74 W300 rebuild

[bgilbert]

I've bought a one owner, low mile 74 W300 dually regular cab, cab and chassis pickup. 4 speed, 2 barrel 360, divorced 205, 4.88 geared D70 front (closed knuckle) and D70 rear. It will become my winter driver and I'm gonna try out truck pulling this spring with it. It was a welding truck. Had a 70's 500 amp Miller engine drive welder on the 10' flatbed.

My plans are, like with any other vehicle I buy, to drain all fluids, front to rear and grease the wheel bearings. The truck has not been on the road for 5 years. It has no brakes . Supposively, the PO did all new brakes right before retiring from running his welding/repair business. I added some brake fluid to the reservoir and have found at least one rusted brake line. It was at the passenger side front tire.

My question is, what should I do first? Or my plan of attack..? Replace the rusted brake line(s) first? Get the truck up on jacks, check/inspect brakes, replace if necessary, then the lines, then wheel bearings, add 80-90wt gear oil to everything etc?

Comments, ideas, thoughts etc thanks.

[Richie O]

If I have to get into brake lines I replace that whole circuit. You will just end up replacing the next line down in 6 months.

[ahale2772]

high nickle stainless brakelines is what me and my dad have been bending up lately never rots of course the tool to make the end flares is 1200 dollars and its close to 300 dollars for 100 feet but every one we have done it for loves it and it will never need to be re done, we also have master cylinders sleeved in stainless and use silicone fluids, pretty much a onece in a life time brake job

[dpuckett]

Bill AINT gonna go for that......

[ahale2772]

just throwin it out there guess it depends on how much u like the truck

[PToombs]

Bill doesn't like anything over $150 worth.

[bgilbert]

A little update. What a heap! I kept asking myself, who's idea was this truck?? The brake lines were easier to do than I thought. This was the first truck I've had that required ALL new brake lines. The wheel bearings were lubed up good and taken care of throughout the trucks life, although it only had 50k miles on it. I greased all the wheel bearings, new wheel seals, new 80-90wt gear oil in both diffs, np435 and the np205. Surprisingly there was no rust inside either diff or on any axle shaft. Talk about a pain in the rear trying to find something as simple as a wheel seal for the D70 front. Heck even the air filter for this truck was a special order. It's 2 barrel Holley carb, that uses the same air filter as a 4 barrel on a 440 .

Currently it doesn't run worth a damn lol. It seems to drive about 3 blocks and then doesn't want to idle on it's own. I'm gonna give it a tune up, new plugs, wires, cap and rotor and go from there. Then I'll do away with the 2 barrel carb if that doesn't fix things.

Plus after getting it home, I discovered it had a broken leaf spring. Passenger side front, top or main leaf!!! . Wished I'd seen that before buying it. I might've gotten the price down some . Philip hooked me up with a set of stock leafs to steal a main leaf out of. I've got a connection at a spring and alignment shop so it's gonna get that leaf fixed and while it's in there, swap out the 3" rear lift blocks for a set of 6" blocks . More updates and books to come lol.

[1STGENFARMBOY]

I'd have to start with the carb as a general rule if it runs good at first and then goes to crap it,s proly that gumed up 2bbl thats my .02. are you going to leave the gasser in and try to pull sacreligious, shame, shame, if i see you at the track i'll still talk to ya

[MMiller]

I've been trying to talk him into a nice 440/4spd or selling him enough parts to start building a cheep stroker 400/4spd, but you know how Bill is with his money tree, worried about pulling off a leaf or two......

I have no idea what there are for classes out in Indiana, but around here if you put together a nice small block and set the rest of the truck up right, you can pull almost every weekend, have fun, and be competitive. But its way more fun with a mean big block....

Michael

[PToombs]

5xx Hemi? That mean enough for ya?

[bgilbert]

I've been trying to talk him into a nice 440/4spd or selling him enough parts to start building a cheep stroker 400/4spd, but you know how Bill is with his money tree, worried about pulling off a leaf or two......

I have no idea what there are for classes out in Indiana, but around here if you put together a nice small block and set the rest of the truck up right, you can pull almost every weekend, have fun, and be competitive. But its way more fun with a mean big block....

Michael

Nice 440/4spd?? Umm do you have one available? I've got the 4 speed! Right now I don't think I want to build a motor. I'd rather slap in a stock 440. I wish I could get this thing running right so I can move on to other projects. Plus yanking both d70 carriers out to weld them up solid.

As far as diesel, IMO a 1st gen truck is not a very good platform to build a diesel puller.

[Richie O]

I like the gasser truck pulls just as much. I love the r's some of them run. My babysitter's husband ran a repair shop out of the garage next to the house. Needless to say I spent my time in the garage. He built a mod gasser out of a ford with a 351c. He tore the engine down every pull. It was a cool rig. There was a smallblock chevy that pulled with them and he ran 10,000 rpm's. No mercy.

[KTA]

I think a built 440 max wedge would be fun. I love those crossover intakes with 2 850's on em.

[1STGENFARMBOY]

Sitting up the carb linkage on a max wedge intake is a pain, but they shure are inpressive with two afb's at WOT you would swear the hood is going to be sucked in,

[PToombs]

I saw a cross ram intake on a T-bucket once. It had a 440 in it. I hate T-buckets, but the intake was about the coolest thing I've ever seen!