Got a pickup...back on track again

[wake]

yeah, im worried about my truck doing that as well Ed..But i dont have the 125 bucks to test if it clicks or not
Well i do..but that moneys already going elsewhere

[00Beast]

Flat-beds and other service bodies can be a royal PITA on that count. The stock filler necks rarely cause issues.

[clm2112]

Flat-beds and other service bodies can be a royal PITA on that count. The stock filler necks rarely cause issues.

Hmmm... I was already having a problem filling the forward tank using the stock (tube within a tube) filler neck assembly. The vent/check valve on the top of the tank seems to be working fine. I figured I was having a problem with the extra bends creating a puddle of gas (like a sink drain trap.) The truck has been running mostly on the rear tank because of this. By going to a single large filler hose on a straight down-hill path to the tank, I though I would be able to fill it in the same maner as filling a boat or any other older car with a single fill pipe.

The truck is drivable right now, but not exactly "legal"... in that it has no tail lights until I finish shortening the bed. I do have a pair of Jeep CJ tail/turn/backup light assemblies to install, but was holding off until the steel apron on the back of the bed is done so I can recess them. In a pinch I can hang the temporary trailer tail light bar on it but would rather just leave it parked an continue working on it with what little daylight I have at the end of the day.

[clm2112]

Here ya go... tire on truck

[00Beast]

Very nice!!!!

[Blown93SSEi]

That's some hot tire on truck action you got there!

[wake]

i cant believe im about to utter these words...that ford is looking better everytime i see it

[clm2112]

Thanks guys This is definately been a learning experience.

After I took the picture, I started removing the headache board from the bed. It peed on me for my efforts. Turns out the steel tubes were full of water. When I started cutting through the top square tube with a cut-off wheel, steam started coming out of the weld joint. As soon as the wheel cut through the tube, it gushed rusty water on me. :(

Ok, well, I didn't like it anyways, so I kept cutting through welds until it got dark. I have about half the pieces cut away. I'll finish that tonight, assuming I get the 2nd tire mounted at lunch time instead of sitting around a tire store after work.

One thing I did learn is how easy it is to recalibrate the speedometer on the truck. Function called "PSOM"...little pigtail connector I found in the dash wiring and didn't know what it was for. Ground it, turn the key on, then use the odometer select and reset buttons to change the calibration constant. Hmm, easier than reprograming the constant in a GM CalProm chip, though Ford only lets you recalibrate the speedo six times. Found tables online for tire/gear ratios, so I only need to do it once for the larger tires.

[00Beast]

That's cooler than the 88-99 GM trucks, where you just connect or disconnect certain parts of a board in the TCM with solder. Some people put switches on it so they can adjust indefinitely.

[clm2112]

Did some more research today before going to work. Checked the diff cover and sure enough it matches the description of an H9 axle (tag reads 3L55 88) so it is a 8.8" Ford with 3.55 gears and a limited slip diff. Put the speedometer into self test and got the current calibration along with the count of how many tries are left before it locks out changes. So, all that is left is to plug the value from Ford's chart into the speedometer when the rear tires are changed ( 31x10.5 R15 tires were an option on Fords with 3.55 gears and a 108 tooth sender ring, so the correct calibration value is already known.)

Dropped another rim off on the way home for tire #2

Spent the rest of the remaining daylight hacking off more steel from the flat bed. Then came inside and cleaned up more of the cab trim parts (like the transfer case shifter boot/trim).

Tomorrow will be more of the same. I need to finish up this weekend so I can use it to move Ana out of the apartment the week after next.

[00Beast]

Are you going to make a new headache rack?

[clm2112]

Are you going to make a new headache rack?

Yes and no...


What I'm aiming for is similar to this '77 Stake Bed F150, only not as tall....



I don't want it taller than the rear window. I also want the bed to be the same width as the cab so that only the stake pockets are wider than the rest of the truck. Kinda like a cat, if the nose & wiskers fits through the opening, the rest of the cat can too. If the nose of the truck fits between the trees, the rest will too.

This one ends at the frame rails, with the back bumper acting like a functional step, which is what I have in mind as well.

Since the sides are removable, they can be replaced with taller ones later if the need arises. With a truck rated at only 1/2 ton, there isn't much call for loading it up to the top of the cab. Hay rolls are about the only thing that would be so large, yet so low in density, as to need that much volume.

The only real objective for the coming week is getting the perimeter of the bed done, the bed mounted to the frame a bit more securely, and the tail lights on it. The deck and sides can come later.

[clm2112]

Another night, and another tire...



Two down, three to go

Oh, and carved up headache board. Front of the bed is about the right height now. Silver paint line on the bed is about where the new width should be to end up flush with the sides of the cab. It will also make the front of the bed rectangular, so the removable sides can attach to it with just a few steel tabs.

[swampthing]

Good call with the 31x10.5's I swear it is the perfect tire size for almost any truck. Its what I currently run on the silverado. The stock tires are so small they look retarded on it

[00Beast]

So you're not replacing all the rims?

[clm2112]

So you're not replacing all the rims?

Perhaps on the next change of tires, but for the moment the single steel white wagon wheel is just the spare tire. The aluminum alloys are in good enough shape to run and keep the budget down. I've got to make a spare tire carrier for the bed. That reminds me, I need to pick up some 1/2-20 lug nuts and bolts. I figure I can make it out of the left over steel from the bed and mount it on the front end of the bed.

[myfirstbonnie]

It's coming together and looking good. You are going to have a decent hauler there for quite awhile.

[PRD2BDF]

Put the spare wheel on the front bumper! I always loved the trucks that did that.

[00Beast]

Ohh, that makes sense. I figured from the first post that the wagon wheels were your replacement, lol.

Spare tire on the front would really kill cooling...

[clm2112]

While putting it on the front would be handy, I've also got the winch, front hitch, the steel bumper from hell, and grill guards to think of.. that's an awful lot of weight to hang on the nose. I think the bed is the best option. Stock location is out of the question (I don't know why anyone would want to climb under a truck with a flat tire to get at the spare...great thing to do in the snow or mud )