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006Shop manual

The shop manual

Torque figures, failure modes and the two things that turn a two-hour job into a weekend. Written by people who have done them, not by a content agency.

SHEET
006
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SHOP MANUAL
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1:1
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Diagnostics

Why your flat-tappet camshaft went flat, and the oil that prevents it

Modern oil had the zinc taken out of it to protect catalytic converters your 1969 truck does not have. Here is what that does to a flat-tappet camshaft, and how to avoid it.

The CLASSIC PARTS GARAGE counter9 min readAug 30, 2026
SHEET 006 · FIGURE 01
WHY YOUR FLAT-TAPPET CAMSHAFT WENT FLAT, A
Diagnostics

Why your classic runs hot, in the order worth checking

Overheating is nearly always cheap to fix and rarely the radiator. Work through it in this order and you will usually find it in the first three steps.

10 minMay 3, 2026
Diagnostics

Tracing electrical faults on a fifty-year-old harness

Nearly every intermittent electrical fault on an old vehicle is a ground, a connector, or a bulkhead pass-through. Almost none of them are the component.

11 minApr 26, 2026
Diagnostics

Your gauges are lying: grounds, senders and instrument voltage

If every gauge reads wrong together, it is one fault, not four. If one reads wrong, it is that circuit. That distinction saves an afternoon.

8 minApr 19, 2026
Diagnostics

A vibration at 60 mph: driveshaft, U-joints, or wheels

The speed it appears at, and whether it changes under power, tells you which end of the vehicle to look at. Guessing means replacing parts that were fine.

9 minApr 12, 2026