Dad's Truck Build

[Gary Lewis]

...pull all the older parts off the line.

That's a popular myth, as is Ford inventing the assembly line. Neither is correct. Ford's innovation was having parts delivered from suppliers as they were needed on the assembly line, making warehousing unnecessary, and eliminating "old" stock (since there is no "stock"). Vehicles are built with the parts that are delivered that day (or shift), and fresh parts only arrive as more vehicles are being assembled. So there's never a pile of "wrong" parts when there's a redesign - the early-design parts are gone, already on the vehicles that are done. The new-design parts go on the next batch of vehicles, as a running change, with a notation about the serial number &/or date where that change occurred.

...what came on them is not what it looks like they were supposed to have.

I think that's more a result of the running change notes being inaccurate, or lost, or damaged, or illegible from back before computers were used. IOW: the truck was built "correctly" - it's the PARTS BOOK that's wrong.

Steve - We are saying the same thing: The truck is correct, but the books are wrong.

Anyway, I got the steering box and pitman arm on today and things touched up - except for the problems created by RedHead. Here's what the top of the box looks like. Why do they bother to paint? I'll have to find some red paint.

Anyway, here's the whole box mounted and the pitman arm on. Note that the pitman arm lines up with the "wedge" on the box in this pic. This is with the input shaft turned fully clockwise when viewed from the back of the box, or driver's position. And, since the box is a bit stiff, I took a rag joint off a shaft and used it to turn the input shaft on the box. That let me line the arm up with the wedge and install it.

[Ford F834]

Are these instructions provided by red head or did you have to dig it out of a shop manual? Your pic and description will come in handy when I go to do mine... 🙂

[Gary Lewis]

Are these instructions provided by red head or did you have to dig it out of a shop manual? Your pic and description will come in handy when I go to do mine... 🙂

There doesn't seem to be anything I could find in the factory shop manual regarding how the pitman arm mounts, and RedHead provided nothing. So, those are my instructions.

I didn't try, but it looks like the pitman arm can go on in 4 different places, 90 degrees apart. But, I had another steering box with the arm still on it on the bench, so I played with it until I discovered that at full lock the "wedge" lined up with the center of the arm.

Good enough for me, so I went to the RedHead box - and discovered that, unlike the one on the bench, a new box is tight enough I couldn't turn it. Steve/FoxFord83 was over working on his Windsor timing cover (see WHYDTYTT) and we agreed that clamping vise grips on the input shaft would be bad form, so something was needed that would give a bit more torque to our fingers. I have a few spare lower steering shafts, so took the rag joint off one and it worked a treat.

 

[Ford F834]

There doesn't seem to be anything I could find in the factory shop manual regarding how the pitman arm mounts, and RedHead provided nothing. So, those are my instructions.

I didn't try, but it looks like the pitman arm can go on in 4 different places, 90 degrees apart. But, I had another steering box with the arm still on it on the bench, so I played with it until I discovered that at full lock the "wedge" lined up with the center of the arm.

Good enough for me, so I went to the RedHead box - and discovered that, unlike the one on the bench, a new box is tight enough I couldn't turn it. Steve/FoxFord83 was over working on his Windsor timing cover (see WHYDTYTT) and we agreed that clamping vise grips on the input shaft would be bad form, so something was needed that would give a bit more torque to our fingers. I have a few spare lower steering shafts, so took the rag joint off one and it worked a treat.

Thank you for the instructions! I zoomed in on the pic and see the four thicker splines now... originally I thought it could be clocked at any angle that the fine splines would allow. At least that narrows down the possibilities.

Maybe I just missed it, but why did you have to loosen the two bolts that hold down the red cap? That wasn’t a very impressive paint job on their signature piece ☹️

[Gary Lewis]

Thank you for the instructions! I zoomed in on the pic and see the four thicker splines now... originally I thought it could be clocked at any angle that the fine splines would allow. At least that narrows down the possibilities.

Maybe I just missed it, but why did you have to loosen the two bolts that hold down the red cap? That wasn’t a very impressive paint job on their signature piece ☹️

I didn't loosen the bolts on the box. It came that way. They painted the bolts and the box black and the top red. Then messed up the bolts and the top with a socket. I just hope their ability to do machine work is better than their care in assembly.

[Ford F834]

I didn't loosen the bolts on the box. It came that way. They painted the bolts and the box black and the top red. Then messed up the bolts and the top with a socket. I just hope their ability to do machine work is better than their care in assembly.

Wow. I hope the workmanship inside is better... it is just cosmetic, but for the price you shouldn’t have to repaint it if you want it nice. 😡

[Steve83]

...the pitman arm can go on in 4 different places, 90 degrees apart.

On the bench; yes. But on the truck, it only fits 1 way. It might go on 3 ways, but in 2 of them, you can't connect the tie rod. That's why there are no instructions.

[Gary Lewis]

...the pitman arm can go on in 4 different places, 90 degrees apart.

On the bench; yes. But on the truck, it only fits 1 way. It might go on 3 ways, but in 2 of them, you can't connect the tie rod. That's why there are no instructions.

Jonathan - That's one of the reasons I posted that pic. Next round I'll try Blue Top. Perhaps they take more care.

Steve - I didn't want to chance getting the thing on and finding out later that I couldn't attach the linkage. And it was a 5 minute job to figure out, so I thought I'd pass that on to the rest of you.

[Gary Lewis]

And now for today's update. First, the pitman arm removal. It took the big impact and a large air hose to get that rascal off. And I was sure the puller was going to break, but it didn't....

A trick I've used is to tighten the bolt on the puller as much as I could reasonably, then take a big hammer and hit it. Sometimes hitting the end of the bolt of the puller works best, sometimes hitting the side of the pitman arm does. But then I can usually get another few degrees tightening the bolt, and can eventually walk it off without feeling like I'm going to break the puller.

Bob - I forgot to reply to your post. But, I was using that same trick. To protect the pitman arm I had a brass hammer, but I was whacking the end of the arm near the shaft as well as the end of the bolt on the puller.

I'd run the battery-operated impact until it stopped moving, all the while banging on things, then went to the air impact. That didn't go much farther - until I changed to the bigger air hose and connected it close to the compressor. Then it turned a bit and I banged a bit. And finally it "walked off" as you said.

[Gary Lewis]

Bob - I forgot to reply to your post. But, I was using that same trick. To protect the pitman arm I had a brass hammer, but I was whacking the end of the arm near the shaft as well as the end of the bolt on the puller.

I'd run the battery-operated impact until it stopped moving, all the while banging on things, then went to the air impact. That didn't go much farther - until I changed to the bigger air hose and connected it close to the compressor. Then it turned a bit and I banged a bit. And finally it "walked off" as you said.

I've spent the last couple of days reminiscing as I pull together the bits and pieces of information regarding Dad's truck. The document in the first post of this thread is coming together, and I now know where to go for some of the info.

I now know that I took the truck to one paint/body man on 4/21/2013 and got it back, unfinished but paid for, on 10-2-2013. Then it went to the next paint/body man on 1/15/2014 and came back, in stunning fashion, on 3/17/2016.

Similarly I'm discovering other mis-steps, like the upholstery job that was to cry for. The transfer case that was rebuilt, with lots of mod's, but which uses linkage that goes through the floor - and I don't want to cut the floor, so will use it in Big Blue. The transmission that was completely rebuilt but will also go to Big Blue.

However, there are lots and lots of good memories as well. The dyno session with Tim Meyer for instance. And the help so many people have given me to sort out problems or provide parts.

All in all, it has been a fun trip. The document is no where near ready for prime time, but at least I have a start. So read it if you want, but feedback on the method is more needed than the content.