My 1984 F150 2wd Flareside Project "Blue Mule"

[Gary Lewis]

Ahh, OK, understood. I'll have a look back through the EVTM then and see if I can find anything useful.

I need to pick-up some butt connectors today to bypass a 4-prong plug, and I was trying to figure out what the wire gauges were. (The truck is 20 miles away). They're probably 16 or 18 ga for the most part, but there is one fat yellow wire there that must be a 12 or 12 gauge.

You do plan to use the high-dollar butt connectors that have a seal to them - right?

My belief is that the run-of-the-mill butt/crimp connector has no place in a vehicle if not used with the high-end crimpers that create enormous forces and effectively make the metal of the connector one with the wire. Or, used as the base for a soldered connection that is then covered with shrink tubing.

I've seen way too many of the crimps made with the cheap crimpers pull loose, and even those that don't frequently have problems later due to corrosion because the crimp is so poorly done.

 

[Rembrant]

You do plan to use the high-dollar butt connectors that have a seal to them - right?

Yes, sir, all good stuff for me. I was an industrial controls tech for quite a few years, so I know all about the good crimping tools and good connections. I just don't have any more of the sealed connectors left, so I think I'll just grab a handful of sizes to make sure I have enough.

 

[Gary Lewis]

You do plan to use the high-dollar butt connectors that have a seal to them - right?

Yes, sir, all good stuff for me. I was an industrial controls tech for quite a few years, so I know all about the good crimping tools and good connections. I just don't have any more of the sealed connectors left, so I think I'll just grab a handful of sizes to make sure I have enough.

Good! Too many people think that the cheap crimp connectors are the way to go. But they will be a problem some day - it is just a matter of when. And when is partially determined by where they are used. On trailer connectors the "when" will be very soon.

[Rembrant]

I like the idea of breaking one in on the dyno. Then you know what you have and that there aren't any problems.

So I've run into another hiccup with my engine assembly. This thing is going to be the death of me...lol. They've had the engine for over 2 months now!

Have you guys ever heard of a new cam being bent? Or, I guess I should say not being 100% straight? My new Comp cam had too much run out and was actually tight to turn in the block. I've installed camshafts in VW diesels before, but they were short stubby things that were quite heavy...not long and skinny like a V8 camshaft. Maybe it was dropped in shipping somewhere along the way before it got to me.

So I am going to switch to the next size up Comp XE cam. I was going with the XE250H (31-230-3) which was recommended by a lot of people, but unfortunately was not available quickly from the supplier the engine shop uses. We looked at a few options, and all of the same profile cams in the 351/302HO firing order, and the one that we could get the quickest that fit the application the best was the Comp Cams XE256H (31-234-3). The engine shop's preference was to use Lunati, but their supplier didn't have what we needed either. Comparing to the XE250H, the XE256H will bump my peak HP up to the 300 range, and I will lose a little bit of low end torque. I am OK with that.

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=798&sb=2

I know the argument is always there that the torque is needed for a heavy truck, but all said and done, my truck at 3400 lbs stock wouldn't be much heavier than a fully loaded Mustang GT hatchback.

In any case, the little 302 should be assembled by mid next week, and then break-in and dyno tuning the week after. Fingers crossed.

 

[Gary Lewis]

I like the idea of breaking one in on the dyno. Then you know what you have and that there aren't any problems.

So I've run into another hiccup with my engine assembly. This thing is going to be the death of me...lol. They've had the engine for over 2 months now!

Have you guys ever heard of a new cam being bent? Or, I guess I should say not being 100% straight? My new Comp cam had too much run out and was actually tight to turn in the block. I've installed camshafts in VW diesels before, but they were short stubby things that were quite heavy...not long and skinny like a V8 camshaft. Maybe it was dropped in shipping somewhere along the way before it got to me.

So I am going to switch to the next size up Comp XE cam. I was going with the XE250H (31-230-3) which was recommended by a lot of people, but unfortunately was not available quickly from the supplier the engine shop uses. We looked at a few options, and all of the same profile cams in the 351/302HO firing order, and the one that we could get the quickest that fit the application the best was the Comp Cams XE256H (31-234-3). The engine shop's preference was to use Lunati, but their supplier didn't have what we needed either. Comparing to the XE250H, the XE256H will bump my peak HP up to the 300 range, and I will lose a little bit of low end torque. I am OK with that.

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=798&sb=2

I know the argument is always there that the torque is needed for a heavy truck, but all said and done, my truck at 3400 lbs stock wouldn't be much heavier than a fully loaded Mustang GT hatchback.

In any case, the little 302 should be assembled by mid next week, and then break-in and dyno tuning the week after. Fingers crossed.

I haven't heard of a bent cam, but that would certainly be a problem. There's basically zero room for run out, and too much of it would cause a serious bind. Glad they found it.

With no A/C and a manual tranny you should be fine with the "bigger" cam - and especially since you are not planning to use the truck for towing. And, as you say, the truck isn't heavy so it should work fine.

[FuzzFace2]

I haven't heard of a bent cam, but that would certainly be a problem. There's basically zero room for run out, and too much of it would cause a serious bind. Glad they found it.

With no A/C and a manual tranny you should be fine with the "bigger" cam - and especially since you are not planning to use the truck for towing. And, as you say, the truck isn't heavy so it should work fine.

Yes I have heard of the cam being bent or more so hard to turn and want to say they were also Comp cams.

This was a few years ago and with blanks for AMC motors.

Dave ----

[Rembrant]

Yes I have heard of the cam being bent or more so hard to turn and want to say they were also Comp cams.

This was a few years ago and with blanks for AMC motors.

Dave ----

In a couple days it will be six months since I started my project thread. Hoping to get my engine back by the end of the May, and hoping to have the truck moving under it's own power by mid-June. That's the rough plan at least. Still haven't even touched or thought about body work yet...that's a whole other project on it's own.

I was planning on draining the gas tank so I could start out with nice fresh fuel. Any tips or tricks for doing this or just old fashioned siphon hose into a jerry can?

Still on the to-do list for the next couple weeks...

Order hydraulic clutch master, slave, line, and release bearing.

Order new PS pump and lines.

Get a new radiator or have mine redone at a rad shop...whatever the best option is these days?

New belts and rad hoses...

Sand blast and paint PS pump and Alternator brackets.

Sand blast and paint mounting bracket for charcoal canister and battery tray.

See if I can rehab my "new" used core support...it is tweaked a little on driver's side.

Re-install or replace my new U-joints (I installed them backwards...duh).

 

[Ray Cecil]

In a couple days it will be six months since I started my project thread. Hoping to get my engine back by the end of the May, and hoping to have the truck moving under it's own power by mid-June. That's the rough plan at least. Still haven't even touched or thought about body work yet...that's a whole other project on it's own.

I was planning on draining the gas tank so I could start out with nice fresh fuel. Any tips or tricks for doing this or just old fashioned siphon hose into a jerry can?

Still on the to-do list for the next couple weeks...

Order hydraulic clutch master, slave, line, and release bearing.

Order new PS pump and lines.

Get a new radiator or have mine redone at a rad shop...whatever the best option is these days?

New belts and rad hoses...

Sand blast and paint PS pump and Alternator brackets.

Sand blast and paint mounting bracket for charcoal canister and battery tray.

See if I can rehab my "new" used core support...it is tweaked a little on driver's side.

Re-install or replace my new U-joints (I installed them backwards...duh).

Looking great!!

On the gas tank thing, Harbor freight sells a nice siphon pump for like $6. I use that. But a long tube and some sucking is way cheaper. Don't suck too hard:nabble_smiley_wink:

[Rembrant]

Looking great!!

On the gas tank thing, Harbor freight sells a nice siphon pump for like $6. I use that. But a long tube and some sucking is way cheaper. Don't suck too hard:nabble_smiley_wink:

I'll check on a siphon pump tomorrow. Thanks for the tip. The gas that's in there might be fine, but it has been sitting for six months, and with a fresh rebuild and brand new carb, I'd like to have some nice fresh fuel in there. Even if it is a placebo effect, I'm OK with that;).

Engine bay is looking decent....in pictures at least...lol. The whole truck is still pretty scabby to look at, but at least this year it should work good. Will focus on body work next winter. Right now, I just want to drive it.

[Rembrant]

Looking great!!

On the gas tank thing, Harbor freight sells a nice siphon pump for like $6. I use that. But a long tube and some sucking is way cheaper. Don't suck too hard:nabble_smiley_wink:

I'll check on a siphon pump tomorrow. Thanks for the tip. The gas that's in there might be fine, but it has been sitting for six months, and with a fresh rebuild and brand new carb, I'd like to have some nice fresh fuel in there. Even if it is a placebo effect, I'm OK with that;).

Engine bay is looking decent....in pictures at least...lol. The whole truck is still pretty scabby to look at, but at least this year it should work good. Will focus on body work next winter. Right now, I just want to drive it.

Today was power steering pump day! (And other miscellaneous sand blasting and painting of rusty engine bay bits).

I didn't take a picture at the start of the day, but I should have. My old power steering pump and bracket was all corroded and covered in oil and crud. Went back and cropped a previous engine picture:

I bought one of those runky dink power steering pulley puller/installer kits, and no way could I get that pulley to budge on the shaft. I heated it up with a propane torch first, and then acetylene, and no dice. The tool just wouldn't budge it. I'm sure you guys will find this next step to have been a bit crude, but I was getting sick of trying to remove the pulley the proper way, and just stuck the whole damn thing in a chop saw and carefully brought the blade down between the pulley and the bracket/bolts.

After that, I took the pulley over to the hydraulic press, and the remainder of the shaft was pressed out in no time. Done and dusted.

Next was sand blasting, wire wheeling, and painting. Even painted the bolts.

And with the rest of the mounting bracketry and pulley installed. Looking much better!

I also blasted and painted a few other odds and ends...this one being the bracket where the charcoal canister mounts, and the inside end of the battery tray.

Painfully slow all of this stuff, but I guess it will all be worth it in the end. Dyno day is tentatively scheduled for this coming Thursday, so the engine could be back in the old Blue Mule as early as Saturday.