Im no expert on autotragics (magic box of lost horsepower and crushed dreams) but being a s10 i would gestimate it has a 700r4 transmission which has a TV cable, and i for one have never fully understood its purpose beyond if it is incorrectly adjusted it can wipe out the whole trans in EXTREMELY short order.
My brain cant rap around the performance aspects of automatics gearbox, ill leave it to someone with superior experience and knowledge
When I had satellite TV and used to waste/watch many hours of car and hot rod shows I saw many transmissions pulled apart on home garage floors, repaired and reassembled. I have never dreamed of pulling that off and yet it looks so simple and of course done in maybe 15 minutes. As a teenager I tried to disassemble and put back together a simple three speed manual. I gave up trying to figure out where the left over thingies were supposed to go. Never tried again. Of course we didn’t have digital cameras back then.
For our modern times (ahem, Ted was right) I will say that a camera has been a astoundingly useful tool for me. I take so many pictures and video of cars, trucks, bikes, wires, ect while I’m working on them so I can reference back to the way it was original as I put it back together. I learned this valuable asset when replacing batteries at a previous shop I worked at, truck used a 24v starter and truck ran off 12v. I pulled the batteries and left for the night. Dayshift showed up and thought no big deal and put the batteries in. We all know when the magic smoke comes out of things, you really cant put it back in
As per usual when someone wants to see the truck in action (this Saturday) only what we all expect to occur what would happen. I come out to light up and find the full lid gasket torn, stuck from tar. No biggie, grab the lid assembly off the Toyota. Oh no. Rust got to it and we got pinholes in the lid
Then the lid ring snaps
Anywho. I haven’t had a chance to light up on wood for several months now, char bed was damp from sitting. 20 minutes of exercise and still got a nice flair
If it can go wrong when you go to show a truck it will, happens to me every time. Still fun
Everyone thinks of mad max ideas when i talk about woodgas in public, figured i would lean into it for a picture
Yeah. Most are so very unrealistic about using wood-for-power Marcus.
I just got back from a 50th birthday party for my oldest of the nieces and nephews born of us Boomers brothers and sisters.
At least 12-15 couples and then another maybe 10 individuals and minor children were there.
Forty years ago at least 1/3rd of then would have gone to homes and on this cool-cool atmospheric river storm raining been stoking up some kind of wood heat.
in the past four decades one by one they have sold out of homes with wood heat possible. Or removed chimneys and fireplaces to “make space”, “reduce wood filth”, or “save on homeowners insurances”. Now all heating with some types BigHydro electricity. Some with ambience propane and street gas fireplaces.
Only me and the wife drove home to stoke up a wet dog drying wood stove fire.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, and again . . . . if you do not commit to home heat some with wood just skip right on past woodgasing for yourself.
You will fail to understand the real work; space and mess, in wood fuel sourcing.
Wood fuel cutting, drying, storing.
Wood is bulky. Particles shedding messy. Can, and will attract bugs and rodent critters.
These are raw wood realities. Period.
Now years and years of over the shoulder viewing I’d say also if you are not saw milling just don’t do actual Drive-on-Wood.
Few who are not already saw milling for sawmill products can ever keep up with vehicle use qualities of gasifier wood fuel.
Ha! Betcha’ today, tonight you’ll have a wood stove fire, eh Marcus.
Steve Unruh
Actually sitting on the front porch splitting kindling right now, testing out a bushcraft knife for a friend. Just had a feed of venison spaghetti enjoying the raindrops that have been falling all day. The woodshed project has not progressed for lack of time, and to show the truck yesterday i had to cherry pick my dryest wood that has been tarped for months. All the maple is moldy and damp, unusable for at least the first few miles in the truck, or spend much time reverse blowing drying out the wood. Hours spent chunking, bagging, storing, this time of year very difficult to keep it dry and ready for use. A realization i have come to is with the v10 with my given fuel woods i just cannot keep up with the needed supply for daily driving conditions, the time is just not available. I need are more wood efficient truck. Time just seems to get shorter and shorter even with the longer days now having a home to tend to, growing boys, chickens and rabbits, inflation and working 50+ hours a week at my day job and now evenings at a friend’s warehouse to make ends meet. Time has priced me out of daily driving on wood.
If i were to have a sawmill and income from it and plenty of waste wood? The story would be different. But i cant spend 10+ hours a week denailing pallets from work and chunking. The lumber is more valuable as byilding material to me now. Its just not in the cards for me right now. Specially with firewood to heat the house taking priority of my wood needs
For bumping around the gravel roads? Mountain exploring and fishing? I can make that wood demand. But i need better dry chunk storage to keep things optimal
I agree with steve on wood heating, though i dont have a sawmill, but the hardwood i buy from saw mill is still much cheaper than buying gasoline by long shot. And i am with you on needing to build a biger better drying station up here in michigan as well. Though i see you standing on back of your truck over what looks like a mountain view- is that view there in alibama,or.? COOL picture. P.S your truck looks great, can hardly tell it is wood burner, are you getting 50 miles with hardwood in the hopper with a V10 motor ? THANKS for sharing your build.
Those mountains are my back yard, i moved deeper into the cascades, i havent come across enough hardwood to do real solid testing but i can squeek 40 miles out of a hopper of maple usually cruising highway speeds
GOOD to have a wood gas truck when low on money or gas prices go crazy higher than what they all ready are, it takes to many hours to wait till SHTF. I need a few more garden tools as well, my low buck retirement money go no ware in todays prices. HALF the factories i used to work at closed up of moved out of country, or i might still be working.
