[ihc] Postal 800 Purchased + help with some questions

[David Bongo <dbongo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, guys, I did it.  I bought Fleck's Postal 800.  We talked out a few
of the mods I wanted, and he and I kicked around a few ideas.  Which
leads me back here to do some more research.  Hopefully, this august
body can provide further input.

Cooling - The truck currently has the stock (engine powered) fan.  I was
considering putting a second (electric) fan in front of the radiator to
help with air flow.  This is, provisionally, my preferred solution for
redunancy reasons: if one fan goes (e.g. fan belt breaks, electric motor
breaks) I'll still have some measure of cooling.  John ran the idea of
replacing the stock fan with a high efficiency electric fan.  Which
would also give me a few HP back.  Considering I'll be losing 3HP for
the power steering, regaining 8HP or so from the fan may not be a bad
thing.

Air Handler - It has the original oil-bath filter.  I'd like to replace
it with a paper filter.  Which leaves me with 2 avenues to pursue:
Option 1-find out what air handler will bolt on to that carb and use
that.  This is the cheaper option, and since the carb runs well, it's
very attractive.  Option 2 would run up the costs a bit, and that is
converting to a Weber 32/36 progressive 2 barrel.  Jam Engineering gave
me a price (when I looked into doing this on my 258) of $235 for the
carb, $47 for the 1 barrel adaptor, $20 for the air cleaner, and (If I
can read my handwriting...) $56 for the kickdown linkage kit.  A total
of $358.  A bit pricey, but since it may result in a slight fuel economy
boost and HP boost, worth at least thinking about.

Gas Tank - it currently has a 10 Gal tank.  That's not enough.  I'm
going to check on the Binder Bulletin (there apparently was a discussion
on this a while back, but John can't remember the details) but there is
a tank that fits under the bed.  John thinks it was a plastic tank from
an '89 Ford Van, but he's not sure.  Anybody here know offhand?

Heat Insulation - My Scout II is Herculined on the interior.  Great
stuff.  I've been advised to insulate the 800 for heat.  If I Rhinoline
(not Herculine, Rhinoline) the bed, would that help?  I just like the
durability aspect of it.  I'll do something else if I have to, though. 
I'm more flexible with the firewall insulation, so I'm open to any
suggestions there.

I guess that'll be good for now.  More questions as they arise.

Dave