When I recently finished with my long list of upgrades I was surprised at how extensive the list was. Well, there never was a list--maybe that was why it took me so long to get started. I just know that when the bed of the truck came off, lots and lots of things were addressed.
Exhaust - Hooker exhaust manifolds, 2 1/2" pipe all the way to the rear of the new 18" long Magnaflow mufflers. H-pipe added to system as well. All welded (lotsa work!).
U-joints - Rear driveline only so far. I let Drivelines Northwest do it for me this time. I didn't feel like doing the "squeeze play" with my bench vice, nor will I pound them in/out with a hammer like I did when I was young.
Fuel tanks - Both were replaced, along with new sending units and switching valve and assorted hose connections. Plastic fuel tank shields were shitcanned. Both tanks were painted with Herculiner bed liner paint. Durable stuff! This was the main scope of the project. This is the reason I took the bed off to begin with.
Motor mounts - They looked original when I removed them. While they were each still in one piece, the rubber was riddled with fatigue and cracks.
Electric window relay upgrade - A lot of laborious wire-routing, but almost no parts cost. There is noticeable improvement, but not all that dramatic. I'm glad I did it though. The windows work a lot smoother and feel more responsive.
Window track felts - Both sides came out in little pieces from age. OEM for sure. The new ones fit nicely. Likely contributed to the windows working smoother.
Fuel line to carb - It was a long, rubber hose, and snaking it up behind the alternator didn't look safe. Now it uses a formed, steel line like it oughta. The line has lots of chances for abrasion because of its routing, so a soft fuel line is not advisable running up from the fuel pump.
Fan clutch - I started hearing a chirping noise. My ears told me what it was, but no--wrong diagnosis. The new fan clutch does look nicer though.
Alternator bearings and brushes. (see previous note about chirping.) How many people even know you can change them? $27 worth of parts is sure cheaper than a whole alternator when you don't need one.
Water pump - Okay, I admit--I can't troubleshoot worth a shit. The chirping or squeaking noise was not fixed by the fan clutch or the alternator. Not much left to pick from. Just as well... I remember seeing an occasional drip under the water pump at times in the past, and I never did like the workmanship the previous owner did on everything, so replacing it was inevitable anyway. It also gave me the chance to play with spacers, washers, and pulley alignment when I reassembled everything. Like I said--the squeal was still there when I finished. Vacuum leak maybe?
Timing tape - I put timing tape on my harmonic balancer only to find that I put it on wrong. I had 2 choices and got it wrong. I pulled it back off in disgust (with myself). Looks like I'll be timing it "by ear" when I need to.
Spark plug wires (and plugs) - The wires that were on the truck were waaaay long and of unknown brand, the plugs were too cold, and it had a running problem. I later diagnosed the running problem to a piece of crap in the carburetor. Apparently, when I went out for a test drive and hammered the gas the secondaries opened and sucked some fuel tank foreign debris that made it past all the new fuel system stuff. Opening the carb and blowing out all the orifices took care of it, and was an easy fix--mainly because the carb is only a year old and no gaskets were permanently stuck yet.
Distributor mods - I swapped out the mechanical advance springs to a different combination, and added a stop/limiter to the vacuum advance to ensure it only gives me 12 degrees max.
Throttle cable - I kept playing with springs, but the real bottom line was, the cable would hardly move when I removed it. While I kept it for an emergency, a new ATP one was installed in its place. The ATP quality seems better than a Pioneer brand cable I bought for my previous truck. That one had weak plastic in the clip mounts. One broke easily during assembly that time. All good this time. What a difference! The throttle feels soft and precise like it should now.
In addition to all these things, there were lots of little things that I addressed on the old truck, such as bracketry, wiring zip ties, etc. Anything that caught my eye needing a repair, adjustment, or replacement was fair game. That's probably why it took me so many days to get it all done. For example, there must have been a big sale on flat washers because the previous owner/mechanic put them on practically every bolt under the hood. Lock washers? Nope. He only liked flat washers. It was good to replace so many of them with smaller diameter (washers that actually fit the holes and fasteners) flat washers or lock washers.
For the sake of marital harmony I opted to split my time between outdoor home labor (garden, wood chips, lawn mowing, etc) tasks, and working on the truck. I must say, looking back, I got a lot of stuff done. Why? Mainly, it was the sun. Being a nudist I'm solar-powered, so our summer weather has been very conducive to me working--as long as I was bare. It got hot many days, but I was dressed for it and soldiered onward. Some of the tasks were covered (if you'll excuse the pun) in my nudism blog.
Good times.
Epilogue:
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