Put #63 jets in the carb today, another improvement. I then tore the old carb apart. After what I found inside there I can't believe I won't see a gas mileage improvement with the new one. Besides being a grungy nasty mess they had 66 jets in the primaries, the steel plate under the secondary metering plate was missing and they had a super light spring in the secondary diaphragm with one full coil cut off. Great setup for a nice light car with some decent gears. For a full size truck with 2.94's not so much.

 

I used some carb cleaner on it today and cleaned the inside out some,and i also worked on the fender some

 

Changed plugs, thermostat and finally got my new timing light so I checked the timing which was right at 10 BTDC. I had initially set the timing by ear, I advanced it to the point I got detonation under a load then pulled it back until it stopped. I also discovered that my fan clutch is not disengaging so I ordered a new clutch. I then ordered headers and a Renew kit and extra jets for my 390 Holley. I'm not happy with the 600, it works "good" but it's still too much carb for a basically stock 318 in a heavy vehicle with an automatic and 2.94 gears. Talked to the muffler shop about doing an exhaust system after I install the headers, I'm doing 2" pipe off the reducers into a dual inlet/single outlet long body turbo muffler with a 3" tail pipe. That will probably be it for awhile. My Studebaker is getting jealous.

 

Hey,

I did a tuneup on my 89 D150 today and wow, the difference that made. I purchased a new cap, rotor, plugs, pcv, breather and all that fun stuff. I also took care of some wiring issues from the previous owner and its coming along nicely.

This D150 is turning out to be a decent beater with a heater

 

Did the cap, rotor and wires on mine yesterday too. Whoever did them last had the cap turned 180 degres so the indexing notch was off holding the cap up slightly. When the cap was properly installed my timing was 4* too far advanced. I also replaced the fan clutch, that in itself made a noticable difference in heater output, underhood noise and performance. I wonder how many people are driving around with bad fan clutches and haven't got a clue?

According to UPS Tracking my headers should be here Tuesday, I'm going to try and get those on and the new exhaust installed by next weekend.

 

Hi Rudebaker,

I was thinking of taking my fan clutch off and using an electric fan for cooling puproses as well as seeing if it really frees up some extra ponies. Most of my automotive experience thus far has been around electric driven fans. Even at college, the customer vehicles i have worked on for diagnosis and repair have had all electric cooling fans thus far.

Im hoping to run into a fan clutch issue soon though as im hearing removing the actual fan can be a bear sometimes.

Still, im trying not to get too involved with my D150 as i just bought it as a winter driver so i could garage keep and continue to work on my Mustang.

 

There seems to be different schools of thought on clutch vs. electric fan on older vehicles. Some say the extra load on the alternator offsets any reduction in drag from the mechanical fan. Personally I prefer the clutches, they either work or they don't, no sensors, no wires. I'm going to put one on my Studebaker as soon as I can find one that will fit my water pump.

I've never had one that was too hard to get off but there are always exceptions.

I didn't want to get too "involved" in my D150 either but............. It's our family spare and parts chaser. It has to be ready to go 24/7 rain or shine. After all this IS Illinois, sunny and hot one day, freezing and ice covered the next.

 

Hey Rudebaker,

Where in IL are you, im very south of Chicago, probably 45 mins south of the city.
I am actually looking for a few interior and exterior peices for my D150 if you have spares.

As for my D150, well, i basically bought it for a beater with a heater. Its goal is to get me to work and back as well as to college. The problem is, i get too attached to my vehicles sometimes and end up spending too much money on them. My main priority is my Mustang but slowly, this D150 is sucking me in. It does need a new drivers side floor and some rocker panel repair but its a pretty solid truck. Im not sure how long the motor will last though as its got 241k miles on the 318 and counting, same on the trans too.
Knowing my luck, ill dump a bunch of money into the truck on the body, have it looking all nice then bye bye goes the motor lol, which is something me and my wife are trying to avoid.

 

I'm on the other side of the state South of the Quad Cities. I have the opposite problem, my D150 is a rusty, faded and bent up POS with about 9,000 miles on a .020" over 318. I'll drive it until something major breaks then yank the motor and start looking for something else to put it in.

 

You guys talking about the fans i have heard of people with our trucks using fans from caravans/voyagers. They fit across and the height is off by like a inch or so.