taskswap Posted November 6, 2022 Author Share Posted November 6, 2022 I have been successful lowering the front tank enough to get the sender out by using ratchet straps and by just unthreading the all-threads that holds the ends of the straps together. And IIRC I put a piece of plywood under the tank and then my floor jack under that. But it is scary to work under there with all that gasoline evaporating right there in front of you. On the rear tank, I think if the sender is in and you cap the filler neck and the vent you should be find grinding. But I'd do as you suggested and shield things. Figured I'd drop a word so this thread isn't dead. Life had a few little detours. I had a successful elk hunt but that always takes time away from other things. But more important, we finally found a decent "first car" for our two sons, who both turn 16 a few months apart from each other (I'm remarried so we're kind of a Brady Bunch family...) Anyway, another Ford joins the stable. I never knew Ford had a "Freestyle", I guess it was only made for a few years. But it's the perfect car for them - AWD, V6 Duratec (0-60...eventually...) third row seating, etc. It had a few rough edges but it was the perfect excuse to introduce another generation to junkyards, and we had a fun day pulling mirrors and trim pieces off a junker this afternoon. Back to Rocky, I have a question for you guys. Have any of you actually bought and used the LMC "dash pad cover"? Over the summer mine has warped pretty badly in the sun, and I feel like a dash pad ought to be designed to tolerate some sun... To be honest I'm not sure what to even do about it. Dash pads are too expensive to justify an NOS replacement (when you can even find them). My current one is in rough shape so I can't just leave it to rot. And this seems to be the only cover option available. Unless I missed something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 Figured I'd drop a word so this thread isn't dead. Life had a few little detours. I had a successful elk hunt but that always takes time away from other things. But more important, we finally found a decent "first car" for our two sons, who both turn 16 a few months apart from each other (I'm remarried so we're kind of a Brady Bunch family...) Anyway, another Ford joins the stable. I never knew Ford had a "Freestyle", I guess it was only made for a few years. But it's the perfect car for them - AWD, V6 Duratec (0-60...eventually...) third row seating, etc. It had a few rough edges but it was the perfect excuse to introduce another generation to junkyards, and we had a fun day pulling mirrors and trim pieces off a junker this afternoon. Back to Rocky, I have a question for you guys. Have any of you actually bought and used the LMC "dash pad cover"? Over the summer mine has warped pretty badly in the sun, and I feel like a dash pad ought to be designed to tolerate some sun... To be honest I'm not sure what to even do about it. Dash pads are too expensive to justify an NOS replacement (when you can even find them). My current one is in rough shape so I can't just leave it to rot. And this seems to be the only cover option available. Unless I missed something? I wasn't familiar with the Freestyle. And apparently that's because it was only sold from 2005 - 2009, which is a small window for vehicles. Glad you were able to find parts in a salvage. As for the LMC "dash pad cover", I assume you mean the one from Coverlay. LMC doesn't make dash pad covers but they, like about everyone else, sell the Coverlay one. I have one of those on Big Blue and it has worked well. Yes, there is a bit of warpage in spots I didn't have it completely glued down, but where I have it glued down it has worked extremely well. And I have it glued down all but a very small area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taskswap Posted November 7, 2022 Author Share Posted November 7, 2022 I wasn't familiar with the Freestyle. And apparently that's because it was only sold from 2005 - 2009, which is a small window for vehicles. Glad you were able to find parts in a salvage. As for the LMC "dash pad cover", I assume you mean the one from Coverlay. LMC doesn't make dash pad covers but they, like about everyone else, sell the Coverlay one. I have one of those on Big Blue and it has worked well. Yes, there is a bit of warpage in spots I didn't have it completely glued down, but where I have it glued down it has worked extremely well. And I have it glued down all but a very small area. Well maybe you just answered my question because I didn't glue mine down at all. It just came wrapped in plastic with no instructions so I didn't know that was a thing. It has screws that line up with the factory dashboard mounting holes so I assumed that's all that was needed to hold it down. What adhesive did you use? It's very tempting to just remake this with fiberglass but I'm not sure if it's worth the hassle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Well maybe you just answered my question because I didn't glue mine down at all. It just came wrapped in plastic with no instructions so I didn't know that was a thing. It has screws that line up with the factory dashboard mounting holes so I assumed that's all that was needed to hold it down. What adhesive did you use? It's very tempting to just remake this with fiberglass but I'm not sure if it's worth the hassle... They sent a clear RTV that they recommended using, but I had it come loose on a corner so I used a spray contact adhesive on that corner. If I was to do it again I'd consider using a contact adhesive on the whole thing. The only concern is getting it to fit exactly where it is supposed to go on the first try, and I'd use some kind of guides in the screw holes on both the cover and the original pad to line it up. Oh yes, I take the pad out of the truck and do the work on the bench, as shown below. And on the right is the RTV they sent, but it didn't adhere as well as I'd hoped. Perhaps I didn't have the dash pad perfectly clean with all Armor-All off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 They sent a clear RTV that they recommended using, but I had it come loose on a corner so I used a spray contact adhesive on that corner. If I was to do it again I'd consider using a contact adhesive on the whole thing. The only concern is getting it to fit exactly where it is supposed to go on the first try, and I'd use some kind of guides in the screw holes on both the cover and the original pad to line it up. Oh yes, I take the pad out of the truck and do the work on the bench, as shown below. And on the right is the RTV they sent, but it didn't adhere as well as I'd hoped. Perhaps I didn't have the dash pad perfectly clean with all Armor-All off? Maybe there was a bunch of plasticizer cooking out of the old dash, Gary? But that's what's gone when your old dash pad starts cracking. Armor-All is awful stuff in my book. It will put a temporary sheen on plastics, but leaves a film of silicone oil that builds up and is near impossible to remove. Though you seem to have done a good job with the SEM prep products and procedure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 7, 2022 Share Posted November 7, 2022 Maybe there was a bunch of plasticizer cooking out of the old dash, Gary? But that's what's gone when your old dash pad starts cracking. Armor-All is awful stuff in my book. It will put a temporary sheen on plastics, but leaves a film of silicone oil that builds up and is near impossible to remove. Though you seem to have done a good job with the SEM prep products and procedure. Yes, it is possible I didn't get it clean. I don't remember how I cleaned it, but I doubt I used the SEM cleaner. And I do know that Armor-All was used on the dash pad. But the spray adhesive is working in the same spot the RTV didn't and I didn't have a chance to clean the pad before I sprayed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taskswap Posted November 8, 2022 Author Share Posted November 8, 2022 Yes, it is possible I didn't get it clean. I don't remember how I cleaned it, but I doubt I used the SEM cleaner. And I do know that Armor-All was used on the dash pad. But the spray adhesive is working in the same spot the RTV didn't and I didn't have a chance to clean the pad before I sprayed it. Thanks guys, this is super helpful. I definitely did not use adhesive to attach my cover. I'm not in a good spot right now to remove my dash so I'm going to stay focused on the fuel tanks and steering when I get time to work on it. Maybe in spring I'll do this when I upgrade the heater. I've been considering putting a https://www.vintageair.com/ system into the truck because it's smaller and more modern than the original factory heat and ARA aftermarket A/C. And honestly not too much more expensive since my current A/C is shot and probably needs at least a new compressor, hoses, and evap core... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Looper Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 Before you strip the nuts or studs off, check to see if they have left-hand threads. Some of the F250's and F350's came with LH threads on the left side of the truck. I'm not remembering which axles got those threads, but yours might. There may be an "LH" on the end of the stud, but I may be confusing these trucks with the Chrysler products which did the same. So apparently I have left hand threads on my left rear wheel This truck is "special" in so many ways LOL. Every wheel has different lug nuts, apparently replaced/sourced over the years. You wouldn't by any chance happen to know the standard thread sizes here would you? I can't find my thread gauge anywhere and was hoping to order some new ones today. My wheels came with new nuts as part of the package but none of them fit. I can tell for one thing that the front and rear threads are different. The front also takes a 13/16 socket and the rear takes a 1-1/16. So I think the rear must be 1/2-20 and the front might be 9/16-18? But I'm not positive. I see that this is an older post but it's one of the only ones I could find with this topic of left handed lug nut threads on some rear HD truck axles. However, my inquiry is this; I have seen several post on Facebook Bullnose groups that have brought up this subject as well and everyone I've seen bring it up says that they're on the rest "Left" side (Drivers side), Well mine are not, they are on the right rear or passenger side rear. What's going on? Am I missing something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 I see that this is an older post but it's one of the only ones I could find with this topic of left handed lug nut threads on some rear HD truck axles. However, my inquiry is this; I have seen several post on Facebook Bullnose groups that have brought up this subject as well and everyone I've seen bring it up says that they're on the rest "Left" side (Drivers side), Well mine are not, they are on the right rear or passenger side rear. What's going on? Am I missing something? I think someone swapped axles left/right at some point in time. But I'm not sure that the axles are the same length, so that may not be possible and I may be all wet. From everything I've read the left-handed lug nuts were always used on the left side of the vehicle, and the theory was that hard braking would tend to tighten the nut. Chrysler used left-handed lugs on many, if not all, of their vehicles at least as late as '69, and Ford did on some of the trucks into the early 80's. You can buy replacement lugs, and I think there's enough room behind the axle to drive the lugs out and replace them. However, that may be very difficult on your truck as I think it is a lot of work to get the brake drum off on your truck. So I'd just wait to do that until brake job time when you are going to be in there anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taskswap Posted April 1 Author Share Posted April 1 I think someone swapped axles left/right at some point in time. But I'm not sure that the axles are the same length, so that may not be possible and I may be all wet. From everything I've read the left-handed lug nuts were always used on the left side of the vehicle, and the theory was that hard braking would tend to tighten the nut. Chrysler used left-handed lugs on many, if not all, of their vehicles at least as late as '69, and Ford did on some of the trucks into the early 80's. You can buy replacement lugs, and I think there's enough room behind the axle to drive the lugs out and replace them. However, that may be very difficult on your truck as I think it is a lot of work to get the brake drum off on your truck. So I'd just wait to do that until brake job time when you are going to be in there anyway. I don't know if OP is still looking for a lug solution but just to put a pin in that, I did replace my (stock/left-side) lugs on both my discs (front) and drums (rear). I used these: Dorman 610-228 Rear 9/16-18 Serrated Wheel Stud - .625 in. Knurl, 2-25/32 in. Length Compatible with Select Ford Models, 10 Pack https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011N1K7C The listing is misleading, this is for a box of 10 (they aren't $22ea!). But they installed quite easily, I thought. I didn't need a press for removal or installation. I just set the disc and drum over a cinder block and used a 2lb sledge to drive them out and the new ones in. To seat them fully I used a pair of washers with a small dab of grease between them as a temporary bearing and an open-end lug nut plus a deep socket impact to draw them fully in. It was really fast an easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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