other dog

The very first truck I drove when I started my driving career was a '74 Transtar. Had a 290 Cummins and a 13 speed.

Got that tank on today. It has some issues, but it's on. Has about 3 1/2 inches of gas in it, according to my stick.

That reminds me of the time- wait, did I tell this story before?..stop me if I did- I went down to see my Mom in Cumberland one time and she wanted me to ride up to her parents old home with her. They had both passed away years earlier but she was renting their old home to a couple, a pair of deadbeats apparently because they hadn't paid any rent for months. Mom even had the power shut off to the house to try to get rid of them, but then they complained to somebody and they told Ma "you can't do that", and she had to have the electricity turned back on. Even though they hadn't paid for anything. My mother was elderly then, maybe in her 60s, maybe 70s, I don't remember now, it was a while back. So I was no spring chicken myself. And when we got there this body builder looking guy probably in his 20s came out of the front door with a pit bull on a leash. His skank girlfriend was right inside the front door holding another pit bull. I didn't know if he was planning to unleash the beast, then the skank would have released her hound, and we would have been killed right there in the yard. Or maybe Ma was expecting me to whip his ass. But while all this was running through my mind and Mom was arguing with the deadbeat, my uncle David, my mother's brother pulled up. He lived just up the hill, a couple of hundred yards away. He was a magistrate in Cumberland County, and he's always been my favorite uncle but when he got out of his vehicle that day I had never been so glad to see him. He was obviously packing some serious heat, right there on his side for all to see. I don't even remember if he said anything, but the smart ass non-rent paying punk didn't have anything else to say either, and went back inside and closed the door. Ma finally got rid of their sorry good for nothing asses but it took a long time, she had to take them to court to get rid of them, even after they hadn't paid rent since who knows when. One of the main reasons we weren't interested in renting our place in Gladys, it probably would have been destroyed and no rent paid, so we just wanted to sell it and be done with it.

Well let me know before you throw it away, I'll look at mine when I take it off and if it's the same starter I'll pay to have it shipped. Most of the ones I looked at on the old International site were around $300. I put a starter on the pickup last year and was astonished at the price, about 3 times what I was expecting it to be.

I sure appreciate your very kind offer, that's really nice of you. But I think I'll just get my starter rebuilt at the place in Roanoke and see how it goes. At least for now.

My fuel tank strap rubber came late this afternoon, too late for me to start working on anything anyway. I also ordered a new sending unit when I ordered the rubber. I thought one would have came with the tank but it didn't, it came with nothing- no fittings, no plugs, no nuthin'. I didn't want to use the old one because it still had black gunk on it that carburetor cleaner wouldn't take off. So since I got a new sending unit I figured I'd just get a fuel gauge too. Thought I just had to hook a wire to the sending unit and run it to the gauge, but nothing is ever simple. I got to step 2 on the instructions and said "WTF?" I have a multimeter that somebody gave me a few years ago, but I don't even know how to use it. But no worries, I still have a stick in the side box that I can check the gas with. Even I can run the measuring stick.

I...uh...Yeah, that's what I was wondering!

You could check with Brayden Tucker at Tucker Equipment in Lisbon, Ohio. He had a couple of cabovers that he was getting ready to sell, one was a Ford CL 9000. It was a single axle with no sleeper I think. He's a man I would have no problem buying a used vehicle from too, he's a good honest man. Don't know if he still has this one, these are just street view screenshots. The street view camera even caught Underdog there . He had a 9670 IH at Winchester the year before last that he was going to sell, but it's probably sold by now. And of course, after we bought this International that's sitting in the driveway I saw the truck we really needed on his Dying Breed Diesel page. Y'all might laugh, it was a single axle Volvo with a flat top sleeper. It would have been perfect for us to cruise to truck shows in, and it had plenty of room for the dogs to ride. But that's pretty much how it always works.

Yep, that's what it is. Fuzzy Buzzard sent me a lot of useful info. about it.

Now this is something that I would definitely be interested in. As soon as I can positively ID what kind of distributor is in it I'll try to get one. They probably have one for everything but a 401 IH.

Thank you, I checked with oldInternationaltrucks.com and they have starters for about every International engine there is- except the 401. Same for carburetor kits, I didn't see one listed for the 401 engine. I've rebuilt a starter or two myself, and generators too. Pretty easy actually, but you still need the parts, like the brushes, bushings, etc. But when it comes to carburetors- I'm afraid to touch 'em. There's a place in Roanoke that I got a positive ground alternator from for a B53S Mack I used to have. I called them and asked if they could rebuild the starter and they said "absolutely". So I'll probably just take it off one day and take it up there. I don't remember how much they charged for that alternator, but I remember that it was much cheaper than I was expecting it to be. There was nothing wrong with the alternator until someone was putting new batteries in the truck and forgot that it was positive ground. I- I mean they- touched the cables to the wrong post for just a second, and that was all it took. Fried.

I put some of that aluminum brightener on a rag and tried to clean off the timing marks. Sprayed it with carburetor cleaner too, and rubbed it with fine sandpaper. I still can't read any marks on it.

I was going to Covington with a load of wood chips one time, 1979. I was driving a '74 Transtar with a VT903 in it and halfway up this really steep hill called Buffalo Ridge it just quit. Like it was out of fuel. Stopped dead in the road. I knew I had plenty of fuel, I think it was 4 loads I could run from Dillwyn to Covington before I had to fuel, maybe 3, but anyway I knew I had plenty. However, even though I knew I had plenty of fuel and there had to be some other problem I looked in the fuel tank anyway and there was no fuel to be seen. Then I went around and checked the tank on the passenger side and fuel was running out of the top of the tank as soon as I unscrewed it. About that time a car pulled up behind me and I told the man in it that I was broke down. He offered me a ride to the nearest phone to call headquarters, and I accepted. This was long before cell phones of course. I told him just let me go put that fuel cap back on and set out my triangles first. When I walked back up the hill to the truck I put the cap back on and noticed that the fuel had gone down a lot. So I got in and tried to start it again and it fired right up. I went on to Covington and dumped with no problems then went by the shop so they could fix that vent. I just loosened the cap a little until I got back, but it had sucked the left tank completely empty and the right tank was still completely full.

Oh, almost forgot- while I was cutting the bottom off of the aluminum can with my pocket knife this girl pulled in the driveway. She was asking for directions to Winfall, but I told her I was busy and didn't have time to talk and sent her on her way.

Latest update, I'm just waiting for tank rubber. Meanwhile I took the vent out of the old tank and shook it. Nothing happened. Then I tried to blow through it. Nothing happened. I wasn't even sure if anything was supposed to happen, because I'm not even sure how they work. But I cut the bottom off of an aluminum can and put the vent in it and sprayed carburetor cleaner in it until it was covered. Now when I shake it it rattles, because it has like a check ball in it that was stuck. And I can blow through it easily now, so that's good. And I tried to take a cab marker light off because it wasn't working but the screw is stripped in the screwdriver slot and won't budge, and that's bad. But at least the light started working, so that's good. If I can get them off I'll see if I can find LED lights the same size and replace them all. And I should probably replace the generator that's on it with an alternator. And I will have to find a starter soon, because the Bendix doesn't engage about half the time, so you just have to keep trying until it does.

So, what is this "electronic throttle body fuel injection" of which you speak? I don't care about stock or original, I just want it to run like it's supposed to.

I wouldn't have a problem using a steel tank, but I couldn't find an aftermarket steel tank available anywhere and if I went with a used one, if I could even find one, I'd have to do all the cleaning and sealing process before I used it.

Funny you should say that- I read somewhere when I was online searching tanks and algae and rust and sludge and gunk and cleaning tanks that you actually could use drain cleaner to clean the tank out with. But the aluminum brightener seemed to do a great job.

This was about all I could find about sealing new aluminum tanks. I think I'll just put the thing on when the strap rubber gets here and hope for the best. If I have issues I'll have to put a tank behind the cab I guess.

Wow, I guess I am lucky then. I only have to go from the blue dot to the red balloon to get non-ethanol. It's only a couple inches on the phone.

I wish I could swap in a 6-71, that would be the cat's ass. The only reason I don't is not having the knowledge, skill, money, shop, talent, and know how.

I would, but I heard you don't use sealer in aluminum tanks, maybe it doesn't adhere to the aluminum or something, I don't know. I had 2 quarts of sealer but I already sent it on its way. So I think, from what I'm reading here, if I stick to non-ethanol and use gas treatment I should be ok.

So, my new gas tank came today. And here's the issue- I called 4 States because they didn't send enough rubber to go under the straps. I misunderstood, I ordered 2 but they sell it by the foot, so I only got 2 feets. Anyway, the guy asked me if I was using it for gas or diesel. When I told him gas, he said "uh-oh, this tank is only rated for diesel". I thought it said "gas or diesel" when I ordered it, but apparently it didn't. But it said "fits Ford F600" and they were all gas powered. I don't even know exactly what "rated for diesel" even means, but Dave (maint1) sent me this- So I'm going to use the tank- any thoughts?