flagmanruss

My old Chevy C30/454/auto/3.73s The 454 had cam/intake/AFB carb/headers... got 11 towing 8,000# gooseneck. Unfortunately it got the same mpg running empty! The motor lives on in a custom Hot Rod truck... shipped to Texas...My signature truck gets 18 in warm weather, running light. Way better than the gasser towing. Those 4:10 gears were not necessary... I own it now.Russ

My appologies... I missed where you said you tried new batteries. I would check the batteries to be sure you didn't get a bad one. I'd check the battery connections... in fact I'd check the B+ leads & grounds especially too. I melted the harness off my C30/ 454 when the BIG ground went bad. I presume you're running the right oil... cold thick oil can really screw things up. That's a long shot unless you just changed the oil. In trouble shooting, it's always well to look at anything which was changed, before the problem started or sometimes attempts to repair cause new problems. (like the batteries, cables) Good advise on the contacts & thanks for the amperage draw specs, Mike.Russ

I have an 01.5 but with automatic... the truck has rediculously low miles since I've been sick. Mine was doing the exact same thing. I just replaced the batteries... I stretched them by plugging it in (got an extra season out of it) but in the end, it was the thing to do. The grid heaters draw a lot of juice... I'm assuming you are waiting until the "wait to start" light goes out. That means the grid is hot... I don't know if the grid cuts out when the starter is engaged (maybe someone will tell us) but the starter has to spin it with that load too. The grid heaters continue to run for several minutes... depending on the temp... as you can see in the charge indicator.

No question those 383s were sweet. Russ

Back when I worked in electronics... there were tools that could be used to release the pins in electronic connectors. A lot opf the contacts were simple press in & had a barb to keep them there. The tool would push the barb flush so the pin could be removed. On a typical round pin, the tool was a hollow tube the right size with a handle. Use a big magmifier to study the connector. Russ

I didn't want the bed liner but the dealer was going to charge me anyway since it was in the truck. When I mounted my Hidden Hitch, I bolted it to the frame with the center section in place... made a bushing to locate the exact center of the square hole... then drilled a pilot hole up from underneath. I dropped the center section & climbed in the bed & used the exact right size hole cutter to bore right through the bed liner & bed. I spotted & cut a square hole in the plastic fender liner Added a rubber inner tube flap so I can reach in from the drivers wheel well to release the ball. Everything fit slick... & no toe stubbing... Russ

I think you can find edging & cut to length... I've seen it used in campers & boats to cover a cut edge... just pushes on & locks. You might find it at jcwhitney. I had a piece left in the barn from my boatyard days but it was all grimy & it went to the dump.You could use corrigated wire loom with the lengthwise split, or take some vacume line & cut it lengthwise with a razor blade. My 79 Chevy C30 had a built in gooseneck. The fabricator came up with a piece of steel the was a sung fit between the frame & the bed... when the bed was tightened back down. Bolted through both. The ball was drilled last from underneath & bolted through both as well. It did not move when someone wacked their toe on it! I know what I'm talking about!Russ

My truck is staying pure stock. PERIOD. I continue to be interested in the DDDR pump. If I was going to power mod, I'd not consider it. I want to get the stock lift pump off the truck while I still have an IP. Russ

I know this is dangerous territory... but if I won the lottery... I'd like to see a modern hemi in a Shelby roadster replica. I recall fondly a friend's Dodge 354 hemi/Coronet...

We've had some nice days but not over 50 highs... and into the teens some nights. Right now it's 30 and snowing. I'm gonna leave the cold fronts in for now. I'm only going to the grocery, running empty. The temp is still running dead center... I'm keeping an eye on it.The cold fronts come out in minutes when I'm ready. I can only wish for Spring!Russ

With my Road Runner & high quality aftermarket optics... very sharp cut off... I measured the height to the center of the lamp. Marked the school yard brick wall with chalk. Backed up & set the beam so the top of the low beam was no higher.The high beams were centered on the mark. The high beam indicator, didn't work but was not needed. I don't know the wattage of those 1968 off-road light assemblies. They were probably 100 w. They were single filament bulbs in a non-sealed lens /reflector assembly. I had to jumper the dimmer switch to keep the lows on with the highs (which is why the high beam indicator did not work)... I had fog lights set behind the grill which was cut away in front. The Lows & Fogs were Hella. The highs were Carrello. Standard lights can be aimed using a wall but standard quality optics can not be set this high because of light scatter.Russ

I think the light wattage is Federal DOT rule... but all lights are not created equal! The rated bulb life should be on the package... It would be interesting to compare.I don't have daytime running lights... (01 2500 8800GVW exempt from DRL) The early daytime running lights ran full power. When people started complaining about the bulb life, they created a low power setting. I don't run lights unless I have to. I run high beams if I can (day doesn't bother anyone). State passed a "lights on in the rain" law... if the wipers are on, lights must be. I run something other than low beams if I can... if just a mist, I'll run marker/parking lights. I used to run the worthless OEM fog lights but they're expensive bulbs to replace too! Russ

I think Mike's truck did not come with the OEM driving lights. Mine did... but I don't use the worthless decorations. I don't know about the up lamp from Geno's Garage... if it's worth doing at all. At least it would be doable.It would be a project to put a better lamp in the OEM spaces. I like "neat" gear & it would be neat to put something useful in the OEM spaces. Practically, there are lots of aftermarket driving lights (to 55W) that could go under the truck nose. For more power, it would be hard to beat Mike's landing lights. Russ

Mike, your under the truck mounting you have does have the advantage of blocking upward light from those lights. Low mounting should be less obtrusive than higher lights. (Proably why the decorative OEM light are like that.) Measuring the wattage... the electrical draw... of a bulb is not the best measure unless you're comparing all the same type of bulbs. No doubt the 35 W tractor lamps are tungston filiment. The H3 bulbs give better light per watt. I believe you're right about the 55 watt. Now I do recall those old lights of mine... 255,000 candle power... were 55 W. If I was going to go to the trouble of mounting a higher powered light in the OEM location, I'd want to figure out how to aim it. 55W or 100W, quality optics. I recall having to be on my toes about dimming those high beams (set horrizontal, with a mile of range). Russ

Sure the power is nice but the optics... reflector shape & lens control the beam. A flood light is general illumination, of course. Only intended for short distances... They're not really intended as "headlights" as the unshielded elements have upward glare. The landing lights, spotlights, are tightly focused. Also unshielded. I don't suppose that aircraft have to worry about opposing traffic! I swear the "off-road" high beam lights in the Roadrunner would light up over a mile of straight flat interstate. It was none to much. Yes, the high power lights get hot. That really could be an issue if one uses materials (including OEM parts) not intended for so much heat. These sealed beam bulbs have the advantage that breakage would not cost a second morgage. A lot of this applies to all aftermarket "driving lights"... they can have tons of power but if the beam is not focused for YOUR task, they'll be disappointing.

Yes, Mike, those are the basic lamps... They all interchange since rubber buckets are universal. My spare bulb is still in the NAPA box #4411 PAR 36 Lamp is a GE 4411 "TRACTOR" 12v 35w 1518 (must be GE number). It is a utility light, unshielded element, multi fawceted flood light lens. I bet there's a whole catalog of bulbs... The question is if one would come up with a mount to fit in the stock space. Russ

Fog / driving lights for Dodge? What made the old 1968 lights great was the combination of power & high quality optics... My old lights were the H3 Halogen. Separate bulb / reflector in the days of all sealed beams. I wonder if that type of quality is available today. Anyrate, if one wanted to utilize the factory wiring (assuming it could handle the draw) it would have to be on low beam (am I remembering right?).The Dodge OEM light are just for show lamps that do not do anything useful. I think Geno's Garage offers a kit to up lamp them. But that retains the throw away optics & inability to aim them. The OEM lamps must be held in from the rear. I have some sealed beams in the shop that look about the same size... I'm not going to put shoes on to go outside to look tonight. But the sealed beams are made for the rubber tractor bucket. (I have some on my backhoe since the factory lights were AWOL, the spare bulbs were changed out when I swapped bulbs to mount some on a Massy-Harris Pony tractor... gone now). But the 12V bulbs are here. The sealed beams are retained by the rim... there must be some metal rims that fit... Alternately, I could spin something on the lathe. Hmmm.Russ

68 Roadrunner (first year). 383- last year with no smog, just a tweek to get it by the sniffer. 8.5 compression. 727 auto, 3.23 ratio G70 14 polyglass skins (remember those?). A fabulous car on the open road. Oh, yeah... turned 3000 rpm at 70... red line was somewhere over the right hand turn signal light.

Dave, I don't think the cooling opening can make a difference since the optional factory lights fit there... with no heat issues. My truck has the factory "fog" lights and they "work" as in they turn on... but are really useless. The OEM buckets have no aiming option. I thought about cutting the plastic out but haven't got to it yet. My truck doesn't have the spoiler, just the reciever for the pasport (radar) under there. I lifted the Lic plate to give it a clear view. Working behind the bumper is d*mn close. I wonder if the holes you mention could be used and take the moto tool to the spoiler. I always liked the lights I mounted in my Road Runner years ago. It requred fabricating brackets between the body & the radiator support & cuttin the grill. Sorry, not a better picture. Car appears to have been photo-shy. Russ

We had a nice day the other day... warm sun shining on the front of the Dodge... I noticed the the cold front panels were buckling in the center. I'm thinking that the "heat" warmth expanded the plastic lengthwise (horrizontally) causing the tight fitting panels to buckle. They seem to go back when the sun goes away! I'll be buffing those edges next to see if that's better!Russ

God only knows what's in modern ATF... back in the 1960's, ATF had whale oil as a component. When whaling was banned, there was all kinds of doom & gloom that auto trannies would not hold up. I blew up the tranny in 64 Chrysler 300.Russ

I believe DD is one of many dealers for all AmsOil products... seen his posts on CDF. Amsoil sells a variety of nano-fiber cylindrical & oval filters for aftermarket air intakes as well as a drop in filter for the stock airbox. The nanofiber drop in filters better & still less restrictive than stock pleated paper. These finters can be cleaned with compressed air, restoring them to use.I had a drop in K&N oiled filter... did nothing for the truck & I pulled it back out. There are some really nice aftermarket intakes but they're just out of my price range (unless I hit the lottery!) I'm considering a drop in nano-fiber element for my stock truck.I read over on CDF, about someone who customized the stock airbox to take a cylindrical Nano-fiber filter. I had thought of this... I'm wondering if anyone else has tried it? Considerations: stock airbox is not all that big... limits filter size. Maybe ok for stock or light mods? Air into airbox is limited, additional air would undoubtably be advantagous. Thoughts anyone?Russ

It's cold out & I'm just thinking about what I read. I went to the Edge Products Site. Edge Mileage Max advances timing AND increases fuel pressure "for better atomization" or some such.The Q I have is how is the fuel measured? Time & pressure?? So does increasing Pressure, increase actually increase the fuel delivery? Is there the assumption that one will back off the go pedal a corresponding amount... How else could one get the 7% fuel econ they claim?Am I missing something here?Russ

I'd be interested in a Mileage Max for my 01. Russ

I've had good luck with Cooper Discoverer, years ago on an 83?? Ranger with a 2.2 Diesel & 4 speed stick. The tranny died & the rebuild failed. [sorry off topic: rebuilder didn't reinstall right. Tranny came loose from engine, misalignment cracked the case. Rebuilder welded case but really did't want to do any more. The job didn't last & one dark night, left me beside the road. I should have had someone knowledgeable rebuild a Madza 5 speed with the Ford output shaft but didn't know that at the time. I read about it somewhere later.] That 2.2 Natural air... Could not get out of it's own way. I ripped the new LT Cooper tires off & put them on the wifes minivan... good in snow & wore like iron. RussPS Truck w/ 2.2 only made 2 years... do not buy "unique" vehicles... hard to find parts. When I went to the Ford dealer to get new glow plugs, they'd never seen one... went outside to be sure I wasn't BSing them.