Al Savage's 1981 720 SD22, "Orting Truck"

[asavage]

In a display of spectacularly bad timing, I had kept the (quite decent) doors from the "Bellingham Truck", gave them away last weekend, and sold the mirrors.

Now I've got this '81 that could use doors. Sigh.

[glenlloyd]

[shrug]
It's still worth the money I paid and laid out. It's just not as good of a deal.

Someone really want it? It's very likely I'm not keeping it.

if you were closer Al I'd buy it.

sa

[asavage]

If you were closer, it could be yours.

Hey, why don't you move closer?

Actually, you should drive a 720 before commiting. You may not have legroom.

[glenlloyd]

If you were closer, it could be yours.

Hey, why don't you move closer?

Contemplated, I keep noticing your temps out there are substantially higher than mine in the mid-west.

Actually, you should drive a 720 before commiting. You may not have legroom.

I know, but I can't imagine it's any tighter than the Toyota reg. cab truck I have now...which is tight for me. I keep hoping that a KC will turn up around here but I'm sure if it does it'll be rusty! That would at least have a little more flexibility in the seat back adjustment.

steve a

[83_maxima]

If you were closer, it could be yours.

Hey, why don't you move closer?

Contemplated, I keep noticing your temps out there are substantially higher than mine in the mid-west.

Actually, you should drive a 720 before commiting. You may not have legroom.

I know, but I can't imagine it's any tighter than the Toyota reg. cab truck I have now...which is tight for me. I keep hoping that a KC will turn up around here but I'm sure if it does it'll be rusty! That would at least have a little more flexibility in the seat back adjustment.

steve a

Every time I think of where Al lives, I think about "An Officer and a Gentleman."

If you can fit in the rabbit pick up comfortably enough, you shouldn't have any problem with the 720. My Rabbit just doesn't have enough leg room for long trips being 6'.

[philip]

Every time I think of where Al lives, I think about "An Officer and a Gentleman."

I'm reminded of "Different Strokes for Different Folks"

[asavage]

Every time I think of where Al lives, I think about "An Officer and a Gentleman."

You know, I bought the DVD years ago but have never watched it. Hmmm . . . I'll have to dig it out.

I walk by the motel every other Monday.

[83_maxima]

Every time I think of where Al lives, I think about "An Officer and a Gentleman."

You know, I bought the DVD years ago but have never watched it. Hmmm . . . I'll have to dig it out.

I walk by the motel every other Monday.

Good movie. I like it. I think it was shot at old fort worden? (IIRC). Some shots of the area too. You'd probably enjoy seeing it just for that.

[asavage]

I saw the movie back in its heyday, back when I lived over on South Whidbey and had only occasionally visited the PT area (geographically, they are only 40 miles apart, but geopolitically quite a bit farther, and not real close in terms of travel time). I remember thinking that the shoreline scenes sure looked local -- the pattern of driftwood and short beaches spoke of mild tidal action, which is what we have in the Puget Sound: no large waves, like on the Coast.

Anyway, I picked up the movie years ago, before I actually owned a DVD player; looking in the DVD cabinet, I see it's still in shrink-wrap. Now to get the DVD player back from my co-worker who borrowed it this week (I don't use it much -- I'm more of a theatre-movie-goer. We have a lovely old two-screen theatre in PT, as well as one seedier one and one of the last drive-ins in the state).

[asavage]

... there's no underhood sound insulation pad.

In the cold, hard light of Saturday, the hood insulation is in the bed. Not worth keeping, it's going in the dumpster with the rest of the detritus.

Driver's door sag is the upper hinge bushings shot, not the door's rust. Driver's door lock is destroyed.

Spending some time today to put a third radio in the '82 Wagon. If I'm going to drive this thing, I want NPR -- one hour a day commute time.

The orig. radio lost the driver for the display segments. I could fix it, but it would take time. I got a JY radio a couple of years ago, and it only works intermittantly -- loose connection inside it.

Just put a third radio head in, it seems OK.

Have a fourth one in storage -- and the working one in the '83 Wagon of course.

[83_maxima]

... there's no underhood sound insulation pad.

In the cold, hard light of Saturday, the hood insulation is in the bed. Not worth keeping, it's going in the dumpster with the rest of the detritus.

Driver's door sag is the upper hinge bushings shot, not the door's rust. Driver's door lock is destroyed.

Spending some time today to put a third radio in the '82 Wagon. If I'm going to drive this thing, I want NPR -- one hour a day commute time.

The orig. radio lost the driver for the display segments. I could fix it, but it would take time. I got a JY radio a couple of years ago, and it only works intermittantly -- loose connection inside it.

Just put a third radio head in, it seems OK.

Have a fourth one in storage -- and the working one in the '83 Wagon of course.

At least they're easy to R&R.

[asavage]

I got caught up enough to spend some time with this 1981 720 today.

Fired it up again (second time since I bought it, back in Feb.). This thing starts soooo easy in 70°F temps. This time armed with 17mm and 22mm wrenches. Determined that cylinder No. 2 is the one nailing badly. Shut it off, cleaned off the area, removed the injector lines as an assy., removed injector No. 2. Taking it apart, the needle will not come out of the nozzle. Grabbed a JY injector and slapped it in, put a leak-free return rail on to replace the broken one that's been spurting fuel all over.

Fired it up, heard just a few seconds of nailing (residual fuel in CC, I assume), then it settled down.

Knocked a wasp nest out of the driver's door hinge area.

Drove it 1/4 mi. to the BD trailer, put 10 gallons B99 in. Smoking badly during that drive downhill. Knocked another wasp nest out of fuel fill door.

Drove it 1/2 mi. to car wash -- smoking very badly (embarrassingly badly) the whole way, but running OK. Spent $8 on car wash time, knocked a lot of crap out of the engine bay, a good first effort. Fired it up and drove down the street out of town . . . hey, no smoke!

How is that possible? Can't get it smoke at all now.

Drove it 20 miles continuously. Found a long steep hill and wound it up to the governor or thereabouts: 60 in 3rd. Held it there. After about ten seconds, engine loses power and dies. Pull to side of road, funny smells and a bit of smoke w/engine off. Nothing untoward under hood, get back in, fires up: smokes. Drive it a bit less ambitiously until I get to the top of the hill!

Wind it out in 4th on the level: 80 MPH, but no more running/power issue ensues.

Drive it 13 mi. back to town, misses a little a couple miles from the shop. I nurse it in, it dies at every stop, and will hardly idle. Get it parked, remove Fram fuel filter, dump it into jar: OK, some crud but mostly B99.

Bandsaw the filter open: lots of fine particles in filter. Maybe a teaspoon showing in the bottom. I'm betting replacing the filter will fix the idle, but even if it doesn't, it needs a new one.

Air filter is new NAPA one, coolant is clear, oil and Wix filter look new. Alt. belt is new.

Brakes don't stop well but don't pull. Probably embedded rust in pad material. Tabs are 2001!

After this drive, some coolant sitting on top of oil cooler, down in a pocket. Not clear where it came from, but that will have to be investigated. Head gasket? Cooler leak? Crook hose leak?

The thermostat is apparently not working well. It took until I did that governor test for the temp to come up off 'C', and then it went mid-scale for a while, but later dropped to 1/4" scale, so it gets a new t-stat & gasket.

Trans shifts fine with the exception of 3rd, which occasionally can be beat. A little noise in both 3rd and 5th. With 318k on the odo, it's allowed some slack.

Sounds like a bad driveshaft carrier brg back there.

Exhaust rattle near muffler.

One exhaust manifold-to-headpipe stud broken, flange is baling-wired on and is surprisingly quiet for all of that.

Steering box is very loose and will have to be replaced, period.

Homemade (by PO?) GP bus is a mess and needs to be re-done better.

After the car wash, could not see smoke ever, except at idle when it misses. This makes three SD22 I've owned that don't smoke under load.

Still don't know what I'm going to do with this sow's ear of a truck.

[asavage]

Water pump brg is loose, though not losing coolant there.

[asavage]

Installed thermostat gasket again, this time oriented correctly , plus a film of RTV this time.

Made new keys, removed broken driver's door lock and repaired it, freed up rusted latch so it can be locked/unlocked.

Vacuumed out the trash & cigarette butts.

Put my head underneath: no cab rust on driver's side floor or rocker, pass. side has 3 x 6" rustout on floor, rocker solid. Pass door very rusted out, drivers door has rusted-through holes but is reasonably solid (though upper hinge is worn out so the door should be lifted to close smoothly without beating up the latch).

Headlights all work but it's stuck on highbeam. We all know what that means. Three exteriour bulbs out (license, RF marker, LR marker).

At least the GPC and DPC work correctly.

This rig doesn't seem to smoke out the tailpipe (except on startup), but there is considerable blow-by out the road draft tube.

Pulled glow plugs, tested: all have at least half the tip cherry-red in under ten seconds: pass.

Went to repair GP bus connectors: boss took shop soldering gun home again . I'll take it home and repair it there.

Performed compression test:

1 = 390
2 = 390
3 = 410
4 = 240

Bummer.

Checked valve lash cold: all in the .014-.018" range, adjusted them all the same, retested No. 4: no change.

Put shop air (130 PSI) in No. 4 via the GP adapter (Schrader valve removed) and No. 4 piston @ TDC: no air from exhaust, no air from intake, no air from radiator inlet.

Lots of air into crankcase. Bummer. Probably broken ring or worn cylinder.

What do you think? Sell it as a whole parts truck, or part it out?

[philip]

SNIP-
Performed compression test:

1 = 390
2 = 390
3 = 410
4 = 240

SNIP

Put shop air (130 PSI) in No. 4 via the GP adapter (Schrader valve removed) and No. 4 piston @ TDC: no air from exhaust, no air from intake, no air from radiator inlet.

Lots of air into crankcase. Bummer. Probably broken ring or worn cylinder.

What do you think? Sell it as a whole parts truck, or part it out?

You need another project. (you could take that a couple of ways ).