Big Blue's Transformation

[Sac79]

As said, WelderScott came over and we powder coated. I got the battery hold downs and fasteners as well as the brackets for the coolant reservoir and power steering/air conditioning.

Here's the power steering/air conditioning bracket on the truck:

And here's the battery hold downs as well as the coolant recovery reservoir bracket:

The brackets look better than anything the Ford engineers came up with(or at least what the bean counters would allow them)!

[ArdWrknTrk]

As said, WelderScott came over and we powder coated. I got the battery hold downs and fasteners as well as the brackets for the coolant reservoir and power steering/air conditioning.

Here's the power steering/air conditioning bracket on the truck:

And here's the battery hold downs as well as the coolant recovery reservoir bracket:

Any pics of what Scott had done?

He really did you a solid with rebuilding BB's crossmember.

[Gary Lewis]

Any pics of what Scott had done?

He really did you a solid with rebuilding BB's crossmember.

Rob - Thanks! I certainly like that Silver Lining powder.

Jim - Sorry, but we forgot to take pics of his calipers. I'd explained how you taught me that it is easy to rebuild calipers and he asked if we could powder coat them. I told him we could, and he asked if 10 minutes would be enough to blast them. I suggested more than an hour and to expect to spend half a day doing the whole thing. He got here at 9 and left at 1:30 and then came back for 30 minutes at 5:30.

But he has pretty calipers. They were sludged up pretty badly inside, so he spent quite a while cleaning the calipers and the all-metal pistons. Then a long time blasting the calipers, and almost no time coating them with powder before popping them in the oven.

And yes, he did an excellent job on Big Blue's crossmember. I really appreciate that, and enjoy working with him. However, he said today that of all the things we've done together, he likes media blasting the least. And, he said he now has a new-found appreciation for people who powder coat all the parts on a truck. I'll take that as a compliment.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Rob - Thanks! I certainly like that Silver Lining powder.

Jim - Sorry, but we forgot to take pics of his calipers. I'd explained how you taught me that it is easy to rebuild calipers and he asked if we could powder coat them. I told him we could, and he asked if 10 minutes would be enough to blast them. I suggested more than an hour and to expect to spend half a day doing the whole thing. He got here at 9 and left at 1:30 and then came back for 30 minutes at 5:30.

But he has pretty calipers. They were sludged up pretty badly inside, so he spent quite a while cleaning the calipers and the all-metal pistons. Then a long time blasting the calipers, and almost no time coating them with powder before popping them in the oven.

And yes, he did an excellent job on Big Blue's crossmember. I really appreciate that, and enjoy working with him. However, he said today that of all the things we've done together, he likes media blasting the least. And, he said he now has a new-found appreciation for people who powder coat all the parts on a truck. I'll take that as a compliment.

Big Blue's engine bay is looking great!

Those hold downs are indeed far nicer than anything Ford would have come up with.

[Gary Lewis]

Big Blue's engine bay is looking great!

Those hold downs are indeed far nicer than anything Ford would have come up with.

Thanks, Jim!

I asked my consultant whether I should PC the hold downs black or leave them aluminum and she was on the fence. But when I showed her the results she said it was the right thing to do. It made them look smaller.

[kramttocs]

Thanks, Jim!

I asked my consultant whether I should PC the hold downs black or leave them aluminum and she was on the fence. But when I showed her the results she said it was the right thing to do. It made them look smaller.

Excellent!

I really enjoyed meeting Scott last fall. Very nice guy.

Could you know explain some more on where the doubled ended threaded rod goes?

I have only seen the j bolts used. Or did I miss a post and this something made for the custom holddowns?

Edit: I guess I skipped over the word 'make' earlier so ignore this question. I follow now.

Those holddowns look great in black.

[Gary Lewis]

Excellent!

I really enjoyed meeting Scott last fall. Very nice guy.

Could you know explain some more on where the doubled ended threaded rod goes?

I have only seen the j bolts used. Or did I miss a post and this something made for the custom holddowns?

Edit: I guess I skipped over the word 'make' earlier so ignore this question. I follow now.

Those holddowns look great in black.

Yes, Scott is a really nice guy. We enjoy working together. The 30 minutes extra last night was spent getting the boot on the caliper. In '78 they hadn't yet gone to the boot with a metal ring bonded to it that you press into the caliper. Instead, there's a groove in the bore of the caliper and a lip on the boot that goes into the bore.

He didn't have enough hands to put the boot in and then work the piston in. It takes 3+ hands, and 4.75 are preferable. We got it with 4.0 and a pick that we slid around to pull the boot up and over the piston.

Ok, so you found the bit about the rod.

I needed a rod at the back of the aux battery straight across from the one in front so I could use the same hold down design I used on the main battery. So I drilled a hole in the arm coming off the battery tray to hold the coolant reservoir. But the j-bolts, as said, are smaller diameter than the thread, so you can't put more threads on one and use it.

The first thought was a piece of all-thread, but that yells "added on" and I wanted it to look stock. So I took a piece of 5/16" rod, which I happened to have but didn't have 1/4", and turned it down the needed length on each end to .250". Then I threaded it 1/4-28, just like the j-bolts.

And I'm pleased with the hold downs. I think they look good and I know they hold the batteries in tightly. I had my sights set on using the more modern battery hold down system, but since my main battery doesn't have the lips on the bottom for that and the aux battery's tray doesn't have room for them, that wasn't going to work. This will. But, it may have locked me into using these batteries in future. Oh well!

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, Scott is a really nice guy. We enjoy working together. The 30 minutes extra last night was spent getting the boot on the caliper. In '78 they hadn't yet gone to the boot with a metal ring bonded to it that you press into the caliper. Instead, there's a groove in the bore of the caliper and a lip on the boot that goes into the bore.

He didn't have enough hands to put the boot in and then work the piston in. It takes 3+ hands, and 4.75 are preferable. We got it with 4.0 and a pick that we slid around to pull the boot up and over the piston.

Ok, so you found the bit about the rod.

I needed a rod at the back of the aux battery straight across from the one in front so I could use the same hold down design I used on the main battery. So I drilled a hole in the arm coming off the battery tray to hold the coolant reservoir. But the j-bolts, as said, are smaller diameter than the thread, so you can't put more threads on one and use it.

The first thought was a piece of all-thread, but that yells "added on" and I wanted it to look stock. So I took a piece of 5/16" rod, which I happened to have but didn't have 1/4", and turned it down the needed length on each end to .250". Then I threaded it 1/4-28, just like the j-bolts.

And I'm pleased with the hold downs. I think they look good and I know they hold the batteries in tightly. I had my sights set on using the more modern battery hold down system, but since my main battery doesn't have the lips on the bottom for that and the aux battery's tray doesn't have room for them, that wasn't going to work. This will. But, it may have locked me into using these batteries in future. Oh well!

Well, you thought that since I scanned a 300+ page document and posted it and another pic to the website today that I'd not get anything done on Big Blue. Au contraire. I installed the Saginaw power steering pump.

However, there's a minor problem - the brace doesn't fit. In the pic below it is roughly 1" below and 1" too far forward to reach the header bolt, which I assume is where it is intended to go since there's nothing anywhere close. I can probably bend it to reach back to the bolt, but it isn't going to come up enough as it is up against the return fitting in the pic. So if it is needed then I'll either have to take a ~1/2" bite out of a 1" strap to get it to come up far enough. And that will significantly weaken it.

So, how badly is that brace needed?

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

Well, you thought that since I scanned a 300+ page document and posted it and another pic to the website today that I'd not get anything done on Big Blue. Au contraire. I installed the Saginaw power steering pump.

However, there's a minor problem - the brace doesn't fit. In the pic below it is roughly 1" below and 1" too far forward to reach the header bolt, which I assume is where it is intended to go since there's nothing anywhere close. I can probably bend it to reach back to the bolt, but it isn't going to come up enough as it is up against the return fitting in the pic. So if it is needed then I'll either have to take a ~1/2" bite out of a 1" strap to get it to come up far enough. And that will significantly weaken it.

So, how badly is that brace needed?

Interesting.

What vehicle did the pump come out of? or more directly, the brace come out of?

How does the pump pulley line up with the rest of the front dress?

(check before you pull it on)

I'm willing to bet the mismatch comes from that.

[kramttocs]

Interesting.

What vehicle did the pump come out of? or more directly, the brace come out of?

How does the pump pulley line up with the rest of the front dress?

(check before you pull it on)

I'm willing to bet the mismatch comes from that.

Has anyone ever done both a serpentine and a Saginaw conversion before?

Jim - I think that is what you are getting at also?