Huge WoW factor with this mess. Please advise. (Warning high word count).

[mark farkward]

Well thanks all. And, i concur with this truck being good for nothing with the exception of possibly the drive train, glass, etc. I believe it was originally a California truck and shortly after it was bought the owner moved to N.Y. where it was used until 3/23 when the owner got a replacement title and drove it back here a few months ago and gave it to the person I bought it from.

I have a huge dilemma at this point. it has been suggested to me that I could probably sell the truck for as much as I paid for it. That is if I didn't say anything about what I know. But for me this isn't even a consideration. (Well, if it doesn't come up, you're not lying right?) No, wrong. I'm 60 years old and have nothing of value, nothing but my integrity. I have been very surprised by some of the ppl I know who would have me solve this problem by passing it on.

What I have to consider. Not making this move by the third of January leaves me living in the truck in winter. On the other hand I have to consider the possibility that the matrix of the rust doesn't hold, the rear end twists flipping the laden truck and it rolls into on coming traffic killing a mother and her 3 year old child.

So here's what I think I'm going to try to do. If I can have some confidence that the truck will not experience some hazardous catastrophic failure, I'll go with great caution something like the old miner caring nitro in the wagon and hoping the horses don't get spooked.

How, you may ask would I possibly mend the structural integrity of the frame, basically the foundation of the truck when the bedrock has oxidized away to nothing? Well, I have a couple of ideas. I will keep you informed of my progress.

PS: pictured a chunk of the frame which I think might make an interesting keychain encased in a clear resin. If I can figure a way to get safely to my destination I'll make a few and send one to anyone that wants one.

 

[Supercharged111]

Have you confronted the seller?

 

[mark farkward]

Not sure how to quote here, but to answer the above - despite the OJ Simpson verdict murder still illegal in California.

 

[mark farkward]

Got so excited with my ideas that I forgot to post the picture I mentioned in the PS.

 

[someotherguy]

Good on you for not simply passing the dangerous situation on to another person. Reminds me of a good friend that scrapped a boat he'd spent countless hours and dollars restoring, and then quite some time later discovered previously unnoticed rot in the transom. I'm no boat guy so I can't speak to it but he is very knowledgeable about them and decided it was best to destroy it instead of passing along something that might end up harming or killing others.

Richard

 

[mark farkward]

Well, after further inspection I don't see a viable way to temporarily mend the leaf spring hanger. I'm afraid R&R on this hanger is the only workable mend. I understand it's something like putting a bow on a turd, but I see no alternative. It's the first R of that R&R that worries me. It looks like the frame where it bolts up still might have some structural integrity. But getting the old hanger off of there is going to be a huge pain in the ass I think. Probably more grinding and chiseling than anything else.

So I have two questions, what is the technical name for that piece that connects the frame to the eye on the floating link that connects to the leaf spring? The second question I have, feel like an idiot for having to ask, is how do you log off this forum?

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Caman96]

So, there’s no trying to return truck? Do you mean log off permanently?

 

[mark farkward]

Well, I don't think my chances of returning it are very good. The guy I bought it from leases a lift by trading work for at the wrecking yard for a place to do his auto work. The gentleman who owns the yard I worked for a couple of years ago. He is one of the most generous, honest, great guys I've been fortunate to have known. Started work at 17 for PG&E through hard work and a willingness to do the jobs no one else wanted to do ended up 30+ years later as one of four regional supervisors. The yard has been in his family since the 1930s. When he retired he started running the yard as a hobby more than anything else. Took me a while before I realized that his priorities had almost nothing to do with making money and everything to do with helping people out and having a place to interact with people. Last thing I want to do is cause him any complications. On the other hand I am going to fill him in on the facts of this sale. there's no doubt in my mind that the guy I bought the truck from was aware of most or all of its flaws. Nick, Yard owner, should be made aware of what happened. I just don't want him to refund my money out of his pocket- which is something he might want to do.

On the logging out thing - I can't see anywhere to log off, and even though I've closed browser Windows when I come back to the site I'm logged in.?

 

[Hipster]

Hi, hope to get some input on several problems i now face after buying a 1998 1500k. Bought said truck as a means to move from California to Washington. I could not afford to rent a truck, and thought a $700 investment might be the solution I needed. Told the truck was in fine shape and that it would get me to Washington no problem, it started right up and idled well for 20 minutes. The truck was equipped with the V6 engine which I knew was a fairly good power plant and at 168K should have some miles left. (Oil pressure sat at about 45 at idle) Took a short ride around the yard, (auto dismantler) and got the price from 1,000 down to $700. Behind the wheel the first thing I noticed was that the speedometer appeared to be quite a bit off. Checking my speed through Google directions I found that 82 mph on the speedometer was the equivalent to 65 actual miles per hour. My assumption was that the transmission had been swapped out, and the speedometer gear had not been matched for color. About then it started to rain, and I completed the 80 mile trip home without wipers. Fix the bad solder joint the wiper plug in. The hole in the gas tank that had been patched with something like a soft RTV I managed to repair with JB water weld. There's a rubber hose that seems to be a breather for the differential that I found dragging under the truck. Found a high pressure pipe fitting that looks to be a fuel line connected to nothing, that had been tucked under a rubber mud guard on the inside of the fender well in the engine compartment. (Maybe what remains of the transmission cooler plumbing IDK?)

If you're still with me at this point here's the problem I really need to be advised on. The truck apparently spent most of its life somewhere back east where the roads have been salted heavily. Other than a tiny bit of rot at the back edge of the cab there was nothing apparent on the exterior. But climbing underneath it and taking a good look I was amazed at how rusted out the frame was. I hope to post pictures along with this thread to show you what I'm talking about. One spot up front underneath the passenger side right before the frame makes a turn up to meet the front suspension where the C rail has rested completely through. Even more disturbing, is on the driver side the outer support for the leaf springs on the rear is totally rested away. I thought it's only being held on the inside where the bolt goes through the frame itself. After crawling under and looking from that side I found that that bolt and the material around it had rusted all the way around and was not attached to the frame anymore. I don't understand exactly why the rear of this driver side leaf spring has not broken free and collapsed against the underside of the bed. All I can figure is that the lateral rigidity of the leaf spring assembly itself is keeping it in place?

Forgot to mention the fuel pump has been replaced via an ugly job of cutting a hole in the bed to avoid having to drop the tank. I've seen this done before but this was a real butcher job. The cutout bit of metal being held in place with two small rivets.

I would appreciate any thoughts you might have, other than the obvious buyer beware. Thank you.

You must be registered for see images attach

In the North East, NJ, NY metro areas that wouldn't pass inspection. Imho as a paint/body/collision guy this really needs a frame. Also, it's going to need bolts, nuts, and hardware for everything that needs to come apart.

That frame looks so rusty I wouldn't spend a dime fixing that truck, sorry. But then again I have a biased opinion as I'm from where trucks don't really rust like that. Members from rust belt areas might have a different take.

To me it's barely a parts truck. You'd spend so much repairing it to make it safe enough for your intended purpose of moving several states away, that it would be a losing proposition. And that's just dealing with the immediate safety issues - not considering what it may need to actually be reliable enough to make that trip.

Richard

Usually these types of repairs explode, the frame doesn't look too bad but once you get cleaning stuff up it might be a 4 foot section that's bad before you get to something to weld to.

 

[someotherguy]

On the logging out thing - I can't see anywhere to log off, and even though I've closed browser Windows when I come back to the site I'm logged in.?

No need to log off. Your login stays in effect for your convenience, but you're only shown "online" when you're actually using the site. It's not like the old dial-up BBS's where you're taking up a connection someone else could use, so don't sweat it one bit.

Now, if you're using a shared computer and -need- to log off, click on your name at the top right on the screen, and a little menu pops up. "Log out" is at the bottom left of that menu.

Richard