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

[712edf]

When I was about 6 & lived in Colorado, my dad and some of his co-workers would go out & sight in their rifles..... And the company truck was a 73 W200 sno-fiter (blue).

Bucky

[oldndcctrucks]

Decided to take a break from work and have a little fun today
98.jpg

A friend, his son, and I burned some powder and killed some targets

... Is there really any other better use for an old Dodge? :D

[712edf]

Yep that one has passed its prime.

Bucky

[oldndcctrucks]

The Hulk is at an old shop (Diversified Mechanical) here in town for upper and lower ball joint replacement,
as well as steering box adjustment. I'm paying someone else to do it because purchasing the special tools
would raise the repair cost to the point that it wasn't worth it.

The main man at the shop, Gene, was a fleet mechanic for CalTrans (state highway maintenance department)
back when these trucks were new, so he knows them really well.

97.jpg

I had cleaned and repacked the wheel bearings all around; quick visual examination showed no defects,
so all were repacked and reinstalled.

Gene told me the other day there may be a problem, as he thought he might be hearing a bearing rumble.

He was right:

96.jpg
It was really hard to see; you could see SOMETHING looking between the rollers, the cage, and the flanges,
but he ended up cutting the cage and peeling the cage and rollers off.

My personal policy for years has been to replace any bearing that was remotely worn; this time I got cheap,
almost to deadly detriment.

[oldndcctrucks]

Thanks!!

I replaced the turn signal switch assembly today because the horn contact (small wheel on spring-loaded shaft) was loose due to a cracked base, causing the wheel to contact the reset pin on the shaft which caused the horn to beep intermittently.

Upon installation, the 20 amp signal fuse blew (sigh....figures).

Removal while plugged into the harness allowed normal operation, so an unwanted ground was present. Very close inspection of the device using my "smart" phone on maximum zoom allowed me to see that the contact lug for the red wire next to the steel signal lever hub had strands sticking out, shorting the circuit to ground. Using a jeweler's screwdriver, I bent the strands clear and the problem was solved.

ALSO, the plug on the new assembly did not match; it was about 1/8" too long, making it impossible to plug into the factory side. I had to file down the "pointy" end to get it to fit!

Oh yeah, the slot at the bottom of the lever hub was too narrow, so I had to file that wider, as well.


The horn now works normally.

NOTE: I could not find a replacement switch assembly with the little wheel for the horn contact; the aftermarket ones use the more modern, solid copper pin. I applied a thin coat of silicone grease to the surface of the steering wheel contact plate for (hopefully) added longevity.

I will be adding a second horn to increase the volume; I will also be modifying the horn circuit by adding a relay (the coil of which will be in the horn circuit) and wiring the two horns from the battery, through a fuse, and through the relay.

[712edf]

Good work!

Bucky

[KRB64]

Nice! Another old Mopar that won't burn up!

[oldndcctrucks]

ALTERNATOR UPGRADE

So I have FINALLY finished the alternator upgrade; this came about, in part, due to my misunderstanding of the original output spec for the truck.

I believed that the original output was 35 amps; months later, I found a build sheet which appears to show the output at a value of 41 amps. A national auto parts chain showed the common model for this truck was a 68 amp unit.

I installed a 78 amp unit. I did this because the intended ultimate use for the truck will be to have a camper with batteries to support (charge back up from use overnight). I didn't go bigger because I was unable to fit the larger units easily. The 78 amp unit was the largest output that would fit, physically, without extensive modifications.

As has been noted previously via reference to web pages dedicated to the under-performing power circuit and amp gage in Dodge trucks at the time, pushing more power through the stock power circuit would be a bad idea. I am VERY fortunate in that the circuit and components including the amp gage and plugs have NO evidence of overheating nor immediately-pending failure. The #10 AWG wire used is rated for only 30 amps in common home and building circuits so pushing 40 amps was pretty much the limit.

I have installed a #6 AWG copper wire (magenta arrow) from the alternator to a pair of 40 amp auto-reset circuit breakers (green arrows) which are tied together via a piece of copper tube flattened into a bus.

One breaker sends power to the amp gage via a red spliced wire (the original #10 AWG alternator wire having been cut a few inches from the firewall connector plug; red arrow). This circuit does exactly the same as before, with the exception that the ammeter will not show much of the battery-charging load. The power available is the same as stock, with the bonus of now having a circuit breaker to protect against overload.

The second breaker sends power directly to the battery, bypassing the amp gage circuit. This makes the amp gage almost useless, but now allows the extra power to be available without overloading the amp gage circuit.

There is a new, third circuit breaker (orange arrow), rated for 70 amps, which will be connected to the alternator and battery and sending power to the rear of the truck via a #6 AWG wire. This circuit will be for camper power.

In theory, up to 70 amps will be allowed to be sent to the camper, most through the second circuit breaker, and the rest through the first. The reason it won't be equal is because the first breaker supplies power through several connections and an amp gage, all of which create resistance in that circuit, thereby reducing current flow. Since the second breaker has the shortest wire circuit with the least number of connections, it has the least resistance and will allow the most current flow. Additionally, as there will be other loads on the alternator such as truck lighting, ignition, interior blower, wipers, etc., the full 70 amps will not always be available.

I also added a new ground wire from the engine block and battery negative cable to the body (yellow arrows) and a ground wire from the alternator voltage regulator to the same body connection (blue arrow).

All connections are crimped.
94.jpg

95.jpg

[oldndcctrucks]

I reconnected the disconnected horn and have found that it beeps randomly as I turn the steering wheel... I'll be pulling that next.

My truck has factory air conditioning, which I will be restoring; it is missing the condenser and compressor, as well as the hoses having been cut. I received an original compressor and condenser (for a Mopar car, not truck) but the condenser has a broken-off and missing fitting.

Anyone have a source for the condenser? I looked on-line, but was unable to find one yet.

[oldndcctrucks]

Hi:

Thanks! It was a bit more work for the curved ends, but I think it was worth it.

I am planning to keep it Forest Service green, which will match the original interior!

I was able to finish the spare tire brackets and get that thing up underneath Saturday, and Saturday afternoon I got the gage lights working. There was un-noticed corrosion on one of the fuse tabs, so after scraping I can now drive the truck at night. Three more steps forward....

[KRB64]

Looks really nice. I like the curved ends.

What color are you painting the body?

[oldndcctrucks]

The rear bumper is finished...


91.jpg

93.jpg

5" x 2" x 1/8" mild steel rectangle tube; 3/8" plate frame brackets; 8 each 1/2" grade 5 bolts holding it up. Powdercoated.

[oldndcctrucks]

Hard to say- I was in gear using the engine for braking when I noticed it got quieter- did it twice, not steep sections at all maybe 3%?

[KRB64]

Cool. Glad you're liking it!

Did it just flat out die or did it sputter and buck first?

[oldndcctrucks]

A friend and I went into the hills this morning; first time taking the Hulk on the highway, first time in the dirt for 4-wheel-drive.

Didn't break anything, nothing is leaking as of this afternoon; the engine died twice on the way back, not sure if it was carburetion or ignition problems.

We climbed one hill and there was little to no wheel slipping. Having only driven an M35A2 6x6 and also various automatic transmission-equipped vehicles in the past, this truck handled very differently and also very confidently in 4x4 Low. It's REALLY NEAT!! Glad I bought it!

hills_1-IMG_4151_web.jpg

hills_3_web.jpg



hills_8_web.jpg

hills_9_web.jpg

hills_7.jpg

IMG_4160_web.jpg
Looking north towards Banning, CA; I believe the snow-covered peak is San Gorgonio Mountain.