Gary Lewis

Well done! I like those SS zip ties. But I've never found them. Where did you find them?

If the truck's been sitting quite a bit I'd drive it for a while to see if the leak heals itself. Sometimes seals harden w/o use, and then after use and being washed with new oil seem to soften and re-seal. I'd sure want to do that before tackling a rear main seal replacement in the truck. Been there, done that, and don't want to ever again.

Yep, 250A through sheet metal would be cause for alarm! I like the safe approach. And pictures would be cool!

Glad he's gotten it in the mail. Hope it does the trick. Sounds like you got the radiator problem solved several ways - more room, no leaks, and still plenty of cooling for the vehicle. You put the #55's in but haven't driven with them, right? It'll be good to see what that does before you put the weight on top of the accelerator pump check ball. The 55's may enrichen enough that there isn't much/any pause there.

Should we move that to the Truck Names thread?

Bummer! At least they have another one and will deliver it, and the filter. And yes, that foam should work nicely.

Go for it! (I'm cleaning the shop and have vowed not to work on the truck or do other "fun" stuff until I get it presentable. )

Jim - Is that blue or beige or?

I have been hitting the quote button on purpose. I thought it helps to have a reference as to what you are replying to. That's fine. No prob.

Two main areas. First, the kick panels need to come off, and then the plates behind them and you reach down into the void and clean it out. Second, pull the blower motor and the little plate beside it that has wires going to it and clean out in there.

By the way, are you responding via email? It looks like you are as it is always copying in the previous post. There are ways around that, but the best is to click the link below the text that says "If you reply to this email, your message will be added to the discussion below:" as that will log you onto the forum and you can post there w/o the extra stuff. It is your call, but it sure adds a lot of unnecessary stuff to the thread. Just log on and see what I mean.

Do you know what size the vent valve hose is? Sorry, I'm not sure as it seems to have changed over the years. I used 3/16" line on Big Blue from the tee where the two metal lines come together on the frame under the bed on the right side. However the line on the vent/rollover valve looks to be bigger.

Thank you again. I added a sending unit to the cart. Hopefully it matches it. Is all the fuel line I need going to be 5/16th? What about the filler neck or vent valve? Any other parts I should get? I think all of the fuel line is the same size. I bought several feet of new hose that's rated for ethanol and used it everywhere. The fuel filler hose is probably fine, but the vent valve's hose should be inspected. Some I've seen are gooey and some are fine.

I don't use the gaskets either, preferring something like TRS or Ultra Gray. And whomever did Rusty's and BB's engines did as well, but left a gap in the bead. Now, we know that was in BB's case, but Rusty's engine was built here in Okiehoma. So maybe he was visiting his cousin?

Thanks, AutoZone has the 19 gallon in stock. WB is wheel base. On the tank, make SURE that it is the one with the smaller opening for the sender. In '85 the opening went to 4" from 2 1/2". And yes, while you are at it you may need to add a new sender.

Yes, going with a dizzy with a vacuum advance will fix the timing problem. As for the HEI, it makes the swap fairly simple. You'll need a high-current source of switched power as the HEI requires a lot of current to saturate the coil. A fused #10 or #12 wire from the battery to a relay pulled in by switched power will do the trick.

Beat me to it. And with far fewer words.

Interesting you mention air in the lines. I couldn't get a solid stream of fuel in the clear hose of my vacuum pump. There was always air bubbles in the line. Can you tell by the picture if I have the 16.5 or 19 gallon tank? Mine looks more like the 19 gallon from what I can tell. It is very long and slender. I guess I probably will need a new pickup and sending unit too. Yes, a porous fuel line admits air and causes all sorts of problems. As for the fuel tank, I don't know if you've said what your wheelbase is. But according to this from our page at Documentation/Fuel Systems/Fuel System Part Numbers/Fuel Tanks a 1981 F100 shortbed got a 16 1/2 and the long bed got the 19 gallon tank.

Ditto M-blocks as that's where their sender is. But, on both Rusty's M-block and Big Blue's 460 it wasn't the sender or its plumbing that was the problem. It was a shoddy job installing the intake manifold as there was about a 1/16" gap between the manifold and China wall on both of them.

Thanks Gary! That was the details I needed. I wondered how their part numbers worked. Now I just need to find the part. Is it really needed? I saw one thread where someone said if it is not connected to your sway bar you don't need it and can pull it off. But I can see how it can help protect the undercarriage. I ran the '82 Explorer for years w/o that part - because I damaged it in towing. And the guy that bought the truck is still running it w/o that part. So I'd say it isn't necessary. But I'd start looking for one anyway 'cause it is nice to have it.

You need to replace all the fuel hoses as they will all be soft and spongy. On Dad's truck I wadded one line up into a ball and it stayed there as the hose was that sticky. It allowed air in while running, and that killed the vacuum of the fuel pump, and it leaked fuel out when stopped. There's a hose from the tank to the hard line, one from the hard line to the fuel pump. But if you have dual tanks there will be a hose from both of the hard lines to a switching valve on the frame below the driver, and then a hose from the valve back to the hard line going to the pump. As for the tank, I wouldn't mess with getting a pump and cleaning out the tank. I tried that and never, ever got rid of the rust sediment. It continually plugged filters. Just buy a new tank. They are about $100 and will give you a lot of peace of mind.

Yup, that thing is easily damaged and they are hard to find in good shape due to that. But "5C128" isn't the part number. It is the base part number for a "Cross member (frame front lower)", and that number was used by Ford for every Cross member (frame front lower) on every vehicle they've produced anywhere in the world since the late 60's. A number needs a prefix and a suffix to make it a part number. The prefix will take the form of E1TZ, with the E meaning the decade of the 1980's (D = 70's and F = 90's), the 1 adding to the 1980 making it 1981, the T meaning F-Series truck, and the Z meaning replacement part. And the suffix will be like A or B or C, and are the iterations on that part. We have the crossmembers listed on the website on the page at Documentation/Suspension & Steering/Crossmembers. If you go there and then go to the Text file and then Section 50 Page 6 of your CD I think you'll see they are the same. The Master Parts Catalog is where I got most of the info on the site. But, you'll then see that your truck uses Parts List No 3, and in that you need part number E9TZ 5C128-A. But the E9 means the part was first manufactured in 1989 - well after your truck was made. So that is a replacement part as your truck's part would have been either E0 or E1. And if you look at the bottom of the pages of your MPC you'll see March, 1994 and Final Issue. Ford modified the MPC over time with later parts that fit. Sometimes they left the original part number and added "r/b" for "replaced by", but in this case they didn't. (I have earlier versions of the MPC on microfiche.) Now, if you pull your crossmember off and clean it very well you'll find a number on it. And it'll not be E1TZ 5C128 - A. That's because no number on a Ford part is a part number. In the late 60's Ford had one of their infamous "Better Ideas" and started placing Engineering or ID numbers on parts. I have a cross reference book to look up part numbers from ID #'s, but it is the size of the San Francisco phone book and has really small font. Anyway, school is out. Recess time.

If the move to a Sniper will be soon then you'll have to figure out what to do for now. And there seems to be two paths - put a feedback carb on or go to full DS-II. But I suspect neither path is a slam dunk. I say that because I'm guessing the PO took the feedback carb off for some reason. Maybe it was failing, but it may be that some other part of the system wasn't right and he thought it was the carb. So if you can find the right carb and install it you may then have to fix whatever else may be wrong, and it is a complex system that isn't well understood. As for DS-II, I suspect that would be the easier approach. But you'll still have some work to do. And then when you go with the Sniper you may want to put the TFI distributor back on as the Sniper can control the timing. Bottom Line: You should think through IF you are going to the Sniper and when. That may help with the decision making.

Jim is probably right, but I've seen several engines leak between the intake manifold and the rear wall of the block and it looked like a rear main seal. It flows down the back of the block and seems to get between the block/engine plate/and bell housing and then drip out at the bottom. So do as Jim said and clean things spotlessly, but include the area above the bell housing and at the back of the block.

No, I didn't remember that, Jim. But now I do. Yikes!!!!