Vintage Truck Engine, Brakes, & Transmissions Restoration - Night School

A Spicer/Dana integral axle is original equipment on many classic trucks. Spicer/Dana axles have high- and low-pinion designs and a variety of ratios and spring mounting designs. Setting up a ring-and-pinion requires skill and special care. Tools vary, and at "Night School" we'll discuss ways to do a professional job--often with basic or fabricated tools.

Wheel bearing service and safety are synonymous. Most vehicles have tapered wheel bearings; older GM trucks do not. Ball-type wheel bearings require entirely different adjustment procedures and settings. Proper precautions when inspecting, packing, and adjusting wheel bearings make a practical lesson plan.

Older braking systems look spare and lean. This GM application has no self adjusters and assembles quickly. Still, there are precautions and safe practices, like the primary (forward) shoe having the shorter lining on a "self-energizing" brake system. Say, we're getting ahead of ourselves--these are lesson topics.

On older vehicles, the rear brakes include the emergency brake mechanisms. Axle bearings must be in good condition, along with the axle shaft seals. Leaks and bearing wear wreak havoc, ruining the brake lining and creating a safety issue. We'll talk about axle bearing designs, seal types, and testing axle shaft wear.

For authenticity, casting, and stamping, numbers can be critical. Some engine blocks interchange but may not be original. This block is a Ford FT medium-duty truck type that often finds its way into passenger cars and lighter trucks. Note the pipe thread hole above the oil pan ledge. This accepts the oil return hose for the air brake compressor.

Cylinder heads for older engines can be rare. This Ford 428 Cobra Jet head had cracked intake and exhaust seats. Can a cylinder head be rebuilt under such conditions? Yes, if the job is done right. Here, hardened intake and exhaust seat inserts require high-performance upgrade valves. We'll need to discuss this further in a "Night School" lesson.

Are electrical problems plaguing your truck project? Sometimes a vintage wiper motor must be restored--like this Chrysler unit from the late `60s. The motor was in rough shape and required thorough cleaning and bead blasting, rewiring, and zinc electroplating. This lesson will save money and preserve valuable components.

Matching numbers are often necessary for collectible, authentically restored vehicles. This vintage Auto-Lite distributor has its original ID tag. The paint and luster were long gone. With care, the plate and paint finish have been restored to look new. To learn how, you won't want to miss this lesson.

In the postwar era, ignition distributors were removed from the engine for tuning. The distributor "synchrograph" or strobe machine provided a testing platform for spark timing advance mechanisms. In our lessons, we will cover distributor rebuilding, breaker point tuning, plus the intricacies of setting spark timing curves for maximum performance.

Here's a rare transmission, the Borg-Warner T85 "N" type found in '65-71 Ford F-trucks. The unit has a unique first gear ratio, no synchromesh on first or reverse gears, and a planetary overdrive. Parts can be scarce or obsolete for these transmissions. In our lessons, we'll cover interchange options and discuss the various transmission choices.

Oh, no, chipped and broken cluster gear teeth! This T85N has a unique cluster gear with badly damaged teeth. The helically cut, non-synchromesh design is vulnerable to tooth chipping--especially if the driver has little or no experience with a non-synchromesh first gear! Hunting nationwide for a new (NOS) cluster gear proved futile...

This is the same cluster gear after tooth repair. The task involved normalizing, TIG welding, tooth shaping, and post weld heat-treating to restore the original hardness of the gear. Your "Night School" instructor performed all work except the heat-treating. If you want to know more about gear repair, watch for that "Night School" lesson.

That grimy looking hulk comes back to life! The main case, overdrive and overdrive solenoid have each been rebuilt. Add a coat of black epoxy primer, and this Ford truck transmission returns to service for another lifespan. Quality restoration and rebuilding work can be the most exciting aspect of building a classic or street truck. Learn how at "Night School."

This Ford recirculation ball manual steering gear was popular on cars and light trucks, some with power steering. The only way to build a steering gear is to factory standards. We'll discuss steering gear design and the rebuilding of manual and power steering gears used in classic trucks. There's open enrollment at the "Night School."Join the class!