Big Blue's Transformation
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Well, I think I've had some success. I got the huck bolt out by using a cutoff wheel on the right-angle grinder and cutting through as close to the frame as I could w/o getting into the frame. Then I ground what was left down until it was paper thin. That let me punch the bolt itself out of the collar, and then punch the collar itself out.
And here's a shot of what I found, and a 9/16" bolt was a loose fit:  Then I drilled it 19/32" and reamed it .625" and this is what I have:  Then I slipped a 2 1/2" long 5/8" bolt in from the top as Steve suggested. But, there's no way I'm going to get a wrench in there, even a modified one. So I slipped a 3/8" lathe bit beside the head, and here's how that looks:  And here's the shank of the bolt just emerging from the three pieces it will be securing:  So now I need to get a small washer to go under the head. And I'll figure out how long the bolt needs to be with a washer and lock washer above the nut, and then I'll cut the bolt with a hacksaw to keep the heat down. And I'll tack a piece of lathe bit to the head to keep it from turning and to ensure the bit doesn't get loose and rattle around later. When the bearing strip comes in I'll slip it in there and then torque things down, and then when the engine is in and the suspension is on I'll put it on the ground and re-torque it and tack the nut as the TSB suggests. And a little bit of paint will keep it from rusting. 
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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I haven't read that TSB in a while, but I thought the last step was to weld all the layers of frame together so they can't shift or make noise. It's what Ford/Spicer did to the later frames, like my '93s & the two '96s I stripped recently. You can see one of those welds at the end of this PSF cooler:
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In reply to this post by Gary Lewis
Somehow, I see this in my near future....
Jim,
Lil'Red is a '87 F250 HD, 4.10's, 1356 4x4, Zf-5, 3G, PMGR, Saginaw PS, desmogged with a Holley 80508 and Performer intake. Too much other stuff to mention. |
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In reply to this post by ArdWrknTrk
Jim - I did get the pic. But, I thought that you were buying them for your project, and didn't make the connection with mine.
 So, where was that? Fastenal? As for prevailing torque and welding, the TSB says: ON HEAVY DUTY VEHICLES, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO UPGRADE THE REPLACEMENT FASTENER TO A 5/8″ GRADE 8 TORQUE PREVAILING NUT (34991-S2), BOLT (58720-S100) AND TWO (2) WASHERS (44881-S2) TORQUED TO 250 ±6.8 N•m (185 ±5 LB-FT). And even then it says to tack weld the nut to the bolt. So yes, it seems self-defeating to use a prevailing torque nut and then weld it.
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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In reply to this post by ArdWrknTrk
Maybe. Check the huck. I could turn mine with my fingers. That's gotta be a problem. And the TSB is right about removing the springs to get access. There would have been no way to have gotten in there to ream it with the springs on. As for the process I used, on Dad's truck I tried to split the collar like the TSB says. It ate cold chisels for breakfast. So I turned to the Dremel and tried to split it, and it ate several cutoff wheels for lunch. So this time I used the cutoff wheel in the right-angle grinder from the start. And instead of splitting the collar I just cut it off as close to the frame as I dared. And coming at it from the wheelwell allowed the cutoff wheel to truly be parallel with the frame. Then I tried to punch out the bolt itself from the collar. No dice. So I ground it as thin as I dared w/o getting into the frame, and that allowed me to punch out the bolt. However, I didn't have a punch large enough to drive the collar through the frame so picked a G5 3/8" bolt. Unfortunately it drove into the collar w/o driving the collar out. So I tried to unscrew it, but the collar turned. Back to the cutoff wheel to cut the head off the bolt.. But this time the bolt was firmly embedded in the collar so hitting it with the hammer drove the collar out. Don't do as I do.
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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We have a very nice Ace here, so I'll check with them. I also need to get a new head for my Stihl trimmer as this one refuses to feed, so I can kill two birds with the same bolt.
 Having the Ace is a blessing and a curse. We've had a small hardware store for decades, and I know the guy that owns it. I wondered how he'd fair against Ace, and yesterday I found out - he's having a "retirement" sale.
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Well, while it is pouring outside I'll pass on getting the gas can to drain the mid-ship tank, which I want to do before any serious cutting or welding starts.
So, I thought it would be interesting to put the Sky front spring bracket in place  Here's the email I just sent to Sky: Erik - I laid the front frame/spring bracket in place and it is about an inch too short. Is it made incorrectly? Is it the wrong one?
And here's the pic that was included: 
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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Mid-day update:
Scotty said that the cam he wants to use, his Voodoo grind, has .500/.525 lift. But Eric Weingartner said that they'd be fine with the Performer's lift of .500. So, I need to take them back to Eric. He said "I'll see if they will work. I think the springs limited your lift."
The rain stopped long enough to get the gas cans and I've drained all I could out of the tank. Then I carried it out to the carport - boy what a struggle with the remainder of the gas continually shifting.Then I realized that I'd just taken some weight off the front of the truck. Sure enough, I could easily lift it. So I took the spare out of the back and ratchet-strapped the front arms to the frame.And now I've cleaned up the crossmember on Big Blue and am getting ready to cut a piece of of the donor.
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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In reply to this post by Gary Lewis
Oh boy.
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And, here's the end-of-day report.
Didn't hear from Erik at Sky, so called and learned they are closed on Fridays. Sent a note to Scotty, The Mad Porter, and found what springs he'd have used in the heads, so when I take the heads back to Eric I can pass that info on. And, talked to John Keeline, the paint/body man, about 460's. He had a friend that passed away recently, and the two of them had been into drag racing using 460's. So John's going to check to see if his friend might have had a "new" one stashed away. Last, I cut the opening on Big Blue's crossmember to be uniform, created a template from thin cardboard, transferred that to the donor crossmember, and then cut the piece out of it. But, I cut it large, so I then spent quite a bit of time grinding it to fit. The pics below show the hacked opening on the left, the cleaned up opening in the middle, and the patch on the right. Scott says my fit is good, but it is too tight, so tomorrow I'll open things up a bit and grind a bevel in so we can get good penetration when welding. But, the welding isn't likely to happen tomorrow as he has to go some place. However, that's not a problem as I have plenty to do. Oh yes - I also cleaned the underside of the crossmember. I didn't realize that I missed it when power washing, and it was absolutely awful! I put plastic trash bags down and scraped off what I could - including gray paint on top of grease. Then, when I had all that I could scrape off I hit it with brake cleaner and paper towels. I went through a whole can of brake cleaner, but it is now clean enough to weld on.   
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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In reply to this post by salans7
Yup, Murphy strikes again.  But, two steps forward and one backward is still progress. And you know what Jim says about progress.
Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile
Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
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