Gary Lewis

Thanks, David. I'm sure you remember Steve and his family from the GTG's. He told me yesterday as he aligned Big Blue that he needs to sell the truck since his three kids are growing and no longer fit in the back seat. Dunno what he plans to buy. But if he says "Runs excellent and I would trust it to drive anywhere" then I believe him. He's a straight shooter.

I'll let Jim, the chemist, answer the question about cleaning that filler pipe. But I'll answer about an '87 filler pipe on an earlier tank. Do not do it. It'll take forever to fill the tank at the station. You can read about it in this post on Big Blue's thread, but an '87 or later filler and a '86 or earlier tank is a bad combination. The reason being that in '87 the fillers changed such that the gas goes down the inner hose instead of the outer hose, like on a Bullnose. But the Bullnose tank has a tab into which the inner hose is supposed to go, but the '87 and later hose won't go there due to its larger size. And turbulence is the result and that makes them very hard to fill. Been there, done that, for a loooooong time.

Looks good, George. As Jim says, progress!

Yes, that is crazy! Looks like they fit: 88 E-F250/350,F(Super Duty) - - diesel 7.3L E8TZ 8A616-D #E8TA-PA-*r/b E9TZ 8A616-A (2/90) r/b F2UZ-H 89 E250/350 - - diesel 7.3L E9TZ 8A616-A #E9TA-EA r/b F2UZ-A

Yes, well done! I think we need a how-to 'cause the replacements are so expensive and this is a much less expensive solution.

Don't need one, but if I did that's a buy.

That's insane! Makes me go into business. (Not really.) You could buy them for $5/ea and peddle them for $50.

Two gaskets for $4.90 delivered? Wow!

Jim - Got it. Thanks for the explanation. And, good look. Keeping all of those variables under control won't be easy.

Man, I sure hope it is RIGHT this time.

I am guessing his will be the smooth 'reduced' bend vs the crinkle type. Edit: found this photo here: http://cateraninc.com/catalytic-converter/. I guess the correct names are: Mandrel, Press Bent, Empty Bent ? Scott - I do think that's what he does, the "press bent". That's my understanding but I'll find out in the morn. Jim - I'm just planning to use the hacked up grille it came with at the moment, awa the badly faded headlight doors. Had to put the headlight doors on today to get the turn signals on. Had to put the upper piece in front of the radiator support on to hold the upper inside corner of the headlight doors. And had to find the fasteners to do all that. My filing system isn't very good. But there's one sheetmetal nut missing and I haven't found a replacement. Yet. And I haven't found the two loooooong screws for the bottom outside corners of the headlight doors. IOW, a 20 minute job took 90 minutes and even then I didn't get done. Then, when things settle down, meaning I get the leaks fixed and the engine running correctly, I'll address the headlight doors, grille, upper/lower trim, windshield trim, etc. May go blackout on all of those things.

Our friend Steve/FoxFord33 is selling his 1993 F-150 Supercab 2wd w/a 5.0L, and it is listed here on FB. And you can email him here. He's asking $4000. About this vehicle he says: Driven 209,000 miles Automatic transmission Exterior color: Red · Interior color: Grey Fuel type: Gasoline 18.0 MPG highway F150 extended cab, 5.0 and E4OD trans. Runs excellent and I would trust it to drive anywhere! No problems or leaks or anything like that. So many features! Pioneer CD/stereo with Bluetooth All 4 new speakers installed professionally Remote keyless entry Trailer brake module for towing Receiver hitch and locking pin for the ball Two different trailer wiring adapters Aluminum toolbox in the bed Plastic bedliner Good tires Newer parts for problems addressed: Brake master cylinder Front pads and rotors and bearings Front suspension bushings Water pump Thermostat and housing Radiator A/C compressor, evap, & condenser All A/C fittings and o-rings Power steering hoses Also included: a handful of parts that it doesn't need yet but I got them ahead of time. The letdowns: Armrests are included but the hinges are broken. Minor seat wear on driver's. Rubber shift boot worn out on steering column. Minor dents and flaws in the finish.

No, ALL fuel system components are new save for the carb and now the deadhead regulator. All FDM's, all tanks, all lines, all hoses, all. Oh wait, I reused the two wyes.

Guys, I'm lost. I think you are solving a problem that's already been solved. I talked with two Holley techs and told both of them what I'm doing - using 1995 EFI pumps and want a regulator to drop the pressure for a carb. And both said the 12-881 is the guy. Well, it didn't quite work, but it does now with the 2nd regulator installed. Dead steady at 5 1/2 psi every time I look. And it is installed securely so it can be used for however long it is needed. Yes, it is possible that one of the regulators will fail. But so could the distributor or the power steering pump or any number of other things. And if it does fail the engine will quickly die, the oil pressure will drop, and the pump will stop 'cause the oil pressure switch will open. I have a lot of other problems to solve, including a power steering leak and a transfer case leak. The alignment to finish. The front pump to check out and the skid plate to put on. A grille to put on, interior pieces to paint and install, windshield trim to install, etc. So I'm not looking for potential problems to solve. But if I'm missing something, please rattle my cage. I'm not saying you'uns are wrong, but I haven't yet seen the problem. What am I missing? And now for a bit of humor. When I pulled in to have the thing aligned today it was sprinkling. So I turned on the windshield wipers, but even though I heard them run the windshield didn't get wiped. It was only later that I realized I'd taken the wiper arms off. Yet another thing to put back on.

I think that's a question for Jim as he's playing with the FDM I sent him, below. But that may not be necessary. I have two regulators on and that's got the pressure damped down to a nice 5 1/2 psi using the rear pump. So the question is, what happens if I try the front pump? And that is very easy to find out. All I have to do is to plug the front pump's wiring in, flip the switch to Front, and with the hood open start the truck. I'll know very quickly by running around and checking the gauge. Or, better yet, I could easily prop the iPhone up where it is looking at the gauge, fire up the Camera app on my Apple watch and I'll be able to watch the gauge from the driver's seat. Start it up, flip the switch, and if it goes sky high either go back to the rear tank or shut it down.

Jim - I took the liberty of making your pics a bit lighter so I could see the old shaft. And now I'm trying to remember exactly what the plan is. IIRC, the lower universal for the new shaft doesn't fit the steering box so you are cutting it off and installing the rag joint. Right?

Josh - You are really going to like the windows being sealed tightly. And especially as the temps are starting to turn colder. Well done!

Well done, Scott!! I, too, don't like having fuses hidden away. Who is going to know where to find them when problems occur? So I applaud taking the time to put the fuse in the fuse box. As for soldering to the terminals, that's exactly how I do it as I've also found that these terminals are crimped so tightly that you'll destroy them is you try to get them open.

Glad you found the other one. You don't want to be dealing with that seller - they are shady.

Love it, Matthew! I'm anxious to see what you do with it.

In reverse order: Bill - I do remember you saying that, but I assumed that the regulator would handle it. Obviously not. Jim - "No solenoid and no 'actual' regulator." Got it. Shaun - That kind of RPM's on the highway was what Dad's truck was turning with the 3.50's and a C6 @ 65. And that was one of the big reasons I put in the ZF5 - this same ZF5 in fact. But if your 460/T19 combo has 3.55's and 33's it'll turn right at 2500. That's what BB turns in 4th. Rob - I think I can JUST see the camber with my eye on the passenger's side tire. I'd thought before taking it in that it looked slightly out at the top. But it is hard to see. And just for you:

Ok, let's see if this works. Here's the pdf that I think you can download: AC_Bracket.pdf And here's a marked up view of it:

Jim - That's kind of what I was expecting, although I didn't expect the regulator as well. Let me say it differently to see that I understand. There's a check valve, a regulator, and a solenoid-operated valve in the FDM. The solenoid-operated valve controls whether or not fuel can come onto the FDM at all, and opens when the pump runs. The check valve keeps X psi on the system when shut off, and the regulator keeps the system at some set point when running. And the combo of all of that and the Holley regulator is chaos. Too many mechanical things trying to do their magic at the same time on the same fluid, and it doesn't work. But it seems the addition of another regulator does. Speaking of that regulator, I took BB in to see Steve/FoxFord33 this morn. And all went well, except that on the way home BB ran poorly. Wouldn't idle and didn't want to run until the RPM was up. My guess was that he was way too lean at idle and that was apparently correct. I opened up the idle fuel screws about 1 1/2 turns each and that brought the idle up nicely, although I did have to open the throttle a bit as well. It now pulls 17 - 18" of vacuum at ~550 RPM, but still isn't quite right on the AFR. As for the alignment, here's a shot of Steve with BB on the alignment machine: And here's the readout of the machine after he adjusted the toe and centered the wheel. The toe is dead-on and the caster is essentially there as well. But the camber is off. Basically as I understand it both front tires lean toward the passenger's side at the top about 1/2 degree. Unfortunately we ran out of time to break the eccentrics loose and dial in that change, but I can do that myself as Steve showed me what the settings should be, and have 6 months & 6,000 mile to take it back in to see that I got it there. Having said that, the camber is just in the yellow region and the truck drives extremely well. It tracks great and doesn't pull at all, so that last tweak can wait a bit. Which brings me to the next step of the plan - the exhaust. I called and talked with the gentleman and we changed the plan slightly. We are going with 2 1/2" pipe, adding an X-pipe, and have upgraded from the 18" muffler to a 24" muffler, #12286.

Maybe the higher RPM "weakness" is indicating a less than optimum timing situation at that speed? It might also be a bit lean.

Missed them, David. But they look like the Ford ones. I like the Bushwhackers you sent the link to recently better as they have a much more finished look: