"Cam's Ol' Blue"- 1986 F-150 Base Ex-State of Oregon

Hi guys,

I just posted my introduction post, and Gary suggested I start a thread about my truck project, so here goes...

I present what I am calling "Cam's Ol' Blue". I already have a 1992 F-250, so that will become "Big Red".
This truck I bought about three weeks ago from the state of Oregon. It was listed on GovDeals, and somehow I convinced my wife to bid on it, even though I already have a truck. I think the big thing that pushed her was that I mentioned we can use two trucks to move all our stuff soon when our house sells. That's pretty much what's on her mind right now- moving.

Anyway, here is the original listing (hopefully it works):
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemID=3842&acctID=5859

Somehow I was the winning bidder and after fees, I paid about $1,150. On a Friday, we left our house at 7:00am for the drive to Salem, OR (we live between Burlington and Bellingham, WA). Arriving at 3:00 at the state warehouse in Salem, I signed the paperwork, they gave me the keys and the original title from June, 1986, and we were on our way.

A little detail about the truck. It is a 1986 F-150 base model. One side has the "4x2" emblem, the other side is missing. I think at some point I am going to get rid of the remaining "4x2" emblem. It is "Light Regatta Blue" with the medium blue interior. 300 (4.9L) straight six with the feedback carb. C-6 automatic. No cruise, no A/C, no tilt steering. Manual locks, crank windows, but it does have power steering!

Bringing the truck home over the next two days, the worst mishap I had was losing the power steering pump cap randomly on a road west of Chehalis, WA. Luckily, the NAPA in Chehalis had one left on the shelf. Otherwise, it made it home without any issues.
Inspecting everything, I am finding that I am not a fan of the aftermarket stereo, since it doesn't have AM. The parking brake will not lock, the factory oil pressure gauge doesn't read, so it was replaced with an aftermarket gauge. The temp gauge doesn't read, but I tested and found out that the gauge works. I will eventually replace the sender and thermostat. I need a passenger side mirror and a windshield mirror. The dash is shot, the seat needs a cover. The blue oval fell off the grille. It has lots of surface rust and a few small dents. But I can't find any cancer rust.
The engine starts right up every time, and runs strong. However, the idle is a little rough and the engine is covered in oil. This leads me to believe the main seals are leaking, leaking valve cover gasket or both. This truck is loud inside since it needs weatherstripping, but it rides really smooth. Lots of fun!

Right now, I am making this truck my daily driver. It doesn't need much right now, but eventually I plan to add a tach, clean up the engine, put an original radio with cassette in it, clean up the interior, add a HAM radio/ scanner, and of course paint.

Cameron

Looking good!
Going back with the original color or changing it?

Looks great!  An excellent starting point, and a good solid truck.

Could you do me a favor and put your name in your signature?  I like calling people by their names as it makes it a lot more personal.  But it is your call.

Scott: I am going to repaint it the same color. I really like the original color.

Gary: Done, good idea!

Thanks!  

Nice!

Welcome Cameron.  

Follows my keep it simple ideal
I had a friend Alex, who bought the brother (sister?) truck of yours from the water department here 15-20 years ago.
Powder blue, 300-6, 3.08's (i think), 2wd, manual everything but brakes.

Seems a very popular fleet package of the time.

Yes, according to the tag in the door jamb, it has a 3.08 rear axle. It does have power steering though.

I didn't think Armstrong steering was available for '86.

I meant windows, door locks, rubber mat, no headliner, ..... a cheap and cheerful fleet truck.

Cameron, in your introductory post, you mentioned that the truck has a rough idle. As with any "new" truck acquisition, it is good practice to change oil, grease, replace filters and tune up just to know all has been done.

However, try a few easy things, first, to see if the idle improves. Grab hold of the air cleaner and gently rock from side to side. If there is movement, take a 1/2" wrench and tighten the two hold down nuts at the base of the carburetor [just snug, not too tight]. If the nuts are tight, but movement is still detected, the top half of the carburetor sometimes vibrates loose. For this, the carburetor must be removed and turned upside down to access the screws which will need to be tightened.

The 1986 feedback system has numerous vacuum lines [hard plastic or rubber]. The truck is 34 years old, so check for cracked or loose hoses.

Check for missing or cracked rubber caps on the manifold "tree" located on the intake manifold under the carburetor. It has 6 or 7 different sized ports. Not all are used [based on options] and are capped from the factory. There is one particular port which is nearest the exhaust manifold and often points toward the cab. It is buried under the vacuum hose spaghetti and is quite difficult to see. It is also difficult to hear a hissing sound when the engine is running due to it pointing away and downward. When spraying carburetor cleaner or water, it is difficult to find this vacuum leak due to its position. I chased this leak for quite some time until using smoke.

This rubber cap hardens due to age and the close proximity to the exhaust and either cracks or falls off, causing a vacuum leak.

The feedback system, when working correctly is great and returns good gas mileage. But, to work correctly, all vacuum lines must be intact and all sensors in place and functioning. There is a throttle position sensor, a MAP sensor, a temperature sensor [near the thermostat] and an O2 sensor. This information is processed by a computer located behind the dash near the ash tray.

Enough, already!

Glad to have you aboard!

David

Thank you David! The idle is only a slight shake. I am not even sure if it is out of the ordinary. I was just expecting a straight 6 to run very smoothly.

A few things I can tell you right off the bat. There is a vacuum tree hanging on the firewall just behind and above the air cleaner. It has one port with a plug on it (I assume this would go to cruise control if I had it). I hooked up my vacuum tester, started the engine, and the gauge showed steady at 20 inch Hg. Is this normal?
I found that the PCV was not in the valve cover very tightly. It pulled out easily, so I cleaned the oil off of it, and wrapped it in electrical tape a few turns for a tighter fit. There also is a plastic corrugated line coming off the air cleaner into the valve cover just behind the oil fill. I am not sure what this fitting is called. But it was also loose. So I wrapped it with a little electrical tape as well for a tighter fit. I checked the oil, it is clean and the outside of the filter is clean as well. So I think it was replaced recently. The distributor cap, plugs and wires all look fairly new as well. Also, the pre-heater hose is missing coming out of the bottom of the air cleaner.

The EEC IV connector was very rusty and corroded. I cut the wires and put spade connectors on the ends of those wires for now. I connected them to my code reader. I believe I hooked them up correctly. I only pulled 11 and 10 codes, leading me to believe I either did it wrong or there were no codes stored in the computer.

More cylinders = less vibration.

Six cylinders in a row = perfect primary balance.....

I "think" the 300/4.9L engines tendency to shake slightly @ idle might be because the engine is quite long and is fed by 1 centrally located carburetor [poor fuel distribution].

Yes, ~20" Hg vacuum @ idle is the normal for a healthy engine!

The vacuum tree [manifold] on the firewall is utilized when the truck has factory A/C.

The PCV rubber grommet, when loose, can be a source of vacuum leak. Replacements are inexpensive and can be found at any parts store.

The plastic hose you described provides replacement air to the crankcase for when the PCV system is functioning.

The preheater hose, connecting the intake snorkel to the exhaust manifold heat shroud, needs to be there to maintain proper temperature in the air filter housing and to help prevent carburetor icing.

Good news, I picked up a bunch of parts at NAPA today. I have tomorrow off work, and there is a "stay home" order here in WA, so I will do some tinkering on the truck to keep myself occupied. Plus, I have my two-year-old girl to help me.

My goal is to drain the radiator, replace both the thermostat and temp sender (new thermostat housing gasket also). Then put back on a new pre-heater hose. I will refill the radiator with new coolant. Replace the oil pressure sender, because I want my gauge back on the cluster. I bought a can of foaming engine cleaner, since the engine is covered in oil. I suspect sometime soon I will need a new valve cover gasket. I want to pull the instrument cluster and replace some bulbs. The gauges have full lighting (although dim), but when I turn the key on, I have no seat belt light, I have not seen a brake light yet at all, and I know the emissions light doesn't even have a bulb. Finally, I want to locate the warning buzzer and see if it works. So tune in tomorrow, I will try to share pics from my adventures.

P.S. What is the best thing to use to lube the speedo cable? My speedo needle wiggles up to 45mph. I bought a can of WD-40 for various purposes, will that work OK for the speedo cable?

Sounds like a fun and productive day.  But I wouldn't use WD40 on your speedo cable.  There are two lubes I know of made for that - a grease pen/crayon and a graphite-based liquid.

Just before I put my speedometer cable back in recently I pulled the actual cable out, wiped it down and the smeared some white lithium grease on it. Stay a few inches away from the gauge end and feed it back in from the transmission side for the same reason.
The white lithium was a pretty common response I found online for it.
I haven't had the truck on the road yet but with a drill it has gone 80mph

Enjoy the time with your 2yr old!