81 F100 flare side custom with 300 six & T18

These "teething problems" are for those have gotten that far.  Loose shock bolts?  They are laying in a tote awaiting installation.  Loooooong way to go.

So, Dave, while I am sorry for your problems, I wish I was there.

Sac79 wrote

Your issues, few as they may be, are not filling me with enthusiasm for finishing my project... I know I'll probably have similar issues, one or two leaks and most definitely the odd replacement part failing out of the box!

But I'm sure you've had plenty of satisfaction out of 'finishing' it too, so I'll keep chugging along.

Project finished
No one told you they are never done
I am enjoying the truck a lot and this is just "tweaking"
Dave ----

Gary Lewis wrote

These "teething problems" are for those have gotten that far.  Loose shock bolts?  They are laying in a tote awaiting installation.  Loooooong way to go.

So, Dave, while I am sorry for your problems, I wish I was there.

So you could see MacGyver in action on the bypass valve
Also don't know if you would of liked the music I was playing, Outlaw Country this time
Weather still has me out of work tomorrow so I will put the valve together and do the final testing of the valve and take for a test drive.
Dave ----

I forgot when testing the bypass valve I found the blower motor where it bolts to the box was leaking so I pulled it and used closed cell foam.
Being it was off I figured lets see if there was any thing in there, should not as I washed it before I installed it ......... WELL there was stuff!
I guess when I flushed it I only did 1 side? It is clean now as I use air as a final clean out.
Dave ----

Yes, and yes.  I saw MacGyver in action, and I'm not a fan of country music.  But, my "I wish I was there" meant I wish I am as far along on at least one of my projects as you are.  However, "done" isn't in my vocabulary, so I'm with you on that.

FuzzFace2 wrote

Sac79 wrote

Your issues, few as they may be, are not filling me with enthusiasm for finishing my project... I know I'll probably have similar issues, one or two leaks and most definitely the odd replacement part failing out of the box!

But I'm sure you've had plenty of satisfaction out of 'finishing' it too, so I'll keep chugging along.

Project finished
No one told you they are never done
I am enjoying the truck a lot and this is just "tweaking"
Dave ----

Oh I know. It's like a house, there is always something...

Last weekend I picked up the oil & temp senders as the oil gauge stopped working, it was a new sender, and the temp was reading low.
 I also picked up oil & filter as the oil was black and it was time for changing.

 I got out of work early so time to get working on the truck.
 Oil was low so I added a qt of ATF thru the dip stick tube to help clean it. Every time I would check the oil stick got dirty and covered with milk shake and was hard to read.
 I also wanted to run the ATF thru the motor to help clean it before the oil change.
 I changed out the oil psi sender and ran the motor to make sure the gauge worked and get the ATF mixed in.

 Now how to change out the temp sender and not lose coolant?
 The radiator petcock would not let it drain into a pan so next best thing, hose in the radiator and siphon it out and it worked.
 Changed out the old factory temp sender then swap out the new stat as I did not know if it was why the gauge was reading low or the sender.
 I tested the new stat in hot water before installing it. Refilled system with coolant and let it run up to temp.

 The temp & oil gauges are working again and the ATF doing its thing it was time for the oil change.
 Being the motor was up to temp the oil came out like black water!
 The truck is preserving its self. Oil leaks still persist and is coating everything on the bottom.
 Now that the gauges are working and oil changed I can look into that.

 Project is never done.
 Dave ----

Several more layers on the onion!  Bloomin' Onion!  

Being a warm day and having the tail gate letters I washed it and then put the letters on.
Wish they were a little smaller as they almost go over the edge of the raised letter but they are on.


Used the truck and took the wife a few towns over for diner.
Because we have to stay 6 feet away we ate in the truck.
A local pizza joint was giving part of the coast to our animal foster / adopt program so we had to do our part to give money.

We are fostering 2 kittens now for over a month and just today we took in a mom cat and here 6 kittens.
Add our own 4 cats and 2 large dogs it is a ZOO!
But we love it

Dave ----

Dave - The letters look GREAT!  And they are reflective as well.  Cool!

On the pets, I'm glad someone likes cats.  I'm a dog person.  

Gary Lewis wrote

Dave - The letters look GREAT!  And they are reflective as well.  Cool!

On the pets, I'm glad someone likes cats.  I'm a dog person.  

Cory put me on to an Ebay vender and the price for the reflective was not bad so went for it.
Then again I cant do anything like a normal person would ........ just look at the firewall for AC

We started off fostering dogs, that is haw we got the 2 we have.
My wife being 90 lb wet could only handle small dogs after the 2 we have.
Then we had an issue with one we were fostering and 1 of ours that did not end well.
At that point it was decided to foster cats / kittens and has worked out good.
We are still helping needing animals.
Our dogs just for you Gary

Dave ----

Those letters look great!

I couldn't imagine having more than three pets, I once had three cats and it was rough. Two were half brothers and they always fought.

Now I have one handsome Tuxedo shelter kitty and that's enough for me, although down the road I may consider adopting a larger breed K9.

Thanks on the letters it is just what I wanted on the gate.

We came down to NC with brother, sister and feral mom cat. Mom ran off 1 night shortly after we got down and never came back.

The other 2 cats showed up on our door step as kittens at different times. No one claimed them and they fit in with the other fur kids, we had the dogs by this time, so we kept them.

The dogs were foster failures. The black one (shepherd mix) is the first foster we had and I told the wife we were keeping him.
The other (black & tan coon hound) got on so well with our dog making him run when we were fostering I told the wife if she came back after being adopted we were keeping her. 24 hours later she was back with us.

It is just the wife and I and we have just under 4 acers wife does not work so she takes care of the fur kids and fosters when I am not home.
Its a love not a job
Dave ----

I really like the letters too, Dave.  

It's great that we live in a time when someone with a swivel knife plotter or a cnc laser can cut patterns out of a whole world of vinyl.


Thinking of that, has anyone checked on Perry, the guy with the Burlwood restorations?
Wasn't he looking into brushed aluminum for these trucks?

FuzzFace2 wrote

Being a warm day and having the tail gate letters I washed it and then put the letters on.
Wish they were a little smaller as they almost go over the edge of the raised letter but they are on.




Dave ----

Fond
Of
Rear
Distinction

Have not done anything to the truck other than tighten up a heater hose to the heater bypass valve as I found coolant on the garage floor.
I also gave another quick look on the oil leaks. Think the timing cover is leaking because I don't see the front of the oil pan wet like if it was the front seal, but the front cross member has a puddle.

I am going to have to degrease the motor again and watch it closer to see just where the oil leaks are coming from.

I have also been keeping track of my fill ups. Getting between mid to high 14's and even hit 15 once!
I wish I knew what I did to get that 15? Did not see much if any change running regular / high test and mid grade. This last fill went back to reg. and I have a hint of ping again, really need to put a light to it.
Oh got 3866 miles on the truck since Nov.
Dave ----

Dave,
With old British bikes we used to wash it down with brake kleen or acetone, and hit it with Desenex foot powder spray.

Almost like a backyard dye penetrant inspection.

The powder turns dark or transparent as it wicks oil out of the cracks.
Or, in the case of old bikes, out through the notoriously porous castings.

There were tricks, faster than Glypthal, to getting them sealed up.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Dave,
With old British bikes we used to wash it down with brake kleen or acetone, and hit it with Desenex foot powder spray.

Almost like a backyard dye penetrant inspection.

The powder turns dark or transparent as it wicks oil out of the cracks.
Or, in the case of old bikes, out through the notoriously porous castings.

There were tricks, faster than Glypthal, to getting them sealed up.

Thanks for the tip
When I found the side cover leaking and tighten up the bolts I cleaned with brake kleen and it washed the paint off the motor, not a happy camper about that.

Think I have seen the same effect with the powder if driving on fine dusty roads.
I do see the pollen has kind of done the same thing were the oil is leaching out.

It's just a shame it was so nice and clean and now this
Dave ----

Locktite green would wick into the porous aluminum casting, and if you then hit it with primerT in order to give it the ferrous ions it needed to set you could polish it off and no one would be the wiser.

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Locktite green would wick into the porous aluminum casting, and if you then hit it with primerT in order to give it the ferrous ions it needed to set you could polish it off and no one would be the wiser.

Nice little trick have to remember that the next time I have a casting oozing oil
Be nice of I could pour some in the oil let a little leak out hit it with the primer and heat and wipe clean and no more leaks.

As they say no such thing as a mechanic in a can LOL
Dave ----