[ihc] RE: David's B-bonanza

["Jim Grammer" <jgrammer@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 09:37:34 -0700 (PDT)
>From: David Raistrick <keen@domain.elided>
>Subject: [ihc] B-130...new owner!

>We finally decided to buy it, though it was $300 more then the most I
>wanted to pay for it (dodge bed and all..).

Good job.

>NO rust under the floormats, seats, or in the cowl vents. (ok, surface
>rust from 44 year old paint..)  Floor mat is in excellent shape, with what
>appears to be the original pedal covers, etc.  All indications are that
>the PO-claimed 74590 miles at the time of purchase are original.

2 areas I was gonna warn you about, you already found 1 of them(cab
corners). The other is the front corners of the hood, from the 'power bulge'
out. Layered sheet metal, no drains :(. Check it out as soon as you can.

>The missing emblems below the hood are included...it also has some emblem
>holes /in/ the hood, which can just be seen here:

Those are for the optional unicorn hood ornament(you know, the kind with the
light up eyes) ;)

>It needs tires. Running around on 30? year old (haven't looked for the
>date codes) bias plys is not my idea of fun.....and the front's are not
>entirely round.  I know I saw a FAQ on this somewhere but I cannot find
>it...what's the modern replacement size for the 7.5x16's? I'll measuire
>current tire circumference and start comparing, I suppose.. What load
>rating to I need to look for? No less then D at least, I assume.

235/85-16's are the closest, and very common. Most are load range 'E' IIRC.
Perfect tire for that truck, narrow enough that the Armstrong power steering
isn't overloaded. LT radials make a HUGE difference in the handling and ride
for a B, it's like night and day.

>Need to try to fix the speedo.

Start by pulling the cable and lubing it, you never know...

>It has a bit of a fuel-starvation issue if you get into the throttle, or
>at the amount of throttle required for 60 mph (according to my girlfriend
>in the car I was following...:)

If it has a BD 220/240, the 1bbl Holley carb wants a kit and cleaning
annually, almost no matter the mileage. If a BD264 with the Carter(?) 2bbl,
I dunno but a Weber 32/36 or 38DG bolts right to the manifold :)

>Drives nice..for out of round tires and a 1 ton suspension, at least. :)

Keep on top of the steering box adjustment, and do a flush/fill on it when
you get the chance. The Ross tapered roller design  depends on the rollers
actually rotating as the travel the worm gear. If they stop 'rolling', they
wear flats in the taper and become tapered 'sliders'. This causes slop in
the gear that can't be adjusted away and adds noticeably to the steering
effort.

Jim