Elmore is my tow vehicle. In December of 2017, a friend and I flew down to Charlotte first thing in the morning, got in the truck and drove it all the way back to Cleveland the same day. The Small Axe Racing thread has some work I've done to it over the years.
It has the 429 and C6 (just rebuilt) out of a '71 Thunderbird, a Dana 70 out of some newer truck and power steering.
One thing it has needed since I bought it is a new windshield. Get this, it's only gotten worse. I made an appointment for a new one to be installed this coming Wednesday but there's some rust I need to fix first. Last night I got the windshield out, without breaking it mind you. It's hard to see just how cracked it actually is in that pic.
And the rust.
Much of the channel is a bit crusty but this is the only spot where it's gone through. My plan is to cut this out, patch it, treat with rust converter and then paint before Wednesday.
Of course the rusty spot was quite a bit bigger than it seemed.
Next some rust converter and paint.
Ready for the windshield.
Nice Truck! A 429 in today's day and age is quite the thing.
Oof. Glad it wasn't me. They're ordering a new one and coming back on Friday. At least I ordered the correct gasket.
The tech probably hasn't done that many rubber gasket installs. All the new stuff is glued in
also glad to see Elmore get his own thread, always enjoyed posts about him!
In reply to mechanicalmeanderings :
He said it broke when he was hitting it into place. That seems strange to me but he says you need to do that with the rubber gasket ones(?).
Glad you're enjoying it.
The trans shop gave it back to me with a horrible exhaust leak on both sides between the header collectors and the rest of the exhaust. I just now went out to grab the gasket out of one side to take to the parts store to match up. As I walking back to the workbench to get a different socket, the radio turned on... It wouldn't turn off. I unplugged the battery, plugged it back in and now it won't turn on.
I think the cheapest mechless radio available in 2018 has a 5 year lifespan. I found the updated version from the same company in hopes that I don't have to change any wiring and can just throw it in once it shows up.
Can't make the trip to Schenley with no music. That would be a disaster.
That's better. This guy smacked it into place also.
I also tried to fix the exhaust leak this afternoon. The flanges are significantly less than flat and the gaskets themselves didn't do the trick so I used some exhaust sealant. When that doesn't work, I'll just double up gaskets I think.
AxeHealey said:
I used some exhaust sealant. When that doesn't work, I'll just double up gaskets I think.
Why not both? I have gotten good results from coating both sides of two gaskets, then sticking them together and securing the joint.
In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :
Fair point.
The initial application of sealant didn't do the trick but I went back today and packed it in from the backside of the flare and it's significantly better... for now.
All of the various grease fittings received fresh grease, the oil was changed and Elmore received his annual bath.
Unless it is being used it's in a garage which makes it amazing how much the paint has degraded in my ownership. The top of the hood is almost white at this point.
Every time I'm under the truck I'm reminded how badly it has needed shocks since the day I bought it. The parts store couldn't match up the numbers I got off them while laying under the truck so I'm doing some research. In case I lose the pics on my phone
Front shocks - Gabriel Red Ryder 733694 EDIT: this also seems to correspond with 81394 EDIT EDIT: This actually seems to be a part number for a '67-'74 Ford F350. Win(?)
Rear shocks - Motorcraft EOTA-18080-AFA C0803831
I'm hesitant to just find shocks that fit a 67 F350 because the rear end is out of an 80s(?) Dodge and the front end, I think, is from a newer Ford.
As it turns out, stock '67 F350 shocks have the right dimensions and travel in the back as well. I had time to replace the rears before Schenley. I don't believe they do any work when the truck is unloaded with the insane spring set up.
The replacement radio also showed up. This one's got Bluetooth. Fancy! I really don't like that there doesn't seem to be a way to have the clock turn off. Haven't had an issue with the draw but I probably will if it sits for a long while.
Per usual, the truck did fantastic work in dragging the trailer, car and tools to and from the track as well as being my transportation around PGH for the weekend. Also in line with past experience, it gets just as much, if not more love from people than the race car.
Exhaust manifold gaskets: if you aren't familiar with Remflex, this is the ideal situation for their products. They use a flexible graphite material that's super thick and has a ton of squish to take account for the flaws in your manifold.
I've used them in multiple applications and happily recommend them to anyone. My old Dodge had manifolds that were about as flat as wet cardboard and they sealed up tight with Remflex. https://catalog.remflex.com/
Sorry for sounding like an ad here, I'm just that happy with their products. Elmore deserves life without an exhaust leak. :D
In reply to Mezzanine :
That's great, thanks for the tip!
Elmore was supposed to be working this weekend taking Sven up to a ChampCar race but the rest of my team bailed. Open weekend meant I got the front shocks swapped out.
The old ones were actually in pretty good shap... no, no they were totally blown. This pic was taken about 15 min after I compressed them with a strong side eye.
While I was in there I repacked the wheel bearings too.
I'm interested to see if it feels any different with shocks that actually shock.
Yay, Elmore updates!
continuing to live my vintage truck desires vicariously through you.
In reply to mechanicalmeanderings :
Another update! It could just be make believe but the butt dyno seems to indicate that the shocks make a difference, mostly less bouncy. Which would make sense.
Still no luxury ride, however.
Wow I am almost 100% certain I gave you a thumbs up on Murray Ave as you sat at a light in VGP traffic last month. Great looking truck!
In reply to orthoxstice :
I'll bet you did! Hopefully I waved back.
Elmore is back home after yet another winter in storage. I hate having to put the fun stuff away. First thing to tackle this year is the passenger window crank which has been broken as long as I've known Elmore. I store the crank in the glove box and take it out whenever I want to adjust the window. It's a pain, especially when I'm out on the road and decide I need more or less A/C.
I'm not entire sure how but that piece is suppose to be one with the regulator. My first thought was to weld a washer to the gear on the back side.
The weld just absolutely did not want to stick to that little gear. Plan B, drill and tap?
Works great!
The gear sits proud of the regulator so it's tight and spins freely. I used some blue thread locker. Hopefully it doesn't shake loose.
More for Elmore, fixing another little annoyance - a crappy locking gas cap. When ordering a repair piece for the cab, I noticed this company sold a tidy little kit with a new filler tube, body gasket and non-locking cap so I added that to the order.
Old nasty stuff.
I painted the filler tube and got everything back together.
I think I'm going to try to get the filler tube further down into the hose and body gasket but that side of the truck is parked very close to the garage wall and I was cramped.
And how about that patch panel I was talking about? Well, Elmore's frame is super clean. It's great. The body, however, could be improved. The worst part of the cab is the big gaping hole at the bottom of the passenger A-pillar. This is a common rusty area for this body style as it gets packed full of dirt and whatnot.
This was, indeed, solidly packed with dirt when I bought the truck. Clearly this a complex area of the cab and I have been putting this off because of that. I found, however, a company that makes a patch for it and it appears perfect.
So sometime this summer that area of the cab and floor will be shored up, finally.
I heart old trucks that are still used for things of the truck-ish variety.
In reply to Recon1342 :
Same.
I've been using Elmore less than usual this summer and haven't been able to dedicate as much time as I would have liked but it's still as great and trusty as ever.
Tonight I wanted a little easy-to-win project and the old battery hold down... well it's needed some attention for some time.
How about we handle this with metal?
At some point I plan to round off the ends, cap them and give it some paint but at least the battery isn't in danger of hopping out of there anymore.
AxeHealey said:
The trans shop gave it back to me with a horrible exhaust leak
A good friend on mine from Jensen Beach FL had a '72 100 with a 429 put in. All body work done, interior painted, under hood painted, engine built up a bit.
This was back in '98.
Dropped it off at the exhaust shop after he installed headers. Young employee took it out back doing burnouts with it, lost control, hit a brick wall and wiped the truck out. Shop told him a 1972 F100 was only worth a few hundred. He sued, and the judge told him "A '72 isn't worth much - it's your fault you put so much money in it. They only have to pay what it's valued at." It valued out at more than a few hundred, but WAY less than he had in it!
Today, a '72, is a bit more expensive to find!
Anyway, loving Elmore
