1980 F150 4x4 Flareside Project

[salans7]

I've basically done the same with mine then. But my obsession with staying OEM is bothering me and I want my column to be an original manual column. I have everything I need except the part where the ignition cylinder goes. I found a NOS one, to the tune of $600.  More than likely I'll have to modify the automatic "collar" to work with the key release that I'd like to utilize for originality's sake.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Buy a roll of NiCopp brake line from Amazon.
They have lengths from 10' and up.
It's easy to flare and good for 6,000 psi.

[Rembrant]

So I got my column swap done today. I've had these darn Bullnose columns apart so many times now I swear I could do it with my eyes closed. Anyway, I didn't document all that much, but I had saved the plastic collar from a floor shift manual that I grabbed out of an '86 at the junkyard a couple years ago.




Auto collar and manual (floor shift) collars side by side:




Only glitch was that the manual collar has three screw tabs, and there was only enough room to use two. It's still fine, so I'm not worried. Second glitch is that someday somebody will realize that the key release button is not there...lol. Oh well.

All finished and ready to re-install. Nobody will know the difference.

 

Leftover autotragic parts:



I also made a nice firewall brace for the hydraulic clutch master today which I will show some pics of tomorrow. I'll get all of that installed tomorrow as well as a hydraulic pedal set, and the steering column.

Getting close to turning this old pig over!!

[Gary Lewis]

Looking good!  But I can't wait for the startup!  

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

Looking good!  But I can't wait for the startup!  

Me too, Gary! Fingers crossed. Engine history unknown. Last running when, unknown...lol.

Another couple days of wrenching and she'll be ready to flash up.

[grumpin]

Nice job! Hope I can never do that with my eyes closed! May have to get in there someday though.

[Gary Lewis]

I forgot to say I'm curious how you did the brace.  I'll be patiently awaiting the explanation and pics.  

[salans7]

Looks good Cory! Can a column be disassembled far enough to reach these parts with the column still installed in the truck? I'd rather not pull the column again. Haha.

Random thought, but I turned my old autotragic shift tube into a torque multiplier for my 1/2" breaker bar. lol.

[Rembrant]

Shaun,

The manual collar can be swapped in with the column installed for sure. Not sure about removing the long shifter tube though I think the column would have to be out for that.

[Rembrant]

Gary,

It’s not pretty but it’s functional and used materials on hand. The firewall needs it. It’s rusty and cracked, even though it was a mechanical linkage clutch truck originally.

[ArdWrknTrk]

You've done an excellent job with that Cory!  

[Gary Lewis]

Yes, that looks great, Cory!  Well done!  And you have it installed?

[kramttocs]

Well done!

I agree - I think the shifting tube would be too long to come out the bottom unless one wanted to chop it in pieces as it comes out.

[Rembrant]

Gary Lewis wrote

Yes, that looks great, Cory!  Well done!  And you have it installed?

Gary,

Yes sir, installed. Working from my iPhone here so not sure it this will orient properly but here’s a pic:



I had to notch the steering column mounting flange so that the bottom nut on the master cylinder can be accessed. The factory hydraulic clutch trucks are notched here, but this one being an ‘80 was not. It would be a cruel joke to play on a future owner to have to pull the steering column to change a master cylinder LOL.

[Rembrant]

kramttocs wrote

Well done!

I agree - I think the shifting tube would be too long to come out the bottom unless one wanted to chop it in pieces as it comes out.

Right!

By the way, I just finally got that hydraulic pedal set installed today! So awesome!!

The truck now has 3 pedals again!



The pedal box that was in the truck had the same cast aluminum piece...I guess I didn't realize that they were the same. This truck originally had a T-18 4spd in it, but at some point was converted to an automatic...and then the auto trans was pulled out for reasons unknown. So it had the wide auto trans brake pedal, but it had a bunch of back yard butchery done in the pedal box to make it fit...bushings made out of PVC pipe barbs...lol.

So I had a good couple of days while I was waiting for my new water pump to arrive. Converted auto column to a manual column, installed clutch master with firewall reinforcement brace, hydraulic pedal box,  5spd tunnel cover and shifter, and finally installed the 1995 4x4 shifter (in the floor, beside the tunnel cover).

[ArdWrknTrk]

These smaller firewall braces seem the perfect sideline for Ron/Reamer with his press brake and plasma.

Virtually NO up front cost in materials, can run them off a couple of dozen at a time.
Take up NO space and fit in a small flat rate box with USPS.

An afternoons work and they could be sitting, waiting for an address sticker.  💡

[Rembrant]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

These smaller firewall braces seem the perfect sideline for Ron/Reamer with his press brake and plasma.

Virtually NO up front cost in materials, can run them off a couple of dozen at a time.
Take up NO space and fit in a small flat rate box with USPS.

An afternoons work and they could be sitting, waiting for an address sticker.  💡

Right you are, Jim! Did you see the picture I posted in the Lounge for you?

[Rembrant]

So, check out this oddity...

This old '80 has a gauge mounted in the instrument bezel. It absolutely kills me because the 1980 instrument bezel is a one-year only item, and the rest of it is in pretty nice condition.





ATM gauge? As in Atmospheric pressure, in units Bar? In other words, a vacuum gauge? It just seems really odd...
Anyway, there was a clear plastic tube attached to it, that ran through the firewall but was just loose. Original engine was a 302, which was removed long ago.

If I can't find another bezel for a reasonable price, I guess I'll just have to install a more functional gauge in the hole.

[Gary Lewis]

That is ODD!  Don't think I've ever seen a vacuum gauge marked that way.  But you might want to hook it back up.  Having there, staring you in the face, is likely to change your driving habits.  

The pedals, shifter, and tranny cover look great.  Well done!

[Rembrant]

I had a semi-productive day wrenching on the old '80. Seems weird to say...but this truck is now forty-one years old. If you go by the build date and when it arrived at the dealer (October 1979), it's technically 42 years old. Anyway, I had been waiting several days for a new water pump to arrive. The shop lost the original new pump they ordered so then ordered in a reman pump for me, but I did finally get my hands on it yesterday morning. Grabbed a bunch of hose clamps, and some 5/16" copper tubing to make new fuel line with the really optimistic hopes of possibly cranking the engine over this weekend. Then I pull a bone-head move and bust the thermostat housing. So stupid too, because I had just spent an hour breaking the long pivot bolt in the alternator loose. Anyway, I'm not sure what happened...the surfaces seem flat...maybe the thermostat slipped out of place and lifted the lower ear off the head.



It's not a big deal...the stupid things are worth something like $10 bucks, but I have to order from RockAuto so it will be a week or so getting here. It's a blessing in disguise, because I need a little time to prepare anyway. Spilled milk.

I did get the core support back on the frame though, and that also turned out very good. I rebuilt the bottom of this core support, and installed a used 2 core 1994 radiator that I was worried would not fit. Turns out it fit perfectly, and as wild as the radiator angle looked in the core support, it appears to be perfectly parallel to the radiator fan. All good. I still need to shim it and tweak it a bit, but I ran out of time this morning. I'll pick at it tomorrow and try to get it ready to fire up next weekend.




I also need to order some other little odds and ends....bushings and clutch and brake pedal covers, etc. Still, all in all pretty good shape.