Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Status on the Dodge and S-10

Status on the Dodge and S-10

Today I received a call form Pfeiffer’s Auto Repair giving me an estimate on brakes for the Dodge truck. It was a bigger number than I anticipated but considering the mileage on the vehicle….over 230,000 miles, perhaps I should not have been too surprised.

I went out and tried to crank the S-10...no luck. This time before I took too much life off the battery I stopped and tried opening the hood. No luck so I got Linda to help me again. As I pulled on the latch she attacked the hood with a vengeance and it popped free. Once I had access to the hood lever I was able to put the bonnet up and secure it with the retaining rod. Removing the air cleaner I shot the carburetor full of carb cleaner and cranked her again. She blazed to life…I drove down to Pfeiffer’s. There was a rattle in the transmission in the early gears but it smoothed out in fifth. I was amazed at how well the old truck handled. It was more like a sports car than a truck. When this project is over that Stude should be a blast to drive.

I have decided to try and get the S-10 up to par and once it is, then begin to remove the cab and box replacing them with the Studebakers. This approach will be much more affordable then trying to modify the old Studebaker using aftermarket components. Essentially all the components are now available to construct the street rod and while some might be worn out or in need of repair, that is a much better position than having to cobble up components from different sources like I am having to do with the ‘40 Ford Sedan.

I think the 47 Studebaker is the coolest small pickup truck ever designed. The lines make my heart resonate and grafted to the Chevy, I have high expectations. Plus with a little luck the project should come in at under $3K.

Pfeiffer called back later and said he was leaving the rear brakes of another appointment. The cost of the repair dropped dramatically. Also the repair on the S-10 transmission is not as serious as anticipated. I will pick up the Dodge in the morning.

In the shop I cleaned up the floor over by the hydraulic shear. I added some fluid and it puked a slug all over the corner where it sits. What a mess.