliner out and cleaned the bed with a broom and a hose and parked it out by the street to dry in the sun. It's almost perfect under that bedliner. Also took the bedliner and scrubbed it down with a broom and some automotive Simple Green on both sides. Doesn't look perfect in the shots, but it's a sight better now than it was before I cleaned it.
Couldn't resist two more shots while I had it out there by the road:
Congrats, I like the way the truck looks now :) and it looks like you'll soon be having a two-line signature :P
This could've gone in my "show off the little stuff" thread, but I felt like putting it with the other truck stuff.
Got the first valve cover off, cleaned up, painted, and put back on. Made a makeshift seal out of Permatex Red around the part on the VC that was seeping oil. A little wary of having that stuff inside the VC, but it looks to have worked so far. Also replaced a collapsing vacuum line as you can see.
I don't like fake woodgrain, so I had to do something about the dash trim. Took that out last night and painted it today in the same Storm Gray that I did the headlight surrounds in. The air vents looked py next to the freshly-painted trim, so I painted those dark blue. (matches the interior trim color, which I didn't think about until after I did it)
Everything that got painted got clearcoated a couple times.. so hopefully this'll last awhile. I always use the 500 degree clearcoat meant for engine work, whether it's going on an engine part or not. I've done trim on the other cars that has held up for months and months of being in direct sunlight with that clearcoat on it.
Curious, what camera are you using?
Logitech QuickCam Traveler.. it was free, so I can't bitch about the price. :p
Good looking truck.
I had the 318 in a '74 Ram Charger. I drove it for a long time and wasn't real impresed with the power. I started having a light hesitation with the throttle, and a buddy reset the timing. WOW what a difference. It was probably the fastest thing I have ever owned, once I realized what potential it had. It had just over 180,000 when I got it, and the speedo wasn't working. I fixed it, drove it another 45,000 or so, and never had to do anything to the motor. I finally killed it mudding with the local 4 wheel drive guys. The only trouble I had ever had to that point was to build custom u-joints because the drive shaft kept kicking out every couple days.
Thanks for reminding me, that's one of the things I should check in the near future.
Well, after talking to my uncle tonight and finding out I'm not the only one who has plotted to put a different engine in this thing, (he was thinking 340) I don't feel so bad about continuing to plot an eventual (once this engine is pretty far gone.. so I have awhile yet to plot this out.. couple years at the very least) Magnum swap.
I've included a chart listing EPA mileage estimates between my truck and a pair of example trucks, both are 2000 Ram 1500s.. one with the 318 and one with the 360.. both with a 4-speed slushbox vs. my 3-speed slushbox. From what I can tell, they're about 4200 lb. curb weight trucks vs. around a 3850 lb. curb weight for mine. Why make the comparison? Because someone earlier in the thread said I'd be living at a gas station (words to that effect) if I went with a 360. I'm hoping to put the 360 back in the running here. (although I would also not mind going with a newer EFI 318.. not too much of a horsepower difference between the two)
The next biggest hangup I foresee in this plotting is the rear end. There isn't jack for this Chrysler 8.25" rear end. Stuck with something like a 2.94 rear gear.. which will have to go once I went with an overdrive transmission. While messing around back there I figure limited slip wouldn't be a bad idea, either.
At any rate, back to more likely near-future scenarios: Should have a working stereo in it by tomorrow, along with a pair of 6x9s behind the seat. Started running the wiring earlier tonight, and got one of those plastic mounting adapters in place. Gotta start working on that other valve cover, too. Should have it in shape in time to go up either this coming weekend or next and pick up a bunch of tools I'm inheriting from my grandfather. May even get some of the bigger stuff I need/want like a bench grinder and a drill press.
Ahh, the ongoing saga of my first truck.
Dropped a few bits of valve cover gasket into the head while changing them out and taking the cover off to paint it. Gaskets were as brittle as a cold Kit Kat bar. Got one piece fished out, left the other one in. (back of the engine, hard for me to get to) Have both valve covers and the whole air cleaner painted now. Thinking about buying another blue vacuum line kit and re-running old lines with that stuff.
Used holiday money and then some to pick up a triple gauge set and a tach for it. Yeah, that cheap Sunpro again. Only the tach is hooked up so far. To put in the water temp. gauge, I'll have to remove the A/C compressor.. also have to change out a hose while it's out, because whomever put this engine back together put the heater hose clamp on in such a way that you can only get to it easily if the A/C compressor is removed. Also ended up snapping a couple brittle old plastic vacuum lines late last night while searching for this mythical temperature sensor. To do the oil gauge, I'll have to get at the back of the engine, since that's where the oil pressure sensor is.
Got a new 180 degree thermostat in it, and new upper rad hose. Gotta flush it out and refill it tomorrow with fresh anti-freeze and distilled water. Just put some filtered tap water in it to replace the gallon or so of anti-freeze I drained just to get at the thermostat.
Got the stereo in, although it's on a fresh power wire as of today and I have to shut it off manually.. but I may fix that tomorrow. It sucks, tho.. I want my MP3 CDs. :p But it's better than nothing.
My long-term plans are leaning towards (when this engine finally dies) getting just a basic Magnum 360, since you can get a reman 360 (over .020) short block w/ roller cam for $1300. The big expense this truck might get is (if I can hack one in there.. but signs are promising since the V10 is based on the 318/360) a T56. With the .5:1 2nd OD, I could (if my math is right) run 4.56 gears and still do better on the highway than I do now with 2.94s and a non-OD transmission. 1st gear would pretty much become a granny gear. Mostly stock 360 + T56 + 4.56s and a limited slip diff. would be all the entertainment I'd need. Couple grand into the engine, (and only at a time when it would require it anyway, since the plan is to hold off until the current engine needs a rebuild) four grand or so into the transmission, another grand into the rear end.. I'd rather spend that than buy a whole new truck. This body is still in phenomenal shape for 21 years old.
yeah man, i know where you can get a punched out 318 that needs a intake gasket.... .030 over pop up pistons, torquer cam,new lifters, in need of a bit of a valvejob but yeah
my uncle wants a grand for the truck seeing how it isnt feasable to drive (told you those 318's rattle the frame to bits) the frame is really weak.... its up here in indy if your interested i could drop him a line the motor is awesome.... it runs great just throwing that on your plate for the time being...
Can't afford (or even park) any new vehicles right now. Gotta get rid of both '88s, and even after I do that, any money I make will be going into the 3 remaining vehicles. My '89 needs a brake job, my '86 needs some suspension work, and the truck may need more little . (already blown like $220-250 on "little " in the past couple weeks for it)
Besides.. Indiana is about a thousand miles away. Easier to just have one of these shipped a year or two from now: (or longer if this engine keeps going strong)
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=DCC%2D4876913&N=115&autoview=sku
Got both radiator hoses changed today, although AutoHole neglected to tell me the first time I picked one up (got the upper and lower on separate days for no particular reason) that they're cut-to-fit. Lower one also didn't come with a spring to prevent collapse.. so I reused the old one. Got the coolant flushed and filled and even cleaned out the nasty slime in the overflow tank.. heh.
Glad to have that off my mind.. because with my mother now in the hospital from chest pain complaints, (on top of everything else that's gone wrong this holiday season) my whole world is pretty screwed up right now. Who'd have ever thought of car/truck work as a comforting thing?
Tomorrow's probably the day to at least rough in the first of the 3-gauge set. Voltmeter. Don't think I'm feeling flexible enough to run the oil gauge. Also got a buffing/polishing head for my cordless drill, so I may try to clean up the paint with polishing compound. Hopefully I can get some pics going tomorrow, too.
I really dig those wheels! Nice find!
Not really a "find".. more of an "inheritance".
As I said in another thread, got the gauges in tonight, on a temporary mounting. (I'll buy real 2-gauge plates soon) Got the lights tied into the dash lights this time. (on the Lincoln, they're on a switch slaved into the switch I deactivate the voltmeter with) As is also the case with the Mark, I put a green lit toggle switch on the power line to the voltmeter, so I can turn off the residual drain if the truck is going to sit for awhile.
The water temp. gauge, along with a vacuum gauge I still need to buy, will be going in on a second 2-gauge cluster below the first two gauges. Wasn't enough room between the drop panel for the fusebox and the ash tray to mount a 3-gauge cluster there.. so I'm doing 'em this way. Only had to pop two small holes in a blank trim panel to run all this and not have anything hanging down or around the sides of the gauges. :sawzall:
Threw in a py through-the-steering-wheel pic.. will take better ones tomorrow w/ daylight.
As promised, a pic in daylight. (2nd pic was taken later in the day, shows that the tach functions properly.. was blurred out in the first pic) Also finally got a pic of the engine with both valve covers painted and the air cleaner finished. (the black heater hose will be changed out sometime soon.. hard to get to the clamp on the engine side of the hose.. may have to do it when I remove the A/C compressor to do the temperature gauge)
EDIT: Late this afternoon I decided to paint the black part of the rear bumper, and did so using 3 coats of Storm Gray (same color as the dash in the pic below) and 2 coats of 500 degree clearcoat. Should have a pic tomorrow.
Looking nice:D . you people in Florida who can work on your cars in the winter without a garage heater:flip:
Heh.. I was just out cleaning up some stray spray-grease from the windows with some Simple Green, and using said Simple Green and a toothbrush to clean 21 years of grime off the pedals and floor mat.. and it was 57 degrees out there. Popped in a 'Floyd CD and just got to work for about 20 minutes.
Going to add a couple more interior lights wired into the dome light circuit.. thinking I'll go blue LEDs with those and with the main dome light. (or white LEDs, since they're modified blue LEDs from what I gather) My T-bird has blue lights inside and I like it with a blue interior.. gives it a little extra crisp/clean look to the interior at night. Need to do the same to the Mark.
Heh.. 3 vehicles, 3 blue interiors, 3 light blue exteriors.. go figure.
Today's pics: The painting I did on the bumper late yesterday. Not meant to look perfect, just better than it did before.
Your gona go broke buying all these little things for that truck.
That was paint I already had on-hand. I've bought three cans of Storm Gray so far, maybe four. Down to a little over one can. Still have a little over a can's worth of clearcoat, too.
The gauges I see as a necessity. All the truck had was speedo, fuel, and ammeter. (and idiot lights)
I have to get new belts for it, which should be about $42 plus tax. I think the vacuum gauge I wanted was only around $24.. plus a few bucks for the extra hardware to mount them the way I want them mounted. After that I should be set for awhile. I'll have spent around $300 on it total, I think. Got it for free via the inheritance thing.. and the tag and insurance deposit cost me more than I'll have spent on the truck so far. (just shy of $200 at the tag office, $160 or so to the insurance company)
I got one for you if you're looking to do a newer 318 magnum swap. Well I don't know where its going to end up, maybe on ebay or something.
My dad had an '01 Ram and a couple weeks ago it was totaled by some fool who ran a stop sign and hit the right front of him.
Back in March, he just put in a new Jasper 318 that was supposedly more performance oriented than a standard issue 318. I don't know the specifics or what was different, maybe the cam was a little different:dunno: In April, the tranny was rebuilt.
So his truck was totaled with less than 10,000 miles on the engine and transmission.
Probably couldn't find anything better than that to swap in as far as cost effectiveness goes.
So keep an eye out;)
Black and silver, extended cab, short bed with right front damage
That's always a possibility.
Couple more pics today, of the remaining dash vents painted to match the instrument cluster: