SDP45

I appreciate the link, even though I may be out of luck. Or, I need to find a friend with a 3d printer who would be willing to knock one of these out. Thanks! Dan

The handle on my tailgate broke in a different spot. I had repaired it years ago and it held really well. I sprung for a handle off of Amazon, thinking it has to be in better shape than what broke. What I didn't consider was my escutcheon. I could just put it back in as is, but I thought a replacement would be best. I can't find one, short of looking for an even older one off my parts truck. Has anyone been able to find these? I had to look up the name in the repair manual. I had no idea what this was called an hour ago: Dan

Mine got some hood damage, not seen in the photo, from another incident a few years ago. I need to see if I can get a hood too.

I wish I could help you. I was fortunate to find a lower mileage parts truck, though it had the engine previous to the Z22. It made it easy to rob parts from without trying to find a new equivalent. Dan

I ordered a similar one as a backup in case this one get further crunched. Dan

Now that the forum is back, I can add the photo!

I plowed 4 miles in an open cab backhoe. Brr! I can't otherwise drive said 720 in the snow without some weight in the back.

I know where all the blames falls!

Edit: Adding picture of the carnage. I was plowing snow today and swung my backhoe a wee bit too close to my 720 and crunched my front grill. This was my backup grill form the parts truck I used to have. I think I could epoxy the whole thing together. I just got it running again after the last repair and I was kicking myself for not being a bit more careful. These things are getting hard to find! Dan

This was my problem. No turn signals, no 4 ways. I had power at the 4 way switch. I wound up taking apart the 4 way switch by removing it from the housing then prying back the 6 prongs holding the switch together. The ribbed copper plate had a good layer of dirt, as did the 5 contacts it connected with. I carefully cleaned all the pieces and then lost the spring that was under the copper plate. I fashioned a new spring from a ball point pen spring, then put it all back together. I then folded the prongs back in place. I restored power at the battery and then tested. The 4 way relay was clicking, and I had the driver side lights blinking. I turned that off, turned the key to ON, and then turned the turn signal on for a turn. It worked! I think I have a bulb issue in back right, but the front right worked. Both left lights worked. I had to rebuild both tail lights and then the front running lights, so I'm not surprised that I might still have a signal bulb issue, as I wasn't able to fully test it until this point. Thanks datzenmike. My 82 720 has signals again! Dan PS: What started all this for me was my daughter was using the truck as her daily driver when the right ball joint failed and the truck skidded to a stop. I replaced all the ball joints and tie rods on both sides. Put new inner and outer bearings in, new brakes, and new shocks. Might as well get everything changed out while I'm in there! The tail lights weren't working well, so I found a donor truck at a nearby wrecking yard and got the housing and related harness to the mid-frame connection. Put in a new license plate light. I got stopped for having that out once. Anyway, the blinkers haven't worked in a while, so might as well tackle that too. This thread was great help there. The horn relay seems to be out, so I have a new one on the way. I did a backyard wheel alignment, but will get a pro to get it dialed in next.

I was able to pull out the bucket style bench seat in my 82 for a bench seat from my 81 parts truck. Most of the bolts were a correct fit. I was worried the seat would not stay in place properly, being modified to fit the newer truck, but that was four years ago and no troubles at all.

Thanks for the tips about tightening. I'll be sure to do this.

Truck is back and is working great. The headgasket was shot, but not blown. Did find that the oil pressure sensor had blown out! Dan

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately, one of the bolts was stubborn and broke during removal, so I had to get a new one anyway. I figured I might as well replace them all. Dan

I've had this truck for 5 years now, and am the second owner of it. The first owner kept meticulous notes. Some were written on the sun visor, some on the air cleaner, some on the toolbox in the bed. That said, the first owner told me that near every replaceable part had been changed out during his time, except the clutch. About 200 miles after I got it, the clutch went. Payment for the labor to replace the clutch was 1/2 gallon of whiskey plus parts. I've got a parts truck for it, but I think it is a 1981 720, with the older L engine, instead of the Z22 in mine. I've tried to grab as many parts off of it I might need, as my uncle has been using this same part truck for his 1982 720 diesel king cab. The seats in my truck were pretty shot, but the parts truck had a bench seat in perfect condition that was a near perfect fit. The carb was changed to a Weber 2 years ago. It seems to run better now. That said, I've not been able to use it for the last month, as it blew the head gasket. I had a pretty hard time with a very inept staff at the part store getting a gasket kit. Then I had a hard time finding head bolts. Ugh! It should be back in service tomorrow. My buddy made a headache bar for it, so I can strap long loads over the cab, without beating the cab up. Its got some body rust, so I've had to sand it from time to time. The radio is held in place with a bungee cord, but still works. The speakers are held in place with baling wire. I'd like to put more time into it to get it in better shape. Dan Ephrata, WA