I got a semi-blurry PDF of the original lineset ticket from the Wisconsin Historical Society today, and as usual, it clears up a lot of questions—but brings up a few more. From what the paper says, this truck was ordered by the Colorado Springs Equipment Company and built in Springfield, OH on February 14, 1963. The sheet specifies a 304 V8 with a T-15 transmission, but Howard Pletcher’s codes indicate that transmission build code means a T 98A 4 speed, which actually makes more sense—from what I can tell by the shift pattern it has four speeds. More investigation is needed, and any theory will be proven when I can actually row through the gears. The engine was set up for “Increased cooling”, which I take to mean it has a larger radiator. It was spec’d for a 52 amp alternator and a 19 gallon right-side fuel tank. It came with Ross TL-52 Manual Steering, which checks out. It had a 12 inch clutch and an IH R-1060 Power Lok rear axle with 4.10 gearing, and was painted 2150 Red. It was also equipped with a “tubular tire carrier”, something I’m not familiar with.
Interestingly, there’s a note at the bottom of the LST that it was to ship with a PTO unit to be mounted later at the delivery destination. I’ve seen no indication of PTO bracketry or controls anywhere, but I’ll have to look again—I don’t know how they would have attached it, if the truck was 2WD from the factory: typically the output shaft for a PTO was driven from the transfer case. I’ll have to take a closer look under the truck again.
So that’s a few more questions answered: a 304 has a little more grunt than a 266—180HP vs. 155 at 4400 RPM, and 304’s are much more common on the ground (and thus easier to get parts for). Chewbacca had a 304 and I loved that engine. Having 4.10 gears means I can probably chirp the tires on takeoff (ha ha) but I’ll be burning more gas per mile on the highway. So maybe a switch to 3.54 gears like Peer Pressure has is a future goal. Aa T-15 transmission is a stout 3-speed synchronized box, which is nice. A T-98 is synchronized from second to fourth gear, just like the T-19 in my Scout. Either way, I’m glad I won’t be crashing through gears like the T-18 in Brian’s Scout.
I also got a big cardboard box in the mail containing a lesson in the shape of a fender and a wire loom. The sheet metal looks really good, except for a dimple at the front and the fact that the cutout for the fuel inlet is twice the normal size; someone used a very precise tool to enlarge the factory hole. Elsewhere it’s in better shape than the fender on the truck, and it can definitely be repaired to replace the one I have, but… at first I thought cutting a donut-shaped section of steel would be be several skill levels above where I currently am, but then I remembered that there are multiple cut-to-order steel suppliers online; all I need is a very good measurement of both the inner and outer hole and I can have a donut laser-cut to size. And that got me excited to buy a welder all over again.
The wire loom looks good, but the fuse panel is clearly larger than the area I have to work with in my dash. I guess they made modifications to the panels in later years. Either way I can’t use this as a bolt-in replacement like I was hoping. The more I think about this, the more I’m resolved to buying a new wiring kit and rewiring the entire truck anyway. I’d like to have some modern amenities in this thing and the ability to add extra accessories, as well as feel comfortable knowing the 60-year-old wiring won’t burn the truck down. I think it should be pretty simple enough to tackle myself, and knowing it’s all bodged up anyway means I’m not “fixing” something that already works.
The lesson I’m learning is that I have to slow down and focus on one thing at a time. I’m getting too obsessed with fixing everything right now instead of picking one job and working on it until it’s done. Peer Pressure spoiled me in that she was running immediately and needed little in the way of repairs; most of her issues were cosmetic. I have to prioritize the important stuff first instead of throwing money at nice-to-have items.
That having been said, I got paid yesterday and ordered the Service Manual from Binder Books so I can start doing some homework while the weather is so cold.
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