WHYDTYTT: What Have You Done To Your Truck Today?

[Dyn Blin]

yeesh, my progress is made petty by the strides of Gary & Grumpin's work...

I came home a bit early yesterday to use the daylight. I planned to take the dash off and install my RocketMan voltmeter conversion and cluster lights with LED.

Alas, I as I backed into the garage, I saw the reflection in the garage window without reverse lights on the tail light pods.

I got under the back of the truck to find a huge mess of cracked and broken wires within a rat's nest of badly bodged trailer wiring. After untangling and unwrapping the added wiring, I found the stock harness and connectors had been folded back on themselves, and picture-wire-wrapped to the frame in a such a way that wires were cracked and broken to the stock connector towards the front of the truck. There was so many bad crimps, sticky/sludge tape wrap, exposed solder, broken insulation and cheap/broken splice connectors, I finally cut it all out and rewired with posi-taps until I can fab a new harness with some Weather Packs from other projects. I'm amazed the running & brake/signals were working at all. I'll also order some matching wires to fill the gap lengths from cutting.

I ran out of light before I could trace the back-up lamp(black/pink stripe) wire back to the connector on the transmission housing, so I'll make time for that next weekend before going back to finish the twice-delayed gauge cluster work.

As a result of this exercise, I have two amateur questions:

I found a couple remnants of what look like were green wires spot-welded to both sides of the frame proximate to the tail light locations that might have been old ground wires: Are the flareside taillights grounded through the attaching brackets from the fender?

If I find the back-up light wire is sound back to the back-up light switch on the transmission housing, and head to the P&P for a replacement switch, was the same back up light switch used on the NP435 and T18/19's?

(Gary, this will be the 2nd time your OCR STANDARD WIRE AND COLOR CODE CHARTS have saved me a ton of time - thank you)

[grumpin]

yeesh, my progress is made petty by the strides of Gary & Grumpin's work...

I came home a bit early yesterday to use the daylight. I planned to take the dash off and install my RocketMan voltmeter conversion and cluster lights with LED.

Alas, I as I backed into the garage, I saw the reflection in the garage window without reverse lights on the tail light pods.

I got under the back of the truck to find a huge mess of cracked and broken wires within a rat's nest of badly bodged trailer wiring. After untangling and unwrapping the added wiring, I found the stock harness and connectors had been folded back on themselves, and picture-wire-wrapped to the frame in a such a way that wires were cracked and broken to the stock connector towards the front of the truck. There was so many bad crimps, sticky/sludge tape wrap, exposed solder, broken insulation and cheap/broken splice connectors, I finally cut it all out and rewired with posi-taps until I can fab a new harness with some Weather Packs from other projects. I'm amazed the running & brake/signals were working at all. I'll also order some matching wires to fill the gap lengths from cutting.

I ran out of light before I could trace the back-up lamp(black/pink stripe) wire back to the connector on the transmission housing, so I'll make time for that next weekend before going back to finish the twice-delayed gauge cluster work.

As a result of this exercise, I have two amateur questions:

I found a couple remnants of what look like were green wires spot-welded to both sides of the frame proximate to the tail light locations that might have been old ground wires: Are the flareside taillights grounded through the attaching brackets from the fender?

If I find the back-up light wire is sound back to the back-up light switch on the transmission housing, and head to the P&P for a replacement switch, was the same back up light switch used on the NP435 and T18/19's?

(Gary, this will be the 2nd time your OCR STANDARD WIRE AND COLOR CODE CHARTS have saved me a ton of time - thank you)

I wouldn't call that petty. Been through a bit of that myself. Yours sounds worse.

It'll be nice when you get it straightened up.

[Gary Lewis]

yeesh, my progress is made petty by the strides of Gary & Grumpin's work...

I came home a bit early yesterday to use the daylight. I planned to take the dash off and install my RocketMan voltmeter conversion and cluster lights with LED.

Alas, I as I backed into the garage, I saw the reflection in the garage window without reverse lights on the tail light pods.

I got under the back of the truck to find a huge mess of cracked and broken wires within a rat's nest of badly bodged trailer wiring. After untangling and unwrapping the added wiring, I found the stock harness and connectors had been folded back on themselves, and picture-wire-wrapped to the frame in a such a way that wires were cracked and broken to the stock connector towards the front of the truck. There was so many bad crimps, sticky/sludge tape wrap, exposed solder, broken insulation and cheap/broken splice connectors, I finally cut it all out and rewired with posi-taps until I can fab a new harness with some Weather Packs from other projects. I'm amazed the running & brake/signals were working at all. I'll also order some matching wires to fill the gap lengths from cutting.

I ran out of light before I could trace the back-up lamp(black/pink stripe) wire back to the connector on the transmission housing, so I'll make time for that next weekend before going back to finish the twice-delayed gauge cluster work.

As a result of this exercise, I have two amateur questions:

I found a couple remnants of what look like were green wires spot-welded to both sides of the frame proximate to the tail light locations that might have been old ground wires: Are the flareside taillights grounded through the attaching brackets from the fender?

If I find the back-up light wire is sound back to the back-up light switch on the transmission housing, and head to the P&P for a replacement switch, was the same back up light switch used on the NP435 and T18/19's?

(Gary, this will be the 2nd time your OCR STANDARD WIRE AND COLOR CODE CHARTS have saved me a ton of time - thank you)

Grumpin - Glad that carb is working well for you. I'll be curious how the MPG changes, although "MPG" and "460" shouldn't be used in the same sentence.

Dyn - I really hate it when I find others have butchered the wiring that way. The only way to fix it is as you've done - cut it out and start over.

As for the tail light grounding, here's a snip from Page 49 of the 1981 EVTM:

But, I don't know about the backup light switch. I haven't found that yet. And, glad wire colors are helping.

[ArdWrknTrk]

New carb day! Holley Classic 600 CFM, electric choke, vacuum secondaries.

Picked the Holley for ease of linkage hookup, and now that I've messed with them a bit, I like them.

Installed #64 Primary Jets due to the elevation we live at. Comes with #66 and we are at 4100 foot elevation.

Pretty straight forward. Need a good 12 volt source, the OEM choke hook up won't work as many already know. Instructions said I needed to install the transmission kickdown adjuster. Didn't have one as the kickdown linkage is a little different than OEM. I got into my 20 year drawer and put together an adjuster with a 10 32 screw and two nuts.

I started my truck and moved it around to the front of my small garage, nothing I own except my riding mower will fit! When I pulled the old carb off there was fuel in the intake, hmmm....

Got the carb set up and installed and hooked up everything. The kickdown adjustment was a wag! New fuel filter.

Started relatively easy. Got it warmed up and adjusted the idle mixture screws with my handy dandy vacuum gauge. Decided to bump the timing a little bit, it's at recommended at the time. Now it's snowing...

Test drive, big difference, about ten feet shy of a huge difference.

Except the kickdown is coming in way early. Back home for an adjustment, next drive better, but still too early. Back home, took the adjusting screw out all together. Next drive, much better, but a little early, but not much I can do about that.

All in all, I'm happy and my truck is happy!

You can just swap the stock Motorcraft choke cap and one the one wire bullet connector on to a new Holley.

My truck was that way for years with the 0-80457s.

[grumpin]

You can just swap the stock Motorcraft choke cap and one the one wire bullet connector on to a new Holley.

My truck was that way for years with the 0-80457s.

Good idea! Thanks, didn't think of trying that.

I'm wired in now, but noticed today I need to adjust it, too much choke.

[ArdWrknTrk]

You can just swap the stock Motorcraft choke cap and one the one wire bullet connector on to a new Holley.

My truck was that way for years with the 0-80457s.

Good idea! Thanks, didn't think of trying that.

I'm wired in now, but noticed today I need to adjust it, too much choke.

When I got out of work today a new wheel cover was waiting for Lil' Red

[Gary Lewis]

When I got out of work today a new wheel cover was waiting for Lil' Red

Looks good.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Looks good.

It's a crappy picture from a cheap phone.

I did wash her this morning, and replace some body fasteners, while waiting to get the call for work.

I *still* haven't replaced the floor or corner, although I have all the pieces.

It is beginning to get too cold to paint.

Put another 100 miles on.

No wonder it adds up 24/7/365!

[FuzzFace2]

Looks good.

During the week I was able to pickup some vacuum fittings needed to hook up the air filter breather to the valve cover so got that done and the air filter back on the motor.

I prepped the metal I will weld to the front panel lower edge. Went to hit it with weld thru primer and the new can would not spray :( going to have to see if I can pick some up during the week.

A member needed pictures of the clips & screws that hold the trans cover to the floor and I had them sitting in a cup. After taking pictures I installed them on the truck and the cover after a little hammer & dolly work.

It will have to come off again as I did not get weather strip to seal it yet.

Cleaned off my work room table so I have room to work on the dash bezels and gauge clusters. In doing so got the parts out of the dinning room to make the wife happy.

Dave ----

ps: pulled apart that AMP gauge the stud twisted on and sure enough the wire was broken.

I am going to try and fix it and if it does not work oh well it was junk any way.

[Gary Lewis]

During the week I was able to pickup some vacuum fittings needed to hook up the air filter breather to the valve cover so got that done and the air filter back on the motor.

I prepped the metal I will weld to the front panel lower edge. Went to hit it with weld thru primer and the new can would not spray :( going to have to see if I can pick some up during the week.

A member needed pictures of the clips & screws that hold the trans cover to the floor and I had them sitting in a cup. After taking pictures I installed them on the truck and the cover after a little hammer & dolly work.

It will have to come off again as I did not get weather strip to seal it yet.

Cleaned off my work room table so I have room to work on the dash bezels and gauge clusters. In doing so got the parts out of the dinning room to make the wife happy.

Dave ----

ps: pulled apart that AMP gauge the stud twisted on and sure enough the wire was broken.

I am going to try and fix it and if it does not work oh well it was junk any way.

Dave - Progress is good, as Jim says. And, I'll bet the ammeter works now - at least as well as it ever did.

As for what I am doing, here's a mid-day report. Found this lump dangling from the shop crane:

Not sure what it is, but it left a mess so I thought it might be a Harley. Then I spotted the anti-freeze and decided it must be a 460.

Next up, once the engine is on the stand, is to get the cab down and on the frame - and then finish taking the tranny's crossmember off. Started to take it off now, and the frame wants to come together in the back. But, once the cab is on and the whole thing is in the air I can pull the crossmember w/o worry and clean up the mess.

Then, I'll cut the top off for Darin/Oz. After that, I'll make sure I have everything I want, throw a couple of sheets of ply on the new trailer, and take it to the salvage.