Jolene - 1983 F-150 Rescue

pressure wash from every possible angle and treat with ospho to stop the rust process. very likely you will need to use a grinder with wire wheel to remove any flaky layers also. start looking for a way to patch that rear area as there seems to be floor missing. before going to deep into any one repair on the bed, this is the time to scrutinize the bed as a whole. where else is it needing? wheel arch's, lower bed sides behind rear wheels, inner arch's, etc.  it is not difficult to have three times more time in a bed than it's worth but that's a personal choice.  I'm just saying to make an educated decision.

So far I'm into it for $13.50 and a wire brush! I found that Krud Kutter's rust remover had both good reviews and was locally available. I know Amazon can offer anything, but I like to support local hardware stores.

The rust removal was quite fun. I got an angle grinder and wire wheel and blasted the rust flakes off, then worked in the gel product with a hand brush section by section over the truck bed. It worked incredibly well! I'm surprised by how well the chemical rust remover worked, by how tough the existing paint was that didn't have rust underneath it, and by how strong the thin, rust-effected (affected?) metal still was.

I'm going to paint it, remove the bed with the help of some neighborhood hooligans, then do the same treatment to the underside of the bed and what I can get of the frame.

Progress!!!!  

My engine bogs down when I ascend a steep, long grade. I can drive fine uphill for a few minutes, but then it loses power. I have to take my foot off the gas or it bogs down. Does anyone know what this might be?

I can drive at highway speeds on flat ground without a problem. It's just this particular hill that's causing an issue. I pull of an exit halfway up the hill and pull over, let it idle of a while, and then assault the hil again. It starts to peter out again riiiiiiight at the top, and then I can get over and resume my journey.  

this sounds like fuel starvation. does it do this with a full tank or a low tank? front tank, rear tank? on midship tanks they are soo long that when low on fuel all available fuel could be at one end or the other on steep hills. the pickup tube is in the center. maybe too simple of a solution but I figured let's start with simple.

What carburetor are you running ? Might also be flooding from carburetor float level variation when going up hill. Carburetor are designed to account for this but if yours is in need of a rebuild, this might be something you want to address.

I have the original 1 barrel YFA carb. I wouldn't be surprised if it's causing the issue and I'm sure I need a rebuild. I also have the original midships gas tank on there. I have had fuel supply issues in the past with the fuel line getting plugged and I'm sure I should replace it. I put 3M grip tape on the bumper so I can get into the engine compartment without slipping on the chrome, and I put a little extra length in the fuel line at the pump to make it easier to blow into it to blow the blockage out of the line when I get one. There's likely tons of junk floating around in there.

I have seen other threads on here that go into new gas tanks in detail, including all the parts I need. Since my truck is set up for it already and the switching valve works, I plan to add a rear tank which will give me dependability with the rear tank and deeeeeeeeeependabilityyyyy (add a hand rotating motion into that sound) with the midships tank. I'll keep a long piece of fuel line in the truck just in case the switching valve solenoid fails and I need to delete the valve from the system in a pinch.

If I buy a new carb, is it already set up for optimal use? Plug and play? Are there any that work best with this motor with the stock exhaust setup?

I might suggest measuring your fuel pump output.
Though I don't know what a 300-6 pump should discharge, I do know my 460 has to deliver a quart in 15 seconds (a gallon a minute, or 60 GPH)
That's a lot of fuel for an engine making ~200hp from the factory.

This is what I was looking for

https://www.garysgaragemahal.com/1985-1986-fuel-system-adjustments.html

Float level adjustment - Make sure its correct. Could try going even lower than spec and see if that cures the uphill issue.
Fuel pressure - As Jim said check this, make sure its not too high. I always have an in-line fuel pressure gauge between carb and fuel line. Might be hard on stock carb if it has all metal fuel lines.

inside the tank, the fuel pickup has a cylindrical screen on the end to screen out physical debris (it came that way, but they don't all live forty years). adding an inline filter before the pump real close can save the pump but it may need changing a lot. it is harder for the diaphragm pump to pull through a filter than it is for it to push through one, but debris can damage the pump so it's not a bad idea. just use a large of a filter as possible. this should not be necessary after the new tank and pickup go in. yet a clean filter should not be an issue. the tiny filter at the carb is just a last chance to keep fine particles out of the carb as all orifices inside can get clogged extremely easily. if you have had any issues with rust particles clogging up things then it's likely that you may have a perforated pickup tube and it is sucking fumes rather than liquid at some levels/angles. weak draw is weak delivery.

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Can anyone point me to a good truck for sale in the Portland area? Mine's a little worse for wear.

Holy smokes!
Are you and everyone else okay?

Do you know what caused it?

Look in the marketplace, or put in a WTB ad with your desires.

Oh no!  So sorry!  Hope everyone is fine.

So sorry for you!
Hopping you will find a good replacement.

it looks as if it was being worked on and I'm trusting that since you were able to be standing there taking a photo that all are fine except the truck and maybe a few tools. sad to see for sure. I'm curious about what looks to be a line going over the door from the hood area to the bed.

Sorry to see that your truck went up in flames.

This happened to my neighbor a few weekends ago while I was helping him diagnose a hydrolock issue on his truck. He had removed the spark plug wires from the plugs and removed the plugs from the cylinders, but unbeknownst to me, still had the coil hooked up. I was only watching to see what came out of the cylinders as he cranked it over. Turns out it was fuel in the cylinders, and the whole engine bay ignited. I ran to grab the hose and was able to get the fire put out. Thankfully for him, I was able to save the truck and most of his wiring. Only the flex loom on the wires was damaged.

I can attest that it just happens so fast and by the time you see it, it's already damaging everything in sight.

It looks A LOT like my old neighbor Ben's cruise control fire, that I reported on FTE back 2008-9

Those constantly on, unfused brake off switches burned hundreds of thousands of vehicles

one of the trucks that I resurrected in TN. was due to an engine fire. family truck pulled from storage in co. and being driven out to the carrier caught fire. the driver was quick and knew his extinguisher well it seemed. he saved it. but a full carb reman and hoses along with a bit of wiring and it was good. however, the new driver of her father's old truck was well used to new cars and was expecting more power from a 5.8 h.o. then is really there. oh well. it aint a hemi! its an antique.