1965 A-100 Project

[bikinkawboy]

I'm a pretty fair photographer and there is much subjectivity as to what's "good" and "not good." In composing a photo, there are certain rules that should be followed, most based upon how a person's brain perceives images, color, clarity, focus, depth of field and cotrast. However, there are rare occasions where breaking those rules is what makes the photo successful, or at least unique in a desirable way. And when critiquing a photo, it boils down to personal preference because what looks good or works for one individual may not suit the next person.

In my case, my truck had not ran in about 16 years and I won't be driving it until everything is completed, with maybe the exception of a bit of tooling around to check for bugs before the bed is finished (the last component to be finished.) And in my case, it doesn't really matter when I rebuild the brakes because I won't be needing them before I need most everything else. In contrast, last spring I did a complete and indepth overhaul of a tractor. Some day I want to paint it, but I was needing it in running order, meaning that all the mechaincal stuff was erpaired or fixed. Brakes, engine end to end and top to bottom, power shift transmission, oil seals, hoses, hydraulics, etc. In short, it runs great but ain't too pretty to look at. And in the case of the tractor, I didn't have the luxury of only working on it when I felt like it or putting it on the back burned when I got tired of it or ran short of money. I had to have it running, meaning my life was consumed with the repairs, which really got tiresome! I would have loved to quit and did something else but couldn't.

I'm in no way saying my method is the right way and everyone else should do the same, just that my way has been the right way for me personally. And don't anyone ever be afraid to disagree or call me on something. I've made probably more than my share of boo-boos over the years and I suspect I'm not finished in that area either. I do love a good discussion of viewpoints though. I just don't make it personal or take it personally. Gotta go, heading for Christmas dinner. Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[DodgeAddict]

It's all cool!
My bucket list has an entry for meeting fellow Mopar lovers met on the net in person & you're on that list now

Where's Renick?

 

[bikinkawboy]

I'm about 30 miles north of Columbia right off of hwy 63. My daughter lives in the Blue Springs area and manages the Hilton a few miles south of the airport. She wants me to come visit some time and it might be cool to check out your ride. My "newest" motorcycle is an '83 model and being a Japanese bike, that means Kawasaki stopped carrying most parts for it decades ago. When you have old stuff like I do, it's always good to visit with other people to pick up tips on where to find parts, what parts will swap or can be substituted and so on. Also good to know how ordinary folks fix things when they don't have "special tool #1234" the manual calls for. There's also a big difference between a factory guy removing a new part for a shop manual photo shoot and one of us removing a rusted part that hasn't been touched since it left the factory 40 years ago. Always good to hear other people's experiences.

 

[DodgeAddict]

I've been up HWY 63 before We'll meet up & exchange stories & such I enjoy meeting up with those I meet on the net with like interests Mainly 72-93 trucks & ForwardLook Imperials

Do you know where any of these are?

 

[stappy]

WOW, take some time for Christmas break and a lot happens around here.
My dad once talked me out of buying a 1964 Corvair Spyder convertible because it had problems in all three areas. Engine seized, Body rusty, interior missing. Now it was a 4 speed power top car and I kick myself every day BUT I still still to the three strikes rule. It is is just mechanical and body/interior still there I am very happy. In the case of this van the body is good enough to drive it right now. Interior is all there with the exception of seats needing recovery. Brakes need replacement and suspension and needs to get running, those are EASY just cost $$
Which brings me to my status report... We stuck a propane heater and a work light in the van and pulled the head tonight. I found out why it was parked 35 years ago... piston three made it's exit though the side of the cylinder wall with malice... Looks like it lost a clip and the piston pin slid sideways. It ran that way long enough to make a groove in the side of the cylinder and when it finally had enough it bent the rod 90 degrees and disintegrated into the pan. From the extreme amount of sludge and carbon in the engine I am thinking it would not have lasted much longer just due to the maintenance schedule.

So... now I have a choice. I know where there is another /6 that I could rebuild and install OR I know where a 318 is sitting that was rebuilt 25 years ago and then never used. My question is, since this WILL be my truck and used on long drives, which would be better economically speaking? I am guessing 318 with 3 speed stick would be around 16 mpg?? What would a /6 with 3 spd in this thing get approximately?

Thanks again!

 

[bikinkawboy]

The '77 pickup I'm restoring had a 318, automatic and 3.21 rear axle. Back when the interstate speed limit was raised to a blistering 60 mph, on trips to Chicago (400 miles) my truck would average 16 mpg in the winter and 17 mpg in the summer. Around the farm, it would average 13. That included a lot of stopping, starting, short trips to town and so on. I kept track of how many times I started it and on the tank that I did, I started it something 54 times. The odometer and speedometer was 10% fast, but the mileage figures were based on true mileage. One summer when the national speed limit was 55 mph, my dad took the truck to Florida and back (1200 miles) and it averaged 18. My folks had a '73 D100 with more or less the same basic drivetrain as my truck and it would also average 17-18 on numerous round trips to Florida and back. Empty, their D100 weighed around 3,800 lbs vs 4,200 for my heavy half ton D150. These were accurate weights on department of ag certified scales.


My mom had a Lebaron with the slant 6 and automatic. I can't remember what ration the rear axle was, but on a long run at 60 mph it would average 18-19. It was not one of the lean-burn jobs and neither was it blindingly fast. Acceleration was more like what I'd call leisurley. Using the calculator, I figured the difference in fuel cost per 1000 miles with 16 vs 18 mpg at $3 a gallon gas. 16 mpg would cost you not quite $21 more for every 1,000 miles you drove. To put that into perspective, that's equal to a couple of movie tickets or taking the kids or grandkids out to McDonalds. So for something over $20 every thousand miles, you would get a lot more get up and go and respectable passing power with the 318 compared to a 225. So unless you're planning on making several coast to coast trips every year, I know which route I'd take. And if you could get hold of one of the automatic overdrive trannys or one of the manual 4-speed overdrive transmission circa 1978, I bet the 318 would do better than a 225 with a regular automatic or 3-speed manual.