POTD- PROJECT OF THE DAY: What Did You Make In Your Shop Today?

[extropic]

Bruce,
You made me LOL. That frame failure was . . . startling.
One more tip regarding what to look out for when you evaluate the truck. Because Ethanol absorbs water, over the long storage period it may have resulted in liquid water rotting the gas tank. A visual clue to rust-through leakage is that the bottom exterior surface of the tank will show staining. Interior rust (not through yet) is a different ball of snakes. Better living through chemistry.

 

[woodchucker]

We have a small pond in our yard now too.

View attachment 485664

Sold our place in Michigan last summer and have been working on a small addition to our Santa Cruz home.

View attachment 485665

We’re on the opposite end from you property wise with a 4000 sqft lot….

John

don't leave that tyvek exposed for too long, it breaks down under UV.. the less the better.

 

[matthewsx]

don't leave that tyvek exposed for too long, it breaks down under UV.. the less the better.

Yes, our crew is busting it out. Front will be stucco, rest will be Hardiboard siding.

Today was mucking out the crawlspace, long story short, our old contractor left a gap in the foundation and with all the recent rains it was a muddy mucky mess. Three guys worked at it all day, glad I wasn’t one of them.



spoils



John

 

[Provincial]

Bruce, the engine is either a 279, 302, or 332 Y block based on the Lincoln engine if it is original to the truck. While it is very similar in looks to the Y block car engines It shares almost no internal parts. Definitely not a 402, but can do the job with the gearing they used. Some of those old rigs had a separate brake booster mounted on the frame under the cab. Mike

Bruce, it certainly looks like a Y block engine. This is interesting, because your body style (fifth-generation F-Series) was introduced in the 1967 model year, and carried on until 1972, while the Y block engine was discontinued in 1964. The most likely explanation is that the original engine failed and a cheaper substitute engine was fitted, since the real (FT series) Ford truck engines were pretty rare and therefore expensive.

 

[FOMOGO]

When I first looked at the pic I thought they had FT/FE out by then in the bigger F-series trucks, cars in 58, but guess I got caught up by the engine. The steel cranks in the 361/391 FT's were highly sought after prior to the common availability of aftermarket stroker cranks though they required a fair amount of machining for high performance use . Being Bruce's FT was apparently replaced his engine could very likely be a 292/312 automotive engine. Same bell-housing I believe. If it's been under shelter I doubt it is froze up. To be on the safe side squirt a liberal amount of MMO, or ATF in the cylinders and let it sit for a few days and put a socket and a breaker bar on the crank bolt and see if it turns. If so, hook up a battery, and with the plugs out spin it over to get any excess oil out and you should be ready to go after making sure you have good fuel. Mike

 

[pontiac428]

Last time I stored a vehicle for many years, I pulled the plugs and took pics with the bore scope before pouring an ounce of Sea Foam in each cylinder and letting it sit to free up the rings. Smoked like crazy for a few miles, but I scoped it again, and the pistons were shiny and the compression was strong. Then I drove it a thousand miles in two days. I'd do it that way again.

 

[Larry$]

I had an '68 F250 with a 360 cu in. that ran a long time. It was often overloaded and served me well for many years.

 

[BGHansen]

Thanks for all of the tips! Here's what I'm planning to do going forward based on your collective tips:

1) Pull the plugs and squirt in a little ATF. Let that set for a day or two and turn it over by hand.
2) Pull the carburetor and give it a good cleaning on the bench
3) Disconnect the fuel line at the tank and blow the line clean. Run some fresh fuel through it.
4) Pull the tank, dump out what's in it, flush it with fresh fuel to clean out any debris
5) Put it all together and try to prime the fuel line a bit (story below. . .)

Last time I ran the truck it'd been setting for a couple of years. I pulled the air cleaner to open up the top of the carb for access with my "super soaker". Super soaker was a 20 oz. soda bottle with a hole in the cap; gas in the bottle instead of soda. I hit the starter from the driver's seat and squeezed the bottle to shoot gas in the carb. Yeah, not my finest moment. . . I'll have our son out there this time to hit the starter or use my remote starter switch. The starter solenoid is a typical Ford remote mount, easy to access. More FUN to follow!

Bruce


The fuel tank is SUPER EASY to get to. Open a door, tip the seat forward and "Whoomp! There it is". I pulled it before when I welded on the frame from my buckling adventure.

 

[woodchucker]

Thanks for all of the tips! Here's what I'm planning to do going forward based on your collective tips:

1) Pull the plugs and squirt in a little ATF. Let that set for a day or two and turn it over by hand.
2) Pull the carburetor and give it a good cleaning on the bench
3) Disconnect the fuel line at the tank and blow the line clean. Run some fresh fuel through it.
4) Pull the tank, dump out what's in it, flush it with fresh fuel to clean out any debris
5) Put it all together and try to prime the fuel line a bit (story below. . .)

Last time I ran the truck it'd been setting for a couple of years. I pulled the air cleaner to open up the top of the carb for access with my "super soaker". Super soaker was a 20 oz. soda bottle with a hole in the cap; gas in the bottle instead of soda. I hit the starter from the driver's seat and squeezed the bottle to shoot gas in the carb. Yeah, not my finest moment. . . I'll have our son out there this time to hit the starter or use my remote starter switch. The starter solenoid is a typical Ford remote mount, easy to access. More FUN to follow!

Bruce


The fuel tank is SUPER EASY to get to. Open a door, tip the seat forward and "Whoomp! There it is". I pulled it before when I welded on the frame from my buckling adventure.
View attachment 485781

wow, right in the cab like that... what could go wrong there

 

[BGHansen]

wow, right in the cab like that... what could go wrong there

Yeah, I guess I'm the canary if there was a leak in the tank! Funny thing is I drove a Ford Pinto while going to college if you recall the drama with those. At least with the truck there's a dump box to help if I was rear-ended!