There's a shiny "new" gas tank back there.. But these clues may
reveal something in the fuel system. Also I am a bit suspicious of
my timing ability. Almost every time I pointed that gun at the
hole something got in the way. So I need to practice that. And it
has taken two people because I couldn't figure out how to use a
remote starter with the foot switch starter (any secret tips there?)
I suddenly remember my first vehicle a 65 1/2 ton Chevy pickup (with
a V8) which was the only one of the 80 or 90 vehicles I have owned
which died on a busy freeway. It was dirt in the gas tank. I was
too poor (college student) and nervous to pull the tank. The way I
solved the problem was to keep swapping fuel filters until they
didn't get clogged any more! Ultimately that truck nearly killed my
dad (who confiscated it from me my second year in college!) when the
brake line broke, again on the freeway.
Other truck adventure - I had a green 50 GMC 3/4 tone pickup in
college which I loved dearly. The brakes always needed pumping up.
One day the pedal sank into the floor and snagged in the sheet
metal. The truck jumped the curb up onto the UC Berkeley campus,
heading toward a huge group of students. It knocked over a mailbox
and sort of came to a stop. I yanked the pedal out by hand, pumped
up the master cylinder and high-tailed it out of there. Nobody was
hurt and despite 2000 witnesses I never got busted for the downed
mailbox... Here I am confessing after 32 years.
On Jul 24, 2006, at 1:27 AM, Dave wrote:
> Good job Jonas,
> I wasn't sure how knowledgeable you were from reading the first
> post, but
> it sounds like you're on your way to getting it running smoothly. A
> red line
> on the flywheel is a good idea, wish I'd thought of that way back
> when I was
> driving my dad's '57 with the 235. I was experimenting with setting
> the
> timing by ear and got it so advanced it wouldn't start. Luckily a
> buddy of
> mine realized what I did and told me how to undo it. I've had 2 gas
> related
> problems with my 2 trucks, the first when I ran my dad's out of
> gas. It
> clogged the carb so it wouldn't run without having the choke out.
> No power,
> hard to start, and wouldn't go above about 30mph. A local carb shop
> put an
> inline filter before the fuel pump and rebuilt the carb. I had the
> same
> problem a few years ago when I put a high dollar K&N billet filter
> on my
> present '57. The screen was so fine in that filter it clogged the
> first day
> I ran it. There's a screen on the end of the pickup tube in the
> tank that's
> supposed to prevent fuel problems but after 50 years it could be
> clogged or
> missing. Be sure to check that short rubber fuel line under the
> tank. It'll
> cost you under a dollar for that short amount of gas line. Don't
> forget that
> the gas in the tank could be full of dirt or water if it's been
> outside or
> if it had a hard life on a farm previously.
> Dave '57 3100
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-oletrucks@autox.team.net
> Thanks, Dave, for that robust paragraph of useful info! I will
> digest it bit by bit! I have already set the timing with a timing
> light, which was tricky until I painted a red line on the flywheel
> where that ball is.
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