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What’s up AI? I’m not skilled with cars or anything. The most involved job I have ever done on one is a valve cover gasket on a Volvo, followed by a fan clutch on an older Chevy. But I do like old vehicles, and it so happens that at a fan farm my mom owns with her sister there is a 1968 Ford F100 that hasn’t really moved since about 20 years ago. It was parked because the brakes were shot and to be honest it was a field truck for most of its life. I plan to clean it up, get it running again and get brakes on it. Currently it’s just old drum brakes but I am considering swapping in power disc brakes from a 1976 if I can find one at a junk yard and power steering from I believe a ‘79. Oh and I will need to drain all 3 gas tanks since they have been sitting for 20 years. The goal is to make it a driver. Maybe some day I can repaint it but let’s mot put the cart before the horse. I live 3.( 5 hours away from this truck so updates will be sporadic at best. Meet Old Blue:  Open Wide Blue!  A note in the exhaust- My Geandfather and his father before him farmed dry land wheat in Eastern Oregon. The average annual rainfall is 14 inches in a good year. That means that if you drive into a field on a hot day when the wheat is up, it wouldn’t be hard to set the field on fire. There is no DEQ out on that side of the state, and a vehicle built before 1976 is exempt anyway so while I’m not sure it’s legal to do this anymore I am going to keep it this way. My favorite shot:  Side view:         Under the hood:   I don’t think the air cleaner is stock. Dad apparently put a battery in it in 2010 and then just didn’t do anything else with the truck. 
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Jan 22, 2023 10:52
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| # ? May 6, 2024 00:41 |
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lmao this truck rules, i love the laguna seca pipes the body is in pretty good shape, considering how long it's been sitting! i think you have a really solid starting point here definitely looking forward to updates
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Jan 22, 2023 12:12
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This truck owns. These trucks are pretty well supported for most anything that you'd need to get it back into operational condition.
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Jan 22, 2023 17:17
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Love the truck. That exhaust is rad, don't ever change it.
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Jan 25, 2023 13:11
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A note on the exhaust: It fuckin owns bones
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Jan 25, 2023 15:12
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That thing is shockingly straight for a farm truck. The exhaust is hilarious. This truck rules.
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Jan 25, 2023 16:00
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Hell yeah, F5ing this thread. Whats under the hood of this thing? Obviously a v8 of some kind.
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Jan 27, 2023 01:29
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This looks like a pretty good project! Draining gas is gonna be the suckiest part, hopefully. Considering how far away you are from the truck, it might make sense to fire the parts cannon on some common consumables and take as many notes as you can when you're around it. I'd probably plan to fix the drum brakes. Once it's up and running you can do parts bin brake swap antics, but try to keep your list of variables small. Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 05:07 on Jan 27, 2023 |
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Jan 27, 2023 05:03
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wesleywillis posted:Hell yeah, F5ing this thread. I need to decode the vin to find out. The engine is coated in a protective paste of oil/grease and dirt. I do not believe it leaks though because she has plenty of oil in the oil pan. My understanding is that the 8cyl versions came with either the 360 FE or the 390 FE, with the 360 being more common. So probably the 360FE. Seat Safety Switch posted:This looks like a pretty good project! Draining gas is gonna be the suckiest part, hopefully. Yeah, I am just kind of split on spending $500 on new drums and shoes and wheel cylinders all around when I know that to drive it in the Western half of the state or in the mountains I am going to want disc brakes. Swapping the to power discs in front is like $700 and then I would still need drums, shoes, etc in back. But who knows, maybe the drums are still OK. I have never had the wheels off yet. Getting her cleaned and running is priority 1 right now. With the granny gear first brakes are not needed for around the farm.
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Jan 29, 2023 05:21
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That exhaust is awesome. That air intake is far from stock - it's a Donaldson Cyclopac, usually used on diesels I think? No loving idea why it'd be on a gas engine, unless maybe the original air filter housing was in rough shape or lost and "well this looks like it'll fit"-itis happened. That would be a lot more robust at quenching a backfire vs the stock one though, it's possible it went on for the same reason the exhaust is custom. And you're right on what engine it SHOULD have in it - 360 or 390. Likely 360. It definitely looks like one of the FE motors.. You're gonna want to get familiar with how to set points. Or just jump straight to Pertronix and make your life easier. Fuel pump is gonna be bad (even if it starts off it, it'll likely be dumping gas into the crankcase, but they're easy to swap). Carb rebuild for sure. And draining all that bonfire fuel. You might want to plumb a gas can into the fuel pump at first, just to get it running (keep a couple of fire extinguishers around too).
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Jan 29, 2023 09:22
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Thanks for the info. Looking at Donaldson’s website, it looks like they are designed for environments with lots of dust. This being a field truck might explain it. Or else yeah it could have been a part scavenged from one of the Allis Chalmers tractors they used to have up there. I think I have an old boat gas can somewhere that I might use to try and get it running. I have no idea what I am going to do with all that old, bad gas if it hasn’t all evaporated. I did notice that at some point a child (I’m assuming) took off the cap for one of the auxiliary tanks and left it in the bed. So that one is either going to be empty or full of water and/or sludge. I watched some videos about points a few weeks back and bought some feeler gauges in anticipation of having to deal with them. I figure I will probably want to bring some sand paper with me or buy a points file. I tried to buy one at Napa but they didn’t have one. You should have seen the look on the guy’s face when I asked about one though. Just total bewilderment. And then he had no clue what feeler gauges were either. As an aside, after watching videos about adjusting carbs and setting points, I am now addicted to Uncle Tony’ Garage on YouTube. It also made me realize that while I have hated working on every car I have owned since college, when I was in high school and college I actually enjoyed it and that was probably because I was working on a 1990 Caprice and a 1989 Sierra and there was plenty of room in the engine bay for my meaty hands and things still weren’t too complicated.
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Jan 29, 2023 18:37
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I'm kinda shocked someone at Napa didn't know what feeler gauges or a points file was - that's usually where the greybeards wind up. Owner must have brought his grandson to work that day  Feeler gauges are still very much used today, at least when you've torn into an engine far enough that the valve train comes out. I think I still have the set I got just out of high school, though I was using them to adjust the valves in my Hondas.But once it's running, either look into Pertronix, or converting to later model Ford Duraspark II ignition (fully electronic). I know you need a distributor from 76-79 for Duraspark (plus the module, wiring, cap, rotor, possibly plug wires), vs Pertronix (which replaces the points and breaker plate, resides fully or mostly in the distributor IIRC). It'll run and drive much better. Plan on either replacing the tanks, or at least pulling them and cleaning them. And 89 and 90 GM RWD V6/V8 is pretty down there on easy mode - didn't take much to make them run, but had basic throttle body fuel injection.
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Jan 29, 2023 19:28
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STR posted:I'm kinda shocked someone at Napa didn't know what feeler gauges or a points file was - that's usually where the greybeards wind up. same. napa is the only place i would expect would have a points file, and indeed i have bought two of them there at my store, it's on one of those spinny stand things in the aisle near the register
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Jan 29, 2023 22:57
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The guy was somewhere between 35 and 40. He had grey hair all up in his beard and hair. He had never heard of points or feeler gauges. Or di-electric grease.
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Jan 30, 2023 02:28
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Yeah, you found the owner's grandson. Or someone the owner felt sorry for. Obviously someone that don't know poo poo about poo poo, though all of the other parts stores will happily sell you dielectric grease ("headlight grease") in a tiny packet if you try to buy any kind of bulb, and go off on a spiel about how you'll ruin your bulbs if you don't use it.  When I say "greybeard", I'm talking boomer, not millennial (and 35-40 is solidly millennial). Someone old enough to have daily driven a car with points, when they were still a common sight on the road.
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Jan 30, 2023 03:33
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Napa's website finds the right tool if you search for points file, but the actual name in the system is "ignition file". Item number SER 2153, and it's in stock at my local store... probably yours too if you get a competent counter person. I often show up with a list of part numbers at a place like AutoZone. It's rarely necessary at Napa unless I need some weird poo poo and wanna save time. Oh and while I'm here, I have to reiterate that that exhaust is absolutely glorious. JoshGuitar fucked around with this message at 05:16 on Jan 30, 2023 |
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Jan 30, 2023 05:05
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Exhaust and truck owns. People kill for patina like that these days. Awesome.
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Jan 30, 2023 08:53
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hahah that things great. you could get this running in 10m if the motor wasn't seized before parking. Some fresh gas and a can of starter fluid and I bet it fires up. For the old gas in the tank just burn it in firepit or something. I ran into a similar problem of trying to find a use for 44 gallons of old gas/sludge from a boat's saddle tanks and could find nowhere near me that would take it at all. Ended up just making fireballs in the firepit for a few weekends until it was gone. Incidentally, watch your fuel filter for awhile after you drain the old poo poo out and run fresh gas. There's all sorts of old tricks to use to remove crap from the tank, but you might try cleaning the tank with marine clean or something similar if you're worried about it. The exhaust is hilarious! Will be a ton of fun at stop lights I bet...loud as gently caress and sniffing fumes  Neat truck
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Feb 23, 2023 21:23
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| # ? May 6, 2024 00:41 |
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That truck is in outstanding condition for a field piece. Bookmarked.
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Mar 23, 2023 17:33
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