84 C10 Clutch woes

[rightpedal]

Hell I'm impressed he didn't fall into mission creep, or in my case mission freefall. Nice job,

Btw how did the topper end up?


Steve

[squirrel]

sounds good! make sure that there is always some free play in the clutch pedal, generally one inch is good. As the clutch disc wears, the free play goes away, and then the throwout bearing gets loaded all the time, and wears out..and you get to do this all over again.

There should be no reason to install gaskets between the exhaust manifolds and heads on a small block chevy....if the bolts are all there and tight, and the mating surfaces are smooth and straight....

[yellomalibu]

The topper came out pretty good. Time will tell how well it holds up, but it looks good from 10 feet. The paint laid down fairly flat, and is somewhat glossy. It did peel a bit when I un-taped the windows - probably because I couldn't get those areas scuffed very well.
I have been driving around with it on the truck since I finished it, and have spent $40 on new gas struts for the rear door. Last Saturday I drove it to Tampa and back (I'm just north of Orlando) to see how it effects gas mileage. I didn't get a chance to fill up after the trip ... that's when the clutch died... but eyeball estimates on the gauge say about 15mpg - which isn't much of an improvement.


The manifold bolts were all there and tight... but something wasn't sealing perfectly. Adding the gaskets did the trick. Perfectly quiet now.

*edit* I filled up the tank today. 15.76 mpg. Best the truck has ever gotten... but not by much. Shrug.

[yellomalibu]

Hell I'm impressed he didn't fall into mission creep, or in my case mission freefall. Nice job,

Btw how did the topper end up?


Steve

Mission creep wasn't an option, as this is my daily driver!

The topper, on the third coat and third attempt at using the hand held electric sprayer, turned out pretty well. Not a professional quality job, but "good enough".

The part I'm least pleased with is my un-taping job. Some of the paint peeled (because I didn't scuff very well right up against the black rubber/plastic/metal bits), and there was some areas that got excessive buildup. Again, good enough.

To remind people, I used a Sherwin Williams acrylic paint called DTM, gloss extra white. Not an automotive paint - but the price was right, and it should be the most durable paint available at their retail locations.




In this photo, perhaps you can see the slightly un-even pattern the electric hand held sprayer left.



In this photo, I tried to show the difference in the gloss of the Maaco paint job on the truck and the DTM "gloss" paint.

[milner351]

Looks darn good to me considering the dollars invested and daily driver status. I say good for you for keeping your perspective and not losing your head like so many of us do obsessing over a project and ending up with something in the end that was nothing like what we set out to accomplish in the beginning.

Well done.

[milner351]

15.8 mpg on that generation of entirely un - aerodynamic truck isn't bad. What speed were you running on the free way?

tire pressures?

How's the alignment? If you've got too much toe in it can really kill mileage (and tires)

[tardis454]

That truck looks damn good, nice job.

[yellomalibu]

I kept is around 65, which sort of sucks on a 70mph interstate, but with 3.08 gears and 29" tires, I figured that to be a good rpm for fuel mileage.

I keep the 255/70's at 40, for fuel mileage. The tow is good, I think, but the camber is looking a little top-out (positive camber), and the steering is getting sketchy. Time for some inspecting and an alignment.

...oh, and the speedometer/ odometer aren't corrected, it's 5% off, so 15.8mpg + 5% is actually more like 16.5 mpg. Not bad indeed.

[milner351]

Given the inexpensive insurance, registration, etc, compared to a new one - I'd say you're winning on a multitude of levels.

I'm going to get back to an older southern vehicle again in the next few years - my 2001 F350 came from Lakeland, and I just got around to deoxy and rust encapsulating the frame - it goes to ziebart soon for rust proofing / under coating.

I truly envy you guys that can drive the older stuff without fighting the tin worm.

[tardis454]

...I just got around to deoxy and rust encapsulating the frame - it goes to ziebart soon for rust proofing / under coating.

How'd the Deoxy work out for you?

[Huskinhano]

Looks darn good to me considering the dollars invested and daily driver status. I say good for you for keeping your perspective and not losing your head like so many of us do obsessing over a project and ending up with something in the end that was nothing like what we set out to accomplish in the beginning.

Well done.

Absolutely! How many times do we see some one that wants to do something simple and basic because that's all is needed. Next thing you know guys have the poor guy getting CNC ported heads, huge carbs big rear axles or what not. A text book case of sticking to one's original goals.

[yellomalibu]

Ok, now I 'm starting to feel guilty about my plans to replace the gutless 305. You know 350's are a dime a dozen and I just happen to have a 400 crank and rods in my garage...
Small cam and stock heads - probably the same quadrajet that's on it now, probably even keep the exhaust manifolds; but I've been telling myself the extra torque will make it tow so much better - and hopefully with a small cam and keeping it a low rpm torque motor will retain decent gas mileage...

[milner351]

If the 305 is a gutless wonder while towing,
like the 88 F150 I had with a 302 EFI and a SROD 4spd trans swapped in for the ill fated mazda 5 speed
that was a bitch to tow heavy with due to the HUGE gear ratio steps....

I would not blame you for building a mild 350 on the cheap since you can use the intake, carb (up the jets?), distributor, manifolds, etc....
it's not like the 302 to 351w Ford guys have to put up with (different intake, distributor, oil pan)

But - if the 305 is healthy - it's sure a lot easier to drive it until it starts making death sounds while building up parts for the 350, and wouldn't the vorted heads and intake make alot of sense in that swap?
(there goes the project creep again - vortec block with roller cam, etc)

[yellomalibu]

If the 305 is a gutless wonder while towing,
like the 88 F150 I had with a 302 EFI and a SROD 4spd trans swapped in for the ill fated mazda 5 speed
that was a bitch to tow heavy with due to the HUGE gear ratio steps....

I would not blame you for building a mild 350 on the cheap since you can use the intake, carb (up the jets?), distributor, manifolds, etc....
it's not like the 302 to 351w Ford guys have to put up with (different intake, distributor, oil pan)

But - if the 305 is healthy - it's sure a lot easier to drive it until it starts making death sounds while building up parts for the 350, and wouldn't the vorted heads and intake make alot of sense in that swap?
(there goes the project creep again - vortec block with roller cam, etc)

Yup. Since the gutless 305 runs so good, I'm not in a big hurry to make the swap. Since I'm not in a hurry to make the swap, I can keep my eyes open for a vortec/ roller block. Were any of the vortec motors drilled for a fuel pump push rod, or would using one of those motors mandate an electric fuel pump? I guess plumbing an inline universal pump wouldn't be a big deal.

[yellomalibu]

Yup. Since the gutless 305 runs so good, I'm not in a big hurry to make the swap. Since I'm not in a hurry to make the swap, I can keep my eyes open for a vortec/ roller block. Were any of the vortec motors drilled for a fuel pump push rod, or would using one of those motors mandate an electric fuel pump? I guess plumbing an inline universal pump wouldn't be a big deal.

I just realized (or remembered) that a vortec motor has a 1 pc rear main seal - a fine carbureted 350 that would make, but a 383 with my 400 crank, it cannot.