1980 F150 4x4 Flareside Project

FuzzFace2 wrote

Does it make a difference what year it is as long as it runs good?

No sir, not really, I'm just curious what year truck it was pulled from.

My 3spd is long gone now. I sold it not long after removing it. I do have a spare 5spd, but it is a 2wd 5spd. I could still use it to crank the engine over I suppose. I may try that.

Stupid question, but what way does the crank rotate if I get under there and try to turn it? It is clockwise right, looking at the front end of the crank...or CCW looking at the back end. I will pull the plugs tomorrow and see if it will move.

The truck still has the SBF engine mounts in there, so if the 300 is bad it might end up with a 302...lol.

Rembrant wrote

FuzzFace2 wrote

Does it make a difference what year it is as long as it runs good?

No sir, not really, I'm just curious what year truck it was pulled from.

My 3spd is long gone now. I sold it not long after removing it. I do have a spare 5spd, but it is a 2wd 5spd. I could still use it to crank the engine over I suppose. I may try that.

Stupid question, but what way does the crank rotate if I get under there and try to turn it? It is clockwise right, looking at the front end of the crank...or CCW looking at the back end. I will pull the plugs tomorrow and see if it will move.

The truck still has the SBF engine mounts in there, so if the 300 is bad it might end up with a 302...lol.

From the bottom up how did they mount the 300 if the 302 parts are still in it?
Is the motor just placed in there and not bolted down?

I will have to check my truck on the direction it turns but to see if it will turn by hand I don't think it makes a difference.
Could check the firing order on the cap and turn the motor and see what way the rotor turns to follow the firing order, 1-5-3-6-2-4.

It is either that trans or a bell housing just to mount the starter so you could see if it runs.
As for when it was made see if you can find the casting marks as it should list when it was casted.
Then you know it was casted before the install date think they say 6 months to a year before.
Dave ----

FuzzFace2 wrote

Do we know when they went to that style air filter over the tear drop type like I have on my truck?

A little Googling brought me back some results...

According to this thread, the engine should be between 1984-1986.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1208011-300ci-i6-engine-identification.html

Not that it matters much, but I was just curious what era/version the engine was, in case there were any changes.

FuzzFace2 wrote

From the bottom up how did they mount the 300 if the 302 parts are still in it?
Is the motor just placed in there and not bolted down?

The motor is bolted down, but tilted backwards some as there is no transmission in the truck to support it. The 300 oil filter is almost touching the driver's side SBF engine mount.

I was just thinking if it was a EFI motor the manifolds have all the holes filled.
IIRC when you put the EFI EXH manifolds on a non-EFI head the manifold has some empty holes.
Now I am not sure if it is running non EFI manifolds & head as I don't remember back that far LOL
Dave ----

Um, I like those crates and the dirt bikes in the background...

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Um, I like those crates and the dirt bikes in the background...

Ha! There are two bikes there that belong to the tech the works for me. One is a 1980 Suzuki...DR or RM or something...not sure, but it is a 2-stroke. The other is a Honda street and trail...newer...well, newer than the other one. I don't know much else about them.

The crates are equipment of ours that is waiting to be shipped.

It's handy to have the use of the shop at my work. I'll be using the forklift to pull the cab and engine, maybe today.

Well the 300/6 isn't seized by any means. I pulled the plugs today and sprayed some Kroil into the cylinders, and it rolled over (by hand) with ease. That's good news at least. I removed the carb and spacer and put it aside for inspection later on. I removed the cab and front clip today, and will pull the engine out of the frame tomorrow.

The frame is pretty ripe in this thing. Too far gone to repair likely...

But, I'm not throwing in the towel just yet. I don't mind doing some welding, it's just that it might need too much.

Well if you got air in the tire and the brakes aren't seized, at least it is rolling!  

I've seen far more Chevy's and Toyota's that fell clean in half than Ford's

Next up in my list of questions are these things...



This is how I received them. They were kept indoors, but were not covered or protected in any way, so they're full of dust, dirt, and debris.

If I go looking for bearing and seal kits for these things, can anybody give me any pointers? I know the front is a Dana 44 and the rear is a 9", but that's all that I know. Are there any year over year differences or changes that one needs to know about? Recommended parts or brands of kits? I don't need premium parts for this thing, but not junk either...middle of the road?...whatever.

Also, as far as other special tools required, will I need a special hub socket for the 4x4 front hubs?

Words of wisdom?

Just one thing of note, the 1980-1982 4x4 F150s and Broncos had a bolt-in style stub shaft on the passenger side of the front differential. I don't recall if this meant there were differences in the internal gearset (I don't think so) but just verify before purchasing parts.

That 9" looks to be a LS type.
I think I would clean them up and just check the bearings and call it done.
If the bearings look bad then I would replace them.
On the rear axles IIRC the bearings need to pressed off & on and maybe to get to the seals?

I think a lot has to do with how much work do you want to put into this winter project and not have a frame to put them under?
Dave ----

FuzzFace2 wrote

That 9" looks to be a LS type.
I think I would clean them up and just check the bearings and call it done.
If the bearings look bad then I would replace them.
On the rear axles IIRC the bearings need to pressed off & on and maybe to get to the seals?

I think a lot has to do with how much work do you want to put into this winter project and not have a frame to put them under?
Dave ----

Dave,

I bought the thing for something to do. It was cheap enough I can sell off the parts for more than I paid for it, so if it ends up being scrap, then so be it. I'm hoping to have the frame pretty much stripped by the end of the week, so I'll have a better idea once I get it cleaned up and have a good look at it.

Thanks for the info on the 9". I'll get a better look at it tomorrow when I'm at work.

So the old '80 Flareside has been stripped...



I've so far confirmed that the 300 transplant is from 1984-1986, but now that I have it yanked out I see that it has the notorious 2G alternator in it? I guess this would more or less confirm the engine to be a 1986, assuming the whole thing was swapped out of another Bullnose complete (I assume that is what was done, and I honestly don't think that it was ever finished...I don't think the 300 even ran in this truck).





The alternator was plugged into the harness, and I didn't notice any splices, but I wasn't looking for one either. The truck still had the fender mounted voltage regulator.

I'll check the harness tomorrow as it is all wrapped up with the cab.

You really have it stripped.  

That alternator is surely from an '86.  So you are probably right that the engine is as well.

So, how bad is the frame?

Gary Lewis wrote

So, how bad is the frame?

The Swiss parts of the frame appear to be in good condition...that is, the frame rails themselves are mostly fine. It might need a patch or two in the rear, but that's just typical stuff for around here. That doesn't bother me. That's relatively easy Saturday afternoon stuff.

The Mildly bad is that it needs a couple crossmembers. The one under the rear of the cab is bad...and they always are around around here. Eventually the cab mounts fall right through the crossmember. That's not the end of the world...they can be fixed with the frame saver kits...or just steel plate. I don't mind doing that. The difficult part is that the angled brackets are bad...or the gussets that run from the bottom of the frame rails to the bottoms of the crossmembers. These are unique pieces...the ones under the rear of the cab have the access holes for the cab mounts, and the ones aft of the cab fit against the gas tank. Thankfully they were the same for 17+ years....but getting them is the hard part. They're surely not easy to remove from a parts truck.

The worst part so far are the front frame horns. They're bent...both of them, significantly. Straightening them is not really going to work. I can cut them off and replace them...and the passenger side seems very easy...it's just a piece of bare channel really, but the driver's side is a little more complicated with the steering box structure.

I stopped by the junkyard today on the way home from a small trip, and the parts I need are all there...nice condition stuff too, but how to remove them?...That's a lot of rivets to drill out while laying on your back in the gravel...lol. There's a 1996 F150 there with what appears to be a southern frame under it. Crossmembers are mint...so I'm contemplating laying in the gravel...

There's also an '86 there with perfect front frame horns. I guess if I can get the two core support bolts out, I could cut the horns off with a recip saw?...

I really don't know...I'm just rolling it all around in my head.

Cory,
That alternator isn't 2G (with a charge lug and a shield behind the pulley)

Maybe Leece-Neville?

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Cory,
That alternator isn't 2G (with a charge lug and a shield behind the pulley)

Maybe Leece-Neville?

I don't know...it's quite a bit different from the old 40amp 1G that is still in my '84, and that's about all I know. I was just curious what it was, and if it could help me ID the year of the engine in any way...although it doesn't matter much really. The engine appears to be an '84-'86, with it more likely being an '85 or '86.

I hate doing rivets on my nice flat concrete pad, you'll hate them even more in the gravel at the junkyard. I've seen plenty of junkyards with the trucks that are missing the back half of the frame. Maybe ask them for a price and whether they will cut or allow you to cut and take a back half home.

You are spoilt for choice, as they say in the UK.  Lots of options, we'd say.  But, is it worth it to resurrect the 1980 frame?  How is the '86 frame?

I ask because drilling all of those rivets is NOT easy.  My approach finally came to an air chisel to take the head off and then drilling what was left to take the pressure off.  Then you can drive them out.  But it is SLOW.