Guess the MPG Worn vs. Rebuilt (+)

vintagetrk said:
Updated # 5432... million.

I have everything back from the machinist. Bill came to $182.70. For 2 drums and pressing studs into the new hub. Ouch! 2 hrs of labor @ $90 an hr.

The good news is, they did a good job. If its expensive, hope it's at least done well.


The reason I went through the hassle was I decided to use the old drum casting vs the new. I've worked with molds and I can tell by looking the older was better. There were sand blow outs on the new and it was very bulky. If your trying to move heat.the last thing you want is a lot of mass. The new was much bulkier. Let's face it, the stock setup is not a race application. I can afford to lose some mass to gain heat dispersal. View attachment 82582

You can see how much smoother the old drum is to the new. Now for a test drive.
Click to expand...
$90 an hour is freakin excessive if they take two hours to press studs in. How much did they charge for hazmat and disposal?
 
KLankford said:
$90 an hour is freakin excessive if they take two hours to press studs in. How much did they charge for hazmat and disposal?
Click to expand...


I didnt get much on the invoice. Just studs , drums 2hrs @ $90.00 . My pops had a machine shop at the mine he worked at and he said there is no way that took 2 hrs. But they can charge what they want, I just wont go back.
 
vintagetrk said:
View attachment 82600

If not this one, one very similar. I chose the ivory paper micarta because it reminds me of the all the nobs made from bakelite plastic. This is just a test run but it turned out great.

AEB-L Stainless steel.. aprox 7.5 "

If I do another the blade will be 1/2" shorter.
Click to expand...
Not in the same league, but it is made from a WW2 jeep leaf spring.0D2D0D8E-B348-4F44-BCE8-9E8C11742031.jpeg
 
UPDATE** I realize this post has gone on way too long. I apologize and for what it's worth I plan on finishing what I started. I am still waiting on some parts ( a couple of axels and some good hubs.) To make sure everything is as it should be to make this as fair as possible. In another post, I show the rear axel wobble and hang up the drums. It always felt like the truck was fighting itself going down the road.

I have no idea where I bent this axel but my hunch is the tire shop that sucked the tapered axel onto the hub so tight it took another mechanic 3 days to get it off might know.. this is also why I have vowed to work on this truck 100% myself. Then I only have one person to kick.

My guess is next spring before I roll him out again, just to avoid having to put him up again until spring. That will give me time to check the valves and mess with some other little projects that need attention. I have to admit, I've enjoyed the struggle. I know this truck like the back of my hand now. After this axel is fixed I will have officially touched every part on this " restored truck" ha!
 
We are back in business! Axel wasn't bad to replace at all! I took the truck for a few-mile jog tonight and all went well. Just a few adjustments on the rear drums and I should be good to go. I'll wait for some good weather and finish this competition once and for all. I must say it felt good to hear the rattles and clanks again!
 
vintagetrk said:
So close, just a few details to work out, like where to put the new fuel gauge. I'm trying to avoid cutting the dash. I might have to cut into the radio delete panel.

View attachment 99008
Click to expand...
Yeah, cutting the dash should be a last resort. The only exception is with the large round speedometer and the addition of the amperage and oil pressure gauges at 9 and 3 o’clock, which are so common as to be almost stock.
Extra gauges can always be hung below the bottom lip of the dash.
 
vintagetrk said:
okay, I'm going to make this game a little more fun. I make custom knives for a living. I'll give the closest guess group a chance at a 3 finger EDC knife. It's a little knife with a 2 to 2.5" blade and a handle that fits across a few fingers. Small enough to fit in the front pocket no problem. I'll do a hand made sheath as well. I'll draw a name out of a hat of the group that came the closest.
Click to expand...
Hey there Nathan, I don't know about the gas mileage but I was hoping you may be able to tell me what I would expect to pay to have this old J.C. Higgins fixed blade knife re handled in some fat Stag. The original handles just fell apart and I hate to part with the Knife.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6679.JPG
    IMG_6679.JPG
    1,003.5 KB · Views: 17
dahreno said:
Hey there Nathan, I don't know about the gas mileage but I was hoping you may be able to tell me what I would expect to pay to have this old J.C. Higgins fixed blade knife re handled in some fat Stag. The original handles just fell apart and I hate to part with the Knife.
Click to expand...
Those are beautiful knives. I do a lot of restorations and it's a very fun part of my job.

From the image, it isn't a complicated handle and assembly. However, the trick is forming the antler to the bolsters and pommel, without damaging either can be tricky. The stag will get you through. It's not cheap.

Email me and we can discuss: nathan1341.nh@gmail.com
 
Last edited:
I have tuned and tuned and broke in, replaced, tweaked, and done all I can to make this as perfect as I can make it kind of test. With seatbelts installed, my travel buddy is locked in and a bit safer now. We will be taking a big loop around a small range of hills in the area. I'm guessing it's around a 60-mile trip.

I'm going to wait until the 4th of July traffic thins out a little. With the record numbers going through Yellowstone it seems the city folk brought their insanity with them. Why travel hundreds of miles to go see something and then race through it?
 
Results are in 14.45 mpg. I have to laugh at my first guess, not even close @ 18 mpg.

If a guy thinks about it, that's a good jump up from 12 mpg. Considering there is no way to change the air flow over, under, and around the truck. The 4.88 gears and a flatheads inability to breath efficiently as an OHV.

Okay I'll go back through this year plus old post and find the winner.

I had some pictures of the trip but I'm getting a file to large message. The new camera phones are getting crazy high resolution theses days.
 
Side note: I tuned this old 226 until I was out of all the tricks I could find on the internet and talking with the old farts.

The biggest changes that happened were the Overdrive, Weber, and the Pertronix. The Weber was tuned with a vaccum guage. I thought about an AFR but I didn't. Instead I just learned to read spark plugs. It was more fun to do and a heck of a lot cheaper. I did have to open this carb and put in bigger jets everywhere. It was meant for a 4 cylinder so not a surprise. All jet adjustments were done proportionally with the exception of air. They were two sizes up since I'm at 5000 feet. Not sure if it was needed but it didn't hurt.

I had the Weber pre-rebuild and have come to the conclusion the worn out engine couldn't take advantage of what the Weber had to offer.

I did learn, with the timing adjustment, I could achieve my power at slightly different rpm. That meant I could achieve speeds up to 64 mph with a 30% OD, but the truck was a pain to drive around town. I'd rather sacrifice the 5 mph and have it a joy to drive.

Pertronix- admittedly It didn't make that much of a difference at first. The truck does fire right up even in colder weather. I rarely use a choke too. However, something wasn't right. With that much lighting running down the wires I should see more than just a good start.

So I researched their website a little and 5 min in I found my issue. I had gapped the plugs for a points ignition. Pertronix wants the gap to go .035 to .045 so I went to .040 to be difficult.

I could hear and feel the difference. The 226 sounded different, a deeper rumble and ran smoother. Even better, the half burned ⛽ smell wasn't present.
 
vintagetrk said:
Results are in 14.45 mpg. I have to laugh at my first guess, not even close @ 18 mpg.

If a guy thinks about it, that's a good jump up from 12 mpg. Considering there is no way to change the air flow over, under, and around the truck. The 4.88 gears and a flatheads inability to breath efficiently as an OHV.

Okay I'll go back through this year plus old post and find the winner.

I had some pictures of the trip but I'm getting a file to large message. The new camera phones are getting crazy high resolution theses days.
Click to expand...
I'll save you the trouble Nathan. Looks like @JABJEEP got closest at 14.5 mpg in post #61.
 
vintagetrk said:
Results are in 14.45 mpg. I have to laugh at my first guess, not even close @ 18 mpg.

If a guy thinks about it, that's a good jump up from 12 mpg. Considering there is no way to change the air flow over, under, and around the truck. The 4.88 gears and a flatheads inability to breath efficiently as an OHV.

Okay I'll go back through this year plus old post and find the winner.

I had some pictures of the trip but I'm getting a file to large message. The new camera phones are getting crazy high resolution theses days.
Click to expand...
14.5 is an excellent result for one of these old trucks. Congratulations!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top