Salan's 1980 Something

[salans7]

Felt guilty about not doing anything to my F350, so I decided to tackle removing the exhaust manifolds. Judging by the hardware, I don't think they were ever removed. However, by some miracle, I was able to remove all the hardware without breaking anything. I pre-soaked everything in PB blaster, and on the bolts that weren't coming out easily, I just "bumped" the ratchet a few times to break the corrosion free and slowly backed them out. That's one less thing I have to worry about when rebuilding the heads, if I decide to use these instead of aftermarket heads. Still on the fence there.

[Gary Lewis]

"That moment" doesn't happen very often.  Well done, Shaun!

[salans7]

Let's hope the same for the flange studs.

[grumpin]

Whew! That’s great!

[salans7]

So, after not being able to find "In stock" wheels for my red Ranger (I'm picky), I have decided to downgrade that truck to just new tires and fluid changes, and promote the F350 back up to the top of the priority list. Working on the 460 the last few days has been enjoyable to say the least so I want to get some heavy progress made on that. Luckily I have basically a complete engine so I'm at the point where I need to start collecting new parts for it and once I have most of what I'll need, I'll disassemble it fully and see if it needs to go to the machine shop.

[Gary Lewis]

Excellent!  I like the plan, Stan.

But, you have reputable machine shops down there?  Not all .  Don't know that I'd trust them.

[salans7]

Gary Lewis wrote

Excellent!  I like the plan, Stan.

But, you have reputable machine shops down there?  Not all .  Don't know that I'd trust them.

That's my biggest worry honestly. I wouldn't trust the two or three in my county so will have to research my options elsewhere. Where exactly did BB come from?

[Gary Lewis]

Scotty The Mad Porter.  While he's a member on here that doesn't influence me.  He's great to work with and I highly recommend him.

However, what I wish I'd done is to buy a complete engine from him rather than a short block.  It is a long story but I thought BB's engine had recently been rebuilt and I was going to put the F3 EFI heads on it so sent the heads out locally for refurbishment.  Then I discovered that  had slipped a junk yard engine in BB and told Vernon it was rebuilt.  It was so badly worn out that I had to replace it.  However, the heads were already done so I had to go with a short block.

[salans7]

I would prefer to build it myself, so the most I'm looking for is just somebody to make sure the block and maybe heads are up to snuff. I know enough guys in the mud truck scene that should be able to lead me in the right direction semi-locally. I'm not against driving a few hours for the right shop.

Thanks for the recommendation though.

[Gary Lewis]

My reasoning is twofold.  First, I was able to get the short block for about what machine work and parts was going to cost me.  Second, I got a warranty, which I wouldn't have had with one I assembled.

[salans7]

Did some small things to the F350 today, like install the A/C control unit with dual tank switch, and gave the old girl a wash to get rid of the plant life that was trying to grow on her. Also pulled out the engine and transmission to strip some more grime and blow the cobwebs away. Just chopping away at my list of to-dos.

[Sac79]

It's going to be a good lookin' truck! What are your plans for wheels?

[Gary Lewis]

Ticking things off the list is FUN!  Good job, Shaun!

[salans7]

Thanks guys! Spent the rest of the night rebuilding the DSII harness since some of the wires were frail.

As for the wheels, there are three types I have in mind for this truck.

The old classic polished aluminum bullet hole in 16x10, black Cragar Soft 8 style wheels in 16x10, and the stock 16" wheels I have now but with some meaty and skinny tires, like these trucks had in the 80s. I'll have to decide the final choice down the road.

[Gary Lewis]

As you know, I like the bullet hole wheels.  But they don't seem quite right for an F350, or a wanna-be F350 like Big Blue.  And the Cragar Soft 8's are similar in my thoughts.  Kinda fancy for a heavy duty truck.

So my likes run to the stock-style wheel.

[salans7]

Right now with the white stock wheels, the truck reminds me of a mid 70's F250 with a divorced transfer case (highboy) and I can't say I'm against that look.

[Gary Lewis]

Yep.  I kinda like it as well.  

[Sac79]

So big or skinny and tall... Either would look good, can't go wrong really.

[salans7]

Sac79 wrote

So big or skinny and tall... Either would look good, can't go wrong really.

I think I've found what I like most.

[Gary Lewis]