He's going to look into the rocker shaft, I triple checked I had the right bolt in the correct hole, the rockers are all the same and i also made sure the dripper tin wasn't getting in the way of the hole. Only thing I can think of was I ran with the longer push rods for about 50 miles, but it didn't hurt any other guides (all the same length push rods).

The previous owner did the '55 grill install, I might go back to the '54 someday......after it sees the road . For the bomber clock mine is a Wittnauer 8 day, but they also contracted Waltham to make them too.

 

Check to make sure the soft plugs are installed in the ends of the rocker shaft. They should be installed squarely & a cotter key locks it in (well kind of).

Dan

 

I wouldn't fault you for keeping the '55 grille as it seems sleeker than the '54, but originality is always nice too. Thanks for the clock details. Cheers

 

I took the shafts apart today, the driver side one is the problem side (with valve guides). I couldn't see anything off, the 2 oiling holes on the shaft were facing down and were the same as the pass side which didn't have a problem (plus both plugs are in the sides). I mic'd the shaft as the rockers were a little more loos on the shaft vs the pass side. The shaft is slightly under the pass side (.001), so I might look for shafts and rockers. I think there was a problem with the valve set-up and the pushrods being too long made it worse as I can't find any other problems. I'm just going to re do the heads, triple check everything before install, new rockers/shafts and try again.

 

Found some NOS rockers, stands and 1 shaft thanks to Bill. Heads still being done.......

 

Got the heads back, 1 new rocker shaft. Now starts the reassembly process. Hope it works this time.

 

Running without a tick so far, took it for a 60 mile test drive. I still think I have a vacuum leak or something wrong inside the carb as it hunts at idle but is smooth off idle. Need to fix fuel gauge also.

I hate aftermarket stuff sometimes. The one aftermarket rocker shaft I got leaked past the plugs on both ends, had to drill and tap the ends for a pipe plug. The one I bought didn't have the step inside for the plug to bottom out on. Still on the hunt for an NOS rocker shaft for a 390.

 

I fixed the fuel gauge, I used another sending unit that was adjustable for length. The sending unit that came with the kit wasn't long enough to clear the inside of the tank. I also bought the repo rubber floor mat, it's OK. It's made of pure rubber and will continue to tear after you cut it if you pull it too hard when moving it around.

Took it on another 60+ mile trip.

More pictures to come....

 

Sounds like you're being persistent!

I can recall on my FE powered F350 that I was never able to come up with a good reason for the valve guides to go south after only a couple of thousand miles. I did everything right....I was only able to figure that the bronze guide material was too soft and the 390 offers a lot of side load due to the geometry of the valve train.

It also appears that you're back on the road!! It's time to post some updated pics!

 

Hey Dan,
The piece of your story that begins with "Took it on another 60+ mile trip." That is fantastic - it took us quite a while to trust driving our '50 F1 out of town. I still listen for any feedback the truck is offering like "what's that noise? vibration?" Supposedly you stop doing that at some point - I haven't hit that point yet.

Looking good over there in Orange County.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

Thanks Ben. I've had a few old cars and I've found out that they rarely leave you stranded, you can almost always limp them home.....or at least fix them on the side of the road. I don't own a cell phone, but I have a tool box in every car with some spare parts. I broke a alt bolt on another car (late night) and ended up pulling off a fender bolt to get me home once. Went on another 60+ mile trip last night.....still have some more fine tuning.

Some more pictures............

I have rear shocks now:



and a floor mat:

 

I've never had a vehicle fight me so much to get fixed. It seems like 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Last weekend when I was driving I lost the heater core (lucky I had the rubber mat installed).....but it's warm around here so the heater isn't needed yet. Then the next night the headlight adjuster broke, that's going to be tomorrows project.

 

Something else I did might help someone else. I was told that the hood likes to come open at freeway speeds on these trucks. The best fix is to put a flip kit on the hood or some type of hokey chain/cable set-up......neither of which I liked. I did some measuring and came up with a modified hood pin type set-up.

Mark just under the hood latch panel when the hood is closed on the hood pin. Pull the hood pin off and drill a hole for a 1/4" bolt (be warned it case hardened):


I welded a large flat washer to a 1/4" bolt after I cut off the head:


Reinstalled the hood pin:


Now with the hood closed I can reach under the hood above the grill and insert the pin. If the hood wants to fly open it has to either suck the bolt through the hole or take the latch panel with it:


I guess it can work for security also .

 

Headlight adjuster repair............

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...adjusters.html

 

Glad to hear its running for ya now. Just need to chase out the little things. I hope you're wrong about the aftermarket shafts! I just bought 2 sets and am skeptical about them now! TIRED of this CHINA crap!

I like the hood pin Idea! Very cool!