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1971 D300 Utility Flatbed.

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Brutiss300

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Joined
Nov 7, 2022
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Location
Fresno, Ca
Just joined up here! Have 1971 D300 utility 8' flatbed w MH 440/727 combo. Made some small durabilty/drivabilty changes in 2000-2003! Trk came w propane 318/ 4spd(wish I'd kept this)w 5.13(?)diff gears. Added oil cooler/trans cooler, dual 30gal tanks, 50gal transfer tank, Sumitomo 8R17.5 tires/wheels (MH), Edelbrock dist/850cfm carb, Mallory ign! It's been parked in a friends barnyard since 2010 when I sold 5th wheel! Having it transported here this month. Will continue w eng mods/mechanical improvements etc once it's here near my shop! I was prof auto mech from 1970-1985. USAF 74-78. No photos now! I'll take some pics Thurs when I go to get it sorted 4 transport!
 
Welcome aboard from NJ. Best of luck with it & as you stated, pictures when you get a chance.
 
Welcome. You are going to need 60 gals. of fuel to get that combination down the road.
 
Thanks all! Yes, it uses gas! Pulling my 36' 5th wheel did about 10 mpg. Don't plan on driving it much. P/u heavy/long stuff at Home Depot etc. May do some commercial towing! Many things to sort starting w radiator rprs and carb clean 2 get it started after 14 yrs! MH 440 showed 27k+ miles when installed. 1976 MH had been sitting for some years! Compression is only 95-100 across cyls! I'm suspecting stuck rings! I'll dump some Marvel Mystery oil in, crank it a bit then let sit 24 hrs. Maybe I'll get lucky! 2192 Edelbrock cam kit and dual plane 2191 Edelbrock intake man. Have the 1⁷/⁸ headers already. Anyone have experience w this combo? That is...planning on this cam/intake.
 
Brutiss300 said:
Thanks all! Yes, it uses gas! Pulling my 36' 5th wheel did about 10 mpg. Don't plan on driving it much. P/u heavy/long stuff at Home Depot etc. May do some commercial towing! Many things to sort starting w radiator rprs and carb clean 2 get it started after 14 yrs! MH 440 showed 27k+ miles when installed. 1976 MH had been sitting for some years! Compression is only 95-100 across cyls! I'm suspecting stuck rings! I'll dump some Marvel Mystery oil in, crank it a bit then let sit 24 hrs. Maybe I'll get lucky! 2192 Edelbrock cam kit and dual plane 2191 Edelbrock intake man. Have the 1⁷/⁸ headers already. Anyone have experience w this combo? That is...planning on this cam/intake.
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I'm running the intake with a .484 purple shaft cam, 1 7/8 headers and 3" pipes out the back in my '66 Polara, it works nice for what it is. I get 13.6 @ 70 with a 275/60/14 and 3.55 8 3/4. The block is stock (other than the cam) from a '77 New Yorker, so same low compression.
 
I jealous as 8 was the best with the 24 ft. Class C. Eight has been the best with the 82 D350 with 360 gas. Doesn't make any difference if it's loaded or not. Could be the 4:56 gears.
 
Brutiss300 said:
Just joined up here! Have 1971 D300 utility 8' flatbed w MH 440/727 combo. Made some small durabilty/drivabilty changes in 2000-2003! Trk came w propane 318/ 4spd(wish I'd kept this)w 5.13(?)diff gears. Added oil cooler/trans cooler, dual 30gal tanks, 50gal transfer tank, Sumitomo 8R17.5 tires/wheels (MH), Edelbrock dist/850cfm carb, Mallory ign! It's been parked in a friends barnyard since 2010 when I sold 5th wheel! Having it transported here this month. Will continue w eng mods/mechanical improvements etc once it's here near my shop! I was prof auto mech from 1970-1985. USAF 74-78. No photos now! I'll take some pics Thurs when I go to get it sorted 4 transport!
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Brutiss300 said:
Just joined up here! Have 1971 D300 utility 8' flatbed w MH 440/727 combo. Made some small durabilty/drivabilty changes in 2000-2003! Trk came w propane 318/ 4spd(wish I'd kept this)w 5.13(?)diff gears. Added oil cooler/trans cooler, dual 30gal tanks, 50gal transfer tank, Sumitomo 8R17.5 tires/wheels (MH), Edelbrock dist/850cfm carb, Mallory ign! It's been parked in a friends barnyard since 2010 when I sold 5th wheel! Having it transported here this month. Will continue w eng mods/mechanical improvements etc once it's here near my shop! I was prof auto mech from 1970-1985. USAF 74-78. No photos now! I'll take some pics Thurs when I go to get it sorted 4 transport!
Click to expand...

Brutiss300 said:
Just joined up here! Have 1971 D300 utility 8' flatbed w MH 440/727 combo. Made some small durabilty/drivabilty changes in 2000-2003! Trk came w propane 318/ 4spd(wish I'd kept this)w 5.13(?)diff gears. Added oil cooler/trans cooler, dual 30gal tanks, 50gal transfer tank, Sumitomo 8R17.5 tires/wheels (MH), Edelbrock dist/850cfm carb, Mallory ign! It's been parked in a friends barnyard since 2010 when I sold 5th wheel! Having it transported here this month. Will continue w eng mods/mechanical improvements etc once it's here near my shop! I was prof auto mech from 1970-1985. USAF 74-78. No photos now! I'll take some pics Thurs when I go to get it sorted 4 transport!
Click to expand...
Hey all...having trouble posting! Don't think this is right! Help!!!?
Truck s/b here Tues! Excited!
 
Had an observation on tires! Put 8R17.5 Sumitomo radials on my trk from same MH I took eng/trans. These tires were installed MH 97. When sorting tires for transporting trk...1 out of 6 were flat/ruined! Other 5 had air,, looked perfect. No splits/checking/cracks in sidewall or tread! This seems incredible 2 me Worked as svc Mgr 4 Big O tires 75-78 and...had never seen anything like this! Of course tires then were nothing compared to tire technology/durabilty! Any thoughts?
 
I'd use them for a short one way run if needed, but I'm also running 30-40 (or 50!) year old bias ply on the same car for the last 10 years, and have a trailer with who knows how old mobile home tires on it going on 5 years.

If you do use them, don't be surprised if they go out at a bad moment.
 
Thanks7mopar!
I'll use them til I can't! In my experience, tires don't fail w/o some sign; splits, cracks, bubbles etc! Kind of in a state of disbelief over how great they look!
I use mobile home tires as well! Bought 2 new last Dec 4 my utility trlr. Still have a couple oldies(25+yrs) for spares!
 
I am still running 16.5's. When Firestone quits making them, I hope a long time from now it's going to need something else.
 
Been looking at some bigger traction tires 315/75r16 for the back regular use! Lots of things 2 spend 700$ on so..... maybe chains r a better option 4 few times I need xtra traction! Rear-end is locker so....! BTW...I have unused set of headers 4 440. Not sure which body they fit...maybe A! I can ck serial #. Not sure how much I want. Maybe trade.... Freight is nuts $ these days so...dont kno.
 
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