My 73 has 16.5, regular rims. Last year, only one tire shop was willing to order them for me. Probably will have to switch to 16s nest time I need new tires.
J. B.
You have a 74 - 77 or so bed. If the 2nd pair of bed to frame bolts is much further apart from the 1st pair than the 3rd and 4th pair are, then you have a 73 bed. The original 73 bed floor was one year only, but you no longer can get replacements for that year. You have to drill your frame to...
The late 76 - 87 tailgates are all physically interchangeable, even though they are a little different, but if 80s tailgate is used on a late 76 - 80 or so with trim, the bottom tailgate trim piece will not line up with the lower bedside trim pieces.
J. B.
Ticking sound? You might have a sticking intake or two, in addition to vacuum leaks and/or partially plugged idle/low speed circuit in the carb.
J. B.
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If your vacuum advance receives ported vacuum, you probably won't have much if any vacuum going to it at idle, but if it receives manifold vacuum, you will receive enough to advance the timing about 5 - 7 degrees at idle speeds, maybe more.
J. B.
If you can't find a replacement grille, you can try the Hot Rod stainless grilles that you can get through Brothers, LMC, etc. Beware that they don't have any place to put an emblem though.
J. B.
You saw steam, not smoke. Your radiator cap might be frozen, so that the center plunger can't be pushed upward by excess water pressure. Liquid can't compress, so excess volume has to go somewhere. Good think you didn't crack open any part of your radiator.
Too bad you have already done the work. I would have suggested that you replace the heads and intake with Olds 350 gasoline heads and intake. That 350 diesel, as bad as it was, is indestructible when converted to gasoline.
J. B.
If it is only a few gallons, it won't hurt. Just fill it up with gasoline. After you run one tank of gas through it, it will be free of all diesel.
J. B.
If you really use it as a 4X4, I would go with 4:10, but otherwise 3:73 is better with an automatic. If you have a 454, then I would go with 3:73 if you really use it, otherwise something around 3:50 would be better. Automatics will allow you to pull taller gears than a standard trans will.
J. B.
Depends on what you are going to use it for and what kind of power you want. I first would think about the differential gearing. Your truck is not light, so I would stay away from super-tall gearing. It may increase mileage out on the open road, but it hurts acceleration. If you have a...
I once drove a 70 or so Nova with a 307, and that car FLEW, even with PG, much faster than a 73 or later 350, as tuned for best performance, not emissions, but you are right, they were not really cammed for high performance.
As her truck is 2WD, the front springs should be pretty soft for a truck. The rear springs, if you want a smooth ride, should be 4-leaf packs. If it has 7 leafs each, you need to swap them out for the 4 leaf packs. Also, use factory-spec tires, as they are fairly low pressure tires. That is...
Sounds like either bad rings or bad valve guides with missing seals. Maybe both. You can try one heat range hotter, that might do the trick until you rebuild the engine.
J. B.
J. B.
When you say "Sounds like a diesel", do you mean that it sounds like excessive clearance in the connecting rods? Loose piston pins? If the noise is right near the oil filter, I would check my connecting rods, starting with the rear-most rod. You could have one that overly large inserts for a...