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Another Allan/Dana 60 involved road trip with pics.

mountainexplorer

mountainexplorer

1/2 ton status
Joined
Nov 14, 2001
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Location
Spokane, Wa./Ione, Wa
A friend of mine really wanted to get the truck K5blazerus had for sale. I said I'd try and help him get it... I ended up basically buying it myself so technically it's mine for right now.

Left Spokane Friday around 11am, dropped off an '80 Jimmy frame and tub and front nose clip in Moses Lake. Brought the diesel truck up to 65mph to try and keep up with traffic, and after several miles of those speeds, something started making noise and sounded/felt like a bearing was seizing in the t-case or rear end or something. I stopped, checked t-case gear lube, added some, and continued on my way slowly. It never made the noise that loudly again.

From there met Kenny in Yakima to drop off a hitch and flywheel, and then continued on my way south towards Bend, Oregon.

Finally got to Colin's house at about 10pm and picked up the truck on the trailer and headed back north. Streets were icy, so I put in in 4-wheel. 1.5 or 2 miles north of Bend, I pulled over to unlock the hubs. I get back in to go... starter acts up (like a dead battery).

I know the starter is well worn from cold weather starts. I try jumping it with a spare battery to give it extra juice. I let the starter cool off and try it periodically. I unload the other truck and try jumping it with that. Nothing.

I jinxed myself when I told Colin that I would tow the diesel with the truck I got from him if I had to. And now I had to. It was 11:30 or later, he was asleep, it's dark and I'm on the side of the highway with cars zooming past without even giving any extra room. I can't just stay and leave the trucks there.

So I unhook the trailer, push the diesel forward, hook the new truck to the trailer, pull the trailer in front of the diesel, unhook the trailer again, turn the truck around and use the winch to pull the diesel on the trailer, then hook back up, strap it down and start driving north again. Low tread 38's, extended front shackles don't make for road handling when towing.

Go 14 miles to the next town Redmond, and pull into the safeway lot, thinking I'll stay the night there since the gas stations are closed and the truck is low. I try the diesel again for the heck of it, and it starts.

So, now I unload it, transfer all the tools again, lock up the other truck and drive the diesel to find fuel since it is low too. Find a station, fuel up, go back, hook the diesel to the trailer, re-load the other truck and go at about 2am.

About 6:45 am, I stop along the Columbia River and take a short nap, leaving the motor running.

I get to Pasco, Wa. at 7:30 or so, and pull in to McDonalds to get food and shut it off forgetting to leave it running. I went to start it and it started right up. Continued and had to stop 100 miles from Spokane in Connell, Wa to get diesel. I shut it off again. Stupid move.

I spend 2 hours trying to cool off the starter, pull it out, lay it in the snow, re-do connections, battery terminals, jumper cables... anything (and the battery was dead now in the other truck cause I left the lights on when it was on the trailer). Finally, a really nice guy in a Nissan offers to help and he pull starts me and I am on my way and get home at just before 2pm today.

Now I need to go buy a diesel starter.

OregonTrip01.JPG

OregonTrip02.JPG

OregonTrip03.JPG

OregonTrip04.JPG

OregonTrip06.JPG
 
awesome story. at least you got lots of practise hooking trailers to trucks. :wink1:

if you wrote a book about your truck adventures i'd buy it.
 
Poohbair said:
I swear to christ Allen, you should write a book
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In addition to that, he should open up a salvage yard specifically dealing with '73-up Chevy/GMCs, considering how much his collection of those aforementioned rigs is growing.
 
musical trucks...doesn't sound like a fun trip!

Man,you seem to have your share of dilema's out on the road!..but at least you manage to go thousands of miles and still make it back!..

I'd be a bit hesitant to take my 82 K20 on a journey of more than a hundred miles or so each way..I don't trust the transfer case,its stuck in 4Wd,I cant seem to get it to shift into 2hi,and I tried adjusting the linkage..I suspect a worn shift fork,or some other internal problem--I'm not fixing it unless it locks up or something--I have a spare one to toss in I think is good--its got a few other problems too,like loose draglink ends..

I'd be paranoid to tow with it any distance..it has no rear brakes right now also!..the master cylinder's rear resivoiur is empty,and it leaks right out of the back of the master if I refill it..its better off without rear brakes right now..all our roads are ice 3" thick!..it stops ok,just have to allow more distance..scary with the plow on though!..gotta buy a rebuilt master cyl..then it'll need new rear shoes,etc..:doah: ..

You might just need new brushes in your diesel starter,if you didn't melt the armature or feild coils you can probably rebuild it --if its fried,I'd get a gear reduction style one off a 6.5 to bolt in its place--its worth the extra cash..

Mine was not turning the motor over,the bendix wouldn't drive the flywheel right when it was cold..I was suprised to see it was a rebuilt delco starter on mine.(not a gear reduction though:( )--.looked like they used the original starter drive on the rebuild!...it cost 35 bucks at Napa for a rebuilt one..no other place listed anything but new for 70+ bucks!..that was nearly 2 years ago too..

The batteries and starters always take a beating on diesels..high compression and cold temps make for hard starts,and a 6.2 HAS to spin over fast,or it wont kick!..mine is getting harder to start,I should be plugging in the block heater now that its getting colder..I'm wondering if some of my glow plugs have crapped out too..:rolleyes: --I hope not!..I'm very suprised one or both batteries in it haven't died yet..hardly drove it at all most of the spring and summer..:crazy:
 
I think the starter began wearing out a month ago... and started turning over more slowly... which in turn made it even harder to start... which in turn wore out the starter even more (having to crank it over more)... making it slower and harder to start until it's ultimate demise.

I think I'll go try the 6.5 gear reduction starter. Sounds like a better way to go.

This truck was the best bet on any trip. I had never gone on a longer trip than 100 or 150 miles with it before in any direction, but nothing else I have would make it. My crew cab has major death wobble which I haven't fixed yet, plus it only gets 8mpg verses 16 with the 6.2 diesel. Sure, I missed actually maintaining speed up hills, but I just figured I'm trading out slowness for fuel money.

Besides the Diesel and Crew Cab, nothing else runs or is road/tow worthy. Brutus needs a carb and bed bolted on, my Suburban has been on blocks since last spring, and everything else is totally torn apart or needs something. If I edited my signature to vehicles that start and run at the turn of a key right now and are licensed, it would have the "81 little Crew Cab" listed with a death wobble and out-of-gas warning.

The Diesel did good besides the started and mystery noise. I know the front output bearing in the t-case is going because the front driveline yoke is loose and wiped out the seal.
 
Yeah, but they probably cost more than I'm willing to spend. A few years back I bought an '83 K30 that had a 6.2 with a turbo on it... but I made the deal on it minus motor cause I didn't want the 6.2. So I got the truck complete except for the motor and turbo. I guess I should have came up with the extra $600 he wanted and then I'd have had a spare 6.2 for parts and a Turbo. But little did I know I'd be driving a 6.2 diesel rig 3 years later.
 
mountainexplorer said:
Yeah, but they probably cost more than I'm willing to spend. A few years back I bought an '83 K30 that had a 6.2 with a turbo on it... but I made the deal on it minus motor cause I didn't want the 6.2. So I got the truck complete except for the motor and turbo. I guess I should have came up with the extra $600 he wanted and then I'd have had a spare 6.2 for parts and a Turbo. But little did I know I'd be driving a 6.2 diesel rig 3 years later.
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Trust me, putting a turbo on that 6.2 would be a benefit. After putting one on, the next road trip you take with it will make the turbo pay for itself. Plus, with your connections all around this country, you'll be able to find one for cheap.
 
Well, to begin with I told him if I went down and made the deal and towed it up here, I wanted the winch. :wink1: But I may end up just having the whole truck. His car he was gonna sell to pay part or most of the truck slid off the road and got towed, and it's still in impound and it's like $500 to get it out now. So I paid for everything from selling my crew cab and other parts and things. I'll just call it mine unless something happens. Guess I can add this as another Dana 60 I now own. :D
 
Does a turbo increase mileage that much too?

I just checked my mileage... it was only about 11mpg. When I first got the truck it was getting 16mpg. I noticed on my last few trips around Spokane not doing heavy towing mileage seemed to have dropped. I wonder what's up.
 
mountainexplorer said:
Does a turbo increase mileage that much too?

I just checked my mileage... it was only about 11mpg. When I first got the truck it was getting 16mpg. I noticed on my last few trips around Spokane not doing heavy towing mileage seemed to have dropped. I wonder what's up.
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Yes, it will depending on how much lead is in your right shoe if you know what I mean.
 
Well with the Diesel, usually my right foot is pretty light, but I was doing my best not to have to shift down into low gear on alot of the hills big or small this last trip. So I guess thats why my mileage plummeted. Still never have had so many vehicles pass me in my life though, including loaded semi trucks zooming past me up hills.
 
mountainexplorer said:
Well with the Diesel, usually my right foot is pretty light, but I was doing my best not to have to shift down into low gear on alot of the hills big or small this last trip. So I guess thats why my mileage plummeted. Still never have had so many vehicles pass me in my life though, including loaded semi trucks zooming past me up hills.
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I hear you on that one, Allan. I've been there so many times. If you are going to be using that truck as a tow rig for quite a while longer, you might as well start looking into a turbo kit.
 
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