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

Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 6:49 pm
by pdub
Hey, what's up with the defroster delete plate.

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

Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 7:33 pm
by moore_rb
pdub wrote:Hey, what's up with the defroster delete plate.
Defroster? Heater? on a topless truck?

Pointless? Yeah, I think so. :lol:

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

Posted: Fri May 01, 2020 9:16 pm
by 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. :D

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

Posted: Sat May 02, 2020 9:03 pm
by moore_rb
RiverPatrol wrote: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. :D
Ok, then how about I just come clean, and tell the TRUTH instead:
pdub wrote:Hey, what's up with the defroster delete plate.
I'm too lazy to restore a heater for this truck... :lol: :lol: :lol:

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) :D

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

Posted: Mon May 04, 2020 9:54 am
by 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... :think:

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... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

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)

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

Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 4:29 pm
by pdub
looks awesome! :D

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

Posted: Tue May 05, 2020 7:12 pm
by 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?

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

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 8:32 pm
by 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.... :lol:

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

Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 9:00 pm
by moore_rb
mad4hws wrote: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. ;)

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

Posted: Fri May 15, 2020 7:49 pm
by 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...
20200515_170816.jpg

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.. :lol:

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... :lol:

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...
20200515_170930.jpg
20200515_170839.jpg