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December 28, 2000
Not to fear, a real update is coming at the first of the month. I had
my truck out today for the first time since October 17th. The last day
I drove it the bushings on the steering ram gave out. It's a minor issue
except that finding replacement bushings that are thin enough and
won't split when compressed has been a challenge. Generic Ford shock bushings
will fit but they don't last. Maybe I'll take a trip over to my friendly
neighborhood 4X4 shop and get something sturdy and urethane (and probably
bright orange too). Anyway the truck is drivable right now.
A warning to Bonus Built list members using AOL version 6.0: You can't
post to the list. The reason for this is currently unknown but we have
a team of chained monkeys working furiously to figure it out. So far their
best advice is to ditch aol and get a real isp (note: I told you
they were furious--though webmaster agrees).
Yes, I know the poll is screwy. Before the aol disaster, the chained
monkeys fixed it and a new poll will appear when the site is updated in
a couple days.
December 8, 2000
No doubt an invisible change to most people, but I'm now using Adobe GoLive
to publish this site.
*Oh yeah--I changed the last 2 entries because they had the wrong
date. It's December as far as I know. Proofreading is important.
Perhaps I should do it more.
*Oh yeah #2--The poll is not new yet. Between the poll server going down
and my computer going down it's still got the November poll. I'll try
to fix that this weekend.
December 3, 2000
Regular site readers and members of the Bonus Built discussion group can
attest to the fact that I've been very angry with the last several issues
of Custom Classic Trucks. Every article seems to be, at best, a veiled
advertisement for a product or shop. They are lacking in informational
value. They also seem to be out of touch with what real truck owners are
doing. The high buck, chromed everything, Chevy powered trucks they show
may be good looking but it's a small minority of owners who actually build
their trucks like that. Further it seems to give the wrong impression
to people who are new to the hobby. They are impressionable and may think
that is the only way to build a truck (which of course is great for the
shops and manufacturers they mention in their how-to articles).
I have gone on a bit of a tangent, which I tend to do. My purpose in mentioning
CCT was to compare it with a new publication I've discovered: Auto Restorer.
I've just read the December issue from cover to cover and I'm very impressed.
It is only 32 pages but it is densely packed with information. While not
specific to a particular type of auto their how to articles easily apply
to all makes. Anybody would benefit from reading their how-to on painting
a car, for instance. It was a true "how-to" article, not merely
a lengthy ad for a particular type of paint sprayer. The most refreshing
thing, and the thing which allows it to be only 32 pages, is that it contains
no advertisements. Not a single one. If you cut the ads out of CCT I doubt
you'll be left with 32 pages of information. This leads us to the drawback
of this publication (and it's a large one): The price. With no ads to
fund it the newsstand price is pretty high at $7. But for that you get
an honest and unbiased publication. A 1 year subscription cost me $19,
which isn't too bad.
Naturally the publishers of Auto Restorer aren't paying me anything to
praise their magazine. I am doing this just because readers of this site
would probably appreciate having the information.
In the words of Dennis Miller: Of course, that's just my opinion. I
could be wrong.
December 1, 2000
A new month means new additions to the site:
*2 new entries to the Hall of Shame.
*A new Poll for December.
Last month's poll showed over 80% of you still had a straight axle front
suspension. A poll several months ago revealed that over half of you still
have original engines. Given this information I'm wondering who still
bothers reading Custom Classic Trucks (or, as a reader now calls it, CustomIZED
Classic Trucks.
November 24, 2000
More Ebay auctions. Check
em out.
November 21, 2000
Thanks to all who bid on my Ebay auctions. I'll probably have another
batch of stuff in about a week. This is definitely easier than having
a yard sale. I plan to drive my truck over the upcoming long weekend so
hopefully I'll have something to report.
November 21, 2000
Thanks to all who bid on my Ebay auctions. I'll probably have another
batch of stuff in about a week. This is definitely easier than having
a yard sale. I plan to drive my truck over the upcoming long weekend so
hopefully I'll have something to report.
November 10, 2000 (warning, I'm in
whore mode today)
Check out my current Ebay auctions. Let me also take a second to plug PayPal.
It's a great way to pay for your auction items. Best of all they pay you
$5 to sign up--no strings attached. If you tell them I referred you they
will also pay me $5. If I sign up 3 people a month it covers all the website's
expenses. Support this site and sign
up now.
November 7, 2000
First things first--Do not read any further unless you have VOTED!
Alrighty then. I received the latest issue of Custom Classic
Trucks. I've flipped through it twice and didn't find anything that looked
interesting enough to stop and read. Perhaps I'll pick it up again later
and force myself to read it. That won't be tonight though, there's a hockey
game on! GO KINGS GO!!!
Little Jimmy S. from Texas has his new Custom Classic Trucks and has this
to say:
"I want to gripe...shouldn't they rename Custom Classic Trucks to
CustomIZED Classic Trucks. What happened to the original restorations?
Do I have to buy a truckload of Bondo and 'glass to have a nice truck
these days? Reminds me of the 70's with all the custom work."
I feel an uprising, a backlash if you will, against this particular publication.
If you look at the poll results for the last several months you'll see
that most truck owners have stock trucks. Custom Classic Trucks doesn't
have much for real truck owners that is relevant to their projects. I,
for one, doubt that I will renew my subscription.
November 2, 2000
A new month means new stuff on the site:
*Added another note to 47Fred's gauge wiring
setup page.
*Another brave soul shares his misadventures in the Hall
of Shame.
*The guestbook is gone. It hasn't worked right for months.
*Added several new links to the Survival Guide.
*6 trucks added to the Reader's Gallery.
*October's poll results are up. There
is a new poll for November.
November 1, 2000
My truck has been sitting since the bus strike ended. The steering was
a minor issue and is taken care of. A larger issue is that my front axle
seems to have moved a couple inches backward. When I installed the engine
the (tubular) crossmember rested between the axle and the tie rod and
all was good. That was with the original (dead) springs and no engine
weight on the front end. My best guess is that with the weight of the
engine and then new (reversed eye) springs the geometry changed down there
and the axle shifted back. Right now the crossmember sits halfway over
the axle and it's only about an inch above it. I suppose it's drivable
on very even streets but the suspension can't move too much without causing
the axle to hit the crossmember (which it looks to have done a few times).
The solution is easy--new engine mounts. I've found the perfect thing,
and if even bolts in, but it's for 53 and up trucks.
October 17, 2000
The MTA and bus driver's union have
reached an agreement so the bus strike is now over. The truck performed
well during it's 4 weeks of daily service but it will now go back to paperweight
duty. MSLM is currently 181.
This morning I was running late so I took the quickest (and bumpiest)
route to work. This took me through North Hollywood on Burbank Blvd. If
you know that area you know the road couldn't be rougher if it was bombed.
When I got home I found an excessive amount of oil dripping from the front
of the pan and a bushing from my steering ram dangling (consequently the
steering now goes clunk when I turn the wheel). Tomorrow I'll crawl under
the truck to see if everything is alright. Hopefully some bolts just rattled
loose. That would be much better than if the engine hit the axle when
the suspension bottomed out, wouldn't you say? I'm glad this happened
today because if I needed the truck tomorrow this probably would have
been considered a mishap.
October 13, 2000
Another eventless week. MLSM is 165. I need
gas so I'll have another gas mileage estimate soon.
October 10, 2000
As of today MSLM is 127. I hope it gets much
much higher.
Yesterday I opened my hood and noticed a little bit of green liquid running
down the front of my radiator. I thought "oh crap, they were right
and you can't use a 14# cap on a stock radiator". My first instinct
was that the top tank had blown but something didn't seem right. I've
seen tanks that blew off from too much pressure and they don't do it pinhole
style--they blow and it's messy and there's no doubt when it happens.
The coolant level was fine so I was reasonably certain my tank was okay.
Then it dawned on me: the liquid is GREEN! It can't be from my radiator
because my coolant comes out rusty brown. So I don't know where the green
coolant came from, but it wasn't my radiator.
I'm working on fixing my 2-3 shift. Since I installed the shift kit it
slips (engine rpm climbs) before slamming into gear. The result is it
feels like I'm getting rear ended by a bus when it shifts. I'm thinking
intermediate servo/accumulator. Anybody have experience with this?
October 3, 200
I was wrong yesterday. MSLM is about 65. I
got gas today. The gauge got down to E but I'm sure it still had a few
gallons left. I put in 10 gallons and it went up to just over half. No
exact figure on gas mileage but I'm guessing about 10 mpg. Obviously I'd
like it higher, but most of that time my alternator's output was low,
zapping the ignition as well. We'll see what it is next time.
October 2, 2000
MSLM is currently 40.5.
If you took the poll yesterday you should take it again. The server farted
and wiped out all the results.
October 1, 2000
A new month, which means new stuff on the website:
Added a couple notes to the section on wiring
stock gauges for 12v - ground.
Added a new truck (51 F1) to the reader's truck
gallery.
Introducing...The Hall of Shame, where people
fess up to their automotive mistakes.
Since my truck is a daily driver now, there will be no live webcam until
further notice. After all, what's the point in looking at an empty parking
space?
Bonus Built list members: The annoying
excessive quoting filter has been removed! : )
Added 1 new truck (52 F1) to the Snapshot Gallery.
There is a new quiz. The old quiz has been archived.
September 30, 2000
After replacing the battery the voltage was still 12 volts. Yesterday,
conveniently, my alternator started making dying bearing noises so I exchanged
it. Voltage was still low so I replaced the regulator. I had this really
cool tiny regulator that mounted to the back of the alternator, but it
grounded through the alternator case--which is a poor ground at best.
I replaced it with a stock style external regulator and everything is
cool now--14 volts with the engine running.
September 28, 2000
No sweat. Absolutely nothing to report today except that I had fun driving.
I think I'll start reporting on the mileage since last mishap (MSLM)
since not much seems to be happening lately. Last December I drove the
truck to work for 3 days and on the 3rd day a fuel line clog necessitated
work on the truck. That was a mishap. In those 3 days I put on about 40
miles so MSLM would be 40. Last week I drove about 115 miles before my
battery died--MSLM was 115. Get it? I just started over today so MSLM
is about 20.
Hey! I don't think the counter is working!
September 27, 2000
The battery now lives under the hood--back in it's stock location. Boy
is it a tight fit! If I have to change the #4 spark plug I'll be in for
a little extra work for sure. I feel better having it where it 'belongs'
though.
The battery turned out to be dead--it just wouldn't hold a charge. That
surprised me because it's fairly new (but old enough to be out of warranty,
unfortunately). It didn't get used much though--you know how that goes.
I replaced the battery today and will resume driving the truck tomorrow.
New record for having no problems when driving the truck daily: 6 days.
September 25, 2000
Another day with no problems. I'm comfortable enough with the truck now
to hot rod it a little--I'm definitely not driving passively anymore.
Problems may be looming though as I just tried to go to the store in the
truck and the battery now lacks the power to turn the engine over. I sure
wish my new battery tray would get here--it was supposed to be delivered
today but UPS can't give me a straight answer about it.
You can't push start an automatic, can you? I didn't think so.
Late entry: The truck says "leave me alone, I'm weak". In other
words it won't start. It will start quickly with a jump but I don't want
to rely on jumps whenever I need to start it so I won't drive it tomorrow.
Happily I do have my new battery tray now so tomorrow I can install it
and get the battery back under the hood.
September 22, 2000
One week down--no sweat. The bus strike doesn't look like it'll be over
too soon so I'll probably be driving the truck daily for at least another
week. I think I have to change my answer to this month's poll now as I've
just put on 90 miles this week.
The drive today was completely unremarkable apart from the lingering smell
of gasoline (I really wish I hadn't filled it so high).
September 21, 2000
4 days running strong. This morning it even had rain to deal with but
the wipers and lights didn't kill the already weakened electrical system.
Big oopsie this afternoon. On my way home I stopped for gas and decided
to fill it up all the way so I could get a good estimate of gas mileage.
I soon learned that my sender gasket leaks. I'm not sure how much gas
I lost but it ran pretty freely down the side of the tank and out onto
the running boards for quite a while. It was not a comfortable ride home
as I kept wondering what a gas tank explosion feels like and if one gets
any warning before that happens. When I got home I drained off a couple
gallons so it seems okay now. At least there is no immanent danger. The
new fuel gauge, by the way, is very pessimistic. With the tank full it
just barely read full and I know it's still got about 5 gallons when it
says empty. I guess in this case E means "enough".
September 20, 2000
3 reliable days in a row--a new record. (the previous record being 2.5
days last December before the fuel tank started pumping crap into the
carb and starving it--and it took me 4 months to figure that out). The
ride seems to be getting a little squeakier so maybe I ought to replace
the bubble gum holding the body on.
September 19, 2000
Chalk up another 16ish miles. Getting to and from work today was a comfortable
experience. I don't want to be lulled into a false sense of security,
but I'm starting to trust the truck. The voltmeter is reading 12 most
of the time--slightly more at higher rpm (though it only sees as high
as 2300). Last time I drove it it read 14 like it's supposed to. I'll
tighten up the belt a little and see if that does it. If not then perhaps
this rebuilt alternator's useful 200 miles are up (remember, Pep Boys
alternators have lifetime warranties because they NEED them).
Late entry: Belt tension was okay so I experimented. With the engine running
I pulled the + cable off the battery. Voltmeter instantly jumped to 14.
I put the + cable back on and it dropped back to 12. The clamp was loose
so I tightened it down--it cracked. I'm guessing the loose fitting clamp
is putting a draw on the system. I'll be moving the battery back under
the hood soon (maybe even this weekend) and getting new cables so as long
as the engine will start and run I'm not going to worry about this.
September 18, 2000
Today was the first day of daily use for my truck. The trip to work and
back is about 16 miles--maybe a bit more as I had to alter my route to
take the least bumpy streets possible. Nothing much to report, fortunately.
I bled the brakes yesterday and got a fair amount of air out of the left
front caliper (odd since it was pulling left before). All is good now--no
pulling in either direction. I managed to stay comfortable in spite of
very hot temperatures. The only negative thing is that my coffee spilled
all over the place and I was sluggish all morning.
September 16, 2000
With all of LA's bus drivers on strike it appears that my 50 F1 will once
again be my daily driver. My girlfriend takes the bus to work and doesn't
have any other option now but to drive my Explorer, leaving me driving
the 50. I hope it doesn't let me down.
September 6, 2000
My landlord finally replaced the lightbulbs over my driveway. I can now
bring you the Truck Cam 24 hours a day (provided
I remember to turn it on). That's right, you can now watch my truck go
frickin' nowhere day and night!
September 4, 2000
I finally made it through the latest issue of Custom Classic Trucks. For
years I considered that to be the finest publication available for this
hobby but, as you may know, I've become critical of them in past several
months. The last issue (first with the new editor) seemed a step in the
right direction but I had to force myself to read the new one. It was
laborious. The issue was very Chevy-centric and not very interesting anyway.
The cover tells you just about everything you need to know: Studebaker
heritage: very superficial. Cover truck: 350 in a Studebaker with all
the usual shiny pieces. Nothing new. 35-40 Ford: How to put a 350 in it!
47-55 and 60-66 Chevy: Who cares? I'm not anti Chevy, but I am pro information.
There is so much more to building a truck than a 350 engine and lots of
polished aluminum. I always liked Custom Classic Trucks because they showed
a variety of trucks. Are they now taking a 6 year step backward and going
into "Chevy Mode"? I wish I could see into the future because
my subscription is nearly up. I don't want to commit to another year if
this is how it's going to be.
September 2, 2000
Send me your mess ups! We've all blown it once or twice but the important
thing is that you learn from your mistakes. Now is your chance to help
other people learn as well. If you have a good story, picture, drawing
or X ray of a mistake you've made I want it. If it makes you feel better
I'll be putting up pictures of my transmission that cracked, distributor
that died a violent death, and picture of my hand that happened to be
holding a 10 ga wire when it shorted. Send your goodies to webmaster@bonusbuilt.com.
I'll give you full credit...or not...
I fixed the link to the wiring diagram on the gauge
wiring page. Sorry about that but thanks to the people who pointed
it out to me.
September 1, 2000 Lots of new stuff, holy moly!
Bonus Built Dot Com is off to a great start! August was our
busiest month ever with over 2100 hits. Keep coming back, and tell your
friends.
PLEASE SUPPORT THIS SITE! You don't see any banners on this site and you
don't see a "members only" section. A couple people can even
attest to the fact that I turn down offers of donations from readers as
well. This site is funded 100% out of my own pocket. There are 2 ways
you can help support the site: 1.) Tell people about it. 2.) Sign up for
PayPal and use me as a referral. They will pay you $5 to sign up (and
pay me $5 for referring you). You Ebay
people know this is legit. If I only refer 3 people a month my expenses
are covered. Click here to learn more
or click
here to sign up. Now onto the new stuff:
The discussion list has moved to the bonusbuilt.com server. If you're
a member you don't have to do anything, you will be automatically subscribed
to the new list. If you're not a member then you should know that this
site hosts a discussion list. Click here to learn more.
Added a neat way to use original gauges on a 12v
negative ground system.
Added information on the AMC Pacer IFS swap.
New additions to the Survival Guide.
I have added many items to the for sale list.
Many older items have had their prices reduced.
New trucks added to my snapshot gallery.
5 new trucks added to the Visitor gallery.
Last month's poll results are up. There
is a new poll now.
FTP still exists!
August 31, 2000
1951 F1 FOR SALE!!!
I was contacted by a guy who wants to sell a 51 he inherited. It's a project
truck that was left unfinished. Everything is there to complete the truck
with the exception of engine/transmission/rear end. It has a Dodge Dynasty
front clip. I have pictures of it and the body looks to be in good shape.
The truck is in Buckley, WA (about 1 hour S.E. of Seattle) and the owner
wants $700. Email me for pictures
and/or contact info.
Note: I have no connection to the seller. I'm just passing along information.
August 24, 2000
I finally connected my turn signal indicators on the dash. I would have
done it sooner but I had to determine which wires were for right and which
were for left. That little bit of extra work put the project off for a
couple weeks--lazy guy I am. I also tried to connect my passenger side
wiper to the motor. I don't know what's wrong since it used to work just
fine, but there's something interfering with it. I'll take care of it
another day when it's not so hot. Besides, how much rain to you get in
LA in August? Or ever for that matter?
Just a reminder that there is a bonusbuilt.com FTP
site . Directions for it's use are in a readme file in the root directory.
August 22, 2000
I rewired the tail lights today. Now I finally have it working perfectly.
The marker and the brake/signal wires are completely separate circuits
(somehow this was not the case with the original harness). The 3rd brake
light is in and works perfectly. The wiring in the truck is now 100% designed
and installed by me (for better or worse).
August 21, 2000
MASSIVE work on the new mailing list tonight. I think it will be
ready for use soon. Stay tuned.
I crawled around under the truck earlier today. I wanted to check to make
sure everything is tight under there. The front spring U bolts weren't
torqued to spec so I tightened them down. Apart from that it looked good.
The exhaust looks a little micky mouse now (well, it's always been micky
mouse but it just bothers me now) so it might be about time for a pair
of 3 chamber Flowmasters and professionally welded pipes (maybe I'll investigate
headers again--you know how I like to go overboard). Wow, that'll be the
first thing I've farmed out on this truck.
I wanted to bleed the brakes but was thwarted by an uncooperative bleeder
hose. I've said it before, but I have yet to see a 1 man bleeder system
that actually works. Mostly they're just good at spilling brake fluid
and putting air into the system.
I've become severely fed up with my tail light wiring so I'm going to
do it from scratch tomorrow. That'll solve all my problems once and for
all.
August 18, 2000
I hit the road today and put about 25 miles on the truck. It's been 8
months since I've done any significant driving and this is what I found:
Engine seems alright. I had good oil pressure all the time and the temperature
stayed at 180 when I was moving. When I was in stop and go it crept up
to 200. I had a couple hard starts after it got hot but it's not a problem
at this time. I have a slight pull to the left when I hit the brakes above
about 20 mph. I also have an inconsistent pedal. I'm guessing there's
a little air in the lines. I spent a lot of the time cruising at 40 mph
with the engine spinning 2000rpm in 3rd gear. Maybe those 3:1 gears would
be a good idea. My 2-3 shift is really harsh. I wonder if I can fiddle
with the vacuum modulator and soften it up. The truck doesn't seem to
like potholes. It rattles a lot, but since the body is basically held
on with bubble gum I guess that's to be expected. I suppose my plan of
action now is to 1.) bleed the brakes again 2.) go over the suspension
with a fine tooth comb and make sure everything is nice and tight 3.)
learn something about vacuum modulators and possibly replace mine.
August 17, 2000
Much business today. I bundled and tied up all the wires under the hood--it
looks like a decent job now. I also installed the 3rd brake light and
fixed all my lighting problems. I capped the day off by finally calibrating
the speedometer. Now I can keep track of how far I've gone, gas mileage,
etc. Convenient, eh? Tomorrow I will put a few miles on the truck and
see how it does.
August 13, 2000
I went for a test drive last night around 8:00. The engine runs as good
as it sounds. I gave it a variety---straight away, uphill, downhill--and
it handled it fine. No pinging at all (I'm using 87 octane right now so
I guess I'll continue to) and no backfiring. I think I'm happy so I'll
leave everything just how it is.
Oh, one last thing: Why do my headlights come on when I hit the brakes???
I just discovered that last night. They're on completely different circuits
and share no wiring at all. I guess I'll figure that out today & maybe
get that 3rd brake light installed.
Late entry: I have to make a 90 degree bracket to mount the 3rd brake
light--no biggie. I also have to rewire my tail lights--that's a biggie
in that I'd rather not deal with it but apparently my brake lights and
tail markers are wired to the same bulb. You see the problem, yes? Right
now I'm okay if I just drive during the day.
August 12, 2000
The ignition is done & the engine purrs like a kitten. It was a pretty
quick operation. While I was tinkering I opened the spark plug gap up
to .044 to take advantage of the hotter spark. I set the initial timing
to 6 degrees (stock). If I need to I'll bump it up. A thorough test drive
and speedometer calibration should happen later this afternoon.
August 11, 2000
Will somebody please smash my fingers so I can't order any more parts
online? It's really far too easy. I have my work cut out for me this weekend.
My speedo sensor and 3rd brake light have arrived. My ignition is about
to become 100% MSD. In addition to the 6AL box I now have a Blaster coil
and pro-billet distributor--I even got MSD 8.5 mm ignition wires. Now
the truck will go faster than hell as it sits in the driveway. Next week
I start a 3 week vacation. Maybe I can actually drive my truck then.
Late entry: I wired up my speedometer and, while I was in the neighborhood,
the neutral safety switch on my shifter. The speedo seems to be alright
but I can't tell for sure because I can't drive the truck. Somehow I killed
my starter relay. I tested with a voltmeter so I know the wiring is good
and the safety switch works--I couldn't even get it to work with the remote
starter button. Definitely the relay. What are they, like $12?
August 7, 2000
Adding 10 gallons of gas (87 octane--hope it doesn't ping) caused the
gas gauge to move up to almost half. The tank is either 20 or 22 gallons
so that seems about right. I guess it works.
More late night online shopping last night. I ordered an aluminum 3rd
brake light from Summit (I saw it in the Jegs catalog but Summit has it
for $10 less) and a clamp on side view mirror. The hinge mounted one looks
great but needs constant adjustment. Opening the door screws it up. Hopefully
this will be better.
August 6, 2000
The fuel sender is in. I altered/installed it following the directions
to the letter and it says empty. That's certainly a possibility, though
I think there should be about 5 gallons in the tank--a little under 1/4
tank. I'll put some gas in tomorrow and see if the level goes up. If it
doesn't then the sender wire is probably somehow grounded.
I got my return receipt card back from VDO yesterday, which means they've
received the sender I sent them. If I'm lucky I'll get my replacement
speedo sender tomorrow.
If any of my friends from Anthony's party last night are reading this,
sign the guestbook or send me an email. Show yourselves ya bastards!
August 3, 2000
I got the gauge panel installed today. The speedo and fuel gauge aren't
hooked up yet, but those are the gauges I really use the least. After
wiring everything in I took the truck for a test drive. Now that I have
reliable instruments I feel better about the engine--oil pressure is about
20 at idle--60 & up above idle. Temp is always about 180. Voltage
is around 14. Bless that MSD ignition! I can feel it, especially just
off idle. I used to have a nasty stumble (and it'd often just die) if
I nailed it from a stop. I tried it today and just spun the rear wheels.
August 2, 2000
I reinstalled my electric wipers (well, wiper--only 1 is hooked up).
I wanted to go back to vacuum but after installing the motor I found it
doesn't work well (I mean even for a vacuum motor). I also have my temp
and oil pressure senders installed. I'll get the gauge panel in as soon
as the temperature outside gets down a few degrees.
August 1, 2000
Aw crap. I was so excited to find an out of the way place for my tach
that still provided good visibility that I mounted it without realizing
that the parking brake, when applied, wants to be in the same place. I
think it'll still be okay if I move it a couple inches to the left (or
right for that matter, but I like left). Do you ever feel like a complete
idgit?
July 31, 2000
My gauge insert came today (finally). It's pretty nice actually. The gauges
are set in it and wired for lights and power. When it's not so hot out
I'll install it in the dash and hook up the senders. I think I'm going
to like using these gauges.
There's a new poll for August in the left margin. Take a second and VOTE.
Last month's poll has been archived.
July 30, 2000
Tach is in and everything is wired up except for the gauges (still don't
have the dash panel to put them in). Those turn signals are strange. There
is just 1 power lead, meaning no seperate hazard & normal flashers.
That extra wire I mentioned just lights up the tail lights. I left that
one disconnected because I already have tail lights. I may look for a
different signal switch.
July 29, 2000
The MSD box is installed and most of the wiring is done. I'm trying to
figure out my turn signals. I don't have a diagram and there's an extra
wire I can't explain. Right now the rear lights flash whenever the ignition
is on. I should be able to fix that tomorrow. I also plan on installing
the tach.
July 28, 2000
As of today, this is where you will go if you try to access http://www.bonusbuilt.com.
You are no longer forwarded to the Earthlink site. The Earthlink site,
as a matter of fact, will be gone in a few days.
Oh yeah, ftp works now. ftp://ftp.bonusbuilt.com/.
So does the search engine http://bonusbuilt.com/wgindex.html.
Still waiting on the new mailing list though.
Yay for Summit--once again they delivered my stuff the next day. The Autometer
tach looks cool. Maybe I should have
gotten a bigger one with a shift light like the ricer
dudes do. It'd go well with my automatic transmission, don't you think?
I'm afraid of the ignition box though. I've never seen so many wires come
out of any 1 device in my life. I'm truly intimidated. I think Sacramento
Vintage has dropped the ball. I ordered parts from them on Monday and
they still haven't arrived. They're even closer to me than Summit, and
Summit gets their stuff here the next day.
July 27, 2000
I ripped all the wiring out from under my dash today. I left the headlight/taillight
harnesses intact because they're newish and intact. I found some pretty
embarassing things under that dash. I did take pictures but I'm too embarassed
to publish them. Good news: VDO will exchange my speedo sensor.
Rats! I can't get my scanner to work so the site graphics will have to
wait a while.
July 26, 2000
Slippery slope. I have to stay off of Summit's website! I innocently stopped
by there and now UPS is going to be stopping by here with an MSD 6AL box
and Auto Meter tach. I never get buyer's remorse, I just get DEBT.
Eventful day. I received my copy of "Tough Tales", which is
a collection of stories from Ford truck owners (including me). It's worth
having. $11.95 from General Store Publishing (call Elise at 1-800-465-6072
for Visa/Mastercard orders).
I also received my Painless fuse center and VDO gauges today. I have to
wait to install the new speedo though. The "universal" hall
sensor really just fits GM transmissions. Bastards. Somebody from the
mailing list said that VDO exchanged his universal sensor for one that
will actually work. That's what I'm trying to do now (though now that
I think about it, I could probably do something creative with my speedo
cable and make this one work). Does anybody have any words of wisdom for
me in regards to using a VDO sender in the stock tank? It looks like it
will only install in 1 position, so applying Murphy's Law there has to
be a baffle or something in the way. Email
me with comments.
July 25, 2000
Isn't the website perfect yet? I'm getting headaches from all this. At
least my back is getting better.
July 24, 2000
Okay, I agree. White lettering against a black background hurts to look
at after a while. Is this easier on the eyes? For comparison, this
is white. If you have suggestions for the site, contact me here.
July 24, 2000
I just ordered some goodies. It's been a while since I've bought anything
for the truck and I think it's getting resentful. I ordered a Painless
fuse panel so that I can rewire the cab & underhood. I thought about
getting a complete kit, but my head/tail light wiring are fairly new and
in good shape. That leaves the dash and underhood areas--and they're a
mess. I also ordered a set of VDO gauges w/ electronic programmable speedo.
That should keep me occupied over the weekend. I haven't done much with
the truck lately so this is overdue work--if you don't blow the odd $500
now and then you're not really making the effort. ; )
July 24, 2000
Thanks for the input! Most people seem to like the new layout.
I know that the blue on black menu is hard to read. That's just temporary--the
menu will turn white soon and will be much easier to read. Anybody find
the Sanford and Son song yet?
July 14, 2000
YAY! I changed the jets and metering rods on my carb (1 stage richer
in cruise mode for those who know Edelbrocks) and got rid of that hesitation
off-idle. After all those hours of tinkering and not getting it right
it turns out that the procedure that finally fixed it only took about
20 minutes. Anyway I'm happy to be able to drive the thing now. I still
think I ought to rewire and install new gauges as the next step.
In website related news...site redisign is coming along nicely. Anybody
who I have asked has stated a strong preference against frames, so I'm
not using them. The newly designed (and ever expanding) website should
be up by the middle of August. You guys like black, don't you? I'm also
moving the site off of earthlink. I found a place that will give me oodles
of server space and tons of bandwidth at a reasonable price. They also
offer lots of scripts and best of all, a mailing list server. If I'm putting
up a new site I might as well go all out.
July 7, 2000
Interesting week as far as the truck is concerned. I got another
offer to buy it (or trade for a 63 Fairlane). NO! Maybe I'll put a sign
in the window or something: "not for sale". I drove around a
bit and paid particular attention to my carb's hesitation/stumble. Some
brain racking and some help from some great Fordnatics list members has
got me fine tuning the calibration. More on that as it develops. Great
news for the website this week too. We now have our own domain, bonusbuilt.com.
All it does is direct you to my earthlink site, but it feels much more
official and leaves more room to grow in the future. A major site redesign
is on it's way as well.
July 3, 2000
Howdy! Good news today. I don't know if I've mentioned it here
yet, but my oil gauge has been showing some very low pressures for the
last several months. Since it almost always shows 0-10 regardless of engine
speed, and since the engine hasn't seized, I figured either the sender
or the gauge were full of it. I hooked my old mechanical oil pressure
gauge up today and it showed good pressure. Naturally for every bit of
good news there has to be something bad--as soon as I finsihed my pressure
test the tube broke. It took me about 3 seconds to shut the engine off
but that was enough time to coat everything under the hood with oil. After
the engine cools down I'm going to have to clean it all off. Oh well.
:( I'm sick of not doing anything with the truck. I think I'll rewire
it/install new gauges during my next vacation (mid August to Labor Day).
By the way, the truck is not for sale. I got another note about it over
the weekend. It just says "Vende el pickup" and gives a phone
number. I think I'll call and tell him "Nunca!"
May 7, 2000
A small bit of work and some driving yesterday. When I reinstalled
the gas tank last week I used the original outlet & shut off valve.
While they were off the tank I had them soaking in vinegar (my mom's favorite
trick) to clean them up. It worked but apparently a gasket or something
got eaten away on the shut off valve. When I put some fuel in the tank
is slowly leaked out through the shut off valve. I didn't even notice
until I glanced under the truck and saw that the asphalt under the gas
tank was soft. I replaced the original assembly with a 90 degree bend
and it's all good now. I drove the truck down the street to get gas and
then took a spin around the block a few times. What I found is the problem
I had been chasing before the fuel starvation came up. When cold, the
engine is gnarly. If you hit the gas too hard it will stumble or die between
1000-1500 rpm. If you are gentle it will behave. After it gets warmed
up there's just a hint of a stumble at the same speed.
April 30, 2000
I got my tank back from the radiator shop yesterday. It was perfect
inside and didn't need to be sealed. Most of the paint was gone from the
outside though. I painted it with Plasti-Kote touch up spray paint--dark
blue. This color ends up being nearly identical to the original color.
I like it a lot. I don't know if I'd do the whole truck with spray paint--it
seems a little low class--but the color is really good. The tank is now
re-installed and when I feel up to it (suffering with a cold at the moment)
I'll time it (yet again) and tune the carb. That should be the end of
this silliness. Oh yeah, and get gas too--that would probably be a good
move. If you want to see the color I used on the tank that I liked so
much, there is a picture here.
That thing sitting on top of the tank is the ashtray, which still has
the original color and isn't too faded.
April 19, 2000
I was finally able to do some work on the truck today. I started
by blowing out my fuel lines to test the theory that my buck/die problem
was caused by blockage in the line. It was. After blowing out the line
I went for a drive and my problem was gone. There was still a hesitation
off-idle but the buck & die thing was gone. On the way back from my
test drive I ran out of gas. I would have sworn I had at least half a
tank--this thing must get worse mileage than I imagined. Or it has a leak.
Ayway I had a gas can in the bed so it wasn't that big a deal. When I
got home I drained the gas tank and removed it. I took it to the radiator
shop to get it boiled out and sealed. I replaced my fuel line from the
pump to the carb (all steel now) and changed the filter. I didn't like
that metal barrel one that I got from Edelbrock so I got a glass one from
Purolator. I blew out the line again (running out of gas no doubt sucked
a lot more crap into the line) and started it up using my gas can for
a tank. It sounds a lot better now though I wasn't able to drive it--I
spun the rear wheels for a few seconds and it didn't bog down or anything.
I think that problem is solved.
April 2, 2000
Of course my truck is safe and sound and where it's supposed to
be. April Fools! Yeah, like nobody saw right through that one. ;)
April 1, 2000
I'm so pissed off I can't even see straight. This morning while
I was out running errands some asshole with a flatbed truck (or so says
my neighbor) stole my truck! I can't believe it--the guy must have targed
the truck for a while. The truck was stolen in Burbank, CA between 8:30
and 11:00 am. It's a 50 F1 (Licence # 3BDY192 vin 98RC448668) and is primer
grey from the cowl up-blue from the cab back. It's got 59 Ford passenger
car hubcaps on the rear wheels and bare wheels up front. It's also got
a silver skull and crossbones on the horn button. If anybody sees this
truck please call the police.
March 21, 2000
I spent a great deal of time troubleshooting the old buck &
die problem last week. Thanks to all on the Bonus Built list for the help
and ideas. It's probably caused by a large blockage in the fuel line.
Looks like money is going to get tight for a while as I just bought a
loaded 98 Explorer so big things on the truck aren't likely to happen
for a while. In a way that's good because I can perfect what's on there
now.
March 2, 2000
I'm home "sick" from work today but the truck bug finally
hit around 3:00. I went out and gave my timing a couple degrees of advance
& adjusted the carb. It still does the buck&die routine but not
quite as bad. I'm assuming I'm on the right track. I can't advance my
distributor any further though or I'll start pulling wires out of their
connectors. Over the weekend I'll have to pull it out and set the static
timing, which I should have done after last October's firing order ordeal.
By the way, has anybody seen the latest issue of Custom Classic Trucks?
There are lots of early F series trucks in there, but you have to suffer
through countless mistakes. It's unforgivable to put a caption under a
49 Ford calling it a 49 Chevy. People get mad at that sort of thing. To
make matters worse they used the same truck on the same page, but with
the correct caption. They did that twice that I noticed--used the same
truck with different captions. If I had more time and my own server I'd
launch a full scale assault on all the hobby magazines. I am convinced
I could run a better zine given the right resources.
February 28, 2000
I drove the truck Saturday for the first time in a while. The truck
idles alright and when revved in park it sounds fine. But in gear it has
a really bad off-idle stumble. If it's stumbling and I floor it (if it
doesn't die) it bogs, bucks, and generally doesn't act very well. Numerous
carb tunings don't help it at all. I had this when I first installed the
Edelbrock carb but only when it was cold. The vacuum is steady at about
15 inches. I'm guessing the timing is off--I'll set it when I get a chance.
February 21, 2000
This has nothing to do with the F1, but I have to vent: I was driving
back from Las Vegas last night and was amazed at the stupidity of many
of my fellow drivers. Driving through the mountains at night, 6% downgrade,
rain pouring down in buckets, high winds, thick patches of fog, heavy
traffic. Traffic is, sensibly, going about 35 mph. There is always some
nimrod who sees the sign that says "Speed Limit 70" and feels
obligated to go that fast--usually in a Corvette or lowered Honda. You
may have the best handling car out there, but that's not a replacement
for common sense!
January 29, 2000
I've been busy with work and school, so I haven't done much with
the truck this month. In fact, I can't say for sure whether I've even
started it. This morning I found a note on my windshield asking if I was
interested in selling the truck. You'll have to ask my next of kin in
about 50 years!
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