First ride in the mutt...

[Caster]

Me and the wife took the first ride in the mutt over the weekend. GOOD LORD!!!! What rattlin' shakin' clatterin, Millennium Falcon bucket of bolts this thing is!!!

I guess it Did okay though. I developed a valve cover leak, discovered it's warped a little and needs a thin layer of black rtv silicone and good stiff rap from my fist to get it to sit down. No leaks now.

The biggest improvement was pulling off those godawful bias ply tires. I work in the family business which is a used tire shop, so that was an easy fix. I put on a good used set of Firestone Transforce HT LT225/75/16. Computer balanced and I ran the air pressure a little low at 30psi. It rides better on an order of magnitude!! I don't even have to hold on to the steering wheel with a two handed white knuckle grip any more. LOL!!

I still have some bugs to work out but we're moving!
Right now I need to try to find out why I get this loud bang/clang noise when I first mash the clutch and start to decelerate. And, every so often, it will refuse to start. I can give it small squirt of starting fluid and it'll fire right up and run just fine. May be a sticky float??

[rickf]

First problem may be motor mounts and second problem, are you using the choke? There is no accelerator pump when not running so to get the gas to start you sometimes need choke, even when hot.

[Caster]

When it throws a fit and won't start, no amount of choke throttle or swearing will make it start. I've literally run down the batteries trying. I just bolted a 40mm ammo can in the back as a toolbox/storage and there's a brand new can of starting fluid in there!

I will check to see if the motor mounts are tight. Not a bad idea at all! Thank you!

[HILLBILLY-06]

Caster, all that rattling, shaking, bucket of bolts stuff is what makes it so much fun...LOL
As far as the stubborn cranking part goes, you may have to kind of "back read" some of the other topics here and there, I seen lot's of useful info about that stuff here and there.
I noticed lately mine just fires right up, no problem at all. It had been stubborn before, especially this past winter. "I had to use starting fluid a couple times back then for sure"...LOL. But here lately I just get in it, fire it right off and go when she gets warmed up. Now when my engine is cold, it is a little sluggish still. but after it warms up, it's fine. Now I can use my choke to compensate that some on the cold start engine, but it's not a big issue here lately if I just let it warm up a minute, then just go.
I am spoiled a little, having had the many vehicles with electronic fuel injection and brain boxes that do all that stuff for me, so it was very different to learn how to do all this cold cranking, hard starting stuff myself at first, but I'm getting use to it now, except when I get in my newer truck & reach for the start button in the floor and choke cable on the dash that aint there...LOL

[buttanic]

I too have been chasing the clunk. It happens during the brief coast period when the clutch is depressed and before it is released. I have checked differential mounts, suspension mounts, engine mounts, universal joints, etc and can not find anything. I had suspected the differential spider gears and shaft but ruled that out. My best guess now is slop in the transmission/transfer case/driveline. I have decided to ignore it and see what happens in the future if whatever it is reveals itself in a break down on the road.

[rickf]

Another place that causes a lot of clunks are the axle shafts. Take them out and see if they will compress all the way smoothly and extend smoothly. If not they are probably clogged with dried out grease and will have to be taken apart, cleaned and reassembled and greased. Be sure to mark them to get them together exactly as they cam apart.

[Francis Marion]

Mine came with a can of starter fluid too and always required a squirt to start. It was a result of infrequent use and poorly adjusted carb settings. There is a thread here that walks you through adjusting the float and other carb settings. I can't remember where the thread is and would probably not know what key words to use in a search for it. Anybody else here know where to find that old thread?

[rickf]

Well I wrote the thread but I don't know right off the top of my head but I can tell you that not all that sounds like the carb is always the carb. Valve setting, timing, vacuum leaks, point settings if you have them. They can all give the same symptoms as a carburetor issue. It is just easier to blame the carb. Problem is that people get stuck on that idea and work on the carb until it falls apart and never get it to run right because it isn't the carb every time.

[halftracknut]

more times than not the clunk is the rear shocks....also the pintle hook makes a nice bang....and the front lift rings...but when you start off you are tighting up 6 "U" joints

[buttanic]

Another place that causes a lot of clunks are the axle shafts. Take them out and see if they will compress all the way smoothly and extend smoothly. If not they are probably clogged with dried out grease and will have to be taken apart, cleaned and reassembled and greased. Be sure to mark them to get them together exactly as they cam apart.

I already have cleaned and lubed all the axle half shafts along with pulling both differentials apart and rebuilt them, checked for broken shocks. I think I need to strap myself to the underside and let someone drive it around to see if I can see anything.

[rickf]

You can do that you know. Seriously, with the new sports cameras out today you can mount one almost anywhere and see and hear what is going on. I forget the brand of mine but it is nowhere near as big as a GoPro. It is not much bigger about the size of two D size batteries end to end.

[Caster]

I also notice a really bad whine in four gear at low speed. Is that normal? If you speed up it goes away, if you put it under a load, it goes away or if I stay in third, it goes away. Probably just old worn gears I'm guessing.

[whiterabbit]

I had a crank, crank, crank,crank.... hope this thing hurry's up and starts before the batteries die issue. Valve lash was too loose. I tried setting them while running by the book but they were all way loose. I finally did them with the engine off. Now it fires right up!
The carb idle mix was just a little rich too which caused me to have to mash the gas peddle down to get it to start. Fixed that and it lights right up without holding the peddle down now.
Clunking? Put it in gear with parking brake off and have someone rock it back and forth with you laying next to it looking and listening for clunking or mounts moving.
You cant talk to you passenger, you gott'a yell!

[Caster]

I think I'm going to have to rebuild the whole steering now. Rode around a bit this weekend. The longer we rode the worse it got. Pulls HARD to the right. If you hit a bump at any speed it'll try to swap ends with you. It's all over the road.
So I jacked it up and it's got a good inch of play in steering. The upper ball joints are about to fall out it looks like.
It's got about 15 degrees or better of negative camber on he passenger side.

*sigh*
The great green money pit.

[rickf]

Consider yourself a very lucky man! If that had broken you would have done the 151 dance. That wheel would have folded up into the fenderwell and over you would have gone. As much as you want that first ride these things all need to be checked fist.