Getting my vintage mini truck ready for towing

[Donna D.]

Chris, you are a loooong way from Portland, Oregon. But there's a whole bunch of hot rodders in PDX. Have you checked with Benz Spring to get EXACTLY what you want? Over the years, I've purchased six sets of coil springs from them... great CUSTOMER service: Benz Spring Company Home Page

[chuyler1]

Thanks for the link Donna. Maybe I'll give them a call.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by chuyler1

Thanks for the link Donna. Maybe I'll give them a call.

Phone calls are cheap compared to fitz to starts. Be sure to tell them a member of "Henry's Half-Tons" recommended them.

Good luck!!

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by chuyler1

Oh and did I mention is was 90 degrees and 100% humidity? My wife overheated in the truck (no a/c) but the cooling system did not.

Wow! New record dew point for the United States!

Kidding... I'm sure it was hot and humid... Just not THAT humid!

[MC1]

As far as drive train cooling goes very humid air helps more that very dry air.

[chuyler1]

Originally Posted by mcbrew

Wow! New record dew point for the United States!

Kidding... I'm sure it was hot and humid... Just not THAT humid!

Weather History for Concord, New Hampshire | Weather Underground

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by MC1

As far as drive train cooling goes very humid air helps more that very dry air.

I agree.
That's why old British cars overheat everwhere except back in Britain, where they are fog-cooled.

Sorry, couldn't resist

[chuyler1]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I agree.
That's why old British cars overheat everwhere except back in Britain, where they are fog-cooled.

Sorry, couldn't resist

LOL, I think you're on to something. Maybe that's why the tow ratings are higher for the same vehicles in Europe too!

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by chuyler1

Weather History for Concord, New Hampshire | Weather Underground

100% relative humidity is when the temperature equals the dew point. In that weather record, this happened only at lower temperatures; during the hottest time, it was 46%. The graph shows this, but way the numbers are reported in text is somewhat confusing. The whole idea of relative humidity makes sense, but I doubt many people understand it, unless they're really into weather or an area of technology such as HVAC.

Now, about those springs...

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

100% relative humidity is when the temperature equals the dew point. In that weather record, this happened only at lower temperatures; during the hottest time, it was 46%. The graph shows this, but way the numbers are reported in text is somewhat confusing. The whole idea of relative humidity makes sense, but I doubt many people understand it, unless they're really into weather or an area of technology such as HVAC.

Now, about those springs...

Right... I other words it may have been 90 degrees that day, and it may have been 100% humidity that day... But it wasn't both at the SAME TIME that day. 90 degrees F at 100% humidity would have been a de point of 90. The record high humidity in the United States was a dew point of 88.

Relative humidity is not a very good measure of how it 'feels' outside. Dew point is the number you want. Anything over 70 is pretty nasty.

If it was 90 degrees and 46%RH, the dew point was about 67. Right now, at my work, it is 76 degrees (chilly summer) and 91%RH, which is a dew point of 73.

[Night Sailor]

Cool looking pickup. Is it a manual?

[chuyler1]

Yup. 4 on the floor.



I got a line on some '75 Ford Courier springs. I'm thinking they could work if they aren't too worn out. $40 + shipping. Worth a shot I guess.

[chuyler1]

Made another trip this weekend. I posted a separate thread about getting a WD hitch since I think I'll need one if I plan on logging a lot of highway miles.

It was another 90 degree day that really stressed the drivetrain. Because of heavy traffic I spent most of the 2 hour ride in the right lane behind other cars going 60-65 mph. I got up to 70 mph a few times but only on downhills. We were heading north on I-93 in New Hampshire into the white mountain national forest. The big challenge was Franconia notch. It is a sustained 5% grade. The approach catches you off guard since the climb is gradual. At first I thought something was wrong with the truck. My speed started dropping from 65 to 60 to 55. By the time I hit 50 I realized my foot was on the floor and the rpms had dropped below 3,000. I had a slight uh-oh moment and then I noticed I was catching an 18 wheeler that had previously passed me. I shifted from 4th to 3rd and got the revs up over 4,000 and the little pickup came alive again. I followed the 18 wheeler through the notch at about 45 mph in 3rd without any more trouble. I watch the temp gauge bump from 1/4 to 1/3 but as soon as the road leveled off it dropped right back down.

So the little truck survived a 2 hour highway drive mostly uphill in 90 degree heat. I think once I get the WD hitch we will be ready to venture further from home (but we'll stay east of the rockies for now). My wife did mention as politely as one could do so in 90+ degree weather that A/C would be a nice option to have. We had the windows open, under dash vents open, and sail windows open and pointed directly at us....but there was no escaping the heat.

The next challenge was getting into our camp site. We had an escort to our spot that helped me back it up...but it was an uphill reverse into the site and I'm embarrassed to say I cooked the clutch a little getting it in there while the entire campground watched (it's hard to ignore a bright orange pickup). Of course when we got home on Monday I backed it into our driveway (3 times the distance) and got it next to my car lined up perfectly in one try. Figures no one was around to see my awesome job that time.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by chuyler1

Made another trip this weekend. I posted a separate thread about getting a WD hitch since I think I'll need one if I plan on logging a lot of highway miles.

It was another 90 degree day that really stressed the drivetrain. Because of heavy traffic I spent most of the 2 hour ride in the right lane behind other cars going 60-65 mph. I got up to 70 mph a few times but only on downhills. We were heading north on I-93 in New Hampshire into the white mountain national forest. The big challenge was Franconia notch. It is a sustained 5% grade. The approach catches you off guard since the climb is gradual. At first I thought something was wrong with the truck. My speed started dropping from 65 to 60 to 55. By the time I hit 50 I realized my foot was on the floor and the rpms had dropped below 3,000. I had a slight uh-oh moment and then I noticed I was catching an 18 wheeler that had previously passed me. I shifted from 4th to 3rd and got the revs up over 4,000 and the little pickup came alive again. I followed the 18 wheeler through the notch at about 45 mph in 3rd without any more trouble. I watch the temp gauge bump from 1/4 to 1/3 but as soon as the road leveled off it dropped right back down.

So the little truck survived a 2 hour highway drive mostly uphill in 90 degree heat. I think once I get the WD hitch we will be ready to venture further from home (but we'll stay east of the rockies for now). My wife did mention as politely as one could do so in 90+ degree weather that A/C would be a nice option to have. We had the windows open, under dash vents open, and sail windows open and pointed directly at us....but there was no escaping the heat.

The next challenge was getting into our camp site. We had an escort to our spot that helped me back it up...but it was an uphill reverse into the site and I'm embarrassed to say I cooked the clutch a little getting it in there while the entire campground watched (it's hard to ignore a bright orange pickup). Of course when we got home on Monday I backed it into our driveway (3 times the distance) and got it next to my car lined up perfectly in one try. Figures no one was around to see my awesome job that time.

Cooler and no high heat index on this side of the rockies.

[MC1]

Originally Posted by chuyler1

Made another trip this weekend. [/img]

That is great. Sounds like it is going to work out for you

[Jared J]

Love that truck, looks great in front of the camper. Maybe look into something like vintage air down the road?

[Night Sailor]

I see you have a rotary engine. What is your fuel economy laden and unladed?

[chuyler1]

16-17 mpg without anything in tow. Lowest was 15.7 highest was 17.5. I don't have concrete numbers for towing since I usually split gas tanks. I'm guessing it is around 12-13 mpg.

[Night Sailor]

It is a cute truck.

Bruiser, my '01 diesel Silverado, has slightly better mileage figures. I am getting 17.5 mpg highway. I have been getting that around town and in stop and go commuter traffic too. It doesn't change. I have not towed much since I started using a fuel treatment which boosted my fuel economy 10%. So I can't say what my laden mpg will be. I am hoping for above 15 mpg with my camper. I am rebuilding it to be as light as possible.

I have one more modification I want to do. My Duramax diesel came with a restriction on two of the exhaust cylinders--a detent for the steering column that was not needed as the designers later installed a lift kit to clear the transmission. I bought one of those unrestricted exhaust manifolds and that will improve my efficiency slightly when under a load and reduce my Exhaust Gas Temperatures (EGTs).

The Wankle engine is a cool design. It is unfortunate its fuel economy is poor. I still like it. It is a maneuverable rig and a nice looking pickup. Post some more pictures if you like and keep us posted on your adventures.

[chuyler1]

I'll keep the photos coming. I've started a blog and need to make some updates. I tend to just poor my words out on forums rather than compose them for the blog.

The rotary has shown to be a great track day performer but just doesn't have the gas mileage to compete with today's piston engines. I know Mazda has some plans for the future and there are other small firms working on their own rotary inspired solutions, but I think it will always be a novelty.

I like my truck because it is unique and rare. I've always been an auto enthusiast but I like to see cars and trucks out there on the roads getting used. Whether you pay $10,000 or $100,000 for a vehicle, if you don't intend to drive it you should just buy some artwork to hang on your wall instead.