Well, I got my new purchase home today...a 1953 3100 5-window. Picked
up the truck along with a spare rear end, axle, drive shaft, 4-speed
tranny, miscellaneous trim parts, wheels, etc. The battery was dead, so
the previous owner & I jump started it and I drove away from his house
which was located on a pretty considerable hill. Halfway down the
brakes are a bit spongy, so I attribute it to air in the lines. A
little further along, and the next braking attempt sees the pedal go to
the floor. I pump it several times and get some pedal back and make the
bottom of the hill without further incident.
Continuing on the 20 mile drive home, the brakes get less and less
responsive, and continued pumping only brings them back a little bit. I
approach a red traffic light, and barely get the truck stopped before
nearly rear-ending a Honda Civic in front of me. Now I'm a lot more
careful and riding 2nd gear on grades, keeping a good distance between
me and the next vehicle, hoping I can nurse the brakes and get this baby
home.
Halfway home, I have the downhill decision to go through the center of a
pretty busy town, or take a fork to a back road. Prudence makes me
choose the back route, and 2 miles later I am down to zero brakes. My
son is following in another vehicle, so we stop on a flat section and I
find I can not get any pedal back, no matter how hard we try. Leaving
the truck, we drive the remaining 10 miles home, picking up brake fluid
and an assortment of tools, but forgetting jumper cables.
Returning to the disabled truck, I pop the floor pad and inpsection of
the master cylinder sees it bone dry. Adding fluid and continuous
pumping finally brings the brakes back. Without the jumper cables, my
son has to give me a running push with the Subaru, and on the 2nd try we
get the truck jump started, kind of mashing up the front license plate
frame on the Subaru. I never did like that frame. The rest of the
journey passes without incident.
The whole adventure was acted out with the truck registered to the
previous owner, but I have a title and bill of sale. The inspection
sticker is out of date, but Mass rules say I'm OK on this. Fortune
really smiled when I chose not to travel through the center of town,
where I surely would have center-punched another vehicle, and who knows
how the Feds would have looked upon the whole incident. I had thoughts
of 2 years in Sing Sing for irresponsible behavior!
But the truck is safely home, and pre-inspection sees a leaky freeze
plug, dead battery, some bogus looking wiring, and other assorted ills,
but I'm still in a good frame of mind, and looking forward to a nice
long project to overhaul my new toy. The engine sounds strong and I
have not yet made the decision to keep the six or swap in a small block
V-8, maybe with a TH-350. I do have the 4 speed that may replace the 3
on the tree and give me a bit taller gearing, but I don't have any
specifics on that tranny yet.
And I thought I was done going through adventures like this when I was a
teenager. It's almost too much for my 50 year old constitution! But I
did impress my son with the diagnosis and quick field repair, and I'm
feeling like an 18 year old motorhead again...now where's that 9/16"
wrench?
Sorry for the long post. I'm going out for a pizza to recover ;^)
Wally
Templeton, MA
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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