WHYDTYTT: What Have You Done To Your Truck Today?

[Shorty]

Dang, that be a nice engine bay.

Thanks

That was before I really started using the truck and found it had a oil leak that is now fixed.

It shows a little dirt but I try and keep it clean.

Yesterday gave the truck a quick wash before going to a cruise-in.

The last 2 weenends it was raining when I did my trash runs and the pollen is out in force.

Had pretty good showing of cars and trucks.

I met up with member Wayne aka: RacingFan at the show and chatted for a bit.

His truck was down but hopes to have it running by the next cruise / show.

Dave ----

Took some time after work to install new plugs, wires, cap and rotor. The idle smoothed out a little so didn’t feel bad about dropping some coin on RockAuto. Culprit was likely just the cap and rotor from their condition.

My timing light and cables have seen better days (1970s vintage) so I ordered a modern chi-com version with RPM and advance off Amazon. Right now set to about 6 degrees as per smog tag. I want to play around next week and verify total timing on the 300 I6.

Overall pretty happy with the way things are running with short stop and go local driving. The truck just seems to bog a little when accelerating.New carb last year and no vacuum leaks. Wonder how much of my issue is just me being spoiled driving a more modern car daily (TDI Volkswagen).

Progress, I think.

[FuzzFace2]

Took some time after work to install new plugs, wires, cap and rotor. The idle smoothed out a little so didn’t feel bad about dropping some coin on RockAuto. Culprit was likely just the cap and rotor from their condition.

My timing light and cables have seen better days (1970s vintage) so I ordered a modern chi-com version with RPM and advance off Amazon. Right now set to about 6 degrees as per smog tag. I want to play around next week and verify total timing on the 300 I6.

Overall pretty happy with the way things are running with short stop and go local driving. The truck just seems to bog a little when accelerating.New carb last year and no vacuum leaks. Wonder how much of my issue is just me being spoiled driving a more modern car daily (TDI Volkswagen).

Progress, I think.

Bump the timing up to 10* BTDC and I think you can go to 12* BTDC before any pinging and that bog may go away.

If you have smog just remember to turn it back before the test.

Dave ----

[Shorty]

Took some time after work to install new plugs, wires, cap and rotor. The idle smoothed out a little so didn’t feel bad about dropping some coin on RockAuto. Culprit was likely just the cap and rotor from their condition.

My timing light and cables have seen better days (1970s vintage) so I ordered a modern chi-com version with RPM and advance off Amazon. Right now set to about 6 degrees as per smog tag. I want to play around next week and verify total timing on the 300 I6.

Overall pretty happy with the way things are running with short stop and go local driving. The truck just seems to bog a little when accelerating.New carb last year and no vacuum leaks. Wonder how much of my issue is just me being spoiled driving a more modern car daily (TDI Volkswagen).

Progress, I think.

Bump the timing up to 10* BTDC and I think you can go to 12* BTDC before any pinging and that bog may go away.

If you have smog just remember to turn it back before the test.

Dave ----

Thanks

I’ll give that a shot.

 

[Shorty]

Took some time after work to install new plugs, wires, cap and rotor. The idle smoothed out a little so didn’t feel bad about dropping some coin on RockAuto. Culprit was likely just the cap and rotor from their condition.

My timing light and cables have seen better days (1970s vintage) so I ordered a modern chi-com version with RPM and advance off Amazon. Right now set to about 6 degrees as per smog tag. I want to play around next week and verify total timing on the 300 I6.

Overall pretty happy with the way things are running with short stop and go local driving. The truck just seems to bog a little when accelerating.New carb last year and no vacuum leaks. Wonder how much of my issue is just me being spoiled driving a more modern car daily (TDI Volkswagen).

Progress, I think.

Bump the timing up to 10* BTDC and I think you can go to 12* BTDC before any pinging and that bog may go away.

If you have smog just remember to turn it back before the test.

Dave ----

Dave,

10 degrees was better but 12 seems to be the winner. I drove it hard on level ground and it seemed way more drivable. Not sure I’ve got all 116 ponies pulling for me but I’m happy.

Thanks,

Dennis

 

[FuzzFace2]

Dave,

10 degrees was better but 12 seems to be the winner. I drove it hard on level ground and it seemed way more drivable. Not sure I’ve got all 116 ponies pulling for me but I’m happy.

Thanks,

Dennis

Good to hear it worked out for you as I thought it would.

I found on mine when set to 14* BTDC I got a lot of pinging and had to back it down to 12* BTDC.

I still get a little now & then.

Just remember if you have to go thru a tail pipe smog test to go back to factory.

Dave ----

[Angelo Voltura]

Dave,

10 degrees was better but 12 seems to be the winner. I drove it hard on level ground and it seemed way more drivable. Not sure I’ve got all 116 ponies pulling for me but I’m happy.

Thanks,

Dennis

Good to hear it worked out for you as I thought it would.

I found on mine when set to 14* BTDC I got a lot of pinging and had to back it down to 12* BTDC.

I still get a little now & then.

Just remember if you have to go thru a tail pipe smog test to go back to factory.

Dave ----

What a weekend. I had back to back pulley failures on my alternator. The first one came Sunday afternoon after pulling the front clip and cab off a 79 parts truck, about 1.5hrs away from home. If that wasn't bad enough at the same time this was happening, I was out in some fresh snow and had to use the 4WD, and my lazy self neglected to change one hub on the truck. Of course, naturally, now it didn't want to disengage. My front driveshaft universals are about to break, and I'm 1.5hrs away with a failing alternator making a ferocious noise and a hub that won't unlock. At this point I'm losing my mind. I beat the crap out of it and nothing. Broke the handle off it. So I rocked the truck back and forth between forward and reverse and it finally unlocked.

So, because I didn't feel like waiting for a tow truck, I absolutely /sent it/. 65mph down the highway, I made it 61 miles home before it stopped charging. I have absolutely no idea how I made it without shredding the belt.

I promptly changed the hub with the other brand new Warn unit I'd gotten when I did the other side. When I removed it, it fell apart in my hands into a pile of pieces. Good riddance.

Oddly, the bearings in the alternator and the shaft were fine, so I took it off and swapped a new pulley on. Evidently, even with an impact gun it wasn't tight enough because the nut backed off and the pulley loosened up again. So I said to heck with it. I'd been slowly getting stuff together for a 3G swap, and this turned out to be my reason to go full speed ahead. The 2G just couldn't really keep up well, and the amperage seemed to drop off all the time. Fortunately, my connections have always been good so there wasn't a huge fire risk, but doing the swap totally eliminated it.

I built a harness, mostly from a pigtail I sourced from a 95 parts truck I have. I extended a few wires, used a 150a Mega fuse (I will be changing this to 175a), ran a 4ga charge cable and re-pinned the little connector after it fell apart due to corrosion. After some serious bracket grinding with a die grinder the new 130a alternator from a 1995 Mustang slid right into place. I had to drill open the bottom hole just a hair because it had some casting flash not allowing the bolt through. The top hole isn't threaded, so a grade 8 nut, bolt and lock washer took care of that.

Now, she charges a 14.5 and doesn't drop off hardly at all anymore (still seems to slightly when RPM drops when slowing to a stop but immediately returns...before it would just sit at 9 or 10v). Lights are brighter too. I also fixed my blend door not opening all the way so now we have that oh so good cook you out of it single cab heat.

Here's where the story continues.

After I get the alternator done, I take her for a drive. Something is still absolutely screaming. Turns out, after the pulley failure, my tensioner pulley bearings started whining. No big deal, $20 and a new pulley and down the road we go. Nope. Can't be that easy! I got the tensioner off, and, laugh all you want, it's been a long long day already, it just seemed to slip my mind that the pulley bolt is reverse thread, so yep, you guessed it, snapped that 3/8 bolt clean right off in the tensioner. Luckily, it walked right our, so I nut and bolted it and threw it all back together, and now it's fine.

I also removed my dual feed I take tubes and air box and replaced it with the single tube MAF duct off a 96 parts truck I have. I couldn't get my old air box open, and the filter was plugged pretty good. I dont know if it's a placebo, but I blew out the good filter and it appears I can get more air into it now from the larger diameter tube, but the throttle response definitely increased, and I definitely don't have to use nearly as much throttle to move. I must have gained some power back, because it actually feels like I got back as much as I did when I replaced the timing chain set straight up, opened up the plug gap, put MSD ignition on it and set timing to 12*. It's crazy how much of a slug this thing was compared to how it is now. It can, and will, absolutely wax any 5.4 Triton. I just can't leave things alone!! I also may or may not have a pair of long tubes laying around....

Anywho, I'm going to the do the PCV rereroute TSB this week and add in a catch can, and then I'll be happy for a while. Also, I am looking for a 4.9 or 7.5 lower air box duct that goes to the hole in the core support if anyone has one. The 5.0/5.8 location is junk and I threw mine in the parts bin. The old girl breathes a lot better with it gone.

That was my weekend and not how I wanted to spend my birthday, but alas, the adventures of a hot rodder continue tomorrow.

 

[ArdWrknTrk]

What a weekend. I had back to back pulley failures on my alternator. The first one came Sunday afternoon after pulling the front clip and cab off a 79 parts truck, about 1.5hrs away from home. If that wasn't bad enough at the same time this was happening, I was out in some fresh snow and had to use the 4WD, and my lazy self neglected to change one hub on the truck. Of course, naturally, now it didn't want to disengage. My front driveshaft universals are about to break, and I'm 1.5hrs away with a failing alternator making a ferocious noise and a hub that won't unlock. At this point I'm losing my mind. I beat the crap out of it and nothing. Broke the handle off it. So I rocked the truck back and forth between forward and reverse and it finally unlocked.

So, because I didn't feel like waiting for a tow truck, I absolutely /sent it/. 65mph down the highway, I made it 61 miles home before it stopped charging. I have absolutely no idea how I made it without shredding the belt.

I promptly changed the hub with the other brand new Warn unit I'd gotten when I did the other side. When I removed it, it fell apart in my hands into a pile of pieces. Good riddance.

Oddly, the bearings in the alternator and the shaft were fine, so I took it off and swapped a new pulley on. Evidently, even with an impact gun it wasn't tight enough because the nut backed off and the pulley loosened up again. So I said to heck with it. I'd been slowly getting stuff together for a 3G swap, and this turned out to be my reason to go full speed ahead. The 2G just couldn't really keep up well, and the amperage seemed to drop off all the time. Fortunately, my connections have always been good so there wasn't a huge fire risk, but doing the swap totally eliminated it.

I built a harness, mostly from a pigtail I sourced from a 95 parts truck I have. I extended a few wires, used a 150a Mega fuse (I will be changing this to 175a), ran a 4ga charge cable and re-pinned the little connector after it fell apart due to corrosion. After some serious bracket grinding with a die grinder the new 130a alternator from a 1995 Mustang slid right into place. I had to drill open the bottom hole just a hair because it had some casting flash not allowing the bolt through. The top hole isn't threaded, so a grade 8 nut, bolt and lock washer took care of that.

Now, she charges a 14.5 and doesn't drop off hardly at all anymore (still seems to slightly when RPM drops when slowing to a stop but immediately returns...before it would just sit at 9 or 10v). Lights are brighter too. I also fixed my blend door not opening all the way so now we have that oh so good cook you out of it single cab heat.

Here's where the story continues.

After I get the alternator done, I take her for a drive. Something is still absolutely screaming. Turns out, after the pulley failure, my tensioner pulley bearings started whining. No big deal, $20 and a new pulley and down the road we go. Nope. Can't be that easy! I got the tensioner off, and, laugh all you want, it's been a long long day already, it just seemed to slip my mind that the pulley bolt is reverse thread, so yep, you guessed it, snapped that 3/8 bolt clean right off in the tensioner. Luckily, it walked right our, so I nut and bolted it and threw it all back together, and now it's fine.

I also removed my dual feed I take tubes and air box and replaced it with the single tube MAF duct off a 96 parts truck I have. I couldn't get my old air box open, and the filter was plugged pretty good. I dont know if it's a placebo, but I blew out the good filter and it appears I can get more air into it now from the larger diameter tube, but the throttle response definitely increased, and I definitely don't have to use nearly as much throttle to move. I must have gained some power back, because it actually feels like I got back as much as I did when I replaced the timing chain set straight up, opened up the plug gap, put MSD ignition on it and set timing to 12*. It's crazy how much of a slug this thing was compared to how it is now. It can, and will, absolutely wax any 5.4 Triton. I just can't leave things alone!! I also may or may not have a pair of long tubes laying around....

Anywho, I'm going to the do the PCV rereroute TSB this week and add in a catch can, and then I'll be happy for a while. Also, I am looking for a 4.9 or 7.5 lower air box duct that goes to the hole in the core support if anyone has one. The 5.0/5.8 location is junk and I threw mine in the parts bin. The old girl breathes a lot better with it gone.

That was my weekend and not how I wanted to spend my birthday, but alas, the adventures of a hot rodder continue tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Angelo!

Ironically (or not) Gary just took his 7.5 intake and swapped it for a Windsor one that goes over the rad support.

[Gary Lewis]

What a weekend. I had back to back pulley failures on my alternator. The first one came Sunday afternoon after pulling the front clip and cab off a 79 parts truck, about 1.5hrs away from home. If that wasn't bad enough at the same time this was happening, I was out in some fresh snow and had to use the 4WD, and my lazy self neglected to change one hub on the truck. Of course, naturally, now it didn't want to disengage. My front driveshaft universals are about to break, and I'm 1.5hrs away with a failing alternator making a ferocious noise and a hub that won't unlock. At this point I'm losing my mind. I beat the crap out of it and nothing. Broke the handle off it. So I rocked the truck back and forth between forward and reverse and it finally unlocked.

So, because I didn't feel like waiting for a tow truck, I absolutely /sent it/. 65mph down the highway, I made it 61 miles home before it stopped charging. I have absolutely no idea how I made it without shredding the belt.

I promptly changed the hub with the other brand new Warn unit I'd gotten when I did the other side. When I removed it, it fell apart in my hands into a pile of pieces. Good riddance.

Oddly, the bearings in the alternator and the shaft were fine, so I took it off and swapped a new pulley on. Evidently, even with an impact gun it wasn't tight enough because the nut backed off and the pulley loosened up again. So I said to heck with it. I'd been slowly getting stuff together for a 3G swap, and this turned out to be my reason to go full speed ahead. The 2G just couldn't really keep up well, and the amperage seemed to drop off all the time. Fortunately, my connections have always been good so there wasn't a huge fire risk, but doing the swap totally eliminated it.

I built a harness, mostly from a pigtail I sourced from a 95 parts truck I have. I extended a few wires, used a 150a Mega fuse (I will be changing this to 175a), ran a 4ga charge cable and re-pinned the little connector after it fell apart due to corrosion. After some serious bracket grinding with a die grinder the new 130a alternator from a 1995 Mustang slid right into place. I had to drill open the bottom hole just a hair because it had some casting flash not allowing the bolt through. The top hole isn't threaded, so a grade 8 nut, bolt and lock washer took care of that.

Now, she charges a 14.5 and doesn't drop off hardly at all anymore (still seems to slightly when RPM drops when slowing to a stop but immediately returns...before it would just sit at 9 or 10v). Lights are brighter too. I also fixed my blend door not opening all the way so now we have that oh so good cook you out of it single cab heat.

Here's where the story continues.

After I get the alternator done, I take her for a drive. Something is still absolutely screaming. Turns out, after the pulley failure, my tensioner pulley bearings started whining. No big deal, $20 and a new pulley and down the road we go. Nope. Can't be that easy! I got the tensioner off, and, laugh all you want, it's been a long long day already, it just seemed to slip my mind that the pulley bolt is reverse thread, so yep, you guessed it, snapped that 3/8 bolt clean right off in the tensioner. Luckily, it walked right our, so I nut and bolted it and threw it all back together, and now it's fine.

I also removed my dual feed I take tubes and air box and replaced it with the single tube MAF duct off a 96 parts truck I have. I couldn't get my old air box open, and the filter was plugged pretty good. I dont know if it's a placebo, but I blew out the good filter and it appears I can get more air into it now from the larger diameter tube, but the throttle response definitely increased, and I definitely don't have to use nearly as much throttle to move. I must have gained some power back, because it actually feels like I got back as much as I did when I replaced the timing chain set straight up, opened up the plug gap, put MSD ignition on it and set timing to 12*. It's crazy how much of a slug this thing was compared to how it is now. It can, and will, absolutely wax any 5.4 Triton. I just can't leave things alone!! I also may or may not have a pair of long tubes laying around....

Anywho, I'm going to the do the PCV rereroute TSB this week and add in a catch can, and then I'll be happy for a while. Also, I am looking for a 4.9 or 7.5 lower air box duct that goes to the hole in the core support if anyone has one. The 5.0/5.8 location is junk and I threw mine in the parts bin. The old girl breathes a lot better with it gone.

That was my weekend and not how I wanted to spend my birthday, but alas, the adventures of a hot rodder continue tomorrow.

Yes, happy birthday! Glad you made it home before everything failed. That sounds like quite a day.

And yes, I have the lower air inlet. Send me your address and I'll send it to you. I changed to the higher location so I can ford streams as that gives me 12" more height. But the cross section of the tubes is the same.

[Angelo Voltura]

Yes, happy birthday! Glad you made it home before everything failed. That sounds like quite a day.

And yes, I have the lower air inlet. Send me your address and I'll send it to you. I changed to the higher location so I can ford streams as that gives me 12" more height. But the cross section of the tubes is the same.

Thanks guys! Gary, that's very nice of you! I really appreciate that. I'll shoot you an email.

[FordFETruck]

Thanks guys! Gary, that's very nice of you! I really appreciate that. I'll shoot you an email.

I installed my restored correct air cleaner housing today. My decal never showed up but I suppose it will eventually if USPS ever finds it. The vacuum motor works like it should and so does the thermal vacuum switch for it. I made a sealing washer for the wingnut out of a piece of radiator hose and glued it to a stainless steel washer. Nice and snug fit and has plenty of squish and should last a long time.

I used an Acdelco A355C air filter element since it was the cheapest filter on Amazon and it also fit perfectly and appears to be a very nice filter for the whopping $6 it cost me.