Saturday, January 30, 2010
Whatcha ya been workin on? (Part Deux)
For the last month or so I have been working on Dad's ramp truck. Working on this truck is a little like working on a jigsaw puzzle, which, as my lovely wife will tell you, brings out the obsessive side of my personality. The complexity of working on a big Diesel truck is enough of a challenge, but it becomes even more interesting when it has been owned (and wired) by my father for about a decade.
First up was changing out a bad brake line. Brake lines are always a pain, but when it wraps around the front of the motor and is more than 8 feet long it turns into an all day project. The truck has "air over hydraulic" brakes... another learning opportunity. All turned out well. To bleed the brakes by myself I made a one man brake bleeder with a cleaned out spaghetti sauce jar. Works great!
Next was the drivers seat replacement. I was surprised to find so few options for black bucket seats at the local salvage yard. If you want tan or light gray, no problem. Went through a few hundred cars... no black. I settled for charcoal gray. I fabricated new seat mounts and installed a new seat belt buckle. Another all day project.
Dad never liked having stereos in his work trucks. "I'm not paying people to sit in the truck and listen to the radio." Part of the process of cleaning up wiring in the dashboard included installing a stereo... and replacing the starter button, and a few other small tasks. Probably a half day project all together.
Finally, I made a new engine shutoff cable. For sometime Dad would just stall the engine when he wanted to shutoff the truck. But this contradicted guidance he had given me as a younger man. "You should never stall a Diesel engine." So I installed a PTO cable to use to actuate the injection pump engine shutoff. It doesn't really need to be as strong as a PTO cable, but I need something about ten feet long, so one worked quite nicely. Works like a charm. Another half day project.
Next I need to do some serious cleaning inside and out. Then some new paint for the ramp body and wheels. Maybe some new paint for the front bumper and front fenders. This is a fun project to work on, I think Dad would like the changes I've made so far. The first attempt at an inspection sticker is coming up... stay tuned.
First up was changing out a bad brake line. Brake lines are always a pain, but when it wraps around the front of the motor and is more than 8 feet long it turns into an all day project. The truck has "air over hydraulic" brakes... another learning opportunity. All turned out well. To bleed the brakes by myself I made a one man brake bleeder with a cleaned out spaghetti sauce jar. Works great!
Next was the drivers seat replacement. I was surprised to find so few options for black bucket seats at the local salvage yard. If you want tan or light gray, no problem. Went through a few hundred cars... no black. I settled for charcoal gray. I fabricated new seat mounts and installed a new seat belt buckle. Another all day project.
Dad never liked having stereos in his work trucks. "I'm not paying people to sit in the truck and listen to the radio." Part of the process of cleaning up wiring in the dashboard included installing a stereo... and replacing the starter button, and a few other small tasks. Probably a half day project all together.
Finally, I made a new engine shutoff cable. For sometime Dad would just stall the engine when he wanted to shutoff the truck. But this contradicted guidance he had given me as a younger man. "You should never stall a Diesel engine." So I installed a PTO cable to use to actuate the injection pump engine shutoff. It doesn't really need to be as strong as a PTO cable, but I need something about ten feet long, so one worked quite nicely. Works like a charm. Another half day project.
Next I need to do some serious cleaning inside and out. Then some new paint for the ramp body and wheels. Maybe some new paint for the front bumper and front fenders. This is a fun project to work on, I think Dad would like the changes I've made so far. The first attempt at an inspection sticker is coming up... stay tuned.
# posted by Rob : Saturday, January 30, 2010
Comments:
<< Home
that brake fluid looks like root beer.
good luck with the inspection. i've discovered they are more picky here than in good ole NH.
Post a Comment
good luck with the inspection. i've discovered they are more picky here than in good ole NH.
<< Home
