Posted by Tim Way on Sunday, October 22, 2000 at 17:32:48:
…and found some interesting and disappointing discoveries.
First, I’ve posted on this forum about the fact that my truck has a factory cut out for an under cab gas tank. I had ruled out that it was a 2-wheel drive cab because the firewall and floor were original. After closer inspection, I’ve found that 1/2 of the cab (cowl, firewall, and floor) is original, the back 1/2 is from a 2-wheel drive truck. Someone did a SUPERB job of grafting the 2 1/2’s together at the windshield posts and at the back of the floor. This repair appears to have been done a while ago. The windshield fits perfectly, and the door alignment is good except for the fact that both doors need new hinge pins.
The second discovery is that the frame is showing signs of rot. The outer frame (the part I inspected before purchasing) is in great shape, the inner frame support is pretty badly rotted badly on both sides. Is there an “easy” fix for this? Can the inner frame be removed and replaced? There is still a bunch of mud and crud up in this area, it appears to be riveted, but I could be wrong.
I’m in the process of replacing the brake lines. Does anyone know what the purpose of the “vent” is? This is that little piece that screws into the top of the “T” and sits on top of the front and rear axles. Is this to aid in bleeding the brakes? Or does it serve some other purpose?
On a separate note, did anyone make a sun visor for this truck? The full-length type, that mounts to the outside of the cab. My grandfather’s ’41 Chevy PU had one, I loved the look (and the protection from the sun). I’m probably jumping the gun with the sun visor, (I don’t even have the brakes rebuilt yet) but if there is one out there, I’d like to include it in my parts search.
Thanks to Joe and everyone else that make this Forum what it is!
Tim Way
Albuquerque, NM