Category: To-Do List

Slow Progress

I’m currently waiting on a local shop to straighten out the new (to me) steel wheel, so I put the 15″ wheel that came with the truck back on to putter around the neighborhood. While I’m waiting I took care of some small stuff in the driveway.

All four of the cargo tiedowns are countersunk into the rear floor and mounted securely with a steel plate underneath, which means I have two mounts for seatbelts and two for cargo in the rear of the truck. The 800 came to me with four removable seatbelts, so I pulled one of the female seatbelt sides out, soaked it in detergent, and scrubbed the lichen and dirt out of the webbing with a toothbrush. That will make the final pair complete, and I can belt in four people safely.

I’ve spent a number of hours with a buffing wheel and cutting compound, trying to bring the original paint back. It’s been hit or miss, because the paint is in such lousy shape across the truck, from clearcoat to bare metal with about five layers in between. I can’t get the paint to polish evenly, which has been very frustrating, and I may just give up on it.

Last weekend I bought a sheet of 4×8′ lightly textured plastic meant for use in bathrooms to try out as headliner and cut it down to fit over the driver’s seat back to the second bow. Unfortunately it’s not quite the size I need: It’s 50″ between the border lip above the sunvisors to the middle of the second headliner bow and I’ve only got 48″ so the edge doesn’t hide neatly, and the material is too saggy in any case. I’m on the hunt for some kind of fiberboard that would be malleable enough to bend on the sides without breaking, but I haven’t found the right stuff yet.

And, I measured and ordered a set of CocoMats for the Travelall. I’m really happy with the ones I bought for the Scout, and I figure any sound abatement/heat insulation in the cab will help this summer, at least until I can get air conditioning installed. Hopefully they will arrive before our trip to Nats.

Here’s the Nationals to-do list, if I get the Travelall sorted out:

  • Fix the driver’s headlight, which has stopped working. I think it’s because the battery has landed on the connector one too many times.
  • Sort out the wheel situation. I’m going to see if someone local will add balancing beads to the tires, and maybe that will help at speed.
  •  Order and weld up two adjusted cupholders from SendCutSend. I’m shortening the arm by 1″ to pull them away from the shift lever so that shifting into second gear doesn’t slam into my coffee cup. With that, I’ll be ready to show them to some of the Light Line vendors at Nats and maybe set up a distribution channel.
  • Swap the clean passenger fender on to the truck. I’ve been running the original, which had some crude bodywork done, but the spare in the garage is in really good shape, so I think it’s time to re-hang it.
    • For that matter, the fenders need to get bolted on more permanently, at least for the drive to Ohio.
  • Swap the new steering wheel on. That’ll clean up the interior even more.
  • Fix the damn fuel gauge. As I’ve mentioned before, it did work at one point, so I have to chase down the issue with either the wiring behind the dash or the sending unit itself.
  • Check all the fluids.

And if I take the Scout:

  • Replace the temp sender, which has stopped working. I’ve got a spare ready to go in.
  • Check all fluids
Posted on   |   by bill   |   2 Comments on Slow Progress  |  Posted in Future Plans, To-Do List, Travelall

Tires and Tasks

Having swapped one of the tires on to the new wheel I bought last week, one of the comments the guy at the tire store made got me thinking. I’d bought a set of 16″ tires for this truck when I first got it, but wasn’t aware they were only rated for trailers, and it was a fight to get them to balance it. I don’t want to be driving this truck on tires that are only meant for occasional use, so I think I’m going to have to buy a new set and have them swapped on. From what I understand, I can put a set of 195/75R16 tires on these wheels with no issues. An inexpensive set of van tires are only ~$400, and I can maybe sell the trailer tires on Marketplace for cheap.

Next up on the list:

  • Fix the fuel gauge. It was working a few years ago, and I’d sure like for it to work again.
  • Fix the exhaust hanger. At some point last week the rubber element in the replacement part I bought snapped, so I’ve got to fabricate a replacement.
  • Adjust the idle faster, just a touch.
  • Clean up the tie rods and measure for new ones. This will be critical for getting the truck ready for long-distance trips, along with researching other suspension repairs—bushings, greaseable fittings, and linkages.
  • Paint the other wheels. I have to wire-wheel, prep and paint the passenger side wheels.
  • Replace the steering wheel? I’ve been waiting to do this until after the power steering is done, but the hell with it, maybe I’ll just put the new wheel in to make it look better.

Two things I brought back from Brian’s are a whole stack of aluminum—two C-channels and a bunch of flat bar—which will eventually be formed into a proper roof rack. There was also a 4×4 sheet of 16 ga. steel, which will be formed into the patch for the driver’s floor. Those two projects may wind up being cold-weather pursuits; we’ll see how the summer shakes out.

On the 800, I’ve only got one major task in mind: I’m going to drag it out of the garage, dribble a little oil down the cylinders to build up compression, and get it running off the boat tank. Then I’m going to let it run for a good long while to see if I can knock the rings loose. I’m also going to dump some Seafoam down the carb and smoke out the neighborhood.

Posted on   |   by bill   |   Leave a Comment on Tires and Tasks  |  Posted in Scout 800, To-Do List, Travelall

Dreaming of Warmer Weather

Now that the 800 engine is free, I’m itching to get outside and start fooling with it. Unfortunately the truck is under three inches of snow covered with a layer of ice, and the forecast for the forseeable future doesn’t rise above a high of 25˚. So I’m thinking ahead and making a list for when I can get back out there.

  1. Spin the crank around at least four revolutions. This equates to two full engine revolutions and should clear out any crust on the cylinder walls. Done! I’ll do this again, but it did spin with little to no problem.
  2. Bump it over from the starter and clean the cylinders out. There’s probably still some ATF in the cylinders, and that needs to come out so that it doesn’t foul the plugs. Done. It made a mess, which I was expecting.
  3. Diagnose and replace the starter, if needed. It’s too early to say what condition this one is in, but I have a spare. A couple of love taps with a hammer has it waking up, but it’s on its last legs.
  4. Pull the points off and clean them up. I haven’t touched the distributor yet, so I have no idea what to expect. It does have a dust cover, which could mean it’s not full of mice poop, but I’d expect they’re crusty and will need cleaning. They are garbage, so I have a new set coming. I also replaced the condenser.
  5. Replace the coil with a known good unit. I’ve got two here that test well, so this shouldn’t be an issue. Done; this was simple to do, other than having one of the connectors pop off the end of the wire.
  6. Pull the distributor out and pre-oil the cylinders. This is the easy part. I inherited a pre-oiling tool from somewhere years ago and it’s still in the bag. Done! I made my own tool, but it worked just fine.
  7. Stab the distributor back in. This is the part that makes me nervous; I’ve never pulled and re-stabbed one before, and it requires aligning the right cylinder at top dead center and pointing the correct plug on the distributor in the right place. Further research shows that pre-oiling does not move the valvetrain at all, so this should be very easy to do.
  8. Replace the plugs and coil wire. Easy-peasy.
  9. Hook up the new electric fuel pump and boat tank, and fuel filter to the carb. Super easy; I’ve done this a million times on the Travelall.
  10. Buy a new battery. I’ve got the old one here to swap as a core; Costco has great deals on these.

Down the line, the next steps will require some purchasing, but again, the intention is to keep things as cheap as possible.

  • Swap out the bad tires for good ones. I’ve got two 16×6″ wheels with the truck, and I think there are two more up at Dan’s place. There are period correct bias-ply wheels available for wheels of this size that are cheap, but bias-ply tires aren’t the best for long-distance travel. Not that this truck will be optimized for that in any case. In the worst case, I can find some cheap 31″ tires to slap on the wagon wheels the truck is sitting on now.
  • Brakes. At the very least I expect I’ll need to purchase wheel cylinders and soft lines. All four wheels spin—a miracle—but I have no idea what shape the drums or shoes are in. I have plenty of hard line but will probably need to stock up on fittings.
  • Drop the fuel tanks and clean/replace them. Brian just sold the plastic tanks from Slowflake, and I’m kicking myself for missing out on them. But I might switch over to a central fuel tank mounted under the rear bed to simplify the system instead of fighting the fiddly factory dual-tank valve setup.
  • Find some new seats and a passenger base. Holy crap do the seats in that thing suck. I’ll see if I can source some cheap replacements.
  • A rollbar. The blue truck up at Dan’s has a rollbar, and I’ve inquired about buying it. This would make me feel much safer. The alternatives are more expensive; I do like the one Brian has, which is pricy but sturdier than the originals, and covers more of the bed. I’d have to weld it together myself, which would be an interesting project.

Meanwhile, two things popped up in my feed in the last two days which merit mention. The first is this interesting assemblage, which looks to be the marriage of a quad-cab Loadstar and the rear of a Travelall.

Clearly this needs some more fabrication to be finished, but I appreciate the vision.

Second is this shot from one of the Facebook C-Series groups, where one of the members has been talking about fabricating cowl vent replacements for a couple of years. It looks like he’s made some great progress. These look really nice.

Posted on   |   by bill   |   2 Comments on Dreaming of Warmer Weather  |  Posted in Scout 800, To-Do List

2026 Master To-Do List

This year, I’m going to consolidate the annual To-Do lists into one page for simplicity. As usual there are several carry-overs from last year, mainly with the Scout II and involving smelly gas.

Travelall:

  • Pull the front springs and have them rebuilt. The rears are coming back in the second week of January, and I’m excited to see how much of a difference this makes. the guys at the shop figure I’ll get 3″ of lift out of them, which would help the stance out a lot.
  • Fix the brake system once and for all. It’s locking up intermittently, and I believe that has something to do with gunk in the last original section of brake line going along the frame rail.
  • Wire in some dome lights. I’ve got the door switches and a hot wire from the dashboard; I just need to drill and install the switches, run the wire, and get it set up.
  • Drain the tank and put new plug washers in. The original brass washers aren’t sealing anymore so I’m getting a slow drip from the drain plug and the outlet hose. I’ve got new fiber washers waiting for a warm sunny day.
  • Bolt the rear floor into the truck. It turns out I didn’t need to take it out to reach the rear springs, so I’m going to pull it out one last time to hit any last bare spots with chassis protector and then install it for good.
  • Find or fabricate four mounts for the last two headliner bows and install them. Found them at ACE hardware.
  • Order and install new headliner. I know where I can find the raw material. More on this later.
  • Buy and install a C-series windshield wiper motor. They’re about $200 and apparently bolt right in.
  • Figure out why the fuel sender isn’t working. It functioned fine when I first put the tank in, and now it’s dead.
  • Figure out a better fuel tank venting solution. It’s currently backing up when I fill it.
  • Electric steering conversion. For this I need Brian’s help, but I think it should be straightforward.
  • Cut out and replace the driver’s side floor. This is getting on my nerves and I’d like to get it cleaned up.

Scout II:

  • Pull, refurb, and replace the power steering pump. It’s leaking and has been getting worse lately. I’d bet the 40-year-old seals are too tired to deal with the extra pressure of the Hydroboost system. I have a spare in the garage, and will have to see how difficult it is to rebuild. And I’ll need to get new specialty seals (pressure #40620, return #40630) for the Hydroboost hoses as well.
  • Fix the gas tank. This is just a perennial entry on the Scout list. I have to get over my fear of burning up the dash and sort out the sender issue.
  • Work out the overfilling issue, which has to do with proper venting from the tank. I have the original vapor separator sitting on my shelf, and I think I’ll need to put this back in and hook it up to the charcoal canister to help the tank breathe properly.
  • Fix the turn signal indicator. It’s not locking in or canceling on the right-side indicator. I think it just needs to be re-centered, which involves pulling the steering wheel again.
  • Re-adjust the snaps around the doorframes on the soft top. They should go all the way around the metal doorframes and back into the canvas, instead of snapping into the frames.
  • Add snaps to the vertical flaps. I’ve just never done this, and they need it.
  • Install a rubber grommet for the emergency brake. I can see down through to the ground.

Scout 800:

  • Everything.
Posted on   |   by bill   |   Leave a Comment on 2026 Master To-Do List  |  Posted in To-Do List

Back and Forward

When we last left off, I was rebuilding the original Carter glass fuel pump that came on Darth Haul. I did that two weekends ago but had to wait on re-installing it around work and the weather. At lunchtime last week I ran outside and put it in, filled the carb bowl with gas and started the engine, keeping an eye on the fuel pump. After three tries it wasn’t pulling any fuel.

I brought the spare from the green truck inside, tore it down, and cleaned that one up. I replaced two of the rubber valves and put it back together, and the valves worked when I tested them. On Saturday I swapped that unit in and repeated the process, but it wasn’t pulling fuel either. I brought the original back to the bench, preloaded the main valve properly, and swapped it back in the truck, but it still wasn’t pulling fuel. Frustrated, I gave up, ordered an adjustable pressure regulator on Prime, and turned to other things.

One of those included a dump run, so I loaded up the Scout and took her out for a test spin—the first long drive after replacing the rotors. This went flawlessly; the brakes feel great. They’re even and smooth, and the truck doesn’t jerk to the left anymore. And most importantly, they’re not cooking the wheel hubs like they were before. I’m going to jack up each side and tighten the bolts one more time, but I think that task is complete.

The regulator showed up Sunday morning so I pulled the hose off the mechanical pump and put the electric pump back on, followed by the regulator and a transparent filter. The engine turned right over and the idle settled down after I opened the choke up all the way. I did three test drives: one around the block, one around the neighborhood, and one to Ellicott City to get my hair cut. The truck ran perfectly, and most importantly the front brakes stayed cool and free, which means my second bleed of the system seems to have worked.

I’m not happy about having the electric system cobbled back in, but I’m tired of futzing with the mechanical system right now, so I’m going to stick with this until the spring and sort out the issues then.

Next up, I’ve got some small things to tackle and then some big ones:

  • It sounds stupid, but I’d like to have dome lights in the truck. The lead for the light exists and it does have power, but I’m unclear as to how the circuit is switched on and off. If it’s anything like the Scout, the light switch on the dash controls the dome circuit (there are no door switches) but it shouldn’t currently be live like it is. I’ve got four original IH dome lights ready to be wired in series—two for over the seats and two for over the cargo area; I just need to read up on the wiring diagram for these. Oh—and this will require…
  • Installing the headliner bows. I’ve got these etch primed and ready for paint, but don’t have a headliner solution in hand.
  • It would be nice to have a speaker wired into the dash for the radio; there’s a spot for a single 4″x10″, but I have to buy something to put in.
  • I ordered some stuff from SendCutSend last week: two pairs of lock latches for the seat box that are slightly longer than the ones that came with the locks, as well as a new improved version of the cupholder mount. The latches should be long enough to actually lock, and I can then store tools and parts in the truck securely. The cupholder is modified to have wider openings for the cups so that I can add rubber sound deadening around the openings, and narrower at the flat section so that it doesn’t collect so much dust. I also added holes for the mounting bolts. This will get welded up and prepped for install this week.
  • The rear floor is completely unbolted from the truck because I want to pull the rear springs out and have them rebuilt. Doing this with the floor out will make life much easier, but I’m going to wait until the roads get salty and I’m not driving her as much.
  • I also want to cut out the crappy floor repair on the driver’s side and replace it with new sheet metal. It’s going to take one flat sheet of 24″ x 32″ steel, with a slight bend at the front side and a gentle lip on the A-pillar. I’m going to have to pull the front bench up and drill out a couple of the spot welds on the vertical bench support to get underneath—the rot goes under the corner support I built this spring, so that’s going to take some careful surgery.

Meanwhile, there’s a good chance the stash of trucks up at Dan’s house includes a 16″ wheel with a 4.5×5 bolt pattern, which I would love to swap for the mismatched wheels on the driver’s front of the truck. There’s nothing wrong with the wheel itself other than it won’t accept a fancy IH dome hubcap like the other three, and I would like to be matchy-matchy before I paint them all white. We’re still waiting on the family to find titles for the two 800’s up there so that Brian and I can buy them and haul them off.

Build Season on YouTube has a great two-part series on reviving a D-series pickup, which is great to see:

Posted on   |   by bill   |   Leave a Comment on Back and Forward  |  Posted in Brakes, Purchasing, To-Do List, Travelall

Sunday Afternoon Success

I crossed a couple of things off the list on the Travelall while I had good weather and a clear schedule:

  1. I wired the electric fuel pump into the switched power circuit, so that I stop forgetting to turn it off when I get out of the truck
  2. I moved the vacuum advance hose to the manifold port and plugged up the port on the carburetor where it had been. I had them mixed up. The port I was using is above the throttle blades, which means it only sees vacuum at throttle and doesn’t advance the timing at idle.
  3. I pulled the small metal bracket off the dash and hooked the speedometer/odometer cable back up
  4. With that done, I took her for a ride around the neighborhood, and she ran really well! There were some stumbles at first but when she’d warmed up it smoothed out.
  5. After I got back, I dug through my bins and reinstalled the choke cable. Firing the truck back up, I noticed that she ran worse with the choke open all the way, which makes sense; I’d set the timing with the choke open 1/3 of the way, and that had an effect on the air/fuel mixture.
  6. Then I moved her in the driveway and pulled the door cards off to expose the mounting bolts. After some fussing with the driver’s door, I got it to line up and close well for the first time ever.
  7. I messed with the passenger door for a while until I realized that the top hinge pin is broken—I think jacking the door up and wrenching it back and forth must have snapped the pin. I dug the spare hinge out from the green truck, and cleaned it up.

So next up on the list:

  1. Install the used temperature sender from the green truck’s manifold and see if that works
  2. Pull the passenger fender off, remove the broken hinge, and replace it with the green one (which is now wire-wheeled, etch primed, and painted red)
  3. Put the timing light on it and text/reset the timing again with a warmed up engine and vacuum advance unplugged.
  4. Clean up the insides of the two front doors (rust converter in the channel, vacuum the bottoms out, and spray in some Rust-Stop)
  5. There’s still one dash light missing, which I need to chase down
  6. Grind out any rust on the outer edge/underside of the drip rail, treat it, and paint it
  7. Continue putting bolts in the rear bed floor
  8. Put the metal surround back on the shift boot
  9. Figure out how to wire in a dome light

If I can keep ironing out the problems, my goal is to drive it 12 miles to Brian’s house this weekend for a workday. We’ll see.

Posted on   |   by bill   |   Leave a Comment on Sunday Afternoon Success  |  Posted in To-Do List, Travelall

Scout To-Do List, 2025

Coming back from Nationals, I started making a list of things I need to address on the Scout, stuff I’ve been kind of ignoring while I fixated on the Travelall. Here’s the list, in rough order of importance:

  • Fix the gas tank—it’s time to drop the tank, troubleshoot the overfilling problem, and fix the broken gauge.
  • Buy and install new seat belt stalks—Finley hulked out and broke the plastic, so the male section doesn’t go in straight.
  • Fix the turn signal indicator—It’s not locking in or canceling on the right-side indicator. I think it just needs to be re-centered, which involves pulling the steering wheel again.
  • Re-adjust the snaps around the doorframes on the soft top. They should go all the way around the metal doorframes and back into the canvas, instead of snapping into the frames.
  • Add snaps to the vertical flaps—I’ve just never done this, and they need it.
  • Buy and install a rubber grommet for the emergency brake—I can see down through to the ground.
  • Add a round mirror reflector to the side mirror—My blind spot is pretty big.
  • Buy and install new weatherstripping for the doors—Done. For what it’s worth.
  • Buy and replace the front rotors. They’re very tight, very wobbly, and pull hard to the right. They’re continually rubbing on the pads and heating up the axle bearings. Done Nov 1. Replacing them was a challenge, but I’m happy to have it done.
  • Fix the exhaust leak—it’s on the same side it was last time. This is frustrating. Done 8.25. I had to buy and install a split exhaust flange, which was stronger than the one on the truck. 
  • Fix the passenger door window crank—it’s binding up when I try to raise the window; I think this is because the assembly is only attached with three of four bolts. One of the bolts was stripped and the assembly is twisting under the torque. Turns out nothing was wrong; I just had to lube up the tracks.
  • Check the rear brake pads—I left the emergency brake on and drove 20 miles that way; the pads may be smoked. The pads look fine.
  • Find a clip for the wiper arm—the wiper works about 45% of the way. It needs a clip to work properly. There was a built-in clip on the wiper arm; I am an idiot.
Posted on   |   by bill   |   Leave a Comment on Scout To-Do List, 2025  |  Posted in To-Do List

2025 To-Do List

Last year I made a ton of progress on the truck; more than I realized when I reviewed the list. But a man needs goals, and I’ve found that lists help me keep them organized. Here’s the plan for 2025:

Pull the leaf springs and have them rebuilt: Pickup David passed along info for a shop in Baltimore who can rebuild springs for about $230/ea. My springs are flat as a board, so this would be a good upgrade. They’ll rearch the main spring and replace the leaves, as well as press in new bushings. I just need to get them out of the truck.

Cut out the driver’s floor and replace it: it’s an unsightly patch job left over from the previous owner, and I don’t like it. Plus, they missed a section on the vertical part of the A-pillar where it meets the floor, so I want to cut this out and make it right. And the rust goes under the seat support next to the door. I have the corner section already bent and ready to go. IHPA has new floor sections I could buy off the shelf, or I can cut and bend my own.

Buy and install a C-series windshield wiper motor: Both of my wiper motors are frozen solid. Jim at Super Scouts told me about these replacements. They’re about $200 and apparently bolt right in.

Find and install some headliner: the original stuff are sheets of perforated pressboard not unlike the roof of a VW of the era. I’d really like to mimic that look in this truck if I can. This stuff looks promising; it’s a perforated vinyl shell with a foam backing. I’d have to figure out where it hits on the roof and how I’d cover the seams.

Electric Steering conversion: I’ve now got all the components I need for this: the steering motor is in hand, I’ve got a spare manual steering column, and the auxiliary fuse panel is installed. It’s just a matter of blocking out a weekend with Brian and having him help me work on this. Then I can install the refurbished steering wheel!

Air Conditioning: The truck is a greenhouse on wheels. Air conditioning is going to be a requirement pretty quickly after it’s roadworthy. Vintage Air makes some compact units that will work well; I’d like to pair that with a period-correct under-dash blower unit, but I have to keep my eye out for one.

Spray out accessories in gray. I’ve got a bunch of parts set aside that will need to be sprayed in the single-stage gray I used on the door cards:

  • The headliner bows, which have already been etch primed
  • The radio faceplate I got in the mail from Butch. I’m toying with spraying the glove box door and instrument panel to match.
  • The cupholder I welded together, which has been etch primed
  • The accessory charging bracket I made (I may have one laser-cut from SendCutSend)

Replace the rear floor. I’m just about at the point where I can put a new piece of marine plywood down to replace the old floor. All of the frame and suspension underneath is needle-scaled and painted. I do still need to sort out the parking brake, which will be easier with the floor out. I’ve got a recommendation for new rubber to put down once the floor is in permanently, and I’ve got a set of four recessed cargo hooks picked out. The final issue will be mounting seatbelts through the floor supports.

  • I still have to sand, prime, and paint the underside on both sides to rust-proof everything.
  • This will get bolted down permanently after I get the rear springs rebuilt and re-installed, as well as the rest of the frame cleaned and painted.

Steering wheel repair: My brother-in-law scored me a very old and very tired wheel from a yard up in New York State. I’ve seen other folks online effect repairs with two-part epoxy and fancy OEM-grade paint; I’m going to take a whirl at this when the snow is flying and see how well I can make it work. Done 3.25. This came out really well and I can’t wait to mount it on the truck.

Figure out the clutch situation. I know that the transmission works; starting the truck in gear will move it forwards and backwards. But the clutch pedal has no effect on the clutch itself. I have to figure out if it’s just a matter of adjusting the linkage, or if I need to have it gone through by a transmission shop. Done 7.25. I took it to a specialist and learned that I would never have been able to fix this myself. Expensive, but worth it. 

Swap in fancy seat belts. I’ve got a set of IH-branded seatbelts from the green truck that I’ve cleaned up and would like to put in. The floor bracket one one was rusty so I soaked it in Evaporust, but I might weld in some doubler steel to reinforce that. Done 3.25. I need one male side buckle for the driver’s side and I’ll probably need a full set of belts for the rear seat, but this is progress.

Fix the brake lights. I have two wires correctly connected to the master cylinder headed back in to the wiring harness, but they don’t do anything when the brake is pressed. The switch on the master cylinder may be bad; jumping the wires lights up the brake lights just fine. I’ll have to use the old one to test it. Done, 1.17

Weld up the driver’s side of the transmission tunnel. I don’t know why I didn’t tackle this when I did the other side, but it’s now bugging me. Done 1.24. This went much faster than I thought it would, which is nice.

Wire in auxiliary circuits. The truck now has a complete 1963-era fuse panel and wiring. I’d like to add a secondary fuse panel with switched power from the accessory circuit to add things like a backup camera/rearview mirror, air conditioning, charging ports, a radio, and other modern conveniences. I found a video that breaks it down to the basics, and suddenly things are a lot clearer to me. I also found a guide for adding a shunt wire from the alternator to the battery to reduce the amperage going through the bulkhead to the ammeter and back again. Done, 2.10. This went easier than I thought it would.

Posted on   |   by bill   |   Leave a Comment on 2025 To-Do List  |  Posted in To-Do List, Travelall

Holding Pattern

I’m in the middle of a couple of projects and I can’t currently make headway on most of them. First up, I’m waiting on some parts for gas tank—Summit is supposed to send me a fuel hose with a 90˚ bend, which isn’t supposed to ship until November 21. There are other fuel hoses available, but none of them are long enough to work. So when that shows up, the tank will be ready to hang back up under the truck.

I’m stalled on sheet metal repairs because my welder is down and I’m waiting for Eastwood to get back to me about warranty parts. Their help desk is backed up this week. I’ve got a couple of things I need this for:

  • The clip for the filler hose needs to be welded to the face of the firewall.
  • Three captive nuts that need to be welded to the inside of the firewall for the inner fender skirts.
  • A captive nut that needs to be replaced for the forward gas tank strap.

The mirror repair is the other thing waiting for a welder; I need to cut a couple of metal strips to weld to the threaded rod that goes inside the housing. When that’s ready I can re-assemble the bad mirror and mount it on the truck. I guess I can cut and thread a second rod to refurbish the second mirror while I’m waiting.

So this weekend I think I’ll work on the electrical system and continue troubleshooting stuff like the blinkers, high-beams and get the  license plate light working, and try to install the cabin light. There is no provision for a door-actuated dome light anywhere, so I’m going to do some research into how that might work.

Depending on weather, I might be able to touch up and clearcoat the seat box this weekend. At the very least I’d like to drill for bolts and get the mounting location dialed in.

But if it does indeed get down to 60˚, I can start scraping the insulation off the ceiling. For that I have to suit up in Tyvek and use a fan to blow the particles out as I go; fiberglas insulation is hateful in any form. I’ve got 70% of a roll of Cool It heat matting that I can start with but I’m going to have to buy a bunch more to cover the whole thing.

One other thing I might do is venture out to my local pick-and-pull and snag an electrical setting setup from a Corolla. I’ve got some instructions and details from a couple of locations as to what I need to get and from which models, and the weather is supposed to be pretty nice (and dry; there’s nothing more hateful than wandering through a swampy junkyard), so it might be a good day for an early junkyard trip.

Posted on   |   by bill   |   1 Comment on Holding Pattern  |  Posted in To-Do List, Travelall

Fall To-Do List

Now that the roof project has pretty much wrapped up, I’m turning my attention to the next tasks to tackle. Keeping a list handy will keep me focused on the right stuff. I do have a tendency to wander so I want to make sure I’m working on things in the right order and staying on task. Given that it’s September and the weather is starting to get colder, I’ve got to hustle to get some final things done before I’m unable to. So here’s a list in rough order of importance:

  • Continuing work on the wiring: I’ve got to chase down the problem with the turn signals, add a dome light, add a license plate light and see if I can rig up some reverse lights. Oh, and maybe I can scab a radio in place.
    • 10.12: the turn signals are back! One of the connections on the temp gauge came loose.
    • 11.10: License plate light is mounted and working.
  • Continuing to troubleshoot the clutch issues: I’m sure there’s more adjustment I can make to the clutch to get it to engage; I have to figure out what that might be and re-bleed the brakes again.
  • Cleaning off and painting the headliner bows: The ones I’ve got are good but covered in surface rust. I have to get them cleaned up and prepped for gray paint.
  • Steering wheel repair: My brother-in-law scored me a very old and very tired wheel from a yard up in New York State. I’ve seen other folks online effect repairs with two-part epoxy and fancy OEM-grade paint; I’m going to take a whirl at this when the snow is flying and see how well I can make it work.
  • Adjusting the front doors: Both of them have some sag. I tend to believe this is from the hinges needing work; further investigation is required. Luckily, I’ve got spare hinges from the Green truck that I can disassemble and refurbish without taking the Red truck apart.
  • Building out an aluminum roof rack: I’ve got some basic plans for how I’d like to construct a rack for the back 3/4 of the truck, but I’ve got to do some calculations for how I’d construct it to bear the weight of things like a rooftop tent, spare tire, and/or solar panels. I’m thinking that I’d rent a TIG welder and get some basic aluminum and do a bunch of practice welding before I go nuts with this, but it’s definitely on the list.
  • Send out the spare hood, 4 doors, and inner fenders for sandblasting: The hood on the red bus is covered in three thick coats of paint, but I’ve got a green hood sitting behind the garage that would swap in very easily. The passenger doors are in very rough shape outside; now that I’m more comfortable with shooting paint, I would love to get the rear passenger door broken down, stripped of paint and ready for IH Red.

Completed:

  • Building out the bench seats: This is a primary project for the winter. It’s going to take some time and effort to get both seats covered in foam and built, and I have to do some quick work to the frames to clean them up before going to fabric.
    • 11.1: Foam ordered!
    • 11.17: I’ve got all of the materials, and I’m ready to start on the upholstery process.
    • 12.1: The rear bench seat is complete.
    • 12.11: Seats are complete and mounted.
  • Removing the insulation on the roof & adding sound deadener: Now that the roof is covered, the nasty, thin fiberglas that was glued to the inside roof needs to come down. This is going to be a dirty, messy job and I’m not looking forward to it, but I’d rather do it in the fall when I can wear a Tyvek suit and stay warm as opposed to sweating out a hot July afternoon. The goal is to get things as smooth as possible so I can replace it all with sound deadener/insulator.
    • 11.17: Insulation is gone. The roof is wire-wheeled and ready for paint.
    • 11.24: Sound deadener is installed.
  • Weatherstripping: I’ve got to replace it on the front two doors now that the rears are done. And the barn doors need some love pretty quickly, too.
      • 11.1: Front doors are complete.
  • Mounting the mirrors: I’m going to weld threaded studs to the tops of the doors that I can use to mount the mirrors without drilling through them; this way none of the hardware will interfere with the weatherstripping on the other side. The bottom bolt holes still exist from the original mirror set.
    • 9.8: The mirrors are mostly mounted and just need some finishing work.
    • 9.15: Mirror brackets are mounted, but I need to fix the mounting post on one of them.
    • 11.10: Both mirrors are mounted and complete.
  • Matching paint and painting the door cards/heater: I need to get the heater re-installed pretty quickly, so this one is high on the list. There’s a place locally that can match and mix automotive enamel, so I think this will be the priority in the next couple of weeks—before the weather really gets cold.
    • 9.8: The paint is matched and shot. I still need to spray clear coat over this.
    • 9.15: Clear coat is sprayed.
  • Re-installing the heater box: this will be one of the priorities in the next couple of weeks; I want to get the whole thing put back together before it gets real cold, test it out, and make sure all the moving parts work.
    • 10.12: the heater box is finished and installed; all cables are connected and the box is wired back into the panel.
  • Rekeying the door locks: I’m going to pull the locks out of the green spare doors and see if I can get spare barrels to put inside so that I can actually lock the truck.
    • 9.15: Door locks are pulled from all four doors, and new tumblers are on their way. I do need new retainer clips though, which are very pricy. Maybe I can steal one from a spare Scout II door…
    • 10.12: Door locks are installed and working. That took some doing, but it’s done!
  • Testing out the radio: Speaking of, I’ve got a stock 1967 radio from the Green Truck that may or may not work. I’d like to put it in the Red Bus but not if it doesn’t work.
    • 9.8: this is actually a Ford product from the mid-60’s, so it’s not original. Still, it would be cool to use a period-correct radio. We’ll see.
  • Adjusting the barn doors to close properly: the passenger side door doesn’t like to latch, so I’ve got to sort this out. And it’s the one with the lock.
    • 9.15: I took a look at this and have it closing better now. It’s not perfect but it closes.
Posted on   |   by bill   |   Leave a Comment on Fall To-Do List  |  Posted in Future Plans, To-Do List, Travelall