81 F100 flare side custom with 300 six & T18

Gary Lewis wrote

I didn't help, but congrat's!!!!  

You were there in support and that helps
Dave ----

Wife is away and with 6 of our own fur kids and 4 foster kitten 2 at 4 moth old and all 4 need meds so got a late start on the truck.

I had to pick up a new battery. When doing the lights it died and would not start the truck with out a jump. Then when I got the dash done I left the battery hooked up and it died again. When charging it the battery got pretty hot to the touch and being 4 years old it got replaced.
I checked for a drain and found none so it should be good the next time I go to start it.

Before I moved it I wanted to tighten the lugs as they were just tight from up in the air.
All was going good till the last wheel and the 2nd lug nut! The shank broke off the nut part and I am thinking how will I be able to get the wheel off now? I was lucky and the wheel came off and I was able to unscrew the shank.

Then on to them pesky vent window assy.
Got to say the hardest part was fitting the new seals to the frames.
With seals & glass in the frames to was time to install them in the doors.
Got to say that went easy now that I knew how they went in.
I did have to trim the bracket for the outer skin from the other frame and it all went in.

Not wanting to fight with the glass channel at this time I pulled out the windshield and started to prep for install. Then dug out the 1 piece rear glass that I thought was a dark tint.
Well it is dark tint but it's a film I saw when I was going to remove the seal and did not.
Being the glass almost popped out in the roll over I will look the seal over better to see if I can use it.
I don't want to use the new seal that came with my seal kit as I want to get a slider rear glass someday and use that seal.

Fur kids were hungry so called it a day.
Dave ----

Seems like it was a good day.  

You got lucky on the wheel coming off.  And a new battery.  Plus the vent windows.  

But on the rear window, don't the fixed and slider windows use the same seal?  Are you thinking you'll need a new seal when you put the slider in?

Gary Lewis wrote

Seems like it was a good day.  

You got lucky on the wheel coming off.  And a new battery.  Plus the vent windows.  

But on the rear window, don't the fixed and slider windows use the same seal?  Are you thinking you'll need a new seal when you put the slider in?

It was not to bad a day. I almost did not go out after dealing with all the fur kids.
If that wheel did not come off I don't know if I would have done anything more to it that day.

I think the fixed & sliders do use the same seal I just did not want to use the new one on the fixed glass, saving it for the slider I want some day.
Dave ----

After the fur kids that went better today I was going to deal with the glass other than the windshield.

First up was the rear fixed glass. Little more prep mostly the old seal to clean and lube with dish soap along with the string. The hardest part was how to get into the bed holding the glass and not step on the tail gate to get the glass started. Most of the install is done from inside and it went good, little clean up and looks good. I even left the sticker on the glass.

That went so good I moved onto the doors being the vent assy. were installed.
Fitted the new door glass channels and that was not to bad either.
Why didn't you guys tell me the vent assy. had to come out to install the door glass?
So the new channel gasket & vent assy. came out and door glass in on both sides.
Also fitted the outside fuzzy (window sweep), the door panels are junk and don't want to hurt them.


On a roll I installed the door weather strips and the kick panels I painted yesterday.
Did a poor mans wheel alignment, toe only with a tape. I knew it was off as the wheel would make noise when moving on the painted floor of the house garage and it was by almost 1 inch.
By this time it was 5pm and fur kids were calling.
Dave ----

Looking good Dave starting to look more like a driver and less like a project;)

Aftermarket sliders are built with a flange so they can use the single pane gasket.

Factory sliders use a gasket with a 7/8"(?) run, because the tracks go all the way out where the fixed glass does.

Damhik.  😖

Rembrant wrote

Looking good Dave starting to look more like a driver and less like a project;)

Thanks yesterday before I went in I just sat there looking at it.
Man I wish the windshield was in I want to take that puppy for a spin!
I am off today so I want to nut & bolt the truck & check fluids as I have not done the trany or rear yet.
Also have the glove box, door sills, badges, jack & lug wrench to paint and mount and thinking I am missing things too.
Yes more like a truck but a project is never done you should know that

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Aftermarket sliders are built with a flange so they can use the single pane gasket.

Factory sliders use a gasket with a 7/8"(?) run, because the tracks go all the way out where the fixed glass does.

Damhik.  😖

I can tell you it will be an after market slider.
I can just think what a factory slider would go for $$$$$$
Then again if I get the AC working and I have the non-AC kick vents I may not need a slider.
Thanks for the heads up
Dave ----

Off from work today so did a bunch of little things as most of the big things are done. Took a lot of time looking for screws, etc.
One of the things was my box of cotter pins for the tie rods. I looked everywhere and found things I did not know I had but no cotter pins.

Put the grease fittings in the kingpins and greased them & the tie rods, that is all the truck has that I found.

Put screws in the kick panels I placed in the truck the other day. Picked the best set of door sills, drilled holes and mounted them.

Worked on the door mirror mounting hard ware. Lower nut inserts went in with no issues but the first upper one did not work and looking at the others a nut insert will not work.

The upper screws are right where the sport mirrors would mount but the nut have been drilled out but it left part of the nut. Because of this it is to thick for the nut insert to work, cant be thicker than sheet metal.

I picked up some longer bolts & SS washers, forgot nuts, and cotter pins from the hardware store and will make them work. Don't want to mount the mirrors till the windshield is in so it will not be in the way.

Cotter pins installed and checked suspension bolts & nuts, I did not find any loose

Wired up and mounted the speakers in the doors, got to have tunes even if the sound is not that good.

Looked into why the back up lights do not work. Found the plug on the harness that plugs into the switch on the trany was missing 1 of the barrel contacts.
I did not know if the parts truck harness was the same or not as it had a different model trany so what to do?
Pulled out the weather pack kit and a test fit of a 2 pin plug looked like it would work.  Cut old plug off and crimped on the weather pack, plugged into the trucks harness and did a test and that part worked.
Plugged into the trany and we have back up lights!

May need to pull the trany to reseal it as it is leaking and from the top and I have not driven it just moving in & out of the garage.
I will have to look at it closer to see just where it is leaking form maybe I can seal it in place?

Pulled out the baggie with the old badges in it for the "FORD" letters and to see what I need to get them on the truck. I have clips but would like to get new ones as some are bent and I straighten out.
I have new "F100" & "Custom" badges and they came with clips. Late start for work tomorrow so going to hit my auto paint supplier to see if they have any thing or know where I can get some clips.
Dave ----

Truck is looking SO GOOD!!

Wow, details, details, details.  Lots of little details.  But it is coming together!  

Gary Lewis wrote

Wow, details, details, details.  Lots of little details.  But it is coming together!  

Thanks guys
LOTS of details!
Now all the little things that did not look that bad when I first started are now looking pretty bad LOL
Dave ----

Ordered window crank handles and hardware as my truck was missing the hardware and the handles broken & painted over.

I also ordered new rear brake cables as the ones I have now (new) I think are the wrong ones because I cant get the park brake to adjust.

I also tried to order a new booster / master (loaded) and no one has any and I did not want to buy 1 of each at this time.
Dave -----

Rockauto should have the booster/master.

Ray Cecil wrote

Rockauto should have the booster/master.

Not "loaded" they don't, out of stock.
Loaded is you buy the booster and the master comes with it as a unit.

I checked 4 other places and they were all out of stock.
I think I could have gotten a booster and then a master but I did not want to do it that way.
I am going to drive it a little to see how it feels. I know the booster has a leak when you step on the pedal but it still stops when moving it.
Dave ----

I was told yesterday my glass helper will not help till Sunday, don't have a time but hope early morning.

My part order came Friday, window crank handles & hardware and rear brake cables.
Also checked on insurance as I wanted it covered for more than book value so for about $400 a year it is coved for$11,000 if the un-thinkable happens.

A little nap and hit the garage at 7pm till 10pm
Pulled the wheels to do the cables and before I pulled everything apart I measured the short cable and found they were the same and being both cables ended at the adjuster the cables were not why the park brake does not work. So will need to look in to why.

Hunted down the windshield chrome. I was freaking out because all I could find was the bent up ones from the parts truck. I found them above the work shop to be safe.

I then looked over the door panels to see just how bad they were and the A pillar covers.
Decided to do a quick repair and paint of the door panels and started on them.


Today started with washing the door panels, doing the needed repairs and paint them.
Someone drilled screw holes across the bottom of panels and 1 had a chunk missing around the slide lock I had to fill in. They are not great and will have to do till I get money for new ones.

Went digging thru my parts bins looking for the front park brake cable to see if I used the wrong one. This one is about 5" to long but based on wheel bases I cant see why it is only 5" longer?
Found the other cable and I am using the shortest one I have.
So I did a Rube Goldberg on the front cable to make it shorter and I now have a parking brake.

I then worked on the badging. I picked up mew barrel clips for the FORD but they did not fit the holes in the hood and fell over the pins on the letters. I wound up using the old clips and drilling the hood holds bigger. I also had to ream the fender holes for the badges there also.

Under hood is not complete with out the jack & handle and lug wrench so I prepped and paint the handle & lug wrench. I went and tried the jack and found it did not work so I am trying to fix it otherwise it will be a prop under the hood till I find a good one.

I picked out the best the windshield chrome and cleaned it up. I also tried to straighten the bent parts. One I think can be used if I had to but the other is bent in a way I can not fix.

I will get pictures after the windshield is in tomorrow.
Dave ----

More and more details, and pretty soon it'll be DONE!  Keep on keeping on.  

More details:
Not know when my glass helper would show up, he did about 4pm, and it being about 9am I did a few things.

I worked on the door panels putting them together and got them installed, this will come back to bite me
Here you can see the chunk I had to fix by the lock opening, it is that black triangle. I also used hot glue to hold the door handle gaskets as the studs were broken when I got the truck/

That white (silver) square is tape I used as a dam to hold the Plastex to fill in the screw holes.
I also used the same tape to fix that chunk area.

Here they are installed. Don't look to closely they are ruff and could of used a few more coats but ran out and did not want to waste it on something that will be replaced.



Next was to wire up the driving / fog lights in the front bumper. Directions were NFG because you have 3 or 4 of the same color wires, blue / yellow / black that go to the lights / relays & switch.
Had to do a lot of bench testing  before I found what set of wires went where.



With the glass installed

I still need to do the chrome and wipers that I painted today also but want to wait a bit.
So figured I would install the mirrors before a test drive and that is when I  got bit!

I need to get inside the doors to catch nuts on the mirror brackets and guess what .... door panels are installed
I did not feel up to pulling the panels so called it a night.
Dave ----

Yes, but two steps forward and one backward is still PROGRESS!  And, as Jim says, progress is good.  

Seriously, it is really looking good.  And complete.  You are making great progress.  

FuzzFace2 wrote

It must feel good to be this far along finally Dave. You must be (and should be) proud! Man, that is A LOT of work to have done, and to be able to stand back and say that you did all of it is very cool. A tip of the hat to you sir.

Man, I'd be out driving the wheels off that thing. If the wife asks where you're going and when you'll be back, just say you don't know...lol.