Readying for the KW

[Spud_Monkey]

Oh honey, I know what I want for Christmas!!!

 

[DMiller]

Dressed up welds, cleaned boxes and prepped, rattle can sealed for now. Will be situated out of the way for now, JY getting the move aligned so HOPING it is here next weekend. Time to get into the engine.

 

[56wrench]

reminds me of the time i mangled the batt box lid for my freightshaker. $500 for a new lid !!!! so i unriveted the whole thing and 3hrs later it was useable again- not perfect but it was a work truck. i don't remember exactly how i bent it, but it happened while it was removed

 

[DMiller]

The machine may get labeled Beast II, for being more than necessity and deemed a workload from day one!! My old Dodge W 300 was my Original 'Beast'. Wife seems unconcerned for the moment.

 

[Willie B]

The machine may get labeled Beast II, for being more than necessity and deemed a workload from day one!! My old Dodge W 300 was my Original 'Beast'. Wife seems unconcerned for the moment.

Not a W300. Here's my Dodge Power wagon:





1956 C4. First year for double frame 9500 LB option. Syncro trans. This one was & is free of rust outs, but had thousands of small dents. A Garwood 16Y winch in rear does double duty as dump power for the dump body I built. I couldn't get a windshield frame, It's been off the road a couple years. Vintage Power Wagons has reproduced the frame. They sell the whole assembly, powder coated black aluminum. Original windshield frames are scarce as chicken teeth.
The new one is still wrapped in bubble wrap. One winter day I promise to get it into the garage, fire up the furnace, and tend to a few nagging issues. It's been drooling transmission oil around the gasket on the PTO, It has lost its brake fluid mysteriously. All brake components were new 500 miles ago. I hope it isn't serious.

Truck has had all gearboxes gone through & resealed, several Speedy Sleeves on shafts. Engine was fresh 2000 miles ago. These had the 230 Flat head 6. They were a nightmare with failed head gaskets. The engine guy who rebuilt it kept telling me it was a timing issue. I assured him I had checked timing several times, both timing light & ohm meter. He finally came out to check it. Reached into the distributor, and demonstrated the rotor was able to move a few degrees rotation on distributor shaft. He brought a good one with him.
This may have had duals when new, it has 4.89 ratio they used on the 6.50-16 tires as duals. I passed a car with it once!

 

[DMiller]

Good old guy in Americus MO has THREE of these, One runner, two for parts, oldest is a 1958, newest a 1962. Runner has not got the OE Pickup bed but a flatbed, a Original Pickup bed sits upon one of the spares. He will NOT sell any of them and belongs to the Power Wagon Club. Also has a 1964 and a 1967 W 300 will NOT sell either of those either, I asked. BOTH are Slant six power 4:88 rears(Dana 70s) and typical NP435 4 spd on a divorced NP205 with PTO

 

[Willie B]

Good old guy in Americus MO has THREE of these, One runner, two for parts, oldest is a 1958, newest a 1962. Runner has not got the OE Pickup bed but a flatbed, a Original Pickup bed sits upon one of the spares. He will NOT sell any of them and belongs to the Power Wagon Club. Also has a 1964 and a 1967 W 300 will NOT sell either of those either, I asked. BOTH are Slant six power 4:88 rears(Dana 70s) and typical NP435 4 spd on a divorced NP205 with PTO

They used a lot of iron! Why Vermont is SO obsessed with salt, I can't say. The W series Power Wagons disintegrated in two years here. Mechanically, they embarrassed the military styled Power Wagons. You won't find a civilian styled Power Wagon functional in this state.......except for a museum piece.

 

[DMiller]

Cab mounts on my '69 W300 disintegrated as had the drop step inside the doors. The cab was getting bad where had a small faux paux and ended up replacing the entire cab structure to a 1973 Club Cab. Old Straight Frame was a eye full for MO SHP when got it Inspected for rebuilder title.

 

[DMiller]

The chalk mark as to stop point is on the floor
All I have now is piddle along clean up work and wait
Weather is threatening this weekend already as to rains Friday
Cold front Friday night
Potential for wet snow fall Saturday so I suspect no truck until spring thaw now if can ever get it here. Just not in my cards for luck this go around.

 

[Truck Shop]

If I were closer I would pick it up with the 900 and take it to your shop and back it in the shop. Snow, Ice-That wouldn't stop me it would only make me more determined.
Besides it would look good a W900 towing another W900.

 

[colson04]

If I were closer I would pick it up with the 900 and take it to your shop and back it in the shop. Snow, Ice-That wouldn't stop me it would only make me more determined.
Besides it would look good a W900 towing another W900.View attachment 229485 View attachment 229486

One sharp looking rig. I enjoy seeing pics every time you share them

 

[DMiller]

Really like the look of the wrecker TS, so hoping to make this one gleam again

 

[DMiller]

TS, Just noticed, the faded orange to the right of the Wrecker, old Allis hiding in the brush?

In my dreams on rebuilding this one I envision full fenders and light bar tail lights. Your wrecker gave me that perspective.

 

[Truck Shop]

That photo was taken on the old road to Seattle between the Burg and Cle Elum, That large AC has been setting there for years. That area is called Bristol Flats.

 

[Old Doug]

I worked at a place when i was younger that had a W900 3406 15 speed 4.11.It was very easy to drive and had power to spare it was just about perfect.I even put a pusher axle under it on bags so it could haul the big loads. The only thing i didnt like about it was were the air tanks were when the trans needed pulled but that didnt happen often.Years latter I spotted it setting on the back row at a machinery action i couldnt bear to go look at it. If i won the lottery i would have one just like it.I learned alot about trucks and hauling heavy loads in this truck if the law would have met up with me driveing this thing i would have learned about jail and the court system.

 

[DMiller]

Well have a Pile of 'Stuff a GMC 7000 and the old Chevy 70 awaiting JY on the 20th. Chevy would not start again even after JUST used it, found gas leaking from one bowl so the Governed Holley is DONE, installed a Edelbrock AFB knockoff, all is good. Had to stretch the throttle linkage a bit and run a Acc side power to the Electric Choke where even on OLD gas works well, started Easy. a few minor adjustments to get it closer and then repaired a intermittent power to the Hydraulic Clutch Coil, bad Bullet connector, cleaned up a few items and it will now sit in the shop until a week from Sunday where will get moved back outdoors and await a chariot ride to Oklahoma. Air Cleaner Stud No Fitty New Carb so made a connector.

 

[DMiller]

Engine compartment

 

[Truck Shop]

That was a good choice, the other carb I like is the Summit retro reengineered Motorcraft 4100.

https://www.summitracing.com/search...arburetors&utm_campaign=Brands S - Z (Search)

 

[Willie B]

My C65 came to me with the original factory installed carb. It ran like it was fueled with water. I searched the world to find a mechanic qualified to work on these gas engines. My search led me back to Jack Edgerton (RIP). I had had a few engines rebuilt by Jack when he worked for a different machine shop. At one point I had rebuilt an International tractor engine, it ran like the Fourth of July. I rechecked timing using to the letter the instructions from two service manuals. Jack pointed out that language in both service manuals was word for word the same. A typo in one was a copied typo in the other. Jack said: "Try this" I tried, it purred! Jack solved several problems over the years, I had great respect for him.

Engine was helpless. Jack said "When you get those engines to run JUST right, they got just enough power to drag a sick whore off a pis$ pot."

When the 366 tall block engine was all over the place in timing, other mechanics said "timing chain" "If timing chain is worn out, the rest of the engine can't be far behind." I discussed it with Jack. He felt it made more sense to rebuild a 427 than a 366. He supplied the block.

Reassembling the engine, a friend was looking at the distributor, he said: "Huh, the stop pin is broken off on timing advance."

Oh well, the bigger engine was a better fit. In all the effort, I had changed to Edlebrock.

The truck still plagued me with its inability to climb steep hills. Easy enough to blame a small engine. It wasn't until the summer before I sold it, the problem became absolute. Earlier it required a FULL gas tank, that summer a full gas tank didn't help. Found a cannister fuel filter under the passenger floor. It was in the suction line between tank & pump. Replaced gaskets & filter, it helped. Still the problem wasn't cured. Someone suggested the dip tube in the gas tank had a rust hole in it. I had to remove the tank to learn the dip tube was fine.

I installed a pusher electric fuel pump at the tank & all new lines. Problem solved!

 

[DMiller]

These engines and fuel systems have come to age currently, I have been rebuilding distributors and carburetors since the 1970s and there are only so many times a carb can be overhauled. Distributors can be bushed, shafts replaced and weights exchanged, even the electronic buggers can get new hall effect switches and control coils or Vacuum Advances, carbs are another animal altogether. First the aluminum bodies are Anodized, somewhat for a Corrosion inhibitor but also a Sealant as thin cast aluminum is Porous, will as the anodizing erodes away definitely corrode but also fail to seal gas in and vacuum under the plates. Cannot fix that except a replacement New unit. Throttle Shafts erode in their bushings, bushings get thin, bushings walk in the throttle plate base and again vacuum leaks become uncontrollable. The old Governed systems as this truck had were trash from the get go, many could not ever pull that sick whore anywhere near to off the pot. Sadly most of these are as obsolete as I am so aftermarket replacements become the norm. The GF157 filter I have known of since I started worked medium duty trucks, as well standpipe issues, this one did have a standpipe burn thru. Nothing lasts forever even as we can care for them deliberately. On this very truck with the Idle mixture screws fully seated would still idle at 550rpm, there was that much leakage inside the mechanism, vacuum leaks on the carb were bad enough the secondary would not open much over 1/3 throw, knew that by wear marks, finally got to where did not like to start as could not draw very well thru the idle circuit under choke as the Idle system of this type Holley is in the secondary bores and not under the choke plate.