Newly pruchased 1995... bunch of ?'s

[IanF]

Installed the differential cover. 7 quarts of gear oil later, I took it out for a spin today...



As I drove away from the house, the other half declared: "that thing definitely needs a muffler... it's freakin' loud... " Drat... doesn't sound that loud from inside the cab... Even a buddy who was riding with me was surprised it didn't seem louder... oh well...



Oh yeah... and the radiator is leaking... <sigh... >

 

[sanyata]

Mahhnick - I've sent you a pm.

 

[IanF]

Ordered a Flo-Pro muffler from Completeexhaust.com. #6192... $70 plus clamps and should arrive on Monday...



We shall see...



Haven't had time (and it's been too cold) to investigate the radiator leakage... although once the truck cooled down, the leaking stopped.

 

[DragsterRob]

If you have to pull the radiator, that definitely is the time to kill the KDP. I use the tab method, I build my own tab out of 14 ga sheet metal, and I also replace the bolt with a bit longer one. In the automatic trucks, the bolts holding the trans cooler bracket are 20mm long vs the original one that is 16mm long. I have seen what the carnage the KDP does and it is not good. It is a quite a job the replace the gear housing, not to mention the cost of the parts.

 

[IanF]

If you have to pull the radiator, that definitely is the time to kill the KDP.

yeah, I'm thinking the same thing... I got the tab procedure from Joe as well as my factory manual. Might take a stab at it this weekend if the weather cooperates. A coolant change wouldn't be a bad idea anyway.



Fortunately, my van sold on Ebay and will be gone tomorrow. Oo. One non-running vehicle in my driveway down, one to go... :-laf

 

[IanF]

Muffler recieved and installed... sounds better...



Next up: radiator service and KDP project...

 

[IanF]

Pulled the radiator last night after work... not as bad a project as I thought it would be... easy enough that I can't imagine doing a KDP fix without pulling it.



Wow! The radiator is in rough shape... I'm surprised it wasn't leaking more than it did... whole sections of fins are missing... with other sections hanging on by crumbs... Not sure if the radiator shop will be able to salvage it... or if I'll be forced to buy a new one...



Ah... the joys of buying a used truck... ... fortunately, it's basically replacing a non-working van that I recently sold, so not being able to use it isn't a big issue... although I'm still waiting for the leak in my wallet to stop...

 

[DPhillips]

IanF,



Please keep posting the updates of your project. I enjoy reading the progress you are making. I just hope the cost of the needed repairs don't stop you.



Good luck and don't give up.

 

[IanF]

Thanks! I was starting to wonder if anyone else was reading it... :-laf



Called the radiator shop: Nope. radiator's not worth fixing... new one: $275... oh well... not too bad... I'll pick it up today. Unfortunately, the weather has taken a turn for the worse and I probably won't be able to work on the truck for a few days. But should give me enough time to make a KDP tab.

 

[ttbird]

IanF,

I'm reading also, I have a '95 since new and always follow work on other's '95's. Sounds like your getting there. Have had a few of your problems and a few others. Never not brought me home though! My mods changed my truck from an alright ride, read kind of slow, to a joy to drive. Can't believe I waited a 100,000 miles to do any of them. (extended warranty) Will continue to watch your progress.
Tom

 

[IanF]

Thanks for the encouragement!



Woo hoo! Tools arrived! I ordered some fan-clutch tools from toolwarehouse.net. I love this place... if I order $100 worth and get the order in before Noon, shipping is free and I'll get the tools at work the next day. ... of course, this occasionally means I need to find something "else" to buy to meet the $100 minimum... :-laf



However, it means I really need to get moving and order whatever I need for the KDP fix... anyone have a good CDT parts source besides the local dealer?

 

[IanF]

Not a great deal of progress lately...



I picked up the gasket and seal needed for tabbing the KDP... I just need time to do it... Been up to my eyeballs working on the g/f's Spitfire... we put the transmission in on Sat and I spent most of yesterday fabricating custom dash panel pieces...



With any luck, I should be able to work on it after work during one of the nicer days this week.

 

[IanF]

Well, everything is back together and I drove it around town to test the radiator...



Found out a few things...



The truck was in an accident at some point. . . apparently a pretty good one... how can I tell? Well, I decoded the VIN in the service manual... turns out, I didn't buy a club cab... nope... according to the VIN, the truck is a Std cab... At least the VIN does show the truck as having a diesel... that would have been a problem...



The front radiator header panel has decals on it... one of them is the emmissions information... which has been scratched off... the other one is the serp. belt routing... which deosn't match the engine at all... nope... after looking through the manual, the panel came off a truck with a V8...



Checked the engine ID panel on the timing cover... built to 1994 specs... great...



I'm never, ever, EVER buying another vehicle off Ebay... at least not one I plan on driving... #@$%!



The truck seems to run ok, but my confidence isn't exactly high right now... and the last car I felt like this about I sold within 4 months... we'll see...

 

[IanF]

The truck is inspected and I've been driving it more. My 100 miles commute makes for a decent shake-down run. And the fact it doesn't have a workign stereo means I hear everything...



Still needs a front end alignment, a stereo, a spare tire, spare tire hoist rod, and some wiring fixes... but it seems to drive well enough...



While at the shop, we did some investigating about the conflicting VIN. Confirmed the dash VIN is for a std cab truck... and we also checked the radiator panel VIN - for a '96 Club Cab V-10... at least the firewall # matches that VIN... I'm planning to run the numbers through Car-fax and see what comes up...



Joy... live and learn...



One of the mechanics (a Chevy guy, the other owns a CTD) was making fun of me, singing, "Ian bought a steamer... "

 

[IanF]

I ran a Carfax on both VINs...



The registered VIN pretty much follows what I know about the truck. Ton of miles, OH-PA title history, etc... no accidents or thefts reported.



The chassis VIN verifies that it's a '96 V10 Club Cab. Originally registered in PA. Accident reported in FL in 11/96. Severity unknown. Title issued/updated in PA at 42K miles in 5/01. Nothing else in the past 6 years...



At least neither showed up totalled or stolen...



My Carfax account is good until 4/21/07 if anyone needs one run... Not sure if I got my $25's worth...

 

[sanyata]

IanF - Have you gone to the dealership to get a build sheet from your VIN? I just bought a "95 and got the sheet from the parts counter. I bought a wiper blade when I asked for it so I wouldn't be asking for a freebie. The report was two pages long and a wealth of info.

Just sayin'... ... ... .

 

[IanF]

I might next time I'm near one... unfortunately, my experience with dealer parts counters haven't always been... positive... Although I'm not sure which VIN's build sheet to ask for... considering the truck is basically a "Frankenstein" I don't think the build sheet matters much anymore.

 

[dpuckett]

As long as it runs good and doesnt have any strange suspension, steering, or frame issues, I wouldnt worry about it. Parts get changed around all the time. Unless I were planning to enter in competitions where everything needed to be original, I wouldnt care.



DP

 

[IanF]

As long as it runs good and doesnt have any strange suspension, steering, or frame issues, I wouldnt worry about it. Parts get changed around all the time. Unless I were planning to enter in competitions where everything needed to be original, I wouldnt care.



DP

That doesn't bother as much as the fact it wasn't disclosed in the auction... The mileage seems to go with the engine/dash VIN. However, the seller told me the truck was used "wintered" down in Florida with a camper, which is why it's reasonably rust-free. This seems to be confirmed by some of the chassis VIN Carfax info (accident in FL reported). Both of this together leads me to believe the seller was the one who built the truck. Did he lie about anything? No, not really... but he didn't exactly disclose the whole truth... kinda shady, IMO.



Would I have paid the same money had I known the truck had been constructed? Not sure...



It does pull pretty badly to the right and the steering wheel is off-center. Hopefully, this can be fixed when I get the truck aligned.



I do wish he'd cleaned the bloody engine before installing it in the chassis... #@$%!

 

[IanF]

Well, it's been quiet and I've used the truck form some errands (full bed load of mulch), but here's the latest in the saga of my "franken-Dodge"...



I took the truck to the alignment shop yesterday. They told me they couldn't do it. Needs ball joints (all 4), left inner tie rod end, as well as play in the hubs (which are new... ). . leaking RF caliper hose, leaking axle seal, leaking steering box (duh... ).



"Great... "



"So what do you want to do?"



"I'll take it home and fix it... "



"Oh... ok... that'll be $30. 91 for the alignment check. "







So I paid them and went back to work. Later, I'm travelling home and go to make a 2-3 shift and "POP!" - clutch pedal goes to the wall and doesn't come back...



"Fudge... " (only I didn't say fudge... )



$107 for a tow truck and the truck is back in my driveway. It appears the clutch master cylinder is held on my a pin or clip or something and it popped loose. Hopefully it won't be too difficult to fix. Unfortuantely, my factory manual doesn't show much detail about how it's held in place.



After the clutch is fixed, I'll look into double checking the shop's diagnosis. Maybe they're right... and maybe they took one look at the mileage (250K) and the greasy front end and saw dollar signs... we shall see...



Are the front hub bearings adjustable?



On the plus side, my last fill-up of diesel netted 19. 84 mpg.



And I'm starting to get used to the 4" exhaust... :-laf