Posted by Bill Smutz on September 14, 1998 at 11:12:18:
In Reply to: I have a run-down truck but should I keep it? posted by Matt on September 10, 1998 at 17:14:23:
Hey, this sounds exactly like my truck that I have been
driving and enjoying for years now. Sure, not having any
brakes causes some excitement from time to time and my wife
broke her toe replacing the clutch the first time, but that's
part of the fun of having an old Power Wagon! You'll be amazed
at the stuff you'll find by seeing it zip by under the holes
in the floorboards. And those early mornings in the winter
when the cold wind blows through the opening where the
steering shaft comes through the firewall straight into
your crotch, YEAH! Better than ten cups of Espresso.
I agree, a thousand bucks won't make a trailer queen, but a
little love and tenderness mixed with a lot of hammering and
swearing will get you by. I spent about $320 to redo the whole
brake system without replacing the drums. The clutch cost about
the same with new master and slave cylinders, flywheel turning,
disc, and pressure plate. A new throwout bearing is about $100 but
if you can find someone to press out the old bearing and press in
a new one, it's about $20. You can probably get a headlight bucket
from Vintage Power Wagons and you are set. Use some duct tape to
hold the body panels on until you have time and money to fix them.
Once you get it running, the good cheer you'll get from people who see
your truck will keep you going.
Good luck.