Chapter 8: Pink Linkage
November 2, 1999 Anybody still there?
I told all of you in the Preface that my attention span is pretty short. That's probably why there hasn't been a new page on this site for over six weeks. Then again, not a lot has happened truck-wise in the last six weeks, so there hasn't been a lot to report.
An additional factor might be my state of acute penury during most of September. Wham-boom, two massive bills to pay, combined with a lengthy pause in contractor income, kept things pretty low to the ground for a few weeks. Mind you, I haven't been underemployed: It's just a strange phenomenon where four different companies all forget to pay me at the same time.
Much time passed waiting for the machine shop to process the block and head and get a new crankshaft. Meanwhile, the chassis of the truck sits in the street, where it has not accumulated a single ticket, despite the fact that without an engine it looks like it's ready to jump the Snake River Canyon, nose pointed right to heaven.
On Halloween Karen and I checked in at Pagan Auto to see what's what..The block, with the new crankshaft and pistons all assembled, stood on the motor stand, shiny as new. It's painted dark gray. The general color themes of the engine are gray, black, and turquoise. The clutch linkage parts are painted a kind of a dark pink. Pretty neat.
To help in any way we could, Karen and I ran parts for most of the afternoon. We got the clutch and pressure plate exchanged for new ones, and discovered that the previous ones were an oddball size-- 10 3/4",which according to Jim Carter Antique Truck Parts, were used for 3/4-ton trucks 1953 and older. We got the 10" set, which should work just dandily. We also restocked the garage with Berryman B-12 Chemtool, a most miraculous fluid.
Just yesterday, I received a set of motor mounts from Chevy Duty. If the schedule (which is always tentative) is adhered to, the engine should be reinstalled into the chassis next weekend. Gosh, that'll be nice.
Oh-- two weekends ago, I FINALLY got into the inside of the Chevy Parts Warehouse, the regional antique parts source for old chevy cars and trucks in rural San Martin (near Gilroy). I tried to get motor mounts there, but they were out, so I got some trim parts and new windshield wipers. I've dropped by twice before and they were closed-- the staffing situation is in flux, and the hours changed a lot. They're really conveniently located, just 15 miles from Santa Cruz. I'll use them as a resource, but I'll call first before I drop in.
Included in this page are photos from --- God, I don't remember, but I think it was sometime early in September, when Karen, Garryowen ,and I were over at Pagan auto, scraping goop off of parts. I got most of the crud off of the oil pan, generator, starter, bell housing, and valve cover, while Karen pretty much single-handedly removed the grill and front supports.
I took the grill back home afterwards and spent many an hour sanding off all the rust and painting it primer white. It's hanging up in Pagan Auto, waiting for the re-assembly. It also tipped the scales in terms of trim appearance: we're going with ivory trim, light buckets and grill, and chrome bumpers. Of course, the painting phase is the last phase, and will happen sometime in the next millennium, if you're one of those who think 2000 AD is part of the 21st Century.
Ah, yes– This website is now linked to the chevytrucks.org, one of the finest sites devoted to antique and classic trucks that aren't Fords or Dodges on the Internet.
