Keep in mind that thinning the paint (obviously) makes it thinner. I personally brush on the primer and paint on a frame so it is a thick heavy coat. If you are going to thin and spray, you should put on more coats to increase the protection.

 

So I spent a number of hours on Saturday removing the fueltank and then cutting the rivets out of the frame. Thanks for all the guidance! I wound up using a cut-off wheel to make an"X" in the rivet head, then used an air chisel to pop off the 'wedges'then used an air chisel shaped like a pencil to knock out the rivets.

My first question has to do with the x-member where theemergency brakes pass through. Theunderside support 'brace' for this were a real mess. I didn't actually remove that x-member yet,but rather, took out the rotting under-brace. A fellow FTE member is sending me a used x-member and I was thinking itwould be much easier to simply pop out the under-brace from the new x-member,as opposed to replacing the whole unit. I'm not really sure how to get the emergency brake lines outanyway. What do you think of thisplan? Here are some shots of thex-member, the removed under-brace, as well as the one still on the truck (I only removed the passenger side so far):

 

I also noticed that one of my upper gast tank straps is in pretty bad shape. Are these available? Either NOS or repro?

 

Also, are these exhaust brackets/insulators available? As always, thanks for all the help!

 

Gas Tank Strap upper $24.95 for the set .. They will have your exhaust bracket also more than likely

On the cross brace .. It depends on how thorough you want to be with your frame painting .. Having everything stripped = a better job

 

Thanks!

Regarding the crossmember, I was still going to paint everything, but was going to leave the top of the crossmember attached to the frame and jsut bolt the under-braces to the existing crossmember.

Just out of curiousity, how do you remove the e-brake fittings? They look like little spiders where thy come through the crossmember. I tried using needle-nose pliers, but that didn't work.

 

Another 'noobie' question. Where do I find the paint code for my truck? I was looking for touch-up paint and there were a couple of different shades of 'red' offerd in 1978.

 

Look on the warranty tag on the driver's door under the COLOR section.



If it's red, it's probably a K (Bright Red) or a T (Red).

 

Thank you!

 

My rust-free crossmember, tank straps and brake line bracket are in transit (thanks BeeKing!). I want to place an order today for my fuel lines and brake lines. I am going to go the stainless steel route and was just curious if the ones in LMC or NPD are same as the one Inline Tube sells, or should I just order directly from Inline.

I also figured I should replace the bushings/trans mounts while I'm at it. The ones on the truck look pretty worn/cracked. I'm assuming these are available through the parts houses (probably not NOS).

Thanks
Frank

 

Not sure if this exhaust bracket is the one you need.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/74-75-F250-4x4-NOS-FORD-D3TZ-5260-E-BRACKET-AND-INSULSTOR-MUFFLER-OR-OUTLET-PI-/171162234534?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27da106ea6&vxp=mtr

 

I have no experience with LMC or NPD on those parts specifically but generally speaking I only use them as a last resort because of my experience buying other stuff from them .. However with inline I have had nothing but a positive experience with them regarding brake and fuel lines .. On the transfer case mount bushings I am not sure on availability for them ..

 

LMC doesn't "make" anything! They are just resellers. Anything that you buy from them was made by someone else and can probably be purchased cheaper from another supplier.
LMC may get it's lines from Inline, I don't know.
Yes, order your lines directly from Inline. That's what I did. I also got the stainless steel version and wasn't disappointed.

 

Thanks guys! Going to call Inline today to order the parts.

That exhaust bracket looks similar, but I don't think it's a match. I'm going to look at mine a bit closer tonight. Thanks!

 

Also on the wheels they came in 9.75" and I think sometimes a 12" but the most common for sure is the 9.75". The guy with the wheels and tires was just looking at the tire size.