Tool checklist for picking up new truck

[Highpsi]

I found a rust bucket 79 k?? plow truck up in the U.P. and well, with a fully functioning plow, runs good and drives OK I just had to buy for $800.

I have to drive about 1.5 hr. to go meet the guy today to pick it up. The wife has graciously agreed to go along on another one of my craigslist buys.

The po tells me that it runs well, and will make the drive back down to my place just fine, but I want to gather some tools together to make sure I have my bases covered. I have a decent "on the road" toolbox, but I want some suggestions from you guys of what you bring along into the unknown on trips like this.

I already have an 8 lug rim and spare, a spare batt & jumpers, my toolbox with basic hand tools... Any other suggestions?

What a FINE turd eh!?!?

 

[chevysmithz71]

Don't forget a jack. Rope is always a good thing for randomness

 

[diesel4me]

I'd be bringing extra fluids,old rusty plow trucks almost always have a leak somewhere ,or will GET one on the trip home,the brake lines,tranny lines,fuel lines all can get a rusted spot and start gushing on ya!...better bring some coolant,brake fluid,oil,and ATF,and some rubber fuel line and clamps,it might save greif!...duct tape too,for a leaky radiator hose,etc...a few feet of wire is handy at times too for unseen electrical dilemas ...

Tools usually end up not being needed or I never have WHAT I needed every time I have had a roadside dilema...but its always nice to have some with you!...I had to use a dime in a pair of cheap pliers for a screwdriver once to remove a hose clamp,when a rubber gas hose started gushing at the carb one day on one of my trucks....I try to keep at least some basic "cheap" tools with me all the time now..

 

[sweetk30]

lift the plow all the way up. then block it up. and drop the lift ram down and rehook the chain . this is called short chain in plow lingo . its used for moving the truck/plow on long trips so if the lift seal fails the blade wont hit the ground at highway speed.

fisher plows even went as far to give you a transport chain on the plow and a extra hook on the truck side to do this all the time.

otherwise check the basics items and be CARFULL of the brake pedal as to not give to much pressure and pop a rusty line.

 

[Highpsi]

Arrived back with the loot safely!

Whew.. Made it all the way back! Man was that a bad idea to go pick that thing up as badly road ready as it was!

The P.O really didn't represent things as well as he should have. I should have known better but oh well, luck was on my side this time I guess.

Too bad I didn't try this post much earlier and leave time to have all the good replies I got here. I can see how the tips about the brake lines and fuel lines would have been really good insurance. I still packed the trunk of my car full of tools and a spare tire, jack etc... (And thankfully didn't need any of it) but I see some major flaws in planning to go get a heap like this thing!

At least the wife is finally getting the concept for the fact that her hubby sees gold in something that %99 of everyone else would call a turd! I gotta give her props for going to pick this thing up with me!

Here's what it has:

-Working Meyer plow setup with new actuator motor and solenoids. (1 still in the box) This thing seems really beefy. I'm told it was a city work truck for the town of Sagola, MI back in the day.
-D60 Kingpin front axle. No idea what the overall condition or specs is but it is puuurdy rusty on exterior. I think the hubs say spicer on em.
-14FF rear axle with said rust
-4 good snow tires at about %75 tread
-350 sbc engine runs fantastic and no oil buring etc. Looks like its been doing its own rustproofing of the undercarriage though with leakage! Seems a recent motor replacement was done.
-Looks like a hydroboost brakes? I've never seen this before but I've read through a few posts that I've seen it before in I think.
-SM465 trans mated to a ?? t-case? Pops out of 2nd gear when heavy load though, have to hold it in gear. I didn't check the 4wd to see how it functioned though I am told its fine.

I think I'll just basically fix some of the really minor stuff that was seriously "shade tree'd" like his plow wiring, exhaust leak "patch" etc. and use it for this upcoming winter to plow the huge driveway of our new place and bail out friends in the area when the weather hits hard. After that I will transplant the plow, motor and running gear (if worth it) into an 84 K10 I just got from down south. (Still gotta figure out how to get that thing up here from Georgia!) Then I'll take the blue fame wrench to er and haul off for scrap..

Here's a few pics for those who need a good laugh!


Is this hydroboost and if so looks like all the rust hardly makes it worth trying to save?? Man.. Am I LUCKY to have made it home with those brake lines!!??? I can only imagine what's underneath this thing!

 

[sweetk30]

yes hydroboost brakes.

Meyers plow o.k. setups for average stuff if you ask me . ( I am a fisher plow guy )

and yes those are the nice spicer hubs that can be machined to 35 spline when your ready to upgrade the stub shafts later on .

should be a 205 tcase. back of tcase between rear output and front output back cover should be a small 3 bolt cover . if so its a 205. and unless swaped in there was 2 years only of 465/203 . but you have locking hubs so its a 205 if stock.

good score . and I like even rusted to the ground k30 trucks for the tag/title for emmisions exempt in my state.

 

[diesel4me]

The master cyl. and hydroboost lines look just like the ones in my truck,thats considered "normal" for a rust belt state unfortunately..and yeah,a real potential hazard to say the least...

I swear the brake lines rust to a point where ONLY the rust holds them together,then one day you have to stomp on the pedal to avoid a collision,and they pop like a firecracker....I try keeping mine "new" but always have to replace at least one after 2-3 years...so far I've been too cheap to use the line that comes in rolls or the new copper-terne coated ones rather than the ready made ones,due to expense, and the fact my truck wont outlast those,so why waste the money.....plus I hate flaring lines under the truck..

I'd say you did OK,that truck will still last years provided the fame is not as bad as the sheet metal is...just as it is!....its easier to either live with the tranny's pop out condition or plop in a used one than fix it is...the dana 60 alone was worth almost what the rest of it cost you,and a good running carbed 350 brings 500 around here easily...

I'm glad you got home OK,having made a few of those trips myself that turned out unpleasant,or at best,a white knuckled ride for 2 hours,I now prefer to have a friend with a ramp truck haul anything home (or away to the scrapyard,rather than risk getting caught unregistered,etc),than risk having to have someone else tow it at triple the cost and pay impound charges,it can turn into a bad time quick,and an expensive one...just driving a good running 30 year old truck on the interstates here can be dangerous,the way all the other drivers think nothing of going 80+,when we are lucky to "cruise" at 60-65 mph in our low geared tanks!..

 

[Highpsi]

yes hydroboost brakes.

Meyers plow o.k. setups for average stuff if you ask me . ( I am a fisher plow guy )

and yes those are the nice spicer hubs that can be machined to 35 spline when your ready to upgrade the stub shafts later on .

should be a 205 tcase. back of tcase between rear output and front output back cover should be a small 3 bolt cover . if so its a 205. and unless swaped in there was 2 years only of 465/203 . but you have locking hubs so its a 205 if stock.

good score . and I like even rusted to the ground k30 trucks for the tag/title for emmisions exempt in my state.

I'm learning lots more about plows now than I ever thought I would, that's for sure! At least with a little work and effort, most of my time snowblowing should be coming to an end! That's an interesting point about the title too, gonna hang onto it now for sure. What's the concept there - as long as you keep the cab or transplant the VIN it counts?? I know nobody can give advice to do so but...

The master cyl. and hydroboost lines look just like the ones in my truck,thats considered "normal" for a rust belt state unfortunately..and yeah,a real potential hazard to say the least...

I swear the brake lines rust to a point where ONLY the rust holds them together,then one day you have to stomp on the pedal to avoid a collision,and they pop like a firecracker....I try keeping mine "new" but always have to replace at least one after 2-3 years...so far I've been too cheap to use the line that comes in rolls or the new copper-terne coated ones rather than the ready made ones,due to expense, and the fact my truck wont outlast those,so why waste the money.....plus I hate flaring lines under the truck..

I'd say you did OK,that truck will still last years provided the fame is not as bad as the sheet metal is...just as it is!....its easier to either live with the tranny's pop out condition or plop in a used one than fix it is...the dana 60 alone was worth almost what the rest of it cost you,and a good running carbed 350 brings 500 around here easily...

I'm glad you got home OK,having made a few of those trips myself that turned out unpleasant,or at best,a white knuckled ride for 2 hours,I now prefer to have a friend with a ramp truck haul anything home (or away to the scrapyard,rather than risk getting caught unregistered,etc),than risk having to have someone else tow it at triple the cost and pay impound charges,it can turn into a bad time quick,and an expensive one...just driving a good running 30 year old truck on the interstates here can be dangerous,the way all the other drivers think nothing of going 80+,when we are lucky to "cruise" at 60-65 mph in our low geared tanks!..

Oh man how true all this is. You really said exactly all the stuff that was going through my mind. All I could think of on the ride home was how the whole trip could be just about for nothing if I had a brake line fail or suspension component blow apart or some nice unforeseen event. Trucks like that one were never driven around for long periods of time at higher speeds and when you do something like that suddenly after nearly 50 years, any idiot should know odds are something will go wrong!

 

[diesel4me]

I was lucky the times I was "sneaking" a newly purchased truck home,by putting my trucks plates on it and hoping to h** I made it without a mechanical failure or getting pulled over by a cop,to get home without incident.....once I was about halfway home and the truck I'd just bought decided to overheat,probably because of the 80 mile ride at highway speeds with the plow on it--in june!...

Guess it would have been smarter for me to have put the plow in the bed.....

Just my luck,after I pulled over into the breakdown lane,5 minutes later,a cop came up behind me,gets out,asked if it was on fire,I said no,it just overheated and peuked some coolant on the exhaust...luckily I had a few gallons of used coolant with me,and oil,etc, and the cop didn't bother looking the truck over closely,he did run the plates though ,which were active for my truck,and came back clean,but I'd have been boned if he had looked at the VIN tag!--truck was mostly rust and primer,and he did ask why it "wasn't blue",I said I was fixing the rot on it,and he didn't bother looking at it closer.....then he asked why I had the plow on it in june,I said I was bringing it to my dad's house so I could do some welding and put some paint on it...

He followed me several miles after I got it started again and I was releived when he finally took an exit...I got off the highway and took a 2 lane road home the rest of the 35 mile trip,and had no issues thankfully...it could have meant losing several hundred bucks and maybe the truck,if he'd called a tow truck,and they impounded it..money I'd rather spend on the truck than fines....

Nowadays I'm not as brave as I used to be,or as well off financially,so I prefer to have a vehicle ramped or trailered instead of taking risks like that now...cops used to be a lot more forgiving back in the day,not any more...and it is simply too dangerous around here to be broke down on the interstate,especially in a "strange" truck that you have no clue what someone else has jerry-rigged under it...

I'd like to renew my AAA subscription ,it was a little less nerve wracking knowing I at least could get towed home when I was a member without costing me a couple hundred bucks..

 

[Highpsi]

I was lucky the times I was "sneaking" a newly purchased truck home,by putting my trucks plates on it and hoping to h** I made it without a mechanical failure or getting pulled over by a cop,to get home without incident.....once I was about halfway home and the truck I'd just bought decided to overheat,probably because of the 80 mile ride at highway speeds with the plow on it--in june!...

Guess it would have been smarter for me to have put the plow in the bed.....

Just my luck,after I pulled over into the breakdown lane,5 minutes later,a cop came up behind me,gets out,asked if it was on fire,I said no,it just overheated and peuked some coolant on the exhaust...luckily I had a few gallons of used coolant with me,and oil,etc, and the cop didn't bother looking the truck over closely,he did run the plates though ,which were active for my truck,and came back clean,but I'd have been boned if he had looked at the VIN tag!--truck was mostly rust and primer,and he did ask why it "wasn't blue",I said I was fixing the rot on it,and he didn't bother looking at it closer.....then he asked why I had the plow on it in june,I said I was bringing it to my dad's house so I could do some welding and put some paint on it...

He followed me several miles after I got it started again and I was releived when he finally took an exit...I got off the highway and took a 2 lane road home the rest of the 35 mile trip,and had no issues thankfully...it could have meant losing several hundred bucks and maybe the truck,if he'd called a tow truck,and they impounded it..money I'd rather spend on the truck than fines....

Nowadays I'm not as brave as I used to be,or as well off financially,so I prefer to have a vehicle ramped or trailered instead of taking risks like that now...cops used to be a lot more forgiving back in the day,not any more...and it is simply too dangerous around here to be broke down on the interstate,especially in a "strange" truck that you have no clue what someone else has jerry-rigged under it...

I'd like to renew my AAA subscription ,it was a little less nerve wracking knowing I at least could get towed home when I was a member without costing me a couple hundred bucks..

Oh man, that's priceless! I'm sure it was anything but funny at the time, but I can't help but laugh at it.

I've definitely learned a lesson and got off easy this time just based on pure luck probably. I promised my wife I'd never do something like that again, basically just irresponsible and stupid.

 

[diesel4me]

My most harrowing experience was when I bought a 1972 Chevelle "Nomad" wagon that a friend had built into a 4x4 ,using a '69 Suburban 1/2 ton chassis by shortening it to mach the wheelbase --it actually turned out to be a very good driving vehicle,despite its unusual appearance...needless to say,it attracted a lot of attention,especially the cops...it was legally registered though,and had passed the strict NH inspection regulations ,so there wasn't much they could do about it not looking "original"...

On my way home from his house,with his plates and registration still on it and in the glove box,I took off and headed for my house,about 110 miles away...he told me the engine would need a quart of oil about halfway there,it had a leaky rear main seal and valve covers..

Everything was going smoothly,till I heard lifters starting to clatter,I knew then the oil was REAL low,so I pulled it into the breakdown lane and into the dirt shoulder,well off the side of the highway...

I open the hood,go to dump in a few quarts of oil from a gallon jug,and some glurged out and spilled onto the fan (I left it running fearing it might not want to re-start !),and it got slung everywhere,much of it went onto the exhaust manifolds and pipes,and it sent a white plume of dense smoke like a tire fire out...I managed to get 2 quarts in before I nearly peuked from the fumes,and when I went to stand up,I see a state trooper right in back of me with a fire extinguisher,ready to let it rip!.....

I told him it was NOT on fire,not to use the extinguisher,I had only spilled oil everywhere and it'd burn off quickly...after the smoke dissapated,he wanted to see my license and registration...he immediately gets suspicious when he sees my name is not the one listed on the registration,so he asks me "just WHO owns this "thing"?...told him my friend did ,and legally he DID,until I sent his plates back and paid the balance I owed for him on it..


It took him a good 45 minutes to verify the plates and reg were legit,he even had the barracks call my friend and ask if he knew I was drinving "that thing" around!...he told him he did know,and he let me use it to "go to the beach"...then he finally lets me drive off,after the gas tank was now dangerously low,to make the remaining 50 mile trip...I made it to my house OK,but there was about a gallon left by the time I arrived !...


Then there was the day I got my '81 G10 van home from where I bought it--only 10 miles away,no sweat I thought....but even 10 miles can be a long trip under the right conditions..

I bought the van for 500 bucks,in 1990,when it was only 10 years old and had 130K on it...still looked very solid,hardly any rust,and an older guy owned it since new--he drove it to nova scotia several times and said it was extrememly dependable...but the tranny decided to "crap out",so he wanted to sell it and get another truck before the guy he knew sold it on him,so I wasted no time buying it "as-is"..the friend who told me about it said "dont bother trying to change the filter and fluid--I did it last week,no change!--save your money for a used TH350"...."then he said "It still drives though,in first,second,and reverse,so you'd be able to get it home ok"...

Well,I got a ride to where it was parked,got the keys,paid the guy for it,and I was off,with my pickup's plates "attatched"...I hadn't gone 200 feet when I realized it wasn't going to upshift into second gear,it tried too a few times,but then went right back into first!...

I had to go 30 mph in first gear on a 2 lane with a 50 mph limit,I thought cars were going to drive right thru it!--several came flying up behind me and slammed their brakes on,then flew past me,after oncoming cars passed by,and they flipped me off!..I hogged the right shoulder,and left the 4 way flashers on,but hated to do that,knowing it would attract a cop like a magnet if one happened by!..

Then I was maybe 5 miles from home,and the dam thing STALLS,I coasted into a parking lot and cursed my poor luck...but to my surprise,it fired up again almost instantly...so I took off again,and it died again about a mile up the road...it had a 1/2 tank of gas showing,sounded to me like the gas filter was plugging up,and me racing the engine going 30 in low was sucking the carb dry before enough gas could get to it...so I decided to go TEN mph,once I made it to the more rural streets off the 2 lane,and I made it home..no arrests!....

I decided to change the gas filter after I got home with it..--all it had was the paper element one inside the carb,behind the big fuel line inlet nut...had to use a pipe wrench to get it off,felt like it was never replaced pnce since new!...sucked to get at too,took me a half hour just to remove the dog house so I could see the engine...once I got the filter out,it was black as ink,and it had a wasp stuck in the center of it!...

I tossed it as far into the woods as I could,and decided to install a REAL gas filter in the steel line,and NOT put one back in the carb!--always did hate those stupid OEM filters,you'd risk stripping out the carb every time you had to unscrew that big nut thing,and they loved to leak too...had more than one GM with a fudged up carb there that leaked and started a nice blaze under the hood--didnt want that in the van with the engine sitting right next to me!..

I found out the next day,that the tranny only needed a govenor gear,so I just swapped in a used govenor from a junkyard tranny into it,and I replaced the modulator just for peace of mind,after I saw some atf drip from the hose nipple on it...that tranny is still in it,it shifted fine the whole 55K I put on it since then,I took that thing to TN,Maine,all over NY,and I put a 307 in it and its still lived on ...I still have the "good used" tranny I was given and never had to use yet for it too!...

 

[Highpsi]

Man, you really got the market cornered on white knuckle journeys when buying them "deals" huh?! I was thinking while reading your replies that my check list was missing one HUGE item... A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!! Again, it just makes my head spin to think of all the crap that could have gone wrong.

Getting a real laugh out of your stories though.. I was literally laughing aloud and envisioning this guy pouring oil in and billowing clouds of smoke with the po po pulling up.. Gawd... What an OH $HIT moment huh!

 

[jekquistk5]

Little late but I was gonna say trailer and tow rig..lol Amazing deal if the 60 is still up front. Good work!!