Tractor Nurse Truck

Thought I'd put up a picture of my old nurse truck. This is the truck I carried diesel fuel, oil, grease, jacks and tools for my tractors & machinery.

Bought it new in '78 with 2 miles on it. Now, it has over 600K miles and has had 7 engines, 4 transmissions and 3 rear differentials over the years.

It mostly just sets now, but it still runs like a top and would do anything I ask of it.

Thanks for looking,

Allan

Are there many of those trucks for sale in NE?

--->Paul

Things always look better in pictures. Just like our old tractors. :>)

It is a 1978 model and I repainted it once in 1988. The only original parts on the truck are the cab, rear and side glasses and the box.

Everything else has been replaced at least once, one time or another. It started out as a "Big 10" 2 wheel drive and I converted it over to a 4x4 in the middle of a blizzard back around 1980 or so.

That front end is out of a '75 blazer with the Suburban 3-leaf springs and it still has the original ’75 ball joints. Still tight as can be. To get the rear end height right, I had to use lift blocks out of a dodge 4x4. :>)

Also, I converted it to diesel in '85 then back to a gas 400 small block again in '89. Prior to the diesel, it had a 454 propane engine. It now has a '95 350 Goodwrench engine and the 4L60 tranny and aluminum transfer case.

Best engine of the bunch was that old 400 small block.

Allan

How are things down south this morning? A bit chiller here than yesterday, but what the heck, we're one day closer to spring.

GM's automatic transmissions use a "lipped" type seal for the most part. It is neither the miles nor the service that kills these things; it is the time in service more often than not. You can just about set your calender to a 7 year failure if you use the truck a lot.

Back when these old trucks came out, we didn't know about tranny coolers and such (even those old 400 grandads were burning to the ground), so I lost the first one towing a load of bulls to the sale barn. It overheated and I overhauled that one.

Third unit was a 350B/C lockup for economy, and finally went to the overdrive in '91.

In 1995, I replaced the complete engine, tranny and transfer case with new. So actually, guess it has had 5 trannys, come to think of it.

Allan

I am a GM man through and through....even though I know they have their weaknesses. The best truck I ever owned was an 82 Chevy Heavy Half 2wd. She was a BEAST. Couldn't kill her. It was a 3 speed auto and we didn't tow much with it...only light loads. A load of hay in the box was enough to slow that straight six down! But we put close to 350k miles on the original engine and tranny and finally sold it due to a serious case of rot...the new owner put all new sheet metal on er and she is still going to this day...as far as I know still no engine or tranny work. I don't know how the newer ones stack up long term but like anything you have good ones and bad ones....and everything in between.