derf

If the repair costs are more than the write off value, they won't really budge over that. For some of these rigs, you'd really be better off with an "agreed value" policy. It costs more but you get the agreed value covered instead of whatever blue book is

Purple wire is likely the sending unit wire. They're together in the tank.

Could be 80-86 model with a heavy duty AMC 20 rear end.

You must mean drain back valve. The pressure relief valve is built into the pump housing on the AMC V8.

Sounds like you may want to get a lawyer involved.

They're awful everywhere else too.

Having moved around a lot, I've found that the quality of the employees varies widely between stores. Some places AutoZone has the good old graybeards. Sometimes it O'Riley. And it can change as people come and go. Most of the time I research the part I want and find a good vehicle to respond with when they ask make/model/trim. It's just easier to do that than explain to them what you're doing. Though sometimes you can get to know the staff and they know you know what you're doing and just go grab the part you ask for. What irritates me is the "expert" employee who offers really low quality advice based on a lack of real understanding but they're at the peak of the Dunning-Kruger slope.

Magnum box is in

Yeah, unfortunately the 4 cylinder and 2WD will turn off many buyers at any price. Though a motivated buyer wanting a good condition truck for an engine swap would probably love it. Distance to that buyer is a significant impediment as well. Put it up on Bring A Trailer or Ebay, or both. Someone will see it there.

Yep. That will be the killer for most people not close to me in Denver.

I've had a couple of Centerforce clutches in my day. I get the CF or CF-II for stock replacement-ish applications and they perform well. I've heard good things about LUK as well. Stay away from the so-called high performance clutches. They tend to be less fun to drive every day. Good for performance driving, less so for daily use.

Likely not. I do already have the tubing bender along with a welder for other projects. That's the big up front expense. I'm going to build one for myself and at least one or two others regardless so buying the die for the bender will happen. I don't expect to sell many. And I'll probably lose money. But I'm not doing it for profit anyway. If a few people really want them I can make them once I get set up later this summer or fall.

I loved him in Blues Brothers.

That and exhaust tubing would dent way too easily just throwing stuff in the bed and letting it slide around. Not to mention trying to attach anything to it or trying to use it as a tie-down for a load. Cosmetic is fine but I want to be able to do truck stuff with my truck.

Because 16 gauge is way too thin for a legitimate roll bar. I don't need super thick wall tubing. Not even .120 wall. But something thicker than 16 gauge is needed.

Fair point. I can try it both ways. It may be good enough without or it may not look right. I was thinking about packaging for shipping as I thought about multiple sleeved pieces. If I cut it in 2, there are 2 pieces with a 90-ish degree bend taking up a lot of space in 2 dimensions. With 3 pieces, it still takes up room but may be a little more compact for shipping purposes. It's all speculation at this point though. I still need to get the die and some tubing to practice with first.

Yeah, though it would probably have to be an uneven split at the top. There is a slight bend in the center top. So the cut would have to be away from there to one side or the other. One thought is to make the main hoop in 3 pieces. The top section would have the center bend and the two outside bends going down. And cut maybe 3-5" at least down from those bends. Or probably right where the back legs attach. Then you'd have two pieces from the floor to the top bar. The user would have to weld 5 total segments together. The 3 pieces of the hoop and the stringers going back to the wheel well.

I'm still thinking about ways to make shipping easier and cheaper. It'll probably have to be shipped truck freight on a pallet. But if I can ship with the legs not welded on, it would likely save some on the cost. I could also do a segmeted hoop with some sleeves at the joints so it could fit in a box. I could cut it between the bends. That would require more welding and finishing. But it would be much easier and cheaper to ship.

I've had an idea rattling around in my head about reproducing a factory style roll bar. I have a tubing bender (JD squared) that I'm going to use to build a custom cage for another project, along with a few other things. I got the bright idea to take a factory rollbar and make what amounts to copies. Easy enough, right? Well, there's one snag. The biggest die I can get only fits 2.5" tubing. The tool doesn't support bigger. The factory bar is 3" tubing. I know I won't mind when I build mine. But I know some of you out there would love for someone like me to offer them up for sale. Question is, would people want them if they were made out of smaller tubing? Let me know your thoughts...

I have a set of springs handy. I can check them after work.

There are two styles. On some trucks, the helper springs are separated from the main pack above the axle and the frame has bump stops that the springs contact when the main springs compress enough. The other style looks like the picture above. They are directly integrated into the spring pack. They have less arch than the main springs. As the springs compress and flatten out, they compress against the load springs and the spring rate is added to the main leaf pack. The second style is easy to install and is a good compromise. Unloaded, you don't compress enough to hit the higher spring rate. Loaded, the helper springs just automatically kick in.

Not a lot of progress. Some drama is keeping it on hold. But I have been taking parts out of boxes and assembling a few things just to clear some shelf space. Got the brakes on the front axle. Also got the NP205 rebuilt, preparing for the Magnum box install.

Used, in good shape. On my pile of parts.