New owner questions

Howdy

Just picked up a '72 Deuce with a van body today and the maintenance needs to begin.
Questions I have after a 4hr drive:

What is the normal operating oil pressure? I was running just under 30lbs at 2500rpms

On the gauge, where should the amperage be? I was on the green/red line the whole way and was a bit concerned

Aside from the oil change and oil/fuel filters, what should I address?

Anything else I need to look at, I'm going to jump in. Once it's cleaned up, I'm starting a camper build on the body

Thanks!

Congrats on the Deuce Dixon very decent looking truck! Based upon your questions I am going to say the very first thing you need to do is get a set of Technical Manuals for this truck, you can buy a whole paper set from Portrayal Press or you have access and can download them directly off this site, these will be your bible for your truck!
When ever I get a new to me truck I will generally drain every fluid in the truck, I mean coolant, all lubricants and I do mean ALL then replace all the filters including oil and fuel and at least inspect the air filter and clean or replace. I then like to block up and axle at a time and move the wheels looking for any up and down and side to side play, also rotate the wheel and what your looking for is any gritty rough feeling that could indicate bearing issues. Take every component that you trained lubricant from and look it over for for pieces or chunks of metal, if you find this you will want to know where it came from? I would do this on every axle and while your there check the vents on the axle housings to make sure they are open. In your TMs it will tell you every type of oil to use in each component and how much need to go in there, this also included transmission and transfer case. Coolant is the same, I always drain the radiator and the block and refill with NEW coolant 50/50. My main goal in doing all this stuff is it gives YOU a very definite baseline to move forward with your truck and you will learn 100 things about it by doing this stuff Dixon. Get the TMs get to work and have some fun!

Buy a case of shop towels on a roll, a case of brake cleaner, a can of Kroil and a case of red/tacky grease cartridges.

To address the gauges, that's typical in lots of deuces, don't be alarmed just yet. Oil pressure can vary depending on oil life, amount, ect. 15-30 is normal, at idle, but should be higher with higher rpms. It's possible the gauge just isn't true, or the oil pressure sending unit coul be bad or has deposits stuck on it causing bad readings. Generator/alternator gauge is reading correctly, meaning that's normal. When it goes into the solid red and stays there for more than 5-10 minutes, you're alternator is overcharging and that can be an indication of a bad battery with a weak cell, bad voltage regulator, or possible short somewhere. Mine overcharges all the time, but it's usually after start up for about 2-5 mins, longer if it's cold and I cranked it a while to start,so that's just telling me I took a lot of juice from the batteries.
If the gauge goes down into the yellow, that's typically an indication of a failed voltage regulator or bad alternator. You'll also notice the lights dim if it hits yellow, normal in green, and really bright in the red.
The fuel gauge, don't trust it. Check your tank for fuel level. If the fuel is about an inch or two from the bottom of the screen, that's about half tank.

When it comes to the gauges in the deuce, you can trust them about as much as you can trust a politician.

ToddJK said:

When it comes to the gauges in the deuce, you can trust them about as much as you can trust a politician.

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the implication holds true for the same tactical gauges used in every size of military truck and piece of equipment fielded .. You could temporarily thread a mechanical gauge into the sender hole to test what you actually have, and put a multimeter across the batteries as well, to see the voltage before startup, after starting, running an hour later, and after shutdown, just in case .. I have trucks that read on the yellow side of green, most in the green, and others on the red side of green. But they have been fine for years. And I believe everyone on here will agree we should pretty much ignore most of our fuel gauges. lol .. Others on here have covered the rest quite well

I would give you the following piece of advice from a new deuce owner. Read through the -10, -20, LO, etc. TMs on every little thing you have questions about. They are "for dummies" in most cases. Make a list (it will grow!) of every little thing you want to do to it and prioritize safety and reliability first. Before you tackle the project, you should have already read the relevant TMs, searched threads here, and watched the videos on Youtube if there are any. The Tactical Repair channel is, by far, your best bet for quite a few common repairs. Make sure you have the tools you will need ahead of time as everything is on a grand scale, lol, and many of the larger/specialty tools will require you order them online and wait.

I started with a handful of things and have 25 or so items in my spreadsheet accounting for at least a year of weekends worth work, but my goal, ultimately, is pretty close to a frame-off restoration without actual going frame off. I also want to keep it "stock". This list will grow undoubtedly as every time I fix one thing, I find two more "issues". It is a 50 year old truck, after all...

Downloaded the TMs, ordered the complete filter kit, and all the oils. I've been driving it around and find it more relaxing to drive then my other cars. Don't know why but hey, it's a cool truck.
Now I just need to find someone to trade me a hard top for my soft top!

What are your plans for the van box?

kenn said:

What are your plans for the van box?

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Camper build
I built a 2nd gen Ram camper from just a frame a couple years ago and sold it. Wanted to go a bit......bigger

Good looking truck, welcome to the site.

Mighty purdy truck there! Safety first! Good luck with her!

Dixon77 said:

Downloaded the TMs, ordered the complete filter kit, and all the oils. I've been driving it around and find it more relaxing to drive then my other cars. Don't know why but hey, it's a cool truck.
Now I just need to find someone to trade me a hard top for my soft top!

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I left a message on your other post about the soft top. Offer still stands while it's available, but for how long

ToddJK said:

I left a message on your other post about the soft top. Offer still stands while it's available, but for how long

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I replied over there. I'm trying to see if there's one an hour or so away. By your signature town, you are almost 6hrs away. Which massively sucks.

Dixon77 said:

I replied over there. I'm trying to see if there's one an hour or so away. By your signature town, you are almost 6hrs away. Which massively sucks.

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My bad, I didn't see the reply.

in addition to the above I would pull the drums and inspect all wheel cylinders And go ahead and repack the bearings. it Probably needs new boots up front as well So go ahead and pull the hubs and knuckles replace them and pack axle shaft u joints with grease .

Its the only way you will know what you have and not that hard to do,

Dixon77 said:

Howdy

Just picked up a '72 Deuce with a van body today and the maintenance needs to begin.
Questions I have after a 4hr drive:

What is the normal operating oil pressure? I was running just under 30lbs at 2500rpms

On the gauge, where should the amperage be? I was on the green/red line the whole way and was a bit concerned

Aside from the oil change and oil/fuel filters, what should I address?

Anything else I need to look at, I'm going to jump in. Once it's cleaned up, I'm starting a camper build on the body

Thanks!

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@Dixon77 ,

I just had to put in my two cents worth, but the more I saw in this thread - all the guys who replied before me covered everything. That is pretty amazing but it speaks highly of the crew here @ Steel Soldiers. Lots of good folks and lots of people willing to help out each other.

All I have to suggest is with the TM's, using SEARCH is your friend. You can find the answer if you dig long enough. The flow charts for troubleshooting are a big help. Especially once you know the names of the different conponents.

The "LO" (Lube Order) book will help you get the right fluids 80w90 Gear Oil for the transfer case and three axles. Stinks to high heaven (sulfur based) but it is definitely what you need. Just wait til you get some of it in your hair! That funky smell stays with you for days!

Keep posting, Keep loading us up with pictures, and one last time
- Welcome To The Group!

Yep, gear oil smell lasts for weeks for me

Mullaney said:

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Just wait til you get some of it in your hair! That funky smell stays with you for days!

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I remember in autotech class, my first hour of the day, I always had dirty hands, smelled like grease and oil. Some of my friends started to call me a "grease monkey." Well if the shoe fits, I'll wear it!