Dad's Truck Build

[Rangerapb]

I wish I had a powder coat oven, everything you've coated looks awesome. I bet that truck will last several lifetimes.

[Ford F834]

Thanks Steve, the mud/gravel that I get accumulating there is usually pretty small. Good to know what size has worked for you though...

Cross members look great Gary! Once Dad’s truck is a roller it will be all downhill from there right???😉. How exciting!

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks, guys.  But just because you have a powder coating oven doesn't mean you should use it on everything.  Yes, this may last several lifetimes, but it is taking a lifetime to do.

As for it all being down hill from here, not quite.  There's the issue of EFI and the significant changes to the wiring.  But, we are on a roll!

[Steve83]

Gary Lewis wrote

Plus put the wheel bearings in and the hub locks, and have a roller!

Bearings - yes.  But the truck can be driven without hub locks.  They don't carry any weight or hold anything in.  Their dust caps keep contaminants out of the hubs, but duct tape will do that, too, for a while.  So don't let hub locks keep you from putting it back on the ground.

[Gary Lewis]

Very true, Steve.  But I now have all of the parts for the hub locks, having gotten in the kit from Mile Marker, and can put them together and on as well.  

However, I'm not sure how today is going to transpire.  I have a dental appointment for a broken cap at 8:00, and church tonight.  And in the interim we may go visit a lady from church that is on hospice.  So, I may not get a lot done.  We shall see.

[grumpin]

Gary Lewis wrote

Very true, Steve.  But I now have all of the parts for the hub locks, having gotten in the kit from Mile Marker, and can put them together and on as well.  

However, I'm not sure how today is going to transpire.  I have a dental appointment for a broken cap at 8:00, and church tonight.  And in the interim we may go visit a lady from church that is on hospice.  So, I may not get a lot done.  We shall see.

 Good on ya! James 1:27 (Even if she's not a widow!)

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks.  Unfortunately we didn't get to go as she was sleeping.  Hasn't eaten in a few days, but was lucid day before yesterday.  May get to see her tomorrow.

But, the lady we visited in the hospital on Monday got to go home Tuesday, so that's good news.

As for today, it'll be short as we are to meet my brother and his wife at 5:00 to have dinner and hand off the American Racing wheels for his '55 Chevy.  But, I hope to make PROGRESS in the interim.  

[Gary Lewis]

IT IS NOW ON ALL FOURS!

Gotta go meet my brother, but here are some pics.  First, here's how I protected the powder coated hub when installing the wheel - Brandon/Bruno2's red tape:




And here's the wheel, hub lock, and NOS center cap, albeit ugly lug nuts:




Here's the rear wheel with an old center cap, but it shows what I was trying to mimic with the lock-out hubs:




Last, it is on the ground, although not with all its weight or it'll move on the lift:

[Ford F834]

Fantastic Gary!!! Looks great and a major step forward 😁

[scbill]

Dang Gary, That IS nice...I gotta get bizzy.

[1986F150Six]

Ford F834 wrote

Fantastic Gary!!! Looks great and a major step forward 😁

I hope this works:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=One+small+step+for+man+quote+YouTube&view=detail&mid=53BC6D44913CCA4A86B153BC6D44913CCA4A86B1&FORM=VIRE

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks, guys!  Yes, it does feel like a major step. Maybe not a large leap for mankind, but it should get some kind of honorable mention?  😜

[Steve83]

Gary Lewis wrote

...ugly lug nuts...

This caption contains many links to McGard brand lug nuts:



I assume they were the OEM for our trucks' lug nuts because I know they were the OEM for the locking lug nut used on late-model Bronco swingaways.



I found an open box of nearly 100 on eBay, so I've been throwing out my beat-up originals.

[85lebaront2]

Interesting information, I notice the strange floating washer lugs on the older DRW models are not listed.

Wheel locks, my 1994 Taurus has the factory aluminum wheels and came with a set of locking lugs, key is attached to the wrench handle. I am sure they are original as the car was a "program" car, meaning it was a leased car for it's first year. I am only the second owner and bought it in 2009 from my former boss for $750.

[Gary Lewis]

Thanks, Steve.  I actually think I have a set of McGards that I bought when I polished and powder coated the wheels.  But I was rushing to get the wheels on and the truck on the ground yesterday, and found these so used them.  However, as I start cleaning things up from the mad dash I may find the other nuts.  If not, I'll order some of those.

Apparently it was both a physical as well as a mental exercise yesterday.  We got up at 5:00 yesterday and I got started early to ensure I reached that milestone.  And part of the exercise was carrying the tires down from the attic.  As I told David, while I have a winch to move things down from the attic, it is slow and I didn't have the time to use it.  So, one at a time I carried them down, cleaned that one and mounted it, and then went back up for another.

After getting it on the ground I rushed into the house, cleaned up, and then drove 90 miles to meet my brother and his wife for dinner.  By the time we got home last night I was exhausted.  But then I had one of the best night's sleep I've had in quite a while, which is why I'm getting a late start today.

And, speaking of cleaning up, several tools have wheel bearing grease on them so weren't put away.  There are hammers, and brass drifts, and old bearings and races, and empty boxes and plastic wrappers, and even the last batch of powder-coated parts everywhere.  So today I have to do what I dislike and take time to put some order and cleanliness to the place.  

Perhaps installing some of those parts that are lying about would qualify?  

[1986F150Six]

"Perhaps installing some of those parts that are lying about would qualify?"  

I vote for the latter!

[Gary Lewis]

That's my favorite way to clean things up.  

But, I do have to de-grease a few things and put them away first.  That wheel bearing grease is persistent and is on lots of things.

First, though, I have to finish this second cup of Joe.  (Thanks, David.)

[Steve83]

85lebaront2 wrote

...I notice the strange floating washer lugs on the older DRW models are not listed.

It's a list I created by browsing Amazon & looking for McGard lug nuts that would fit Broncos (& F150s), so it applies to "Dad's truck".  But you could use the info in the image to identify those that fit the bigger trucks, and look for Darth's.

[Gary Lewis]

Repeat after me: Any time there are more steps forward than backward it is still progress!  

So, what steps forward did I have?  One - I got the front crossmember installed, torqued down, and touched up.  But I still have to paint the sway bar before I can finish that up.




And, while doing that I thought I might as well bolt in the new Red Head steering box I have - but it won't quite bolt in.  It appears that the casting is just slightly too big and it hits my reinforcement for the frame as shown below.  This pic was taken with some red tape on to protect the reinforcement angle, and with Dad's original steering box bolted in - which fit fine.  But, there's only about 1/32" of space between the bottom of the "ear" and the angle.  So I guess I'll grind a bit off the ear on the Red Head box.  (Is this a step backwards?)




Also, prior to this I was looking for the pitman arm and couldn't find it.  Then, when I went up after Dad's steering box to test-fit it on the frame, I realized that I hadn't taken the arm off the box.  (I shipped another box to Red Head as the core.)  And that's when the mystery started.

Just for grins I decided I'd decode the tag on the steering box I took off Dad's truck.  Here's the tag:




And here's what the MPC says:



Yep, the box says "SPA DC" and that should have been on a 1980 truck, not an '81.  But, I'm very sure this is the original box - especially since it has a tag consistent with the build date of November of '80 as I think the "80J" means Oct of '80.  And, rebuilders don't put the tag back on.

Further, the original pitman arm also is said to be the wrong one.  As you can see, it says E0TA 3590-BD, and the cross-reference that Bill/Numberdummy gave me says that is part # E0TZ 3590-B.  But the MPC says it should be part # E2TZ 3590-C, in spite of E2 being 1982 - and it doesn't even have an entry for E0TZ 3590-B.  




I'm going back with that pitman arm, but I think the learning for today is that what the "book" says and what really happened are two different things.  I wonder if I ought to climb the microfiche tower tomorrow and see what the 1982 version of the MPC says?

[85lebaront2]

I looked, the biggest they list are 7/8", mine are 1 1/6" (or 27 mm).