"Rocky" - 1981 F250 Restoration

[taskswap]

Tiny updates just to keep the thread alive. We've had VERY cold weather here which blocks most of what I want to do... but creates an opportunity. Yesterday I figured I'd give a go of getting the truck started in the cold, to make sure I could.

I would call the first start "difficult" if it weren't for the fact that it was always going to be. It started about the way I expected. Pump it, crank it, work it, be patient. Try again. Probably took 30 seconds but I did get it to start. I let it rev for about 30 seconds with my foot on the clutch, then put it in neutral and let the clutch off and it died. I'm guessing the transmission oil was so stiff (it's new, but still 80W-90) it was just a bit too much load for the engine still being cold.

At that point I could not get it restarted. Click, thunk, click, thunk. Dead battery. No surprise, it's an old battery. The guy I bought it from got the truck at an auction and it didn't have a battery in it, so he put one in. I'm guessing he put in "whatever he had lying around" (his worst one). I'll be getting a new one, but in the meantime I threw the charger on it this morning so I can have another go of starting it today just for the exercise. This time I'll let it fully warm up before letting the clutch out (or maybe just give it a bit of gas).

Got it started. In addition to a new battery I may replace the starter. Even with a jump box on it, when it's this cold (10F - not even the lowest I'll see) it seems to crank very poorly. The engine is fine - it starts instantly, to my constant surprise. Like crank-cr-boom. But that first crank sounds like I'm turning it with a breaker bar.

Ran well for 10 mins, enough to warm up. Heat works. Not well, the push pull on the mixer only goes partway into the defrost section. But it's fine, I run warm anyway. I still have a noticeable ticking from the top cover area of my transmission if I have the clutch let out in neutral. I'm hoping it's just not well lubed yet.

Radio stopped working for some reason. No idea why. But I didn't mount it very well depth-wise so I need to pull it anyway, just dragging my feet.

Waiting for warmer weather...

[Gary Lewis]

Got it started. In addition to a new battery I may replace the starter. Even with a jump box on it, when it's this cold (10F - not even the lowest I'll see) it seems to crank very poorly. The engine is fine - it starts instantly, to my constant surprise. Like crank-cr-boom. But that first crank sounds like I'm turning it with a breaker bar.

Ran well for 10 mins, enough to warm up. Heat works. Not well, the push pull on the mixer only goes partway into the defrost section. But it's fine, I run warm anyway. I still have a noticeable ticking from the top cover area of my transmission if I have the clutch let out in neutral. I'm hoping it's just not well lubed yet.

Radio stopped working for some reason. No idea why. But I didn't mount it very well depth-wise so I need to pull it anyway, just dragging my feet.

Waiting for warmer weather...

Progress!

If you replace the starter I'd with with a PMGR. Lots better cranking ability - with less current. IIRC, the M-Block takes the same starter as a 460, but you need to check that out. But our page at Documentation/Interchange/Starter Interchange says the M-Blocks and 460's take E1TZ 11002-CX, so that seems to confirm it.

[taskswap]

Progress!

If you replace the starter I'd with with a PMGR. Lots better cranking ability - with less current. IIRC, the M-Block takes the same starter as a 460, but you need to check that out. But our page at Documentation/Interchange/Starter Interchange says the M-Blocks and 460's take E1TZ 11002-CX, so that seems to confirm it.

No joke I've been all over the other threads here and the docs and I'm still confused what to actually BUY. Same with the alternator.

Gary, have you ever considered a page, maybe somewhere under Documentation->Interchange or similar, that is just a member-added-to list of "I bought this Champion CC561B from Summit and it worked in my 1981 F-250 with a 6.6L 351M-400 V8. To mount it, I had to add two M6-1 Clip-On U-nut from Amazon (B00C3MUY9K) and two M6-1 x 22m Body Bolts (B0040CTU9G), which are also the right thread if you need to replace any of the other bolts." Like, a list of "this actual part worked for me" items?

[Gary Lewis]

No joke I've been all over the other threads here and the docs and I'm still confused what to actually BUY. Same with the alternator.

Gary, have you ever considered a page, maybe somewhere under Documentation->Interchange or similar, that is just a member-added-to list of "I bought this Champion CC561B from Summit and it worked in my 1981 F-250 with a 6.6L 351M-400 V8. To mount it, I had to add two M6-1 Clip-On U-nut from Amazon (B00C3MUY9K) and two M6-1 x 22m Body Bolts (B0040CTU9G), which are also the right thread if you need to replace any of the other bolts." Like, a list of "this actual part worked for me" items?

That's a good suggestion. But it'll have to be in the forum part as not very many can edit the documentation side. Let me think about where to put that, but we need to do that.

Oh yes, if I don't get it done by Sunday please remind me. Things are kind of busy right now. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

[taskswap]

That's a good suggestion. But it'll have to be in the forum part as not very many can edit the documentation side. Let me think about where to put that, but we need to do that.

Oh yes, if I don't get it done by Sunday please remind me. Things are kind of busy right now. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

I mean, if you think a thread is the right answer then you don't need to do anything, right? I could just start it under Projects or something. I'd think you'd want to have a first or pinned post with rules and moderate it or something, but it shouldn't have to be a burden for you generally.

In that case I was thinking a good general rule would be "one part per post, one post per part." I mean, it would be really hard to search/read if it became a general discussion thread, but also it would be messy if people brain-dumped 14 "mods" in a single post. What I was thinking was maybe having the first post have a brief template people could copy/paste when making new posts like:

Vehicle Year and Model: [e.g. 1981 F-250 4x2 Custom]

Original Part: [e.g. Radiator]

Replacement Part: [e.g. Champion CC561B]

Price Paid: [e.g. $189.99]

Source: [e.g. Summit Racing]

Installation Notes:

[e.g. Also requires 2x M6-1 nut plates and bolts to attach the fan shroud to the bottom lip. For a manual transmission, install 2x 1/4 NPT plugs in the transmission cooler ports with teflon tape or other sealant. Otherwise, this is a drop-in replacement.]

[Gary Lewis]

I mean, if you think a thread is the right answer then you don't need to do anything, right? I could just start it under Projects or something. I'd think you'd want to have a first or pinned post with rules and moderate it or something, but it shouldn't have to be a burden for you generally.

In that case I was thinking a good general rule would be "one part per post, one post per part." I mean, it would be really hard to search/read if it became a general discussion thread, but also it would be messy if people brain-dumped 14 "mods" in a single post. What I was thinking was maybe having the first post have a brief template people could copy/paste when making new posts like:

Vehicle Year and Model: [e.g. 1981 F-250 4x2 Custom]

Original Part: [e.g. Radiator]

Replacement Part: [e.g. Champion CC561B]

Price Paid: [e.g. $189.99]

Source: [e.g. Summit Racing]

Installation Notes:

[e.g. Also requires 2x M6-1 nut plates and bolts to attach the fan shroud to the bottom lip. For a manual transmission, install 2x 1/4 NPT plugs in the transmission cooler ports with teflon tape or other sealant. Otherwise, this is a drop-in replacement.]

That's an interesting idea. Projects is currently set up so that anyone can lock their thread, so I could put up a folder in Projects and put your template in. But what would you suggest we call it?

[taskswap]

That's an interesting idea. Projects is currently set up so that anyone can lock their thread, so I could put up a folder in Projects and put your template in. But what would you suggest we call it?

Got a lot done today. First, I replaced my backup/reverse lamp sockets with that pair I found on eBay. They were a perfect fit, despite the odd description. Even the wire color coding was correct. Here you can see the before and after on the socket, a well as a one of those solder crimps I mentioned in another thread:

The solder crimps are super fast. Normally it's just clip, clip, strip, strip, stuff-both, heat-gun. But I suspect these lamp sockets were some kind of old stock being sold, because there was corrosion in the ends of the pigtails. One wire was almost totally black - I thought I hadn't stripped it fully. Easy fix with a bit of fine sandpaper and some patience (I roll the strands around between my fingers while rubbing sandpaper across from every direction). But it made a 60 second job into 3 minutes. The horror.

Next I got my Torklift F2000 brackets installed. You can just see one peeking out below. That whole issue with the driver's side bracket interfering with the parking brake adjuster was a non-issue. I just used a grinder to trim the rear cable slot to give it a bit more clearance and it was good to go. I didn't get a great pic because the light was fading (I will tomorrow) but the passenger's side front bracket is easily visible here:

I love how subtle these are. If I'm not using them, the outer section is even removeable with just a pin. The rear ones are more challenging but I have a set designed to bolt onto the bumper I may use for now as a placeholder. They're nice brackets and still a lot stronger than the old J-hooks bolted to the thin bed body.

I also figured the right side paint is "as good as I care" so I started pulling off the masking. It's not great but it's fine. Looks good in photos anyway. I decided not to bother with the white stripe, not because I'm not confident I can do it but because I'm running out of time. I have black plastic trim rails for the bed, chrome trim rings for the wheel wells, and rubber/chrome moulding for the side panels that should spruce it up plenty.

[Gary Lewis]

Got a lot done today. First, I replaced my backup/reverse lamp sockets with that pair I found on eBay. They were a perfect fit, despite the odd description. Even the wire color coding was correct. Here you can see the before and after on the socket, a well as a one of those solder crimps I mentioned in another thread:

The solder crimps are super fast. Normally it's just clip, clip, strip, strip, stuff-both, heat-gun. But I suspect these lamp sockets were some kind of old stock being sold, because there was corrosion in the ends of the pigtails. One wire was almost totally black - I thought I hadn't stripped it fully. Easy fix with a bit of fine sandpaper and some patience (I roll the strands around between my fingers while rubbing sandpaper across from every direction). But it made a 60 second job into 3 minutes. The horror.

Next I got my Torklift F2000 brackets installed. You can just see one peeking out below. That whole issue with the driver's side bracket interfering with the parking brake adjuster was a non-issue. I just used a grinder to trim the rear cable slot to give it a bit more clearance and it was good to go. I didn't get a great pic because the light was fading (I will tomorrow) but the passenger's side front bracket is easily visible here:

I love how subtle these are. If I'm not using them, the outer section is even removeable with just a pin. The rear ones are more challenging but I have a set designed to bolt onto the bumper I may use for now as a placeholder. They're nice brackets and still a lot stronger than the old J-hooks bolted to the thin bed body.

I also figured the right side paint is "as good as I care" so I started pulling off the masking. It's not great but it's fine. Looks good in photos anyway. I decided not to bother with the white stripe, not because I'm not confident I can do it but because I'm running out of time. I have black plastic trim rails for the bed, chrome trim rings for the wheel wells, and rubber/chrome moulding for the side panels that should spruce it up plenty.

You are really making good progress. The sockets look great, and the solder crimps are a great deal when you are out on the driveway like that. Mine are due in on Monday and I'm anxious to try them.

As for the black wire, I've been known to do that trick with the sandpaper. But once I get them clean I hit them with a bit of rosin. Makes the joint flow much easier, even with rosin-core solder.

And I like the brackets. Much nicer than what I had on my '72.

[grumpin]

Got a lot done today. First, I replaced my backup/reverse lamp sockets with that pair I found on eBay. They were a perfect fit, despite the odd description. Even the wire color coding was correct. Here you can see the before and after on the socket, a well as a one of those solder crimps I mentioned in another thread:

The solder crimps are super fast. Normally it's just clip, clip, strip, strip, stuff-both, heat-gun. But I suspect these lamp sockets were some kind of old stock being sold, because there was corrosion in the ends of the pigtails. One wire was almost totally black - I thought I hadn't stripped it fully. Easy fix with a bit of fine sandpaper and some patience (I roll the strands around between my fingers while rubbing sandpaper across from every direction). But it made a 60 second job into 3 minutes. The horror.

Next I got my Torklift F2000 brackets installed. You can just see one peeking out below. That whole issue with the driver's side bracket interfering with the parking brake adjuster was a non-issue. I just used a grinder to trim the rear cable slot to give it a bit more clearance and it was good to go. I didn't get a great pic because the light was fading (I will tomorrow) but the passenger's side front bracket is easily visible here:

I love how subtle these are. If I'm not using them, the outer section is even removeable with just a pin. The rear ones are more challenging but I have a set designed to bolt onto the bumper I may use for now as a placeholder. They're nice brackets and still a lot stronger than the old J-hooks bolted to the thin bed body.

I also figured the right side paint is "as good as I care" so I started pulling off the masking. It's not great but it's fine. Looks good in photos anyway. I decided not to bother with the white stripe, not because I'm not confident I can do it but because I'm running out of time. I have black plastic trim rails for the bed, chrome trim rings for the wheel wells, and rubber/chrome moulding for the side panels that should spruce it up plenty.

Nice! Looking good. I like the tie downs also, I think my rear ones mount to the trailer hitch.

And like I said, I haven’t used them with a camper but have used them several times to tie down loads.

I ordered that solder connection kit also, went back and looked at it and thought for that price gotta get it.

[taskswap]

Nice! Looking good. I like the tie downs also, I think my rear ones mount to the trailer hitch.

And like I said, I haven’t used them with a camper but have used them several times to tie down loads.

I ordered that solder connection kit also, went back and looked at it and thought for that price gotta get it.

Thanks guys. Definitely coming along.

Today was sort of a short day (had a concert to go to tonight) but a very good one. I didn't so much get a lot done as I "finished" a bunch of things. Well sort of. Let's say I rushed some paint things - up close it looks pretty trashy but I have a reason to hustle now. A change of plans with my camper project, I lucked across a "perfect fit" listing on rvtrader and plan to make an offer on it tomorrow. So the new priority was "get the stupid thing minimally street-legal again" as fast as well.

1. Buffed the clearcoat on the right side. Frankly it needs to be wet-sanded, and maybe I'll do that some day. But today was not that day.

2. Installed some chrome trim I had lying around. Why not, it looks nice and took 5 minutes.

3. Set aside the Torklift rear brackets (my hitch is super sketchy, why waste time drilling it knowing I'll probably replace it?) and put on some bumper brackets I had lying around instead. I didn't get a great photo of these but they're really nice for something so cheap. And the bumper's stronger than the bed body...

4. Speaking of the bumper, I cut some bushing stock to fit the gap I had between my brackets and bumper and installed those. They worked pretty well. What I had on hand isn't quite "right" - if you're going to do this, you want to put the bolt "in shear" which means the portion of the bolt inside the bushing can't be threaded, and the bushing needs to be a close fit. But it'll do for now and it's better than nothing. If anybody cares, it was a 1.8" bushing with a 1/2"x3-1/2" bolt, nut, and lock washer. I'm a fan of metric but Tractor Supply didn't quite have what I wanted so I went SAE, it was easy.

5. Fixed my radio, which wasn't turning on. This was a ClassicCarStereos.com unit with a pair of ISO plugs on the back. Apparently one of the crimps wasn't very solid and the power wire had popped out of the plug, of all things. Gary will probably have a chuckle at this after my whole schpiel on how crimps are all you need and solder is overkill. Especially because the (temporary) fix until I can replace the whole plug was to pop out the pin (man, ISO pins are a PAIN to eject) and solder the wire to it! (I had no choice, I couldn't re-use the pin and it's a weird pin so I didn't have any replacements on hand...)

6. I had been mocking up my front winch mount (pic below, I think it'll work out great) but I needed to make the truck street legal in case I need to go get this camper. So I popped that out of the way and put the front bumper back on for now.

7. I drained the rear fuel tank, as much as I could. Simple siphon job really I just don't have a "single container" way to dispose of this old bad fuel so I had to round up every old gas can I've been dragging my feet getting rid of. Finally had a use for them! Good thing too - there was WAY more gas in there than I thought. I was figuring 5-10 gallons but it must have been nearly full because I think I took 15-16 out of there by the time I was done. What a pain.

When all was said and done, time for a test drive! Here's me grinning like an idiot, my wife takes great photos:

Major priorities this week:

1. I can't wait any longer, I have to do something about this parking brake. I've already adjusted it tighter and it's not helping. It's a problem because my driveway is angled. Think about it, without good brakes you can't pump the gas pedal while starting the engine.

2. Steering is super squirrely. It just wanders back and forth the whole time - not enough to require more than gentle corrections, but enough to require constant ones. Obviously an alignment is in my future but it's temping to also replace the tie rod ends while I'm messing with stuff. I have them on hand already, why not.

3. The high idle issue causes trouble on longer drives. Not only does it burn fuel, it also actually makes it harder to get it into 2nd, I suspect because even with the clutch in, the (probably partially stripped) synchros on 2nd have a harder job with the engine revving all the time. I haven't had time to do any diagnostics yet, I'll get into that this week.