65 Deluxe fire truck

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65deluxe

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1981
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I have posted up in the introduction section and I thought id start a build thread so here goes ..

I was offered this truck in a bit of a deal recently in exchange for some work and so far I'm quite impressed .




I should probably point out that I am not looking to do a full on build and am just going to have a bit of fun . I already have too many big projects which I'm happy to share if anyone is interested .

So far I have started taking all of the fire related stickers off and have begun flating back the original red paint which is coming up creating a nice patina which is what I'm after as I don't want to paint it - I own a classic car restorers here in the UK so have the ability but not the desire with this one .

The fire related stuff in the back has been removed but I will keep the lights etc .

Plans are to get all the paint polished up and tidy up the bumpers and a bit of rust , get some new wheels and tyres or at least some bigger tyres and then just tidy up the interior , I might well try and get a pair of Jaguar XJ6 rear seats as they are plentiful and cheep here .

Mechanically its pretty sound apart from the power steering pump which judders and the window washers and it needs a good service and some fresh fuel as its been sat for about 7 years .

I keep the pictures and updates going and I'm sure there will be a few silly questions as Im a novice at American iron .

Regards Jon
 

MADDOG

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I like it, Jon! You don't see too many full sized crew cabs of that vintage.

Looking forward to your progress on this beast!
 

crazzywolfie

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welcome. looks like you got a pretty cool project. i have always wanted a crew cab but just haven't found one for sale at the right time for me.

i don't know if i would worry about the power steering pump too much as long as it is not effecting the steering. generally the pumps on these things are pretty tough.
 

Sniper X

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I love it! I'd also love to find one of the early first gen crew cab 4x4s for myself. Even a 4x2 would be great.
 
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65deluxe

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Thanks for the replies .
I'm going to empty the fluid out the pump etc and refill first as it's been stood for years so my we'll be a bit gloopy .
It's certainly a rare beast over here in uk and is already attracting admirers in the corner of the workshop
 

crazzywolfie

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it is actually pretty easy to flush the power steering system if you decide to do it yourself. you just have jack up the front axle, disconnect the return line from the pump and run it into a container. then you just have to fire up the truck and turn the steering back and forth lock to lock while keeping the reservoir topped up. should flush out the system for the most part.
 
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65deluxe

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Been looking into the truck a bit today - managed to check vin number which revealed it's an 81 with 5.2 engine with 2 barrel carb and 8001-9000 lb weight - and made in Warren Michigan .
Mileage is showing as 58000 which being a fire truck and it's overall condition I believe is probably correct

Good news all round
 
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65deluxe

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I managed to get the exhaust sorted on Friday - Replaced the back pipe with a custom made one incorporating a 24 inch cherry bomb - so it now makes a much better noise .
I also sorted the wash wipes for the front screen , the switch was shot so I used one in the dash for the multitude of lights on the top .
The slightly worrying thing is the power steering , which having followed some advise on here , I disconnected the return to the pump and basically bled it whist topping it up .
Lots of nasty brown rubbish came out and off the floor the wheels turned perfectly . However when I put it back on the ground I still had the judder . On closer inspection the pulley on the front of the pump was actually slowing down when it juddered , so I changed the belt to see if that helped and I now have a loud belt squeak as i turn the wheel so my thoughts are the pump is shot . however as it sat for so long i will take it for MOT and maybe it will all loosen up under use . ........ We can hope ...
If not it will need a new pump and they are hard to find over here , so maybe asking a favour ;-0

Anyway , I managed to get a picture or 2 now the hoses and water containers are off and most of the stickers



Onwards and upwards
 

crazzywolfie

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looks good. are you sure you got the belt on the power steering is tight enough. i know the bracket that are used on your truck can be a bit of a pain to adjust. i think i usually end up having to put a pipe on my 1/2" drive to put the proper amount of tension on the power steering belt.
 

RonJon '06

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Nice truck and pretty low miles, looks like you're making good progress. I'd make sure the belt on the power steering pump is tight like Matt suggested. I've never done it before but if the pump ends up being bad and they're hard to find where you live you could rebuild it.
 

crazzywolfie

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you can order a new pump or rebuilt pump from Rockauto. i am pretty sure they ship anywhere in the world but it might just cost a bit more. i would still check the belt first tho.
 
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65deluxe

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you can order a new pump or rebuilt pump from Rockauto. i am pretty sure they ship anywhere in the world but it might just cost a bit more. i would still check the belt first tho.

I have been checking out rock auto and they ar cheep enough - the belt is pretty tight with very little movement between the pulleys . I will drive it to. mOT station this week and hopefully a bit of use may loosen it up a bit - the pump obviously works but seems to get a bit bogged down .
I'm also struggling to find the correct fuel filter over here with the vapour return - I'm guessing a fram3499 would be correct - but again I can get from rock auto at the same time .

Thanks again for help
 

crazzywolfie

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uou got to be careful with ordering from rockauto because sometimes you can't always get everything you need shipped from 1 location which can make it a bit expensive sometime.

i ended up disconnecting the return line on my truck since some of the new filters seem to return too much fuel causing issues with the carb not getting enough fuel pressure to run right or at all
 
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65deluxe

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uou got to be careful with ordering from rockauto because sometimes you can't always get everything you need shipped from 1 location which can make it a bit expensive sometime.

i ended up disconnecting the return line on my truck since some of the new filters seem to return too much fuel causing issues with the carb not getting enough fuel pressure to run right or at all

I have been up and down the lane a few times and pump seems to be sorting it's self out - squealing is now only on full lock so may be no need for the pump replacement .
Only problem now is that it cuts out when I put it in gear unless it's warm - I'm guessing the filter may be blocked - interesting you have got rid of return - I may try a straight inline filter and block return just to see if it could be filter - it needs a basic service anyway
 

crazzywolfie

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only squealing at full lock is normal. still may need to tighten the belt up in the future to accommodate the belt and how much it stretches.

how long do you usually let it warm up before driving? unfortunately carbs need to warm up. if you try to drive while they are still a bit cold it might stall or not run perfect.

i just had too many issues with the stock type filters so i tossed it for a standard in line fuel filter.
 
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65deluxe

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If I start it and try to put in reverse or drive it cuts out when I touch the gas pedal - after 5 mins it seams ok - all my other cars are manual and that's not a problem - my Porsche race car takes a good mile to get away from having to heel toe on the brake and gas - anything auto I've had in the past have been modern fuel injected Jaguars or Mercedes so they go straight after they fire up - I'll just have to let it warm up a bit , not like I'm going to be doing the daily commute in it
 
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65deluxe

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only squealing at full lock is normal. still may need to tighten the belt up in the future to accommodate the belt and how much it stretches.

how long do you usually let it warm up before driving? unfortunately carbs need to warm up. if you try to drive while they are still a bit cold it might stall or not run perfect.

i just had too many issues with the stock type filters so i tossed it for a standard in line fuel filter.

Interested to know if you just blocked the fuel return pipe or put a breather on it ?
Thanks for your help
 

crazzywolfie

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i just blocked the return line to solve my issue originally. if you put a breather on it fuel would come out of it.
 
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