1981 straight six manual 4x4 project

[Gary Lewis]

Friday was glass day. It took two guys over an hour to do the job. Most of this was clean up of the window frame area on the cab. They explained that modern sealant is polyurethane. The old stuff was butyl, and polyurethane does not stick to butyl. To do it right the frame has to be thoroughly cleaned and primered or the polyurethane won't seal. They did a nice job. The glass that is clear all the way to the edges is Fuyao DW911.

I'm not thrilled with the fitment of the windshield trim, the bottom edge has quite a gap next to the glass. Then they took the old windshield out there was a lot of dirt and leaves under it. I may pull a junkyard one later on and see if it fits any better.

Bad news on the rims. The local shop cannot seem to get them. Twice they received the wrong item from their supplier, so the guy told me to move on and buy them elsewhere. This is very unfortunate considering shipping time and wanting to have it done for the trip.

I also discovered I need a new tie rod. I bought one earlier but it was non-greasable so I put the old one back in. When I did the joint tightened up, but after a bit of use it is sloppy again. There is definitely a loosey-goosey dead spot in the steering, and it's the joint. I have another tie rod on order, it should be in tomorrow.

I filled the fuel tank and it took about 12 gallons. It was reading about 1/8 tank before filling which is pretty low, but better that than an overly optimistic gauge! I have not measured the speedometer odometer yet, but I think it may be reading just a bit low. The needle isn't very steady, but it's more of a tremor than a jumping. The cable is new but aftermarket. I could try an OEM cable and a new driven gear to see if it helps.

I think I still need to do some tune up. The exhaust is pretty rich and stinky. New plugs and wires wouldn't hurt since I don't know the history on the ones that are in there, and hopefully I can lean the carb out some. I'm also hearing what I think is an exhaust leak that comes and goes. Maybe the sintered steel donut gasket was a mistake?

I drove it a total of about 40 miles. It ran well and overall I'm pretty happy with it. It is difficult for me to get used to the gearing. Most of the other trucks I've owned have had 4.10's and granny 4 speed (driven like a 3 speed). I keep putting it into the wrong gear for the speed since my auto pilot needs reprogrammed for this set up. But I do really like it. The close ratio gears are awesome for the straight six. No more revving it through the roof to get it to the next gear. I think I will need 4Lo on the transfer case to start out while towing the trailer, but that shouldn't be any rougher than shifting out of a non synchronized granny gear.

I didn't get anything done on it today, but hopefully tomorrow I will make some strides towards readiness.

Glad the glass worked out, and thanks for the brand and model number.

Bummer on the wheels. Hope you can get the others in time.

The tank is a 19 gallon - right? So it had 7 gallons in it, but the gauge was showing 1/8 tank. Yeah, that's a minor problem. Big Blue has 140ish miles on this tank, 40 of which was pulling a trailer with Huck on it, and the gauge shows FULL. I'll take your problem over mine.

I know what you are saying re the gas T19's gearing - that 1st gear isn't very useful unless you are towing. But, shifting the t-case while rolling - I've not done that. It isn't too hard?

On the speedo cable, maybe you should lube it? Can't hurt - unless you get too much lube. And, reading slightly slow sounds like Big Blue - I have to remember that it is going about 5 MPH faster than it says.

[Ford F834]

Glad the glass worked out, and thanks for the brand and model number.

Bummer on the wheels. Hope you can get the others in time.

The tank is a 19 gallon - right? So it had 7 gallons in it, but the gauge was showing 1/8 tank. Yeah, that's a minor problem. Big Blue has 140ish miles on this tank, 40 of which was pulling a trailer with Huck on it, and the gauge shows FULL. I'll take your problem over mine.

I know what you are saying re the gas T19's gearing - that 1st gear isn't very useful unless you are towing. But, shifting the t-case while rolling - I've not done that. It isn't too hard?

On the speedo cable, maybe you should lube it? Can't hurt - unless you get too much lube. And, reading slightly slow sounds like Big Blue - I have to remember that it is going about 5 MPH faster than it says.

Gary, shifting the transfer case on the fly isn't too bad. It's a slow shift, and a bit rough but not too different than shifting out of a straight cut 1st gear. We will see how it goes. I may hate it, and if I do I can always put the NP435 from the donor 4x4 in place of the T19. Not that I love to swap transmissions for fun but it's an option. I'm not getting rid of it just in case...

The new speedometer cable came with lube that I applied. Maybe I put too much. We will see what happens with more use. The odometer is reading pretty low, by around 20%. The speedometer may be off by more than I thought. It's too late to do anything about it now, but if I get a clue about a correction factor it is still better than nothing. I will be going very slow with the camper so I definitely won't be worried about speeding! My guess is that I will want overdrive (GVOD or DNE2) and I will address the drive gear then.

I ordered the wheels through Summit. I hope they ship promptly. The most pressing reason I have for wanting them before the trip is tire strength. The 31X10.5's are a very disappointing load range C. The ones I want to run are load range E (10 ply rating). The Mohave desert is pretty much made of sharp rocks, and heavier tires are a huge benefit in the back country. If at all possible I want to avoid going there on 6 ply tires.

Edit: the one decision I am regretting is not upgrading to a larger fuel tank. Given the change of plans to tow the camper, the one 19 gallon tank is just not a great situation. Even if I carry spare fuel containers I am going to have to be very mindful of my route and gas availability. The last time we went we encountered fuel prices near $6 per gallon. The price difference would almost pay for the 38 gallon spectra in one refill 😳

[Gary Lewis]

Gary, shifting the transfer case on the fly isn't too bad. It's a slow shift, and a bit rough but not too different than shifting out of a straight cut 1st gear. We will see how it goes. I may hate it, and if I do I can always put the NP435 from the donor 4x4 in place of the T19. Not that I love to swap transmissions for fun but it's an option. I'm not getting rid of it just in case...

The new speedometer cable came with lube that I applied. Maybe I put too much. We will see what happens with more use. The odometer is reading pretty low, by around 20%. The speedometer may be off by more than I thought. It's too late to do anything about it now, but if I get a clue about a correction factor it is still better than nothing. I will be going very slow with the camper so I definitely won't be worried about speeding! My guess is that I will want overdrive (GVOD or DNE2) and I will address the drive gear then.

I ordered the wheels through Summit. I hope they ship promptly. The most pressing reason I have for wanting them before the trip is tire strength. The 31X10.5's are a very disappointing load range C. The ones I want to run are load range E (10 ply rating). The Mohave desert is pretty much made of sharp rocks, and heavier tires are a huge benefit in the back country. If at all possible I want to avoid going there on 6 ply tires.

Edit: the one decision I am regretting is not upgrading to a larger fuel tank. Given the change of plans to tow the camper, the one 19 gallon tank is just not a great situation. Even if I carry spare fuel containers I am going to have to be very mindful of my route and gas availability. The last time we went we encountered fuel prices near $6 per gallon. The price difference would almost pay for the 38 gallon spectra in one refill 😳

Hope you get your wheels in time. And understand the concern about tires. Fortunately Vernon did his research and Big Blue is wearing Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx tires in LT285/75R16. They are Load Range E and have a 3,750 # rating, with 7 plies in the tread and 3 in the sidewall.

As for the tranny, there's always the ZF5, which has the low 1st and nice OD. I loved it in Dad's truck, but never towed with it, so we will see what I think about it when in Big Blue as he tows often.

Anyway, at least you can get things rolling in 4lo on this trip and change later if needed.

[Ford F834]

Hope you get your wheels in time. And understand the concern about tires. Fortunately Vernon did his research and Big Blue is wearing Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx tires in LT285/75R16. They are Load Range E and have a 3,750 # rating, with 7 plies in the tread and 3 in the sidewall.

As for the tranny, there's always the ZF5, which has the low 1st and nice OD. I loved it in Dad's truck, but never towed with it, so we will see what I think about it when in Big Blue as he tows often.

Anyway, at least you can get things rolling in 4lo on this trip and change later if needed.

Big Blue's tires are just like what I want to run but a bit wider. I thought that the 31x10.5's would be a load range D, but they are not. They are C's.

The ZF-5 does indeed offer a low first and overdrive in one gearbox. But the granny transmissions leave you without a decent start out gear if your axle ratio is tall. 2nd gear starts with 3.00 axles and 32"-ish tires wont be great. I'd pretty much have to granny start every time. The diesel ratios are great while unloaded.

I placed my order for the wheels yesterday afternoon. Less than 12 hours later I got an email confirmation that they were received at the Arlington FedEx station and had tracking numbers. Per the FedEx site they are due for delivery by the end of the day on Wednesday 😳 And that was with the free ground service. One customer who bought these wheels for his Bronco posted this picture of it sitting on 235/85R16's:

[Gary Lewis]

Big Blue's tires are just like what I want to run but a bit wider. I thought that the 31x10.5's would be a load range D, but they are not. They are C's.

The ZF-5 does indeed offer a low first and overdrive in one gearbox. But the granny transmissions leave you without a decent start out gear if your axle ratio is tall. 2nd gear starts with 3.00 axles and 32"-ish tires wont be great. I'd pretty much have to granny start every time. The diesel ratios are great while unloaded.

I placed my order for the wheels yesterday afternoon. Less than 12 hours later I got an email confirmation that they were received at the Arlington FedEx station and had tracking numbers. Per the FedEx site they are due for delivery by the end of the day on Wednesday 😳 And that was with the free ground service. One customer who bought these wheels for his Bronco posted this picture of it sitting on 235/85R16's:

Your truck doesn't weigh nearly as much as Big Blue, so won't need the same tires. And they are 32.9" tall, so bring the overall gearing up 4% over stock tires. But, the 460 doesn't mind, so 2nd gear starts are easy when unloaded. But the T19 is effectively a 3-speed tranny when starting in 2nd, so it leaves a lot to be desired.

Anyway, glad the wheels are almost there. Looks like you'll have them for the trip after all. And, they look good - as does the Bronco.

[Ford F834]

Big Blue's tires are just like what I want to run but a bit wider. I thought that the 31x10.5's would be a load range D, but they are not. They are C's.

The ZF-5 does indeed offer a low first and overdrive in one gearbox. But the granny transmissions leave you without a decent start out gear if your axle ratio is tall. 2nd gear starts with 3.00 axles and 32"-ish tires wont be great. I'd pretty much have to granny start every time. The diesel ratios are great while unloaded.

I placed my order for the wheels yesterday afternoon. Less than 12 hours later I got an email confirmation that they were received at the Arlington FedEx station and had tracking numbers. Per the FedEx site they are due for delivery by the end of the day on Wednesday 😳 And that was with the free ground service. One customer who bought these wheels for his Bronco posted this picture of it sitting on 235/85R16's:

One rim arrived yesterday and the other four showed up today. Unfortunately I was not able to juggle the wheels around and get the tires mounted on, but hopefully that will happen tomorrow.

I downloaded several speedometer apps on my phone so that I can accurately assess the amount that my speedometer and odometer are off. The apps won't do me much good on the trip since there isn't a lot of cell signal to be had, but once I have a correction factor I should be just fine.

[Gary Lewis]

One rim arrived yesterday and the other four showed up today. Unfortunately I was not able to juggle the wheels around and get the tires mounted on, but hopefully that will happen tomorrow.

I downloaded several speedometer apps on my phone so that I can accurately assess the amount that my speedometer and odometer are off. The apps won't do me much good on the trip since there isn't a lot of cell signal to be had, but once I have a correction factor I should be just fine.

Jonathan - The app I have, Speed, uses satellite signals for determining speed, and doesn't need a cell signal. I just lay it on the dash, under the windshield and it works. Used it on Lake Powell w/o cell service and it worked fine.

Hope you get the tires mounted today.

 

[85lebaront2]

Jonathan - The app I have, Speed, uses satellite signals for determining speed, and doesn't need a cell signal. I just lay it on the dash, under the windshield and it works. Used it on Lake Powell w/o cell service and it worked fine.

Hope you get the tires mounted today.

If you have a GPS it will do the same thing.

[Ford F834]

One rim arrived yesterday and the other four showed up today. Unfortunately I was not able to juggle the wheels around and get the tires mounted on, but hopefully that will happen tomorrow.

I downloaded several speedometer apps on my phone so that I can accurately assess the amount that my speedometer and odometer are off. The apps won't do me much good on the trip since there isn't a lot of cell signal to be had, but once I have a correction factor I should be just fine.

The new wheels are on, and I am very much happier with this arrangement. Load range E tires all around and they don't stick out past the body sheet metal like the old tires did.

I checked the speedometer ~before the bigger wheels and I was only 2-3 mph slow, and 1 mile on the odometer was 1.1 actual miles. This will obviously be worse with the bigger wheels, but still useable for the time being.

After having driven it more, I do find the 1st gear to be a little weak for starting out on hills, even unloaded. This will also get slightly worse with the upsize in tires. For trailer towing I will have to use 4Lo starts to get it rolling. Shifting it on the fly does work just fine, but I need to work on my technique. The gears bark as it goes into 2Hi. Maybe double clutching will eliminate this. In the long run? We will see... maybe a ZF, or maybe once the diesel is finished it will be fine as-is for the lighter duty jobs.

The engine does have a bit of lifter tick at times. I changed the oil and it actually got worse. My oil pressure is about 45psi at hot idle, 50-55 while driving so I'm not super worried about it. I filled it with 10-30 Quaker State. The truck as been sitting quite a lot, so I'll see what it does once I run it a bit more.

The truck still runs rich and stinky. I have not filled the tank yet, but it's looking like my mpg may be really terrible. I'm actually thinking of stealing the carburetor off of the 1968 to see if it changes. I tried leaning out the carb that is on it and it didn't like that very much.

I ran the heater the other night and I have a problem. I thought I cleaned out the HVAC box really well when I did the blend door, but the smell of mouse is overpowering. There must still be some nest material in there somewhere or there is enough residue on the heater core fins to stink up the cab. Looks like I still have a bit of work to do before I can go play 😔

[PetesPonies]

The new wheels are on, and I am very much happier with this arrangement. Load range E tires all around and they don't stick out past the body sheet metal like the old tires did.

I checked the speedometer ~before the bigger wheels and I was only 2-3 mph slow, and 1 mile on the odometer was 1.1 actual miles. This will obviously be worse with the bigger wheels, but still useable for the time being.

After having driven it more, I do find the 1st gear to be a little weak for starting out on hills, even unloaded. This will also get slightly worse with the upsize in tires. For trailer towing I will have to use 4Lo starts to get it rolling. Shifting it on the fly does work just fine, but I need to work on my technique. The gears bark as it goes into 2Hi. Maybe double clutching will eliminate this. In the long run? We will see... maybe a ZF, or maybe once the diesel is finished it will be fine as-is for the lighter duty jobs.

The engine does have a bit of lifter tick at times. I changed the oil and it actually got worse. My oil pressure is about 45psi at hot idle, 50-55 while driving so I'm not super worried about it. I filled it with 10-30 Quaker State. The truck as been sitting quite a lot, so I'll see what it does once I run it a bit more.

The truck still runs rich and stinky. I have not filled the tank yet, but it's looking like my mpg may be really terrible. I'm actually thinking of stealing the carburetor off of the 1968 to see if it changes. I tried leaning out the carb that is on it and it didn't like that very much.

I ran the heater the other night and I have a problem. I thought I cleaned out the HVAC box really well when I did the blend door, but the smell of mouse is overpowering. There must still be some nest material in there somewhere or there is enough residue on the heater core fins to stink up the cab. Looks like I still have a bit of work to do before I can go play 😔

Running a quart of transmission fluid mixed with your oil will clean the lifters. I woulds drive it about 50 miles, then drain.