I was running the standard 60 amp 2G, could have everything on and never had any problems like that. Weird.

 

No, Rusty is running a 1G, although that alternator is rattling so I may go to the salvage and get him a 3G. But I am going to install the headlight relays and that will help the dash light some because the interior voltage will stay a little bit higher since the headlights won't be pulling it down.

 

I love doing cleanup and detail. A little always goes a long way!

I did get the mirror fixed; the solution was to use the head off the aftermarket mirror and use the Ford frame. Now that it's rebuilt and greased up they're folded in towards the truck so hopefully no more mishaps!

I need to get some pictures, but I took a pressure washer to the engine bay and underside of the truck to get rid of the years of grime that had accumulated. Eyeing the motor to see if the valve covers are leaking and where my power steering leak is coming from. It'll also be a good base for the tune up and fluid change and detail work I need to do.

I've got some time at the shop tomorrow but I'm not sure what I'll do. Either start on bodywork or drop my gas tank(it needs a new sending unit, although part of me hopes maybe the float just sank and I want to start painting and undercoating the bottom of this truck while it's out).

After doing some reading on here this morning; I've decided that when I put in a new heater core here soon I'm going to do a coolant flush and install a coolant filter at the same time.

I need to make a list! Maybe put up a Roadkill-esque whiteboard.

 

Hi Jessie,
You sound pretty industrious.
The fact that you like cleanup and detail speaks a lot about the pride you take in your work.

Those trailer mirrors do stick way out there when unfolded, huh?

I know the lack of road salt down south helps immensely with undercarriage corrosion, but you might consider soaking those tank strap bolts in PB Blaster before you try and take the tank down.
L o n g threads on those bolts.

Welcome to the forum, and looking forward to some underhood pic's of that cleaned up idi!

 

My favorite junkyard finally got another bullnose in, and it still had the driver's side door glass and vent window. It also still had it's original locking hubs. I grabbed all of it, paid more than I wanted to, and then brought it all home.

So now I'm off to buy some cheap tint for the new glass and then install it in my truck. I'll throw my 87-91 door glass and vent window on Craigslist to see if I can recoup some of my money.

Then I'm gonna clean up the locking hubs and see if they're any good or not.


I love Roadkill! Normally I don't get into internet based shows, but Roadkill is an exception. The last two episodes have kind of sucked though.

 

Shaun - That truck doesn't happen to have the bellows for the cold air intake?

 

Nope. I checked for those last week when I was there. It didn't have the original air cleaner top either.

 

Thanks!

 

Got a bit more done on Rusty today. Got the cooling system buttoned up and tested. Had to block off the radiator to get the temp up as the "new" radiator works quite well. As does the new ICVR and both the factory and aftermarket gauges. I think that part is now solid and I'll move on to the headlight relays and the AFR meter. As Jim said, Rusty has a date with a "*cough-Chevy-cough* friend from the wrong side of the tracks" in about a month, so I'm getting him ready. But, there's no shame as the Ford will be towing the Chevy.

Edit: Just checked the gauge illumination. Thought it looked a bit better than it did before I worked on it - and then I discovered the dimmer was down about halfway. Wow! Turned all the way up the gauge gets are very easily read. I'm not sure what did the most good - cleaning the bulbs and their connections, painting the needles, removing the blue filters, or painting the back of the bezel white. But collectively it worked! And that was without the engine running so the voltage was at about 12.5 instead of 14.4 volts.

 

Gary, I was going to do the leak down test on the Bronco tomorrow. What kind of psi should I use for the test?


The head gasket blew out between 2 and 3 last time if I remember correctly. I was going to go straight to 2 and then if no luck 1 or 3 from there.




If you don't mind, let's discuss the test process and the way to go about diagnosing whats going on.

 

Bruno - Call me if you want to talk now, but here's how I do it:

• Set the regulator's pressure to 100 psi
• Set the desired piston on TDC of the firing stroke, remove the spark plug, install the plug adapter and connect it to the leak-down tester
• Read the gauge on the leak-down tester and subtract from 100. In other words, if the reading is 80 then you have 20% loss
• Listen to the exhaust, intake, and sump (via oil filler) to see if you have a leaking exhaust valve, intake valve, or rings. And look in the radiator for bubbles indicating a blown head gasket. And, in your case, squirt soapy water on the block/heat joint to see if it leaks there.
• Record each cylinder's percent loss and what you hear/see to compare them to each other.

 

Haven't been on for a few days. Funny thing is, when I opened this thread, it opened a few days of posts prior to my last post in this thread.
Last time I was here, was on 9/30. Clicked the "first unread post" icon, and it started me with posts from the 24th, and I had replied on the 28th.......
Haven't made any progress of note on any of my stuff, been working on paying customer's stuff. Even today, when I had gone to the shop to work on my stuff. Can't complain too much, could always use a bit of extra funds.
If everything goes well tomorrow, I should have some big news to share in my project thread.

 

I planned on tearing my '82 down to fix the leaking timing cover gasket tomorrow but I got home around 5:30pm and there was enough light so I started today. Got the front tore apart to the point thats all thats left is I need to pull the dampner, remove the water pump and remove the timing cover.

I do have to go to the store and replace two of the pulley bolts as I used them threaded halfways into the balancer to use a large crowbar wedged against the ground to lock the motor up to break the dampner bolt loose. In this process I bent the two bolts as when the engine was built back in '93 they were idiots. The truck was taken back as the front crank seal was leaking so their fix I found out was to remove the crank bolt and washer and fill the dampner opening up with red rtv silicone gasket maker and then put the bolt in and torque it down.

I wont go to the auto parts as they probably wont have the right length since it has to go through the factory pulley and the aftermarket dealer add on A/C pulley. I will go to Lowes and look in their automotive drawers and try to find a stainless steel grade 8 bolt to replace these.

Hope to get everything back together tomorrow and I will then drive the truck for the week with some peak radiator flush and water. Then saturday I will drain the cooling system and flush out as much of the flush out as possible then top it off with a gallon of coolant and three gallons of water. Then I get to see how good the water flows through the radiator with this high volume water pump and thermostat.

I noticed when I would rev the engine up the coolant level drops in the radiator but I never saw coolant flowing through the radiator itself. I am starting to wonder if the water pump blades are screwed up or if its the thermostat.

The other thing is I dont know if this broke when getting to the bolt or if it was broke before hand but theres a split in the 90* elbow I bought to use on the dist as the advance nipple is very close to the dealer A/C bracket. If this was broke before and sucking air, this could be why the truck all of a sudden started missing at idle like crazy. The timing could be getting thrown off. But the truck does get up and move good so I wont know till I get the truck back together.

 

Bruno has asked more questions via text, so let me clarify. One question was how to find TDC on the compression stroke:

• I measure the circumference of the damper, divide by four for an 8 cyl, and mark the damper at 90, 180, and 270 degrees from TDC. (On a 6 cylinder divide by 3 and mark the damper at 120 and 240 degrees.
• Pull the #1 plug, out your finger over the hole, and turn the engine over with a breaker bar on the crank bolt until your finger is blown off the hole. Then turn slowly until the TDC indicator is at the timing mark. #1 is now on TDC on the firing stroke.
• Do the leak-down testing and record the results
• Rotate the engine slowly to your next mark on the damper, and you are at TDC on the next cylinder in the firing order. Run the leak-down test on that cylinder.
• Rotate the engine to the next mark on the damper and run the test on the next cylinder in the order until you run out of cylinders.

And, he's concerned about his little pancake compressor having enough capacity. It really takes very little air as there is a very small orifice (.060" on mine) that won't pass much air.

 

RW,
I sure noticed that the list of subscribed threads in my user control panel is about two weeks long.