I've got a super short update for you. As you know, I'm working my way towards swapping engines (the newer, running engine for the older non-running engine). In that regard, I've been wanting, for several years now, to get the radiator out of the truck. This solves two different problems. The first is that it makes room in front of the old engine for me to maneuver the engine on its way out of the engine bay. The second is that it allows me to connect it to the engine on the test stand to actually test the radiator, too! Frankly, I have no idea if the radiator is any good or not! I have high hopes that it is good, as I had to drain the old coolant from the bottom hose and plenty came out. Of course, that doesn't mean that it doesn't have a pin hole leak somewhere, so testing is really necessary. Now, you know I always tell the whole story, and there is always a story, when I'm working on my truck. This time is no different.... I knew that containing the coolant was going to be an issue. It is toxic to animals and people, so I really had to take precaution to prevent any spills. I laid out a plastic tarp under the engine area and put the catch tub on the tarp. Sadly, I had some eye-hand coordination issues aiming the lower radiator hose. So onto the tarp a bunch of the coolant went. I went into full on damage control mode and grabbed the nearest roll of paper towels and trash bag and literally dove under the truck! Holy Cow, what a mess! To properly set the stage, you need to know that I haven't been very diligent in sweeping under the truck lately. About once a year, I get the compressor and blast nozzle out and clean things up. So...there was a bunch of gunked up oil/dirt (remember how dirty these parts were?) well, I had simply scraped that crud off of the transmission on my way to those parts and onto another plastic tarp. Let's just say that I had an ecological disaster brewing under my truck! Not cool! Three rolls of paper towels later and most of the disaster is remediated. A quick trip to the dump to recycle what coolant I was able to recover and it was back to business. Good Grief!
So now that the radiator was out, it was time to plumb it into the engine on the test stand. I had recently restored the thermostat housing. As you can imagine, it was a real mess. It is a cast iron piece, so I was reasonably confident that I could salvage it. A quick soak in Super Clean and it was completely degreased. That stuff is amazing! Rinse it off and straight into the Evap-O-Rust. I left it there overnight and the next morning it was like new. I rinsed it off and let it dry in the sun, which also warmed it up pretty good. Next it was time for some high heat primer and that wonderful Old Chevy Blue paint. It always amazes me how good this old stuff can turn out when restoring it.
Now it was time to put it all together. So, I bring the restored housing into the garage and notice that it looks identical to the one that is already on the engine...that's interesting. Knowing that the thermostat in the engine is toast, I decided to breakdown the housing and at least replace the thermostat. I did that, installed a new thermostat and gasket and sealed it with a little gasket sealer. The instructions say that you need to let it cure for an hour, then torque it down, which I did. I didn't get to the radiator that day, though. So another week passes and I finally get to the radiator. Much to my surprise, there was a difference between the housings! The one on the test stand engine was made for a larger diameter radiator hose and my "little" 1953 hose would not fit! Are you kidding me!?! Well, that only means one thing. Time to get another gasket, break it all down and redo what I just finished. Time passes. It's another week later and I finally have the gasket. Break it down, scrape the RTV off of the housing parts and start over. Get it all done and wait my hour. Torque it all down and now for the ever popular test fit...success! Who knew! Of course, there was just one more issue to deal with. It's a detail, for sure, but they say the debbil is in the details. Hose clamps! I didn't have any new clamps. So into the box of parts that I had removed, grabbed the gnarliest, largest one I had, grabbed the Super Clean and went to work. In short order it was brilliant again. Bob's your uncle! Everything went together exactly as it should. All together, it looks like this:
And there you have it, all buttoned up. You'll notice that there isn't a fan attached to the water pump. I have been using an electric fan that I salvaged from the junkyard for the test stand. It came out of a late model Honda Civic. Why did I choose that one? Good question! I think it was close to the size that I needed. But honestly, it was so long ago, I really don't remember!
Here's what Super Clean looks like:
I don't get any money from them, but don't mind letting everyone know if a product works or not. This stuff works! Just make sure to wear gloves and eye protection. Safety first!
And now for the grand finale! During this time, I got the third brake light mounted to those bedsides I built. I've had the light fixture for more than 3 years. This day was a long time coming and I'm not ashamed to admit that it made me smile when I stood back and looked at it. It looks like this:
I know what you're thinking. Gray Ghost, it looks crooked! Well, something is crooked. I'm just not sure if it's one of the cab mounts or one of the bed mounts. What isn't crooked is the wood. That is level to the floor. So, my guess is that the bed mounts (which are wood) have rotted in some area and the bed isn't sitting level anymore. Once I get past the engine swap, I'll look into it.
One last bit...while connecting the ground wire for that beautiful third brake light, something fell off of the truck, bounced off of my skull, went under my safety glasses and straight into my eye. Once again, are you kidding me?!? I went into the house and tried washing my eye, to no avail. This happened on a Sunday, so I have the choice of going to the ER or waiting for my eye doc to come to work on Monday morning. I chose the latter. He was great and saw me straight away. So, he's looking in my eye through the thing you put your chin into and he asks me, "Is your truck green?" I said, "Yes, how did you know?" He says, "I see a fleck of green paint in your eye and you normally see green in your eye socket." A quick wash and the paint fleck is gone and I'm back to normal. I remain convinced that the original owner of the truck hates me from the great beyond and actively works to sabotage me. Oh well.
OBTW, I guess this really wasn't "super short"...sorry! Hopefully, you enjoyed the stories.
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