68 Chevy 90 update

[Biggun58]

Got it running yesterday. I dropped the gas tank and cleaned it out blew out the fuel lines. Replaced the Carb, fuel pump, battery, points, rotor, condensor, dist. cap, coil, plugs, oil and, all the filters on the 250. It started on the 2nd try and ran great. Smoked for about 5 minutes and then quit. It wasn`t even that loud even though the muffler looks like a grenade when off in it. It was so pretty today I couldn`t stand it, I had to take it down the road. So with no registration or tags, and barely any brakes and just a touch of beer on my breath down the back road I went. I was suprised how good it handled. The tires on the fifteen inch wheels scrubbed when I turned around to come home but the steering was tight. Brakes are next on the list. Then with the help of the archives and shorty`s disc, I`m going to attempt rewiring. It also needs the manual tranny and accelerator linkage bushings when they are available. There is a long list of items that it needs and everyone of them has been covered on this forum. This is a great site. My two teenage sons thought these vans were the ugliest things they`d ever seen but now after helping me work on it they love `em too. I will enjoy seeing them drive a f/c for the first time. I am really enjoying this van. Just a little info to pass on; Tricity plating (Elizabethton Tn.) quoted me $245 to chrome and straighten each bumper and the cheapest I could find a windshield here in s.w. Va. is $275 installed with gasket.

[SAVAGE]

Congrats, You got the hard part done getting it moveing under its owen power ( Hope the breaks hold !!!)What size 15 you got on the front ?? Tom

[Biggun58]

The tires are 225 60 15 and they scrub in front.I think I`ll go back to 14" all the way around but, That is down the road a good ways. As long as I can pull it in and out of the garage that`s all I need for now.

[Joe Russin]

that is a tall/wide tire for the front.
What type of wheels are they mounted on?
When I got the "Beast" it had an old set of chrome reverse rims on it with 14"wheels/tires.(like the ones on the red van at the top of the padge).



They used to rub a little.Went with 15x7rallies and no more rub...


I went with 195/70/15 The next set will be 205/70/15'S
....Wookee



[This message has been edited by Joe Russin (edited April 06, 2005).]

[Biggun58]

I`ve got 15x8 rusty chrome chevy rallys all the way around. I still havent figured out this new metric tire sizing. I sure do miss good old inches. I mean 33x10.50x15 you knew what you were getting. I was pricing a set of tires for my panel truck and asked two different salesman at two different stores and got two different answers. The best I can figure the first number is the measurement from the front bead over the tire to the back bead? and the 2nd number is a percentage of the first? but I`m not sure which part of the tire that percentage represents. So, lets say I get lucky and figure out the math, just what in the cornbread he11 is a millimeter anyway? Ya see the good Lord endowed me with an inch and that`s all this old Virginia farm boy knows how to use.

[andrewschevelle]

Being a tire guy I can shed a bit of light on this subject.Say you are looking at a P205/75R15.P means passenger 205 is the section width measured across the tread from sidewall to sidewall( not just the tread area).75 is the percentage of the 205mm which is the sidewall height.R means radial construction.15 is the rim diameter.The sidewall height is always relative to the section width.If you were looking at a p205/60R15 then it will be of a lower profile because it is only 60% of the 205 mm section width.So you get the same width but a lower profile...Hope this helps...AC...

[tinlizard]

Let's take that excellent explanation one step farther. That P205/75R15 would be about 8" wide (25.4mm/inch). 75% of 8 is 6, so the tire has a 6" section height (distance from the bead to the tread face). The nominal overall diameter is 12"+15" = 27" (the section height doubled, plus the wheel). "Nominal" is the key word here because the manufacturers take considerable license with their sizing, and because inflation pressure has a significant effect on diameter (duh). Most tires measure somewhat less than their nominal size would indicate. If gearing is as important to you as appearance ask the dealer to look up the tire's rolling radius, which is the actual distance from the ground to the center of the axle when the tire is mounted on the vehicle. That P205/75R15 will probably measure about 12", not 13.5" as you might expect.

By the way, if you work all the math backwards that 33x10.50x15 would be a LT265/85R15, or so, if there is such a size. They don't make passenger tires that big so they are LTs, for Light Truck.
tb

[Joe Russin]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Biggun58:
I mean 33x10.50x15 you knew what you were getting.

---

To put it in even simpler termsa 225/60/15 is about the same size as a G/60/15....
big trucks still use the terms you used in your quote........
Don't feel like the Lone Ranger there are alot of people out there that does not understand the metric tire sizes.
The best thing to do when shopping for tires is go to a place were you can actually see the tire and compare sizes.The warehouse stores like BJ's or Costco are great places to do this.They keep stacks of tires right there were you can see them and compare them.......Wookee

[Biggun58]

Thanks for the info. It`s just a darn shame a man has to get out a calculator to figure out what size of tires he`s buying. All I`ve ever bought is light truck tires thats why I referenced a truck tire size which are also in metric these days. I was pricing LT235 85 R16 for a `58 1 ton Chevy panel truck. This van is the lightest weight vehicle I`ve ever owned except for a CJ7 but it had monsterous tires. I had my van parked next to my daily driver (4Dr 1 ton Dodge deasel longbed) the other day and it made it look like a (excuse the expression) mini-van. I checked a few measurements just for grins and the wheel base on the Dodge was about equal to the overall length of the van and, the van`s gvw of 5000 lbs is less than the Dodge`s weight empty. So when I get this van on the road and take the family for a ride the old Lady may have to stay at the house(just kidding Dear).

[Optik]

the GVW is the loaded weight limit of the vehicle, at least that is my understanding. the curb weight of an empty shorty chevy van is right at about 3000 lbs. which makes for a GREAT power to weight ratio when you drop a big-block in there.
-tim

[Biggun58]

Thats my point. The van loaded to its recommended limit is still less than the other when empty. It struck me funny. Thats a good point about the power to weight ratio though. I aint into the speed thing. My beard blows out the window and gets full of bugs. Thats why I traded that CJ7 I had to keep my beard tucked in my shirt to keep it from blowin up over my face.

[Optik]

LOL B58 thats a good point about the beard! i have a good start on one right now, the last time i grew a beard i let it go to about the middle of my chest then i had to get rid of it cause it was winter and i kept zipping it up in my coat. lucky for me i can grow a full beard in about three weeks!
-tim

[Biggun58]

The beard gets in the way of lots of things but I have to keep it. Ya see my wife hates it and she wont kiss me while I have one. So it was either grow the beard or take her with me everywhere I go to keep from having to kiss her good-bye.

[dieselvan]

I just bought new tires for my 87 Toyota van. I got Bridgestone 603 truck tires. These tires are great on my van. I had been running car tires before now and the truck tires make a big difference in wind wander because the sidewalls are so stiff. There is almost no bulge to the sidewalls. I used to get blown all over the road by semi trucks, but now my van is really stable. I like the fact that they are blackwall on both sides, because I don't have to look at a dirty scuffed blue sidewall when I crawl under the van. They are LT195/75R14's load range D and are 8 ply rated with a max load of 1710 pounds at 65 psi, but I only run them at 40 psi. When I use my van to haul plywood again, I'll air them up. With those tires as well as the extra leafs in the rear spring packs and my KYB Gas-A-Just shocks, I can haul really heavy loads. The biggest load I had in the back so far was 6 sheets of 3/4 MDF, 2 sheets 5/8 drywall and a pull-down attic stairway which came out to 650 pounds. The van settled down on the helpers and rode nice and level. My Toyota van has rear seats that fold down flat to make a bed. It makes a level load floor above the wheel wells and the rear of the doghouse that will accept 4X8 sheets of plywood.

I have a beard and mustache, but I don't usually let it get more than an inch long. I love having it. It's about half gray now and that guarantees that I never get carded. Some young people will even call me "sir" which always sounds funny to me because I don't feel old enough to be called that.

[This message has been edited by dieselvan (edited April 07, 2005).]

[gregw98]

Got a grey (now) beard and had it for 28 years.
greg