doesn’t necessarily mean they have never been replaced, most shops around me buy complete control arms bushing ball joints and all pre installed and slap the on and they come hot riveted from the supplier. But I know your struggle cutting the rivets out it takes a minute and usually have to beat them out with an air hammer even after the head is cut off, iv done a lot of them over the years
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That could be the case, but they were super loose and combined with the sloppy steering from the tie rods, the truck follows any rut in the road and my steering wheel is more of a suggestion sent by letter. I get a good 1/4 or 1/8 turn before I notice any actual steering going on.
I guess I’m adding flush the steering fluid and replace hoses on the list. Stuff leaking out looked like coffee.
I was hearing a hissing noise, so was that the pressure side or return side?
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Dad’s friend is selling the shop property where he parked his camper.
Had to move my 76 out of there. Barely got it home, coughing and spitting and sounded like I had a dead lifter, some kind of faint tapping.
Also sounded like I was running on 4 cylinders.
That issue comes and goes, and I’m getting sick of this HEI distributor. I’m pretty sure the 1976 engine came with HEI stock but is there a way to “downgrade” to the older small distributor and coil?
I don’t feel like buying a new ignition module every time my truck gets moody.
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Yes points distributor is a drop in, intake manifold if stock or most aftermarket should still have bolt bosses for the coil mount as well. Perk of the hei in your truck is the are very widely available i think i jave 4 spares sitting around. Personally i have never had a IM fail, and only ever seen 2 fail my whole life both of which were on the same k5 blazer that frequently saw mud holes deep enough to swallow the truck. For simplicity they are both extremely easy to work on and get parts for, but they do use different spark plug wires
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Ah shoot. I just got new wires for it too.
I might try to get a whole new HEI distributor then. I’m sure this old Delco Remy is due for a rebuild.
But I’ll probably get a backup old style distributor.
I’m 99% sure the intake manifold is GM, since it’s a QJet intake.
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One of my spares was oe from my 86 gmc 400,000 some odd miles backlash is extremly minimal. Gear wear is neglegent at best. I did replace vacuum advance pod as it would occasionaly bind and cause a hot start. Not any problem for most rigs, but im a sbc timing snob and all my motors had maximum timing allowable that a stock starter would still work for, and then upgraded starters to high torque minis. I was always chasing maximum launch capabilities so when the vacuum pot stuck timing was way to hot to start up. Short version, your dizzy is probably fine, only reason i ever pulled them was to upgrade the oil pump drive shaft underneath to the steel over locking collar. Completely unnecessary but i had a bunch of NOS ones laying about years ago so all my engines got them for shits and giggles
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First I would pull the distributor and check the gear. They do wear out and cause timing problems. I’m an automotive ludite but I still greatly favor ignition modules over points and condenser.
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I have a question.
My truck doesn’t have a fuel return line, but it does have a charcoal canister line.
Wether I go with a fuel cutoff solenoid or an electric fuel pump I need a return line so I don’t burn up either pump.
Would it be plausible to use the old charcoal canister line going to the tank as a return line, and use a vented gas cap?
I think you can even get activated charcoal filter vented caps now to prevent emissions.
These old dead head fuel systems are annoying, and if I switch to an electric pump it’ll just get burned up when I need it on gasoline. If I don’t have a return line for the mechanical pump when using a cutoff solenoid I run the risk of overheating that too. I’ll be installing a fuel pressure regulator that routes to a return line, with a solenoid it would just constantly be returning in a loop.
I’d like to go to any length to avoid dropping this tank to add a return line. Also don’t like the idea of drilling a hole in this tank.
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I think I found a way to add a return line, one guy used a splice in his fuel filler neck. Adds a hose barb.
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you shouldn’t need a return, I am running elec. pumps on several trucks and equiptment no returns
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i was just going to say i have ran tons of chevy motors with no return lines, the toyota is currently a single feed line electric pump with no return line, i just turn the pump off when on woodgas and no issues. before i put the electric pump on i was running the factory on the block pump with the supply line just disconnected. i would have to get out and hook it back up to run on gasoline and crank it to death to reprime the system but i did that maybe a dozen times and the pump still worked fine
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If you are using a mechanical pump, that probably does need a return line to keep it cool and lubrication, and balance pressure. The electric pump, if you are shutting the pump off, it doesn’t need one because it doesn’t need the cooling and it isn’t adding pressure.
If you have a mechanical pump, don’t those already have a return line to relieve pressure at the pressure regulator?
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Nope. My mechanical pump is a dead head system, only has an input and a single output. I have two hard lines going to the tank and one is vapors for the charcoal canister and the other is fuel feed.
The reason why I’d want a return line for an electric pump is the times I’d need to drive a significant distance on gasoline and might be stuck in hot summer town traffic. I know Thunderhead289 on YouTube is a big proponent of using a return line to keep the system cool and prevent vapor lock.
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I have a mechanical pump on the Iller, shut off with a tap between the pump and the carburetor, but haven’t driven more than about 40-50 hours, about 3-4 hours at a time.
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A mechanical pump with a diaphragm does not need a return line and also a pressure regulator, since the operating lever pushes the diaphragm in terms of pumping fuel, and the spring on the opposite side in terms of pushing fuel, so in fact, when there is no consumption, the diaphragm remains in the extreme position under the force of the spring, which determines fuel pressure, and the operating lever moves freely.
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What Tone said, i had mechanical pump before, and just shut it off on the pressure side, it worked a long time, ofcourse, now the pump is dead, but i blame it on the dishwater they call gasoline here in Sweden, probably one of the check valves gone bad.
Ofcourse you’re right about vapour-locks, but it should work with proper shielding of the fuel lines?
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Right now with my mechanical pump I have no issues.
But thanks to Tone’s description of one way mechanical pumps I’m less averse to simply wiring a shutoff solenoid. It worked very well for my Mazda even if it had a return line.
I am knocking on wood as I type this to not jinx myself, but I’m amazed that pump in the engine has worked. It’s dirty enough that it looks like the original. I have (mostly) hard steel line with rubber line in a few places. I think they damaged the line going to the carburetor and used rubber hose to bridge the two halves back again.
This truck has been parked for a few years I think 2019 with previous owner. Put away wet so to speak. I still need to weld in the floor pans but before that I think I’ll focus on door seals and window seals.
The floor of the bed makes me nervous and while I’d hate to separate original pieces I think I’ll do better with a wood frame flatbed. Square body Fleetside beds are only bolted down in the corners though, that will be a challenge. Might need to get some square tube after all and add cross members for more mounting points.
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The Haynes manual I ordered finally arrived.
Sometimes Google doesn’t solve everything! I need diagrams right in front of me.
Also my keychain for the C15, dad gave me that Deals Gap keytag a long time ago. He says when he dies he wants to be cremated and scattered at the Tail of the Dragon. He loved riding his motorcycles in that mountain pass.
Edit: I’m using past tense because his Harley broke it’s input sprocket on the gearbox
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Hmmm it goes back to 67? Good to know, very good to know. 
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That sounds like a perfect bike for me. Rev it up a bit, sound really cool, but can’t do much damage unless I tip while just sitting on it. lol
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