"Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

Looking good!  But I didn't realize how much difference the temp makes, nor how much temp difference there is.  Wow!

Glad you found the socket you need.  I think I've used Dorman sockets in the past.

As for the temp, it is 72 now but tomorrow's low is 13.  Tonight's low is basically tomorrow's high and then the next front hits.  It has been a crazy year and I can't see how you can get anything done outside.

I survive by running a lot of projects in parallel. Whenever it's warm I'm spraying, when it's not I'm wiring or wrenching. That also lets me keep moving on a lot of fronts without getting stuck waiting on parts for one task.

Currently in progress:

- Paint: 2 coats primer 3 coats color 1 coat clear done on right side and hood. Need to run two more coats of clear then do the left and bed.

- Winch: I started on this yesterday by notching the winch tray I bought to fit between the bed rails (it was already super close, I only needed to take 1/2" off the rear rail of the tray in two spots). I have it up on jacks stands in about the area where I want to mount it. I have some 3x8 angle that looks like it will be perfect for some side brackets to the frame rails, then I plan to run some angle iron at 30-degree angles back to additional points on the frame rails to better distribute pulling loads along the frame. So far my plan to retain the original chrome front bumper will work out. I'll need to offset it about 2"" forward which I will do with some steel bushings. So far this is just a dry fit, but a promising one.

- Wiring: Trailer plug and license plate camera are installed and wire is run, but not hooked up under the hood. I may do that tomorrow.

- Fuel: Rear tank straps removed, discovered hitch is blocking me from dropping it and further, hitch is tack welded in and tank is still half full. Changed my mind about what I want to do here. I'm going to bring it to a shop and have them take it out. I think it'll be much safer to do on a lift. Then I'll install the new tank myself.

- Interior: Need to install my GMRS radio. I'm stalling for reasons I can't explain.

- Engine compartment: Need to refine a few wiring bits like my headlamp relay harness, the one I bought was a wee bit too short so I want to adjust how I have it laid out. And I bought a generic under-hood LED lighting kit in a huff after losing two bids on NOS lamps on eBay. I may or may not install it.

- Suspension: Done but definitely needs an alignment. I think I'll try a shop for this. I figure they may not do it quite right but they're unlikely to do it "wronger" than me so I'll give it a go the first time.

- Climate: Heat works great although the mixer push-pull is super stiff. I'm sure it;'s binding somewhere but don't care enough to find out. I've decided to have the A/C drained, it was R-12 and my plan is to have the same shop that yanks my gas tank drain the A/C as well, it's a service they "do." I'll leave it empty while I decide if I care, then when I decide I do (which is inevitable), I'll convert it to R-134A. That's an easy conversion and I have the manifold, vacuum, and other stuff to charge that properly.

- High idle: I've decided not to mess with the carb. I've read all the posts here and watched countless videos and then I found a shop in Denver that specializes in older vehicles and does dyno tuning and carb work. I wanted to get it dyno'd anyway just out of curiosity (my engine's had some "tuning work" done on it) so I figure I'll just have them give it a go.

- Oil leak: I have a very slow but noticeable oil leak I can't quite pinpoint. The drips are directly below where the clutch cable enters the clutch housing but I don't think that's the source. The truck is parked on a hill. Following leads a little it looks like it might be the rear corner of the driver's side valve cover and it's just dripping down and traveling where gravity takes it. I'm going to pressure wash the general trail to clean it up and confirm the source. (Obviously I'd love to have it be the valve cover itself since that's such an easy thing to fix. My fear is something like a rear main seal which is way beyond my current skills and garage capacity.)

- Install Torklift camper tie downs. I'm sure I'll sing a different song once these are on but tbh I'm not thrilled with the installation method. I feel like they could have done a much better job both fitting it to the vehicle in general and documenting the install.

- Install the spare tire mount: I know the under-bed mount is much maligned because it's such a pain but when you're planning on hauling a truck camper around it's really the best option. You may remember I scored all original parts on this: the support, mounting brackets, and even the special bolts. But there's no sense putting it on until I deal with the gas tank so it's on hold until then.

- Final trim and so forth: I have bed rail caps, chrome wheel well trim, bed mats, and emblems all pending paint work. It just started snowing and they're saying it could last til Thursday so there's no telling when this stuff will happen. Some day.

I understand parallel projects.  But I tend to focus on a single project until it is done.

Tell me more about your license tag camera?  What does it feed?

And what GMRS radio?  I have the Midland MXT115 and a pair of their 15 Watt MicroMobile walkie talkies.

I'm curious to see how many rattle cans you will go through by the time you are done. the truck is looking good, however.

mat in tn wrote

I'm curious to see how many rattle cans you will go through by the time you are done. the truck is looking good, however.

I bought 12 cans of primer, 18 cans of color and 12 cans of clear coat. Sounds like it would be expensive but I think I'm still under $250 on all of it because I waited and watched for some deals at Walmart especially for the primer. (Interesting side note my local Walmart is emptying their shelves of paint. I didn't ask why but they're almost bare now. I bought the last of what I had then ordered online.) That doesn't count filler, sandpaper, blocks, rags, masks, tape, paper, and other supplies but I budgeted about $300 for everything and I think I'm on track. (I'm not counting underbody and other specialty coatings like when I painted the inside of the cab.) I think I'm more or less on track. This was never going to be a showroom finish but as a learning experience it's been worthwhile. At least all the rust is/will be sanded/treated/covered.

Gary Lewis wrote

Tell me more about your license tag camera?  What does it feed?

I bought this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S6RV311

In other vehicles I've gone whole-hog on smart setups like you did with the Pomodoro (sp?). (Speaking of which we need an update on that!) But this vehicle's #1 purpose is a hunt/camp rig where the only time I'm in reverse is getting into a tight pull-off with a camper in the back blocking my view. And as I may have said, I have kind of a crush/love affair with chrome so I wanted that fancy chrome mirror LMC sells. It's honestly my favorite "little detail" in this restomod.

As a compromise between "functional" and "retro-cool" I went with this generic license plate camera. It's a wifi unit with no monitor - you pair it to your phone, so it's only useful for occasional use. But since that's my need... it was a good fit.

I've yet to fire it up, actually. I have a bunch of "rear bumper stuff" on hold while I was dragging my feet deciding whether to replace the whole lighting harness or just splice in some new backup bulb sockets. Since I bit the bullet and bought new sockets, assuming they fit properly, I'll probably be finalizing that this week and can give some feedback on how it works.

Gary Lewis wrote

And what GMRS radio?  I have the Midland MXT115 and a pair of their 15 Watt MicroMobile walkie talkies.

This is the MXT275, a similar unit but it has the hidden with the channel/other controls are on the mic.



 I haven't run this radio before but it gets great reviews and I know somebody who likes it in their jeep. I wanted something a little "understated" so I like the hidden head unit.I normally use a Baofeng UV-5R handheld not because it's good but because it was super cheap and does everything I need but since this is sort of a self-Christmas-present I figured...

I have a GMRS license so I can legally use the higher power bands but don't really have a need for that. Mostly I stick to 1-7 and <2W because that's perfect for helping somebody pick a line down a rockfall. But now I'll have a radio that can do a bit more if needed, and it will cover the holes in the instrument panel the previous owner left installing this weird mount:



Instead of trying to fill those holes (and I'm too OCD to ignore them) I was like "hmmm what can I put here?" to cover it up. And a mic mount for a radio just seemed like a perfect choice.

“ Install Torklift camper tie downs. I'm sure I'll sing a different song once these are on but tbh I'm not thrilled with the installation method. I feel like they could have done a much better job both fitting it to the vehicle in general and documenting the install.”

My truck came with Torklift tie downs on it. So I don’t know about the install, but I’ll do what I can to help, pictures etc.

I have used those tie downs a few times, not for a camper, but it was easier to tie down the load in my bed with those and some long and doubled up cargo straps.

Thanks Grumpin. Always good to have extra input.

It's hard to imagine anything worse than the old tie down method that was used, which was ratchet straps from rotting/sagging brackets on the camper down to simple hooks in the outer wall of the body. There was no reinforcement at all and you know that outer bed steel isn't all that thick to begin with...



Those of you that have driven trucks with campers (or anything tall/moderately heavy) in the bed, can you even IMAGINE going around a corner on a mountain road with that as your tie down while knowing your shocks are totally gone AND your tie-down is hooked to a garage-door slotted angle lag-bolted to a rotten piece of OSB on the camper? Honestly, this truck is almost a god luck symbol to me that it's still on the road and not totalled in a gully!

Grumpin, you don't happen to have any memories/photos of what you did on the driver's side do you? These Torklift brackets are specific to this truck and model year, and they have some small slots where a cable can go through. It's pretty obvious this is clearance for the parking brake cable... but it doesn't "work". Where the brackets are supposed to go is just about where my parking brake cable adjuster is, where it splits from one cable into two. There's no way that thing fits around this. But I can't slide it forward much because my driver's side step bar is there. I'll take a better photo of this tomorrow...

We got some snow today and it’s supposed to be cold for a few days. I’ll try to get a look at it when I can.

I think for once-in-a-while use that camera setup should work well.  As for an update on mine, since the truck is down for EFI'ing I haven't used it in a month or so.  But it was working very well before.  Still want the promised waterproof front camera though.

That radio was one I considered, but I wanted the mike to be smaller and didn't need the hidden approach.  But I think they are quite similar.  And I have the GMRS license as well.  So I can use the correct offroading channel: 4 x 4 = 16.  

On the camper tie downs, I wouldn't have left the driveway with those.    We had a 9 1/2' self-contained unit in a '72 F250 and even with good tiedowns it sometimes felt iffy.  No way, Jose, I'd use those!

My 86 that came from Dane's neck of the woods had Happijac CA-FD8's on it that I sold to a guy in Alaska. The front plates bolted to the front face of the bed where the panels overlap and the rear 'bolts' just went through the outer bed shell. I was surprised that the holes from the rear ones weren't enlarged or tore but looked like they've never slipped or anything.
Never had a camper on it myself so that's the only experience I have

I put Happijacs on my 94 F250. I also installed the recommended bar between the the plates for 4x4 trucks.

The rears I put in the bumper, I didn’t like the idea of putting them in the bed wall.

Never had any problems, I liked them. Had a big Western Wilderness on there.

If I was to use a truck camper again I would go with Stable Lift.

https://www.stablelift.com/

I really like the look of the Stable-Lift but it's too heavy - it adds like 400lbs to the camper. I do have an F-250, but I also have mountains to climb and I'm trying not to overload it. My camper is actually SUPER light compared to modern units - 1559lbs. I'm trying to take advantage of that.

Happi-jac's are great too, but I'm looking forward to this Torklift setup. I like that the outer bars are removeable when not needed. The only problem I'm having is the front driver's side bracket interferes with the parking brake cable. Need to figure that out...

This camper will be a fun restoration in its own right. There's some structural damage (the way it was tied down was stressing the upper frame and crushing its corners) but otherwise it's in pretty decent condition. While I have the siding off the fix the structure, I'm going to make a few mods, particularly removing the collapse mechanism and hard-siding it. I don't need a collapsible camper - it only lowers the height by a foot anyway, and the places I go are narrow but not "low'.

I may even shave off a few pounds doing this - canvas is heavy and so is the crank/lifting mechanism and hardware like the tie-downs that hold it closed for storage.

Gary, what's the policy on off-topic threads here? I'm going to blog about it somewhere and it's somewhat truck related I guess. Otherwise I guess I can link to a thread somewhere else in my sig...

taskswap wrote

Gary, what's the policy on off-topic threads here? I'm going to blog about it somewhere and it's somewhat truck related I guess. Otherwise I guess I can link to a thread somewhere else in my sig...

We have no policy on off-topic threads.  If you look I have a thread on wiring my boat.  Bill has his Lebaron T2.  etc.  Basically, we are a community that came together due to Bullnose trucks, but we have other interests as well.  So we tolerate off-topic threads easily.

I'm guessing you are talking about it and I say go for it.  I'd like to see what you do.

I would like to see what you do on the camper as well.

The truck campers and travel trailers I had were in need of repair most of the time.

I should state that if I put a camper on my truck now, I would definitely use the Tork Lifts I already have.

I do like the Stable Lift but see your point on the weight. I was always removing things my wife and kids wanted to take camping, only necessities.

I’ll get under my truck in a bit and see what’s going on with the parking brake.

Here are two pictures of the installation by the parking brake cable. Hope these help.

I went to the Torklift website, nothing like what I have. Maybe a different company made them. But I don’t know of any others.

I assumed these were early Torklifts, and may be, but I’m not sure now.

https://www.torklift.com/findyourfit-results?vid=90&rboards=no&hitch=r_standard&chosen_year=1986&chosen_make=1&chosen_model=2#front

Huh. Yeah mine don't look anything like that. The set Torklift and direct vendors like eTrailer recommend for my '81 F250 is the F2000.



It bolts directly to the frame rail with one bolt going over the top of the rail in the top corner of the bracket and two more bolts into the side of the rail through holes you have to drill.

On the passenger side this is fine. On the driver's side the parking brake cable is there. There's a notch in the bracket that's clearly designed (and referenced by the instructions) to allow the cable to pass through it without interference. In theory no problem. But I ALSO have a set of Westin step bars installed and those come back far enough so that the Torklift bracket doesn't fit well.




The reason this is a problem is because the bracket needs to sit far enough forward that only the cable from the parking break goes through the slot it has for that. The slot isn't big enough for the adjuster bolts and other "stuff". This is a problem because the bracket is also tall enough to stick below the frame rail a bit, and the step bar attaches flush under there.

But its only by about a half-inch. All of the bolts from the Torklift bracket into/over the frame rail are above the weldment that holds the arm on. I'm confident the lower left corner of the bracket isn't really structural - it might add a bit of rigidity but it's not load bearing. I believe I can grind off just enough clearance where the bracket sits over the step bar to make this all work. As a plan B I could add a bushing to the step bar's mount to lower it the same amount, but then it wouldn't be level and I don't love the idea...

When I went to the Torklift website and put in the info for my truck it asked if it had running boards that go under the truck.

I went to the website after I posted the pictures because there was no way to interfere with the cables with my installation.

I mean... I didn't have running boards when I got the kit!

I'll post pics of whatever I work out. But it'll be a few days. I picked up that bracket to take that pic above today and just about froze my hand off. I think it was -2F at the time...

Tiny updates just to keep the thread alive. We've had VERY cold weather here which blocks most of what I want to do... but creates an opportunity. Yesterday I figured I'd give a go of getting the truck started in the cold, to make sure I could.

I would call the first start "difficult" if it weren't for the fact that it was always going to be. It started about the way I expected. Pump it, crank it, work it, be patient. Try again. Probably took 30 seconds but I did get it to start. I let it rev for about 30 seconds with my foot on the clutch, then put it in neutral and let the clutch off and it died. I'm guessing the transmission oil was so stiff (it's new, but still 80W-90) it was just a bit too much load for the engine still being cold.

At that point I could not get it restarted. Click, thunk, click, thunk. Dead battery. No surprise, it's an old battery. The guy I bought it from got the truck at an auction and it didn't have a battery in it, so he put one in. I'm guessing he put in "whatever he had lying around" (his worst one). I'll be getting a new one, but in the meantime I threw the charger on it this morning so I can have another go of starting it today just for the exercise. This time I'll let it fully warm up before letting the clutch out (or maybe just give it a bit of gas).