The "Hulk": Ugly green truck to Juneau??

[oldndcctrucks]

It appeared there may be a head gasket failure on the passenger side since it looked like puffs of steam were coming out of that exhaust pipe at the time I removed the thermostat

However there were also intermittent spikes in both the temp and oil pressure gages at the same time- very strange

You needn’t be too impressed about how I handled the failure- no way I was going to give up on the whole trip.

[712edf]

We bought a 2019 RAM in Spokane and are continuing our vacation and journey. The Dodge will be shipped back home.

These two statements impress me. Not many are capable & willing to do that "on the spot".

Heck I was once impressed by an elderly couple who were able to buy themselves coats "on the spot" when the mall they were shopping at was too cold to their liking.

Do you reckon it was just the Summer heat that was causing the overheating, the pace of the trip, or is there something mechanically wrong? Removing the thermostat also would have been my first move. I dislike having them in the Summer.

Was there an altitude change on you trip? Could an altitude change cause issues with fuel mixture & therefore ignition timing which may affect operating temperature?

Bucky

[oldndcctrucks]

Well….

The old truck performed very well until around Biggs Junction east of Portland.

It started overheating.

Stopped across the street from a gas station, 104 degrees weather. Cooled the engine a little, removed the thermostat, topped-off with fresh water and green coolant, still overheating all the way to Spokane with windows down and heater on occasionally. 5 hours of that.

The wife and kids were very tolerant and we talked about continuing on, but I felt it would be irresponsible to try to go another 4800 miles across remote areas with this truck.

We bought a 2019 RAM in Spokane and are continuing our vacation and journey. The Dodge will be shipped back home.

I really do very much appreciate everyone’s help, advice, and support for this project. Maybe with a fresh engine it would have completed the trip.

I will post some pics of the places the truck made it to when we return.

Best Regards,

Ken

[Todd M]

I wish you the best on your trip. Hope all goes your way.

[oldndcctrucks]

FINALLY

ha ha

[712edf]

Let the adventure begin!

I have family in Alaska & I am looking forward to going that way myself, although not likely a road trip.

Best of luck.

Bucky

[oldndcctrucks]

PareosWC:

Thanks very much for the kind words! Whatever skills I have came from good people teaching me at a younger age and a personal drive to improve. Without mentors, we don’t do well.

”Finishing” a project is tough, but easier when you have a goal. When I restored my WC-43, it was just to restore an old Army truck. Took years and was annoying many times.

THIS truck project had a goal (and a schedule that kept getting changed); that made a difference.

Congratulations on your own projects! You can post links to pictures of your story here

Best Regards
-Ken

[PareosWC]

Hello, Ken! I just finished reading through your 'adventure' while deployed out here in Niger, Africa. A couple of reoccurring thoughts have been on how skilled you are with fabrication! Great trade skills have been shown throughout and motivate me to be a little more ambitious with my projects. And like my Grandfather, you both have this immense amount of skills and knowledge, but work out of small garages! I have a 1500sqft shop with unreal lighting and concrete, but hold only a fraction of your ability. Crazy!

My 78 year old Father in Law (who loves to work on 40's Chevys) once looked at my 43 Dodge WC52 before it's restoration, and said something I will never forget- "Well, one thing's for sure, you have bigger balls than me." The tenacity to stay with a project is something only guys who have faced these kinds of challenges will ever understand. So many times, I was ready to sell, trade, or even torch that WC, but one thing that kept me going was that I ain't no quitter, and it will belong to my 18yr old Son who worked on it with me throughout.

Once I was 'finished' with the WC, I swore I was done with projects as there are just too many old trucks that I have a hard time maintaining, much less restoring. That was until my Father in Law GAVE me a running 53 FFPW. Well, here we go again. My next oldest child is a 15yr old boy who will now get his chance at getting old iron back on the road!

I look forward to the return report.

[oldndcctrucks]

Tomorrow morning at 0600:

Depart for Juneau, Alaska via Kingsburg and Sacramento (family visits) then Pacific coast to Portland, Oregon; northeast to Spokane then to Banff and Jasper National Parks; west to Skagway then to Juneau!

From Juneau south via ocean-going ferry ship to Port of Prince Rupert (Canada) then south through Vancouver and then Seattle; Pacific coast back to the Los Angeles area then home.

Four weeks…. 6300 miles…. 5600 pound trailer…. tired 150 horsepower (when new) 318 ci engine….

With air conditioning, overdrive, and cruise control…

I won’t be able to post pics until we get back due to editing required to make them small enough files.

So: I can post a few progress reports if anyone is interested.

November will be four years since I bought the truck and four-and-a-half years since this trip’s inception.

THANKS to all of you who expressed your support, ideas, and counsel.

-Ken

[oldndcctrucks]

I spent a couple hours this morning re-welding the driver's side outer body back to the floor pan.

When I went 'wheeling with the guys up in Cajon Pass last summer, while we were banging around
I heard a disconcerting "pop". A few months later I found that the entire left side had separated.
265.gif
The two sheet metal edges are even on the passenger side. The entire outer piece pushes up
fairly easily.

263.gif
This is looking up, near the rear of the cab.

266.gif
I drilled a butt-ton of 1/4" holes through the floor pan and plug-welded the pan and outer
skin pieces back together. Should help keep splashed water out.

I also finished the cruise control install today, which I started yesterday.

Test-driving found a couple bugs, but it seems to be working properly as of now.

I used a Rostra brand 250-1223 universal kit. Added the magnetic driveshaft signal kit
and the clutch pedal cancel switch kit.

[oldndcctrucks]

It’s an after-market Rostra brand. Never done it before, hope I can make it work.

$500 will be worth it if I can reduce the time and labor.

Ha ha! Yeah, I gotta ignore it when I’m up in the bed…

[712edf]

The best way to remove paint is a stripper with Methylene Chloride (Dichloromethane). Its no longer sold to the general public. Thanks to our wonderful overprotective government.

Chemical websites still list it available. But at $495 for a 5 gallon jug you really have to be serious to get some.

I actually used a weenie roller to paint the roof on my W600. At that height only God & pilots know.

Bucky

[712edf]

Are you doing a factory cruise control, aftermarket or just a throttle?

Bucky

[oldndcctrucks]

While paint is not required for vehicle reliability, I really wanted to get the roof done as it had
extra holes for antennas (antennae?), so rain comes in.

Did the tailgate while I was at it. It was pretty beat, but it's now better than when I got it.

260.gif

The RIGHT way is to remove ALL the paint. Too tired, not enough time. The edges will show
in the surface of the finished paint. If you want yours pristine, DON'T do it this way.

(It's the roof, few people will see it.)

261.gif

262.gif

I will get and apply the white vinyl "Dodge" letters after the trip.

24 days to departure....9 weekend days available (working 4-10 schedule with
Fri-Sat-Sun off); still need to build a tonneau cover and install cruise control, plus various
interior details.

[oldndcctrucks]

Ha ha ha!

Exactly!