Gary Lewis

I think I used 1/4" rivets w/a 1/4" reach aluminum rivets.

At the risk of missing someone that has sent me something for which I've not thanked them publicly, I thank our member Kevin/TravelMaster for the engraved Yeti tumbler he sent me! I've pledged to drink more water and have been going through bottled water at a rapid pace while in the shop. But with this I can fill it in the morning and sip cold water all day w/o adding to the landfill problem. THANK YOU, KEVIN!

Randy - It can be done w/o dropping the tank, but if it is the rear tank it is difficult. You might want to lower it some to make it easier. All - This seems to be a recurring problem and I'm wondering if we need to do a writeup on it. But in looking at our documentation pages I see that those were created before tabs were available, so there's a page for filler pipes and another one for tanks. But the problem can be a combination of tank filler pipe, so the writeup really doesn't belong in either. So I'm thinking that I need to reorganize the pages at Documentation/Fuel Systems to some extent. And somewhere in there to put a writeup on the issues created by a mismatch in the filler pipe & tank, or if the vent hose is crimped or deleted. Thoughts? Is it worth it?

Nice truck.

I was kidding, but I do think people will be interested in your Jeep build w/a Ford engine and transmission. I've seen those connectors for sale but have never heard how well they work. So I'm anxious to see a report on them. As for taking the welder by to show it off, that will really be appreciated, I'm sure.

Wait! You are going to put a T-18 out of a Ford truck in a Jeep and you don't think it should be on here?

I like it. Sort of patina.

Let's see if I can do this. Here's the post from Big Blue's Transformation thread:

Actually, there's a page just for the kickstand that the tech sent me. I like the opening sentence: "Kickstands are for leveling and providing support for the rails." Just exactly what I needed. So the tech threw in a pair of them as well as a pair of the "A" brackets. I felt I needed two more kickstands so paid for another pair. I'm guessing that I won't like the extra bolt length sticking out so will probably shorten things once I find out how long they need to be.

Jim - Good idea! I think that'll work, assuming I don't glue myself in there at the same time. As for locking, they don't - at the moment. The bolt that is supplied doesn't come through far enough to lock it to the rail. But I have plenty of 1/4-20 bolts and plan to put just the right length ones in so the "A" brackets, shown on the left, are locked to the rails. And, by the way, the kickstands I'm getting supposedly use the left half of the bracket on the right.

There's one hit in the master parts catalog for 2979-A: But note that it doesn't mention CSSZ. Could the first "S" actually be an "8"?

Not sure where to start with a response as you have a ton of stuff in that post. But I'm glad that you got that fitting off. And you did what I sometimes do - hit the wrench with a hammer. It seems that the impact is what it takes. And it seems that you have a good plan on the replacement. So I'll hide and watch as you sure seem to be getting things done.

Yep, only the 460's and diesels got the T-19.

If they kept the '87 fuel filler hoses and used the '84 tank you have a problem. They did that on Big Blue and it was a huge pain to fill the tanks. Somewhere in Big Blue's Transformation thread there's a pic of how those two went together, but it wasn't pretty as the tank wasn't designed for the later vent hose.

Got the brackets on order - 2 more of the clamps and 4 of the kickstands. Don't know when they'll be here, but they are on their way. Then I pulled the rails and installed the 1/2 x 1/4" closed-cell foam strip and then reinstalled the rails. The foam was enough that the rails now sit essentially level even with the heavy canister hanging on them, so that's a step in the right direction. But of course that raised the canister a bit so I shimmed the toolbox up 1/4" on the driver's side and 1/8" on the passenger's side. And now when the rails are level the canister will slide under the lip of the toolbox with 1/8" to spare. Then I slid some brackets on to see how the spacing would go. There's a span of 66" so I'm planning to put one of the "A" brackets up against the canister, meaning just ahead of the c-clamp in this pic. Then it is 22" back to the stake pocket, where one kickstand will go. Then another 22" back to where the next bracket is shown, which will be a kickstand. Finally the 2nd "A" bracket will go the last 22" back, where it is shown. But speaking of the "A" brackets, they are not going to be easy to place. That's because the rail blocks access to the hole I need to drill through the inside lip of the bed. So I'll have to take a number of measurements, pull the rails off again, and then drill the holes. But luckily the brackets are in two pieces so I can bolt the L piece to the bed and then install the rails, slide on the part that attaches to the L, and bolt them together. And that's where I'll start tomorrow - drilling the holes.

Well, I'll be anxious to follow your build. But will you sell this one?

Wow!

If it cranks when you hook up then maybe you are connecting to the wrong small pin on the relay? One side connects to the key and the other to the ignition to retard the spark. On the ignition switch instructions: Documentation/Electrical/Ignition and then the Ignition Switch tab, IIRC.

Yes. Do NOT use staples. DAMHIK. (Actually, I broke the door panel.) I used pop rivets with washers backing them up to spread the load on the plastic. Worked great.

You really AFTER IT! New battery hold-down, cleaning the tank, replacing the sending unit pigtail, etc.

Very true. But running towards the high end of the scale may be well within the range of temps we would expect. However, that doesn't explain why it seems to be higher lately. Maybe outside air temps are up?

Yes, to all of the above. Just talked to Tony at PE, and right off the bat he suggested the kickstand approach - but only one on each side at the tailgate end. However, after I explained my desire for overkill we settled with two kickstands and two shim clamps per side. He has some hoops to jump through but hopes to get those items out today.

Just to let y'all know, I'm following along but don't have much to contribute. And especially so on the A/C connection. I have very little experience with those connections, but do know when they don't want to come apart they can be a pain. On the cooling, I'd be wondering just how warm the engine actually is. The gauges are notorious for being vague, so I'd at least check with an IR thermometer to find out if it really is getting warm.

Ok, more thinking. If the pivot point is the lip above the clamp then the foot of the kickstand can be at any angle from horizontal to straight down and it will work. The difference is in what direction the force is on the bedside. If the foot is horizontal then all of the force is trying to push the bed sideways, which is the dimension in which it is weakest. But the more the foot is angled down the more the force is vertical, which is where the bed is strongest. So I'm thinking that I just need an aluminum angle to capture the foot and spread the load.

Wow! I'm sure glad you caught that, Bob! You are right and I'm WRONG!