1963 Series 11A 109, Left hand drive, Koneg PTO winch, ACR 2.8L 5 bearing power plus Engine with weber carb. Truetrac gear driven limited-slip traction rear differential.
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72 SIII 88
67 SIIA 109
82 SIII Stage 1 V8
-- http://www.youtube.com/barnfind88 --
Brake Failure! Always an adventure. We were on our way up into the hills in southwestern PA (to visit my mother in law, which is maybe why I was dawdling) and my left windshield wiper arm came off, which it does from time to time. Those little set screws on the round spindle aren't really up to the job. I pulled over to put it back in place (I had learned long ago to tie it onto the car with a bit of string ) and when I came to a stop I felt the brake pedal mush right to the floor. There was a rupture in a brake line somewhere. I checked the reservoir and it was losing bit of fluid- I topped it off with some Castrol LMA that I had in the back and we CAREFULLY drove it home. Only a couple of miles, but if you know the greater Pittsburgh area you know how hilly it is. I still had a tiny bit of brake power, presumably from the rear brakes since it's a dual circuit, and between that and 2nd gear we got it home.
The next day, after a few inches of snow had covered it, I got it into the garage (after some impromptu snow wheeling since I veered off the hill in front of the driveway- no brakes!) and inspected it- sure enough, the left front line had a hole in it, which I found my having my wife (and personal physician) pump the pedal and watching for leaks. I went with some Kunifer copper-nickel lines, just the left and right front because they were rusty and the rest of the car looked OK. Removing old brake lines is something of a challenge because if they're old (which they are, because that's why you're having to replace them), nothing turns correctly and it's a good thing I was throwing them away because I bent and twisted the lines loosening them. Some PB Blaster and a little heat got them all off- the 3-way T-junction was the worst because of its location. I also had a set of stainless steel flex lines kicking around so I took the opportunity to install those. It's so nice fitting new parts. Then to bleed the lines - my wife (and personal physician) pumped the pedal and kept the reservoir full and I bled them in this order: right rear, left rear, right front, left front. I called RN and asked them to verify this sequence because interestingly the Green Bible says the opposite. The rear lines seemed to have no air in them at all, which was good, since they are on an entirely separate set of pipes from the master cylinder. Front ones bled out nicely. In the past I have replaced the bleed screws in all my wheel cylinders with stainless ones, fitted with some never-seize and rubber caps. (I'm careful to keep the anti-seize glop out of the lines themselves.)
Back on the road- only three days elapsed between the break down and the finished repair, including waiting for ordered parts. Bit of a struggle in the sub-freezing temps in an unheated garage but I was glad to have a flat concrete floor to work on instead of the snowy crushed-rock driveway.
These brake lines had lasted about 14 years- I put them in myself in 1999 during a galvanized frame-over rebuild. I lost one line in Argentina the next year, but that was because the steel line had been rubbing against the canvas check strap and wore a hole through the steel!
My next task- get that wiper arm attached more positively.
Tom
Tom
1969 Series IIA 88"
I like it because I understand how it works (mostly).
A bit over a year ago I purchased a 1962 Series IIA 109 Station Wagon that had sat in a Montana barn for over 26 years. It's been a long process dictated by cash flow, but Poppy - named for its original Poppy Red color and for the name my dad's grandkids gave him - will soon be available for public viewing. I can't wait.
She was in dry storage for a long time. Aside from some mice living in the head liner and a few honest and understandable dings here and there she was in great shape. When I get her out on the road she'll be stock original exept for new tires, some power ports, parabolics, a modern fuel head conversion, seat belts, and a Tuffy box painted to match. My primary concern was preserving and protecting the remarkably great shape she was in at 52. Will add an overdrive by Roamer, as well as front disc brakes if I can find anyone still making them.
Today I finished rehabbing the original elephant hide door panels. They look great. Found some of the original "invisible" clips for attaching the panels to the vehicle through help from folks on this forum. Big thanks for that! Headliner is ready to install and the head rails rehabbed by Badger Coachworks will come soon, as will the full Hardura floor covering.
I've dreamt of owning a Series truck most of my life. I drove a '58 Series I in Scotland 34 years ago and owned a '93 D90 for several years but it just wasn't, with all due respect, quite the same. As soon as I can I'll post some before and after photos. I'm just giddy that she's about ready for her debut.
Cheers!
1963 Series 11A 109, Left hand drive, Koneg PTO winch, ACR 2.8L 5 bearing power plus Engine with weber carb. Truetrac gear driven limited-slip traction rear differential.