Gary Lewis

Yes, you have to figure in wind drag. Big Blue put a lot of drag on because when you looked in the rear view mirror on Blue all you could see was the Ford logo on BB's grille. It sure set up high. For a couple of other data points, we got about 14 MPG just pulling the trailer down to FL to pick BB up. We were running more like 70 MPH, but the trailer towed very nicely and obviously had very little wind drag. And when we pulled the 25' Sea Ray to Lake Powell we got 11.0 MPG running 65 MPH for the 2500 miles. And it was on that trip where I found that the truck likes higher octane gas when towing - just like the owner's manual says.

70 PSI is high, especially for a 351M or 400 as they are notorious for having low oil pressure. Do you know the history of the engine? Like, how many miles are on it? From the early pics you posted it doesn't look to have been rebuilt. As said, the M-block engines are notorious of low oil pressure. That has to do with the way the system was designed, which you can read about on the page at Documentation/Engines/351M & 400 and then the Oiling System tab, which is where the drawing below came from. Dad's well-worn 351M idled at 10 psi after being truly warmed up. Rusty's was a bit higher as it had been rebuilt recently, but was still only like 15. So 70 is quite high, and I don't know why. But I worry that the engine might be full of gunk and that may be blocking some passages. However, as you can see in the drawing, the oil pressure pickup point is after everything but the lifters on the driver's side, so if you have that much pressure there everything else must be getting oiled quite well. But I'd watch the color of the oil to see if it turns black very quickly as you may be cleaning up the engine. And watch the oil pressure as it will naturally come down as the oil gets used some.

Yes, that's possible for a couple of reasons. First, if you went back with a heavier weight oil than was in it. Do you know what was in it and did you put a heavier weight oil back in? Second, because a multi-viscosity oil will give higher oil pressure when it is new. The reason for that is that the high end of the viscosity range is achieved with long polymers and they tend to get sheared over time as they pass through the oil pump, so the viscosity then comes down.

Finally gave up and ordered this 1" x 3/4" closed-cell foam tape. Couldn't find the 1/2" that I think I need, but assume that this will work. We shall see.

Bill - I haven't towed anything that heavy with the EB. Heaviest was Big Blue on a 3000 lb trailer, so probably 9000 - 9500 lbs, or maybe closer to 10k given all the parts we brought back. We ran 75 consistently and got 9 MPH. Which is almost exactly half of what it normally gets w/o a trailer, so I'd say it drops 50%. Glad you got the problem with the Konvertible sorted. And it sounds like you got the A/C working nicely. (Reminds me I still need to do that on Big Blue.)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Got the toolbox essentially installed today, although not permanently as it has to come out in order to have the bed lined on Tuesday. But it wasn't as straightforward as it might sound. The issue was in how to determine where to drill the holes in the toolbox. Janey suggested that I use nail polish on the ends of the bolts as it doesn't dry very quickly. And it worked. I brought the bolts up from the bottom and through the supports. Then I tapped the bolts down slightly into the supports and coated them heavily with nail polish. With the toolbox in place I tapped the bolts up from the bottom until I heard each one hit the toolbox. Sure enough, all the bolts left an imprint. With those holes drilled I pulled everything apart, installed Advantec in the floor of the toolbox, drilled those holes, and put it all together. However, I don't have the pieces of Advantec that go under the bed cut and drilled yet, so I could only cinch it down a bit for fear of bending the floor. Still, I got it in tightly enough that I could measure the clearance between the toolbox and the bedside and front panel. Most of the measurements come in at 5/16", and I'm sure it'll drop down a bit more when I get to torque the bolts down. If the clearance comes down to 1/4" and then the bed liner is added I'd be back up to 3/8", and I don't think using 3/8" weather stripping. So I'm still looking for 1" x 1/2" closed cell weather stripping. Anyway, here's what it looks like:

Amen! I'm no chemical engineer, but I have spent a bit of time working with the process to distill petroleum - enough to know that the "light ends" evaporate/distill quickly. When those are put in a mixture they won't go away if you add something else. All of those molecules are still there waiting to evaporate whenever the right temp is reached. So the only way adding diesel fuel to the mix can cut down on the evaporation is if there's enough diesel to significantly reduce the percentage of volatile molecules. And adding a small amount isn't going to do that.

Yes, "here" might not be an issue. But my issue came when I sold it out of state.

Yes, some of what you read on the internet is true. But I think getting the old gas out has to be a priority. You may find it runs much better when you get fresh gas, of any persuasion, in there. As for the clearance, put a blob of Silly Putty on there and gently close the hood.

It is good that you found that. I'm torn between suggesting that you use a stone to take the burr off vs waiting for Edelbrock to respond. I guess it depends on how rapidly you need to move on with your project. My understanding is that the lifters don't run on the edge of the lobe, so I wouldn't think that using a hard stone to remove the point would cause a problem. But then I don't really know.

An extra thick cork gasket and an aluminum heat shield might do the trick. And it sure can't hurt - unless that little bit causes the air cleaner to hit the hood. As for the fuel, Chris Tubutis put me onto this site years ago for finding ethanol free gas. Looks like there is a station in Moab that has it.

Scott - This step drill is a Shockwave Titanium with the 1/4" hex drive. I wondered if it was designed to use in an impact, but used it in the drill instead. As for the bezel, thanks for getting it! I don't remember what the bezel I have in says in that position, but it might be Emissions. Engine would be better, so if I can't get the label maker approach to work I'll be very interested. And speaking of that approach, it dawned on me later that the pic I showed earlier with the lettering washing out was with the white backing still on the label. So that surely diffused the light quite a bit, and without it the lettering might be crisp. Jim - I have several chassis punches as well, but none as small as 1/2" and maybe not even 3/4, which is the top size on this step drill. But getting a chassis punch into a panel like a bed floor would not be fun, so the step drill was by far the best way to go.

Chris - Cracking the glass is a bummer, but not unexpected. At least you'll be able to work on the truck w/it out. And I fully agree with Jim - don't let them put a later windshield in. I did and when I tried to sell the truck I ran into problems as the DMV couldn't read the VIN.

Looks good, Jochen! That's something I haven't attempted, so I'm in awe of those who do. Frank - You are making good progress doing two things in one day. Did that solve the leak? Jim - I vote for brazing it. I burn right through used exhausts and have a really hard time getting the hole filled w/o a leak.

You are right, it won't be easy to ship. But good luck!

Man, that is some serious metal! I'm impressed that you can cut it. I've never been around when people cut things like that. I've just seen the aftermath. For instance, when I worked for the railroad I saw where a guy had cut a knuckle off a box car. The draw bar was probably 6" wide and 8" tall and the surface where he cut it looked like he'd used a saw, but the edges showed the slag from a torch. Anyway, I'm impressed that you can do that. And it sounds like you have a good system with the firewood. Well done!

Thanks, Jim. I was in a buy-local mood today so bought from the local Ace hardware store. And all they had was Milwaukee. Hopefully it is a good one. But it sure worked well. it started holes easily and chewed right through the bed as if it was wood. And it left a nice hole. I was impressed.

Hey folks, I'm looking for 1" wide by 1/2" thick closed-cell foam tape, aka weather stripping. But I'm having no luck finding it. I find 3/8" thick and 3/4" thick, and even 2/5" thick if you can believe it. So if anyone has suggestions please let me know. As for what I'm doing with it, it'll be under the "wings" and front lip of the toolbox on Big Blue. By "wings" I mean the parts of the toolbox that extend out over the tops of the bed sides. And the front lip protrudes from the front of the box and will sit above the front panel of the bed. The toolbox will be bolted to the bed floor and my measurements say the gap between the toolbox and the top of the bedsides and front panel will be 3/8 - 7/16", so 3/8" foam isn't enough. But 3/4" may be too much. So I'm looking for 1/2" as I think that will provide just enough cushion to prevent the toolbox from touching the bed when I'm crossed up.

That's a bit pricey for something you can't drive. In my book if you can't drive it you pay salvage prices. That's 'cause there will be far more wrong with it than you are told.

Sure there are differences. This is my original emblem which shows the clear outer shell that covers the chrome of the emblem. This is the one I bought that has the E2TZ design date code. If you look to the left you can see the glare that shows it has a clear plastic shell covering the chrome as well as the colored part just like my original emblem. Below is two photos of the redesigned E7TZ-9842528-A sans plastic shell. The chrome ring is exposed with the chrome and blue insert being covered. The color of the blue is also a bit darker as well than the E2TZ as well which is a big reason why I will risk the discoloration as I like the lighter blue over the almost black dark blue of the revised version introduced in 1987. If you look where the blue and chrome meet you can see a gap which you dont see on the E2TZ design. I heard the reason for the redesign was due to the hazing and discoloration of the blue. Thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't aware of the differences.

Yes, I like it. Thanks!

Jonathan - Wow! Glad you caught it when you did! And I sure understand your desire to put systems in the to-be house as well as where you are living now. It would be just absolutely devastating to lose a home, but so very much more to lose a loved one. As for the pricing, thanks. I'd missed that.

The setback on towing is a bummer, and the stuck/frozen wheel just adds to the hurt. Good luck, Bob!

Turn it with what? Your hand? A wrench?