Gary Lewis Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 It's SO nice to be on vacation... It's SO nice to be on vacation and not have to go anywhere...lol. Having a few days to myself for "garage therapy" does a lot to charge one's batteries I'd say. So I test fitted the wood floor, and that ended up being more work than I expected. There are 59 carriage bolts in that floor, and there were only a small handful that fit into place without drilling holes. In any case, I have it all removed again and as of last night I had two coats of Spar Urethane on the bottom sides now, with a 3rd coat going on this morning. By this afternoon I'll have the boards flipped over so I can get the first topside coat on. I don't have any pictures yet, but locating and drilling the 8 mounting holes was a bit of a pain. I had to get under the truck and mark each hole with a pencil...up through the frame and the wooden mounting blocks. I didn't realize until after they were all done and drilled that they weren't all in a straight line. There's one hole on each side that is slightly out of step with the others due to the frame hole locations. It's not a problem...it's just something I hadn't noticed before. The other thing I had to do was drill center holes in all 5 sills/crossmembers. All 5 are new pieces from Mar-K in Oklahoma...but they only manufacture them for the 1982 and older 7 board 6 strip installation (That is also the only configuration they sell the bed wood in). If one wants to do the 5 strip install same as the factory did, you're on your own to drill the center holes. Cory - That is coming together very, VERY nicely! You are going to be PROUD! On the engine, I don't think sitting for eight months will be a problem on the oil. Eight years, yes. But let's see what the others say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Cory - That is coming together very, VERY nicely! You are going to be PROUD! On the engine, I don't think sitting for eight months will be a problem on the oil. Eight years, yes. But let's see what the others say. :nabble_smiley_blush:I forgot you asked I would not worry as you said it will crank some before it lights off. Only thing I worry of is if the oil filter is mounted side ways and the anti-drain back valve does not work. The filter drains, some over night, so when it fires up like the next morning you hear badness before oil gets pumped around. If you did not have any issues like this before you will most likely not after it sat some. Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted July 3, 2019 Author Share Posted July 3, 2019 Question? On the carriage bolts are you going to paint the heads or leave them as they are zinc plated? I have been thinking of painting mine but would need to sand, prim, sand & paint and I am getting lazy now. I only have them down the bed sides and the front panel, no metal strips with the ribbed metal floor. Thanks Dave ---- Dave, The floor carriage bolts are stainless. They're 5/16" x 1 1/2" long. The originals were metric (8mm) and almost exactly the same length. I bought a set of flat headed stainless bolts to mount the fenders with...they came from Mar-K also, and they look just like the originals as far as profile goes. I'm not sure if they're a custom ordered bolt that Mar-K sourced or if they're just carriage bolts with the heads machined flat...I dunno. Oh...and no, I'm not painting any of the bolt heads. Just leaving them bare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 On the engine, I don't think sitting for eight months will be a problem on the oil. Eight years, yes. But let's see what the others say. You could pull the coil wire and allow the starter motor to spin a bit. Let it cool and do it again. Then replace the coil wire and fire it up, and idle a bit. Listen well for any unusual sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve83 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 On the engine, I don't think sitting for eight months will be a problem on the oil. Eight years, yes. But let's see what the others say. You could pull the coil wire and allow the starter motor to spin a bit. Let it cool and do it again. Then replace the coil wire and fire it up, and idle a bit. Listen well for any unusual sounds. Another option is to pull the distributor & prime the oil pump with a drill. The drive rods are common & affordable at most parts stores, Amazon, eBay, Summit, JCWhitney... Or you can just use a regular socket & extension by pulling the drive rod out of the distributor. The best for the engine is to install an oil accumulator $y$tem, but it's bulky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 Question? On the carriage bolts are you going to paint the heads or leave them as they are zinc plated? I have been thinking of painting mine but would need to sand, prim, sand & paint and I am getting lazy now. I only have them down the bed sides and the front panel, no metal strips with the ribbed metal floor. Thanks Dave ---- Dave, The floor carriage bolts are stainless. They're 5/16" x 1 1/2" long. The originals were metric (8mm) and almost exactly the same length. I bought a set of flat headed stainless bolts to mount the fenders with...they came from Mar-K also, and they look just like the originals as far as profile goes. I'm not sure if they're a custom ordered bolt that Mar-K sourced or if they're just carriage bolts with the heads machined flat...I dunno. Oh...and no, I'm not painting any of the bolt heads. Just leaving them bare. If I went with stainless I would not paint them either. I have all the floor carriage bolts and the front panel to floor bolts that are zinc plated and I may just leave them that way. If the start to rust down the road I think I have enough I can paint and replace 1 at a time. Who am I kidding they will stay rusty LOL I will be painting the bed side to front panel bolts like the factory did. Thanks Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted July 4, 2019 Author Share Posted July 4, 2019 I will be painting the bed side to front panel bolts like the factory did. Thanks Dave ---- Dave, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to assemble this bed with regards to what to paint and when. I had originally planned to try some painting myself, which I would have had to do in the shop at my work, but due to a large project we took on I had to vacate all my junk as all the free space disappeared...lol. The main thing I wanted to do was to have every single square inch of the bed panels painted. I mean everything...there had to be zero exposed steel anywhere...inside or out. Because I did it this way, which means I had to assemble the bed after it was painted, there was no easy way for me to paint the bolts. I used stainless bolts between the head board and the side panels, and the front and rear sills as well...and I thought the bed was going to look too blingy with too many stainless bolts, but you can barely notice them anyway. Oh well...simple mind, simple pleasures...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuzzFace2 Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 I will be painting the bed side to front panel bolts like the factory did. Thanks Dave ---- Dave, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to assemble this bed with regards to what to paint and when. I had originally planned to try some painting myself, which I would have had to do in the shop at my work, but due to a large project we took on I had to vacate all my junk as all the free space disappeared...lol. The main thing I wanted to do was to have every single square inch of the bed panels painted. I mean everything...there had to be zero exposed steel anywhere...inside or out. Because I did it this way, which means I had to assemble the bed after it was painted, there was no easy way for me to paint the bolts. I used stainless bolts between the head board and the side panels, and the front and rear sills as well...and I thought the bed was going to look too blingy with too many stainless bolts, but you can barely notice them anyway. Oh well...simple mind, simple pleasures...lol. I will also be painting mine apart to get paint every where and have been thinking what happens to the paint on the bolts like for the front panel and gate hinges. I will paint the bolts when I do the panels and touch them up after the bed is bolted together or so the plan goes. I never gave any thought to stainless then again I am cheap and stainless is more money Dave ---- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 I will be painting the bed side to front panel bolts like the factory did. Thanks Dave ---- Dave, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to assemble this bed with regards to what to paint and when. I had originally planned to try some painting myself, which I would have had to do in the shop at my work, but due to a large project we took on I had to vacate all my junk as all the free space disappeared...lol. The main thing I wanted to do was to have every single square inch of the bed panels painted. I mean everything...there had to be zero exposed steel anywhere...inside or out. Because I did it this way, which means I had to assemble the bed after it was painted, there was no easy way for me to paint the bolts. I used stainless bolts between the head board and the side panels, and the front and rear sills as well...and I thought the bed was going to look too blingy with too many stainless bolts, but you can barely notice them anyway. Oh well...simple mind, simple pleasures...lol. I will also be painting mine apart to get paint every where and have been thinking what happens to the paint on the bolts like for the front panel and gate hinges. I will paint the bolts when I do the panels and touch them up after the bed is bolted together or so the plan goes. I never gave any thought to stainless then again I am cheap and stainless is more money Dave ---- I can tell you how much fun it is to touch up every fastener after installing them. I'm powder coating everything on Dad's truck, and the sockets/wrenches mess things up, as does the simple act of tightening. Very tedious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted July 6, 2019 Author Share Posted July 6, 2019 I can tell you how much fun it is to touch up every fastener after installing them. http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/uploads/6/5/8/7/65879365/face-with-open-mouth-vomiting-23x23_orig.png I'm powder coating everything on Dad's truck, and the sockets/wrenches mess things up, as does the simple act of tightening. Very tedious. Finally, after sanding and varnishing all week, I have the wood floor all bolted down and locked in place. It looks alright for a plywood floor imho. I understand that it is not for everybody, but that is the beauty of these old Flaresides...we can finish the floors to our own tastes. I put three coats of Spar Varnish on each side, and somewhere between 5-6 coats on the edges and on the 10 wooden mounting blocks. All I need now is the 8 mounting bolts which are sitting in Maine waiting for me to pick them up next week. Next up will be fitting and installing the tailgate and chains, rear bumper, and then back on to filling and bleeding brakes, etc. I'll soon be ready to turn the key in the old Mule. The way my schedule is going, I'll have it ready for the road right around the time I have to put it away for the winter...lol. Oh well. Patience is a virtue. And, since it has been a while...I have to show some before pics of the bed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts