Chanute - 1980 F350 Cab & Chassis

Figure it's about time I start a thread to keep track of this truck.
Bought in early 2018
1980 F350 2wd Cab & Chassis. 400 with the 4spd. Gin pole flatbed. Was an oil field truck in KS.
Front clip was swapped out at some point.

It had a lot of extra wiring, a/c air compressor, dealer ac, aux battery setup, etc that I stripped out to keep this truck as simple as possible. It's not much to look at but fires up every time and runs down the highway great. It's definitely a 55mph truck though. With a bare metal floor, only a handful of dried out window channel run pieces (lose a couple more every time I shut the door) and 4.10s there's no point trying to talk when going 65

I was going to fix up the cab but have long since decided to just use it up and if the need arises, swap cabs. So right now (thanks to the previous owners) it's a mix of red, green, black, and silver. As much as I like the early Aztec-like design of the green seat, peeling myself off the duct tape in the summer got old fast so it now has a 90's bench in it....that could stand some duct tape itself.



The gin pole was one of the main reasons I bought it since I was fencing a field that summer and don't have a front end loader at my place. Added a receiver hitch to the bed to accept my winch cradle and it made setting hedge posts an easy one man job.



The only plan for this truck right now is the GVOD although the cold weather has put that on hold. Will document those changes whenever they may happen...

I've been wanting to see more about this truck since you joined, Scott.

Thanks for posting.  

You bet! Better late than never, right?

Subscribed. I don't think I knew what a Gin Pole was for, but I've seen them before.

Looks like it would be really handy for pulling an engine, or lifting something heavy (like an axle) into the bed of another truck.  

Yes, that could be REALLY handy!  

But, what's a hedge post?

I imagine in your part of the country it's Osage.

Prior to steel wire those tough and thorny trees were used as wind brakes between fields and to contain livestock

Hedges were not too ornamental back then.

I wondered if that might be it.  I've hunted in a million miles of that hedge for quail, dove, and rabbit.  And I've thrown a few of the hedge apples.  Man, do they hurt when you get hit with one!

Yep, same thing as Osage orange.

I know what you mean Gary - during the winter, when layered and in coveralls my sisters and I would play "catch"  Of course, we were also convinced hedge apples were where Elmer's glue came from...

Most, us included, have switched to steel pipe instead of hedge but I prefer the look of hedge and this wasn't a very big field.

We weren't in layers.  We were Boy Scouts on a campout in the fall in shirts and jeans.  Somehow we got in a hedge apple fight.  I remember taking a direct hit in the chest, and it almost knocked me down.  

Anyway, those posts will last a long, long time!

Ouch! I can almost hear the 'oomph'

Go some GVOD work done today.
This unit came from an 86 6.9/4spd 4wd. The diesel may have leaked a drop every now and then.

Note that the bottom of the unit is flat under the protruding block. This is because this unit doesn't have the deep sump like would normally be on a truck. It's also an old model (1993 I think) so it may have been on another vehicle before the diesel.

There is a lot of great info here. It covers this process in great detail so I won't repeat what he details.

On the unit in Camano I made my own spanner wrench to get to the upper filter. For this one I ordered the actual tool and it worked much better.
Here is after cleaning both filters and installing the flat filter with extension for the deep sump.

With the deep sump installed. As was mentioned in the article above, the hex head bolts aren't perfectly suited for the fins on the sump. I ran into this with Camano so I ordered some flanged ARP bolts and it worked much better.


Since the adapter on the truck was for the bw1345 I had to find a T18/19 one with coupler. Installed a new seal in it and temporarily installed it. It will need to come off since it has to be installed to the tranny and then the coupler shimmed before the OD is installed.


Time to read up on the T18 to see what to expect when I remove the rear tailshaft...

Looks good! Hmmm...

On the plus side, Scott, the exterior of the overdrive unit is pretty much corrosion free!  
(This is what I keep telling myself about my oil pan gasket... or lack of one)  

The T-18/19 is a pretty simple toploader.
Big chunks of steel and bearings.
If you're going in you might want to replace the synchros as a matter of course.
I'm sure no oil field truck was treated too well over its hard life.

How much will you cut down your driveshaft?

Man, that thing looks SOOOOO much better after cleaning.  Just that alone is worth a WELL DONE!

Looks like it is going well.  And you have good weather in which to work.  

On my T18 & the NP435 it was cake to remove the tail housings to fit the speedo drive gears on them.

My transmissions out put shaft was a slip type so it was nothing to pull the drive shaft.
Support the trans, remove the trans mount I was able to raise the trans and sneak it out.
Undo the speedo cable, remove the bolts holding the tail housing in place and a love tap from a rubber mallet I was able to pull it off.

If the gasket was in good shape I just used gasket dressing and if not forum-a-gasket.
Dave ----

What a big difference from dirty to clean;). That is so satisfying. I love that part.

Thanks guys!
Cory - absolutely. I know you've spent more than your fair share wire wheeling lately. It really is nice to be able to work on something after cleaning and not worry about crud either falling in your eyes or somewhere in the part isn't supposed to be.

Gary - the weather today was even better but sadly had to work during the best part of it...

Jim - that is the big question now: driveshaft. I was going to ask Jonathan if he has a 1 or 2 piece. Since mine is 2wd I may be able to stick with two. Haven't been under the truck and paid attention to the front piece length to really have a guess at it. And yes, that truck needed no undercarriage wax treatment

Dave - so will I lose any oil pulling that rear piece off?

Haven't decided how deep I want to go into the tranny yet. I have no doubt it would benefit from some attention.

Scott, normally I'd reply with 'Progress is good! '

But in your case I'd say Progress is awesome! 

Glad you've got sunshine.

Probably saved 20 pounds cleaning that thing off.  

Scott,
I think I had the rear in the air so the trans oil would have been to the front of the trans.
I think there was some but I don't remember it being that bad.
Not like you will loose it all but there was some in the housing.

I also want to say on both the T18 when I found the drive gear bad I had just got the truck on the road so it was topped up.
Want to say it was the same with the NP435, just got it on the road and topped up.
IIRC the speedo was off and I found the T18 drive gear would work so I did a drive gear swap between the 2 transmissions.

Have a pan handy just in case LOL
Dave ----

Scott,
I think I had the rear in the air so the trans oil would have been to the front of the trans.
I think there was some but I don't remember it being that bad.
Not like you will loose it all but there was some in the housing.

I also want to say on the T18 when I found the drive gear bad I had just got the truck on the road so it was topped up.
Want to say it was the same with the NP435, just got it on the road and topped up.
IIRC the speedo was off and I found the T18 drive gear would work so I did a drive gear swap between the 2 transmissions.

Have a pan handy just in case LOL
Dave ----