FuzzFace2

I would say 10K no more than 15K, 2 or 3 oil changes since the truck has been on the road. Figure a little over 3K for each change so guess closer to 10K. I swapped the plug wires with another hole so will keep eye on the 2 plugs. I also pulled the plug end metal part out of the "good" wire so I forced it back in and fingers crossed it holds till I check plugs. I also swapped out the coil, cleaned the connections, not that they were bad and that did not help. You can feel it miss just cruising along and under even light load like pulling away from a light or stop sign. I have rechecked the wires and plugs for the DSII system and they all look good. I have even moved the wiring around with the motor idling and nothing. Only thing that it can be now is the pick up coil. (maybe, see about the lean carb below) All IGN tune up parts have been checked over as they only have maybe 10K on them. Plugs have been changed and that was the biggest change. No more bucking but you can feel a miss when driving. Carb has been swapped out with a new Ebay one. It starts as fast as the old carb but may need to adjust the choke a little. What I dont like is it runs vary lean based on my AFR gauge. Just normal driving holding speed it runs in the high 15's to mid 16's. When I first started it after a cool down, motor still a little warm, fast idle came on but the AFR went so lean it blanked out when I first started driving it and you could feel it "lay down" lack power. It was a little better after it got up to temp but it just dose not feel right. I did readjust the idle speed & mix and will see if I can adjust the needle / jet richer as what I am feeling could be a lean miss fire now? The fight goes on! Dave ----

It dose go low over time but I think it leaks from the NG vacuum valve for the no water flow when the HVAC is in vent. The hose is too large for the valve and I am for ever tightening up the clamps. I hope it is not what you are hinting to other wise Also not getting any white / sweet smoke out the tail pipe or it has not gotten that bad yet? I also dont remember or did not test that far, what hole had the miss when I first got the truck? Also dont remember any of the plugs looking as bad as that one I pulled out. Just a thought I am running coolant to heat the intake for cool / cold weather. I did use a freeze plug in the EGR port with sealer but wonder if the intake had a crack or bad casting and leaking coolant to that hole? It is right at the area where the coolant is. More to keep an eye on now Dave ----

I hope not I dont think it uses and oil between changes that I can think of. Now when I first got it back on the road I had a lot of "milk shake" in the breather cap * hose to the air filter and the dip stick tube from condensation that I dont have now. I also have not see any oil smoke out the tail pipe on start up or driving. I know before I bought the truck it was only used around the small yard as it it did not have plates while he had it. Bought for his son as a project but son did not like it. Before they told it was a farm truck so may not of been driven much then also? So it could be with me putting miles on it it has "sealed it" by seating the rings better and getting it up to temp and staying there longer? I am going to try and swap the plug wire with another plug if I can and see if it is a plug wire issue by checking the 2 plugs over time. If the other plug dose the same I know it is a wire and not the hole. Maybe I should try and find them plug adapters that we used back in the day when the motor burned oil and fouled the plugs Dave ----

I dont have EFI and I have a 300 carb six but that is about what mine is. Do you still have the vacuum line routing sticker on the radiator support? It should have the hose routing for everything. Your canister looks a little different than mine as my hoses go to the big open ports on yours and dose not have the little ones the hoses are going to. Because I have dual tanks I have 2 canisters. The upper one has the tank & vacuum hose to 1 large port and a hose going from the 2nd large port to a lower canister large port. The 2nd large port on the lower canister has (should have) a breather cap on it so when the motor is pulling a vacuum on the canister(s) to burn the fuel vapors it can pull in fresh air. It looks like you are missing the breather cap on a large port or maybe both should have one? Dave ----

I also replaced my "custom" emblems only because the old ones were nasty. Think I got mine thru LMC with the clips. But for anyone else looking and comes across this, might try local body supply stores and old body shops as they would have them back in the old days. Dave ----

Well I am on the right path #1 thru #6 left to right or top to bottom. Changed the plugs, first 3 did not look bad and was thinking this is not it then got to #4 and WTH! The motor never showed any signs of a miss up to this bucking but looking at #4 I dont know how that could be? Took it for a test drive and the bucking is pretty much gone under load (empty but it did buck before the plug change). Thing is I can feel a miss at steady throttle and trying to speed up in the higher gears, 4th and 4th OD. I will let the motor cool down some and see if I can swap the plug wires from that plug to another and keep and eye on the 2 plugs to see if they show any signs of an issue. I will also recheck the cap closer for spark tracing. But it is strange if it was cross firing I am not getting any back firing anywhere as you would think you would? Dave ----

I am almost 100% sure it is a spark issue as it feels like the motor shuts off & on really fast. If it was a fuel issue it would spit & spudder as it ran out of gas in the carb. If the tach moved faster when not getting power I then would know for sure it was a spark issue. Bill & Gary gave me some things to check and I have a new coil to try but my gut is telling me pick up coil in the dist. There is only 1 store around that has one in stock, Standard Product. So after I do more checking I may go get it. Dave ----

The thing is the bracket for a 400 motor as I dint think any 400's came with that pump. I know the 300 six in vans used that pump and what we get the brackets from. So unless someone has done this and post you might be on your own. Dave ----

I also think it is something common to the ignition system and why I got the coil. I got plugs as I want to pull them to see what they look like so might throw plugs at it. The coil wire looked good at both ends but did not measure it. But being it started right after the water bath I ruled it out. Same on the other plug wires. I will check volt to coil and hot wire and or replace it to see if that helps. But gut feeling is pickup coil in the distributor is starting to go bad under load. More testing needed. Dave ----

No I have not pulled the plugs yet and have a new set I just picked up and coil at same time. I should say I have seen a coil go bad like you said, arcing from tower to 1 of the wire leads as spark was looking for the easy path to ground. This was caused by bad plug wires where the spark did not want to go to the plugs. This happened when I was just starting out to repair cars so it kind of stuck with me LOLO. When the coil went bad it stayed bad. Again this only happens under load, heavier the load the worst the bucking. I got a feeling the new plugs will not fix it because it would have to be ALL THE PLUGS as it kills the power / bucks. If 1 or 2 plugs failed you could feel that as a miss not shut off like is happening. As for the 16 on the AFR I only seen it pop up. Once I can get it to run with out bucking I will look at the AFR closer and adjust as needed. I also remembered the old carb was missing a part for the needle / jet and think why that carb ran rich. I also seen fine rust in the bowl of the old carb. The new fuel filter on the carb did not have rust come out before I put it on the new carb. Thanks for the help Dave ----

Both have good information thanks. I should point out the wires and plugs were replaced with the cap & rotor when I first got the truck. The motor had a miss, a compression check showed all good there so I replaced the cap, rotor, plugs and wires and no more miss. I then took the whole truck apart for the 4 year rebuild. I will check the coil in put volts just to make sure it is good. Garbage in garbage out right LOL As you can see from the post above got plugs and coil not that I have ever seen a coil go bad. Also for leaking plug wires in the dark spray water from a squirt bottle on them and if they arc they are bad. BTW after the de-greasing the motor started right up and ran smooth as I had to get it back to my garage & tools. Dave ----

I can tell you the Ebay carb did not make a change on the bucking but it feels like it has more get up and go. It also idles smother and leaner from a 13 something to 14.5. If I tried to adjust it to that it would run ruff. Also on the test drive it is running leaner across the board. Before was 13's to maybe 14's now 14's to 15's even saw a 16 once so the MPG should go up too (I hope). On the test drive it was bucking but get the RPM up to 3K+ and you could still feel it up that high. I stopped for new plugs and picked up a coil as I feel it is not a fuel issue, not running out of gas more like shutting off and on really really fast. It did not feel like it was bucking as bad after the test so wonder if the plugs are fouled from running to rich from the old carb and now running leaner they are cleaning off? Taking the wife out to dinner for 25 years married and tomorrow taking her for a medical procedure so cant work on the truck for a few days. ​​​​​​​Dave ----

81 F100 flare side 4x2, 300 six,NP435, Advance Adapter over drive, 2.75 gear and 235/75/15 tires. Well I have had this bucking issue unloaded in 4th gear & over drive at about 45 to 50 MPH going up a little hill when taking the trash to the dump every week. It was not really bad so I never looked into it. Yesterday I pulled a 20' enclosed trailer for our car club for our yearly show. The bucking was so bad I really could not get above 45 MPH. I pulled the vacuum line to the dist. thinking maybe a break in the wires to the pickup coil was the cause, did not help. Both unloaded and loaded I did not see the factory tach "bounc" but it dosemove kind of slow, and the air fuel ratio gauge is about 12.5 to 13.5 a little on the rich side but is normal for this truck when under load. It seams the more load on the motor (pulling the trailer) the worst it was. If I backed off the throttle it stopped but lost speed and when back on it bucked again. Today I started looking in to it and so far have not found the cause., what was done.(I did 1 thing and took for a test drive, then the next ....) 1- De-greased the motor after tighten up valve cover bolts. Used shop air to blow dry. 2- Pulled the coil horse shoe connector and plug wire from coil and checked, both ok. 3- pulled cap & rotor, found a little water in side but think from the de-grease. Blew out with shop air. Cleaned up posts in cap and rotor, they were not that bad. 4- plugged in old Motor Craft DSII box. It leaked potting when hot out and why it was changed. The 2 plugs looked good to the box. 5- with the motor running after all the above I moved wires to the coil & DSII box and it did not skip a beat. I dont see a way to really check the pick up coil at this time. I guess the next thing is to pull the carb and either pull it apart, I have rebuilt this when I first got it on the road, or find the Ebay carb I bought and install it. Back to the garage to plan the attack! Dave ----

A little late have you done anything with this yet? I dont know how well the FS6 works as an air pump as I am sure most use the big square York compressor The reason I say this is the FS6 does not have a oil sump to keep the compressor lubed. Yes the York dose have a sump and why it is used. Dave ----

If you have a complete system and it has been open you need to change out the drier. You can replace it for the same year as the truck as it will bolt right in. As for the switch they do say to replace it or adjust the one you have to work with the higher PSI that the 134a runs at. Now I replaced mine and it went bad with in a year. Also in checking even being for a 134 system had the same cut off / on psi as my 81 switch. Also on the adjusting if you look at the plug end the screw is reverse from a normal screw driver so I dont know how you can turn it? At this time because the "134a" switch is bad I got it jumped out so the AC will work as it gets really really hot here! You should also replace all the O-rings that work with 134a. I also replaced all hoses but 1 as I could not find it but I also seen posted you dont have to replace the hoses because of the R12 oil has sealed them. So take it for what it is worth. I also installed a new condenser as the old was bad. Now for oil I forget what I used or how much at this time. The first time I think I added to much as it did not cool too good. I had issues with leaks, fittings not tight, used compressor went bad just a mess to get the system going. When the compressor went bad I changed out the drier again (it was new to start) and flushed the whole system with AC flush. Now that I have the system sealed, new compressor, hoses, condenser, drier, pilot tube and charged to 80% of the R12 it cools pretty good. Dave ----

I have not had mine off in 4 years but as a guess 1/4" thread by maybe 1/2" long? Pull one of the old ones to the hardware store to match up. Dave ----

No worries here Dave, I actually found a factory rear bumper shortly after posting this and I finally got it installed a week or two ago. The bumper was NOS, still in plastic. I had to buy some pieces to complete it, and the mounting brackets came all the way from Georgia. I just added the factory tailgate decal as well. She's coming together;). I wasn't a big fan of the factory roll pan and I find that the bumper looks more finished. Looks good Can you post a picture under the bumper picture of the roll pan so I (we) can see the difference. I dont remember what that looks like and dont remember if I seen one? Dave ----

Are they ever finished started off as this Side shot shows the dual tank doors. Rear tank on flare side was not an option. Custom made front bumper. No bolts showing and fog / driving lights fitted. No bumperbolts showing and FORD is reflected Mounted on the front bumper I also have a book with photos I put out at shows as people did not believe I did all the work even the paint. Yesterday taking the trash to the dump I got a thumbs up at a traffic light and 2 guys said nice truck at the gas station. Dave ----

I dont remember what my truck, 81 F100 with a later motor, has when I swapped the pump out 5 years ago. Being the threads are 32 that must be fine threads as 16 is the other. With that said I have not seen threaded rod in fine thread so that leaves you with reuse what you got or bolts. Take something that will fit in the bolt holes and see if they go all the way thru, I think they do. This way you will know if the bolts are a little longer they will not bottom out before tight. Then get bolts and lock washers the thread size as the holes. Just make sure you have enough threads to get a good bite in the block as you dont want to strip out them holes. I think you are over thinking this, just bolt the pump back on. Dave ----

That dose look good as the other stick out way to far. Now wonder as hard as it is finding regular bumpers for flare sides and even harder the brackets what brackets the step bumper for a flare side would use? Just so people know what a regular flare side bumper looks like. Yes I shaved the the bumper bolts and painted it but other wise how it would look. Sorry Cory going OT:nabble_smiley_wink: Dave ----

That is a good bit out there and yes vehicle permitting. I do have to say this trip was the farthest 1 way, 100 miles, I remember taken the truck in one shot. I have put 400 miles on in 1 week a few times but that is 40 miles to work and 40 back home with side trips. Dave ----

Years ago my brother out in Cal., he is a body man, said he seen a step bumper on a 80 - 86 flare side, think that is where he got the parts from for my truck he sent me. I asked what he thought it was from as we have not seen any anywhere. I asked if it looked too wide, stuck out to the edge of the fenders? He said no, was not too wide and looked like a pretty good fit. He thought it might of been from a Chevy S10 truck? Dont know if I have seen a step on a S10 but maybe look at them for one? I dont think I have seen a step on a Bullnose flare side? Dave ----

Doing a heck of a job I did a 4 year cab off frame rebuild of my 81 F100 flare side. I striped everything off the frame as that is the base of the truck. After the rust on the frame was treated and painted I then reworked each part before it was put back on the frame. On the dash & wiring in my case I pulled then together as a unit. When it was time to install the dash, after it was rebuilt, it went back in as dash & wiring harness. Made it easy doing it that way. Oh I did all the work by my self. On removing the cab I striped everything off it to make it lighter, remember by my self. Being you have the rear axle back in you will need 2 planks that reach past the outer axle, and 2 saw horses. I did not have the axle in so I was able to lift the cab 1 side at a time and kick the horse under the rocker then do the same to the other side. You will need to do the same and put the planks from horse to horse so you can roll the frame out from under the cab. Frame ready to go back under the cab after the floors, rockers, cab corners, door posts were replaced. Rebuilt parts going back on the frame / base. I did not have to rebuild the rear axle other than all new brake parts, the motor as it ran good and trans needed to replace after it was on the road. Just a little of what I did and how I did it. Dave ----

First I have heard of this but I was never a parts man to know this. I wonder if we asked Bill aka; numbers dummy on the other forum if he would say anything? I know he is not on it as much now days, he is missed. Dave ----

I guess because of the club I belong to is why I hit the local shows & cruise in's but have also gone by my self again local of about 30 to 40 miles 1 way. Around here most of the going's on are on Saturday's and there could be 2 or more going on on the same day. As a club we pick a show to go to. It could be a smaller show put on by a small club and we like to give them our money because of that. There was 1 time the club members split on what show to go to. Half went to one show and the other half to the other show. The wife is not in to cars and she has her foster adoption thing on Saturday's so she goes to that. There is 1 evening cruise put on by a small club that is in the next town over from us that has 3 different places to eat at. One is a Burger place the wife & I like so we hit it for diner then the cruise. Other members wives also come to this for diner and hang out so they all get to talk to each other. I dont know if that is good or bad LOL There is a cruise in this Saturday at the Tobacco Farm Life Museum, 30 miles away held by a small club. Our club is planing to go to but they are talking 70% rain so dont know what will happen. Some shows are held rain or shine, dont know about this one? and I know some members will not take their cars out if it looks like rain. 2 weekends ago 10 of us went to a show and it did rain hard, show was cut short because of it. I was shocked that 2 of the members had their cars out as I was sure they would have stayed home and not get the cars dirty. I think (pretty sure on that) why others in the club dont go to far is none have over drive. That is 1 reason when we convoy we dont go the high way. They dont like spinning the motor that high! I tell them what was the speed limit when they were built? Did people not drive on the high way back then? Yes they did so it wont hurt to run it once in awhile to"blow it out"! I may start "cutting from the pack" and hit some shows a little farther out just to see what is out there. When you hit the same local shows you see the same cars / trucks and people. Not that that is a bad thing but just like to see some different things. Dave ----