FuzzFace2

Mike did not have a 6 volt cap you could have used and just run a wire from the ALT to it like the factory did? Looks good Dave ----

After the shop did it wrong I did buy one and it is in my tool box. From pictures, have not opened the package and had it over a year now, it should be the same as yours. Why the machine shop did not know to ream the pins that way I don't know and the guy I talked to was old enough to have dealt with kingpins to know. If I do pull it apart to ream I may run into an issue where the bushings may now be to loose because of how they reamed them and me honing them just to get the pins in. If so I will have to think real hard if I want to keep the pins or go with ball joints. If I go ball joints do I also go with lowering beams Dave ----

You would think for the money they would give you a bracket for mounting it I have to dig through my stash of stuff to see what I have for mounting it. Dave ----

Dave, if you're talking to me, I use the same Tee that you use, though I may construct a bracket and permanently wire in a plug in. As for a trailer brake, I've never felt the need for one while hauling my Mustang, even with a heavy trailer. And, I've hauled it through some pretty hairy situations that I initially had concerns about, the Hill Country in Texas being one of them. And trust me, I know the benefits of trailer brakes. I've done lots of hauling. For me, just not necessary for my future needs. For months I searched for a cheap buy on a good quality hitch via Facebook Market and Craigslist. I even considered pulling one from a salvage yard. But, I wanted it to fit exactly as my newly installed unit fit. I got a great price at Etrailer and from pictures they supplied there, I knew before I got my unit how it would fit. I like it! That Reese unit you have looks very nice! As for trailer brakes or not I am all for them. Just a FYI most states require them on trailers of 2500lb or more. That Tee makes wiring so easy I do like your hitch as it is made for the truck and tucks up nice. I could not really tell how low it would sit till I had other parts on the truck and it was on the ground. I was in the middle of building it when I cam across it and bolted it on. Think once I had the bumper in place when test fitting everything is when I knew it was to low. Dave ----

I did a Red Head box on my 81 F100 shortly after I got it on the road and it did tighten up the steering. It was cheaper than the Blue Top box and why I went with it. I had rebuilt the suspension (poly bushings) before getting it on the road but my issue is the kingpins are to tight, machine shop did the job wrong. Either I have gotten use to it or it is loosing up but it still will not retune to center in a turn. If I knew my rotors & calipers would fit the ball joint beams I may do a swap as a buddy may have a set once he gets his truck on the road, this virus has slowed down work on his project and help I can give him. Dave ----

With the new blend of fuel who knows what it does any more I did replace the pan gasket along with the valve & lifter cover gaskets. I think the timing gear cover is where the leak is from as I see dirt / oil up high but need to do some cleaning. I cant believe how much dirt can get on everything in a little over a year and I don't drive on dirt roads! As for the lights I do have shims between the lights and the bumper to get them tight. IIRC I can adjust up / down but left / right I may need to oblong the bolt holes and why I have not gotten in to it before now. The bulbs look to sit the same as the old ones I think it is a pattern difference between the bulbs. This set points more to the left, on coming traffic and not as far down the road. Old bulbs were Wagner's and looked to be a whiter light. The new ones Sylvania XtraVision - both Halogen bulbs. Maybe if I went with the Sylvania SilverStar's with a whiter light I would be happier but they were $26 each where mine were $18 each, live and learn I guess. I think the adjusters will "adjust" from what I remember, I know the others on the spare support and a no go! If I have to I will get new ones. The AFR meter is a AEM 30-4110 got it off Ebay for $165 shipped from Winner's Circle. It comes with everything to install (from the looks as I just opened it) even the bung. I am pretty sure my Y pipe has a bung that the factory uses for EFI. Remember I am running EFI manifolds with a replacement Y pipe on my 300. I am sure the carb was rich even with out using the AFR meter as it feels to run smoother. Also as noted less condensate smoke out the tail pipe. Will update when I get to this. Dave ----

Used the truck to / from work this week and the new head lights need adjusting as they are not to my liking, will see what I can do over the weekend. May even try and adjust the fog / driving lights in the bumper as I had not done that yet. Tithing the oil pan bolts did not stop the oil leaks, may have slowed it down but not sure? I need to finish fixing my pressure washer and give the motor & under side a good cleaning and see just where the oil is coming from. The truck dose seam to run better, not as ruff as it was, with the carb rod adjustment. Don't know if the MPG has increased till I fill up again but the gauge still goes down pretty fast. I still don't know what the AFR is but may know soon as I bought a AFR gauge just need to get it installed. I also need to check into the "milk shake" things that was posted to make sure they are working as it should. I have not seen as much condensation out the tail pipe since the carb adjustment and maybe that was also why the milk shake? Dave ----

I have close to 5k on my truck since I got it on the road a year Nov. and you kind of get use to it. I have also seem new tires need to "seat" before they feel right. When they are first installed on either of my trucks they were a little darty till they wore in a little or scuff in like they do in racing. Dave ---- I have a jack, dose not work so guess I don't have a jack Lug wrench that may not fit my after market wheels & lugs I do have all the parts to mount the spare so good there but .......... no wheel to fit my truck Nice looking hitch I picked up a Reese Towpower universal off either Ebay or CL When I installed it as per the paper I felt the hitch was to low so I had to pull it apart, cut bolts, and flip the over and side to side to raise it up some. What you doing for light tie in and will you be running trailer brake in the truck? I use a Tee (Etrailer.com) between the frame harness and the tail light harness that had flat 4 connection. I cut the flat 4 off as my trailer uses a 7 pin flat connector. I also ran a trailer brake & power wire to the connector. I still need to mount the controller in the truck yet but have all the parts to do it. I have a 7pin to flat 4 adaptor I keep in the truck just incase. Dave ----

I have close to 5k on my truck since I got it on the road a year Nov. and you kind of get use to it. I have also seem new tires need to "seat" before they feel right. When they are first installed on either of my trucks they were a little darty till they wore in a little or scuff in like they do in racing. Dave ----

One day I will do sway bars to the truck, most likely when they fall into my lap LOL The kingpins were frozen on my truck and needed to be replaced. I was going to use and had bolted in the parts truck suspension as it was in great shape then fount out my wheels would not fit as the bolt pattern was different and did not have a set of wheels for them so have to have new bushings / pins installed in my setup. The is where the problem started. I was told by 4 different people there was only 1 shop that would press the bushings out / in and ream to size. Well they did do the pressing and reaming but when reaming they reamed EACH bushing to fit the pin from EACH side and not parallel so the pin would go through both bushings. I did not find this out for a few weeks latter when I went to mount the spindles to the beams and could not get the pins to fit. This also happened over Xmass / new years holiday and they are only open M-F like 8-4 and with my work hours I could not take them back like I should have. I used a brake cly hone to make the bushings larger for the pin to fit but I still had to drive them in a little. I do have a reamer now and should pull the front end apart to ream the bushings. Dave ----

The shop should have checked the front end out before putting it on the rack because if the wheels are moving there is no way they can set anything. Mine does the same thing and I know everything is new, I did the work, and was checked by the shop before it hit the rack. Part of mine is the kingpins are to tight and the steering wheel will not return to center from a turn. Part of that could also be caster or lack there of but it was within spec. The other is no sway bars. There was a post in the other forum in the older area of a member installing them on his truck and said with just the front helped make it stable in turns & over bumps. He did install a rear bar and said it helped a little more but then found it was hitting the frame or body and removed it till he could find a bar to fit better. I would love to install sway bars but the ones on Ebay for the F & R and brackets is like $400+ and being cheap not going to happen. Dave ----

The back half is easier, yes. For one thing it's not covered in black engine oil, black power steering fluid, and other globs of engine bay slime. I still have 19 more rivets to drill out and remove, but they go pretty quickly. They don't bother me much anymore. I have already needle scaled most of it, so now I need to remove the spring hangers and shock mounts...then rust treatment, and then some welding to do. Paint black, and reassemble. The truck is almost ready to move under its own power, but I still need to run brake lines and install a fuel tank, and I need to get the frame finished before I can do that. Looking good 👍 I did my hood by myself, hung it from the garage rafters and drove the truck under it LOL You don't need a tank to move it. That can on the fender worked great for me as I did not want gas sitting in the tanks not knowing when the truck would be on the road and it going bad. Dave. ----

It spit and shook a bit on the very first start, but then smoothed out pretty quick. I suppose it took a minute to pump up all the stuck lifters so they'd start smackin' the valves and loosen them up...ha. It did smoke a little bit after a few minutes, but not serious...certainly not for an old engine in a truck that was dragged out of the weeds. I think running it a little bit would make a difference too. Nice job I bet once you start driving it you wont go back to the other truck when I first got my truck running again the oil gauge did not read either but I did not hear any lifters making noise so I let it run. With testing mine was a bad sender. You got brakes on that bad boy so you can take it for a parking lot spin? Dave ----

Well it was time for the weekly trash run but wanted to change out the head lights before I did the trash. Well what a job! Started on the bad bulb side first and 1 of the ring screws did not to come out. It would turn and came part way but not all the way. Little prying I was able to get it out and figured I would use a sheet metal screw to put it back together. Well after trying 3 different ones and none going in all the way I broke out the tap & die set, the factory screws are machine thread. I was able to get a screw from my other radiator support and after dicking with it for to long had that side back together. And wouldn't you know the other side had a sheet metal screw in 1 hole and the head was rusted so could not use a screw driver :-arrgh I had to use Vise Grips on the back side to get it turning. I also ran a tap through the holes and 1 more screw from the support and in half the time it took the first one I have 2 new head lights :-jammin Loaded up the trash and took to the dump. This was the first time driving it since the carb rod adjustment and it ran pretty good. The dump is not far so not a not of "testing" but I am happy, just wish I had a AFR meter so I know what it is at. I did fill the tanks before the carb adjust so I will run a fill up or 2 and see when I et for MPG and may pull a plug or 2 and what they look like. I forgot I have a leak on the rear tank filler but it was cold and raw so will have to look into it at a later date. Dave ----

Thats what I want to do to my flareside but I am in a rush now cause I havent driven my truck in 3 years now and I want to get the drivetrain finished. Figured Id do the engine, transmission axle and springs then later on I may put my truck down before I get the paint and body work done and pull the engine/transmission out as well as just lift the cab and pull the bed and refinish the frame. If you are like me and don't do it now you will not go back and do it later. Even more so that you want to drive it as you have not in 3 years. I know it is hard not to just say he11 with it and throw it together to drive, mine was 4 years and I never drove it before I bought it. Dave ----

Yes I use the high beams a lot as it is dark (12pm to 3am) when I go to work and we do not have a lot of street lights around here, roads or high way. I also have the relay kit installed so they are a lot brighter. I was going to say hit the local parts store for that switch as they are cheap enough and I have never seen one that could be rebuilt. BTW when I rebuilt my truck I replaced both the floor switch and head light switch to be safe. Dave ----

Thanks for the replies and lets see if I cant answer them. Cory, I want to say I have seen it posted the Ford six may have this issue but I cant believe it in my case with the driving I do with the truck. It was a name brand think high mileage 10w-30 oil. I have changed it 1 once since its been on the road and I put a little ATF down the dip stick tube to "flush it out" and ran it for a bit in the drive to clean the inside before the change. I have not put the temp gun to it but will the next time I run the truck. No sweet smell from it burning coolant and yes I do run a 50/50 pre-mix. I have only needed to "top off" because of a lose heater hose clamp at the heater bypass valve as I had seen a spot under my truck when parked at work. In the garage at home its parked on carb board because of oil leaks. I don't think it's getting water sitting on the bottom of the pan or even mixing with the oil. I say this because when I check the oil level I can see the level as only oil. If there was water in the oil when running I would think the oil level would be milk shake and not show a level like I get now. The oil is dirty and my son wanted to change it, no filter and was to tired to go get one. I will do another ATF flush when I change the oil and note the oil used. I will also see about getting a coolant CO checker to see if there is anything there that is not really bad to show up as over heating etc. Thanks again Dave ----

Its not as bad as it sounds ........ I hope 81 F100 flare side 300 six stock other than EFI exh manifolds feeding into factory pipe & muffler. I have a 195* stat installed, always have. I drive the truck for 37+ miles, about 45 mins, each way to / from work on the high way. The heat will cook you out so I would say its getting out to temp even if the gauge reads low. The milk shake is on the under side of oil fill cap, dip stick tube but I can see the level at the bottom of the stick, and I now saw it in the hose for the breather going from air filter to valve cover. The last I checked the PVC, new when I got the truck back on the road, was working as it should. I do see more condensate smoke out the tail pipe than I think is normal. I would say the motor is not getting up to temp and / or running long enough to "boil" the water out but I don't think that is so. I did a compression test when I first got the truck and at the time thought is was good. So what am I over looking to keep this from happing? What do I need to look at deeper if working the way it should? Thanks for any help you can give Dave ----

One of my trucks had poly radius bushing and they were still good so I reused them. When I could not swap the whole suspension from parts truck to mine I had to replace the pivot bushings. I went with poly on them also. If you go with poly pivot note you have to reuse to outer metal sleeve and the poly bushing goes into it. You drill and burn the old rubber out, clean up the metal part with a wire brush lube the poly and slip it in. If you drop the pivot you should be able to pull the beam & radius arm forward to replace the radius bushings IIRC. Or you drill out the radius arm bracket rivits do the bushings and nut & bolt the brackets back to the frame. I don't think the poly bushings give a bad / harsh ride at all I am vary pleased with the ride. I still have rubber bushings out back. Dave ----

Yep At the hospital a lot of my AHU would run 4 to 6 belts we called mats that way. They looked like they for got to cut the belts apart to make singles. The 2 & 3 belt units I could get matched single belts but we are talking B & C wide belts. Also some of the single industrial belts were green to tell you they were industrial belts. They would last longer than the normal black belts. Dave ----

I see you have a 300 six and the ground cable from battery run along the top of the frame with a tab grounding the frame and then on to the top starter bolt. I would remove that bolt and clean the frame & tab and bolt it back down and see what you have. What bed does the truck have? I forgot the year but the early trucks did not have a ground wire in the frame harness like the documents show going up to the firewall behind the radio. The style side had a ground wire at each tail light and screwed to the bed behind the lights. I don't know what the flare sides had but I ran a ground from each light, plastic housing, thing to 1 of the light housing bolts as the bracket is metal and bolted to the metal bed side panels. Now my bed floor is a custom ribbed metal floor so the bed sides are grounded to it and the floor to the frame. I have not had any issues with rear lights and I have 1 of them Tee's for trailer lights between frame harness and tail light harness. I am with others it a ground issue. Dave ----

What you know I did get a picture or 2 when I installed it. Dave ----

No cutting of the radiator support. I used small steel pipe cut to think 1/4" as a spacer and got longer bolts. You pull the bottom of the condenser out put the spacer in place and use the longer bolts to hold everything in place. I don't know if I can get pictures now with the front all together or not but will look when I have time. Dave ----

Nope not a trail blazer as I have done it and I am sure 1 or 2 others have also. Do we have a FAQ or a "How To" in here When you order it for your truck what you will get will not be a bolt in. You can send it back 100 times and you will keep getting the same thing. They lumped all the part numbers together for our and think 87-92. Now I did this a few years ago when I was putting the front of the truck together but just got my AC system working late this past summer. The hoses all fit up to the new condenser and the top bolts in but its the bottom that gives a little trouble. You have to space it out I think it was 1/4" as the tubes on the end hit the support IIRC. Because the condenser is spaced out the lower part of the hood latch needs to be spaced out also. This may also space out the grille a little but you cant tell by looking at it when together. That about it from what I remember. Dave ----

Most states require trailer brakes on 2500 lb and more. Now Uhaul has surge brakes on the larger trailers and car haulers so covered there. When you looked up the weight rating was that for a ball mount only or WD hitch? The WD hitch moves the weight off the rear of the truck back to the front steer tires. It also makes for a more stable setup. With Uhaul you don't get a WD hitch with the trailers. Dave ----