Gary Lewis

Your truck is trying to tell you that it wants a 3G. But you aren't listening!

Two steps forward and one backward is still progress. The ignition switch sits on the top of the steering column about 1/2 way down from the steering wheel. You can see it on the Ignition Switch tab here: Electrical/Ignition. Sounds like the link/rod has somehow been disconnected. It connects the tumbler to the switch. There are instructions on that tab to check it out.

Jim - The receiver does bolt to the 4 bolts holding the winch on. But, it also goes to the rear and is welded to that cross member. I did that to give it extra strength in case I wanted to use it as an extraction point. But it looks like I'll cut the receiver off short and dispense with the rear piece. Bill - Yes, several things become obvious when you see them side by side. One is, I think, that the TTB brackets bolt into the two recessed places. Another is, as you pointed out, that the holes allow access to the diesel stands/perches. And, it does look like I'll want to weld the rear side of the cross member to the frame, like the factory did. I don't know, yet, if Big Blue's cross member is welded, but there's gonna be a LOT of work getting that rascal out.

I've only installed an OX so I can't really compare it to anything else. But from my experience I think anyone who can install any diff and set up the gears correctly can do an OX. There's really nothing special about getting it in the housing, it's all just mechanical so all you need to do is get the gears in the right positions by getting the shims right. The only hiccup I can even imagine would be pulling bearing off it if needed (and it was needed in my case). Even there, the bearings go on and off the same way as they would on any other diff, but at least with my open Dana 44 there was more clearance behind the bearings for the puller. Any puller that works on the OX would work on the open diff too, but I could imagine someone making a puller for the open diff that might not work on the OX. The only OX-related complication I ran into with my Dana 44 was after the diff was in for good. I had some interference between the shifting fork and the boss the diff vent is pressed into. When I re-read the instructions it said to look for that and grind away enough of the boss to give clearance if needed. Instead I ground away enough of the shifting fork to give the needed clearance. (I think I'd have done it that way even if I was doing it with the diff out.) Getting the shifter for the OX set up is definitely different than installing any other diff. But if you just bring him the axle he won't be doing that anyway (you'll need it in the truck for that). And I wouldn't see any reason for you to farm out that job anyway, you won't have trouble with it. If it were me I'd get a new one, just because I don't think it's that much money and if I was going to be installing it myself I would want to be starting with a clean slate. However, especially in a front diff I wouldn't be concerned about using used gears. I'd want to know that they were actually a set and not out of two different diffs. And I'd want to know that there wasn't any obvious wear. But how many miles are you really ever going to put on a front diff? I can't imagine they could be bad enough to not easily live as long as you (or your kids) will need. Bob - I agree that either Billy or Chris should be able to do the Ox. But Chris has done it multiple times, which gives me confidence. I'm going to send Chris a text message after the holiday and ask him for a quote to do the work. I think I know, but we didn't finish the conversation as he thought I wanted to go with Billy and his used ring and pinion. Jim - Got it! Sorry. Yes, I have a lift and Big Blue can be on it.

Jim - I don't have a lift on Big Blue. But I will us a pry bar as you suggested if I can't find the clunk. Thanks. All - Thanks, I think I've come to the same conclusion - go with new gears. And, I bought a pressure washer today and got the thing MUCH cleaner. (But I wound up wearing a lot of it.) Boy, that was one GREASY mess! But, I think I can now touch it w/o getting gooey, although there is still some cleaning to be done. Anyway, I got down to the cross member, and it looks to be the right one, although it is hard to tell with those diesel stands/perches on it. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get those off and can get a pic from the same angle as Jim's to confirm it. But, here's Jim's pic: And here's mine: Steve - I've gone back to the one place I remember seeing "Welding Is Not Acceptable" and it is TSB 96-15-11 on replacing rivets with bolts. And it looks like I may have taken that statement out of context - especially with yours on welding. (But I still do NOT want to weld that front frame section onto Big Blue.) And, look what I found today on this front section - the engine cross member is welded to the frame on both ends. I may do that myself when I install it in Big Blue. Now for a new question/concern. I got to looking at Sky's picture of their 85-91 Ford F-350 4x4 2" Front Shackle Reversal (Superduty Spring) kit, shown below on the left, and Big Blue, shown on the right. It looks to me like their tube that joins the two sides is going to be roughly where my front spring perch is today, and that it will interfere with the part of my front hitch that attaches to the sway bar cross member. But, that there won't be any interference with the bumper itself. Does that look correct to y'all?

Jim - I don't have a lift on Big Blue. But I will us a pry bar as you suggested if I can't find the clunk. Thanks. All - Thanks, I think I've come to the same conclusion - go with new gears. And, I bought a pressure washer today and got the thing MUCH cleaner. (But I wound up wearing a lot of it.) Boy, that was one GREASY mess! But, I think I can now touch it w/o getting gooey, although there is still some cleaning to be done. Anyway, I got down to the cross member, and it looks to be the right one, although it is hard to tell with those diesel stands/perches on it. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get those off and can get a pic from the same angle as Jim's to confirm it. But, here's Jim's pic: And here's mine: Steve - I've gone back to the one place I remember seeing "Welding Is Not Acceptable" and it is TSB 96-15-11 on replacing rivets with bolts. And it looks like I may have taken that statement out of context - especially with yours on welding. (But I still do NOT want to weld that front frame section onto Big Blue.) And, look what I found today on this front section - the engine cross member is welded to the frame on both ends. I may do that myself when I install it in Big Blue.

Eastwood sells a lot of powder and equipment for powder coating, so I would expect that he knows what he's talking about. And, the "plastic" in that phrase on the lead does apply to a type of deformation of a solid. This site says "Slip is the prominent mechanism of plastic deformation in metals. It involves sliding of blocks of crystal over one other along definite crystallographic planes, called slip planes."

Danny - Glad you found us, and glad to "meet" you. And happy that the site is helpful. Where's home? We have a member's map (Bullnose Forum/Member's Map in the menu) and I'd be happy to add you if I had a town/city. As for your truck, we are of the opinion that w/o pics it didn't happen. You can post some here or, even better, start a thread in the main section on it.

I'll give that a try. There's something amiss in there as the clunk happens essentially every time I turn the wheel very far. And, since I hope to drive it to the FORDification show in Anderson, MO in a couple of weeks maybe I'd better find out what the problem is.

Jim - We are thinking alike on which guy to go with. I sure don't want any problems, and Chris knows his way around the OX. so.... As for the #'s on the cross member, I'll look there. Concerning your questions, which are in bold and my answers in plain text: How did you repair the frame when it broke behind the steering box? The crack was in what Ford calls the "steering gear liner" and that is technically not the frame itself. But, I did grind out and then weld up the crack. Do you feel that weld compromised the structural integrity of the vehicle? No, I do not. Partially because I now realize that what I was welding on was not the frame, so there is still the frame that runs along side the steering gear liner and I did not weld on it. And partially because it is on an F150 that does not have large tires, has a fairly light engine and, hopefully, won't be taken off road. Why has your attitude changed since then? Because I've read several Ford publications that say not to weld on the frame. So, we shall see what I do on Big Blue when I find the clunk that has become very, very consistent. Perhaps it is the steering gear liner, and I now have a replacement as well as the instructions on how to replace it. Perhaps it is a broken rivet or three. Or maybe the engine cross member has cracked from the hacking. But given the weight of the massive engine, the winch and winch bumper, the aux battery, and large tires, plus the plans to take it off the road and into conditions which will twist the frame in many ways, everything needs to be well done.

I missed that bit about it being plastic. If so, the powder won't stick. But surely there's a body solder that is metal?

Jim - Will do. But do you know where to look? Dave - I have two skates for wheels, and will probably use them to roll things around on. However, once it is fairly clean I'll probably work on the trailer to disassemble things. And I'll use the shop crane to lift off the bits that don't seem light enough to move by hand, like the axle. Then once I'm down to the frame & cross members I'll lift it down as well.

After we got home last night my brother suggested we should have drenched the thing in Dawn for the drive home. He was expecting that we got what they got, a downpour, and that plus the 70 MPH I was towing at would have helped. But, we didn't get any rain until during the night, so I doubt that would have helped much. I'm not sure what oven cleaner does to paint, and the thing is sitting on my fairly new trailer so I don't want anything too caustic. I'm leaning to the suggestion of stopping at the parts store and getting several cans of degreaser and continuing on to the car wash. Having said that, I mentioned the need for a power washer to Janey on the way home last night and she thought it was a good idea as there are many uses. When we got home the neighbors across the street were out and when I dropped the trailer in front of their house they came over. During the conversation he said he's just bought a power washer to get rid of the mess the worms are leaving on the concrete, and that Tractor Supply has them on sale right now. So, since I also need to clean Big Blue up after pulling the engine.... Hmmm, I also have to clean that engine. As for swinging by Billy's place, it is a long way out of the way. And, both he and Chris want me to strip the axle of everything but the diff and just bring that. So I have a lot of cleaning and stripping to do. But, that does bring up a question to y'all with which I'm wrestling. Billy may have a 3.54 ring & pinion, used, as he said he'd swap for $50. I need to confirm what he meant by that, but that was my understanding. However, he has no experience with Ox. In fact, he hadn't heard of them. But, he really liked what I told him out them. On the other hand, Chris has installed lots of them and really likes them. But he wasn't high at all on the idea of installing a used ring and pinion as he's had problems doing that. And, he's had to take some things back that he's taken to Billy as Billy had someone else do them and that someone isn't as meticulous as Billy. On the other hand, he said Billy will be less expensive for what I want to have done than he will be. So, what are your thoughts about a used ring & pinion? And, what questions should I be asking either of them in order to decide?

Man you are just a kill joy I did think of the melting point. I really need to talk & show the bumpers to them to see what they have to say I may end up doing what Pete did on his Ranger and paint them. I was in Auto Zone to get the JB Weld, I don't have any so for stock, and saw they had rolls of wrap. I would have gotten a roll but they did not have the size needed in chrome. I also saw they had a Bur Wood wrap and the package shows a dash done in it. When I get to that point I may give that a try on the dash parts as mine are looking a little worn. Dave ---- Yeah, I'm a kill joy. But Eastwood says this about their Body Solder: "Spreadable (plastic) range is 428-932 degreesF". So something like that should work fine. As for the wrap, I'd like to see the results.

Very true. Maybe Ford meant "Welding by our technicians, who are not trained to do so, is not acceptable." Anyway, I have to figure out how to clean this rascal up before I start taking it apart. It came out from under a diesel and it is a huge MESS! I don't have a pressure washer, so am considering buying a few cans of engine degreaser and trying that. Or, I could take it to the car wash.

heck, if it weren't for the bumper mounting you could save yourself a whole lot of time and effort by chopping Big Blue's frame and welding that one back on.. Yep. I could do that. But Ford says "WELDING IS NOT ACCEPTABLE." So I don't think that would pass their test.

I know the feeling. I want to do some work on the truck but mother nature is pretty fired up right now and for the rest of the holiday weekend. Yep that's what I hear for up here in NC Raleigh area too and I got to work out in that heat when off loading for an hour. The heat is 1 reason why I got out to the garage at 5am the other is I could not sleep from about 3:30. That is about my normal get up time, between 12 & 3am, and the dogs started moving around so got up to let them out as I do every morning when I get up. Have to see how I feel tomorrow if I want to go back out and do more work before the heat comes for the day. Dave ---- We are in a monsoon. It has rained most days recently, and is supposed to do so again tonight. But, it isn't nearly as hot as it normally would have been. In fact, when my brother and I got rained on today while securing the '95 front end on the trailer it was refreshing.

Thanks for the reply and why I asked before doing it. Would you think lead solder would be a better way to go? I will check with the people before any thing is done but thinking the solder might be the way to go. Thanks again. Dave ---- You'll have to check what temp they use in their oven. I take the oven to 425 degrees and then back to 400 for 20 minutes. But some solders melt at that point. Here's what Wikipedia says:

Very good! This is one thing you might not be able to overdo... :nabble_smiley_oh_no:That's not a challenge. I guess even if you start weld-tacking the tube to the frame rails, you can still get them back off when you're done. Welding to the frame is anathema. So I'll clamp, and I have a lot of clamps. Anyway, we are back from the trip and have good news: Pay dirt! Here's what I got: • The axle itself • Track bar mount • Track bar • Leaf springs: both the F350 springs and the SuperDuty ones • U-bolt plates and u-bolts: • Shock mounting plates: • Sway bar and mounting brackets • Shock mounting towers • F350 pitman arm: In fact, I have the steering box too! • Steering linkage: It is on the axle • Brake calipers: • The F350 rear (4") blocks - 3 of them • Brake line clips • Cross member Here are a couple of poor pics. I'll get better ones tomorrow, but what I didn't get is the front driveshaft, which was for an E4OD so would probably be the wrong length for a ZF5. And, I already have one of those so it isn't a big deal. Plus, I didn't get a double-cardan yoke for a 1345, but those are available locally.

The powder puts a fairly uniform coating on the part, so whatever is underneath shows through. But I've never tried to fill. I'm not sure how JB Weld would work, but I don't think it would work very well at all. The reason is that you coat a part with electrostatic attraction. But I don't believe JB Weld conducts electricity so it won't attract the powder. That can be overcome by heating the part prior to coating since the powder will stick to a hot surface, but the person doing it has to really know his stuff in order to get a smooth coating. I'd talk to them and see what they say.

I was even thinking the troughs you have to put in between the rafters for air flow to the ridge vent before you install the insulation would help. But if I am going to go thru that much work I would do the insulation at the same time. And we all know what a fun job working with fiber glass insulation is Got out to the garage by 5am and by 7am the truck no longer has a vacuum leak from the intake to head not sealing. First thing was to check for coolant under the truck, all good there so on to the intake leak. The plan was to loosen the intake and lower it and tighten it back up reusing the new / old gasket. The whole time not letting the EFI exh. manifolds drop down. The intake dropped 1/8" on the front where it was leaking. When tightening everything up one of the lower rear exh. / intake manifold bolts did not feel right, hard to see as it is under the manifolds. Found the washer did not catch the flange of the exh. manifold, manifold needed to go to the rear more. We know the drill loosen everything backup, move manifold rearward and tighten everything back up checking as we go. All looking good it's time for the real test, running! Once fuel got to the carb it fired right up and ran smooth. Pulled it out side to let it run but hear an exh. leak, Y pipe not sealing to the front manifold. Took up on the nuts fired back up and no more exh. leak. Once up to temp the idle is a little high at about 1000 RPM but when I try and lower it the motor wants to surge. Yes I did check for vacuum leaks with carb cleaner & covering the carb and all good. The carb has been rebuilt but I have only run the truck to move it in & out of the garage and with todays fuel and it evaporates there maybe crud in the bowl. I have been running it off a gas can on the fender well, don't want gas going bad in the tanks before I get it on the road, so I may add a little Sea Foam to the can to see what that does. Up next is to see if I can get the bumpers a little smoother before I see if the last person on my list will wrap them. If he cant I will look to paint them. Think I also seen a powder coating place not far and may see if they can do them and how much. Dave ---- I like the sytrofoam troughs that channel air to the ridge vent, and installed them on my shop. But the new fiberglass isn't nearly as bad as the old stuff. Anyway, I agree that you might as well do it right while you are doing it. As for the leaks, yippee! That's major progress. Surging in my experience can be caused by a lean condition. Have you adjusted the idle air mix? Or, what about ignition timing? If you have manifold vacuum plumbed to the vacuum advance, that could cause surging. Perhaps pull and plug that line and see if the surge goes away?

Thanks, Jim. I certainly appreciate that. As for the weather, we had a thunderstorms late last night and then one during the night. But we aren't supposed to get more here in Skiatook until late tonight. However, where we are going in southern Kansas has the possibility of storms starting at 1:00 - just about when I'm supposed to get the parts. And we surely don't need it! The water has gone down on the east end of Skiatook and people are getting their lives back together. But the flooding in Tulsa is getting worse rather than better. And the rain in southern Kansas exacerbates it as it goes into the Walnut River, then into the Arkansas, then through Kaw Lake into Keystone, which is letting water out at historic rates into already saturated areas. So prayers for everyone are certainly appreciated.

It sure is looking good! Engine looks great. What did you wind up using as pistons and cam? Carb? Hope you did get the leak fixed. Those things are pesky and can be a major problem. On the headers, those issues are one of the reasons I don't like headers. Big Blue's drivers's side header is touching the frame and makes serious clunks as you shift gears. Anyway, it really is coming together nicely! You think you'll have it running over the holiday?

I agree - if the system is under pressure it is hard to imagine the hose collapsing. Perhaps it happens when the system isn't full and/or isn't yet under pressure? Just one of the many things that don't seem to make sense.

I think C-clamping pieces of angle across both rails fore and aft of the x-member would ensure no movement. That's kinda what I'm thinking, Steve. But I don't know that I have angle, so will 3" square tubing with an 1/8" wall do? I think one piece above in front and one above behind, and then one below, either ahead of or behind. That way the frame can't twist.