Now that the Creative Content of The Gnomes of New Hope is locked into the publishing layout, other business can be attended to. Some of that business is getting the trucks back up and running.
1961 Corvair Rampside
For over twenty years I operated my Corvair Forward Control, 95 Rampside as my primary work truck. I worked that truck like a dog and it served me very well indeed. I put nine engines and five trans-axles in it to keep it running over the years. Part of that was a result of experience, knowing that; after a certain time of operation, the best approach is to pull the power train and swap it out for another prepared one, leaving the old power train ready for bench inspection and repair. With an old truck like that (1961) it's best not to let the parts break in operation. That only results in more damage and expense, not to mention getting stranded.
So, I am now preparing another engine for the Corvair truck. I built an engine years ago, thinking that one would be a long term engine, only to be faced with having been supplied with faulty rings by Clark's. I spent five grand building that engine and it only lasted a few months before the compression ring in piston number one broke and blew out the piston and wrecked the head. I'm rather uncertain about the demise of that engine, because one thing I did do was to modify the combustion chamber of the heads. I used a 102hp set of heads and altered the volume of the chamber by eliminating a block of aluminum that was positioned directly across from the spark plugs. I made the presumption that that block, being where it was, added to the head temperature, so I removed it. I did calculate the volume, using fluid and calibrated beakers, as best I could. But I'm still trepiditious about the results in terms of performance, because the rings failed before I could make a determination.
So now I'm using that block with a new set of stock pistons and stock 110 heads.
It's funny, but after that engine crapped, an engine I spent five grand building, I put a junkyard engine from a car in and ran it for years with no trouble, until the rings finally gave out. Go figure.
I'm looking forward to having that truck up and running again.
1962 International
Loadstar CO 1600
So years ago, I bought a Medium duty truck. I found the CO1600 and was smitten. I had been looking for another truck, one that was slightly heavier duty than the Corvair. I was looking at buying a Jeep Cab Over, a truck I always liked, since I was a kid. I think that is because I had a toy version of that truck. The Jeep I was looking to buy was rough. The guy was going to sell me two trucks, so I could make one. I was on the fence when I found the International Loadstar. It was a cab over and it looked like a grown-up version of the Corvair truck. It was a lot bigger than the Jeep. I guess the deciding factor was the propensity of the Jeep to flip forward because of the weight in the nose end. But also the Jeep shop was on the verge of closing, which had some effect on the decision. So went with the Loadstar. It was a hulk that I had to rebuild, basically from the ground up. I rebuilt the cab doors and floor, put in a new engine, new tires, a rebuilt dumping stake bed, rebuilt braking system and numerous other things, including installing a 14' 4k lb crane arm. The odometer in the truck includes a 100k digit and the odometer on this truck was under 50k original miles. So for a 70 year old truck it's practically new.
Well, ironically, the Loadstar lasted about six months on the road before I blew the transmission. That was my own fault. I did not have a good understanding of how to operate the power take off or the creeper gear. First gear is a creeper and is not synchronized. The shifter in the Loadstar is a four speed on the column. The adjustments on the shifter and the hydraulic clutch are critical. I found that out the hard way. I wrecked first/reverse because the adjustments we're not right. I thought a little gear grinding wouldn't matter. I was wrong. Any gear grinding is not acceptable. It will result in damage. It took me six years to find another transmission. I think the reason for that is that; when the price of steel went up all the old trucks got scrapped, so these Cab Over Loadstars are increasingly rare, at least in the scrap yards.
So now I have another transmission for the truck and I'm preparing it for installation.
I have to say, I'm looking for another one, set up as a tractor to pull my semi trailers. I figure that a 35' trailer will be just about right for loading "The Gnomes of New Hope; Zach and Zebby's Grand Adventure" into as a rental. So that's the direction I'm headed in.
Parade Float
The other vehicle that is being worked on is a parade float. I have come to the conclusion that I am going to build the chassis of the parade float using a Corvair truck as the donor vehicle. The suspension and power-train are perfect for what I need to do. The real advantage here is that the power-train and rear suspension are a self-contained unit. That means the length of the chassis can be whatever distance is needed, since all the engine controls are via cables, particularly when using the automatic transmission.
I'll discuss this project further elsewhere as it proceeds.
That's all for now. AG
