The Truck of Doom: An Occasional Build Thread

[Dorsai]

Now you see why I won't put a transmission pan on w/o a drain plug in it - I might have to take it off again and I do NOT want that mess.

Seriously...there is no excuse for this. What the heck was Ford thinking when they decided to skip the drain plug?

Anyway, you did a good job and the truck is going to do great on the trip - in 5 weeks? Can you believe that?

Thanks. At this point I'm feeling really good about the truck...all my worry items are resolved, I've just got a couple of basic maintenance items (oil change, coolant change) to do and I'll be ready to hit the road.

Speaking of which....I got my class schedule for the upcoming semester, and everything lined up perfectly. I'm a definite go for the show in September.

[Gary Lewis]

Now you see why I won't put a transmission pan on w/o a drain plug in it - I might have to take it off again and I do NOT want that mess.

Seriously...there is no excuse for this. What the heck was Ford thinking when they decided to skip the drain plug?

Anyway, you did a good job and the truck is going to do great on the trip - in 5 weeks? Can you believe that?

Thanks. At this point I'm feeling really good about the truck...all my worry items are resolved, I've just got a couple of basic maintenance items (oil change, coolant change) to do and I'll be ready to hit the road.

Speaking of which....I got my class schedule for the upcoming semester, and everything lined up perfectly. I'm a definite go for the show in September.

Yippee!

When will you get in?

[Dorsai]

Yippee!

When will you get in?

I've got Friday afternoon/evening penciled in, but I have flexibility; if there's reason to be there earlier or later I can probably do so. Current plan is to leave here early Thursday am and drive as far as I can, at least to West Memphis AR, maybe as far as Little Rock...I'll probably only sustain 65-70mph on the highway. Then up early Friday and straight in to Tulsa.

[Rembrant]

Yippee!

When will you get in?

I've got Friday afternoon/evening penciled in, but I have flexibility; if there's reason to be there earlier or later I can probably do so. Current plan is to leave here early Thursday am and drive as far as I can, at least to West Memphis AR, maybe as far as Little Rock...I'll probably only sustain 65-70mph on the highway. Then up early Friday and straight in to Tulsa.

I haven't touched an auto transmission pan in a long long time, but I do remember the mess of that fluid coming out...

Kinda like antifreeze...when you're working around that stuff it feels like it never stops coming out...as if there's 20 gallons in there...lol.

[Gary Lewis]

I've got Friday afternoon/evening penciled in, but I have flexibility; if there's reason to be there earlier or later I can probably do so. Current plan is to leave here early Thursday am and drive as far as I can, at least to West Memphis AR, maybe as far as Little Rock...I'll probably only sustain 65-70mph on the highway. Then up early Friday and straight in to Tulsa.

Sounds like a good plan. But my experience with West Memphis wasn't good. The hotel was difficult to get to and it didn't feel safe. Plus, there wasn't much around in the way of places to eat.

That's been almost 20 years, so it may well have changed.

[salans7]

I've got Friday afternoon/evening penciled in, but I have flexibility; if there's reason to be there earlier or later I can probably do so. Current plan is to leave here early Thursday am and drive as far as I can, at least to West Memphis AR, maybe as far as Little Rock...I'll probably only sustain 65-70mph on the highway. Then up early Friday and straight in to Tulsa.

Sounds like a good plan. But my experience with West Memphis wasn't good. The hotel was difficult to get to and it didn't feel safe. Plus, there wasn't much around in the way of places to eat.

That's been almost 20 years, so it may well have changed.

I have never changed fluid in an automatic and ended up with a clean floor. It's nearly impossible. It's thin enough that it goes everywhere.

[Dorsai]

But my experience with West Memphis wasn't good. The hotel was difficult to get to and it didn't feel safe. Plus, there wasn't much around in the way of places to eat.

That's been almost 20 years, so it may well have changed.

That’s been my experience as well, although I haven’t spent a night there in the last 20 years either. But I did drive through while relocating my grandmother last year, and it looked a little better than I remembered.

Hopefully it won’t matter; if I can get out of here early enough to beat Atlanta morning traffic (and the truck gives me no problems), I should be able to get well past West Memphis. Conway AR used to be our regular stopping point before I-22 was finished, if I can make it that far I’ll be satisfied.

 

[Gary Lewis]

But my experience with West Memphis wasn't good. The hotel was difficult to get to and it didn't feel safe. Plus, there wasn't much around in the way of places to eat.

That's been almost 20 years, so it may well have changed.

That’s been my experience as well, although I haven’t spent a night there in the last 20 years either. But I did drive through while relocating my grandmother last year, and it looked a little better than I remembered.

Hopefully it won’t matter; if I can get out of here early enough to beat Atlanta morning traffic (and the truck gives me no problems), I should be able to get well past West Memphis. Conway AR used to be our regular stopping point before I-22 was finished, if I can make it that far I’ll be satisfied.

Conway's a good stopping place. Spent a night not long ago in a motel there and it was clean.

[Dorsai]

But my experience with West Memphis wasn't good. The hotel was difficult to get to and it didn't feel safe. Plus, there wasn't much around in the way of places to eat.

That's been almost 20 years, so it may well have changed.

That’s been my experience as well, although I haven’t spent a night there in the last 20 years either. But I did drive through while relocating my grandmother last year, and it looked a little better than I remembered.

Hopefully it won’t matter; if I can get out of here early enough to beat Atlanta morning traffic (and the truck gives me no problems), I should be able to get well past West Memphis. Conway AR used to be our regular stopping point before I-22 was finished, if I can make it that far I’ll be satisfied.

Now that all my must-do items for the road trip are taken care of, it's time to start on the like-to-do list. At the top of that list? Solving this problem:

I get that big cloud of smoke whenever I start the truck after it's been sitting for more than a day or so. While I'm sure it helps keep the mosquitoes down it probably doesn't endear me to my neighbors, particularly the downwind ones. So it's time for new valve stem seals, right?

What I'm looking for are tool recommendations. I understand I need a valve spring compression tool, but I'm seeing two different types on Amazon, one significantly cheaper than the other. I like cheap, but I don't mind spending the money if there's a compelling reason to buy the more expensive one. So which style do I really want?

Cheap: ($17.59) Orion Motor Tech

Expensive: ($52.03) Proform 66784 Valve Spring Compressor

I also seem to need a tool to hold the valves in place while they're being worked on. I see plenty of tools like this one (Lisle Valve Holder), but I would expect them to have quick disconnects to attach to my standard air hose. Why don't they?

 

[Gary Lewis]

Now that all my must-do items for the road trip are taken care of, it's time to start on the like-to-do list. At the top of that list? Solving this problem:

I get that big cloud of smoke whenever I start the truck after it's been sitting for more than a day or so. While I'm sure it helps keep the mosquitoes down it probably doesn't endear me to my neighbors, particularly the downwind ones. So it's time for new valve stem seals, right?

What I'm looking for are tool recommendations. I understand I need a valve spring compression tool, but I'm seeing two different types on Amazon, one significantly cheaper than the other. I like cheap, but I don't mind spending the money if there's a compelling reason to buy the more expensive one. So which style do I really want?

Cheap: ($17.59) Orion Motor Tech

Expensive: ($52.03) Proform 66784 Valve Spring Compressor

I also seem to need a tool to hold the valves in place while they're being worked on. I see plenty of tools like this one (Lisle Valve Holder), but I would expect them to have quick disconnects to attach to my standard air hose. Why don't they?

Yes, I think it is probably valve guides and seals. But replacing guides is something I'd hire done, while replacing seals can be done yourself.

And you are on the right track with valve holder, but they probably don't include a quick disconnect since there are several. However, you can easily add that.

As for the spring compressor, I think you would be fine with something like the Lisle 16560, which works with the head still on the engine. But let's see what others say as I've not done much of this.

Anyway, you want a tool that doesn't expect you to have the head off the truck, and the Orion Motor Tech one appears to require you to remove the head.