Tinkering with Deerslayer

DEERSLAYER LINKS including vendor sites for parts and tools as well as sites for old truck and hot rod organizations

TINKERING WITH DEERSLAYER chronicles the day-by-day maintenance and improvements episodes for Deerslayer, a '37 Chevy farm truck hot rod.

CRUISIN' WITH DEERSLAYER Roadtrips, cruise-in's and truck show stories and tall tales.

TONY'S DUNGEON Tony Pascarella's forum entries at OldGMCtrucks.com and H.A.M.B. regarding Deerslayer, particularly the 302 GMC engine build in his farmhouse basement.

DEERSLAYER MAINTENANCE Ever changing detailing, oil change, lube, etc. maintenance routines specifically developed for Deerslayer, including required tools, materials and procedures.

PROJECT NAILHEAD Chronicles the rebuild of a 1954 Buick Roadmaster 322 nailhead engine as a future replacement for Deerslayer's Jimmy 302.

1. Getting Started

November 16^th 2008  Didn't do much for the first few weeks with Deerslayer. Went to several cruise-ins. At a friday nite cruise-in in West Palm Beach, a pinstripper had set up shop. I asked him about putting some pinstripes on Renegade. Rather than fixing the hurricane damage on the hood, I thought to accent the "character dents" with pinstripes and have him sign "Wilma" to the biggest one. I also said I'd like some pinstripping done on Deerslayer.

The pinstripper, hereafter known as "Sir James", looked at Deerslayer and said "how about now?". I thought fer a moment and said "Okay, what's the deal?" Sir James said "Twenty-five dollars? Fifty dollars worth?" I settled with him on fifty and he told me he could put one color (black) on the tailgate and a little on each side of the cab for that price. I said great and off he went. Well, Sir James did what he said he would do and kept on going. He did the hood nose before he quit.

It wasn't dark yet and Sir James said he could do a second color (red) for an additional twenty-five dollars. I figured I already had seventy-five dollars worth so I said go ahead. He added red to all the same areas he had done in black and added pinstripes to the top of the headlights too.

Sir James asked me the next time I saw him if I wanted more pinstripes on Deerslayer but I declined. I think it's just about right as it is. With the pinstripping, I was hoping that people would be more observant and quit asking me what color I am painting Deerslayer but that was wishful thinking.

One of the reasons I like the cruise-ins more than the shows is that there's not an emphasis on "show n shine". I'm not much of a spit and polish guy and Deerslayer isn't a spit and polish truck. I do try to keep the engine pretty clean tho'. There was a cruise-in a few miles up the street last night and the Boss and I were going to go up there together. The last time we went to this one, he brought out the '39 Caddy "Frankie". Yesterday, he brought "Big Red" to the office. I heard the big Ford Motorsports 460 two blocks away when he arrived at the office. Derek drives his cars appropriate to their abilities. He drives Big Red fast. I'm happy to say that when we went to the cruise-in, Derek had his foot in it and Deerslayer didn't have any trouble keeping up with Big Red.

November 23^rd 2008  Slightly chilly this morning for south Florida. Changin' the oil in Deerslayer this morning so I decided to make a Fort Lauderdale beach run to warm up the engine. I haven't done that for a long spell now. It was fun but the battery was charging the whole way. Deerslayer has been turning over slowly on the starter this week and I think all those short runs with lots of stoplights and the headlights on in the dark of winter has been taking a toll.

This is the first oil change I've made with Deerslayer so it's a learner. The oil pan bolt takes a 1-1/8" wrench. The drain hole in the plastic drain pan is smaller than the oil pan hole and it almost overflowed. It would have if the vent had been closed.

While the oil was draining, I put the battery charger on Deerslayer's battery. When I first got this charger for problems with BillyBob, I had to remove the batteries to charge them 'cause I didn't have a heavy duty extension cord. It just wouldn't work with my 50 foot cord. When the Boss got the '39 Caddy, it had electrical problems so he got a 25 foot heavy duty cord and it will work if you can get the vehicle close enuf to the building. That's a good thing because I'm pretty shure you have to remove Deerslayer's floorboard to get the battery out. The battery was only at 50% when I put the charger on it.

I managed to get the old oil filter off without mangling it. Tony said it's a Ford filter and the only place I saw him mention a model number was PH2 on the OldGMCtrucks message board. I cross-matched PH2 to come up with a WIX 51372 which does match some modern Ferds. Now that I got 'em sitting side-by-side, I'm a bit uneasy. I like Tony's pick better. The WIX doesn't look substantial enuf. Now that I have it off, I can see the brand and part number on Tony's selection. It's a Purolator PureONE PL30001. I went in the Krash Lab and ordered a couple of those online.

Back out under Deerslayer, I couldn't get the WIX filter on. After some intarweb research, it turns out to have a larger metric thread than the SAE 3/4"-16 required. I'm a bit relieved. I took Tony's old filter, cleaned it up and filled it with fresh oil before screwing it back on. I found out that the proper WIX equivalent number is 51515 but I'm sticking with PureONE for now.

Put somewhere north of 7 quarts of Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil 20w-50 in the crankcase. Don't know xactly 'cause in all the whoopla over the oil filter confusion, I fergot to put the drain plug back in the oil pan. Damnation! Think I lost about a pint before I figured things out. Then I had to go inside and get a magnifying glass to see where the oil came up on the dipstick too. Gettin' old is a pain in the butt. Unhooked the battery charger and started Deerslayer up. Cranks better with the charging. Backed the truck up and let it idle while I cleaned up oil. See, I can make a big production out of anything, even a simple oil change. I'm finished with my fungus meds that were keeping me dry so the beer of the day is Atlanta Brewing Company's Red Brick Brown Ale.

November 27^th 2008 Thanksgiving Day  It was a bone-chillin' 52 degrees in south Florida when I got up and underway today. First order of biznes was to clean up Deerslayer. I'm using a product I read about on the H.A.M.B., Wash Wax All from Aero Cosmetics. This stuff is sprayed on and wiped off and the big deal for me it that it can be used on flat surfaces like Deerslayer's epoxy primer finish. I did the body, bed wood, windows, chrome and rubber. When finished, Deerslayer looked pretty much the same 'cept cleaner and that's exactly what I wuz hopin' for.

I want to install a battery cut-off like BillyBob has. I decided to remove the floorboard to see what would be involved. It was easier than I first anticipated and I had it off in about ten minutes. it was interesting to get a close look at the brake and clutch linkages from a different angle and understand how they work a little better. Now, I've got to research and order the cut-off switch, battery cable and terminals.

Put the floor board back in and messed around with the door handles fer awhile. I would like to put sleeve bushings of some sort on the handle shafts to tighten them up a bit. Several months ago, I bought calipers for measuring and now I can't find the tool. Same as it ever was. I went back to detailing.

The Wash Wax All Starter Kit comes with a bottle of Wash Wax All Degreaser. This is stronger than the regular formula and recommended for wheels, tires, engines, etc. I went to work on the wheels and it did a good job. I was ruminating over pulling out the heavy-duty tire cleaner, hose and tire dressing for the tires. I decided to try the Wash Wax All Degreaser instead. Started with the spare and sprayed, agitated with the 3M Scrubber that comes with the kit, and wiped with the microfiber towel. Damn! This stuff is the cat's meow! It cleaned the tire and dressed it just enuf, not too shiny, all in one step! I'm liking this stuff.

Getting dark now. Time fer a cigar. The beer of the day is Saranac Octoberfest Lager.

December 1^st 2008  Found the calipers I was lookin' for in a box of jeep parts in the shed. I used them to measure the outside diameter of the door handle shaft and the inside diameter of the hole in the door. I came up with 0.745" and 0.825" respectively. Determined I was looking for a sleeve bushing with a 3/4" inside diameter and 13/16" outside diameter. Couldn't find a bushing to meet those specs on the McMaster-Carr website so, I tried another approach and ended up ordering one foot of FEP Teflon Tubing.

December 6^th 2008  Met my friend John Ray and his truck "Sherwood" this morning for coffee and his intro to Deerslayer. Several passerbys also wanted a tech review. The tubing from McMaster-Carr arrived on wednesday. I took out the door handles and removed the electrical tape that Tony had wrapped them with. Hey, he's an electrician and sometimes it's whatever you have in your toobox. This is not a go fast item so it's not as important in the overall scheme of things. I drive the truck every day and lock it up a couple of times a day. The door handles get more of a workout now that Deerslayer doesn't live in a comfortable garage anymore.

I hacksawed off a 1-1/2" length of the tubing for the passenger side handle and slipped it on. It was snug and I drew first blood on Deerslayer when I slipped. Just a cuticle cut, no biggie. Put the handle back on the door and it works better than I'd hoped for. The assembly is nice and solid now and the snug fit keeps the "bushing" from sliding longitudinally. The driver side was similar except that the tube length was only 5/8" inch. I thought they would be the same and if I had actually found sleeve bushings, at least one of them would have required modification. Both door handle fits feel good.

December 13^th 2008  Chilly morning. Got started by charging up Deerslayer's battery. It's down to fifty percent again. This problem should go away when the days get longer and I'm not using the lights as much. I'm using new software to keep track of the four vehicles. It's called "CarCARE" and it's telling me it's time for monthly maintenance. That's next.

After maintenance, I worked on BillyBob fer awhile. When I came back to Deerslayer, I set about installing a battery cut-off switch. I had ordered five feet of #1 battery cable, a keyed disconnect switch, cast copper compression fitting battery terminal and three lug terminals from McMaster-Carr and they arrived a week or so ago. I set about wrestling the mini van seat out of the cab. This is the first time and I was happy toe see Tony had not left me any nasty surprises.

A location for the switch on the seat base was determined and I hunted down my 5/8" hole saw. Cut the hole and placed the switch thru from the back side. Picked the biggest drill bit that would fit thru the mounting hole on the switch and drilled the first hole thru from the back using the mounting hole in the switch as a guide for the drill. Then went hunting for fasteners. Found a pair of stainless steel #10-32 x 3/4" machine screws and nuts in my Harbor Freight assortment that fit nicely. Grabed a couple of suitable flat washers that had been sitting on top of a Krash Lab file cabinet for years, and some Threadlocker Blue. Placed the first machine screw and hex nut. Then, drilled the second mounting hole and installed the second machine screw fastener.

Removed the floor mat, boots, insulation and floor pan. Examined the existing battery connections. Removed the existing battery strap ground. The new cast copper lugs are too small to fit on the engine mount bolt that the strap ground was connected to. The new ground lug will attach at the bellhousing bolt where the original foot "stomp" starter button linkage was anchored. Tony has some other ground wires on this bolt too. One end of the new cable was stripped and fitted to a lug terminal. I didn't have a heat shrink sleeve big enuf for this application so electrical tape was used to finish off the connection.

Pulled the cable thru an existing hole in the floorboard under the seat. The cable was starting to look awfully short for the distance it had to go so I didn't leave any slack when I cut it off for the second lug terminal connection. The last lug terminal was attached to the remaining piece of cable. The other existing hole in the floorboard I wanted to snake the cable thru was too small for the cable. It was also too far away from the Battery for the amount of cable I had left. Curses! I put the drill away too soon. Getting rained on over the years has put me in the habit of putting things away in the shadetree garage as soon as I finish with them. This habit does not carry over to the Krash Pad. Things tend to sit on my kitchen counter for years at a time. Got the drill out again and enlarged an existing hole closer to the switch to 1/2" diameter.

The lugs were anchored to the switch and the remaining stub of cable was stripped and run thru the floorboard hole to the battery. Looks like I have enuf cable afterall. I'm always surprised when I guestimate correctly. The cast copper battery terminal was attached to the cable stub and connected to the battery. I put the key in the switch and tested it before reinstalling the floorboard. Okay, done. The reason for the switch is two-fold: A simple anti-theft measure and a easy means to turn off the juice for electrical work. I put the switch on the ground side because I have one of these on BillyBob and before I moved it from the hot side to the ground side, I wuz burning out alternator diodes on a regular basis. Time for a cigar. Beer of the day is Christian Moerlein Brewing Company's Over The Rhine Ale.

December 28^th 2008  A good weather day. After exchanging Renegade for BillyBob up at the warehouse, I set about cleaning Deerslayer with the Wax Wash All solution again. I didn't have to charge the battery this week. I've changed my routine to arrive at the Krash Lab after dawn. That way, I'm only sitting at traffic lights in the dark, draining the battery, on my way home at night. Early last week, some spare parts arrived. A Airtex #AW36W water pump with the 7/8" pulley and a NAPA #25-22443 fan belt 11/16" x 44-7/8". Well, the fan belt is too narrow. It might work in an emergency tho'. I did what I shoulda done in the beginning. I turned the engine until I could read the markings on the existing belt. They were still readable and it is a GATES #TR28437 Green Stripe II belt 7/8" x 44 1/4". I found it at RockAuto.com and ordered one. See a pattern here? First the oil filter and now the fan belt. Sometimes, I need to be smacked upside the head a couple of times before I'll alter course and change my habits.

Didn't do much else. Wanted to go to the sunday nite cruise-in without stopping off at the Krash Pad fer a shower. At the cruise in, Fred, who owns a beaut of a '64 chebby sleeper (plain jane, hot engine) and an immaculate early fifties Ferd shoebox ragtop, gave me an xtra pair of tailgate chains he had cluttering up his garage.

January 19^th 2009  Too chilly this morning to take Renegade's top down for a Fort Lauderdale Beach run but it warmed up nicely by the afternoon. It's been cold here all week and the three cruise-ins that Deerslayer and I went to didn't have very good turnouts. The good news is that Deerslayer won his first award at last nite's cruise-in. We won a bottle of wine which will be shared with my co-workers at our next office party. Tonite's cruise-in should have better attendance.

February 6^th 2009  I've noticed the last two times I performed monthly maintenance that the coolant level wuz down quite a bit. Wassup wit dat, I thought. Plugged expansion tank hose maybe? Well, It's developed into a radiator leak that I can actually see now. Bottom of the upper tank somewhere. Ordered a new aluminum radiator from Chevs of the 40's on tuesday. It's not here yet and the leak is getting worse. Decided on Bars Stop Leak as a temporary measure while I'm waiting for the brownshirts at UPS. Pulled the bottle of stop leak outta my BillyBob roadtrip supplies but after two years since I purchased it, it wasn't in very good shape. Mostly gum in the bottom of the bottle. I went to a FLAPS and got a newer bottle and some Prestone 50/50 coolant.

February 15^th 2009  The temporary stop leak fix has been working so far. I went to "South Florida's Biggest Weekly Cruise-in" on Friday nite. I've been meaning to get there for a long time but it's a sixty mile round trip, city drivin' all the way, and I just haven't gotten around to it. I took half a day off friday to get some time in at the gun range with some instruction from a retired cop, Lou Lupino, who happens to be in the "Just Us Motor Club", one of the groups I associate with round here. He mentioned heading down to the Cruise-in and I figured it would be a good time for Deerslayer to make his debut.

The Towershops Cruise-in is quite a show and it will be a regular for me now that I've gotten my feet wet. The group I hang with are early arrivals which are the traditional hot rods, customs and musclecar group and they stakeout the northwest corner of the parking lot in the late afternoon. Later, the rest of the lot starts filling up with the tuner, 4x4 and lowrider contingents. There is swapmeet vendor participation too.

When I got home to the Krash Pad a little after ten, I found the UPS guy had left Deerslayer's new radiator leaning against my door. I opened it up on saturday at the Krash Lab. It's a hot rod radiator by PRC so there will be some fitting and fab work involved. I got a couple of cans of Eastwood's Gloss Black Radiator Paint in the past week too but I'm not sure yet if I will use them on this radiator. I may leave it as is and use the paint later on BillyBob.

I'm glad I took friday afternoon off. I missed the first round of layoffs. My co-worker and friend, Mohammad Rahimpour, came in a little while ago to pickup his personal belongings. I didn't know that the boss had to let a couple of people go. If I did, it would have spoiled my whole weekend. Just damn! Okay, this is as good a spot as any to post this first Deerslayer tech episode to the website. I'm not in the mood fer any wrenching today.

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Issued Sunday February 15, 2009

Updated Tuesday May 1, 2018

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