They must be using a pretty big vacuum pump.
My perkins td has one it does pretty good and I had a 2 gallon vacuum tank so I got 6-7 brakes before it was I lost the assist.
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.
My perkins td has one it does pretty good and I had a 2 gallon vacuum tank so I got 6-7 brakes before it was I lost the assist.
I found what I need....
I mean if I need to replace the booster might as well replace the master cylinder. And if I'm replacing all that, I might as well upgrade.....
I mean if I need to replace the booster might as well replace the master cylinder. And if I'm replacing all that, I might as well upgrade.....
Careful!! The "MAWs" can get ya!
Check the piston diameter against the stick one since it's difficult to change the pedal ratio much. The pedal travel could get goofed up easily. My '70 K10 cost me a good amount of time and money when I went rear disc, but needed the master cylinder closer to the firewall than a '70 originally used.
Actually what irritates me a little is that you can't buy a new stock replacement booster. All I'm finding is reman'd. I guess I don't put a lot of faith in them.
Well @HankScorpio can say he warned me. Left work for home Friday and noticed the coolant temp kept rising. Pulled over and shut it down. Check radiator level and it was about half full. Also had this on the ground:
Did some searching around for the source hoping it was a loose hose clamp or cracked overflow bottle or something simple. Ultimately found this:
If I'm reading the purchase info correctly, I can send it in at my expense and get a replacement. I'm just not sure if I have faith in another one after this problem and all the issues @HankScorpio had.
A big reason I went with Champion originally is because the stock replacement from Spectra is nearly $300. I don't have a big issue with the plastic tank/aluminum core radiators, but I could get the full aluminum Champion radiator for the same price so I went that route. I noticed this weekend a factory replacement big block radiator is half the price. I can get the mounting bracket and shroud from LMC and still spend less than $300.
Rather than waiting several weeks for the process thru Champion, I may go with the more immediate cure of going the big block radiator route. I haven't had failures in my other vehicles using the plastic tanks and aluminum cores. I'm thinking I would still send in the Champion for repair and then just sell it.
Did some searching around for the source hoping it was a loose hose clamp or cracked overflow bottle or something simple. Ultimately found this:
If I'm reading the purchase info correctly, I can send it in at my expense and get a replacement. I'm just not sure if I have faith in another one after this problem and all the issues @HankScorpio had.
A big reason I went with Champion originally is because the stock replacement from Spectra is nearly $300. I don't have a big issue with the plastic tank/aluminum core radiators, but I could get the full aluminum Champion radiator for the same price so I went that route. I noticed this weekend a factory replacement big block radiator is half the price. I can get the mounting bracket and shroud from LMC and still spend less than $300.
Rather than waiting several weeks for the process thru Champion, I may go with the more immediate cure of going the big block radiator route. I haven't had failures in my other vehicles using the plastic tanks and aluminum cores. I'm thinking I would still send in the Champion for repair and then just sell it.
That sucks. Sounds like you have a good plan.
Sad to see this. Pretty much what we experienced, leaks where tubes attach to the tank. The 3rd one is actually still working (5th, with 2 damaged in shipping) but I have zero confidence in it. We had the same thoughts on the champion, waiting for the next leak so a stock one can be put back in. I hate upgrades that turn out to be trouble. Try and work directly with champion, not the seller. The 3rd party seller kept trying to get us to pay shipping both ways. Champion was better to deal with but still not great.
Yeah, that's what I'm getting; pay for shipping both ways. I didn't realize until I was on the phone that it wasn't Champion direct. And that's my other worry, damage in shipping. This isn't the best time of year to be trying to ship a radiator.
It's interesting that I'm finding the big block radiator stuff is far more common and cheaper for the 73 era anyway. If I had looked more closely at that the first time around, I might have avoided this fiasco.
Everyone with an early square body upgrades because almost no one is "restoring" them. Upgraded HP means bigger radiator.
That's what I decided. No one wants to just put the same old radiator in if there's something better.
I reached out to my buddy who has the suburban we put the Champion radiator in. Very interesting. He spoke with Champion directly and had good luck talking to Wendy at 915-245-9464. Radiator Express was the 3rd party seller that gave him all the trouble with shipping and he had to give up on them and go to Champion directly. He also later got an email from Champion asking if he had attempted to repair his radiator that he sent back. He had not. Seems like someone (radiator express?) is selling these radiators, repairing any returns, and then selling them again or covering warranty items with repaired ones. Not sure the factory is involved or not but some shady business is happening.
Honestly, now that I've decided on doing the factory big block replacement radiator, I feel much better about it. I'm probably being a bit too unforgiving, but damn it's irritating.
On another note, I found the culprit of the noisy engine.
Keeping it for an emergency spare as this one goes to the alternator. I guess that confirms I never replaced the belts. Unfortunately I wasn't able to replace the power steering belt as RockAuto had the wrong belt listed for the AC application. Luckily it's in far better condition.
Keeping it for an emergency spare as this one goes to the alternator. I guess that confirms I never replaced the belts. Unfortunately I wasn't able to replace the power steering belt as RockAuto had the wrong belt listed for the AC application. Luckily it's in far better condition.
While I wait on a radiator, I decided to install a Christmas present.
It's a modular system. The big box with "Motor 1" printed on it is the main body of the radio.
You can order a variety of replica knobs. These matched the originals:
Mine has an additional black bezel. The "tuner" rings are chrome.
This is the interface that installs separately. It is also available in black.
This is the main body. There are auxiliary and antenna plugs.
The face piece plugs into the body. The taps on the sides slide into slots and it's retained with screws.
Side note, don't be a goof like me and just ignore the warning in the instructions about not installing the face piece upside down. The picture above is correct with the Retro Sound logo on top which is what they tell you to do.
Brackets are added to the sides for holding the knobs.
These are the wiring harnesses that came with the radio.
You probably could take the radio out without removing the plastic dash piece except for fishing the little nuts out.
But there is a lot more access with the dash removed. The nuts that hold the stems require 5/8 deep socket.
Anyone that has messed with car stereos knows there a metal strap to support the back of the radio. In the case of this truck there are 2 screws holding the strap to the bottom of the dash.
You can see in the picture above, if you have A/C the duct that goes across under the steering column is in the way. It's just slipped over the vent pieces on each end with a bracket in the middle attached to the removable metal piece under the column.
HUGE difference in the size of the old radio versus the new one. I think you could probably R&R the RetroSound radio without removing that A/C duct.
You can use the old radio to get the measurements on spacing for the new radio stems. It took about 3 tries to get it lined up right. Some notes on fitment. I had to move the brackets up about 1/8" so the main body/face is down a little. The stems/knobs are not centered vertically with the face. The stem on the right sticks out about 1/4" further which angles the entire radio. If the knobs are even, the right side of the radio is set further into the dash.
I'm really happy with the final fit. I had to use a razor to trim about 1/16 of an inch each side of the dash opening. Top to bottom fit was fine.
It's a modular system. The big box with "Motor 1" printed on it is the main body of the radio.
You can order a variety of replica knobs. These matched the originals:
Mine has an additional black bezel. The "tuner" rings are chrome.
This is the interface that installs separately. It is also available in black.
This is the main body. There are auxiliary and antenna plugs.
The face piece plugs into the body. The taps on the sides slide into slots and it's retained with screws.
Side note, don't be a goof like me and just ignore the warning in the instructions about not installing the face piece upside down. The picture above is correct with the Retro Sound logo on top which is what they tell you to do.
Brackets are added to the sides for holding the knobs.
These are the wiring harnesses that came with the radio.
You probably could take the radio out without removing the plastic dash piece except for fishing the little nuts out.
But there is a lot more access with the dash removed. The nuts that hold the stems require 5/8 deep socket.
Anyone that has messed with car stereos knows there a metal strap to support the back of the radio. In the case of this truck there are 2 screws holding the strap to the bottom of the dash.
You can see in the picture above, if you have A/C the duct that goes across under the steering column is in the way. It's just slipped over the vent pieces on each end with a bracket in the middle attached to the removable metal piece under the column.
HUGE difference in the size of the old radio versus the new one. I think you could probably R&R the RetroSound radio without removing that A/C duct.
You can use the old radio to get the measurements on spacing for the new radio stems. It took about 3 tries to get it lined up right. Some notes on fitment. I had to move the brackets up about 1/8" so the main body/face is down a little. The stems/knobs are not centered vertically with the face. The stem on the right sticks out about 1/4" further which angles the entire radio. If the knobs are even, the right side of the radio is set further into the dash.
I'm really happy with the final fit. I had to use a razor to trim about 1/16 of an inch each side of the dash opening. Top to bottom fit was fine.
I wish I new you were buying the Retro Sound brand. I would hve warned you. Hopefully they have gotten better. I had one in the 87 blazer I sold before moving. They replaced it twice in the 1 year warranty period. Internal amp kept frying.
After the warranty was up, no help. They blamed it on old wires to the speakers shorting out. I laughed at them because I put new speakers and wires in when I installed it. Even sent a copy of the receipt. They said that because it was not a "professional" installation, I did not have a claim.
After the warranty was up, no help. They blamed it on old wires to the speakers shorting out. I laughed at them because I put new speakers and wires in when I installed it. Even sent a copy of the receipt. They said that because it was not a "professional" installation, I did not have a claim.
Still need to wire up the new radio. The old one just used 3 wires: keyed power, ground, and dash light (which includes a wire that travels on to the climate controls). So I need to add battery power. I purchased a radio harness adapter that was listed for 1973-1993 GM but it's not going to work. I have a feeling it doesn't work with basic AM radios.
Since it was just AM radio, there was just one pair of speaker wires. Before I started I was trying to find some pictures of what the center dash speaker setup looks like. So here are some pictures for anyone else looking for the same. Biggest thing I was curious about is if it's surface mount or mounted up from underneath. It's surface mounted.
I thought it was interesting that it's a 10ohm speaker.
I decided on a replacement speaker from RetroSound. It has dual voice coils so you can get the stereo sound. Some comparison photos.
You can see the RetroSound speaker has the same mounting tabs.
That's basically where it sits now. I have a sub to mount behind the seat. I figure if the center speaker and sub aren't full enough, I'll add the speakers in the rear cab corners.
Since it was just AM radio, there was just one pair of speaker wires. Before I started I was trying to find some pictures of what the center dash speaker setup looks like. So here are some pictures for anyone else looking for the same. Biggest thing I was curious about is if it's surface mount or mounted up from underneath. It's surface mounted.
I thought it was interesting that it's a 10ohm speaker.
I decided on a replacement speaker from RetroSound. It has dual voice coils so you can get the stereo sound. Some comparison photos.
You can see the RetroSound speaker has the same mounting tabs.
That's basically where it sits now. I have a sub to mount behind the seat. I figure if the center speaker and sub aren't full enough, I'll add the speakers in the rear cab corners.
Part of the reason I didn't finish was I ended up clearing up a bunch of sketchy p.o. wiring.
The pile:
The p.o. didn't believe in using ring terminals.
I didn't clean up everything. Instead of grounding the tach on the dash, the p.o. ran the ground wire thru the firewall and put it under the master cylinder nut.
The pile:
The p.o. didn't believe in using ring terminals.
I didn't clean up everything. Instead of grounding the tach on the dash, the p.o. ran the ground wire thru the firewall and put it under the master cylinder nut.
And verified the 73 does not have provision for speakers at the end of the dash.
I wish I had realized how easy the big block radiator upgrade was when I dis the first swap. Because it has A/C, the factory radiator is considered "heavy duty" cooling. It's standard small block radiator size with a thicker core. The modern aluminum core/plastic tank radiator is around $200. The big block heavy duty cooling is a core about 3"taller and an inch wider; it's also a thick core.
The big block radiator can be had for around $100. In addition you need a $40 plate that holds the top of the taller rad, $20 saddle mounts to fit the bigger tanks, and $50 fan shroud if you stick with a mechanical fan. Total costs less than my factory replacement and I think it has more cooling capacity.
The holes for the new top plate are on the core support but I had to add rivnuts for the bolts to thread into.
At the top of this picture you see the different widths and thickness options for the radiators.
Here's the new top plate. I found a black version on Summit but they wanted about $70 for it.
I decided to go with electric fans because I had a set of Windstars I had bought new and ran in the crew cab until I put the big block in. I had noticed the mechanical fan doesn't work as well with the A/C sitting at stoplights.
The only glitch was the radiator drain. Because the plastic tank on the inlet side is pretty thin, the t handle hit the Windstar shroud. I added an extension and elbow to make it work better.
The big block radiator can be had for around $100. In addition you need a $40 plate that holds the top of the taller rad, $20 saddle mounts to fit the bigger tanks, and $50 fan shroud if you stick with a mechanical fan. Total costs less than my factory replacement and I think it has more cooling capacity.
The holes for the new top plate are on the core support but I had to add rivnuts for the bolts to thread into.
At the top of this picture you see the different widths and thickness options for the radiators.
Here's the new top plate. I found a black version on Summit but they wanted about $70 for it.
I decided to go with electric fans because I had a set of Windstars I had bought new and ran in the crew cab until I put the big block in. I had noticed the mechanical fan doesn't work as well with the A/C sitting at stoplights.
The only glitch was the radiator drain. Because the plastic tank on the inlet side is pretty thin, the t handle hit the Windstar shroud. I added an extension and elbow to make it work better.
I have a couple of the big block radiator factory top plates and could have given you one.
