It's been a long time since I have updated this, mostly due to the lack of internet at home, and the death of my laptop. Main computer has died, using my home theater PC for now.

Anyway, truck stuff. The cheap, bent, Summit Racing distributor has been replaced with a Pertronix FlameThrower distributor with the Ignitor 2 module, which replaces the old school breaker points with a small microcontroller thing with a magnetic pickup. It automatically adjusts the dwell so I never have to worry about it again. This truck has killed 2 sets of ignition points, one of them in a matter of a few days. I suspect the cause of this early death was a 60,000 volt ignition coil and too large of a gap in the points. Arcing across the points erodes them, and with 60,000 volts arcing much farther than 30,000 volts, it makes sense that it would arc farther and easier, burning the points out. This is my guess, and I don't care enough to confirm or disprove it. Adding this distributor has completely eliminated the ignition problems and made my truck very easy to drive. I had to scrap my old 2001 Pontiac Sunfire in order to afford the distributor, but it was well worth it.

The other major upgrade came in the form of a new carb from Summit Racing Equipment. I got the 750 CFM vacuum secondary with electric choke. I wired the choke wide open until it can be wired properly, and set the fuel pressure to 7 psi, as recommended in the DVD that came with the carb. Even with a float level that is too high, this carb has ran damn near perfect straight out of the box. They claim it will work just fine for 95% of all engines you stick it on. I believe it. While interviewing others at Summit Racing who have bought it, I was able to confirm that it really is ready to go out of the box. I was amazed at the improvement it made. My truck can be started and driven just like a new car, other than the tendency to stall before it warms up. Once the electric choke is set properly, and the timing adjusted a bit, it should start and run just like a new car.

I have also re-wired the oil pressure and voltage gauges. I cut all the excess wire off, re-terminated them, then put a sleeve on the wires and routed them neatly under the dash.

I have also recently replaced the alternator mounting bolt, as it snapped off, causing a dead battery. I didn't notice anything until I realized my headlights were dim. Checked the voltage, and saw it was around 9 volts DC. The truck was still running just fine, and I was able to drive to a church parking lot and get a tow. The belt survived, and I got a hardened replacement bolt from ARP at Summit Racing Equipment. (I get everything from Summit these days.) That bolt has held up fine, but is a temporary fix. The proper method is to buy a $50, universal bracket from Summit and install that. Haven't done it yet, as I have moved, and ride to work with a friend. I don't even need a vehicle anymore. It's finally time to stop driving, and start restoring my beloved old truck.

Next up are the brakes. The master cylinder is going bad, which causes the brake pedal to sink to the floor if held too long, and then the truck starts rolling away. I bought the new master cylinder a while ago, but have needed y truck and haven't been able to take it out of service long enough to get the job done. Yesterday I finally bought new flexible brake line sections for all four wheels, as well as self bleeding bleeder screws and nice bleeder caps to keep everything clean. Next up is to break the bleeder screws loose on all 4 wheels, then drain the lines, replace the master cylinder, then the bleeder screws, then bleed the entire system. After that is done, depending on how much money is available, I will be replacing all the brake lines. By the time the snow hits, I hope to have all the rotors, pads, shoes, and hardware changed. I will be running ceramic pads, and drilled and slotted rotors to make sure I can stop this beast when towing heavy loads.

I recently moved and used a friend's trailer to haul extra stuff. It is literall the back end of a half ton Ford truck from the 1980s. Someone chopped the frame, welded it all together, added the towing hookups, and wired it as a trailer. This thing is hilarious, and quite sturdy. I had to tow this thing for 45 minutes. Even with the timing off and the engine making weird sounds, the journey went without a hitch. Got pulled over a few days later when the turn signal failed though. No ticket.

More updates to come soon. Going to change the water for coolant here in a few days before the freezing temperatures hit.