Thread: Intro to Rufus-my 1999 shop Truck

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It is kind of unusually because it is a rwd 4.3 5 speed stick.It runs really well and needs a clutch.Some clean up,small amount of paint work.........well you guys know the story.It takes some time to make it the way you want it.No rust.

Well in the continuing quest to make this truck turn key reliable today Rufus gets a new rad,thermostat,gasket,cap,oil cooler lines,fresh antifreeze,oil cooler adapter gaskets and O-rings,oil change and Wix oil filter,cleaned up battery pick and pull tray and painted with POR 15,painted with battery terminals protected paint,repaired fuel line from replaced fuel filter(yeah those nylon fuel line crimp clamps are a pita),drivers side door pins,bushings and door spring,replacement third door handle,O2 sensors.Got a check engine light that scans as a O2 sensors.If all goes well that should clean up the mechanics on this short of Delco cap,rotor,wires,and plugs and a new rear cover and gasket for the rear end which I will do next week.Then the NYS inspection.

Once all the above is settled in we can move onto the body work and paint.Because of some real crappy bondo work on the passenger cab corner and the bottom of the third door we found with a magnet,the box has got to come off.I haven't decided if I am going to replace the box with a step side box that is a clean no rust one or do the same for another freight side box.I do want to just R & R the third door with a rust free one.And because of having to remove the box I am considering a color change to the Ole Yellar dark mustard yellow with silver metal flake clear coated.

The crossover needed replacing and this is a Calli emissions truck with a two cat system that no one makes anymore.So this is what we did:

Well the crossover from Walker part number 50204 is a direct fit for a RWD 4.3 automatic that Autozone claims is a direct fit.It very well might be for a automatic,but on the stick shift 5 speed the head flange misses about 1/4".The good news is it does go around the bellhousing nicely.Also the pipe going back to the cat is too short.So we ended up cutting it in the middle and spacing it with about a 6" pipe.We then cut off the flange of the crossover going back and cut the old crossover just behind the secondary cat and welded the new crossover to the remaining pipe going to the main cat.Cleared the code,it held for a 20 mile drive back to my house.Got my fingers crossed that we have this fixed now.We do know of jobs that replaced the smaller cat with a pipe and a code reappeared because the main cat wouldn't hold enough air.

I meet up with Smiliesafari(Skip) tomorrow morning at the RED,White, & Blue Balloon Fest in Letchworth State Park.He came up to this event from Florida to fly his hot air balloon again this yr.
Skip and I have been friends from a Astro van site for yrs and met once before at this Balloon fest.

Well Skip found a rust free third door for Rufus.Sure is going to save a whole bunch of work for me.All those doors rust out on the bottom.They are really hard to find rust free.So the fact Skip found one for me is huge.Yepper,he is a real buddy.

I have a JTR aluminum third door handle for it so that resolves the plastic handle breaking issue.

I want to treat the door on the bottom jam and inside so as long as I have it I will not have to ever deal with it rusting out.Any suggestions for products to do that guys??.

I know a few people who have thinned down used engine oil,with a bit of kerosene,and blown that into the doors and sills,corners,etc..Its readily available,and cheap..

We used to do the same thing, even applied it to the trim so it would coat the pins etc. behind. works well except for the areas where applied to heavy, you have to keep wiping it up..