Wobblin-Goblin

Anyone know of decent B model hood latches available? I need one at minimum.

I'm assuming this is a rebadged International HX...that uses an uglier hood. Why buy the CAT when the HX is the same truck without the hideous hood?

They are good looking trucks. With the switch over to the CAT-themed instrumentation, I will miss the classically themed old-school instrumentation of the PayStar. It had an air of quality. I'd like to see the PayStar interior remain as an HX factory option.

After seeing the interior, I agree. The HX (CAT) interior looks goofy and way too angular.

The exterior, however, is pretty darn good looking.

Those are some nice looking trucks, especially the dump truck models.

A little over one year since I cleaned out the dirt and muck from the primary fuel filter and replaced the secondary fuel filter cartridge (and got all the muck out of that cannister too), I replaced the cartridge again and the cannister was pretty darn clean.

'Mater should be good-to-go fuel-wise from now on. I've also been using fuel treatment as well.

Been working on the radiator shutters. At some point in the truck's past, something hit a couple of the shutters and bound all of them up so they wouldn't operate. Over time, this caused everything to freeze up. We had to take the frame off the shutter assembly and then apply heat to every actuating arm on the shutters. After multiple days of getting nowhere with penetrating oil and tapping everything with a hammer, the heat did the job in a matter of minutes.

I will get paint on the frame and shutters before they go back together. Pics soon.

Truck is being prepped for paint now. Should be painted by Wednesday or Thursday.

So where was the "shootout?"

The government conveniently put out to the media that there was a "shootout," when in reality only the agents fired their weapons and the other side was unarmed.

Of course the media lapped it up.

Like a few others have said, I don't think one truck is any better than the other two (Ford, Dodge, GM). It simply comes down to preference.

Personally, I've been a Ford guy all my life, but over the last few years I've grown to like Dodges with Cummins engines. If I was in the market for a new pickup, it'd probably be a Dodge Ram with a 6.7L Cummins.

My 5.9L Dodge/Cummins combo ('94 dually) has been pretty good, except for the weak brakes.

My '03 7.3L F-350 Powerstroke has been more or less bulletproof. In 13 years of ownership, I've spent less than $1k on repairs (not counting wear items like brakes and tires).

Cummins builds great stuff because they attract people from diverse backgrounds and take advantage of their diverse skills. When you limit your workforce to angry old white guys the product suffers.

Yeah, because white guys are all exactly the same.

Don't care for all the social justice mumbo jumbo, but Cummins sure does make good stuff. Their 5.9L I-6 that Dodge ran for years is the best engine ever put into a production pickup. Their bigger engines are top shelf, too.

Their 6.7L engine in the Ram pickup must be pretty good, too.

I'm fixing to replace the old antifreeze in my 711 and am not sure what to use. Regular universal green? Something else?

I imagine this event will be primarily for antique trucks and equipment. Cars, not so much.

I have not contacted anyone or any other organization for help (yet). Don't know anyone to contact at all.

I have detailed pics of the B81 on my phone. It's pretty bad. Buyer beware.

Not much left on your list anymore.

Nope. Getting close to being done.

BTW, I went back to the garage tonight to finish up the second set of spokes. Now everything on the right side is painted (spokes, wheels, clamps, and nuts). Sometime tomorrow I'd like to mount the wheels back on and then start working on the left side to finish off all the painting.

Yesterday I changed the oil and oil filter and pulled all the rear wheels off the right side of the truck. Today I cleaned, primed, and painted the wheels, clamps, and nuts. Tomorrow, I plan on cleaning the right rear spokes and priming and painting them.

Pics or it didn't happen.