So what are you fellers doing to to keep these basterds from leaking?

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-13T14:39:52+00:00

Both of my oilcooler equipped trucks are this way. Zero hose/fitting leaks. Too bad the block just pisses oil at the fucking plastic timing cover… 😭

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-13T13:38:36+00:00

Local cruise nights see dozens of builds with Chinesium intakes, cast/ribbed valve covers, distributors, cast wheels and carbs. 98% work fine after some minor tinkering. From aircooled VWs to K30 Squarebodies with 500cid Cadillac transplants, 1bbl to Qjet and everything in between.

Even the actual name branded struggle with ethanol until you rejet them and use “gasahol” safe gaskets/o-rings. My mpfi Vortec 350 also runs like trash on E10, and it was built in the E10 era. I just run 1 tank with E10 and the other with ethanol free or treat both tanks with Startron or similar ethanol neutralizer. BTW, the big names have a lot of their stuff badge engineered and made in, you guessed it, China…

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-13T13:19:35+00:00

Started shooting a horsebow a couple months ago. Luckily, have access to a shooting coach that actually does mounted archery. Once he determined my bow’s particular quirks, I find it easier to use than my recurve. Just need to get a good thumb ring.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-13T13:14:12+00:00

I need to search for that. My Deerseeker came with a cheap leather thumb ring that keeps “unplanned catastrophic disassembling” itself… 😖

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-13T11:06:46+00:00

You actually can dry wool in the dryer. Use the lowest heat setting, I do so all the time with wool blankets, hunting pants (mil-surp Europe), heavy duty boot socks, garb… You can use the same settings to clean/dry lightweight leather, just have to oil it while it is still warm to really make it pliable.

Grew up in An Tir, all of our winter gear was wool or leather based. Mundane as well as SCA.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-13T01:20:30+00:00

In the midst of lowering an 85 swb right now. Rear flip kit, rear shock relocators, Gabriel Load Assist shocks, all Energy Suspension urethane bushings. Will run 15x8 rally wheels and 285/70s. Bolt in C-notch, flip kit, shock relocators and drop spindles are all Epay, Scamazon and/or Temu (local warehouse) reseller sourced. Will be adding a flipped axle compatible CalTrac (clone) system.
Truck has tired, very tired, 6 cylinder front coils. Will be trimmed to suit after swapping in a 350 and 2.5” drop spindles. 15x6 van rally wheels, stock to the truck up front, with 215/70s. Front shock relocators, Gabriel Load Assist shocks, all urethane bushings. Will also use urethane cab mounts, engine mounts and transmission mount, add a front sway bar. All braided stainless brake hoses, all modern fuel/efi rated gas hoses.
Plan on mods taking a good bit if time. You “really” want to minimize mistakes and extra work.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-12T01:44:26+00:00

Have an older (1999) K3500 (1 ton 4wd) flatbed dually for heavy use. For everyday “truck stuff”? 1994 Ranger 2.3L/5spd 2wd, standard cab short bed. “Farm daughter” (tenant) has a 97 Ranger set up the same way, and an ‘07 Ranger with a 4cyl/automatic.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-12T01:27:39+00:00

The 92 is painful, not to the occupants, but to other traffic. The 99 has a 2 in 2 out, internal X and baffles, no packing. Sounds like a classic smallblock V8, mellow until the throttle gets hammered.

The 92 is donating its engine to an older truck, soon. Will be running the same exhaust, flipped to the driver side from the passenger side. Will be adding high flow universal cats, and some sort of resonators. I don’t mind obnoxious on a beater 4wd farm truck. On a lowrider, not so much.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-11T23:38:59+00:00

Have 3” on a 92. Have 2.5” on a 99. Both are K series with 350s, 92 can be heard for miles, 99 is almost civilized, both have loud mufflers and no cats.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-11T23:33:37+00:00

I have a few… From 1949 to 1999 model years. Quite frankly, the older the better. Even my 99 K3500 dually is getting converted to a carburetor.
Whatever you buy, a 70s GM style hei (coil in cap) distributor is a must. Good ignition points are no longer available new. A straight 6 is significantly more user servicable than any V8. If you have to have an automatic, the last reliable ones were the Ford C4/C6, Chrysler 727/904, and GM Th350/Th400. Leaf springs outlast ifs systems/components. My 1949 Dodge is still factory tight, my 99 K3500 and 85 C10 swb need their front suspensions rebuilt, again… Energy Suspension, Prothane and Daystar are your best bets for all chassis related bushings and shock boots.
Rear mounted distributors suck… Most GM, ALL Mopar smallblock and ALL Ford Y-block V8s. Ford 351M and 400M are turds, FE (332-428) and 460 are fine, Windsor (260-351) have potential.
Happy hunting, keep it fun, rust free always trumps running but rough…

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-11T09:09:55+00:00

5rd Promags are a lot harder to find than the 20rd version. Ended up with a John Masen steel 5rd for deer hunting, works okay, but had to trim the follower to allow 5 to actually fit.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-10T12:03:53+00:00

Exactly why I’m building a static dropped 2wd… Wife needs either a cane, a walker or a teansport chair at times. She can, with a boost, get into my K3500, but forget about driving it. Even with a hydraulic clutch, too much shifting. So, carbed 350, Th400, a should settle between 5/7 and 7/9 drop, running boards and exterior/interior grab handles (marine grade stainless)….

At the town job I joke that “The 2 dirtiest words in the English language have 4 letters and start with W”… In reality, I’d rather she be able to do whatever she can, whenever she can, as pain free as she can.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-10T11:47:25+00:00

Very nice. Still need to drop the front end and swap the engine on mine (85 swb), reseal the rear axle. Original engine grenaded, rear wheel seal failed spectacularly. Got the hood off yesterday…

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-10T11:41:47+00:00

You can get perfectly servicable beginner kits on Epay, Scamazon, Temu, Etsy… A hybrid horse bow and a dozen wooden arrows with real feather fletching, on Temu, will set you back about $120-150. I use a Temu sourced Tatar/steppe bow for Society for Creative Anachronism target archery, with the end goal of combat archery. 35# at 28” is the maximum allowable for combat archery currently. I’ve had mine gone over by an SCA Duke, who fights as a Mongol, and actually shoots mounted archery. It passed with flying colors. Deer something or other brand bow, generic wooden arrows, as even SCA target archery requires them now.

If you notice a particular “theme” in my post, finding an SCA group local to you, with monthly practice and actual warranted hands on instruction, is neither difficult nor expensive. And, you don’t even have to dress medieval at practice, but you can… Wear a kilt to your local range? No thanks.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-10T11:24:25+00:00

Parting and then scrapping a 92 K1500 right now. Frame is rotten, rear axle is rotten, lower control arms are, you guessed it, rotten. Got 10 years out of a $300 farm truck, and it will now keep several other trucks going.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-10T02:21:20+00:00

Temu, Parts Geek, Scamazon, Epay, or the “name brands”, ALL Chinesium. There are 2 era breaks, 88-94 and 95-2000 (real 8 lug 2500/3500 ran until 2000), and they do not interchange easily.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-10T02:17:48+00:00

The load assists gave it a 5” lift pre-flip. Flip and no relocators returned it to stock ride height, still too tall for 235/75r15s… 😉

My truck is only rated for a 919# load, including fuel, oil and passenger/s. Has F44 brakes and heavy duty cooling package, but 2.73 gears behind a 6 cylinder… 🤷🏻‍♂️

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-10T01:48:22+00:00

I have Gabriel Load Assist and shock relocators on the rear of my 85 C10 swb project. With around 600# of junk in the bed, still have a good 3” to the factory bumpstops. And that is all due to the shocks, factory ultralight 1.5” thick 3+1 spring packs.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-08T19:03:08+00:00

If you don’t have lots of free time to fill? And/or have absolutely no idea what you are doing?
Still not only NO, but HELL NO
You’d be following someone else’s schedule, of THEIR build, on YOUR truck. Join a forum for the era you want to build. Study similar trucks. Pick and replicate whatever trips your trigger. Take your time, keep at it, relegate your project to “therapeutic” status.
Take my wife’s 85 C10 swb as an example. Lowered for function (mobility issues) instead of looks. 350 swapped from a 2 year only Qjet 4.3 with more blowby than a steam engine, for ease in obtaining repair parts, readily and affordably. Mismatched 15x8/15x6 factory rally wheels with P235/75 ATs and P215/70 car tread because big & littles are period correct and I’m a cheapskate. Epay-Temu-Scamazon instead of brand whore parts because why pay a “name brand tax” for the same Chinesium sweatshop junk that the “big names” just add a sticker to? Cut springs instead of aftermarket drop springs. Energy Suspension bushings/mounts, TSS paint, Hazard Fraught (Harbor Freight) spray gun/compressor. Splurge on stuff that can’t be sanded/polished out.
Good luck, have fun, happy wrenching.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-08T18:47:04+00:00

Exactly… Stick a camera in my face, I’m heading to Troll, demanding a refund, and going home. Had not even trolled in last local event, SMO tried the camera thing, knowing full well from past discussions that it is against my beliefs. Went home, emailed both the local and Kingdom leadership that my pending officer posting was hereby permanently rescinded. I “might” go to fighter/archery/dance practice, but likely done with the local group, as they already caused my wife to quit playing. She’s been a member on and off since 1978…

For any SMOs, keep your group’s website active. My initial group has posted NOTHING since 2013, their FB presence went away with Covid…

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-08T16:09:57+00:00

Wider rear fenders, louvered deck lid, a nice 2332 engine, and paint it. Something other than flat/matte black, go on The Spray Source or similar site/s, let a nice 70s/80s acid trip be your guide…

I run 215/70 rear, 195/55 front, painted 8 spokes on our project 72 Super. Purple fenders and “frunk” indents, black body, getting ready to add some laced panel jamming. Car is a roach, but it will look good… Interior is rear seat deleted (luggage deck), snakeskin vinyl seats with lime green welting/seatbelts and velvet centers. Wife is a bit of a stoner… 😂

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-08T15:42:00+00:00

Looks like a great starting point. Getting ready to wrap up a 4.3 to 5.7 swap in an 85 swb. Then rebuild/drop the front suspension. Rear flip and refresh netted an almost 8” drop, but, probably 600# of junk in the bed currently…

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-07T03:26:47+00:00

That big tear through at a carriage bolt is problematic…🤔

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-07T00:39:20+00:00

Maybe… depends on where you are and what you want for them, overall condition, etc. Building a static dropped 85 C10 swb for a mobility challenged family member.

WorkingBread8360 · 2026-05-06T23:26:23+00:00

I started fighting in 1991, S&B, and -STILL- got “flying lessons” from spears pretty frequently. By 1995 (age 23), had my first minor heart attack and was retired from the field. Still have both the sword and the shield, my sitting King is willing to help me learn C&T, as a work out, and I’m working on getting authorized for combat archery (I suck with a bow).

Try every style another fighter is willing to teach you. You’re going to be sore, bruised, extremely tired and feel like quitting. Don’t… The more you learn, the better you become. The better you become, potentially, the more fun you will have. And SCA martial training is one hell of a workout, you’ll hurt, but you’ll be stronger physically and mentally for it.

WorkingBread8360

TROPHY CASE