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Looking at a Deuce, Has Some Issues

Mullaney

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I believe that it's a 1970 AM General truck with an updated engine, so unfortunately no dual circuit brakes.

Hopefully try to get down there and work on it this weekend. Already ordered some spare brake lines, a parking brake cable, and a couple wheel cylinders to have on hand just in case they're needed.

Have one other question about the boots on the front axle knuckles, the current ones are cracking and split open a bit. I don't plan on fording any rivers on the drive home. Figured I would just shoot some grease in there and let it ride until it could be fixed proper later on, any issue with this?
Well toocheaptosmoke... Opinions are like parts of the anatomy. Everybody has one...

Driving it home with leaky, cracked boots isn't going to be the worst thing that ever happened to your "new to you" truck. Logically you will be holding the steering wheel dead ahead most of the way (less stress). Don't know that I would try to cram grease in there for it to drool out on the way home. It just needs to be on your priority list before you take it out in the woods... Dirt and grit seeping in through those cracks would be bad for the parts...
 

frank8003

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I believe that it's a 1970 AM General truck with an updated engine, so unfortunately no dual circuit brakes.

Hopefully try to get down there and work on it this weekend. Already ordered some spare brake lines, a parking brake cable, and a couple wheel cylinders to have on hand just in case they're needed.

Have one other question about the boots on the front axle knuckles, the current ones are cracking and split open a bit. I don't plan on fording any rivers on the drive home. Figured I would just shoot some grease in there and let it ride until it could be fixed proper later on, any issue with this?
The term is "dust boots" and that is what they are for. They are not grease boots. See TM,s. remove the proper plug and see if any grease comes out. Grease destroys boots.
See the hex driven plug that should be removed for greasing.
Just put in some GAA and remember that not all grease will mix with all other grease.
Yes one can buy GAA, which is what the TM's call for. Military still uses GAA albeit it is now "green" grease.
 

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10
27
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Location
PA
So, didn't get a super early start, went down to the guy's place after lunch. Loaded the truck with supplies.
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There it is.

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Brought my dad along for assistance, not sure if he knew what he was getting into...

20200807_150536x.jpg



First order of business was checking the brake fluid level. It was about 3/4 of a pint low, but still looked like brake fluid.

20200807_160625x.jpg


Next up was replacing the parking brake cable, I had purchased one ahead of time. Eventually figured out what all had to be unbolted to get hings apart. Didn't get that far in reading the manuals yet, haha. Still need to bolt on the protective rub plates, ran out of time for doing that.

20200807_160619x.jpg


Luckily it was hot and humid out, so that made working on things fun. Decided to inspect the belts a bit closer, had glanced at them briefly during the test drive but not thouroughly. Well, they weren't in so good of shape, especially the air compressor one. Did not feel comfortable chancing it if I didn't have to, so wanted to get a new belt. It was at this time that we went to transfer the title, so stopped while out doing that to get a belt, luckily the local Napa had one in stock.

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It was then that I discovered while reading on the smart phone about this alleged special tool required for changing this belt. :???: We did not have this tool... So, after dousing it in oil, developed a new strategy. The bolts came out without too much drama, the outer sheave was definitely stuck though. Tried driving a chisel and a screwdriver into the split line of the pulley with a hammer. Carefully though, not trying to split it in half! After setting the chisel and screwdriver in place, a wrap with a crowbar and hammer got it spinning, success! Couldn't fully remove pulley though, fan shroud was in the way, had to work belt around. Alt/fan belts weren't in great shape either, but there's two of those...

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Daylight was getting short at this point, and I hadn't even started adjusting the brake shoes yet. Laying on very large "gravel" was also fun. One of my hydraulic bottle jacks was low on oil, could only lift one side of an axle at a time. Started by adjusting the front brakes, they were definitely a bit loose. Brake pedal got firm a bit sooner with these adjustments so I figured that was likely the cause of the excessive braking effort. Wanted to do the rears, but was running out of daylight and didn't have the second jack to do it. Borrowed an air compressor and topped off any low tires.

20200807_193951x.jpg

It was about 8:30 by the time it was almost ready. Threw a quart of old 2 stroke oil into the fuel tank for good luck. Truck fired right off, but soon the compressor belt was unhappy and needed readjustment. All the lights seemed to work, so a night time drive it was going to be, which actually wasn't a bad thing because it was cooling off nicely. During the first couple miles everything seemed to be doing well, brakes were adequate and stopped straight. Tried to take the easiest route back to the interstate, but the GPS screwed me over and insisted on taking the scenic shortcuts... Eventually made it to the interstate, where after a few more miles was very thankful for the ear muffs the previous owner had left in the truck!

Things were going pretty smooth. All dash lights worked except for the temp gauge. Was cruising through a construction zone with an uphill grade, shoulders were closed. Hit the flashlight to look at the temp gauge, around 170. Keeping foot in it and maintaining about 2300 RPM (speedometer doesn't work) I started thinking about how much it would suck to blow out that lower radiator hose in this area of the interstate. JUST at that time, I got a strong whiff of coolant!! :shock: The pucker factor just increased a few notches. Hit the flashlight again, temp still at 170. Don't see any clouds of steam in the one good rear view mirror. There was also a cop on the road up ahead at this point too, figure she's either going to make it die trying at this point, still no shoulder to pull over

Did I mention that the notary had issue with me trying to use my regular insurance policy because this thing has antique plates on it? So they wouldn't sign the pink slip verifying proof of insurance on the temporary registration form, even though my policy is supposed to cover me. At this point there's a rest area coming up in a couple miles, I started easing up on the throttle a bit to try and keep things together. I couldn't smell the antifreeze anymore and the temp was staying consistent though. Made it to the rest area and half expected to see coolant spewing out, but nothing, not a drop! There was some oil dripping from some line or somewhere, but that wasn't too bad either. Must have either been another car or just a bit of coolant burping out?

Needed a drink of water at this point so went into the rest rooms. Forgot my mask but didn't care, and was covered in dirt and grease. Some dude in a nice polo shirt was watching me walk in as if I were a sasquatch. Hopped back in the truck and continued on, had about another 60 miles to go. There was a couple times where all of the lights flickered off for a split second, was slightly concerned about that, but they stayed on for the rest of the trip.

The truck actually drives pretty well and straight on the highway. One thing I did notice towards the end was that the truck definitely seemed a little bit lower on power after the highway cruise, not sure if this was because of everything just getting heat soaked, or possibly a fuel issue? Will have to look into that.
 

Mullaney

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Wow! toocheaptosmoke,

You did good. In my mind, the time you spent most likely made your trip much easier... Home safe and sound. Hard to ask for more than that. Adjusting the brakes was a definitely plus along with swapping out the Air Compressor belt. Like you said, the others were a matched set and they could be replaced at home in the daylight :)

Congratulations on your new (to you) Green Machine and definitely welcome to the club!
 

frank8003

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put 2 ton in the bed and drive it around few hours and enjoy before you start guessing of stuff to fix. You got the five gallons of engine crankcase oil and the new squish washers to do the job?

DO NOT
not ever, No, put your crankcase drain oil into the fuel tank
Goto HD or someplace and get a can of naptha and dump that in the fuel tank and drive Her.
 
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V8srfun

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put 2 ton in the bed and drive it around few hours and enjoy before you start guessing of stuff to fix. You got the five gallons of engine crankcase oil and the new squish washers to do the job?

DO NOT
not ever put your crankcase drain oil into the fuel tank
Goto HD or someplace and get a can of naptha and dump that in the fuel tank and drive Her.
What is the purpose of the naptha
 

cattlerepairman

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If she is down on power after a longer drive, I would check the fuel filters (even if you recently replaced them). Chances are, gunk in the tank got stirred up and is starting to clog up the filters.

You did good on the compressor belt. The outer half of the sheeve is not supposed to come off, just be loosened. Also, if the belt squeaks, loosen the outer sheeve, start the engine and let it run a few seconds until the squealing stops. Then check belt tension and secure sheave in place. It has self-tightened. A convenient little trick.

Yes, burping coolant after refilling is normal. Each truck has a coolant level it likes. This is not necessarily the level the manual states it should be at. It is the level the truck wants. :)
My Queen Lola will burp everything filled above what I can barely reach with the tip of my finger through the rad neck.

Glad to see you are making progress and it sure looks like you are having fun. Good to have your dad there, too. Dads like that kind of stuff!
 
10
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Location
PA
Happy to hear you made it home safely.

do I see a drop side bed!!!
Yup!

put 2 ton in the bed and drive it around few hours and enjoy before you start guessing of stuff to fix. You got the five gallons of engine crankcase oil and the new squish washers to do the job?

DO NOT
not ever, No, put your crankcase drain oil into the fuel tank
Goto HD or someplace and get a can of naptha and dump that in the fuel tank and drive Her.
That's what I've seen talked about on here. I do run used motor through my 12 valve cummins truck, which gets processed through a filtration setup. (multiple levels of filters down to 1 micron, however no centrifuge.) There's debate on whether the "carbon black" is harmful to those injection pumps. I remember one study even said that lubricity was higher with the carbon. But regardless, I'll avoid running it in this. Seafoam is good stuff. :beer:





Started the truck up today and before cranking it checked to see if the electric fuel pump was running, nothing. Banged on the tank and no dice. Truck fired right off and was driving it around the yard a bit, afterwards the fuel pump was running again. So, that's on the highly suspect list. Going to have a long list of PM's and general maintenance to get done.
 

Mullaney

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Yup!


That's what I've seen talked about on here. I do run used motor through my 12 valve cummins truck, which gets processed through a filtration setup. (multiple levels of filters down to 1 micron, however no centrifuge.) There's debate on whether the "carbon black" is harmful to those injection pumps. I remember one study even said that lubricity was higher with the carbon. But regardless, I'll avoid running it in this. Seafoam is good stuff. :beer:

Started the truck up today and before cranking it checked to see if the electric fuel pump was running, nothing. Banged on the tank and no dice. Truck fired right off and was driving it around the yard a bit, afterwards the fuel pump was running again. So, that's on the highly suspect list. Going to have a long list of PM's and general maintenance to get done.
Well, I do have to say that every single project I start with my M936 seems to lead to another project...

Going to fix a simple amber marker light. Because I could, I disconnected it from the electrical connection. I think that may be called a packard connector. Anyhow, I unscrewed the screws, removed the cover, reached for the bulb and it crumbled in my hand. No big deal. I even had needle nosed pliers in my pocket. That brass - very nice by the way - was corroded badly. So, I went back inside and brought out a new light. Replaced it and life was good...

HOWEVER, on top of the fuel tank I discovered a fuel line that somehow many moons ago was mashed about half flat. All because I was repairing a light that had nothing to do with fuel - but now fixing that is on my list.

I would imagine you will find that sort of stuff too as you get started "fixin" your truck. :cool: I figure if I just keep fixing as I find them - maybe eventually I will have to look a little harder to find my gremlins.
 

M37M35

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Nice truck! Congratulations on the successful recovery!

One thing I did notice towards the end was that the truck definitely seemed a little bit lower on power after the highway cruise, not sure if this was because of everything just getting heat soaked, or possibly a fuel issue? Will have to look into that.
Started the truck up today and before cranking it checked to see if the electric fuel pump was running, nothing. Banged on the tank and no dice. Truck fired right off and was driving it around the yard a bit, afterwards the fuel pump was running again. So, that's on the highly suspect list.
Check to make sure the tank is clean, and check/replace the fuel filters. And if your in-tank pump isn't pumping, that can cause a loss of power. With the in-tank pump running, open the bleeder on the last filter and see if you have some pressure there. Sometimes the bottom can come loose off the pump and you'll hear the motor running, but it's not actually pumping anything. Same issue if the rubber hose in the tank has come loose/disintegrated.


I do run used motor through my 12 valve Cummins truck, which gets processed through a filtration setup. (multiple levels of filters down to 1 micron, however no centrifuge.)
Well-filtered oil is fine to run in it. If your Cummins likes it, so will the deuce.
I think what Frank means is don't dump UNfiltered oil into the tank. Some people hear the word "Multi-Fuel" and think that means you can dump all kinds of nasty unfiltered crap straight into the fuel tank. Bad things happen if you do that.
 
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