L60-00511-The "El Bondo Patrol" rises from the ashes...

[pdub]

Hey, what's up with the defroster delete plate.

[moore_rb]

Hey, what's up with the defroster delete plate.

Defroster? Heater? on a topless truck?

Pointless? Yeah, I think so.

[RiverPatrol]

Oh I don't know about that. I use the A/C or heater in my convertible when the top is down. That's allowed.

[moore_rb]

Oh I don't know about that. I use the A/C or heater in my convertible when the top is down. That's allowed.

Ok, then how about I just come clean, and tell the TRUTH instead:

Hey, what's up with the defroster delete plate.

I'm too lazy to restore a heater for this truck...

Besides, all I have are the 2 non-OEM aftermarket heaters that came in my 62, and my 63 parts-truck.

I have one complete OEM heater, which I plan to use in the 65 Hardtop project.

So, this Patrol is left out in the cold (literally)

[moore_rb]

Well, we had a fun, HOT day of "no real danger" rides yesterday (all total, I think we did 5 trips to the end of the street and back, so about 2-1/2 miles of actual driving under it's own power )

The hand brake works great- did a 30mph panic stop and it locked the rear wheels

The hydraulic brake pedal feels soft, especially the rear brakes, but they are fully bled, properly adjusted, and they do work- Panic stop test locked up all 4 wheels. Maybe this MC is just going to have a longer pedal-throw than the old one did...

Clutch feels stiff- Not stiff in the pedal, but stiff in the pressure plate, but that could just be me not remembering how stiff the clutch is supposed to be.

Lastly, a few leaks to address...

Still lots of work to do finishing assembly, and working out the kinks, but man, it feels good to be able to DRIVE it to and from the garage, instead of having to PUSH it...

Oh, and tires... I've got to order tires. These old junkers are done- I had to air one of them up 3 times (and it's sitting out there dead flat right now)

[pdub]

looks awesome!

[mad4hws]

Looks really great. Having it in drivable condition has got to be a good motivator for getting it across the finish line.... wait, is it ever across the finish line?

[moore_rb]

Tires are ordered...

No, I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to wait and see after they are installed....

[moore_rb]

Looks really great. Having it in drivable condition has got to be a good motivator for getting it across the finish line.... wait, is it ever across the finish line?

No, it's not

The closer you get to the "end" of the project, the longer your punchlist of remaining tasks gets...

It's a paradox.

[moore_rb]

Senor El Bondo is back on jackstands for the coming weekend- I've got a leaking rear TCase output oil seal to replace, and I'm gonna fumble around with these brakes some more and see if I can firm up this soft pedal...


But HEY! Check out my new shoes...

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So, after all the bantering about tires (2 pages back in this thread), I made a list of all the things I knew I wanted:

10-Ply, load range E
Aggressive All-terrain tread pattern and robust sidewall protection.
Radial construction (The only real gripe I have against bias plys are that they flat spot more easily than radials)

So, when all the boxes were checked, it came down to Cooper Discoverer STT's , or these Thunderer Ranger ATR's, and the decision all came down to cost. It's hard to argue with spending HALF as much on a set of tires..

Yeah, Ok... these aren't made in America, but they ARE made in Taiwan, so I'm supporting the ambitions of our Taiwanese Falun Gong brothers and sisters, looking to liberate themselves from the CCP...

Size- wise, I came down one size from the 235/85-16's that are popular, and I went with 215/85-16's. Plateaucal already mentioned the reason why. Even these tires (which are 1 inch smaller in radius, 2 inches shorter overall than the 235/85's) the spare JUST barely clears the bumperette:

20200515_170917.jpg

I think they look good on the truck, and I think they'll perform great, on road, and off...

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