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

[oldndcctrucks]

Thanks KRB64 for the thoughts and musings!

The registration and insurance are now current, so as soon as I get the wheels, tires, and rear brakes done I will start driving it and see what condition the engine is in.

As to air bags/sway, I will be installing new shocks all around, installing leveling air bags, and am considering an anti-sway bar for the rear axle. How the Hulk handles with just new shocks will determine that. Have to keep in mind that sway bars reduce off-road traction on uneven ground...

I will also be adding a leaf to each side front spring packs as they are pretty flat.

A Brownie box would be a neat feature, giving me 8 gears forward instead of 4, but may be too expensive/time-consuming for this evolution.

According to itstillruns.com, the 318 produces 230 hp and 340 ft-lbs; the 360 produces 255 hp and 360 ft-lbs before 1972 (after which Chrysler detuned the 360 to 175 hp for emissions!).

Staying stock, this swap is not worth it to me.

[KRB64]

I didn't think the 360 would make much of a difference. I have heard of folks using 360 intakes or heads on a 318 but not sure what/how much that does either.
Have you measured the front springs to compare to stock? The fronts are pretty flat to begin with.

Air bags may be all you need depending on total weight? Wonder if you can install a sway bar that disconnects (heard of them but no idea of the engineering...)? Is the slide-in a popup?

[oldndcctrucks]

These springs are just about at a negative arch; can’t see how I would be able to study a stock set that isn’t 45 years old...?

Swaybar disconnects are an option; will probably install them if I install a sway bar.

The slide-in will not likely be pop-up, for rain protection.

[KRB64]

I'm not denying that the front springs aren't tired. I'm just saying they may not be sagging as much as you think. I think they are pretty flat from the factory. A new set with a good shock could do wonders, especially if that road is still bad or frost heaving has sections torn up.

DODGEBOYS might know/remember spring arch.

[oldndcctrucks]

Yep I’ve seen what you’re talking about on other vehicles. I just don’t like it.

I think the appropriate thing to do is wait until I can get the truck on flat, level pavement and check to see if the body is close to level. If it’s too low in the front, it will need improvement.

[oldndcctrucks]

CHAPTER 2
Beginning Inspections and Repairs:
Brake cylinders; front wheels, brakes, and tires; battery, etc.
October 2018

I had already decided to replace all of the brake system hydraulic cylinders, so I started with the master cylinder. Properly pre-bled, it bolted right up and worked fine. Having applied AeroKroil to every nut I could see, removal was not too difficult; anti-seize will help in the future.

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I will replace the booster later as funds become available (they ain’t cheap).

Three tires have been dismounted from their rims, which are out for powder coating.

Next, I disassembled the front hubs which, fortunately, had Warn lock-out hubs installed. I had never messed with Warns, so I got to learn a new piece of equipment. I think they’re really neat. They were pretty stiff after I cleaned and lubed the internals, so I put some drops of 10w30 engine oil into the grooves in the faces; overnight soaking into the O-rings resulted in much easier, smoother operation of the selector dials.

One thing I found during initial removal was that the outer snap ring on the driver’s side was not seated in the groove of the axle drive shaft splined stub shaft. It turned out that the ring was stretched too wide; I bent it back and it seemed to snap in place satisfactorily. I’ll have to check it after driving a couple thousand miles.

After cleaning everything, it turned out that the wheel bearings looked good, although the bearing nuts were badly mangled from people using chisels and hammers to loosen and tighten them, instead of the proper nut socket.

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Speaking of hub nut sockets, the one I got from NAPA Auto Parts was a bit sloppy-loose, and in fact did NOT fit into the hub bore. I was forced to grind off about 50% of the socket material at all 6 corners in order to get the socket to fit so I could use it.

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[Matthew Welcher PWA]

I have had to grind down alot of these sockets to get to fit between the nut and the hub itself, I would be really curious to see what the factory or dealer used for these.

[oldndcctrucks]

The wheel brake cylinders fit fine, but the bleeders were about ½” longer so they cannot be removed in place (they can, of course, be opened for bleeding).

Also, I found that loosening the backing plate to get at the cylinder bolts and replacement hose fitting makes the job MUCH easier.

The hoses I got did not have the extended steel fittings at the cylinders. I was able to use the replacements, but without the extended fittings, it was harder to tighten up the hose at the cylinder. I did not see any reason to return the hoses and spend more time trying to find an exact replacement. So I used what I got.
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As can be seen, it was a good thing I had planned on replacing the hoses. These appear to be 1973 originals…

I did, however, remove the factory spring “guards” and twist them onto the new hoses.

While I was doing all of this, a nest of red harvester ants opened up a new hole right where the right front tire was… these things have stingers (although they are not “fire ants”) so after working there, every little tickle and itch made me think I was about to get bitten or stung.
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I got everything finished up and back together this last weekend. I used blue Lock-Tite on the Warn hub nuts instead of the tired, bent-up lock tabs.


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[oldndcctrucks]

Meantime, I have made a hood lock chain and installed that. This will make it harder for the battery to walk away, plus no random hood-blowing-up-to-the-windshield incidents.
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Yesterday, October 30, I bought a set of five Ironman 285/75R16 tires for $550 from a Craigslist ad; they are nearly new. This size is calculated as 32.8”… these measured just over 31”, so I’m not really satisfied.

It’s been hard to find a solid answer, but the original 6.50-16 tires appear to have been about 29” diameter, so I gained a little but was looking for more.
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I will run these for now as I work on her, and do some trial runs with quite a bit of weight to see how it handles.

All five tires have been dismounted.

[KRB64]

Making great progress! Thanks for the update and pictures.

I'm running 7.50x16s on mine and like that size real well. A little taller than stock.

I'm sorry you have to chain every thing down out there...

[oldndcctrucks]

Thanks KRB!

POST #21 had a problem with some pictures; I have re-edited and hope they stick.

[oldndcctrucks]

I am now working on the battery tray, which was rusty, cracked, and missing a piece.

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New tray:

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I added the US Coast Guard-approved plastic tray (for 8 bucks) to capture any leaking acid.

Three tires have been mounted and balanced as of 11/08/18.

Also, I removed the bashed steering stabilizer:

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[oldndcctrucks]

New Rancho basic shocks installed (replacing the Ranchos removed).
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Powder-coated wheels and newer tires mounted to front axle.
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I took it for its first test drive on pavement- there are some clunks in the suspension and the engine definitely needs a full tune-up including rebuilding the carburetor. I also had trouble with the ignition module (re-seating the plug and loosening/tightening one of the mounting bolts got me spark again).

Exhaust leaks at the pipe flanges, air coming into the cab with exhaust fumes, driver’s side seat sagging, loose transmission shifting; all made for a special ride. I will soldier on!

Next will be rear axle bearings, brake cylinders and axle hose, parking brake working, rear shocks, wheel paint and the last two tires.

Things to make it safer to drive include a throttle cable that doesn’t stick and rear lights.

[AKJW]

I live in Juneau. Have a handful of first gen cummins parts lying around that might crossover. Holler if you need anything when you get up here

[oldndcctrucks]

Thanks AKJW if I drop in a Cummins I will definitely come by!

[oldndcctrucks]

IT AIN'T TURQUOISE (MOPAR #P4120752AB)

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Guess I'll be trying the "blue".