1981 Ford F100 Revival (Parked for 12 years)

[Gary Lewis]

Now I got my peepers locked in on it. I think this may be what I need. Looking for confirmation.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=254581&cc=1120510&pt=1860&jsn=1392&jsn=1392

Oh, so many questions so early in the morning! And I've not finished my 2nd cup of Joe!

Yes, I think that is the type of seal you need, but I assume that RA says it is the right seal?

And yes, you have king pins and not ball joints. So that's what's inside. But king pins tend to wear very slowly, and they sometimes take a reamer to get installed correctly. So unless you know that your king pins are worn that's something I'd leave alone at the moment. You can always come back later and do it as a part of a front end rebuild.

Ditto the tie rod end. You won't have to tear anything up on the wheel bearings or seals to do that, so I'd suggest getting things together and see if they need to be replaced. But, tie rod ends are pretty easily done so if you want to do them now go for it.

As for how to do it all, follow the instructions at Documentation/Suspension & Steering/2WD Spindles. Having said that, those instructions are from the 1985 FSM and don't say they work for the F100. So if you have questions I could scan the 1981 FSM section and add it, which should include the F100.

[Jonathan]

Oh, so many questions so early in the morning! And I've not finished my 2nd cup of Joe!

Yes, I think that is the type of seal you need, but I assume that RA says it is the right seal?

And yes, you have king pins and not ball joints. So that's what's inside. But king pins tend to wear very slowly, and they sometimes take a reamer to get installed correctly. So unless you know that your king pins are worn that's something I'd leave alone at the moment. You can always come back later and do it as a part of a front end rebuild.

Ditto the tie rod end. You won't have to tear anything up on the wheel bearings or seals to do that, so I'd suggest getting things together and see if they need to be replaced. But, tie rod ends are pretty easily done so if you want to do them now go for it.

As for how to do it all, follow the instructions at Documentation/Suspension & Steering/2WD Spindles. Having said that, those instructions are from the 1985 FSM and don't say they work for the F100. So if you have questions I could scan the 1981 FSM section and add it, which should include the F100.

I started at 6am. Need to get as much work in on the weekend as I can. This is dragging on so long. I really want to get this on the road. Just finished my second cup of green tea.

RockAuto says it is the right seal but so is the hundred others of seals that don't even look the same. But after looking at it in person I think it may be correct. I am going to try and drive it out and measure it to be sure.

One of the reasons I want to rebuild it is so I can clean and paint it. But I will try and pressure wash it. Those are grease fittings on the top correct? Maybe after cleaning I can pump it full of fresh grease and see how smooth it feels. If feels good maybe I will just clean it up on the truck and not paint.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Oh, so many questions so early in the morning! And I've not finished my 2nd cup of Joe!

Yes, I think that is the type of seal you need, but I assume that RA says it is the right seal?

And yes, you have king pins and not ball joints. So that's what's inside. But king pins tend to wear very slowly, and they sometimes take a reamer to get installed correctly. So unless you know that your king pins are worn that's something I'd leave alone at the moment. You can always come back later and do it as a part of a front end rebuild.

Ditto the tie rod end. You won't have to tear anything up on the wheel bearings or seals to do that, so I'd suggest getting things together and see if they need to be replaced. But, tie rod ends are pretty easily done so if you want to do them now go for it.

As for how to do it all, follow the instructions at Documentation/Suspension & Steering/2WD Spindles. Having said that, those instructions are from the 1985 FSM and don't say they work for the F100. So if you have questions I could scan the 1981 FSM section and add it, which should include the F100.

I started at 6am. Need to get as much work in on the weekend as I can. This is dragging on so long. I really want to get this on the road. Just finished my second cup of green tea.

RockAuto says it is the right seal but so is the hundred others of seals that don't even look the same. But after looking at it in person I think it may be correct. I am going to try and drive it out and measure it to be sure.

One of the reasons I want to rebuild it is so I can clean and paint it. But I will try and pressure wash it. Those are grease fittings on the top correct? Maybe after cleaning I can pump it full of fresh grease and see how smooth it feels. If feels good maybe I will just clean it up on the truck and not paint.

Yes, those are grease fittings. But don't push water from the pressure washer into all of the joints as you may not get it out with the grease. So take it easy and don't linger too long on each thing.

[Jonathan]

Yes, those are grease fittings. But don't push water from the pressure washer into all of the joints as you may not get it out with the grease. So take it easy and don't linger too long on each thing.

Hopefully I didn't see this too late. I already got started. But there were so many inches of dirt on it took a long time to penetrate past it. Now that I can actually see metal I'll try to be more careful. What type of grease do I need to get? I probably should grease it today to try and push out any water.

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, those are grease fittings. But don't push water from the pressure washer into all of the joints as you may not get it out with the grease. So take it easy and don't linger too long on each thing.

Hopefully I didn't see this too late. I already got started. But there were so many inches of dirt on it took a long time to penetrate past it. Now that I can actually see metal I'll try to be more careful. What type of grease do I need to get? I probably should grease it today to try and push out any water.

Good question. I've always used a moly grease on front ends.

[nic55kel]

This morning I dismantled more of the wheel spindle area. I wanted to inspect what more I may need to order and get the brake dust shield off to paint. I was very overwhelmed when I ordered the inner and outer bearings from RockAuto with the selection of grease seals. I have no idea which one I need. Looking for help to figure out what I need to order for the seal behind the inner bearing. And is there anything else I don't see I need? Should I replace the tie rod end while I have all this off? And what is under this thick coat of dirt where the wheel turns? Is there some bearings or seals I should get for this? I need technical names because this is out of my wheelhouse.  I can do the work and follow directions but need some guidance for this. Here is the bearings I ordered if it helps figure out the seal I need.

NATIONAL A12 (Standard Replacement) Bearing and Race Set; Taper Bearing Set Includes Cup and Cone Info Front Outer

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=220146&cc=1120510&pt=1672&jsn=11

NATIONAL A13 (Standard Replacement) Bearing and Race Set; Taper Bearing Set Includes Cup and Cone Info Front Inner

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=220147&cc=1120510&pt=1672&jsn=12

There is a rough sharp area circled and pointed at in the picture. Is that normal and will it have any affect on operation?

I will probably get the pressure washer out later and just blast this whole area so I can see what I am doing. It will probably save me a lot of time in prepping for painting also. 

Hi Jonathon,

I see you are having fun learning about vehicles.

Regarding the rough area where the back of the inner bearing rests against the spindle shoulder. Hard to tell from the pictures but has that undercut the shoulder on the spindle? I would guess that at some point the inner bearing seized and spun on the spindle. Hard to tell from the pictures but the spindle diameter appears undersize where the bearing sits. The bearing should be a snug fit on the spindle. I would take my caliper and check the diameter of the spindle where the bearing sits to make sure that the surface is not tapered or reduced in diameter from having the bearing rotate on it.

If it is badly worn you may be finding out about king pins sooner than you wanted to.

Hope it is just the picture and all is well.

 

[Jonathan]

Hi Jonathon,

I see you are having fun learning about vehicles.

Regarding the rough area where the back of the inner bearing rests against the spindle shoulder. Hard to tell from the pictures but has that undercut the shoulder on the spindle? I would guess that at some point the inner bearing seized and spun on the spindle. Hard to tell from the pictures but the spindle diameter appears undersize where the bearing sits. The bearing should be a snug fit on the spindle. I would take my caliper and check the diameter of the spindle where the bearing sits to make sure that the surface is not tapered or reduced in diameter from having the bearing rotate on it.

If it is badly worn you may be finding out about king pins sooner than you wanted to.

Hope it is just the picture and all is well.

Thanks for your feedback Bob. The recess seemed like it was manufactured into the surface but the lip of it seemed rough and sharp. I am not sure if it is from casting or not. Is it cast or milled? I am not good at telling these things. If it is cast do they mill it after for smooth surface? I will measure it and do a careful test fit to see how it rides.

How much of a pain is it to take apart the king pin? I pushed grease in and it seems fine though. But when moving back and forth the power steering cap kept blowing off and leaking fluid down on the ground. It doesn't look overfilled. I tried to bleed it by moving back and forth but it didn't help. Does it need to be running to bleed properly? Why does the cap keep blowing off? The fluid raises when I turn the wheel. Is there a pressure release in the cap that is not functioning?

[Jonathan]

Good question. I've always used a moly grease on front ends.

I used what was in my gun. It was green. I think it came with it so it is probably Multi-Purpose SD Polyurea Grease from John Deere. Some water came out when I did it and I just kept pumping to flush everything out.

[Gary Lewis]

Good question. I've always used a moly grease on front ends.

I used what was in my gun. It was green. I think it came with it so it is probably Multi-Purpose SD Polyurea Grease from John Deere. Some water came out when I did it and I just kept pumping to flush everything out.

I forgot the sharp lip. You can dress it down with a small file so it won't cut the seal as it goes on.

Glad you got the water out, but you do have all of the weight off of the suspension, right? That's what I remember of supposedly the best way to get the grease all of the way around the king pin.

As for the power steering system puking, welcome to the world of Ford's C-II pump. All of the C-II's do that. Another reason for a Saginaw.

[Jonathan]

I forgot the sharp lip. You can dress it down with a small file so it won't cut the seal as it goes on.

Glad you got the water out, but you do have all of the weight off of the suspension, right? That's what I remember of supposedly the best way to get the grease all of the way around the king pin.

As for the power steering system puking, welcome to the world of Ford's C-II pump. All of the C-II's do that. Another reason for a Saginaw.

Okay, I will file it down. So that sharp lip you have heard about before? It is normal?

I have the jack stand right behind the steering knuckle on the suspension arm. But there is no direct pressure on the steering part. Is that good enough or do I need to move the jack stand to the frame behind the wheel. If you look though the pictures above you may be able to see where it is resting better.

Does the power steering only normally puke when the engine is off? Will the cap pop off when I am going down the road? Or does does the level rise because it is not running?